Tuesday, October 21, 2025
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
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