Gardening in Waitaki November 13th 2024

It is time once again to cut back plants that have finished flowering, alyssum, ground cover phlox, aubrietia, aquilegia, and forget-me-not. if you cut them back now they will green up and look good over summer. The same goes for Erica's, cut all the brown spent flower stems back and they will green up again in no time.After spreading compost, I fill every gap with flower seedlings such as cosmos, petunias, static, blue salvia, nasturtiums, lavatera, and lobelia, not leaving any room for weeds to grow, now some more gentle rain, please.  All deciduous trees have leafed up now. Don't be afraid to cut out overcrowding branches to let light into the plantings underneath. If two branches fill the same spot, take the lower one out. Maples and Oak trees tend to grow thick canopies; thin them out as required. I used to remove heaps at this time in my past garden, but when I stood back and looked, it was not noticeable, and dappled light was coming through. Dahlias are now showing leaf, once in bud they can be pinched out like chrysanthemums to encourage bushiness' but if the larger growing type they will still get tall so put stakes in now before they get up too far and begin to bend and fall. If your daffodils did not flower well this spring, It's a good time to break up large clumps while you can still see where they have been, flowering gets restricted when the clumps get overcrowded. Plant into about 20 cm of compost in small groups and feed with blood and bone then mulch so they don't dry out over summer. Thinking ahead, there are autumn flowering bulbs in Garden centers now, belladonnas, crocuses, and nerines, plant in full sun where they will not be disturbed. Water lilies can be added to ponds now as pond water is warming, if buying one make sure it is showing leaf, plant it into a plastic basket lined with thick newspaper or woven cloths like chux, then some aged manure and garden soil, plant the lily in the soil and top with a thick layer of stones or gravel. It is important not to let any fertiliser or manure leach out into the pond water because it will encourage the water to go green with slime which is harmful to fish when caught in gills.If your pond is stagnating it means that it is not working as it should. To correct this add some un-sprayed barley straw weighed down with a rock to stop it floating about. There is also  a product called Barley Clear https://www.gardensalive.co.nz/product/Ecopond_Extract_of_Barley_Straw, At first the pond water will not look too healthy but soon you will be amazed at how fast it will clear and stay clear once things start working naturally. To work naturally the bottom of the pond can and should be a little muddy, but the top should be clear, so you can easily tell when it is. If you would like to introduce baby fish to your new pond, acquire some oxygen weed from a pond already filled with fish because at this time of the year, fish blow eggs into oxygen weed so there is sure to be eggs that will hatch out in your pond with no big fish around to eat them. Fish do not need to be fed as the warmer months attract plenty of bugs to the pond.   Lawns: Keep mowers up a notch and try mowing without the catcher now and then, rake the clippings out over the lawn to add humus and feed regularly through the growing and cutting seasons. Have some fertiliser on hand for the next rain. Lawn seed sown now should germinate quickly in damp warm soil. Pop-out daisies, clover, and flat weeds with a blade if not too many, or spot spray with a lawn weed spray. Fruit: Check your fruit trees now for overcrowded bunches, thin bunches out by snipping small fruits off with sharp scissors if winds do not do it for you.   Vegetables: Potatoes are well up, and corn and pumpkins should be going well now. Snails and slugs are on the hunt for newly planted seedlings to chew on, once planted have a look about for these munchers and sprinkle some crushed egg shells or coarse grit around each seedling. Keep planting all vegetables but not too many of the same at one time.    Cheers, Linda.