Gardening in Waitaki June 17th 2026

Some good rain for North Otago this week, let's hope it reaches down deep where it is needed. In my past large garden, I would be doing a lot of work at this time, compost and pea straw spreading, and having a man with a chainsaw and hedge trimmer attack the ivy that covered the tank stand. It is too late in the year to trim soft trees and shrubs, but ivy can be taken back to its clinging branches to start again at this time of the year. If you have ivy growing it needs to be trimmed at least twice a year; it is like wisteria if you are too kind to it. Each soft leader put out will grow into a thick woody tree trunk in time. What a great time of the year to look closely at the garden, now that some trees and shrubs are bare, inspection of sprouting new growth beneath their graft area can be done. All large deciduous trees such as flowering cherries, magnolias, silver birch, ashes, oaks, and any large well-grown specimen tree bought today, will have been grafted onto strong-growing rootstock different from the top graft. From time to time, the rootstock will push growth out and up, and because it is a strong grower, it will always overtake the grafted specimen. Rogue growth must be cut out as I have seen a few mature trees left to grow this way, and the result is not good, a prunus displaying beautiful pink blossom on one side and insipid root stock white blossom on the other side. Thinning out of branches can be done now. If branches are crossing over each other or there are far too many in the centre of a tree, don't just shorten a branch back because it will regrow from that point; take it right out and let some light in. Prunus and crab apple trees are bad for producing overcrowded branches, which tend to rub together and encourage disease if not removed. Make sure you choose a fine day to prune, and your pruning equipment is cleaned from one tree to the next. Methylated spirits are good for doing this. Digging up and shifting trees & shrubs around like rhododendrons, azaleas, and magnolias, anything you think has been struggling in the spot it has been planted in. This is the time to remove trees and shrubs that have long outgrown their youthful beauty and replace them with a younger version of the original or something different. You can change the whole look of a tired garden by doing this. As I have mentioned before, if a huge gap is going to be left with the removal of a tree or shrub, fill the gap with a section of manuka screening placed behind the replacement plant, it will give protection, and once the plant has reached the desired height and width, the screening can be removed. Plant sweet peas now to flower early in spring. Soak seeds for 24 hours before planting to soften the seed coat and encourage faster germination. Sow two seeds per deep pot filled with quality potting mix, planting them about 1 cm deep. Cover with a clear lid or plastic cover and place in a cool, bright position until they sprout. When seedlings reach 10–15 cm tall, pinch out the growing tip to encourage bushy, vigorous plants. Before planting, enrich the soil with plenty of compost or well-rotted manure, as sweet peas are heavy feeders. While weeding, I find a lot of seedling trees and shrubs popping up that birds have introduced, some of which have grown amongst shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias, and have become quite established before I noticed them and are stubborn to remove. It is best to get the spade down and remove them completely if you can, and if lucky enough to get roots intact, they can be potted. On the coast, there are so many plants that self-seed and can be lifted, potted, or transplanted at this time of the year, hellebore, lupins, poppies, pansies, viola, forget- me- not and primula, to name but a few. If you have polyanthas you left in the ground from last year, they will have grown enough to be broken apart. Pollanths respond well to a dressing of dried blood, as do camellias and Daphnes if they do not look like they are thriving. Lawns: It is best to keep off lawns while soft and wet. Lawns that performed poorly despite feeding and watering over the summer may be improved with winter liming. Flat weeds pop out easily now with a blade; it is too cold now for weed killer to work. Vegetables: In the vegetable garden where green leafy vegetables and onions will be growing next summer, give a dressing of 250 grams per square meter of dolomite lime. If you follow a regular rotation, this will ensure that most of the garden receives lime once in three years. Permanent crops like rhubarb should be limed every three years as well. In gardens fed with compost rather than chemical fertilisers, the PH tends to rise gradually, eventually making regular liming unnecessary. Cheers, Linda. --

Linda Wilson Gardening North Otago Mbl: 027 4430256