Gardening in North Otago 30th March 2017

It's all on now shorter days, sticky ground, spraying weeds, compost to be emptied to make room for all the leaves and pea straw ready to go on.

Autumn weather is usually more predictable than spring or summer but this but not this year with overcast drizzly days instead of the ripening sun shine, however it is the time to reap and sow before the frosts.

I have been viewing the light situation around our garden before all the leaves fall, trees and shrubs get taller and wider every year blocking out light. Sometimes one tree or shrub will do the job of the two or three in one spot. Sacrifice a tree that gives little interest for a tree close by that offers more, and shrubs grown too big in the front of a garden hiding what is behind need to be cut back or maybe wrenched for shifting later or cut out. I have at times changed the whole look of gardens by removing a few front shrubs / trees, letting more sun in then planting out sun loving plants. 

Here on the coast keep cutting back large daisy and lavatera bushes to encourage new buds that will flower over the next two months. Also get all hedges cut back now before frosts start, this will be the last cut until the new growth in spring, especiallyphotinia bushes / hedges, a trim now will encourage vivid red leaves to brighten dull winter days. 

Easter is known to be a good clean up time in the garden and a visit to garden centres, here on the coast new plants planted while the ground is still warm will get roots going and with the right amount of winter sun will carry on and bloom. 

Plant: Viola, snapdragon, pansy, polyantha's, stock, calendula, wall flowers, sweet William and good old primula malacoidies. 

New evergreen shrub plantings will not put on any growth once the frosts arrive but will settle in getting roots established to push out growth in spring, Keep getting spring bulbs in the warm ground and Hybrid clematis are still on offer, they are the lovely huge bloom deciduous type which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, they are not as invasive as the montana variety, these clematis love being planted into warm autumn ground and are so pretty growing in with other climbers and climbing roses, all clematis like manure and lime. 

Lawns: Spray lawn weeds and apply sifted compost with some gypsum added to lawns if they are compacted ( a bucket to the square metre), the compost will improve the humus content and the gypsum will soften clay soils. 

Veg: I have dug the last of my potatoes and stored them with a covering of herbs, peas put in are up and making growth, pumpkins can be left growing until the threat of frosts. Time to dig up and divide Rhubarb crowns, mixing in compost before replanting. 

Sow: Spinach,Snap Peas,brussel sprouts, board beans and Spring Onions, fill the top of a shallow pot with spring onions seed to have handy by the back door and start thinning and using when plants are still small.

Cheers, Linda http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.co.nz/

Gardening in Noorth Otago March 21st

Rain last week cooled us down after some nice hot days, weeds really take of after rain so the sprayer was out again around the gardens, drive and pathways, I can’t believe how fast they want to grow to seed stage at this time of the year, zap them before they do or another spray will be needed before winter. 

Cut back ornamental grass's they look great when they first get seed heads but the trick is to give them a chop before the seeds drop. I cut them back by two thirds and divide those clumps that have become too big by chopping into the middle with a sharp spade, then I stand on the half I don’t want to remove and pull the other half out to transplant somewhere else. 

Spring bulbs are going in here, I never say no to spring bulbs when offered and I cannot resist those big bags on offer at this time of the year. Thought needs to be given to where they are planted, if put in a narrow border it will not take that many years for them to fill the border on their own and spring will be the only time of the year that border will look good. To get the lovely spring look in narrow borders bulbs can be planted in plastic pots and then pot and all buried into the ground. This way pots can be lifted and put out of site once flowers have finished. Daffodils look at their best planted in drifts, in natural settings but a spring garden comes alive with a daffodil display. Spring bulbs in the garden or in containers must be planted before the end of autumn, tulips in May.

Keep sowing annual flower seeds, warm days will have them up in no time, I nurse them along in mushroom trays over the winter months in a warm sunny spot, folia feed with liquid fertilizer and cover with frost cloth if needed until they are ready for a mass spring planting.

Dahlias are doing well and should carry on flowering for a while yet, keep the water up to them and dead head to prolong flowering. I have a nice red pompom variety growing in different places around the garden which I plan to dig up when finished flowering and plant all together to give impact at the end of a vista. 

Roses: My roses will get only one more dead heading, roses need to make seed heads for new growth to harden enough before the cold months and the big prune in July. Plan winter rose plantings now while blooms are still on show so you can ask the names and place your orders for June/July delivery. 

Lawns: Grass grub is really bad in a few areas of our lawn, brown patches that birds pull to bits looking for grubs.The only thing to be done is remove dead grass, fill bare patches with sifted soil and plant grass seed, firm down, water, cover with shade cloth (bird protection). If done now it will strike and thicken before the ground gets cold. 

Vegetables: This is an important month for planting winter veg gardens, prepared prior to planting with compost, general garden fertilize and lime if necessary. Plant seedlings of beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and silverbeet, protect from white butterfly caterpillar with shade cloth cover. On the coast sow seeds of carrots, parsnips, spinach, silverbeet, beetroot, swede, and turnip directly into the garden. These will need thinning later. Seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are best sown in trays for planting out later. Potatoes and onions can be lifted and stored in a cool, dry place. Shorter days mean tomatoes, pumpkin and corn will need maximum sun to ripen.

Herbs: Parsley can be grown from seed sown now. Perennial herbs such as chives, mint, thyme, rosemary, sage, and marjoram can be divided and replanted. Basil is a summer annual and should be picked before the cold weather to be dried or frozen for a taste of summer in winter cooking. 

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago March 24th 2017

Hurrah, the heavens opened and what a good rain last week, I am sure I could hear every growing thing sighing in relief. Autumn is happening, sun low in the sky and plants coming to the end of this growing season, preparing now for a magnificent colourful finale. 

Grass is staying green and weeds still popping up but if the hoe is kept on the go while weeds are small in soft ground they wont get away on us like they do in spring. ( wishful thinking?) I am still cutting back because everything is really tired now and wanting to make seed and when I start chopping back at this time of the year there is no stopping me from leaving destruction in my wake. 

While working my way around I dealt to all my bearded iris's by cutting leaves back by two thirds and making sure the top of rhizomes were above ground to bake in the autumn sun. Some needed shifted from the shade created by trees getting bigger, into sunny well drained locations. Iris's are well worth the trouble of growing and look wonderful planted together in their own bed enabling them to put a grand display on come spring. 6-8 weeks after blooming rhizomes can be divided leaving a chunk of rhizome and roots to every new division. 

If needed you can also divide and re potted clumps of water iris now. To re pot water iris line a plastic pot 

with sacking, or a chuxs kitchen cloth, place a generous amount of gravel on the bottom then some soil, a little stable manure, or slow release fertiliser granules well into the middle of the pot then plant the iris and add another thick layer of gravel. The gravel on the bottom and top helps to prevent fill and fertiliser leaching from the pot while at the same time weighting the pot down when the iris becomes top heavy. Submerge replanted iris back into the pond.

If you are having trouble with pond water growing green slime, remove as much of it as you can and place a good slice from a bale of  straw into a least visible part of your pond, weigh it down with a rock then flood the pond to overflowing. The straw will rot down and the pond will go through a murky stage before eventually working the way it should be. Be careful never to let fertiliser drift into ponds, nitrogen is what causes still warm water to green up.

Remove seed heads from ornamental grass if you have not already done so, they just pull away with a rake. Clumps can also now be trimmed back if getting too big or divided by putting a spade through the middle and removing half. Sometimes I have to dig the whole grass out to do this, by putting the spade through once pulled apart while standing on one half of the clump.

If thinking of adding Rose's, or more roses to your garden I suggest you look at rose variety books or go on line to make your choices now,  then get your order into a Garden center. New seasons roses will begin arriving in June and by ordering now you will be sure not to miss out. If ordering for a new rose bed be sure to take note of heights and widths because they will be all growing together and you would not want some out growing and shading others. 

All bought roses have been grafted onto strong root stack but roses can be grown from Autumn cuttings on their own roots. Choose a strong new growth about the thickness of a pencil that has made hard wood, if cut from the bottom of the bush three or four cuttings can be taken. Strip all leaves, make a straight cut on the bottom and a slanted cut at a bud node on the top of each cutting. Dig a narrow slit into firm damp earth and push cuttings in straight cut down, then firm soil around cuttings and water in. These cuttings will not make roots until spring, shift and pot each one up when you notice buds swelling.

Vegetables. March is an important month for planting winter veg, prepare prior to planting with compost, general garden fertiliser, I add lime to my compost then know the garden is getting it when compost is added. Beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and silverbeet seedlings and broad beans can be planted, cover with netting or frost cloth if they are troubled by birds or white butterflies. In colder areas seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are best sown in trays for planting out later. 

A green manure cover crop will germinate quickly right now to be dug in before flowers develop, this will add enriched humus to soil. Blue lupin, mustard or oats are good options. 

Parsley can be grown from seed if sown now and perennial herbs such as, chives, mint, thyme, sage, and marjoram can be divided and replanted. Basil, a summer annual should be harvested, dried or frozen before frost. 

Prepare garlic beds, sow heartease (small wild pansy) along side, a companion plant to garlic and onions.

Fruit: Manure, mulch and compost around fruit trees while ground is warm. Late peaches should be almost ready to pick now. Feed citrus bushes with citrus fertiliser, they just keep on producing flowers and fruit. 

A Scruff update, he has small dog syndrome, barking and jumping up on visitors, the postie in that red  and yellow buggy makes him almost turn inside out!!! a stern talking to sends him off to take his frustration out on the bantams as they run in all directions with feathers flying!! He dropped his lead at my feet the other day ...telling me something??

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago March 7th 2017

Signs of Autumn this week with our silver birch tree's tingeing gold after that north west wind but this garden is still holding green and colour and should continue to do so a little longer if moisture is kept up. Summer potted annuals will be looking tired now but dead heading and folia feeding will keep them flowering through autumn. Here on the coast we can still enjoy colour during winter if bedding plants are prepared now. The idea is to utilize the warmth from now on to encourage individually potted plants to bush, bud and harden for planting before frosts get heavy. Bedding plants that respond well to this method are pansy, viola, pollyanthus wall flower, stock, calendula and primula malacoides. It is so worth taking the time to pot individual young seedlings on into single pots for root development and become acclimatised to early winter conditions rather than buying plants that have been forced into flower at the time. I place these pots on trays and store them in a cool shady place until the frosts begin, then the trays are put in a sunny spot to bud up. Getting a bit desperate for potting mix while re potting I dug into one of my compost heaps and was pleased to find everything decomposing really well and was able to add some to what remained of the potting mix making it go further. March is defiantly a great planting month with warm soil and nights and mornings cooler, newly planted trees and shrubs settle in well. There are a lot of well grown trees, shrubs and plants on offer right now in Garden centers ready and waiting to be planted. Gardner's further inland will need to read labels to establish frost ratings before buying, if in doubt wait until spring. I am still dead heading roses to encourage a last vibrant show before they will be left to harden off for winter. Rust is always a problem on roses in autumn, strip the affected leaves from the bushes as well as those on the ground and burn them to reduce this problem for next year. Don't feed roses now, soft growth needs to make a start at hardening off. Spring bulbs can be planted now. If you have not already done so break up really large clumps of bulbs, clumps tend to double in size with out you noticing and in no time a garden bed can become choked, looking attractive only in spring and dull for the rest of the year. I have often been asked the reason for spring bulbs not flowering after the first couple of years from planting, the problem can be over crowding, lack of adequate light as trees become larger and throw more shade during summer, but the most common problem is bulbs may not have not been planted deep enough. Spring bulbs need to be planted 4 to 6 inches deep, that's 4 to 6 inches of soil on top of the bulb, if not planted deep enough and do come into leaf then experience a dry patch in autumn they wont take up and retain enough moisture to come into bud. Rake mulch off bearded iris rhizomes they need to be exposed to the sun for a baking now. Layer carnation stems by pinning the center of the stem down under the soil while still attached to the mother plant with the flower end still exposed, roots should form along the buried stem. Once rooted cut from the mother plant and pot up to grow on before planting out in lime sweetened soil. This layering method can be applied to many herbs, plants and shrubs. Lawns. After baking hot days and a lot of mowing lawn growth starts slowing down from now on, but catchers will still be filling for a while yet, keep catches up, a scalped lawn dries out faster and encourages weeds. There should be a lot of new lawns being sown in the next couple of months, don't worry about annual weeds appearing as the grass germinates most will disappear after the first mow. All lawn weed sprays are too strong for new grass. Fruit: This is proving a good season for apples, quince, pears and walnuts. The more I read about the health benefits from eating walnuts I feel we should all have access to a tree. The east coast is said to be the preferred place for growing walnuts, they need a dry climate, with a high summer temperature and winter chilling (down to -10ºC). Walnuts are self-pollinating but the more trees you have, the better the pollination rate, if planting trees from scratch, they won’t be producing at economic levels until about Year 8. Vegetable Gardens will be growing new crops for the cooler seasons, leaf veg should not bolt so readily now and will not mind the days getting shorter and cooler, root veg seeds will germinate well while the ground is still warm. My second sowing of peas are up, corn is still being picked and the pumpkins have out grown their space and just keep going. Onions can be lifted once leaves have bent over, don't bend or damage leaves before they are ready to bend naturally if you want them to store and keep well. Once dug lay them out in a warm place to fully ripen then store in a cool place. Cheers Linda

Gardening in North Otago 1st March 2017

The odd lovely summer day this week along with coastal mist, heavy dews and darker mornings......beginnings of autumn. There are parts in our garden that are really tired now particularly the long boarders which I plan to attack today. Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering then top dress with compost and some blood & bone to give all a gentle boost. To get superior blooms on gerberas, dahlias, delphiniums and chrysanthemums dead head and give fortnightly feeds of liquid fertiliser, remove excess buds from large flowering chrysanthemums they will be putting on a show soon. With our frequent summer showers and the now heavy dews I feel gardens will carry on as in summer until the first frosts, dead heading will encourage flowering rather than seed producing. With summer moisture supplying roots leaves will most likely turn and fall later this autumn but from past experience it will be a long raking up season with nature enforcing leaf drop bit by bit!! Wrenching: I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer by being shifted at this time of the year even if water was kept up to them, best to wait until winter when the sap is down. However if you have no option and have to shift trees and shrubs a root ball would need to be as wide as the plant and as much of the tap root as possible, the planting hole should be twice as big as the root ball, compost or peat added then filled with water before planting and firming in with a secure stake to protect the transplant from wind movement. I always leave a hose dripping down into roots until I feel things have settled. It would not be as traumatic if a transplant were first wrenched to cushion from shock. Wrenching is when one half of the roots are dug around and lifted, then compost or peat is added under them for new feeder roots to grow into, the untouched roots on the other side will continue to feed the tree or shrub, wrench now and transplant in winter when plants are dormant. Those who are lucky enough to pile garden waste in a stock paddock be mindful of what is being left leaving stock to eat. There are a number of common plants that can poison animals and Children : Arum lillies, Calico bush, Daphne, English yew, foxglove, Hemlock, Holly berries, Iris, Ivy, Kowhai (especially seeds) Laburnum, Lily of the valley, Ngaio, Night shade,Privit, Rhododendron, Rhubarb (leaves) Spindle berry, Potato ( green berries & green tubers) Lawns: The lawn weeds sprayed here last week are wilting away, even the Hydrocotyle which I thought was not going to succumb to the spray. I am ready with grass grub granules next significant rain fall we get, seeing where the grubs are eating away at the roots of grass, mostly in the ground at the foot of trees the night beetles strip leaves from, (Grass grub turn into these beetles). Veg and fruit: New veg plants have gone in here, board beans and carrots are up and going strong and new leaf veg don't look back once planted in the warm moist ground, cover from birds when first planted they seem to go for the small newly planted. I am picking corn, potatoes, carrots, celery, runner beans and cabbage and knowing they are free from pesticides makes them even better. I sprayed the grapes with the milk solution last week and plan to do it twice more, as this was suggested in the article I read for eradicating powdery mildew, I will let you know the end results. Dig out old spent strawberry plants that have finished cropping and discard. Plants that are being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps. Transplant strong runners and keep the water up to them until they make roots. Apples, late peaches, nectarines and quince are the next picking crops then walnuts will be falling..... Tis the giving season. Cheers, Linda. http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.co.nz

Gardening in North Otago February 14th 2017

First frost on Monday night, February??? Because of this years summer rain trees, shrub and plants will continue to put out new growth while the ground stays warm and moist, here is hoping for summer continuing into autumn and autumn continuing well into what should be winter. My wheelbarrow has been busy this week, with so much growth the cutting back seems endless, any plant or bush that has finished flowering needs cut back to where the new growth is starting to appear.  Hebe's finish flowering and make seed very quickly, cut all those seed heads and stems off, the bush will look bare but will soon push out new growth and stay the size you require it to be. Photinia bushes and hedges trimmed now will reward you with new bright red foliage in April / May. Roses will be enjoying the bursts of rain but with the sun so hot at other times the ground and roots become dry, roots drying out between watering's will respond with yellowing leaves, rust and black spot, don't be alarmed these are usually old leaves but will soon spread to new leaves if left. Remove them before they fall and spread disease into the ground even if it means removing most of the bush, new leaves will soon take their place. Roses should continue budding up and flowering for many more weeks. Buddleias, ( the butterfly bush) tall thin arching branches with grey/blue leaves and lavender, purple or pink long narrow flower heads, cut them back almost to the ground when they have finished flowering. They grow back very quickly and are best grown at the back of a border. Garden centers are full of lovely bedding plants and shrubs right now, read labels regarding where to plant, sun/shade, with shrubs frost tolerance is important, I have noticed some tender shrubs not suitable for hard frost areas on offer, they look nice but have probably been grown under cover and would not cope with frosts if planted out in the open, in pots under cover they should be ok. Lawns: The evidence of grass grub will soon be noticeable in tree shaded area, the adult brown beetles tend to lay eggs under the trees they feed on. There was an absence of product for a couple of years but I see there are choices back on the market. Eggs of the NZ grass grub are laid in the soil during summer; normally hatching after about 2 weeks. The small larvae feed on the grass roots, infested grass dies off leaving a dead mat. The grubs can feed about 15 cm below the soil surface but right now they should be only 5cm below, control of the grub requires getting insecticide to this level in the soil. Treatment is most effective from February to March. Fruit: A strange fruiting season, my raspberries, flowered, started to fruit then stopped in the early stages, apricot's were few compared to last year as were the strawberries. Apples, quince, late peach and walnuts are plentiful but my grapes have succumbed to to powdery mildew again. I am loathe to use a chemical spray so will try this organic method which is fast, inexpensive and backed by science. Mix 1 part whole milk and 9 parts water and thoroughly spray effected plants. Spraying in full sun works the best, spray once a week but don’t spray more often than that because it can cause another kind of mold to grow on your plants. This technique was developed specifically for zucchini by a Brazilian scientist named Wagner Bettiol, www.sciencenews.org/blog/food-thought/dairy-solution-mildew-woes Bettiol’s research triggered an organic gardener and vintner, David Bruer to try the milk mixture on his vineyards. And guess what? It worked there, too! I am sure this method would be best applied just as leaves open but I have given my grapes, with fully grown leaves a good drowning with this and now await results. Vegetables: Keep planting all vegetable plants in rotation...if you now have a space where root veg were growing fill it with leafy veg and visa versa. Any spaces you have vacant fill with a green crop, wheat, barley, oats, blue lupin or mustard seed. Dig into the soil before it flowers. The humus created from a green crop is about the very best thing you can do for tied soil.  

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago February 8th 2017

Not much watering had to be done this week after the rain, it was really needed to help gardens recover from those hot nor wester days. The hedge trimmer has been on the go again here and yes the plants and shrubs did shudder to their roots when it came their way! If it needs it, it gets it! Trimming with secateurs is not practical for us with such a large garden and at this time of the year you can not do too much damage so if hedges need height and width taken well back the regrowth time is pretty quick. My buddleia's have been flowering for a while now attracting butterflies, but now they need all that new growth cut well back to encourage new fresh growth to taken through autumn and winter. Buddleia's are a great fill in bush and look attractive with their blue green foliage even without the blue, pink or white flowers, plant at the back of a border and you will not be sorry. Begonias, petunias and Lilly's are taking center stage now begonias are tropical perennials and like partial shade. Strong sunlight will burn leaves and blossoms. If growing in dense shade they will grow more leaves than flowers and wind protection is needed because stems are damaged by strong wind. They prefer high humidity not wet soil, let the top inch of soil dry out before watering. Petunias: dead head often, cutting back and feeding petunias will keep them flowering for ages. Lillies: should be in good draining soil but never be allowed to dry out, mulching helps with this. Lilies do not re bloom, remove faded flowers so plants don't waste energy making seeds. Leave foliage until it turns brown and energy is stored for next years flower, cut dead stalks in late autumn. large lily clumps can be divided up and shifted straight after flowering Dividing bulbs: The rains this week will have triggered autumn and winter flowering bulbs to break dormancy so time is limited for lifting and dividing congested clumps. Anemones and ranunculus: will be in Garden centers now I pop them in the fridge for a month in paper bags (not plastic) then soak them overnight in tepid water before planting (stratification), this simulates the winter chill then they are stimulated into growth with the water warmth before planting. Staggering the planting over several weeks will extend the flowering. Lawns: continue to stay green with the rain and warmth which means no slowing down in growth. I spot sprayed lawn weeds again this week, clover really takes off if left and daisies like the continual rain watering, then there is that creeping tiny leafed weed with yellow flowers that forms a mat in lawns. Every little plant off this needs to be zapped because it flowers and seeds very quickly and spreads from lawn to lawn when mowing. Fruit: It is time to shorten back fruiting leaders on grape vines, the growth is needed for the grapes that have started to form. If a leader has produced too many bunches remove some with shortening back. Veg Garden: Get seeds in garden now for autumn veg, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, dwarf beans, parsley, parsnip, silver beet. Keep mounding up potato rows to encourage bigger shores, corn can be mounded also when it gets to about knee high. They have a shallow rooting system and the mounding helps to keep them upright in strong winds. Corn demands a very high level of nitrogen. The more available nitrogen, the closer plants can be spaced. Cheers, Linda.