Gardening in Waitaki June 3rd 2025

Hello winter here in Waitaki, it has been late in getting here on the coast, but the frost cloth and winter woolies are now out and on in those low-lying areas. Pruning: Once trees and shrubs have shed leaves, they are open for inspection. Many ornamental trees need attention, crossing branches, too many branches blocking light from buds once in leaf, height and width reduction. Most trees are pruned in winter while sap is down, and insects/diseases that can potentially invade pruning cuts are dormant as well. In winter, the worst disease is silver leaf, which attacks stone and pip fruit, roses, poplar, willows, and escallonia hedges. It is during cold, wet weather that spores are released, which can then enter the pruning cuts, a reason to avoid pruning on cool, wet days. Spores are not released during dry weather, this is the reason that some susceptible trees prefer a summer prune. Thinning is the removal of an entire branch if two branches are doing the same job. This technique rids the tree of weak and diseased branches and increases light penetration and air movement. Heading back: is shortening the length of a branch back to a bud or the next side branch. Rose pruning is done once rosewood has had enough time to harden. The end of June, July, or even August is not too late. Trim ragged catmint back to the new growth you should be able to see coming through, then dig around or mulch to encourage new roots. Ericas are flowering now, these plants are very hardy and perfect ground covers, over wall spillers, and great as a wide border to narrow down a garden. They usually grow only 6 - 12 inches high and spread 2 - 3 feet. Upright Erica melanthera is one of the prettiest winter-flowering small shrubs, bright pink, 60cm high by 1m wide, fully grown. Leucadendrons are looking wonderful now, perfect for picking and will last for weeks in a vase. Remember not to give them rich compost or fertiliser, they prefer poor soil conditions. Even though we are now in winter, there is plenty on offer to plant; deciduous trees will settle in with a firm stake, and roses do best planted now. If planting evergreen shrubs that look like they have been nursed, get them used to the outside temperatures before planting, or nurse and plant in spring. Plant labels should tell you their hardiness. Sowing seeds: It is too late for seeds to germinate in the garden and continue into winter, however, I have sown cottage flower seeds like poppies, cornflower, and cosmos in seed trays, which are sitting in a well-lit, sheltered place protected by frost cloth, but with the shorter days now I do not expect a lot of progress. If you have more seeds collected during Autumn than you need, please drop them into Robyn at the Resource Recovery Garden corner in Chelmer st. The more locally grown seeds we have, the more locally grown flowers and veg seedlings we can produce next growing season. Powder form fertilisers would be wasted if used while the garden is resting, but compost and well-rotted manure will work as a mulch for plant roots when taken down by worms to be there when needed in early spring. Mulching: If you have a bare garden over winter, opportunistic weeds will germinate during fine days; mulching will prevent this, plus protect not only plant roots but soil as well. If you do not have a green cover crop in, or you've just run out of time to get winter food crops in, put your garden to bed by mulching. Sawdust can be used on wet gardens, straw, shredded garden cut back foliage, or autumn leaves, shredded with the lawn mower can go on dry gardens after a good watering. Any store-bought Lawns getting frost can be left with length to cope with winter, perhaps a last tidy up for those in milder areas, and clippings spread on gardens. Vegetables: On the coast in gardens getting winter sun, sow broad beans, garlic, shallots, and rhubarb. Further inland, a little lime spread and mulched cover will do the job until spring. Cheers, Linda.