Gardening in North Otago NZ May 16th 2018

I am feeling a chill in the air and frosts have started but enough warmth still in the ground for plants to continue growing.
A heap of work was done here in the garden this week, compost is going down fast as it is shoveled on thickly over beds now 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.

Leaves are still falling so piles are still accumulating in our garden, a good many piles have been put on compost heaps, the remainder I burn in a drum and add the ash to compost, but from now on I will be making leaf mulch which is an easy process and gardens really benefit from the nitrogen fix when it is spread in spring.

1.

First pile the leaves and keep them dry then shed them with a lawn mower, (whole leaves don't break down enough for mulch). 

2.

Once shredded add layers 12 to 18 inches deep along with a handful of urea or grass clippings (nitrogen) to each layer, wet each layer (don't saturate) as you build.)

3.Repeat this layering until your bin or bag is full and all will break down over winter to be ready for you to put on the garden in spring. 

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 plant remaining. 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. I have also 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. 

All old leaves from my hellebores have now been removed, they are budding up for a winter display so a fortnightly liquid feed can be given if you feel they need boosting. Further in land it would be advisable to leave some top growth on to give frost protection to soft new growth, once hardened remove all leaves to display flowers.
remove water trays from pots now, the soil will stay damp from now on and should never be waterlogged through winter as this will lead to plant roots freezing and rotting. 
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 .
Continue planting strawberry plants, raising the beds where drainage is suspect and adding manure rich compost to the beds.
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.
Start pruning pip fruit trees any time after the leaves have fallen, 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, take out weak twigs to discourage further spread.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 8th May 2018

And then the warm autumnal winds arrived, so still raking pile after pile of leaves in our garden as trees shed for a well earned rest.  

A mass planting of bedding blue salvia had to come out this week to make way for the dozens of red tulip bulbs needed to make a show here in early spring. The saliva flowered beautifully all summer but took a lot out of the soil, beds were dug and topped with compost and a barrow or two of sifted soil before bulbs went in.

Bedding plants: I have Pansy's, pollyanthus, primula and snapdragons filling out nicely for planting once gardens are cleared of the summer growth and compost has been watered in, planting this month while the ground is still warm will get plants to budding stage and if the winter is mild they should flower, if very cold they will sit then burst into flower early in spring. 

Wisterias: will need a cut back now, ours is growing along the upstairs balcony threatening to push through the sliding doors and take over a 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. Some of those 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 have! 

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

Compost again, Balance all those leaves with layers of old compost/soil, straw, manure and grass clippings . Moisture is a must as well, if the 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. It is such a bonus to have compost / mulch on hand for hungry plants come spring when the ground is left sour from winter and in need of boosting.

Lawns: 

Our lawns have slowed down at last, lime and gypsum can be spread on lawns now, lime to sweeten and gypsum to soften hard compacted ground which has a lot of clay content. No more cracks in the lawn if gypsum is applied and watered in for two or three years in a row at this time of the year,

Fruit:

If you had bad leaf curl on your peach and nectarine trees this season now is the time to clean up and remove as many old leaves as possible from around the base of your trees, but don’t compost these as it will spread the infection. Controlling leaf curl isn’t easy but good orchard hygiene habits, repeated each year, will give you the best chance. If left untreated the problem will get worse year-after-year and reduce the tree’s ability to produce lots of fruit. In spring apply a light dressing of a quick acting fertiliser such as sulphate of ammonia to encourage new leaf growth. At the same time apply a seaweed fertiliser, such as Seasol and Comfrey spray, to help the plants’ immunity to leaf curl. once you notice the symptoms of leaf curl on leaves it is too late to control the disease in those leaves but you can try and stop the fungus from spreading, after the clean up spray with lime sulphur, I will revisit this in late winter / early spring with advice on further treatment.

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 the stems 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.

In soon to be very cold areas  an insulating layer will help to prevent soil you plan to plant out in early spring from becoming water-logged once rains come, 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 1st May 2018

May has sneaked up on us and all that rain this week, what is that all about in this baking, ripening time of the year!

Much lovely compost had been applied to gardens here before the rain which will have washed down to needy roots with the help of wonderful Stan who helps in our garden once a week.  At this time of the year plants are slowing growth down and not needing nitrogen so no fertilizer now but definitely compost / mulch will be beneficial to trees, shrubs and plants by keeping the ground warmer and being there when roots start needing nutrients in early spring. Especially on high ground because North Otago got to the almost flooding stage last week and nutrients needed in spring will have been depleted.

Heavy rain encourages 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 why not try a humane way, 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. 

May is the month to plant tulips, there are so many beautiful varieties on offer now and some that are so double they do not look like tulips. For planting choose ground in good light, a sunny spot but not baking that does not hold water, Bulbs like to be cool so plant deep at least 8 inches, measuring from the base of the bulb digging even deeper, to loosen the soil for drainage.They can be grown undisturbed along a south wall with limited space to grow anything else, where they will multiply annually and eventually fill the space. 

Conifers have been out of favor for a number of years but I consider conifers along with tree's the bones of any garden and now that leaves are disappearing from deciduous trees I am appreciating the wonderful conifers I planted many years ago. To find the right conifer for a particular spot needs a little homework because size and preference to shade and texture need to be considered. A conifer can be used as a focal point, to add interest at the end of a vista in an other wise bleak winter garden. Find an image of the right conifer for your garden and get the information required then order because Garden centers do not carry many varieties these days. Conifers planted along side erica's and callunias are the perfect combination for a low maintenance planting to make a winter garden interesting.

 Lawns have still not slowed down and will not until we get hard frosts, I have sown grass seed on the bare patches (only in very sunny areas) in the hope the ground will stay warm long enough for it to germinate. Don't waste lawn fertiliser on grass now, save it for spring, add a sprinkle of dolomite lime instead to work down by spring to sweeten grass roots. 

Vegetables: Plant board beans, cabbage, carrots, and spinach here on the coast, further inland forget about the vegetable garden apart from planting a green crop to be dug in and left to break down over winter. 

Our garden, Rockvale gardens at Weston is  open daily displaying wonderful autumn colours, plus Scruff the dog,(Cairn Terrier who thinks he is an Alsatian!) is still barking at any one who dares to come onto the property until he gets a tummy rub which is a bit off putting I am sure for visiting Garden enthusiasts.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago April 25th 2018

Still enjoying lovely balmy weather this week, such a joy to be working in the garden with the autumn colours so amazing and becoming more intense as this month moves on. As all the vibrant leaf colours fade we are knee deep in those leaves so much raking with the promise of much mulch to go back on the garden in the form of compost and leaf mulch, all part of Natures plan for trees which we tend to ignore as we rake leaves up. However by mulching we can give back to trees. Right now for us in the garden it is all about raking leaves and applying compost/mulch to plants, shrubs and trees, don't be too worried about raking every leaf from the garden when the compost goes on, leaves soon break down. However too many leaves left piled on gardens will be creating homes for garden pests to winter over. Susceptible plans like geraniums, hellebore's, heuchera, hosta's and low leafy perennials need to have the ground cleared around them. Snails and slugs will be searching for damp hidden places for winter protection from birds. 

Here we are still cutting back summer flowering perennials and annuals which have become long and lanky. Piles of soft plant matter go onto the compost but the stringy hard wood piles are dumped, a shredder would be good at this time because the more we can put back on the garden the more the garden benefits. I am leaving the hydrangeas to finish the wonderful autumn show they are offering right now, but have been taking some semi hard wood cuttings as I cannot get enough of these wonderful plants and it takes a few seasons for cuttings to grow into a good sized bush. Semi / hard wood cuttings need to be taken from close to the base of the stock plant, woodier cuttings are more likely to throw roots than shoots. Cut at a leaf junction, remove bottom leaves ( not too close to the stem) leaving a set of two leaves and the tip growth, remove the soft tip growth. Use a good nutrient free medium, river sand or pumice. Dip cuttings in rooting hormone to stimulate root growth then firm in and water, place in a shaded area over winter and Spring. 

Still time for sowing seed under cover here on the coast and getting to prick out size before the days become really cold and growing stops. Once they are pricked out into punnets or pots they will need to be nursed through until spring. Sowing seed now gives you a head start and the seedlings carried through are much stronger and will do better than the new punnets of seedlings offered in Garden centers come spring. Seeds to sow under cover: Antirrhinum (snap dragon) dianthus, pansy, viola, poppy, scabious, sweet William, pollyanthas, primrose and primulas.  Seeds to sow straight into the gardennow Alyssum, aquilegia, calendula, cornflower, lupins, sweet peas.

Lift gladioli and clean corms, after drying dust with flowers of sulpher before storing in paper bags, never plastic. 

Peony roses: Do not disturb peony roses, just cut back dead tops and dispose of, if they need divided leave until spring. 

Winter roses: will benefit from feeding now, take most shabby old leaves off because they harbour green fly over the cold months, but leave enough to protect the new growth. They can be removed when the flowers come up. 

Tall asters: Any one growing tall asters should have had them flowering for a while. If they are falling all over the place and need support you need to remember to trim back the new growth by half at the end of next September, this will make them grow bushier rather than tall, I must remember to remind you then. Asters exhaust the soil as the clumps get bigger so divide often when finished flowering. 

Lawns are slowing down now, I have given mine a dressing of dolomite lime to keep them sweet over winter, lime takes a season to work it's way down to do its job so if put on now the benefits will be had in spring. Lawn lime application corrects the PH balance in soil by neutralizing acidity and alkalinity. Fertilization of lawns causes the PH to become acidic, limestone will bring the Ph level back down to a natural balance. This has been the perfect Autumn for sowing a new lawn. If you notice patches of lawn Browning off and the birds showing interest and scratching grass out, you will probably have grass grub eating the grass roots, Grass grub start hibernating in May so this month is the very last chance you will have to deal to them. Grass grub granules need to be rained or watered in. 

Vegetables: Watch pumpkins don't get frosted from now on, if they are big and sound hollow when you knock on them they can be picked and sat in a sunny place to ripen more. Anzac day is traditionally the time to plant broad beans, if you missed that day any time now is good.

Cheers, L

inda.

Gardening in North Otago April 18th 2018

This past week presented the strangest autumn weather, warm then cold warm again, wind, then rain. I noticed the first frost last Saturday  morning as did some of my dahlias.

Our compost bins are filling fast with leaves, soft hedge trimmings and grass clippings with a layer of made compost now and then which will make worthwhile humus to apply in Spring .  Ground expected to produce year after year, just as farm land requires fertiliser to ensure adequate growth so to do our gardens. While composts and manures must be accorded their place in soil management they are inadequate to ensure proper mineral nutrition of plants and must be supplemented by fertilisers to get the best results. 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 and animal manure that is too fresh can cause rank growth with leguminous like peas, beans and annual bedding plants 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 while also building up tired soil.

Plants that will not tolerate phosphate fertiliser are leucodedrons, proteas, banksia and erica's.
Dried Blood is high in Nitrogen and is an easy way to replenish the nitrogen content in the soil. Plants like Polyanthus, Primulas and Cyclamen love it and will flourish when you add dried blood to their diet. 100% Pure and Natural.

Break up primula and viola clumps, plant out to fill gaps in front boarders.

Feed rhododendron, and camellias with fertiliser mixed especially for them which will boost them for spring flowering, azaleas like to be feed as soon as they have finished flowering.

Hedge cuttings can be taken now, as there is still sufficient sap in shoots to be taken as cuttings to carry them on without with out undue withering until roots form.The following shrubs can all be increased by means of cuttings. Berberis, buxus, ceanothus, escallonia, Portugal laurel, lonicera nitida, ligustrum, corokia, lophomyrtus. Cuttings should be young shoots about 8 inches/20+ centimeters long trimmed from existing hedges just below a joint. 3 or 4 pairs of the bottom leaves are removed as well as the sappy tip. Press river sand or crusher dust firmly into a deep tray, using a slim pencil make holes and push cuttings in leaving room for each to develop roots, firm sand around them and water in. Leave from now through winter / spring until they have formed strong roots to be potted on.

Lily bulbs: Look for a sunny spot ( 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day) in the garden to plant Lily bulbs, they become available this month and are perfect for planting here in North Otago because they require a cold, dormant period. These beautiful flower bulbs can be planted in among other plants, as they like cool roots, at a depth three times the size of the bulb from now until June. 

Vegetables / fruitTime to dig up and divide Rhubarb crowns, mixing in heaps of compost before replanting.
A good time for sowing of Spinach and Snap Peas, Spring Onions. Fill the top of a shallow pot with Spring Onions and pull them as they’re needed. Start picking when plants are still quite small. Pumpkins should be in now, remember not to remove the stalk from the Pumpkin, this stops it from rotting.
Time to get all fruit in before the birds take the lot.  Prune tamarillo trees hard after last fruit comes off, staggered pruning will stagger next year's crop


Cheers, Linda 

Gardening in North Otago 11th April 2018

The cold blast was predicted and it sure did arrive along with all that snow now on the Kakanui's, gardens and Gardeners will have felt winter had arrived very quickly after all the balmy weather of late. It made me feel I should make a start now on bedding gardens down for winter with compost on first then pea straw, this will be on going for a while in our garden. Leaf raking has cranked up a gear now as trees shed more and more leaves and still lots with cutting back, bulb planting and shifting shrubs that have become over crowded. Shrubs, plants and hedges will be starting to harden off to cope with the cold so get any hedge trimming done but don't be too hard on them, spring is the time to take them back hard. 

Roses can be left now, no more dead heading they need to make seed heads now which will help to harden wood. 

Hydrangea stems are hardening and flower heads are either going brown or changing into new stunning autumn shades, keep water up while they are looking so pretty and leave the flowers on for ages yet, especially further inland they can be left all winter to protect new growth. If wanting to take old flower heads off on the coast cut the stem right back to the second bud from the bottom and leave all stems that did not flower, these will be next summers flower stems.

Leucodendrons develop rich colour as days and nights become colder,  picked bracts will last in a vase for weeks, even months. Picking the bracts is a must to keep both leoucodendrons and proteas from becoming top heavy and blowing over. They resent any form of  phosphates. potassium and nitrates fertiliser a little blood and bone in spring will keep them looking good.

Camellias are budding up now and some of mine need opening up to let in light needed for buds to develop well, remove inward facing and cross over branches. Feed camellias and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, water in well and mulch with pine needles, 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 along with Rhododendrons and camellias. 

On the coast 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. 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 ready to be planted out in spring, both of these make lovely edging plants. Keep planting all the bulbs on offer, ranuncula an anemones also for a vibrant or soft mid height colour to an early spring garden. 

I really enjoyed the drifts of blue from Agapanthas around town and in our garden this year which have now finished flowering, I have started breaking up clumps of both large and dwarf varieties to fill gaps, once shifted they need a lot of water to get them started in a new spot. Keep planting well grown evergreen shrubs as there still time to get them settled in before winter. 

Vegetable garden I have mentioned growing a green crop in vacant areas of the vegetable garden, oats is probably the best one to plant in the autumn, it 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 oats in the autumn.  Vegetable seedlings will be targeted by birds right now so best to cover them with strawberry net or open weave frost cloth raised above the plants while plants are small, birds will not be so interested when the plants 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. Bring pumpkins in and store in a dry aired place, protect the last tomatoes and peppers from frost, the sun is still warm enough to ripen them a little longer. When nights become really cold vines can be dug up and hung in good light on a warm porch under cover to ripen further. 

 Fruit Walnuts are falling along with the leaves, late ripening peaches should be picked now before the birds take them all. I have been told the peach raised in North Otago, SWEET PERFECTION is growing and fruiting well.  A chance seedling from an orchard on the banks of the Waitaki River - strong resistance to leaf curl - bountiful and regular crops of excellent quality fruit. One to put an order in for.  Feijoas seem to be plentiful right now as well, Feijoa, vanilla and fresh ginger jam on a warm scone is an autumn treat.

We have the last wedding here at Rockvale gardens on Sunday after 26 years of couples making a commitment to each other in our garden, it has been a privilege being involved in so many special days 

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 4th April 2018

Easter now behind us and so much needed to be done in gardens right now, weeding, hedge trimming, cutting back and clearing out summer growth, spraying, mulching, building new compost heaps then all those leaves ....(Whew, no pressure) 

As leaves turn gold and red North Otago pastures and lawns are looking spring green with some evergreen growth still too soft for taking cuttings, I usually take cuttings in April while the ground is still holding warmth to stimulate root growth. Large deep trays packed with moist river sand are ready here for cuttings waiting to be taken. Purple sage, geranium, breath of heaven, buxus, fuchia, escalonia, succulents lavender rosemary, lonicera, hebe's can all be taken now,  deciduous. hardwood cuttings are taken during winter when plants have lost leaves and dormant

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 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.

Still a good time for wrenching shrubs and trees that need to be moved 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 non event again this year with botrytis, safe spraying was done but still no good result so out they come after five good years of producing and three of not so no more picking or treading and the area with watering in place will be perfect for a plant nursery. 

Cheers, Linda