Gardening in Waitaki August 3rd 2021

August already after a non challenging July weather wise here in Waitaki. Spring will make a start towards the end of this month Hellebore's, snow drops, camellias and jonquils have persevered through the cold months to be the first bloomers.Raised gardens tend to dry out, especially on top faster than gardens at ground level after frosts and wind so keep an eye on raised gardens and rockeries going into spring as plants on waking are looking for moisture and nutrients to sustain rapid spring growth. I notice yellowing of some plants, the ground gets depleted of nitrogen during winter affecting shallow rooted camellias, azaleas and rhododendron, acid fertiliser especially formulated for them is available, apply and water in if you feel a shrub requires it. Potted plants out growing their containers will soon show poor growth, these plants can be revived by reducing the root mass by half then re-potting back into the same pot or potting on into a larger pot. Remove the root bound plant from the pot and lay it on the ground, I use a sharp spade to chop the root ball in half. The use of tin foil, (shiny side against the inside of the pot ) will help with a pot sunbaking in the hotter months and the use of a heavy tree and shrub mix is best for moisture retention. With all the slow release fertilisers on offer now it is easy to choose the right one for all plants. As days lengthen annual weed seeds will germinate quickly but probably more to the end of this month, I am mentioning this early so you can be aware and deal to them while in the new growth stage, whenever that may be at your place. Soft weeds like chickweed, biddy bid and fat hen can be dug in as humus for soil before they run to seed. Unfortunately perennial weeds will take off as well, docks, convolvulus and mellow, to be rid of them roots need to be completely dug out which for me in my past large garden was imposable so I had to relent to spraying those tough weeds when they first popped through the soil if I could without coming in contact with plants nearby. If Children or pets are a concern, there are safer, selective weed killer options utilizing potassium salts of fatty acids to kill weeds and unwanted grasses and work best when weeds are newly through the ground. A natural alternative to herbicide (for driveways and paved areas only) is a cocktail of vinegar, salt and liquid detergent. Acidic acid in the vinegar and salt has all the ingredients needed to quickly kill fresh growing weeds by drawing moisture, the detergent adds sticking ability. DO NOT use this combination anywhere near a garden because it is non selective of what it kills and will also be extremely harmful to soil life. Recipe: 1 gallon white vinegar, 1 cup salt, 1 tablespoon detergent. Combine ingredients and spray at the sunniest time of the day for best results.  Lawns: Moss can be dealt to in lawns, pathways and garden structures. There are a lot of products out there to deal with moss but killing the moss in lawns is simply a short term measure, it does not address the basic problem. If you really want to eradicate moss from your lawn, then you have to find the problem causing it. The reasons are varied, but not too difficult to isolate.Things that would be causing moss in your lawn could be: Water logging, Poor feeding regime, Soil too acidic, Shaded Lawns, Mowing lawns too close, drought - not to be confused with a bit of summer-browning and Compaction. Treating areas of moss in lawns can be carried out with sulphate of iron watered on at the strength displayed on the pack per sq meter, the moss will turn black and after a couple of weeks rake out the dead moss and re-seed.Moss rarely competes with strong growing lawns, the first lawn feed can be as soon as new growth is noticed. Slow release grass fertliser is ideal when the ground is wet and rain is about to happen, powdered grass fertiliser  must be watered in either by rain or hose, if left to sit it will burn new growth. Vegetables: Here on the coast get spring sowing off to an early start, plant peas and broad beans and veg seedlings on offer in garden centers.Further inland the soil will take a bit of thawing before any planting but an early start may be achieved by using a row of cloches or a stretch of clear polythene to warm and dry out the soil. Plenty to do preparing veg gardens by digging in humus/compost in readiness for the big plant out. I see seed potatoes are available for sprouting, then into the ground for an early crop on the coast. People have been telling me of the benefits gained from planting potatoes on a bed of pine needles, I lay them on comfrey leaves but will use some pine needles as well this year, I am sure there will be many other potato planting traditions out there. Fruit: Check peach trees, they should be just about at bud burst  if so a copper spray will help with leaf curl, once in blossom it is too late to spray.If you have not already pruned your peach or nectarine tree that's ok, they are best left until after the coldest weather. I will run through how to go about it.1. Standard type trees are easily trained to an open center or vase shape with 3 or 4 primary scaffold branches or they can be trained to V-shaped trees with just 2 scaffold branches, cut larger branches needing removal close to the trunk leaving only a small collar to prevent decay in branches.2. Remove small weak upright branches on trunk or main branches.3. Leave 50 to 75% pencil thick shooting wood per tree.Both peach and nectarine fruit on wood developed last summer. Inspect the buds on newer wood, single buds are leaf buds, double buds are immature fruit buds and triple buds are mature fruit buds. Cut to an outward facing double bud, leave triples. Cheers, Linda

Gardening 27th July 2021

Almost August and some milder damp days have been experienced here in Waitaki during the last fortnight for a time still considered winter! Much is beginning to awake in the garden and spring is definitely in the air with swelling of buds, fragrance from winter sweet, witch hazel, Daphne, boronia and violets. Birds are beginning to nest and I see the first blossom, jonquils and daffodils about the town. Still time to shift perennials like tall phlox clumps if they have become shaded or out grown their spot. Tall phlox have a wonderful musk perfume which I always looked forward to wafting about the garden in the late afternoon.Tall phlox come in a number of shades, and die down over winter, they need all day sun in a open windy spot or they can be susceptible to powdery mildew, great fillers for perennial boarders. Hostas are starting to move as well, they will be still dormant enough for clumps to be reduced by digging up and slicing through with a sharp spade making sure not to knock the showing green tips. If you have planted bedding plants like polyanthus, forget-me-nots, dianthus, sweet peas, pansy, viola. Any new plantings can be Helped along along by liquid feeding with diluted worm tea or a commercial liquid food to get roots going and keep them green and strong through any cold snaps yet to come. Slow release fertiliser is a good idea this month as well, sprinkle around established ornamental and newly planted trees and shrubs to be there as plants are needing food on awaking. Hydrangea wood has hardened and should be producing plump buds, Prune only those stems that have flowered, cut at the second bud from the bottom, leave all other stems because these are the flowers for this year. Spread old stable manure around the drip line and a dressing of lime for pink flowers and aluminum sulphate for blue, White never changes, but are best planted in light shade. If the PH of your soil is high blue hydrangeas will always revert to pink no matter how often you add aluminum to the soil. Pot grown hydrangea's can be controlled successfully by tailoring soil to requirements, peat, pine needles and coffee grinds can be added to an acid planting mix for blue and lime can be added for pink blooms without the worry of leaching around the roots as it would when hydrangeas are planted in the ground. Pot grown hydrangeas need to be watered daily during summer. Cuttings from the hardened geranium steams can be taken now, fresh grown geraniums give amazing colour to a warm sunny garden for all of the growing season and even into the winter, they are so easy to grow from cuttings. Take short cuttings, semi hard wood, (not a new green steam) and let them dry out a little before planting, this means you don't have to deal with them straight away. Plant them firmly into a soil and river sand mix, Potting mix is too light to get a tight seal around cuttings. I am forever taking cuttings off geraniums I like when I come across them in other gardens. Trim dentata lavender now if you haven't already after it's winter flowering. Dentata is the tall growing one with the pale lavender bumblebee flower and serrated leaf. They are budding up now, so will recover quickly from a cut back, leave trimming other lavenders until it is warmer but you can give all lavenders a dressing of lime. Plant dahlias and gladioli from now until September and cut back leggy, straggly bush lavatera, they get very woody if left. I can't stress enough about the importance of feeding roses now they are making a move to break bud, powdered rose food needs watered in around the drip line, slow release fertiliser will work each time it rains, manure around the drip line not up against the crown will give them oomph for the first flowering. Vegetables It has been so good not to worry about bugs during the last few months when planting out leaf veg. Gardeners in cold frosty areas will be making a start now, add compost and a little lime in readiness for when you plant later this month. It is seed potato time again, potatoes have a natural dormancy from the time they are harvested to when they begin to sprout, starting their next growth cycle. This can only be modified slightly by storage conditions. I set them out in a box on damp news paper, and leave in a dark place in the warmth of the house. Some leave them in a warm well lit place, what ever works for you I go with the theory that it is very dark down in the soil where they eventually end up. Seed potatoes will be on offer now. FIRST EARLY VARIETIES: Cliffs Kidney, Jersey Bennes, Maris Anchor, Rocket. SECOND EARLY Ilam Hardy, Karaka, Red king. MAIN CROP: Desiree,Agria Mondial, Nadine, Pentland Dell, Red Rascal, Rua Cheers, Linda

Gardening in Waitaki July 21st 2021

Gardens still sleep through the cold short days but buds are swelling and bulbs are up answering the call of spring. While growth is slow and there is not a lot of urgency right now to do what needs to be done in the garden, there is time to plan and maybe construct for the coming growing season. Raised gardens have proven to be easy care but need to be put together well in the beginning. Advantages of a Raised Bed Garden: Raised gardens warm quickly in spring, allowing you to work the soil and plant earlier. Being raised they drain better. No compaction of soil, because they are not walked upon. It's easy to tailor the soil to suit the plants in a raised bed. Contained raised beds are not difficult to construct using wood or (here in North Otago) Oamaru stone seconds as a surround. If you need time to think about a permanent position for a raised beds you could make some using straw bales as surrounds for a year. Once in place to the size required fill them with soil and compost and plant out. A sunny location is a must for growing vegetables and herbs. Access around all sides with a wheel barrow is recommended for ease of maintenance, keep the garden around four feet wide, this way you can access the middle. Access to water is essential with drainage being greater raised gardens need good soakings. Filling a raised bed: First layer: Gravel or rocks for drainage. Then twigs sticks old stump matter, grass clippings / straw, then soil, manure, compost mixed to fill. A raised bed of six inches above the soil is enough to grow leaf vegetables and herbs and at least ten inches for root veg but I don't see the sense in not raising it to a height that will reduce the amount of digging and bending you do. If winter has left your garden looking a little too bleak, Garden centers will have potted colour to brighten things up. I have noticed on offer pansy's, wall flower, pollyanthas and primula malacoydies which look fresh and bright planted in groups or as a border before bulbs bloom. - Tulips planted in May should be through the ground now, don't give them any fertilizer as this will only promote leaf growth which will take away from the bloom. Tulips store the food needed in the bulb. Veg: Here on the coast get seeds in for broccoli , cabbage, cauliflower, broad beans, onions, spinach and silverbeet. Keep moist in a warm spot and they should be ready to transplant in 6 -8 weeks from germination. Approximately 4 cm high with a good amount of root. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki July 14th 2021

Good hard frosts now here on the coast so it's frost cloth on plants like bougainvillea, hibiscus, pelargonium and established Margarette daisy bushes.  If any of these have taken a knock from frosts just leave frosted top growth to protect new growth beneath but still cover.Further In land and up the Waitaki valley gardeners will need to have taken cuttings of daisy bushes, geraniums and pelargoniums,  protect them until spring. Hydrangeas: Here on the coast pruning back hydrangeas can be started now wood has hardened, further inland prune just before spring by cutting each flower stem off at the second bud from the bottom, leaving the stalks that did not flower because these are your flowering stems for this year. Give pink hydrangeas a dressing of lime now. Blue hydrangeas unfortunately will always revert to pink if planted in sweet soil. I have tried using sulphate of allium around hydrangeas I have grown from cuttings of blue flowering type which did not stay in the soil so I found this only works on blue hydrangeas that show a slight tinge of pink. If you planted a blue hydrangea and it flowered with no sign of blue you will not correct this as it will be growing in alkaline soil (sweet soil). If the bush is still small enough to dig up, plant in a large pot using rhododendron / azalea potting mix and flowers will bloom blue.Rose pruning will be full on now as rose buds swell, make sure all pruned branches and old rose debris is removed from around bushes to avoid the spread of disease. Roses start looking for nutrients long before they start putting out new growth so a dressing of manure enriched compost for worms to take down to roots is so beneficial now in winter then a rose food product throughout the growing season. Winter perfume while moving about the garden: The presence of fragrant winter flowering shrubs, winter sweet, daphne bholu, witch hazel,  sarcococca (sweet box) will be caught on a breeze if you are lucky enough to have them in your garden. Hardwood cuttings: are taken in Winter, The ideal time is just after Autumn or just before bud burst in early spring, if taken now cuttings will sit a while until early Spring before new growth will encourage rooting. Select vigorous healthy shoots grown in the current year, remove soft growth, cut into sections 15-30 cm a sloping cut above a bud at the top, cut straight across the cutting bottom, below a bud. Dip this end into hormone rooting powder / gel which will promote rooting and protect against rotting. Cuttings can go into a prepared slit in the ground ( shaded in summer) or a pot of river sand with two thirds of the cutting below the surface,  Some cuttings may need to be left until the following Autumn and hopefully you will have a number of well grown beginnings of shrubs and trees. Some cuttings will produce roots much faster. This is the perfect time to select cuttings for future hedging projects, buxus (box), corokia, Sarococca, hebe, viburnum, conifers, Lavender (choose lavender hard wood that has not flowered) Bulbs: of every sort are pushing through sodden cold ground reminding us this coldness will be over soon, all bulbs store food within the bulb and if fed extra nutrient's now it will be put into leaf growth not the flower, only feed bulbs after flowering.  Fruit: Once again winter is the time you will find the best selection of fruit trees in garden centres. It may be cold and miserable outside but it's the best time to buy your trees for planting. They are usually grafted and tall growing so plant up to where they were planted in the bag and stake well to protect against the wind. Because it was such a good season for apples birds are still feasting on the apples and crabapples remaining on trees  Apples produce fruiting spurs on wood 2 years and older that are productive for 6 to 10 years so if apple trees are young only prune the new growth height if it has grown beyond picking height. Thin out branches from the middle to allow light to all parts of the tree; this will encourage new spurs to develop. Remove older, unproductive spurs as the tree matures. If trees tend to become too heavy with fruit you may need to thin spurs after blossom to reduce the crop. Vegetable garden: Time to start preparing the soil for spring planting. Cultivate vacant spaces, digging in green crops sown earlier. Add compost, Dig compost mixed with sawdust into wet, boggy soils. If your veg garden did not produce well last growing season, a simple home soil test can tell you if your soil is excessively acidic or alkaline.  Home soil test: Dig up a tablespoon of dry soil and drip several drops of vinegar onto it, any fizzing will indicate the pH of the soil is above 7.5 and therefore is alkaline. it may need to be sweetened with lime. Most vegetables require a slightly acid soil to grow well. Oppositely, dig up a tablespoon of moist soil and sprinkle a couple of pinches of baking soda over it. If you see or hear fizzing, that means the pH of the soil is below 5 and highly acidic.A soil pH between 5.8 and 6.3 is ideal. In areas where the soil is a lower pH and therefore too acidic for growing vegetables, a regular supplement of lime is beneficial. Acidic soil is often found in areas that experience high levels of rainfall. Rain washes calcium out of the soil over time, and lime must be added to replenish the depleted nutrient.   Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki July 7th 2021

Some moisture this week to replenish gardens after heavy frosts in a row had drawn moisture from soil and plants, this is proving to be a real winter so far. Rose pruning through the day then removing thorns from fingers at night will be happening with some Gardeners this month, some thorns are stubborn to remove requiring a dab of magnesium sulphate paste held in place with a plaster, this helps to draw the thorn closer to the surface of the skin. Roses go on to flower without pruning but being deciduous they respond well to a good prune in winter, doing this will give you new shoots to replace the old, keep the plant young with more flowers per season on shapely bushy plants. Roses are very forgiving if you get it a bit wrong so don't worry! It is handy to have a good set of tools to make pruning easier (leather gloves, secateurs, loppers, and a pruning saw. New seasons rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and daphne's will be on offer soon with fat healthy buds to tempt the gardener, moist soft ground is perfect for getting these settled in the ground. Early sasanqua camellias are flowering now, these camellias are fast growing and probably the most sun tolerant of all camellias. They are extremely tolerant of shaping, clipping or espaliering and are ideal as hedges, screens or growing in containers. Transplanting young trees and shrubs if needed now is a good time to do this whilst they are at their most dormant stage, plant with a firm stake if height is involved. Keep protecting tender plants from frosts and winter chill, wind chill can be just as damaging as frost on tender plants. If a special plant is young and going through the first winter rather than hoping it will survive, protection from wind chill and frost will take that worry away. Compost: Add some lime now to sweeten, then moisture if you have not already done so. Compost heaps will have lost heat now but bacteria, molds, and mites all survive and need energy to do their jobs so keeping a compost bin warm is important if you live in an area that has harsh winter temperatures and strong winds. Pile straw or hay bales or packed leaf bags around your bin This will ensure that all of the beneficial happenings in the compost will stay warmer and continue to work at breaking the layers down. Prunning: It is better to not prune at all than to prune for the sake of it, work out exactly what you want as a result of pruning and have an understanding of how the shrub or tree grows before cutting it. Does it flower or fruit on new or old wood? Does it grow new shoots in one go at the start of a season or do shoots steadily grow over a season? Does a fruit tree need maturity to create spurs that produce fruit or do they produce at the tips of the branches? Does a plant heal well or is it a bleeder like cherries and plums, if so when does it produce least sap for pruning? if in any doubt don't prune. Timing of pruning: The pruning of shrubs, trees and plants that flower in the first part of the year do so on wood formed between last year's spring and autumn. The safest time to prune these is immediately after flowering. If pruned in winter or early spring you will have an abundance of new growth but no flowers. This applies to all trees, shrubs and climbers. The exact opposite applies to plants that flower in the second half of the year, they form flower buds on new growth so you can be as hard as you like with these before spring to encourage new flowering. The result of pruning means when growth starts again there is less demand on the amount of food stored in the roots, therefore more food being delivered to the unpruned parts of the plant. Vegetables On the coast plant seedling veg plants that are now on offer in full sun, if your veg garden loses sun in winter use this time to spread manure/compost and a sprinkle of lime to sweeten then let the worms take it into the soil.

Whether it is a thick 6 to 12″ layer of straw, or a heavy coat of leaves or pine needles, placing a layer of organic insulation on top of your compost pile helps it to retain heat and moisture.

Gardening in Waitaki 1st July 2021

We did well dodging the worst of the cold snap that came through this week, thank goodness for the Kakanui range. I am sure that cold wind chill will have kept most gardeners inside. I am fortunate enough to have an indoor area for potting up and seed sowing.   Don't let another lot of rain fall before spreading compost / manure on soil that worked hard all of last growing season. Pig manure is easy to spread because it is mixed with sawdust from the birthing sheds, as is calf manure mixed with straw. Spreading is all that is needed as the worms will do the rest and take it down into the soil. The Waitaki resource recovery park has pig manure bagged and at this time of the year Lions clubs are filling stands with sawdust and sheep manure. Volunteers clean out under shearing sheds to keep stands topped up for keen gardeners. I use the sawdust on pathways and the sheep manure on the compost heaps. Sawdust can be used thickly on wet gardens as a weed suppressant as it helps to absorb excess moisture, but never on dry gardens.  As you work around the garden you will see the plants that are making a move, most spring bulbs have pushed through some even flowering along fence lines,  pretty violets, pollyanthas and hellebore's are braving the cold along with early camellias and Christmas cheer Rhododendron are flowering. After a few hard frosts in a row then a couple of milder frost free days plants get the urge to push buds open however it is the shortened hours of light that dictates the starting of a new growing season.  As Gardeners we need to be on interment terms with the weather and bend to it, learn how it affects our own gardens through all seasons, where wind chill comes in, the driest or bad draining areas and plant accordingly because weather makes no exceptions and plants can be lost if planted in the wrong conditions. We can create shelter and drainage where needed but Nature is still in charge. If we do nothing at all nature will plant the right plant in the right place every time, probably a weed. One consolation is the more different weeds that come up in your garden means you have good growing conditions. Everything above the ground in your entire garden is determined by what happens below ground level. Planting: Any deciduous tree or shrub whether bagged or bare rooted is best planted in winter when dormant and this is also when you get the best choices in Garden centers. Give the tree /shrub a good soak in a bucket overnight before planting. Plant all trees, shrubs and hedging plants quite shallow, a shovel deep but make the radius of the hole at least twice as wide as deep.  Loosen the soil with a fork below and to the sides of the hole and spread roots out over mounded soil at the bottom of the hole, the quicker roots leave the planting hole, spread and take hold the better. If a hole is dug too deep with a lot of organic matter added, roots tend to stay put content to make feeder roots in one spot rather than search for what they need. A good stake put in deep while planting is essential especially with tall grafted trees, this  helps to keep roots from moving while becoming established. Leaf mulch: The rain was welcome on my large leaf piles, moisture needs to get beyond the top of the pile which acts as a shield so I get the fork in and mix things up to let rain in and if not enough moisture after a few showers the hose will go on then a cover to keep wind out and get moist fungus working to turn leaves into mulch to add wonderful humus to soil later in the year. Birds look for  food  and water during winter, if you supply both  your garden will be visited but for birds to be relaxed they need food trays placed high close to a bush or a tree they can dart to if startled. Where I am now apples are still hanging on trees even after picking and picking and giving away, the birds are loving them. Fat and seed hangings are perfect for hungry birds as well, I melt a block of dripping in a pot and while still soft before hardening it is easy to mix bird seed in then fill a string bag like what kiwi fruit and mandarins come in, birds will flock to it. Sugar water is always found by tui's but if you start it is only fair to birds that you continue. Gladioli corms and asiatic lily bulbs will be on offer this month, Gadioli can be planted from now until December. Plant 8-10cm deep and 15cm apart in a sheltered position with full sun and good drainage. Gladioli will flower approximately 100 days after planting so can be stagger-planted for a continuous display. Aciatic Lilies can be held over in moist sawdust, (they must never dry out) to be planted out in early spring.  Remember to continue protecting plants like Margarete daisies and pelargoniums from frosts with frost cloth as a cover above them, not touching. If they frost on the top just leave the frosted tops to protect the new growth beneath. This would not work further inland, it would be best to start nursing cuttings to be planted out when the frosts are over. Moss on driveways: I was given this tip a few years ago,  spread some inexpensive laundry powder on the thick moss growing along the shaded side of paths and driveways and hey presto! it will turn brown and die, leave it in the hope it will discourage more moss growing during winter and rake away in spring. Vegetables:  On the coast start raising vegetable seeds for spring planting in a warm spot, under glass or plastic with ventilation spaces to circulate air and stop seeds going mouldy. Further inland where winters are harsher and longer germination will only happen on a heated seed raising pad so best to wait. If seeds are raised inside they will get leggy before it is time to plant out. Next week pruning advice. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening Waitaki June 23rd 2021

A damp dull week just passed and with Monday being the shortest day how short the days have been, extremely hard to gauge the time of day.I thought I would touch on the pruning of rose types this week. Rose types. Floribunda bush roses, which display clusters of blooms like iceberg need a few older branches taken right back each year to encourage new strong branching and newer branches taken back by two thirds. Hybrid tea bush roses: These are the roses that can grow exhibition blooms, they can be pruned back quite hard at outward facing buds. Standard bush roses: Roses grafted onto a tall standard trunk, prune the same as bush roses. Climbing roses: These roses flower at their best when the branches are trained horizontally along a fence or wall, they develop small branches along the length of the trained branch and give a brilliant show. After a number of years these long horizontal branches will need to be removed and replaced by a softer new branch. Be careful not to damage this soft wood, train gently out to take the place of the removed old wood. The new branch will bud up quickly sending out small outward growing branches to harden off in a couple of years. Next year prune these new outward growing branches back to the second outward facing bud from the bottom. Pillar roses; The best type to climb up and be trained over an arch or pergola. I cut the old growth back off these roses with a hedge trimmer. Fairy rose and flower carpet roses: If big and bushy I also cut back with a hedge trimmer but open them up by removing branches from the middle with secateurs. Rambling roses: Most ramblers flower in Late summer and should be cut back right after flowering, if pruned now formed buds will be removed. The bulk of new season's bare rooted deciduous trees are arriving into retail shops now. If you have room for only one or two trees in a new garden consider planting a fruit tree, getting not only the beautiful blossom display in spring but the bonus of fresh fruit. An apricot tree grows into a lovely specimen where space is available, 2m high by 4m wide needing a sunny spot to ripen fruit. Malus ( crab apple) would be a beautiful addition to a garden, most are a nice shape that blossom profusely in Spring and do not grow as large as flowering cherries. I have seen stunning examples around town this winter flaunting bright red fruit on bare branches. Nectarine and peach trees are a manageable size for a garden, very beautiful when in blossom but on the down side susceptible to leaf curl. However the wonderful leaf curl resistant peach Sweet Perfection raised by Duntroon couple, the late Dr Helen Brooks and Terry Fowler is a winner as is nectarine Mabel named for a Waikato gardener who discovered this natural hybrid of a blackboy peach in her garden. The fruit I am told is delicious and quite dramatic looking, purple skin with a pale yellow flesh and new leaf growth being purple makes this tree an interesting contrast to other trees. (nectarines are self-fertile). I am on the look out for one of these! With so many deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs on offer right now, make sure to read the labels to know how high and wide a shrub or tree will grow. Some, especially natives grow fast and when mature will throw considerable shade if planted along side the house, it pays to ask advice. Next week I will cover pruning. Compost heaps have cooled now but worms will still be working as long as there is adequate moisture. Heaps can be kept warmer by being covered. A good cover is straw which lets in rain and can be included in the compost once broken down. Veg: Now is the time to plant garlic, make sure the garlic you plant has been NZ grown not the imported type. Break large bulbs apart and plant the cloves, pointed end down. Don't mulch once planted because this tends to keep the soil too moist and garlic cloves may rot. Keep planting leaf veg here on the coast, I leave frost cloth cover over new plantings now as protection from frost and birds. Fruit: There are some really well grown citrus shrubs on offer in garden centres right now and I couldn't resist buying a Mayer lemon, it has the look of being taken straight from a tunnel house so I will need to protect it with frost cloth until winter is over. Current bushes : red currants produce most fruit on two and three year old wood, so prune out branches older than this and all weak and thin branches growing close to the ground. Black currents bear a small amount of fruit on one year old wood but two year old wood will become covered with fruit. New fresh branch growth has a shine to it that older wood does not and very old wood is very easy to identify by it's extreme dullness.