Gardening in North Otago May 23rd 2017

Wow one day a hard frost the next no frost and a warm balmy day, plants must be really confused....I know I am. Still that cold snap we received last weekend reminded us of what is to come.

Frost draws moisture up then warm sun and wind drys top soil out so keep an eye on plants with shallow roots like Rhododendron, camellia, hydrangea and newly planted shrubs and annuals they may need a good hand held hose soak.

A heap of cutting back was done here this week, my ready compost is going down fast, as autumn leaves and annual weeds have been removed from gardens it gets shoveled on thickly over beds, then the pea straw goes on. 

Bearded Iris rhizomes and freesia bulbs need to be exposed to bake in the sun, compost and mulch are being kept off them.

I shifted a couple of shrubs that were wrenched in March , this garden gets carried away and tries to out grow the size allotted to it!! shrubs I planted and thought at the time I could keep shaped to fit the space but after a while I get fed up with trying to keep them the right size, they are dug up and given a ride in the wheel barrow. Don't hesitate in reducing the height and width of trees and shrubs, it is essential if garden space is limited, if only to let more light on to lower growing plants and bulbs to stop leggy growth and encourage optimum flowering.

Cutting to an inside bud will encourage narrow growth and a cutting at outside buds will allow open wide growth. While pruning can provide some control over size it is not an effective method to keep a large shrub in a small space, removal might be the only answer. 

Roses: Stop dead heading now to allow rose wood to harden for the big prune in July. By allowing sap to go into making rose seed it will not stop new growth. 

Vegetables and fruit .

Garlic, time to get it planted, growers will save garlic cloves for planting from year to year but if planting for the first time get what is offered in Garden centers rather than what is offered for eating at a supermarket.

It is said to plant garlic on the shortest day but any time from late May until August is ok. Select large single cloves (plant point up) 5cm deep and 20cm apart in warm, well-drained sites where soil has been recently limed.

There are many veg seedlings on offer for planting now before it gets too cold, broad beans can go in as well.

Continue planting strawberry plants, raising the beds where drainage is suspect and adding manure rich compost to the beds.

Having been such a good ripening season apples are dripping from trees, it is best to pick apples for storing when not too ripe and store in a cool dark place

Start pruning pip fruit trees any time after the leaves have fallen, using clean tools from tree to tree, remove dead or damaged wood, crossing or inward turning branches, excess leaders or sucker growth developing on the main trunks. Shorten back vigorous leaders by about a 1/3 to promote branching. Prune long side branches back to a weak twig to discourage further spread.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago May 17th 2017

Days are really drawing in as we head towards winter but driving to and from Wanaka last weekend Autumn was still breath taking coming through the Waitaki valley and central country side.

I have dug out a mass planting of bedding blue salvia  replacing it with dozens of red tulip bulbs I store each year.  The saliva had taken a lot out of the soil so beds were dug and topped with compost and sifted soil along with a sprinkle of blood and bone before the tulips went in. Blue forgetmenot is coming on to plant along side the tulips for a spring display. Pansy's, pollyanthus, primula and snapdragons are filling out nicely for planting along side the spring bulbs that are all popping up. h 

Wisterias will need a cut back now, ours is growing along the upstairs balcony threatening to push through the sliding doors and take over the bedroom! I use the hedge trimmer to get rid of all the leafy wispy growth, cutting too hard back into  thick wood will remove new buds. Each long winding growth can eventually grow into a thick branch so if training a young plant let only one length go either way along a structure. I needed to be given that advice when planting the now multi branched extremely heavy wisteria we now have! 

 Seeds:I am still collecting seeds while pods are dry and saving them in paper bags and envelopes, I read that adding a sprinkle of rice will absorb any remaining moisture and help to keep seed dry and in good condition, worth a try.

Compost again,  Balance all those leaves with layers of old compost/soil, straw, manure and grass clippings . Moisture is a must as well, if mix is dry add water during the heat of a day so the chill will be off before nights cooling. Decomposing will continue on until temperatures drops dramatically. 
Fruit:

 Tamarillos These delicious, tangy fruits ripen in autumn and winter and can go from pale green to rich ripe red in about a week. They are ripe when either a deep, dark red or golden orange/yellow depending on variety. Pick fruit individually by cutting stems. Once picked they keep well and will become sweeter after a week or so.  

Citrus bushes would benefit from a rich layer of compost,  well-rotted manure, dolomite, seaweed, straw – whatever you have spread as a mulching layer around roots.

Vegetables:

Save seed from beans and peas and also a few of your herb and companion flower plant seeds for next spring. 

Mold soil around the base of leeks to keep them pale and sweet, but keep it beneath the bottom leaf so it doesn't get inside and make cleaning them difficult. 

An application of lime now is a real benefit to many of the leaf crops – cabbage, spinach, kale, broccoli and silverbeet.

Potatoes need to be dug and stored now, if they still have more growing to do keep the water off them, they last better if tops have yellowed and died down. 
Once dug let dirt dry on them, brush off and store in a cool dry place away from any other veg or fruit, any moisture will encourage sprouts. Non sprouting powder can be purchased but I use the layering of dried herbs method, cut Rosemary, thyme, sage, lemon balm, mint any of the herbs before they die back, let the moisture dry out of them then layer among stored clean dry potatoes, (a herb filled muslin bag works to)  When all potatoes have been used crush the mixed herbs and store in a glass jar for use. If you have essential oils peppermint, spearmint, and clove oil are said to keep sprouting and rot at a minimum.
Curing Pumpkins: Bring Pumpkins in for curing and storing before hard frosts, pumpkins are ready when the stem is dry and hard to the touch, cut from the runner leaving 10 cm stem attached to the pumpkin and cure by sitting in a warm spot, raised allowing air to circulate around the whole pumpkin for about two weeks then turn upside down and leave for another two weeks, this will harden up skin and intensify the flavor. 
Storing pumpkins: Rub all over with olive oil to seal in moisture, store in a dry sheltered place, off the ground is best on layers of newspaper.

Thinking spring planting already? in very cold areas place an insulating layer on soil you plan to plant out in early spring. This will prevent soil from becoming water-logged, use polythene, fertilizers bags, old carpet or underlay. Spring planting can be delayed for ages because of wet cold ground.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago May 9th 2017

Then it was over, our Ladies Garden Party fund raiser here at Rockvale Gardens, the day was beautiful and all went well show casing amazing local talent and Artisan stall holders raising  $2365.00 for Charlee's journey. Thank you to all who joined us on the day and those involved in making it happen.

A heap of work was done here in the garden this week, my ready compost went down fast as autumn leaves and annual weeds were removed it was shoveled on thickly over beds then ready for a layer of pea straw.

I have been potting up well grown seedlings before the nights get colder, because they are straight from seed trays the frost cloth has gone on and will remain on until spring.

remove water trays from pots now,  soil will stay damp from now on and should never be waterlogged through winter as this will lead to plant roots freezing and rotting.

This is a great time to make new perennial beds or re-organise existing beds, with perennial clumps increasing in size annually they soon over fill a space. Lift overgrown clumps, break up and replant some of the youngest growths from the perimeter. Healthy vigorous plants can be reduced by putting a sharp spade in where you would like a reduction then lift the cut portion out without disturbing the remaining plant. I have been doing this with asters, phlox, aurbretia, small grass's, hosta's, and herbs like sage, thyme and lemon balm. Rockery plants can be divided now as well. Once plants have been sectioned and rearranged cover the bed and around plants with compost which will encourage new root growth and help to keep perennial beds warmer through the colder months.
May is the last month for planting spring bulbs, and peony rose tubers are now on offer which means tubers in your garden can now be broken up or shifted. 

All leaves from my hellebores have now been removed, green fly winter over on the under side of these leaves. Hellebores  are budding up for a winter display and will soon push up new leaves. A fortnightly liquid feed can be given if you feel they need boosting. 

Lilies, this is the main time to shift or divide old over grown clumps of lilies. Be careful not to break the fleshy scales and to retain all the basal roots. Don't pull the old steams away from the bulb as it leaves a hole where water can enter and cause rot, just cut old stems short and bend. Never allow Lilly bulbs to dry out while out of the ground, I plant lilies on a little river sand and cover with compost which has had blood and bone added.

Vegetables and fruit .
Garlic planting time is said to be on the shortest day but any time from late May until August is ok. Garlic is one of the most bulletproof and satisfying crops you can grow at home, taking a very small area of garden space (up to 50 bulbs per square metre) and thrives in all New Zealand climates.Select large single cloves (plant point up) 5cm deep and 20cm apart in warm, well-drained sites where soil has been recently limed. Plant only New Zealand varieties bought from a Garden center not a super market. Locally we have Kakanui garlic which grows well here in North Otago.

Continue planting strawberry plants, raising the beds where drainage is suspect and adding manure rich compost to the beds.
There are many well grown fruit bushes on offer now in garden centers, raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries and gooseberries can be planted now and through winter, currants, cranberries and blueberries plant all year round.

Apples and quince are dripping from trees, it is best to pick when not too ripe then store in a cool dark place.

Walnuts also need picking up to be dried in readiness for shelling while sitting by the fire on a winters night.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago May 2nd 2017

The year is marching on! with May being the official beginning of winter for NZ but I think of June as the start of winter because May often produces warm Autumn days along with the beautiful leaves. In nature leaves are soil food, they fall to the ground creating humus but leaves falling around a garden and on lawns are usually raked up, this is why it is so important to add compost to gardens and lawns where trees grow. 
I am adding to my compost daily by layering leaves, grass clippings, soft garden and hedge clippings, manure and established compost. Cold weather has a marked slowing down effect on compost organisms and any insulation wrapped around a bin will help them keep working, I do this on my heaps with a thick layer of straw.

The cut back is still going on in my gardens and the compost / mulch is going on to provide food for the plants when they need it and it also helps keep soil a little warmer for plant roots over winter. 

Rain has encouraged  a lot of snails into the garden, my bantams are great slug and snail hunters but I can still find them in dark sheltered spots among pots or behind plants growing up against walls, flax and agapanthus are especially bad for harboring snails to multiply fast and be ready to destroy plants in spring. I have read that it is no good transporting snails to a vacant area away from your garden because they have homing instincts and travel long distances to return to their garden of choice. I cannot bring myself to stamp on them or drown them in a bucket so if you are like me you can gather up as many as you can find and put them in a plastic bag, close it tight and put in the freezer, this way they will go to sleep and not wake up, yes I know "what is she on about"? working with Nature is what gardening is all about with me and snails belong in gardens until you remove them.

Plan new plantings of deciduous trees and shrubs remembering to allow room for them to grow both up and outwards. Deciduous trees and shrubs will come into retail outlets at the end of June / July. If your ground tends to get wet and sticky in winter it would be a good idea to dig the area up now while the soil is easy to work. Dig out the soil add peat or compost and blood and bone to it then fill back in again until you are ready to plant. If you know which deciduous trees and shrubs you require order them now from the garden centre and you will not miss out.

Hydrangeas have deepened into rich shades, l like to leave this colour for as long as it takes for them to look faded and untidy, this also gives stems time to harden off and once hardened they can be shifted if needed. Really large bushes can be dug up and shifted, root cut and pulled into several individual bushes. In cold districts don't prune back until spring, leave the tops on to protect the new growth.

A start can be made on pruning very strong rambler roses by cutting out any dead stems and cutting back all side stems on canes to with in 2-3 buds from the main steam. Shorten back vigorous leaders by about 1/3 to promote branching. If the bush is out of control like some of mine reduce the size with a hedge trimmer then cut some canes right out from ground level.

Veg:
If worms are rare in your garden, this usually indicates that the organic content of the soil is very low, worms seem to always find manure but it needs to be spread as a layer low down under a soil bed for them to come up to it. This would be a daunting task to undertake in established gardens, although worth digging manure into trenched rows, defiantly the way to go when establishing a new veg area where soil is dry and has clay content, the introduction of worms will make all the difference.
Fruit:
Continue planting strawberries, raising beds where drainage is suspect, last year I covered half the strawberry patch with  polythene to keep weeds down, it worked, I was forever weeding the other half which will be covered  in  polythene as well  this year. The added bonus is that  polythene keeps ground warmer.

Pruning: 

Apples and pears can be pruned when all fruit has been picked.

Feijoas, olives, figs can also prune when harvest finishes.

Leave thinning out citrus until after frosts have passed.

Grapes and kiwifruit - prune in winter, back to 3-5 buds and tie back any long new branches or canes to train into shape.

Nectarines, peaches, almonds plums, cherries and blueberries get an early autumn prune. winter pruning of these can spread the spores of silver leaf. Cherries and blueberries only require shaping if needed as they fruit on the same wood for years.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago April 19th 2017

Then out came the sun! Easter arrived here with eight little ones and their parents, numbers swelled when the Rockvale Garden Easter egg hunt began on Sunday morn....there was collecting and carnage when Scruff the dog got over excited and disgraced himself by disposing of a bantam much to the horror of a few young spectators who ran for help. Needless to say Scruff was banished to a lonely afternoon in his kennel for creating such a lasting memory in three small minds.!!

Leaves, leaves, leaves so many on the ground and yet to fall, "groan" but to compensate we do have a beautiful gold, red and orange wonder land out here right now.
Most leaves turn into good compost but I do not compost oak or walnut leaves, they take too long to break down in my heaps,burning them then adding the ash will benefit compost.

Camellias are budding up now and some of mine need opening up to let in light needed for buds to develop well so I have been removing inward facing and cross over branches. feed camellias and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, water in well and mulch, then forget about them until they reward you in spring.

Azaleas need food, as soon as they have finished flowering but if you did not feed them then feed them now along with Rhodos and camellias.

On the coast only, prune back perennial wall flowers now to encourage new growth for a good winter flowering, do the same to Marguerite daisies. 

Further inland take hard wood cuttings, pot up and protect over winter as a lot of Marguerite daisy bushes are lost due to continuous frost.

Break up clumps of viola like Maggie Mott and the clumping primula vulgaris, plant sections with root attached into pots or trays, they will grow and clump up from now on ready to be planted out in spring. Both of these make lovely edging plants.

I planted out different shades of ranunculus this week, They are so worth while and a good investment because they multiply well and give vibrant or soft mid height colour to an early spring garden. Renucula corms look very dried up and brittle in the packet when bought, soak them over night and they will become plump before planting. Plant at least five together in groups to get the best effect.

With lilies becoming available in shops this month established clumps may be lifted if necessary, but do not disturb them unless they are very crowded or unsuitably sited. Instead top dress them with a mixture of compost and blood and bone. (A cup full of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. be sure to keep lily bulbs moist while they are out of the ground, roots must never dry out. Almost all lilies need to be planted as deep as three times the height of the bulb.The only exception to this deep planting is the Madonna lily which is planted just below the surface and prefers to be shifted in mid summer straight after flowering. This is also one of the few lilies which also prefers limy soil.

Keep planting well grown evergreen shrubs, still time to get them settled in before winter.

Give evergreen hedges a last light trim during this month


Vegetable / fruit 
I have mentioned growing a green crop in vacant areas of the vegetable garden, barley, wheat, oats and mustard  will grow in no time, dig in while still soft and green. First timers might like to follow the green manure suggestion of using blue lupin as a nitrogen additive, other wise use mustard as a good soil conditioner in spring and summer, changing back to grains in the autumn.
Green vegetable seedlings will be targeted by birds right now so best to cover them with shade or wind cloth raised above the plants while small, birds will not be so interested when they plump out a bit.

Broad beans can be planted now, try a little potash in the soil just below the bean when planted, it is said to help prevent rust.

Walnuts are falling along with the leaves, most of the nuts on our tree fall in their green casing and if I don't pick them up they attract rats who nibble through the casing and the soft shell to get to the nut. Because of the fleshy casing they need to be spread out separated from each other in a dry place to allow the green casing to dry and shrivel away from the nut. If all lumped together in a box they will soon go mouldy.

Feed citrus well now, manure seaweed, rock phosphate, dolomite and mulch

Neem tree oil is an organic product for use on apples for woolly aphid (if you have woolly aphid you'll have to put neem onto the roots of the apple trees using a watering can as well as spraying the leaves because bugs over winter and live in the roots, re-infecting the tops),  use on pear trees for pear slug and on citrus for aphid and mealy bug if necessary. Codlin moth caterpillars will be cocooning in hidey holes, once fruit has been removed and leaves have dropped remove all growth around trees – anywhere pupae may be hidden. Trunks can be scrubbed with a stiff brush and wax eyes encouraged with bird feeders, they will soon hunt out cocoons and

spring will be the time for grub traps.

Gardening in North Otago April 12th 2017

Rain continues to fall as I write this and Easter almost upon us, we are expecting 8 little egg hunters home with their parents for the great Rockvale garden egg hunt if the weather is kind.

Compost will be working well with all this moisture and warmth, generally speaking stable and poultry manure contain practically all the elements required, particularly nitrogen, phosphate, and potash in a natural organic form. However not all plants require the same proportions, animal manure that is too fresh can cause rank growth with leguminous like peas, beans, lupins etc because of excess nitrogen but left to break down in a compost heap, then used in conjunction with a general fertiliser when planting will ensure plants get all they require in the growing season. 

Plants that will not tolerate phosphate garden fertiliser are Lleucodedrons, Proteas, Banksia and Erica's/ callunas just a good organic leaf mulch will keep them happy.

Normally at this time of the year new growth is not encouraged as all growth starts to wind down preparing  for the dormant months but here on the coast we like to continue to have colour in the garden with polyanthus, primulas, pansy and cyclamen, these plants get a boost when dried blood is used around them. Dried blood is high in nitrogen and an easy way to replenish tired soil before planting.

Primula and viola clumps can be broken up now and planted out to create boarders or fill gaps in front boarders.

Feed rhododendron, azaleas and camellias with fertiliser mixed especially for them which will boost them for budding and spring flowering.
Keep dead heading dahlias until frost collapse them, when this happens cut back ensuring large thick steams are not left open to allow rain in to rot tubers. If dahlia tubers are sitting in water too long after heavy rain they will rot. Dahlias can be dug out at the end of the season and stored away in a dry place to be planted out after frosts in late spring / early summer. A topping of pea straw is good protection for dahlias over winter.

Roses, the rain has spoiled autumn roses this year, remove rotting blooms and resist cutting back, roses need to start making seed and harden off before the cold months but If growing in a warm sheltered sunny spot one last dead heading will produce late blooms.


Vegetables / fruit
Time to dig up and divide Rhubarb crowns, mixing in heaps of compost before replanting.
A good time for sowing of Spinach and Snap Peas.
Harvest Pumpkins now remembering not to remove the stalk from the Pumpkin, this stops it from rotting.

So much fruit still dropping from trees I have been harvesting apples and quince this week and after all the rain it is a good time to repay your fruit trees by applying any or all of the following lime, manure, rock phosphate, liquid seaweed and vermiliquid around trees.

Prune tamarillo trees hard after last fruit comes off, staggered pruning will stagger next year's crop

Prepare strawberry beds once the ground dries, build up ground with compost/mulch, cut old leaves from plants and destroy, remove runners, pot up for new fruiting plants or fill in gaps.

Cheers, Linda.

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Gardening in North Otago April 5th 2017

Did I say autumn was the settled ripening time???  lets all visualize the wonderful mellow autumn days of the past to make it happen because so much needs to be done in gardens right now, weeding, hedge trimming, cutting back and clearing out summer growth, spraying, ( so many weeds after all the rain!!) mulching, building new compost heaps then there are all those leaves ....(Whew, no pressure) 

I have taken time this week to look around the garden to see what plants flowered well over summer and those that have not because of trees getting taller and wider and blocking out light. The plants I found suffering most were dahlia's, some have not flowered at all from lack of light and moisture and others are  hidden behind other plants. They will be dug up and transplanted into a sunnier spot, leaving the top growth on to die off back into the tubers. Other plants suffering the same are dwarf agapantha, roses, asters and dianthas, all of these need a lot of sunshine and light to preform well.

If looking to improve the look of established gardens a front boarder will do the trick, there are so many suitable plants that maybe  multiplying around your garden like lambs ear, with it's lovely silver textured leaf, variegated and dwarf iris, blue grass, dwarf agapantha, hosta's, helibours, purple sage, thyme, erigeron daisy and violas, plus heaps of other low growing evergreen plants that cuttings or divisions can be taken from right now to create borders. All these plants I have mentioned look great planted en masse in long rows to change the look of a garden.

The following flower seeds can still be sown now:

aquilegia, calendula (marigold) lupins, stocks, sweet peas, dianthus some will probably already be germinating around where these plants have been growing. I pot up most worthy plants that nature supplies in our garden to be planted out either before or after winter depending on the maturity of them.

Top dress lilies with blood and bone and compost, one cup of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. If you need to shift lilies never let them dry out, get them back in the ground straight away or store them in a wet  towel until ready to transplant.

If you have trees and shrubs that need to be moved, wrench them now, by digging around one half of their roots and leaving the other half untouched for a few months. Make a trench around the lifted roots and fill with soft compost, the cut roots will form new feeder roots into the compost which will make the eventual transplant cope better. Remember plants which have had their root system reduced should also have their top growth reduced.

Veg and fruit

Tomato's need all the daylight hours now to ripen, removed all shading leaves.

Sweet pepper plants that need more time to ripen can be dug up, put into a pot and placed under shelter to continue growing if any threat of frost.

 Sow a green crop, adding humus to vacant vegetable plots will improve the soil, Blue lupin, mustard, wheat, barley or oats are good for this purpose. Dug in just before the crop reaches flowering stage. 

In cooler areas citrus trees, especially when young should have a temporary roof for frost protection put in place soon.

My wine grapes are a disaster with mildew again this year, so no picking nor treading. Not to worry there is an abundance of nice wine already made and on offer out there!

As for Scruff our small Cairn Terrier who thinks he is an Alsatian....bored and soooo over the rain.

Cheers, Linda