Friday, August 12, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 10th August 2011
So much is beginning to awaken in the garden, I feel spring in the air with the fragrance from winter sweet, witch hazel and Daphne wafting to the music of Chopin around our garden. The birds are beginning to nest and my first jonquils have opened. I do love the beginning of a new growing season as you can surely to tell!
After months of hard stuff going on in this garden it is now time to create and dress the garden by planting out, feeding and watering. I have been liquid feeding with worm juice from my worm farm, which I add at black tea strength to a full watering can then apply generously to all new leaf and budding plants like pollyantha's, forget-me-nots, dianthus, sweet peas, pansy, viola and winter roses. Helping them along with feeding now will get their roots going and keep them green and strong through the cold snaps yet to come.
Slow release fertiliser is a great idea now as well, sprinkle around established ornamental and newly planted trees and shrubs to be there ready when the plants needs food.
This week the chain-saw was on the go again removing shrubs that had become woody and trees too close to each other, I look forward to filling all the gaps and creating a new look.
While on the go I set to cutting back my wigelias and spirea, removing all the old branches that have flowed long enough, you can tell which branches they are because the wood looks really old and spent compared to the new fresh wood there ready and waiting to take their place.
A few more hydrangeas have been prunned as nice fat buds are swelling on the stems. Cut only those stems that have flowered at the second bud from the bottom, leave all other stems because these are the flowers for this year.
Grow some cuttings from the hardened hydrangea, flowered steams which have been removed. A shaded moist area is best for planting these and hopefully roots will grow to feed the buds on the cuttings. Some times I get good results by covering the cuttings with a box keeping the light out which holds the buds back to encourage roots.
I have also been taking cuttings from the hardened off geranium steams, fresh grown geraniums give amazing colour to a warm sunny garden for all of the growing season and even into the winter, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. Take short cuttings with semi hard wood, (not a new green steam) and let them dry out a little before planting them, which means you don't have to deal with them straight away. plant them into a soil and river sand mix and firm down, Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around the cutting. I am forever taking cuttings from geraniums I like when I come across them in friends gardens, and giving cuttings from mine.
Trim dentata lavender now, (that's the tall growing hedging lavender with bumblebee flowers) as they are budding up now ready to burst into flower, but leave trimming other lavenders a little longer. All lavenders like sweetening up with a little lime,
Cut back bush lavatera now also, they get very woody if left.
Dahlias, gladioli, and peonies are still available in the Garden centers this month, they can be planted from now until September.
Apply a dressing of Rose Food to establish Rose's and Water in well.
Vegetables & fruit
Fruit Trees are still available in most Garden Centres. If you think your garden is too small for fruit trees, I have seen dwarf Peach and Nectarine Trees on offer. What better if you need a little tree to add height in an area of your garden, why not have one that blossoms beautifully and then gives you fruit.They are perfect for the smaller garden as they only grow to a width and height of 1.5 metres. They can also be grown in a tub and require very little pruning.
The vegetable garden is still enjoying a frost or two, although my raised gardens are in such a sunny location I would have liked a few harder frosts to break up the soil. I am still digging carrots and using silver beet and broccoli, and the leeks are growing well, it is so good not to have to worry about the bugs during these colder months. If your veg garden is still cold and frosty there is not much for you to do apart from adding some compost and a little lime in readiness for when you plant out later this month.
I have finished pruning my wine grapes - this year I have had to remove some old leaders, replacing them with new growth leaders along wires. The result of this will be vertical budding and fruiting next year. To prune a fruiting leader remove all new long growth on the vine other than the fruiting leader, on the leaders prune each new growth back to the second bud. These fruiting buds should be around a hand space apart to ensure adequate sized fruit, this means removing some of the new bud growth along the top of the leader and all of the new bud growth growing underneath. Some of these new budding top growths will throw two lots of bud branch, remove the least stronger one leaving only one lot of double buds to produce fruit.
I see the bees at work already which is a good sign for the soon to be happening fruit blossom pollination .
Cheers, Linda.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Gardening in North Otago August 2nd 2011
The start of another new month!! and a lovely week for working out in the garden this week for me, all the rose pruning now completed so will spray all this weekend with winter oil.
The wisteria is next to be pruned, All the long slim leaders growing out in all directions will
be removed.
Once your wisteria has reached the length you require with a chosen leader, or maybe two going in opposite directions all other leaders can be removed. If allowed to grow, a wispy new leader will eventually become as thick as a tree branch, and too many of theses become a tangled mess and very heavy if being trained along a balcony.Don't prune any other part off a wisteria at this time of the year because you may remove the flower buds being formed right now. Reduce the size of large established wisterias once flowering has finished.
Clumps of hellebore's are looking fantastic in our garden right now and with the sun we have been blessed with the bee's are out and about pollinating them. once pollinated the center of the flower changes with the forming of seed pods, when this has taken place the stems become firmer and will last in water when picked. Hellebore's seed down very readily growing masses of baby plants beneath the mother plants. These seedlings can be transplanted or potted up in the second year when they have developed two strong leaves, but will not flower until around the forth year.
I notice Marguerite daisies here that have been badly damaged after the snow, I will leave the damaged growth on top to protect the growth
below and cut back to hard wood when frosts have finished. Marguerite daisies like geraniums grow rapidly back to being bushy when the climate suits them.
Ordinary garden soils that missed a good conditioning in autumn would still benefit from a layer of Compost spread on top. It can be dug in around August once the temperatures begin to rise. Before then the worms will work their way up towards this new layer of organic matter
bringing the compost down into the soil for you!
Vegetables & Fruit
These lovely mid-winter days we are experiencing here in North otago seem perfect for planting at a time when we usually don't. There are edibles that go into the ground when it is cold and damp. But remember none of these will survive in boggy soils.I planted broad beans and peas three weeks ago and they are now well up.
Garlic and Shallots are available to plant - dig compost through your soil or fill a container and plant separated cloves of garlic approximately twice the depth of the clove. Take care not to damage cloves when separating out the bulb. You could get up to 20 cloves per bulb!
Strawberries are easy to plant in all kinds of containers or straight into sunny/raised garden beds along with slow release fertiliser. Strawberries also seem to do very well in a hanging strawberry bag, but it would pay to wrap it with bird netting once the fruit starts turning red.
I got really stuck into my gooseberry bushes this week, cleaned the middle out of cross over branches and took off the branches skirting the ground which lifted the bushes up enough for picking underneath, many of these lower branches had grown roots into the ground so I have potted these sections up, they will develop into good size bushes in a couple of growing seasons.
Cheers, Linda.
The wisteria is next to be pruned, All the long slim leaders growing out in all directions will
be removed.
Once your wisteria has reached the length you require with a chosen leader, or maybe two going in opposite directions all other leaders can be removed. If allowed to grow, a wispy new leader will eventually become as thick as a tree branch, and too many of theses become a tangled mess and very heavy if being trained along a balcony.Don't prune any other part off a wisteria at this time of the year because you may remove the flower buds being formed right now. Reduce the size of large established wisterias once flowering has finished.
Clumps of hellebore's are looking fantastic in our garden right now and with the sun we have been blessed with the bee's are out and about pollinating them. once pollinated the center of the flower changes with the forming of seed pods, when this has taken place the stems become firmer and will last in water when picked. Hellebore's seed down very readily growing masses of baby plants beneath the mother plants. These seedlings can be transplanted or potted up in the second year when they have developed two strong leaves, but will not flower until around the forth year.
I notice Marguerite daisies here that have been badly damaged after the snow, I will leave the damaged growth on top to protect the growth
below and cut back to hard wood when frosts have finished. Marguerite daisies like geraniums grow rapidly back to being bushy when the climate suits them.
Ordinary garden soils that missed a good conditioning in autumn would still benefit from a layer of Compost spread on top. It can be dug in around August once the temperatures begin to rise. Before then the worms will work their way up towards this new layer of organic matter
bringing the compost down into the soil for you!
Vegetables & Fruit
These lovely mid-winter days we are experiencing here in North otago seem perfect for planting at a time when we usually don't. There are edibles that go into the ground when it is cold and damp. But remember none of these will survive in boggy soils.I planted broad beans and peas three weeks ago and they are now well up.
Garlic and Shallots are available to plant - dig compost through your soil or fill a container and plant separated cloves of garlic approximately twice the depth of the clove. Take care not to damage cloves when separating out the bulb. You could get up to 20 cloves per bulb!
Strawberries are easy to plant in all kinds of containers or straight into sunny/raised garden beds along with slow release fertiliser. Strawberries also seem to do very well in a hanging strawberry bag, but it would pay to wrap it with bird netting once the fruit starts turning red.
I got really stuck into my gooseberry bushes this week, cleaned the middle out of cross over branches and took off the branches skirting the ground which lifted the bushes up enough for picking underneath, many of these lower branches had grown roots into the ground so I have potted these sections up, they will develop into good size bushes in a couple of growing seasons.
Cheers, Linda.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 20th July 2011
I notice the days are drawing out a little since the shortest day, yes, true not wishful thinking.
Being out there freezing at one with nature I notice the daily pattern!! weeell some day's I can say this is the case.
This week I have spent another good percentage of my time raking up old leaves, will autumn ever be a distant memory? it is important to get leaves out of every nook and cranny during winter because bugs are looking for places like this to winter over. Once leaves have been removed from the base of roses, hydrangea's and other deciduous plants I am applying manure enriched compost, (not covering the base of the plant) to be there in readiness for spring feeding.
I continue to re-sawdust rough pathways which is freshening these areas up and allowing me to find a lot of self sown plants in the old saw dust topping which I delight in potting up or transplanting.
This week I thought I would write about the benefits of raised gardens as there is not a lot happening except pruning an
Limited time to spend gardening is a sad fact for young families today but I am sure most would love to grow their own fresh produce.
Raised gardens are the saviors of gardeners with limited time or poor soil. The basic idea of a raised garden is instead of battling against poor soil conditions, why not build above ground where you have complete control.
Advantages of a Raised Bed Garden
Aside from the issue of gardening in poor soil, raised bed gardens offer several advantages:
Raised beds warm more quickly in spring, allowing you to work the soil and plant earlier.
Raised beds drain better.
The soil in raised beds doesn't get compacted, because they are constructed with accessibility in mind.
It's easy to tailor the soil for your raised bed to the plants you plant.
Contained raised beds are not difficult to construct using wood or (here in North Otago) Oamaru stone seconds as a surround. If you need time to think about a permanent position for a raised beds you could make some using straw bales as surrounds for a year. Once in place to the size required fill them with soil and compost and plant out.
A sunny location is a must for growing vegetables and herbs, and access around all sides with a wheel barrow is recommended for ease of maintenance, keep the garden around four feet wide, this way you can access the middle.
Access to water is essential,with drainage being greater raised gardens need good soakings.
A raised bed of six inches above the soil is enough to grow leaf vegetables and herbs and at least ten inches for root veg but I don't see the sense in not raising it to a height that will benefit the amount of digging and bending you do.
keep an eye on what is on offer for planting now, this is the very best time for choice when buying deciduous tree's and shrubs.
Cheers, Linda.
Being out there freezing at one with nature I notice the daily pattern!! weeell some day's I can say this is the case.
This week I have spent another good percentage of my time raking up old leaves, will autumn ever be a distant memory? it is important to get leaves out of every nook and cranny during winter because bugs are looking for places like this to winter over. Once leaves have been removed from the base of roses, hydrangea's and other deciduous plants I am applying manure enriched compost, (not covering the base of the plant) to be there in readiness for spring feeding.
I continue to re-sawdust rough pathways which is freshening these areas up and allowing me to find a lot of self sown plants in the old saw dust topping which I delight in potting up or transplanting.
This week I thought I would write about the benefits of raised gardens as there is not a lot happening except pruning an
Limited time to spend gardening is a sad fact for young families today but I am sure most would love to grow their own fresh produce.
Raised gardens are the saviors of gardeners with limited time or poor soil. The basic idea of a raised garden is instead of battling against poor soil conditions, why not build above ground where you have complete control.
Advantages of a Raised Bed Garden
Aside from the issue of gardening in poor soil, raised bed gardens offer several advantages:
Raised beds warm more quickly in spring, allowing you to work the soil and plant earlier.
Raised beds drain better.
The soil in raised beds doesn't get compacted, because they are constructed with accessibility in mind.
It's easy to tailor the soil for your raised bed to the plants you plant.
Contained raised beds are not difficult to construct using wood or (here in North Otago) Oamaru stone seconds as a surround. If you need time to think about a permanent position for a raised beds you could make some using straw bales as surrounds for a year. Once in place to the size required fill them with soil and compost and plant out.
A sunny location is a must for growing vegetables and herbs, and access around all sides with a wheel barrow is recommended for ease of maintenance, keep the garden around four feet wide, this way you can access the middle.
Access to water is essential,with drainage being greater raised gardens need good soakings.
A raised bed of six inches above the soil is enough to grow leaf vegetables and herbs and at least ten inches for root veg but I don't see the sense in not raising it to a height that will benefit the amount of digging and bending you do.
keep an eye on what is on offer for planting now, this is the very best time for choice when buying deciduous tree's and shrubs.
Cheers, Linda.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 12th July 2011
Brrrrrrr there was no doubting this week that winter has arrived in North Otago to kill the bugs around the garden that thought they could just cruise into spring. With the mild weather we had been getting there are definite signs of spring around coastal gardens once plants have moved into the first stages of budding they should continue to bud up during the sunny winter days, camellias and rhododendrons have had a head start and spring bulbs are well on which may mean we are in for an early spring
Daphne’s are in flower now along with hellebore's, primroses and
polyanthus. Primroses are so pretty and clump up well and in time can be broken up spread around to add colour to a winter garden.If you are at the stage to break up clumps remove quite a few leaves on transplanting, they will soon grow more along with new roots to support them. Polyanthus and primulas will benefit from an application of Dried Blood to increase plant vigour and flowering
Under glass sow seeds of antirrhinum, carnation, calendula, sweet peas, verbena and viola for planting out in Spring.
Dahlias, gladioli, and peonies are also coming in this month and can be planted from now in good 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.
Remember to continue protecting plants like Margarete daisies and pelargoniums from frosts with Frost Cloth.
Turn over compost now if you have not already done so and add some moisture if the pile is dry. Cover with plastic or straw to hold any heat which has accumulated in the center.
If you still have leaves to Rake up why not fill large black rubbish bags,add a little water and leave to rot. Leaf mulch is such natural benefit to soil which we tend to remove at leaf fall stage because it looks untidy.Rotting it down this way you can then add it to the soil and it will not be noticed
Rose pruning is still going on here in my garden, just in case you need reminding on how to tackle pruning.... make a slanted cut just above a strong outward facing bud.
Standard roses should be pruned to about 25cm above the main stem and bush roses can be cut back about two-thirds, leaving 3-4 buds on each branch. Climbers can go back leaving 5-6 strong canes. Secateurs must be sharp to avoid damage by ripping branches which leads to die back.
Turn over compost now if you have not already done so and add some moisture if the pile is dry. Cover with plastic or straw to hold any heat which has accumulated in the center.
If you still have leaves to Rake up why not fill large black rubbish bags,add a little water and leave to rot. Leaf mulch is such natural benefit to soil which we tend to remove at leaf fall stage because it looks untidy.Rotting it down this way you can then add it to the soil and it will not be noticed.
At this time of the year I make a few trips to the Waireaka sale yards to the Waireaka Valley Lions Club sawdust and sheep manure stand, volunteers clean out calving sheds and under shearing sheds to keep the stand topped up for keen gardeners. I use the calving shed sawdust on garden pathways and the sheep manure on the compost heaps, on the vegetable garden and around the roses when horse manure is not at hand. Sawdust can be used on wet gardens as a weed suppressant and it helps to absorb excess moisture, but on dry gardens it will dry out soil already not retaining moisture.
Vegetables
In land start raising vegetable seeds for spring planting in glass houses or under glass or plastic with ventilation spaces to circulate air and stop seeds going mouldy.
On the coast plant seedling plants that are now on offer along with garlic cloves.
Comfrey
I have long known the advantages of growing comfrey but have lately been reading up on it again, it is such a useful plant and if you can get your hands on some I suggest you plant some root sections in an area of your garden where it can spread. Comfrey needs to be planted where it can send it's roots very deep down into the soil so it can tap into much needed nutrients. It is fast growing, high in potassium and can be cut back again and again. I have listed below some uses for comfrey around the garden.
Compost activator, add to your compost bin to heat up the decomposing materials and enriches the compost.
Put a handful of comfrey leaves into a bucket of rainwater and let them rot down for around 6 weeks to give you a rich liquid fertilizer for plants. Lay comfrey leaves in a potato trench and leave for 3 days prior to planting the tubers to give them a potassium rich boost of fertiliser.
Use as a Comfrey leaf mulch around plants, by layering leaves around the stems of plants. Potassium will slowly be released to the plants as the leaves break down – Great for tomatoes, beans and fruit bushes.
Use wilted leaves as a nutrient rich Chicken feed
Cheers, Linda
Daphne’s are in flower now along with hellebore's, primroses and
polyanthus. Primroses are so pretty and clump up well and in time can be broken up spread around to add colour to a winter garden.If you are at the stage to break up clumps remove quite a few leaves on transplanting, they will soon grow more along with new roots to support them. Polyanthus and primulas will benefit from an application of Dried Blood to increase plant vigour and flowering
Under glass sow seeds of antirrhinum, carnation, calendula, sweet peas, verbena and viola for planting out in Spring.
Dahlias, gladioli, and peonies are also coming in this month and can be planted from now in good 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.
Remember to continue protecting plants like Margarete daisies and pelargoniums from frosts with Frost Cloth.
Turn over compost now if you have not already done so and add some moisture if the pile is dry. Cover with plastic or straw to hold any heat which has accumulated in the center.
If you still have leaves to Rake up why not fill large black rubbish bags,add a little water and leave to rot. Leaf mulch is such natural benefit to soil which we tend to remove at leaf fall stage because it looks untidy.Rotting it down this way you can then add it to the soil and it will not be noticed
Rose pruning is still going on here in my garden, just in case you need reminding on how to tackle pruning.... make a slanted cut just above a strong outward facing bud.
Standard roses should be pruned to about 25cm above the main stem and bush roses can be cut back about two-thirds, leaving 3-4 buds on each branch. Climbers can go back leaving 5-6 strong canes. Secateurs must be sharp to avoid damage by ripping branches which leads to die back.
Turn over compost now if you have not already done so and add some moisture if the pile is dry. Cover with plastic or straw to hold any heat which has accumulated in the center.
If you still have leaves to Rake up why not fill large black rubbish bags,add a little water and leave to rot. Leaf mulch is such natural benefit to soil which we tend to remove at leaf fall stage because it looks untidy.Rotting it down this way you can then add it to the soil and it will not be noticed.
At this time of the year I make a few trips to the Waireaka sale yards to the Waireaka Valley Lions Club sawdust and sheep manure stand, volunteers clean out calving sheds and under shearing sheds to keep the stand topped up for keen gardeners. I use the calving shed sawdust on garden pathways and the sheep manure on the compost heaps, on the vegetable garden and around the roses when horse manure is not at hand. Sawdust can be used on wet gardens as a weed suppressant and it helps to absorb excess moisture, but on dry gardens it will dry out soil already not retaining moisture.
Vegetables
In land start raising vegetable seeds for spring planting in glass houses or under glass or plastic with ventilation spaces to circulate air and stop seeds going mouldy.
On the coast plant seedling plants that are now on offer along with garlic cloves.
Comfrey
I have long known the advantages of growing comfrey but have lately been reading up on it again, it is such a useful plant and if you can get your hands on some I suggest you plant some root sections in an area of your garden where it can spread. Comfrey needs to be planted where it can send it's roots very deep down into the soil so it can tap into much needed nutrients. It is fast growing, high in potassium and can be cut back again and again. I have listed below some uses for comfrey around the garden.
Compost activator, add to your compost bin to heat up the decomposing materials and enriches the compost.
Put a handful of comfrey leaves into a bucket of rainwater and let them rot down for around 6 weeks to give you a rich liquid fertilizer for plants. Lay comfrey leaves in a potato trench and leave for 3 days prior to planting the tubers to give them a potassium rich boost of fertiliser.
Use as a Comfrey leaf mulch around plants, by layering leaves around the stems of plants. Potassium will slowly be released to the plants as the leaves break down – Great for tomatoes, beans and fruit bushes.
Use wilted leaves as a nutrient rich Chicken feed
Cheers, Linda
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 4 July 2011
Wow, how about these hard frosts we are now getting. The brilliant days that follow give us here on the coast at least half a day to work in the garden after the thaw. No such luck further inland with frozen ground, the perfect garden planning time to be a step ahead before spring.
Rose pruning continues here in my garden, still time to get this task done. The time by which rose pruning should be completed varies by several weeks from the warmest to coldest gardens. It should be done and dusted by the time buds break.
The bulk of new seasons bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now, continue planting but avoid times when the ground is frozen or excessively wet. Young deciduous trees and shrubs can also be moved at this time, trim damaged roots and cut back any that are inconveniently long.
Evergreen trees and shrubs are on offer as well, but don't be in a hurry to plant them. Keep in bags outside in a sheltered place to harden off, they can sit like this and be planted out at the end of winter. Choose now and plant later to give them a good start.
Make sure to read the labels to know how high and wide a shrub and tree will grow, some, like natives grow fast and when mature will throw considerable shade. When planting along side the house ask advice.
Compost heaps work much more slowly than in the summer but there is still some decomposing going on if there is adequate moisture and covered to keep warmer than cold winter nights. Old carpet underlay or straw are good for this
Boost bedding plants with fish based fertiliser or a little dried blood.to encourage buds during these sunny winter days.
Fruit & Veg.
Finish planting deciduous fruit trees and bushes in a sunny site, avoid frosty hollows for early starters such as plums and pears.
Frosty sites are no disadvantage for soft fruits as winter chills will stimulate fruit buds.
Continue to shelter citrus in frosty gardens, they should be offering a lot of fruit to pick now ( marmalade sounds good )
In cold areas start garlic off in containers and plant out later when the ground warms up.
Cheers, Linda
Rose pruning continues here in my garden, still time to get this task done. The time by which rose pruning should be completed varies by several weeks from the warmest to coldest gardens. It should be done and dusted by the time buds break.
The bulk of new seasons bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now, continue planting but avoid times when the ground is frozen or excessively wet. Young deciduous trees and shrubs can also be moved at this time, trim damaged roots and cut back any that are inconveniently long.
Evergreen trees and shrubs are on offer as well, but don't be in a hurry to plant them. Keep in bags outside in a sheltered place to harden off, they can sit like this and be planted out at the end of winter. Choose now and plant later to give them a good start.
Make sure to read the labels to know how high and wide a shrub and tree will grow, some, like natives grow fast and when mature will throw considerable shade. When planting along side the house ask advice.
Compost heaps work much more slowly than in the summer but there is still some decomposing going on if there is adequate moisture and covered to keep warmer than cold winter nights. Old carpet underlay or straw are good for this
Boost bedding plants with fish based fertiliser or a little dried blood.to encourage buds during these sunny winter days.
Fruit & Veg.
Finish planting deciduous fruit trees and bushes in a sunny site, avoid frosty hollows for early starters such as plums and pears.
Frosty sites are no disadvantage for soft fruits as winter chills will stimulate fruit buds.
Continue to shelter citrus in frosty gardens, they should be offering a lot of fruit to pick now ( marmalade sounds good )
In cold areas start garlic off in containers and plant out later when the ground warms up.
Cheers, Linda
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 21st June 2011
The shortest day has been and gone and still there is growth happening here on the coast in North Otago, although I have noticed this week that grass is looking duller, and reacting as it should at this time of the year to the colder days and nights.
The lime sulphur went on the roses in the weekend and this week I started pruning some of my bush roses. Only bushes that lost their leaves some time ago, others that still look a little soft I will leave until well into July.
I am sure further inland it is winter as it should be and rose pruning will be well under way.
If pruning old established rose bushes have a wire brush with you to work on the old gnarled wood which happens in the center of a bush after many years of pruning. Working vigorously with a wire brush will help to stimulate the still active wood below and it may push out new buds, it is worth the effort.
Prune out any inward facing branches at an outward facing bud or swelling to open the bush up then prune back all remaining branches at an out ward facing bud two or three buds from the bottom of the branch depending on the strength of the branch. Remove all weak spindly little branches, they will never produce flowers. Mulch with manure enriched compost but remember to keep it back from the trunk wood of rose bushes as it can cause rot when when the ground is wet for long periods.
The hellebore's (Winter roses) are starting to send up flowers, I removed all the old leaves from mine which really shows the pretty flowers off. There are a lot of hellebore seedlings growing around the main plants, I leave the very small first year ones but dig out and transplant seedlings from year before. These second year seedlings will take another few years to flower and look best in mass plantings. Hellebore's like to be planted in damp soil and semi shade, they do wonderfully well planted around rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas.
My large pile of mulch / compost is going down at last! and the garden is looking tidier covered in mulch ready for the pea straw. I have had the hose out again soaking dry areas before applying mulch, we seem to miss out on the rain that is promised and I notice a few plants are showing signs of being dry. Keep an eye on shallow rooted shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias, they are budding up now so their roots need to be moist and well mulched to stop buds and leaves browning off.
People have been asking me about the pruning of fruit trees, it is confusing to explain unless showing someone so I thought I would give an explanation along with diagrams which I hope will be easy to follow starting with the most planted fruit tree.
How To Prune Apple Trees
First, fruit is produced from shoots which are in their second (or later) year. One of the aims of pruning is to produce a balance (roughly half and half) between side shoots produced this year and side shoots produced last year.
This will provide a crop of apples in the current year and sufficient shoots for next year's crop.
Second, when you prune during winter (while the tree is dormant), this will invigorate the tree, causing it to grow more during the following season. If you prune during summer this will cause the tree to grow less during that growing season. Spring pruning has an effect somewhere between winter and summer pruning.
The first pruning should occur immediately after planting (normally June / July) - make sure you know if you have a one or two year old tree. The examples below show pruning starting at a one year old tree.
PRUNE A ONE YEAR OLD TREE
A one year old tree should be pruned immediately after planting - cut off the top half of the trunk with a sharp pair of secateurs.
Before cutting, make sure that the bottom half contains at least four buds or formed branches. If not, make the cut higher, above the fourth bud.
PRUNE A TWO YEAR OLD TREE
Prune from June / August. The light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third - see the thick black lines.
When pruning, cut just above an outward facing bud - this bud will then produce a side shoot in the spring which will grow away from the centre of the tree.
PRUNE A THREE YEAR OLD TREE
Prune from June / August. Pruning is similar to the two-year old tree - the light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third.
Always prune to just above an outward facing bud.
PRUNE A FOUR YEAR OLD TREE
Prune from June until August Pruning is the similar to the three-year old tree - the light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned unless it is diseased. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third.
Always prune to just above an outward facing bud.
A five year old tree
can be considered mature and the basic shape will have been established. Pruning should consist of keeping the centre of the tree relatively clear of growth, removing all weak or diseased growth and keeping the tree within the space available. Remember that apples will grow on wood produced the previous year, so always leave a good proportion (say 50%) of the previous year's growth.
I hope this is straight forward and helpful. I will write about stone fruit pruning next week.
Cheers, Linda
The lime sulphur went on the roses in the weekend and this week I started pruning some of my bush roses. Only bushes that lost their leaves some time ago, others that still look a little soft I will leave until well into July.
I am sure further inland it is winter as it should be and rose pruning will be well under way.
If pruning old established rose bushes have a wire brush with you to work on the old gnarled wood which happens in the center of a bush after many years of pruning. Working vigorously with a wire brush will help to stimulate the still active wood below and it may push out new buds, it is worth the effort.
Prune out any inward facing branches at an outward facing bud or swelling to open the bush up then prune back all remaining branches at an out ward facing bud two or three buds from the bottom of the branch depending on the strength of the branch. Remove all weak spindly little branches, they will never produce flowers. Mulch with manure enriched compost but remember to keep it back from the trunk wood of rose bushes as it can cause rot when when the ground is wet for long periods.
The hellebore's (Winter roses) are starting to send up flowers, I removed all the old leaves from mine which really shows the pretty flowers off. There are a lot of hellebore seedlings growing around the main plants, I leave the very small first year ones but dig out and transplant seedlings from year before. These second year seedlings will take another few years to flower and look best in mass plantings. Hellebore's like to be planted in damp soil and semi shade, they do wonderfully well planted around rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas.
My large pile of mulch / compost is going down at last! and the garden is looking tidier covered in mulch ready for the pea straw. I have had the hose out again soaking dry areas before applying mulch, we seem to miss out on the rain that is promised and I notice a few plants are showing signs of being dry. Keep an eye on shallow rooted shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias, they are budding up now so their roots need to be moist and well mulched to stop buds and leaves browning off.
People have been asking me about the pruning of fruit trees, it is confusing to explain unless showing someone so I thought I would give an explanation along with diagrams which I hope will be easy to follow starting with the most planted fruit tree.
How To Prune Apple Trees
First, fruit is produced from shoots which are in their second (or later) year. One of the aims of pruning is to produce a balance (roughly half and half) between side shoots produced this year and side shoots produced last year.
This will provide a crop of apples in the current year and sufficient shoots for next year's crop.
Second, when you prune during winter (while the tree is dormant), this will invigorate the tree, causing it to grow more during the following season. If you prune during summer this will cause the tree to grow less during that growing season. Spring pruning has an effect somewhere between winter and summer pruning.
The first pruning should occur immediately after planting (normally June / July) - make sure you know if you have a one or two year old tree. The examples below show pruning starting at a one year old tree.
PRUNE A ONE YEAR OLD TREE
A one year old tree should be pruned immediately after planting - cut off the top half of the trunk with a sharp pair of secateurs.
Before cutting, make sure that the bottom half contains at least four buds or formed branches. If not, make the cut higher, above the fourth bud.
PRUNE A TWO YEAR OLD TREE
Prune from June / August. The light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third - see the thick black lines.
When pruning, cut just above an outward facing bud - this bud will then produce a side shoot in the spring which will grow away from the centre of the tree.
PRUNE A THREE YEAR OLD TREE
Prune from June / August. Pruning is similar to the two-year old tree - the light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third.
Always prune to just above an outward facing bud.
PRUNE A FOUR YEAR OLD TREE
Prune from June until August Pruning is the similar to the three-year old tree - the light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned unless it is diseased. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third.
Always prune to just above an outward facing bud.
A five year old tree
can be considered mature and the basic shape will have been established. Pruning should consist of keeping the centre of the tree relatively clear of growth, removing all weak or diseased growth and keeping the tree within the space available. Remember that apples will grow on wood produced the previous year, so always leave a good proportion (say 50%) of the previous year's growth.
I hope this is straight forward and helpful. I will write about stone fruit pruning next week.
Cheers, Linda
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