Gardening in Waitaki Nov 1st 2025

And now it is almost November, this spring is proving to be a challenge weather-wise, with much-needed rain arriving alongside a bitterly cold spell. Those relentless winds were hard on flowering cherries; sadly, they couldn’t hold their blossom for long, but things will move now because November really is when the garden comes alive. Roses and peonies are nearly ready for their grand display, stepping in to take over from the camellias, rhododendrons, viburnums, lilacs, and azaleas. Forget-me-nots are also finishing their show; instead of pulling them out, cut them back hard, and they’ll quickly green up to form neat summer clumps, flowering again next spring. Irises are pushing through thick buds now. Remove any mulch from around the rhizomes so they can bask in the sun; I always admire drifts of iris planted en masse, though most town gardens don’t have space for letting irises take over ground that will only hold them. Dahlias: I have had to protect my new dahlia growth from late frost, which blackened leaves. Thankfully, the tubas sent up new leaves, so the protection will go on until frosts are no more. With tulips and other spring bulbs dying back, resist the urge to tidy too soon; let the green tops wither naturally to feed the bulbs for next year. Push or twist them out of sight under shrubs until they lose vigour. If you like to remove and store them, this can be done now, but leave green tops on to die back. Now is the time to plan your summer colour. Try cosmos, marigolds, petunias, bedding dahlias and blue salvias to fill gaps where bulbs have finished. Cat-mint is starting to show its first flush of colour; it’s a pretty edging plant that can be cut back after flowering to bloom again later. If dividing, pull off rooted sections from the main clump, pot them up, and grow them on for new garden edging elsewhere. Keep trimming spent blooms from perennials and daisy bushes to encourage bushy growth and continuous flowering; allowing them to seed will only make them woody. Chrysanthemums and perennial asters can be shortened back now to prevent them from growing too tall and flopping over later; they’ll still flower at summer’s end. Chrysanthemum tips can be placed in river sand to root for new plants. Hedges: Hold off trimming soft new growth until it has firmed later in the month, especially on box hedges, as cutting too early only encourages more tender regrowth. Viburnum and lonicera hedges, however, can be shaped now, and all soft trimmings make excellent additions to the compost or garden mulch. Lawns: Grass, grass, grass, so much mowing! If you haven’t sprayed for weeds, you can spread your clippings lightly around the garden as humus, just not in thick piles. Spread evenly so they break down quickly. With soil now warm, re-sown patches from moss or grass grub damage will establish quickly if kept moist and protected from birds; shade cloth works well until the seed germinates. Vegetable: Growth will take off now after the rain. Potatoes should be ready for mounding, root crops for thinning, and leafy vegetables will run to seed quickly from now on. Young broad bean plants may have been deformed by wind, but mine, already in flower, are showing no sign of rust or aphids. The soil is warm enough now for runner and French beans, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and all members of the pumpkin family. If you’re keen to expand your food garden, now is the perfect time to make a no-dig bed. Choose a sunny spot on bare soil and layer materials: dampened newspaper, manure, compost, leaf mulch, straw, and soil. Water between each layer, finishing with straw on top to suppress weeds and deter slugs. Within six weeks, you’ll be harvesting fresh produce, and the soil beneath will teem with worms and life. Fruit trees and berry bushes will start thriving now, as long as the bees were able to stand up to the winds for their pollinating job. Mulch generously around the drip line of all fruiting plants to conserve moisture as fruit forms. A sprinkle of potash around the base helps promote flowering and fruiting. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in Waitaki September 21st 2025

Spring garden magic is being blown into full swing here in Waitaki with the consistent wind we are experiencing, making gardening almost impossible, but Spring is the time to get planting and there’s so much on offer now: tubers, bulbs, bedding plants, shrubs, and trees all waiting to be chosen and settled in when the winds die down. When buying punnets of young plants, remember to harden them before planting. Leave them outside for a few nights in a sheltered spot so they get used to the changeable spring weather and cool nights. Put stakes in now for delphiniums, peonies, asters, and tall phlox before they shoot too high. Weeds are racing ahead now, so get the hoe moving! Pull them before they seed—blink and they’ll be ankle-high. Planting annuals into exposed soil helps crowd out weeds before they take hold. Sweetpeas: I absolutely love sweet peas, and the early plantings that sat over winter will already be rewarding with buds. I plant more amongst those already in bud to scramble up behind lower plantings. Sweetpeas are gross feeders, so when planting a trench filled with well-rotted animal manure beneath the soil will keep them growing longer. Lavenders are making new growth. They appreciate a dusting of lime to sweeten the soil. If they’re looking scruffy, trim them now; they’ll soon freshen up and bud again. Replace any woody, yellowing plants as lavenders don’t last forever. Fuchsias: Coastal gardeners can cut back fuchsias now that they’re pushing out new leaves. They flower on new growth, so prune to the height where you’d like them to bloom. They prefer afternoon shade, moist soil, and regular feeding through the season. Roses: Keep an eye on rose tips for greenfly during mild days—tiny hatchlings cluster at the tips of new growth. A quick pinch between finger and thumb saves the need for spraying. Roses are hungry now, so feed them well—old stable manure or the pig-and-sawdust mix from the Recycling Centre spread around (not against) the base will keep them healthy and blooming. If you have a bougainvillea, trim away any frost-damaged wood now that new shoots are appearing. To encourage flowering, water heavily once at the start of next month to mimic its natural rainy season, then hold back the water as stress encourages blooms over leaf growth. Blossom and Trees: Spring is the perfect time to choose the blossom tree you’d like for your garden. Take a photo of the tree to the garden centre for identification and advice. Remember, blossoms are fleeting, so consider the shade the tree will cast and its mature height and spread. Some Prunus varieties can grow very large with spreading roots, so think carefully about placement—especially near driveways or paved areas, where falling petals and leaves can be slippery. A tall-grafted tree (around 1.8m before branching) gives good clearance for paths and drives, while lower grafts suit garden borders. There truly is a tree for every spot; it’s just a matter of matching size and shape to your space. Trees bought now will not appreciate being planted during strong winds, so hold off planting and make sure you have sturdy stakes on hand to put in place when Worms: New gardens often lack worms, but here’s a trick that works beautifully: half-fill a fertiliser bag with fresh cow or horse manure and leave it sitting on soil or grass for several weeks. The manure moisture seeps into the ground, attracting worms. When you lift the bag, you’ll find a thriving population beneath! Tiger worms from worm farms don’t survive long in open gardens because they stay near the surface and become bird food, so it’s best to encourage your local garden worms naturally. Lawns: With lawns growing again, any winter damage will now be showing. Rake out damaged patches, rough up the soil, and spread a layer of clean, sifted topsoil before sowing new seed. If birds are an issue, cover each patch with shade cloth until the seed germinates. Vegetables: Keep planting your vegetables now for summer and Christmas harvests. Here on the coast, plant lettuce every two weeks for a steady supply, and pop seed potatoes into any spare ground. Corn and pumpkin need a long growing season. Start them in punnets and keep them sheltered until warmer, non-windy days arrive. In my new raised bed, the clay soil has been cloddy, but layering compost on top now will invite worms to do the hard work over spring and summer. During winter, I grew a green crop, which helped, and each season, the soil will only get better. Fruit: Strawberries are moving towards flowering; give them a mulch of compost now to grow into. Bees are busy pollinating the flowers, so put the sprays away, let nature do the work and look forward to bumper crops. If your blackcurrants haven’t been pruned yet, do it right away; fruit forms on young wood, so remove older canes and keep six to ten strong new shoots. For red and white currants, which fruit on older wood, take out diseased or very old branches, then shorten new growth to two buds in early summer to keep them compact. Cheers, Linda

Gardening in Waitaki October 14th 2025

Such beauty throughout North Otago — blossom, new growth, and colour everywhere despite dry winds and late chills, then that lovely rain. A little time spent now feeding, weeding, and planning new plantings will pay off in the months ahead. Weeds and Early Maintenance: Weeds are racing away now, so tackle them while they’re young. Remove biddy-bid, chickweed, convolvulus, couch grass, dandelion and other annuals before they run to seed, or you’ll be chasing them all summer. It’s a good time to use organic weed sprays — but only on still days, as roses and other sensitive plants can be damaged even by a drift of spray. Flowering Plants and Shrubs: Keep deadheading and feeding pansies and polyanthus, they’ll keep flowering while there’s still a chill in the air. Once they’ve finished, cut them back and move to a cool, shady spot until next year’s late Autumn planting. Look critically at your shrubs; many will have quietly outgrown their spaces. Removing just one or two tall or tired shrubs can transform a garden, opening new planting areas. In one of my past borders, removing two old shrubs allowed room for a new maple and a drift of bluebells, and what a difference it made. Roses: Late frosts can catch the soft new rose growth, but don’t panic, leaves recover quickly, and new buds will follow within six weeks. As the weather warms, avoid evening watering on foliage to reduce mildew. Feed regularly; hungry roses are the first to get diseased. A slow-release fertiliser and a mulch of manure-enriched compost now will boost summer-flowering roses and shrubs alike. Seedlings and Companion Planting: Seeds sown will be popping up fast — sunflowers, cosmos, larkspur, nasturtium, marigolds, lupins, godetia, and delphiniums all do well if grown on in pots until they have strong roots before planting out. Small seedlings planted too soon often fall victim to slugs or simply wither. Strong growers like sunflowers and delphiniums can go straight into peat pots and be planted pot-and-all later; roots grow through as the pot breaks down. Slugs and snails are active now; a thick mulch of sharp wood chips can help deter slugs around young plants. This is a great time to consider companion planting: Marigolds and tagetes repel aphids and attract hoverflies, beneficial predators. Nasturtiums lure caterpillars away from brassicas. Garlic, chives, and parsley near roses deter aphids. Dill attracts bees; plant it with corn for better pollination. Basil planted among tomatoes helps repel whitefly and is, of course, delicious alongside tomatoes on a plate. Vegetable Garden: Potatoes should be well up. Keep mounding over them to keep light from the potatoes as they increase in size. Pumpkin, squash, corn, courgette and salad crops can all be sown now. If buying seedlings, harden them off in a sheltered spot before planting out. Carrot fly is active this month: To avoid damage, cover rows; frost cloth works well. First flight: Begins in October and continues through November into early December. Second flight: Often occurs in late January to March (mid-–late summer). Adults lay eggs again, and larvae feed on older roots. Never leave carrot thinnings lying nearby to attract them. A sprinkle of unsprayed grass clippings along the rows can help disguise the carrot scent. Glasshouse and Tomatoes: Tomato season is here! Glasshouses and tunnel houses will soon be full, but if you lack one, tomatoes grow happily in containers on a sunny deck or patio. Choose smaller types such as Red Robin, Russian Red, Totem, or Tumbling Tom for hanging baskets. Use a tomato mix, water regularly, and liquid feed fortnightly. Fruit trees in blossom need consistent moisture and mulch to support their workload ahead. A ring of unsprayed grass clippings to the drip line helps retain moisture and suppress weeds. Lawns: Lawns are lush after spring feeding — let them grow a little before mowing and spot-spray clover or weeds. Butterflies: If you’re keen to attract Monarch butterflies, plant swan plants now, protect from late frosts and keep them covered from early butterflies if not big enough to support the caterpillars. Cheers, Linda