Gardening in Waitaki June 24th 2025

Gosh, the weeks are racing by — with the days so short, it’s Friday before I know it! The leaf cleanup will feel endless for some right now. This is the best time of year to make big changes in the garden. If something needs to be shifted or removed, don’t wait. I often find myself clearing a space, then walking around to find something well-established that would be perfect to move into the gap. In my past large garden, I would have made a start on rose pruning — it always took me a few weeks to get through them, and as I pruned, I also cleaned up around them. Once finished, I would spray the lot with a mix of copper and winter oil to seal the cuts and protect against fungal issues. If you’re new to rose pruning, start with a sharp pair of secateurs. Remove anything growing into the middle of the bush; an open centre is required to let in light and air. Make your cuts on an angle just above an outward-facing bud. Cut back any branches crossing over one another, again to an outward-facing bud, and remove old, woody or spindly growth completely. Be sure the crown of the rose is kept clear of compost or soil, and give this area a thorough spray as well. New roses also need pruning, even if they were trimmed before delivery. If you’re planting a new rose where one has previously grown, swap the soil with fresh soil from another part of the garden. Make a planting hole that is a few centimetres larger than the full spread of the roots. This is usually about 60cm (2ft) in diameter and at least 30cm (1ft) deep. Some gardeners have used a cardboard box with the bottom removed to line the hole; by the time the cardboard rots away, the plant has established. Boost plant growth by applying a fertiliser high in nitrogen, such as sulphate of ammonia. Improve soil structure by incorporating some well-rotted manure or organic matter into the backfill soil, then firm this around the roots and water well. Elsewhere in the garden, it’s time to deal with moss and lichen on paths and walkways before they get dangerously slippery. You can use a moss-kill product, but a watering can of diluted household bleach or a sprinkling of an inexpensive laundry powder will also do the job. Once moss has blackened, it can be raked off. Seed sowing Flower seeds for spring and summer: I’ve planted delphiniums, snapdragons, poppies, lupins, and cosmos. Even without a greenhouse, they’ll germinate slowly in a sunny, sheltered spot with a cover of plastic or glass ( with breath spaces) and frost cloth; this will reward you with strong plants come spring. I find winter-started seedlings outperform those sown in spring. Ponds: This is also a good time to give fish ponds some attention. Move your fish to a bucket of pond water, then empty and clean the pond. Water lilies in containers can be repotted now too — they’re hungry plants that love rich soil but need careful setup to prevent fertiliser leaching into the water. Use a base of clean gravel and clay or heavy cardboard and clean gravel, then add manure, slow-release fertiliser, and soil before replanting. Finish with more soil and a thick topping of gravel. Trim back roots if needed to fit the plant back in. Refill the pond, but wait a couple of weeks before returning the fish. Lawns:Moss in lawns is widespread after rain; sulphate of ammonia dissolved in water will deal with the moss. Once the moss blackens, rake it out. Vegie garden update: Along the coast where winters stay mild, things are still growing steadily. Keep rotating your crops — root veg where leafy crops were, and vice versa. Plant peas and buttercrunch lettuce if you have raised beds that get sun all day. Buttercrunch thrives in the cooler months and has such a sweet, tender flavour. The quiet powerhouses of the veg garden are the perennial veg. Now’s the time to mulch generously, feed the soil with compost, leaf mould or forest floor wood trimmings to support asparagus, rhubarb, globe artichokes, strawberries and Welsh onions. Even in the stillness of winter, the garden is deepening, getting ready to surge into life again. Cheers, Linda.