Gardening in Waitaki August 1st 2025

Going by my past notes, August often brings us one last true burst of winter before we can fully leap into spring. While we’re all eager for sunshine and blossoms, it’s worth remembering that plants and soil need a consistent cold spell to reset and perform at their best once growth kicks in. The downside to a late cold snap is the damage it can do to early new growth and tender fruit blossoms. To set fruit well, we need milder, sun-filled days so pollinators can do their job during that brief window when flowers bloom. Time to Dress the Garden: Cold or not, August is the time to get creative in the ornamental garden planning, planting out, shifting things around, and feeding. Liquid feed annuals and perennials that have been nursed through winter. Their roots are beginning to absorb nutrients, helping buds to plump and strengthen. Hydrangeas will be showing fat green shoots now. Prune flowering stems back to the second bud from the base, and leave all non-flowering growth as that’s where the new blooms will form. You can take hydrangea cuttings now—choose thick, woody stems about 12” long, cut on a slant. Dip in rooting hormone (optional), insert into damp river sand around the edge of a well-drained pot (not in the centre), water well and place in a sheltered spot. Roses , especially robust ones like Flower Carpet, can still be given their winter trim. If well established, they can be tidied with a hedge trimmer. Staking Trees: A Timely Reminder’ve noticed newly planted grafted trees in gardens with no stakes. While the soil is firm now and winter winds are few, come spring, we often face sudden gales. Without stakes, these tall trees can rock in the wind, disturbing the roots before they’ve anchored properly. Unstaked trees grow more slowly—or not at all. Now is the time to ensure any recent tree plantings are properly supported. Seed Sowing Underway: It’s an exciting time; seed sowing has begun in earnest. Under glass and in trays off the cold ground, I’m sowing: Cottage annuals like cosmos, cornflowers, love-in-the-mist, snapdragons, alyssum and more. Tender annuals will have to wait unless you have a heated greenhouse. If you’re already seeing new growth on overwintered plants, make sure to protect them from sudden frosts. Vegetable Garden: Now’s the time to sow seeds for vegetables that will be ready to prick out into punnets and plant once the soil warms. Sunny days and frosts help break down heavy soils and get beds in shape. Watch for birds! They’re hungry and nesting, and love tender new leaf growth—cover veg beds with netting or frost cloth to protect crops. Fruit Trees and Grape Vines: Fruit trees are now widely available in garden centres. All are grafted onto rootstock, which affects their eventual size: M26 – Ideal for espaliers and cordons M27 – The smallest rootstock, great for step-overs or growing in pots. Ask for help if you're unsure about labels or planting positions. Grapevine pruning should be completed soon, before the sap rises. Here's how to shape fruiting vines: Remove all new growth except the main fruiting leader. On the leader, prune side shoots back to two buds. Leave about a hand span between each fruiting shoot to allow fruit to size properly. If a shoot has double buds, remove the weaker one to concentrate energy into the stronger shoot. Peach trees: keep an eye on budburst, especially in warmer gardens. When it happens, apply a copper spray immediately to help prevent leaf curl. Scruff Update: Since moving yet again, Scruff has gone from ruling a large garden to ruling a smaller garden and now an even smaller garden, and to let all around know that he is still THE BOSS of all inside his fence and beyond! He’s taken it upon himself to still guard the entire neighbourhood. No cat, bird, dog or human is unnoticed under his watchful eye. In our large property, I could bellow at him to settle down without bothering a soul, but here, with neighbours all around, it’s me who’s been quietened. Scruff, of course, is happily maintaining his security post. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki July 22nd 2025

Sasanqua camellia.

We’re edging ever closer to spring. With another winter month nearly behind us, the garden is starting to stir—both above and below the ground—even as heavy frosts continue to blanket the mornings. I remember winters when the ground stayed frozen well into mid-season and my pond was sealed under thick ice. But in recent years, we’ve seen a shift: sharp frosts followed by unseasonably warm days. At this time around my past, expansive, ever-evolving garden, pruning, composting, and pea-strawing would have been in full swing.  While it may look like growth has slowed, coastal conditions and warmer soils mean there’s still plenty of nutrient uptake happening underground. Birds will be cold and hungry now, with very little for them to forage from nature, and they will soon be nest-building. I have been offering wild bird seed onto a lawn, and they did not take long to find it, and expect it each morning.  Late Winter Care & Feeding Now is a great time to give bulbs, hellebores (winter roses), polyanthus, violas, witch hazel, camellias, and rhododendrons a top dressing of compost. Even a sprinkle of blood and bone can be beneficial—especially if we get a shower of rain to help wash it in. Garden retailers are offering plenty of seasonal colour with sasanqua camellias in full flower, along with various hellebores and vibrant indoor cyclamen to brighten up homes and porches. Keep in mind that these flowering plants are often grown under protective conditions to get them looking their best, so let them harden gradually before planting them out in the garden. Roses: With the ground retaining dampness, mulch can go on to keep it there. Mulch also protects rose roots and allows the plant to focus on root development as it gears up for the growing season. Un-sprayed pea or barley straw, along with well-aged compost, make excellent mulch materials. As early spring approaches, a generous application of rose fertiliser will support strong, healthy growth. Look for fertilisers high in potassium to encourage large, vibrant blooms. For established roses, apply 200 g (about 1 cup) per square metre and water it in well. Fertilising just before the end of winter gives a valuable boost, especially as swelling buds begin to draw nutrients. Another application in mid-December will promote a lovely autumn flush. Have your fertiliser ready to go next month! Prunng should be done and dusted before bud burst. Fruit & Ornamental Trees There’s no better time than now to plant both ornamental and fruiting trees. Most come with detailed labels explaining exactly what you’re buying and how best to plant and care for them. Be sure to stake all tall grafted trees—any root movement caused by wind can really hinder their early growth. And remember: all fruit trees thrive best in open, sunny locations. Vegetable Garden If you’re dreaming of new potatoes for Christmas dinner, now’s the time to act! Seed potatoes are available in stores, and it’s important to know whether you’re choosing an early or late variety. Potatoes are not a one-type-fits-all vegetable anymore!Lay seed potatoes out in trays to begin “chitting,” allowing them to sprout in a cool, well-lit, dry area so they form sturdy buds for early planting.Continue sowing vegetable seeds in trays for transplanting later. If your garden gets good winter sun, you can start planting cauliflower and cabbage seedlings (be sure to protect them from birds), and even sow early peas. Asparagus crowns are also in stock now and should be planted in well-composted, fertilised beds (avoid using animal manure). Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki July 9th 2025

Bleak winter mornings and damp, muddy conditions are keeping many gardeners indoors for now. However, this is an ideal time to plan for spring colour and begin sowing seeds under cover, where they can germinate in a sheltered, spot with good overhead light. Try antirrhinum (snapdragon), carnation, calendula (common marigold), sweet peas, verbena, cosmos, and viola. These should germinate well and be ready for pricking out into punnets before spring arrives.   New season’s roses are now available, though they’re not as popular as they once were. Many new gardeners see them as high-maintenance, and the thorns can be off-putting. But to me, a summer garden simply isn’t complete without at least one or two roses for their beauty and fragrance. Roses don’t need to be planted in traditional rose beds. If you're unsure about including them in your garden, seek out a rose enthusiast for advice on the best varieties—ones that flower continuously, have a lovely scent, fewer thorns, and are known to thrive with minimal fuss.There are roses to suit all sorts of spaces: to add a splash of colour among green shrubs, to climb a wall or fence, or to spill gracefully over a low wall—like the Flower Carpet varieties, which now come in a range of soft shades and can be trimmed with a hedge trimmer.Roses do need full sun, regular watering through summer, and a generous layer of compost in early spring and again after summer deadheading. July is the time for their winter prune—just these steps in the cycle of care will reward you with years of joy.Planting new roses: Plant below the graft section, at the bud union to the root stock, fill the planting hole with water and let it seep away, plant and firm in. Dahlias will need cutting back and mulching for protection if left in the ground. Clumps can be dug now and reduced or split up, dahlias tubers will hold in a dry place until planting out when frosts are over.  Peonies are divided in autumn and are now on offer to be planted in well-draining soil. if you think there is a chance they would sit in wet, soggy soil over winter, they may rot. Planting can continue until September.If young trees or shrubs need transplanting, now is a good time to do it, whilst they are at their most dormant stage. Fruit: Look closely at the shape of your fruit trees and plan how pruning can improve them if needed. Pip fruit should be pruned during winter. Raspberries: Pruning is best done in winter. Remove all old canes from last year's harvest; these will be brittle and need to be cut to the ground, then look for canes with healthy, thick bark and green leaves. Cut these canes back to a mitre height and secure by tying against a fence or framework. \Vegetables: On the coast, start raising vegetable seeds in glasshouses or under glass or plastic with ventilation spaces to circulate air and stop seeds from going mouldy. Plant veg seedlings now on offer, along with garlic cloves. In colder areas, sit back and let frosts work on the soil. Start sprouting seed potatoes. Early varieties like Jersey benne, Cliffs kidney, Rocket, Ilam hardy, and Maris Anchor should be sprouting now for early planting. Cheers, Linda