Gardening in Waitaki October 19th 2022

Spring is such a beautiful time but as always so unpredictable, very difficult gardening weather with one day warm and the next really cold! It was getting dry and then rain on Monday evening and then a lovely soft shower or two again as I write this on Tuesday. Moisture helps soil to warm and create perfect growing conditions. If weed spraying is needed now is the time before new weed seeds form, pop and spread but please choose a spraying day wisely. Bees choose sunny days to be busy working, to be in line of weed or pesticide spray in the air and coating plants. They have such an important job to do for nature. Natural, alternative weed sprays are much improved these days for driveways and rough areas needing attention. Perennial weeds like convolvulus, couch grass and dock are not so easy to kill with alternative weed spray because their roots are long and strong but if you are prepared to keep at them, spraying each time they send shoots up you will beat them.  I have not used pesticide for many years, prefering to encourage the predators of garden pests. Predators will arrive and feed on an infestation if left long enough to be found. In my experience it took two to three seasons of ensuring good plant health for nature to work and trust my no spray garden. Then I saw positive results of nature taking care of things. Right now as the growing season begins aphids on rose leaf tips can be removed with a finger and thumb, black aphids love to start, breed and fatten on broad bean tip growth, pinch off affected tips and destroy before they travel down to lower leaf and flowers.  Trim shrubs that flowered in late winter now if you have not already done so, before they put new growth on past old growth and get leggy. This partially applies to ericas, callunas and hebes once they have finished flowering. Newly planted shrubs and trees need to be really well staked before the strong winds we usually get around Labor weekend, if trunks and roots are moving around in wind growth will be slow and stunted or not at all. Also keep the water up to newly planted shrubs and trees until roots become established enough to hold.  Tubular begonias will be showing shoots now, bed them into damp (not wet) sawdust or peat / compost. Once this is done they will begin to sprout well, they must never dry out again until they have finished flowering and time to dry store them again.  Peony rose growth should be well up now, while plants are still low, place wire ring supports around to hold them as they grow. Young shoots of peony plants are very delicate and easily broken which can lead to pests, diseases, and even the death of the plant. Now is the time to layer azaleas and rhododendrons, low growing magnolias and other low growing shrubs by pinning a slim branch down into soil then firming in place with maybe a bent wire. Hopefully by the end of this growing season the branch will have developed strong roots which should remain attached to the Mother plant for another year before cutting free to be potted up to grow on as a new bush.  Lawns would have loved the soft rain and being fed during rain, if not this last rain  have fetiliser ready for the next spring shower. Fruit: Keep moisture up to all berry bushes as they move from flowering to making fruit. Vegetables: Still no white butterflies about (in my garden) keep planting out seeds and seedling plants and keeping moisture up to them. Mound up potatoes as they push leaf through and cover at night should there be another cold snap to blacken off new growth. Get peas in with supports, they will be up in no time wanting to climb, like climbing beans they need to be planted in an open sunny position and support has to go in when they are planted so they are not disturbed once they start growing. Because peas and beans put on so much growth in a short time a trench of animal manure enriched compost and a little lime for roots to tap into will keep them growing and flowering longer. ( This applies to the flower sweet peas as well)  Herbs: If you have not removed old growth from your herbs do it as soon as possible because they are putting on new growth, feed manure enriched compost with lime added and keep picking often to encourage continual new growth all season for your salads and cooking.  Cheers, Linda

Gardening in Waitaki October 11th 2022

It's all on now that the cold snap is over, soil is warm again and all we gardeners require now is a nice gentle shower or two because as I write this our sprinkler is on the lawn and I am needing to water gardens.Later flowering blossoms are taking center stage now like prunus Kanzan and prunus shimidsu sakura. Enjoy because they will not be on show again until this time next year.  Weeding, weeding, weeding is what happens now,  spot spraying convolvulus and couch while fresh new growth is coming through is about the only way I was able to get on top of them, I would zap them on a non windy day. I could never use weed spray anywhere near roses, a sniff of hormone spray will deform the foliage and the rose bush will eventually die so if you need to use spray don't risk it on a windy day.  Coastal gardens will be quite far ahead of gardens inland, still getting reasonable frosts from time to time I'm sure. Late frosts on roses' new growth can be a problem but don' t be too concerned if new growth has been frosted, rose leaves recover very fast and will have new buds to open in six weeks time. When the nights start warming up any dampness left by hose water on rose leaves will encourage mildew, keep food up to your roses while they are making buds, it's hungry roses that get diseased. For a quick result, slow release fertiliser is good right now for any summer flowering plants and shrubs.     Keep deadheading and feeding flowering pansies and polyanthus as long as there is a chill in the air they will keep flowering until it gets warmer, If you feel they have done all they are going to do dig out, cut old leaves back and plant in a cool shady place where they can be left until planting out next year.  Camellias can be trimmed and shaped when finished flowering, take out branches from the middle, enough to let a bird fly through, this lets the light in to help form next year's buds.  About now in  my past large garden I would be taking notice of how shrubs had come through the winter and if some of my front shrub plantings were too big now, hiding good planting areas behind. It takes only a few years for gardens to close in without us really noticing and what a difference can be made by opening up and creating distance for a new and interesting planting.   Seeds are germinating very quickly now, sunflower, cosmos, cornflower, lavatera, nasturtiums are some of the flowers seeds I planted into trays but because they are still small snails and slugs will be attracted to them so I will pop into punnets until they put on more growth. If you are keen to attract monarch butterflies on the coast, plant swan plants now but protect from late frosts until established.  Vegetables: Keep an eye on potatoes that are through the ground, frost cloth may still be needed depending on where you live. Soil is warm enough now and there are so many veg options available for growing our own food. Sow salad greens, carrots, corn, beans, beetroot, Pumpkin, squash, and courgette.  If you prefer to buy plants be sure to harden them off outside in a protected place before planting. Glass houses will be ready for the many varieties of tomato plants on offer but if you have no glass or tunnel house try growing on a sunny deck or patio the harder tomatoes  in containers or planter bags that can include stakes.  Smaller varieties are easiest to manage e.g. Red Robin, Russian red or Totem in containers and the cherry tomato tumbling Tom in large hanging baskets. Plant in a tomato mix, water as needed and liquid feed fortnightly. In the glass or tunnel house why not try basil plants growing among tomatoes to repel white fly, the general consensus is that basil - both plants and extracts made from the leaves can be an effective natural deterrent for white fly, mosquitoes, tomato horn-worm, aphids and house fly as well as being a wonderful culinary enhancement with tomatoes.  Cheers, Linda

Gardening in Waitaki October 5th 2022

Trim back ericas that have flowered.

As I write this it is the first week of School holidays and the cold polar blast will be keeping all inside,a gentle warm spring drizzle is what gardens need right now, not this harsh weather which is hard on new spring growth. Spring bulbs are still dancing in gardens. Enjoy the blooms then let green tops die down into bulbs to feed and encourage bulbs to multiply. If you have really big clumps of bulbs choking your garden space there will always be someone willing to bring a spade to halve big clumps and adopt bulbs. Put a sign at the gate saying Bulbs to give away, bring a spade! Geen tops will still die back into bulbs if left on when dug up. Sifted soil is what is needed for reseeding lawn bare patches and to add body to tired gardens, pots, baskets and seed trays. With peat based planting mediums used today soil becomes light and fluffy and will not hold moisture, soil is nature given for growing and sifted it is the perfect medium for new roots, spread it on top and it will wash in beneath the mulch with each watering to bulk up depleted soil. Lavenders eventually reach the end of their growing but if trimmed back at the end of Winter you will soon know if they are going to make good growth only or just patchy growth with most of the plant staying woody. If you have the odd lavender doing this pull it out and replace it with a fresh plant. Cuttings can be taken now from stronger growing lavenders, Tip cuttings with stems that have firmed can be taken along with a little hard wood at the bottom, (too soft and it will not work) strip bottom leaves and dip into rooting hormone, then push into damp, sharp crusher dust and place in a warm place with good overhead light, (not full sun) . Nurse cuttings until they are ready to pot on into individual pots. Take tip cuttings from shrubs as well now once stems have firmed, using the same method as lavender cuttings. They will make roots over the Spring and summer ready to be potted and nursed for planting at the end of next winter. Keep an eye on tall growing chrysanthemums they start making a lot of growth now, Pinch back growing tips two or three times as they grow to keep them bushy. If this is not done they become leggy and woody. Prune fuchsias back now if you have not already done so, they will make new fresh growth, because they flower on new seasons wood, they can be taken well back. Ericas that flowered over winter can be trimmed now so new growth does not start above the spent flowers. Dahlias are just starting to make a move so if you want colour to continue in your garden when the spring show is over dahlias will do the job. They like a warm full sun, free draining spot, tubas will rot if planted in ground that remains wet. Lawns: mowers are humming again on lush lawns, use the clippings around your garden as mulch, not great piles but evenly scattered around will keep the weeds down and help to retain moisture. Vegetables: Tomatoes, Peppers and cucumbers for those with glass houses, prepare the soil well by digging in good organic compost. This will need to have been heated to the point of all fungus disease being eradicated. Summers here in North Otago can be cool so a glass or tunnel house is a must if wanting to be a serious tomato grower. However, a glass house is a perfect incubator for fungus disease during nights and dull days when moisture is not taken up quickly by plants and never let tomato plant leaves go into the night wet. There are a lot of tomato varieties to choose from. Beefsteak, the big tomato best for sandwiches and cooking, Early girl, stars producing early and keeps on until late in the season, Potentate, medium/small firm with moderate acidity and low in sugar, Money maker, medium size and good flavor , Doctor Walter is the very low acid tomato Cherry tomatoes, the plant you can grow in a pot inside or on a porch, great for Children's lunch boxes. Russian red a tomato to grow outside in a sunny spot protected from the wind. Heirloom tomatoes have become popular, they don't look great but they have the great taste of yesteryear. Most need staked and tied up in the glass house and ALL tomatoes like sun all day, 6 to 8 hours. Nip out laterals and it helps the fruit if there are fewer leaves on the plants. Tomato leaves create unneeded shade, compete for nutrients, and harbor disease. Keep planting vegetable seeds directly into the garden but don't sow too thickly, mix seeds with fine soil when sowing to avoid a lot of thinning. Beans, pumpkins and corn can be planted as soon as the ground remains warm. Cheers, Linda. Tomatoes,basil, peppers and cucumber.

Gardening in North Otago 28th September 2022

Dahlias for summer colour.

October’s a rewarding month in the garden, seeds sown will be popping up and seedlings planted making good growth. There is a lot now on offer in plant outlets and plenty to enjoy and do in the garden. During the many years I have been a Gardener gardening methods have gone through changes, digging soil and digging in compost was encouraged in the early days with ongoing weeding soil between plants. Then mulching bare soil between plants became the thing. Now Gardeners are encouraged to fill gardens with planting, allowing no gaps and keeping soil structure in tack by composting on top of soil to be taken down by hard working worms. This is the practice I have preferred for many years with good results, especially through the drying summer months. Close planting shades plant roots and mulching retains ground moisture, undisturbed soil is how nature meant it to be. Direct drilling on farm land allows soil structure to stay intact, the next step now would be to move away from mono plant crops by including mixed plant species in rows through or around cropping pastures. Predators of insect crop pests would be encouraged and chemical pest spraying reduced, then hopefully someday eliminated. Lavenders are out there for sale again, all flowering and looking good. These lavenders will have been encouraged to flower so what I do when I buy one is cut most of the flowers off to give the roots a good chance to establish. If flowers are left they want to make seed which takes a lot out of a new plant. Lavenders in the garden can be cut back if woody as new growth is pushing out now. Tip cuttings of fuchsia, hebe's, and chrysanthemum can be taken now, as long as stems snap off when bent they will be ready, if they don't then they are still too soft. Once snapped off, push into river sand to develop roots. Chrysanthemums will not flower until Autumn and most grow too tall. Chrysanthemums are not pruned, instead When a plant reaches 6 inches tall in spring, simply pinch off 1 inch of each shoot. throughout the growing season to encourage plants to branch out, become fuller and offer more blooms. Prune fuchsias back now and they will make new fresh growth, they flower on their new wood so can be taken well back. It is too early to trim box hedge, wait until spring growth has finished as you only want to trim once. It's time to think about Dahlias in the garden for summer color. If you have a sunny spot that needs a bit of brightening up, how about putting in a few dahlia tubers? They come in beautiful shades and varieties, Tall, medium and dwarf and are just starting to make a move now. If you want colour to continue in your garden when the Rhododendrons have finished, dahlias will do the trick. Tubas are on offer now in shops, choose some and plant in a sunny, free draining spot. Dahlia tubers will rot if planted in ground that stays wet. Peony roses & Hosta's are on the move, peony roses like all day sun, no overhead shading, this is the time to put in wire rings to hold stems as they grow. Hostas prefer shade and moist conditions. Slugs and snails LOVE eating hostas so while they are still not fully grown surround stems with sharp gravel or clippings of prickly plants. Still too cold to plant out most summer flowering annuals even though we are getting warmer days but they can be potted up and grown on in a sheltered place until the soil and nights are warm enough. Lawns are growing well now, keep the catcher up and have lawn fertiliser ready to apply during the next rain. Vegetable growing is on the go again as it's the perfect time to start growing food, salad greens, peas, carrots, brassicas grown in rotation will keep your supply up and save you money. I plant a few veg seedlings every second week so they will mature at different times. Potatoes are another easy to grow money saver. Prepared soil and dig straight, shallow trenches, 2 to 3 feet apart. Plant 12 inches apart, and cover with a good amount of soil. When new green leaves reach 10 to 12 inches tall, mound soil up against the leaf shoots, burying stems halfway. Mounding will help protect potatoes from the elements. To avoid blight water soil not the foliage. When watering, water the soil not the foliage to avoid blight. Be vigilant and stop unwanted insects and diseases from ruining your plants. Tunnel and glass houses should be ready to plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumber along with a scatter of marigold seed to flower and help with white fly. Cheers, Linda.

Early plantings in the glass house.

Gardening in Waitaki September 21st 2022

Garden magic is now in full swing, Waitaki is looking so pretty right now with the help of some warmth and showers. The hum of bees is back and it's a joy to be planting out gardens again.   Seed sowing and planting to take us right through late spring and summer, happens now there is so much on offer, tubas, bulbs, bedding plants, shrubs and trees waiting to be chosen and planted.  When buying punnets of plants get them accustomed to changeable weather and cold nights before planting.  I absolutely love sweet peas, so I have had groups sitting over winter for an early flowering and today have planted more to scramble up behind lower plantings. Sweet peas are gross feeders so a trench filled with well rotted animal manure below the soil they are sown in is beneficial. Fuchsias: Here on the coast fuchsias can be cut back now that they are pushing out leaves, they flower on new growth so take them as far back as you need to for the height you would like them flowering. Fuchsias prefer afternoon shade, moist ground and food keep up to them during the growing season to get best results. Rose leaf tips may be targeted by greenfly during mild days, keep an eye out for hatchlings, usually right at the tip of new growth and squish them with a finger and thumb, I keep this up to eliminate the need to spray. As I mentioned last week, roses will be looking for food, old stable manure or the pig and sawdust mix at the Recycling centre  around the drip line (not up against branches) will keep them happy.  Lawns: Winter damage will be noticed in lawns now that grass is growing again, rake out damaged patches, rough up the soil then spread generous amounts of clean, sifted topsoil to sow grass seed on. If birds are a problem each patch can be covered with shade cloth until seed germinates.  Vegetables:  Here on the coast plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in seed potatoes. I am now dealing with clodding, clay soil in my new raised gardens. During winter I planted them with a green crop which has since been dug in and managed to grow a few veg in amongst it. The soil is still heavy but I know that layering compost on top now for worms to take down will improve  it during spring and summer. Worms: I am often told that gardens are lacking in worms, especially those newly created like mine, I came across a way to encourage worms a few years ago that I now use. Half fill a fertiliser bag with fresh cow / horse manure and leave it sitting on top of grass or soil for a number of weeks, long enough for manure moisture to leach out into the ground. When the bag is lifted there should be a mass of garden worms there. Tiger worms from worm farms do not last long in gardens, they remain too close to the top of soil so are taken by birds.  Fruit: Strawberry plants are on the move towards flowering, they will be looking for compost mulch now to grow into. Bees are about to pollinate blossoms, too late now for any spraying, just let the bees do their work and look forward to bumper crops. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki September 14th 2022

Trimming lavender in spring.

Another unsettled week here in North Otago but I guess that is expected from spring weather, I am so looking forward to warm sun filled days with the hum of bees, then it is a joy to be in the garden again. Seedlings need to be protected during Spring cold snaps so if buying punnets of annuals get them accustomed to changeable weather and cold nights before planting them out and possibly losing them. Still too early for lobelia, begonias, petunias and marigold but not too early to sow seed of these under protection. This is the perfect time to plant seed for late spring and early summer, wildflower seeds, cosmos, cornflower, lavatera, nigella, poppys, statice, to name but a few. A patch of wildflowers look wonderful if you have room in your garden, or a neglected area nearby that could do with brightening up. Now is a good time for clearing weeds to create a wild garden, weeds are small and the ground is soft, completely remove any perennial weeds like couch grass, dock and convolvulus then loosen soil enough to sow seeds. Potted shrubs need to be inspected for root crowding, it takes only a year for some to exhaust the mix they are planted in. Remove from the pot if not too big and trim roots back by half with a sharp spade and replant into a fresh, heavy potting mix, then completely soak to the bottom of the pot to help the shrub settle back in with no air pockets. With Larger unmanageable pots and barrels I top up with mix after pushing a sharp object down through the roots to create large holes for potting mix to be washed down in around established roots. However if after a number of years a shub stops thriving it will be time to start again with something fresh. Lavenders:Will be showing new growth now so if yours need a trim do it now. Because they are so popular I thought I would go into detail. English lavenders eventually get leggy and past it, don't nurse them thinking they will come back because they will probably not, dig them out and replace with new plants. Munstead lavender is the small edging variety which will not spill over a path as other English lavenders. The bumble bee type, lavender major, are more manageable in boarders and the French lavender dentata is a tall hedging lavender with serrated leaves that flowers all year round.There are so many different varieties on the market now and none of them are very long lived if they do not like where they are growing. Full sun, with a dressing of lime from time to time, lavenders like it dry but need to get roots down deep to tap into lower soil moisture. Rose leaves are firming up now and buds are forming so they are looking for food to help with the long growing season ahead, getting moisture down and mulching to keep it there is really beneficial to keep them healthy and from dehydrating as we head into hot weather. Healthy happy roses do not attract pests which means very little spaying, if any. Lawns: The mowers are out again! keep catchers up while grass is lush and they will not dry out as they do when cut low. I managed to make use of the last rain shower by fertilising our lawn which should give it a boost to start the new mowing season off. Vegetables: Sow veg seeds into trays and protected from cold, cover seedling plants already planted from cold and birds. My board beans and peas are up and doing well and the seed potatoes I have ready to plant have sprouted well, I am sure there will be clever Gardeners out there who have potatoes growing in a sheltered spot almost ready for the pot but I wait until I see a rogue potato left behind from last year's digging to send up leaves to let me know the ground is ready. Fruit: All berry fruits are on the move so food, water and mulching are needed for a good production, the earlier this is done the better the crops. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki September 6th 2022

Well it arrived, the last sting of winter....(we hope) snow flurries, cold and frosts here in North Otago yesterday, causing Gardeners, bugs and plants to retreat back into winter mode. Cherry blossoms should be unfolding now, so on warmer days bee's will be back to work. With spring stopping and starting this year it has allowed  more time to shift and reduce the size of perennial plants. I am sure every gardener enjoys trying new plants and colour combinations. Now is the perfect time to sow seeds for summer flowering, I have mine under glass and some hardening off under frost cloth as germination has happened in stop, start mode this year but I see some are up and in need of thinning and regular watering. I thin them out by transplanting some like Pansy and dianthus which have shallow roots into deeper seed trays and those with longer deeper roots like lupin, hellebore and Oriental poppy into their own individual small root pots. It is best to have a well developed root ball attached before planting out. Baskets and pots can thought about now, plan with the thought of using only shallow rooted plants for baskets like pansy, lobelia, small type petunias, nemesia, and trailers like Virginia stock and dwarf sweet pea. Add slow release fertiliser and water Chrystal's to keep plants going through the growing season. To get the best results the roots of what you want to plant will determine the size and depth of a pot, give plants the depth needed for growing. Look around the garden for plants to make an edge to give a border a formal look. A border of low plants will also stop birds scratching uncovered soil for worms to feed their young. A large clump of lambs ear, catmint, dianthus,  scabiosa, aubretia, viola Maggie mott to name only a few clumps that may be growing in your garden.  Hydrangeas and fuchsias Once this cold snap is over hydrangeas and fuchsias can be pruned, they both flower on new growth. Hydrangeas are pruned by cutting stems that flowered last season down to the second bud from the bottom and leaving the new stems unpruned to carry flowers for this year.  Fuschias can be cut right back, commercial  growers do this to encourage new fresh growth so cut back all that scraggly old wood, but have the frost cloth ready in case we have another cold blast. Dahlia tubers can be planted now that soil is not so wet,  tubers left in the ground over winter will start to come into leaf when the temperature is right for them, some may have rotted in wet ground. . Roses are starting to bud, we still have time to plant new roses and feed all established roses, plus we don't have to chase aphids ( green fly) yet but they will be about soon to settle on the top new growth, easily visible for you to dispose of by removing with your finger and thumb.  Lawns: Prepare ground for sowing new lawns, here on the coast ground will soon be warm enough to get a strike, seed must be sown thickly in spring to beat the annual weeds. Once spring mowing starts keep the mower blades up to allow grass to thicken up and feed lawns just before or during rain and they will stay lush. Fruit: Now that sap is up, prune unwanted growth from established fruit trees using clean tools, large wounds can be sealed with beeswax, smaller wounds will heal and not push out new growths as they tend to when pruned during winter. Vegetables: Here on the coast sow lettuce seed and plant lettuce plants out at two week intervals. My board beans are well up, I was once told to plant each bean with a little potash to help with rust problems, they still get a little rust but I think that's probably due to them getting too dry between waterings. Strong winds will be with us soon so now is the time to put in stakes to secure them. Prepare ground for planting seed potatoes in soil with organic matter added like compost ( not manure) this will push out too much green top. Plant sprouted seed potatoes in furrows (rows of small trenches) about 15 cm deep and 80cm apart. Place seed potatoes 25cm apart with the sprouts pointing up and cover carefully with soil. As the shoots pop up through the soil mound the soil around the shoots until the potato stems start to flower. Strawberries are starting to move towards budding, they need to be fed, watered and mulched, aged animal manure and straw, pine needles or un sprayed grass clippings will do the trick. Cheers, Linda.