Gardening in North Otago January 16th

Whew! what a scorcher this week with the nor west wind, thank goodness for all that lovely moisture in the ground.  However it takes no time for things to dry out here in North Otago and the Waitaki valley was green for an unusually long time since spring but I see it has now reverted back to the dry summer conditions that we are used to.

Rhododendons, camellias and azaleas  are shallow rooted so keeping moisture up to them is important,  a layer of mulch and a good soaking now and then will keep them happy. Also keep an eye on maple trees,  I find they suffer during hot drying winds and let you know by leaves turning brown spoiling the lush look of them but they soon recover after a good soaking.

Roses are doing well now, dead heading  keeps them making new flower buds and a dressing of manure or blood and bone or rose fert now would give a boost. 

Hydrangeas and Dahlias are taking center stage right now, wonderful vibrant shades in both after such a good supply of moisture but with such a lush start some dahlias will need staking before they get top heavy. 

Hard wood cuttings of hydrangeas are best taken in early summer, choose a steam that has flowered and is pushing out new leaf growth, cut just above a bud around 6 inches long, remove remaining leaves and soft growth. Push cuttings into sharp river sand or crusher dust, place in warm shade and keep moist. They take a while to make roots so don't be tempted to pull out until you notice new growth. Once rooted pot up and keep moist and feed often to encourage strong growth, they should be ready to plant into the garden next spring when roots have filled the pot.

Seeds are popping and with two little Grand Daughters helping I now have small paper bags holding seed from delphiniums, dianthus, poppies, foxglove, hollyhock, sweet peas, lupins plus many more to come. With fast germination and growth seed trays are best kept outside in light shaded and mist watered only when the top layer of mix is dry. Over watering will encourage collapse as roots are too few to take in excess moisture.

Look around plants that have dropped seed from spring flowering plants in your garden, I have found nice little seedlings of pansies, viola, hellebore's, sweet William and aquilegias, which I pot up to get strong root growth before planting out.  Remove seed heads off anything you do not want to spread, that goes for weeds as well, make sure you whack the seed heads off and dispose of if you don't have time to deal with removing. 

Lawns

Keep an eye out for grass grub evidence, brown patches left as they munch the roots. they are most active from February to May.  For a few of years there was no product to deal to them but now I see some back on shelves. I did not see many brown night beetles around this year, maybe grass grub numbers will be down because of wet ground. 

Fruit: Seasonal fruit and veg are plentiful now for freezing or preserving, strawberries, cherries are still going and stone fruit is plentiful now so worth a drive up the Waitaki valley if growing fruit is not your thing.  

Vegetables:  Heaps of growing time ahead so keep sowing root veg seed and plants. carrots (harvest April / may) parsnips (harvest June)

board beans (harvest May / July) cabbage sow in seed tray, plant out in 4 weeks (harvest April May ) cauliflower sow in seed tray, plant out in 4 to 6 weeks (harvest May / July) leeks grow in seed tray plant out in 4 to 6 weeks (harvest May / June) lettuce I sow butter crunch now and stagger it right into winter

onions grow in seed trays, plant out in 4 to 6 weeks (harvest July - October)

silverbeet (harvest March / April

Cheers Linda.

Gardening in North Otago January 10th 2019

These summer days are still unpredictable here in North Otago but still warm with rain at the right times for Gardens to cut down on watering which is usually a summer must. I have lawn fertiliser ready for the next decent down pour . 

Cutting back: With all the growth I do tend to repeat myself with the cutting back all early summer perennials and shrubs before they make seed but it really is important if you want plants to continue flowering on new growth.

Hedges: You can be especially hard now on hedges if height and width need reducing, grow back rate is fast to cover any unsightly scalping.  Height can be taken out of shelter shrubs like pittosporum, laurels and conifers should they be getting taller than required. Remove the center leader to a point where lower branches will cover the cut, this will stop these shrubs from becoming the trees they were created to be. Growth removed from top's and sides will regenerate but bottom branches removed from trunks  will not regrow.

The rain so far this summer has been very beneficial to shallow rooted  rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas which are  no doubt covered in spent flower heads making seed, removing as many of these that can be reached will benefit growth especially on new plantings. Some here have out grown the space allotted so width and height has been reduced now before budding becomes too advanced. 

Roses in our garden are needing continuous sunny days to pick up after such a wet first flowering, dead heading and sunny days are required for a full on second flowering.

 Seed collecting is well under way now, a few warm days in a row ripen pods that have been slow to mature. I like to store mature pods  into small paper bags or envelopes where they can pop in their own time. I have learned that storing named bags in a container which will keep out mice is another must.

Continue to mulch with light scatterings of  un-sprayed grass clippings to keep moisture in the soil, they break down into humus quickly with summer rain. To be ready for hot drying winds tree foliage benefits from mulching out to the drip line where possible. 

Lawns are getting a break from scorching so far this summer giving lots of lush green mulch from each weekly mow. Weeds can be sprayed out during dry days, there are a few different lawn weed sprays on offer, even one that weeds and feeds at the same time. Use a product at the suggested strength and consider spot spraying for the sake of worms.

Fruit & Veg: It's proving to be a bumper year for both fruit and veg,  corn and pumpkins have really taken off after a slowish start, pollination has better than I thought with all the dull days with tomatoes and cucumbers ripening well. Plums are plentiful for plum sauce and we still have a few black currents ripening for the last pie. 

Keep rotating root and leaf vegetables to get the best results. French, butter and runner beans should be flowering and producing well now and new potatoes will be loving the warmth. I leave them in the ground until ready to use even when the tops have died back. I have dug a wonderful crop of garlic planted from local Kakanui stock around the shortest day now ready to tie and hang, I still find it surprising when I lift such large bulbs produced from single cloves and keep the biggest and best for the next planting on the shortest day.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago January 2019

A happy gardening New Year to all. 

What a changeable start to January, but thankfully we are experiencing some long sunny days and with rain from time to time so I have not had to drag the hoses around which is a bonus for any gardener. 

Roses: Moisture and humidity have proved a problem this summer with rose buds browning before blooming but roses are enjoying the deep moisture from the early summer rain. I cut all affected buds and leaves off and destroy them as I dead head, It takes no time at all for new leaves and buds to grow back. All roses should have a summer pruning after their first flowering, cut a spent flower stem down to an out facing bud on a thick part of stem.

Cut back summer flowering perennials and shrubs to encourage continuous flowering, daisy bushes, delphiniums, lavaterias, dianthus, lupins and herbs before they all go to seed then feed with slow release or a liquid fertiliser, they will all come back fresh and most will flower again. Cut chrysanthemums back, they will flower in the autumn on shorter steams and plant some tip growth into river sand and they should root to be planted once clumped up. Foliar feeding is very important to encourage fresh new growth after cutting back anything at this dry time of the year. Fill gaps in the flower garden with annuals.  Front planting full sun: impatiens, small type petunias, begonia, small marigolds, lobelia, alyssum. Mid plantings: nicotina, coriopsis, tall petunias, tall marigolds, bedding dahlia, salvia, nemesia. Tall plantings: cosmos, lavatera, sun flowers, Canterbury bells, love in the mist. Semi shade ( with good light )plantings: impatiens, bedding begonias, lobelia, Japanese anemone (perennial), foxglove. When the next heavy rain arrives feed the lawns and they will bounce back like fresh spring lawns. 

My ponds get topped up regularly at this time of the year as there is a lot of evaporation on hot days and ponds tend to green up a bit as the water warms. The addition of barley straw to one end of a pond is so beneficial in helping pond water clear naturally.  Weigh straw down with a large rock and with the topping up and straw doing it's job the water stays clear for fish and lilies. 

Herbs: Culenary herbs are putting out heaps of growth now, harvesting, tieing and drying is what I am doing. Hang in a cool darkish place until crisp to touch then rub onto newspaper and store in sealed glass gars. Mint, bay leaves, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme work well together as mixed herbs.

Fruit and veg are maturing fast then bolting to seed if not picked when ready and birds can be a problem for me so I use strawberry net when needed. Gooseberries, strawberries, raspberry's and currents are doing well now that we have sun and heat but they are ripening quickly so it is a rush to get them picked before they drop from the bushes. Black currents,  cut all the fruiting branches off ( they fruit on the previous years growth) then strip them of berries in a nice shady spot. This way the fruit is picked and the bush is pruned at the same time. reduce the length of fruiting runners on grapes and removed all unproductive growth. 

Tomatoes need water kept up and some leaves removed to let in light, too many leaves take up nitrogen that should be used by the fruit.  

Corn and pumpkins are making good growth and the potatoes I thought were all top and no potatoes proved me wrong by being just the opposite, I gave them a tickle up on Christmas day and was amazed at the number and the size. Keep planting all veg , we have the best growing and ripening time ahead.  

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago December 12th 2018

philadelphus (mock orange), mingonette and Lupins

Super plant comfrey   

Still overcast, damp days as I write this so like me most will have been busy with end of year work, School and after School actvivies to be part of rather than  plodding around dripping plants, mud and wet feet and with the Christmas lead up I am sure gardening will be on the back burner for most, including me. However if it does brighten up there will be the last minute clean up to take care of. Trimming with secateurs is not practical for me with such a large garden so the hedge trimmer will be out again when dry, the grow back rate is pretty quick in early summer so dont be afraid to take hedges well back if needed. Newly trimmed box hedges will suffer from sun scorch as days become warmer, but they soon grow through it and harden off to a lush green again.
If your catmint has been flowering for a while and it is looking a bit tired, trim well back and in no time at all it will re-grow into a neater clump and continue to flower, this applies to all spring flowering ground covers.
By now we will be able to see winter damage and dead branches needing removed on trees, and where low branches are keeping light from gardens. Maples, pin oaks, ashes and the native hoheria (lace bark)  put out so much growth here every spring needing many lower branches cut back or removed altogether to allow in light needed by plants and shrubs growing below to bud and flower.
Lilies: Large clumps of lilies can be divided up and shifted straight after flowering, plant into good compost, keep an eye on them through the dryer months they will not tolerate being dry long. It takes ages for lilies to grow from seed and little pup bulbs so they are worth looking after, I have had clumps of Christmas lilies completely disappear through soil dryness.
Comfrey liquid fertiliser: I must again sing the praises of comfrey, with its deep taproot, and large root system, comfrey pulls up nutrients from way down in the subsoil, where most other plants can't reach. Comfrey is high in just about every nutrient a plant needs, including the big 3, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium and many trace elements. Its high carbon to nitrogen value means that it does not deplete nitrogen from the soil, as it decomposes. In fact, it becomes a good source of nitrogen containing more potassium than composted manure.
Comfrey leaves can be cut and spread around plants or decomposed down to a black liquid, for this cut leaves off at ground level, break up and place in the bottom of a large plastic container, cover with water and weigh down with a rock. Within 6 to 8 weeks the leaves will have decomposed into a thick  black smelly liquid. Strain and Dilute, 1 part comfrey liquid to 15 parts water, dilute more when using on seedlings. You will not need to spend money on plant food again, ( let me know if you would like a comfrey section to start a patch)
Garden Mulch: I noticed a good amount of well cooked clean, black garden mulch being offered at our Recourse recovery park, this is just right for keeping weeds down and retaining moisture around trees and shrubs. A scoop = 1/3 cubic metre $7.50 and a full bag $4.00 as well as trailer loads. The Recourse Recovery park will be closed only the following days during the festive season, Christmas day, Boxing day and New years day.
Lawns: If you don't like using sprays and have a few flat weeds in the lawn try spot spraying them with vinegar, it also works great on pathways and drives leaving no dangerous residue to leach into nearby plants . For best results apply in the heat of the day. Lawn spray is needed for clover, vinegar browns the leaf off and knocks it a bit but it soon recovers.
Vegetables: Sow late crops of cucumbers, courgettes, beans, basil, peas, rocket and corriander. Keep mounding up potato rows to encourage bigger shores, corn also as they have a shallow rooting system, mounding helps to keep them upright in strong winds, planting corn in groups rather than a row also helps with wind support.
Fruit is late to ripen with the lack of sun filled days and damp dull days lead to fungus and rot for strawberries, removing effected strawberries will stop the spread. 
Grapes: Shorten back fruiting leaders on grape vines, If a leader has produced too many bunches remove some. Nitrate fertiliser will only produce more leaves and leaders, like most fruiting plants a little pot ash to encourage fruiting is beneficial in spring, ( A note for next year) Nature will have its way if we take a much deserved break, weed seeds pop, fruit over ripens and the veg bolts but we can shift all pots and hanging baskets to a shady south facing wall to protect from sun until you return. 
"Christmas cheer" Gardeners will enjoy and share the produce bounty from the busy year past and I will take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you A very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2018.

Gardening in North Otago December 4th 2018

Here we are almost at the end of another year and the humid, before Christmas, cloudy weather is persisting and so much growth, does the cutting back NEVER end!. It's getting rid of it all that creates a problem for most people, however at this time of the year the cut back growth is soft and with the help of daily heat will break down in heaps or on the compost so pile it up until it all reduces then cart it off. Gaps left can be built up with fresh compost and planted out in summer annuals.  

Delphiniums growing tall will be needing supports to keep them in place, its hard to stand them up again with out stems breaking if they collapse. If this has happened cut them back to the broken point to continue to put out new but smaller flower heads. 

Catmint edging can be cut right back now, it will grow back and flower again and lavender needs to be trimmed when it has finished flowering. 

English lavender is worth cutting, bunching and hanging once stems have firmed and continue to give off that lovely fresh lavender fragrance right through until it flowers again next summer if kept inside. 

Rhododendrons finished flowering need spent flowers removed before they make seed, imposable to do on very large bushes but beneficial to smaller bushes as you want them to put growth into the bush not seeds. There is a point on a spent flower that when bent will break cleanly without damaging new growth. 

Roses: Remove rain damaged buds and blooms, if left they will encourage fungus during humid weather. Roses need dry sunny days to flower at their best however they will be enjoying the moist soil and should respond really well when sunny days do arrive.

Lillies will also be enjoying moist ground conditions but will probably stay in bud until those continuous sunny days arrive. Lillies do like their roots moist but like most plants will rot if water logged.

Hedge trimming is on going here and ivy that has romped away can be trimmed right back before it sets flowers.

Herbs are running to seed before I can cut and hang them as they must be completely dry when cut and bundled to prevent mold. If we do get a chance to cut hang, rub and store it is well worth the effort. I usually produce enough dried herbs to last the following year as well as gift to others. 

Herbs should be harvested when flavor and aroma oils are at their peak, before they flower. Harvest early in the morning after the dew dries and before the heat of the day. Herb flowers harvested to dry for craft should be picked just before flowers are fully open.

Culinary herbs to dry: rosemary, thyme, sage, dill, basil, chives, parsley, oregano, tarragon, nasturtium (leaves and flowers)

Fruit: black currents, raspberries and gooseberries are all wanting continuous sunny days and strawberries being low to the ground are rotting with such damp conditions, I have removed any rot and large top leaves to let more air and light in but they need to have a net cover if exposed to birds.

Vegetable garden: Weeds as well as veg are romping away but easy to pull while the soil is damp, again get rid of any veg rotting and when time and weather allows work wet ground with a hoe to get air in. Keep potatoes mounded, not long now to dig for Christmas dinner along with peas, board beans, carrots, beetroot and lettuce, produce so good from your own garden to the table.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago November 27th 2018

December already, damp November almost gone, what a long time suffering damp, cloud covered days which has restricted flowering and fruit ripening. It's sun and warmth we and gardens need in spring.

Hedge trimming will be under way about North Otago now that new growth has been pushing out for a while. I can't wait until hedges soften a little after a severe trimming, which usually only takes a couple of weeks.

Roses will be well into flowering and the thing to look out for after all the dampness is powdery mildew, a fungus that affects plant leaves, buds and stems, coating them with a white or grey powder like substance. A preventive spray applied at the very first hint of powdery mildew is as follows. 1 tablespoon of baking soada, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap and 1 gallon of water mixed together. This is not a cure if the fungus has taken hold but worth spraying on all rose bushes to prevent it happening after such a long period of damp, dull weather.

Begonias are really pushing through now and I see that I have lost a few that I left in the ground from last year. The food begonias most appreciate is any fish based fertiliser, as a folia spray or watered in around roots. 

Hydrangeas are producing flower heads now so they will have loved all the rain, it is important to keep the water and food up to them, old stable manure, blood and bone, dry, liquid or slow release fertiliser will keep them happy and flowering well. Remember it's lime for pink and Epsom salts or aluminum sulphate to keep them blue. 

Fuchsias are making a lot of growth now as well, they flower on new growth so appreciate a good cut back in early spring and then again when finished flowering.Tip cuttings can be taken from fuchsias when stems have firmed, if you spot some you like in a friends garden ask for some cuttings. I break a cutting off at a heel or a nodule section, remove some of the top growth and push into firm wet river sand.Tip cuttings from Hebe's will also root with no trouble in river sand .                                                                                                                                           Abutilon (Chinese lantern: If you are looking for something non invasive to make a show of colour against a wall why not try Abutilon, they come in three strong colours, yellow, orange, burgundy and white. I planted yellow, burgundy and white together in a large container with nice lime green grass's below them, Being a rather spindly plant I intertwined them and they now look like one bush. If trained against a wall leave some longer branches and shorten back others to get a good cover of flowers.                                                                                            Peony roses: What a pity damp weather has spoiled these wonderful plants this spring, they are the first to droop in wet conditions. Remove seed pods once blooms have finished to stop plants putting energy into making seed.                                                                                                                                                     
Low hanging tree branches: The weight of the last rain will have shown which branches need lifting on large deciduous trees, if left they will cast too much shade over surrounding plants. Lower branches can be removed and the upper branches will hide the cuts. Any branch growing downwards with a canopy branch directly above it can be cut back or removed altogether.                                                                                                                                          Lawns will be lush but soddon and all that rain will have washed out nutrients so feeding would be a good idea during a shower once they firm up. Lawns get really stressed once the heat of the day intensifies, if your lawns are inclined to crack when dry they have probably been planted on clay soil. Apply gypsum ( soluble lime) and water in, after a couple of years of doing this your lawns will have a spring in them. Gypsum works it's way through the clay and makes it become more like soil. If lawn weeds are a problem spot spray before cutting or remove flat weeds with a knife when noticed. I spot spray with lawn weed spray because I don't want to upset the balance and the work going on in the soil by drenching with chemicals.                                                                        Vegetables: Well the broad beans and peas collapsed in the heavy rain, leaf veg are gritty with soil splash, and the soil is too sticky to weed so not much happening there until the sun shines! Corn and all in the pumpkin family will not make a move which is a shame because they need to get off to an early start for a long ripening season.  Runner and french beans have been slow to start and with the wet snails and slugs will be out in force. May be best to  plant beans into trays to be transplanted when big enough to start climbing up the frame and deter the slugs and snails by making beer traps out of empty plastic fiz bottles. Cut the bottles with the lid in place through the middle, bury the lidded half in the ground then fill with beer, cut a door opening in the other half for snails and slugs to slide in, then force this half with door opening on top of the other beer filled half. The bottom of the bottle will be the roof to keep the rain out.                                      

Tomatoes will be getting taller but fruiting will be slow with lack of sun, the removal of over half the leaves on a plant will benefit your plants by allowing more nutrients to the fruit along with letting  more sun in to encourage flowering and them more visible for pollination, try it and see if you get a better crop. If you are noticing a lack of bee's to pollinate tomato flowers gardeners have been known to take a hair dryer into the glass house, turn on half speed then gently waft it among flowers to spread pollen. 

Fruit: Not much happening there in the last two weeks, no sun, no growth. Everything made a good start from blossom and I have picked a couple of bowls of gooseberries but that's about it. Strawberries will start to rot with being damp too long, removing heavy leaf cover will let light and sun in to help them along, A few warm days will soon put things right.                                                                                                        

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago November 20th 2018

Wow what a wet cold snap last week, we were kept out of the garden with that lot!. 

Heavy rain in spring is a bonus to get moisture right down into the reserves for a hot summer, however nutrients are washed down as well so feeding now 

to help those active roots is recommended especially for annuals coming on for a summer show and flowering pots and hanging baskets will need food and 

maybe a top up of potting mix.

I have divided clumps of violas now finished flowering, I just dig up part of a large clump and basically pull it to bits planting  sections with roots into pots ,

by the start of next winter the small pots will be filled with roots, new leaves and buds ready to be planted out.

The same for pollyanthus  and  primulas, break up clumps; plant out only fresh new growth and throw away knotted old spent roots.

There is still time to divide agapanthus, large and dwarf varieties due to flower in February. They can get a bit clump bound which reduces their flowering, 

dig out the whole clump (if it is still manageable enough to do this), then pull off smaller root balls and plant out on their own using fresh compost to get 

the roots going again. Agapanthus are great gap fillers in new gardens, they can always be removed as you fill your garden with permanent plants.

If you have, or can get hold of some aged compost that has finished working and is ready to put on the garden you will be able to make compost tea.

Compost Tea is a nutritionally rich, well-balanced, organic plant food made by steeping aged compost in water. The water is then diluted and used 

as a root / or foliar feed. It is also noted for its ability to control various plant diseases (blights, molds, wilts, etc. when used as a foliar spray), to repel 

and control insect pests and their damage when used on a regular basis, and to encourage the growth of beneficial soil bacteria which results in healthier, 

more stress-tolerant plants. The basic recipe most often recommended is as follows:

1 large container with lid (plastic rubbish bin works well) enough aged, completed compost to fill an old pillow case 1/2-3/4 full. Fill the container with 

water, place the compost filled pillowcase (cheese cloth bag or pantyhose also work well), tie off the top and submerge in the container of water. 

Cover (to prevent odor and insect problems) and let steep for a MINIMUM of 2 weeks. This steeping time is crucial to the formation of beneficial bacteria 

and the required fermentation process. When finished, dip out the tea and dilute it (3 parts water to 1 part tea) and use weekly as root food for all plants. 

The following factors will determine the quality of the finished tea: Use well-aged, finished compost - Fresh compost can burn the plants 

or contain harmful pathogens and compost past its best will be nutritionally deficient. If using purchased compost it should contain a portion of aged 

animal manure which apparently remains active longer than compost made up only of plant matter. Dilute it a little more when using on young seedlings.

It is important to note that COMPOST TEA AND MANURE TEA ARE NOT THE SAME THING. Manure tea can be made in the same way 

but is not generally recommended as foliar spray and is not as nutritionally well-balanced but great for roses when applied around roots to keep them healthy. 

Weeds maturing to seede stage, get them out before they do while the ground is soft and wet. I am still battling with convolvulus,so have resorted to pulling 

it off plants then searching for ground level regrowth in plant clear areas to appear for me zap with round up which should travel right back along the root runners 

and kill them. I find it too risky spraying around the plants so resot to just pulling away from plants.

Vegetables:

Keep mounding the potatoes to keep them producing more and more new potatoes for Christmas, crops will have enjoyed the resent down pour. 

Leafy veg don't need any extra feeding at this time of the year it will just encourage them to bolt. Plant only as many seedling plants you think 

you would use when ready and hold back and keep in the shade other small seedling plants from the same batch for a staggered planting.

New small plants can be over watered to the point where their roots cannot cope and they collapse, the soil should be dry on top between watering's

and good drainage is essential .

Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, their roots are fragile until large leaves grow to create the root shade needed. 

Cheers, Linda