Gardening in Waitaki November 26th 2025

Rose enxhantment.

Growth is in full swing now, with roses blooming early but still likely to give us flowers for Christmas before their summer prune. As blooms finish, head them back to a strong, outward-facing bud. Keep food up to roses—hungry plants are more prone to black spot, mildew, and aphids. If problems are already appearing, a product like Shield will manage pests and disease when used at the recommended intervals. Avoid spraying on hot days or when bees are active. Weeding: Weeds are maturing and starting to seed, so remove them now. Most pull easily while still young. Convolvulus requires persistence—pull it off shrubs, then watch for new ground-level shoots and treat these directly with herbicide so the product travels back down the root system. Box Hedging: Now is the time to trim box hedges. Choose an overcast day to protect tender new growth from sun scorch. Young hedging only needs the tops levelled to encourage bushiness; mature hedges can be trimmed harder if needed. A dressing of compost and blood & bone will provide nutrients to help them through the hot months. Any obvious “scalping” will green up again within a couple of weeks. Dividing Violas, Primulas & Agapanthus: Violas can be dug up, gently pulled apart, and potted into small containers. Kept shaded through summer and autumn, they’ll be ready to plant out by early winter. Treat polyanthus and primulas the same way—use only the fresh young growth and discard the old, knotted roots. There’s still time to divide agapanthus. Clumps that are rootbound often flower poorly. Lift the entire plant, break off smaller divisions, and replant them in fresh compost. These make excellent temporary fillers in new gardens until more permanent plants are established. Compost Tea: If you can get hold of well-aged compost, it’s worth making compost tea—an excellent organic feed that also improves plant resilience. Basic Method: Fill an old pillowcase (or pantyhose/cheesecloth) ½–¾ full of aged compost. Submerge it in a lidded container of water (a clean rubbish bin works well). Cover and steep for a minimum of two weeks to develop beneficial bacteria. Dilute finished tea at 3 parts water to 1 part tea and apply weekly to plant roots. For foliar spraying or young seedlings, dilute further. (Compost tea is not the same as manure tea—manure tea is less balanced and not recommended for foliage.) Lawns: After the strong drying winds this spring, lawns still seem lush. Raise the mower height and consider leaving the catcher off every second cut to help build humus ahead of summer heat. Fruit: Gooseberries, currants, raspberries, and strawberries are plumping up well. Warm, settled days are all that’s needed now to bring on good ripening, so cover from birds. Vegetables: Potatoes: Keep mounding to protect tubers from light and to encourage more new potatoes. Consistent watering is essential if rain is lacking. Root crops: Water regularly but avoid overfeeding leafy crops—they’ll bolt. Seedlings: Plant only what you will use and keep extras shaded until required. Pumpkins & squash: Mulch well; their roots are delicate until the canopy grows. Corn: Should be well established now, as it needs a long season to ripen.General watering: Allow the soil surface to dry slightly between waterings—overwatering small plants can cause root collapse. Cheers, Linda