What a cold week, so much damage done in our garden with magnolias and camellias browning of and new growth blackened and wilting.
Spring is so unpredictable and now we are getting the cold wind chills, very difficult gardening weather.
This week all our gravel paths have had a work over, they pack down hard over winter and need grubbing and raking to get them weed free and looking fresh again. We use crushed marble from the Dunback Quarry this includes a good amount fines in the mix which help the gravel settle nicely.
When the wind dies down I have had the sprayer on the go again to beat the weeds, if only the annual flowers I have planted would grow as fast!
If you do not want to use chemical sprays on annual weeds why not try some of the natural alternatives on sale, these work on hot sunny days when plants are very thirsty.The leaf of the plant collapses which means there is nothing left to support the roots causing the plant to die.
Perennial weeds like convolvulus and couch grass 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 what they send up you will beat them.
The most economical weed control is good old common table salt, purchased in bulk or in kilo bags at agricultural outlets. Use it at the rate of 240 grams (about 12 heaped tablespoons) to a litre of warm or hot water to dissolve it, and then spray it on the foliage of the weeds, again in sunny dry conditions.
This works very fast on annual weeds but perennials probably needing further salt treatment.
If spraying only the foliage, at the above rates, there will be, little residual damage done to the soil. To make absolutely sure, give the area a good watering after the weeds have died.
Trim shrubs that flowered in late winter now before they put out new growth on past growth and get leggy, this partially applies to ericas, callunas and hebes which should not have old flowers left on to make seed.
All of this month is the time to layer azaleas and rhododendrons and low growing magnolias by pinning a low growing slim branch down to the soil and firming in with compost and soil. Hopefully by the end of this growing season this branch will have developed strong roots allowing it to be cut free from the mother plant and potted up to grow on as a new bush.
The wind is putting stress on plants, trees & shrubs producing new growth, their roots are working hard and moisture is a must deep root watering is best and newly planted shrubs and trees need to be really well staked, if trunks and roots are moving around growth will be slow and stunted or not at all.
I mentioned tubular begonias last week and should have added to bed them down into damp(not wet) sawdust or peat until they are sprouting well before potting or planting out. Once you you do this they must never dry out again until its time to store them again.
With the days warming up soft cuttings can be taken from plants and shrubs this month and dipping in hormone to get them started is beneficial to encourage roots quickly. Cuttings can be taken from new growth on delphiniums, chrysanthemums, and many perennial herbs. Try soft cuttings from any plants you would like to have more of.
Herbs
If you have not cut your herbs back yet do it as soon as possible because they are really starting to grow now, feed manure rich compost with lime added and keep picking often to encourage continual new growth all season for your salads and cooking.
Vegetables:
Still no white butterfly's about (in my garden) keep planting out but with the winds deep watering is required. Keep mounding up potatoes as they push leaf through and cover at night should there be another cold snap which will blacken off new growth.
My peas are well up and starting to climb. Like climbing beans they need to be planted in an open sunny place and support has to go in when they are planted so they are not disturbed once they start growing. Once supported well you will not have to keep propping them up in the strong winds we get.
Cheers, Linda.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 23rd September 2010
Hi Terry & Frances,
What a cold week, so much damage done in our garden with magnolias and camellias browning of and new growth blackened and wilting.
Spring is so unpredictable and now we are getting the cold wind chills, very difficult gardening weather.
This week all our gravel paths have had a work over, they pack down hard over winter and need grubbing and raking to get them weed free and looking fresh again. We use crushed marble from the Dunback Quarry this includes a good amount fines in the mix which help the gravel settle nicely.
Lawns;
Weeds and moss need to go, spot spraying flat weeds is better than weed spraying the whole lawn and upsetting the worms and other little do gooders in the soil. I watered sulphate of iron on my moss this week at the rate of 300grams / 10 liters of water will cover 10 sq miters. I used a watering can and the moss is now black an almost ready to rake out.
When the wind dies down I have had the sprayer on the go again to beat the weeds, if only the annual flowers I have planted would grow as fast!
If you do not want to use chemical sprays on annual weeds why not try some of the natural alternatives on sale, these work on hot sunny days when plants are very thirsty.The leaf of the plant collapses which means there is nothing left to support the roots causing the plant to die.
Perennial weeds like convolvulus and couch grass 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 what they send up you will beat them.
The most economical weed control is good old common table salt, purchased in bulk or in kilo bags at agricultural outlets. Use it at the rate of 240 grams (about 12 heaped tablespoons) to a litre of warm or hot water to dissolve it, and then spray it on the foliage of the weeds, again in sunny dry conditions.
This works very fast on annual weeds but perennials probably needing further salt treatment.
If spraying only the foliage, at the above rates, there will be, little residual damage done to the soil. To make absolutely sure, give the area a good watering after the weeds have died.
Trim shrubs that flowered in late winter now before they put out new growth on past growth and get leggy, this partially applies to ericas, callunas and hebes which should not have old flowers left on to make seed.
All of this month is the time to layer azaleas and rhododendrons and low growing magnolias by pinning a low growing slim branch down to the soil and firming in with compost and soil. Hopefully by the end of this growing season this branch will have developed strong roots allowing it to be cut free from the mother plant and potted up to grow on as a new bush.
The wind is putting stress on plants, trees & shrubs producing new growth, their roots are working hard and moisture is a must deep root watering is best and newly planted shrubs and trees need to be really well staked, if trunks and roots are moving around growth will be slow and stunted or not at all.
I mentioned tubular begonias last week and should have added to bed them down into damp(not wet) sawdust or peat until they are sprouting well before potting or planting out. Once you you do this they must never dry out again until its time to store them again.
With the days warming up soft cuttings can be taken from plants and shrubs this month and dipping in hormone to get them started is beneficial to encourage roots quickly. Cuttings can be taken from new growth on delphiniums, chrysanthemums, and many perennial herbs. Try soft cuttings from any plants you would like to have more of.
Herbs
If you have not cut your herbs back yet do it as soon as possible because they are really starting to grow now, feed manure rich compost with lime added and keep picking often to encourage continual new growth all season for your salads and cooking.
Vegetables:
Still no white butterfly's about (in my garden) keep planting out but with the winds deep watering is required. Keep mounding up potatoes as they push leaf through and cover at night should there be another cold snap which will blacken off new growth.
My peas are well up and starting to climb. Like climbing beans they need to be planted in an open sunny place and support has to go in when they are planted so they are not disturbed once they start growing. Once supported well you will not have to keep propping them up in the strong winds we get.
Cheers, Linda.
What a cold week, so much damage done in our garden with magnolias and camellias browning of and new growth blackened and wilting.
Spring is so unpredictable and now we are getting the cold wind chills, very difficult gardening weather.
This week all our gravel paths have had a work over, they pack down hard over winter and need grubbing and raking to get them weed free and looking fresh again. We use crushed marble from the Dunback Quarry this includes a good amount fines in the mix which help the gravel settle nicely.
Lawns;
Weeds and moss need to go, spot spraying flat weeds is better than weed spraying the whole lawn and upsetting the worms and other little do gooders in the soil. I watered sulphate of iron on my moss this week at the rate of 300grams / 10 liters of water will cover 10 sq miters. I used a watering can and the moss is now black an almost ready to rake out.
When the wind dies down I have had the sprayer on the go again to beat the weeds, if only the annual flowers I have planted would grow as fast!
If you do not want to use chemical sprays on annual weeds why not try some of the natural alternatives on sale, these work on hot sunny days when plants are very thirsty.The leaf of the plant collapses which means there is nothing left to support the roots causing the plant to die.
Perennial weeds like convolvulus and couch grass 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 what they send up you will beat them.
The most economical weed control is good old common table salt, purchased in bulk or in kilo bags at agricultural outlets. Use it at the rate of 240 grams (about 12 heaped tablespoons) to a litre of warm or hot water to dissolve it, and then spray it on the foliage of the weeds, again in sunny dry conditions.
This works very fast on annual weeds but perennials probably needing further salt treatment.
If spraying only the foliage, at the above rates, there will be, little residual damage done to the soil. To make absolutely sure, give the area a good watering after the weeds have died.
Trim shrubs that flowered in late winter now before they put out new growth on past growth and get leggy, this partially applies to ericas, callunas and hebes which should not have old flowers left on to make seed.
All of this month is the time to layer azaleas and rhododendrons and low growing magnolias by pinning a low growing slim branch down to the soil and firming in with compost and soil. Hopefully by the end of this growing season this branch will have developed strong roots allowing it to be cut free from the mother plant and potted up to grow on as a new bush.
The wind is putting stress on plants, trees & shrubs producing new growth, their roots are working hard and moisture is a must deep root watering is best and newly planted shrubs and trees need to be really well staked, if trunks and roots are moving around growth will be slow and stunted or not at all.
I mentioned tubular begonias last week and should have added to bed them down into damp(not wet) sawdust or peat until they are sprouting well before potting or planting out. Once you you do this they must never dry out again until its time to store them again.
With the days warming up soft cuttings can be taken from plants and shrubs this month and dipping in hormone to get them started is beneficial to encourage roots quickly. Cuttings can be taken from new growth on delphiniums, chrysanthemums, and many perennial herbs. Try soft cuttings from any plants you would like to have more of.
Herbs
If you have not cut your herbs back yet do it as soon as possible because they are really starting to grow now, feed manure rich compost with lime added and keep picking often to encourage continual new growth all season for your salads and cooking.
Vegetables:
Still no white butterfly's about (in my garden) keep planting out but with the winds deep watering is required. Keep mounding up potatoes as they push leaf through and cover at night should there be another cold snap which will blacken off new growth.
My peas are well up and starting to climb. Like climbing beans they need to be planted in an open sunny place and support has to go in when they are planted so they are not disturbed once they start growing. Once supported well you will not have to keep propping them up in the strong winds we get.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 18th September 2010
The ever changing weather of spring certainly came into focus this week, for me it has been on again off again frost cloth.
In the garden
I have been enjoying planting out bedding plants and putting the finishing touches to new garden theme designs this week. I think every gardener enjoys trying new plants and colour combinations. I had a large clump of lambs ear growing in my rockery which did not need to be so large so I dug half of it out and broke it up into single plants to use around the border of a garden and as silver drifts in amongst low annuals.Silver is a shade to use as a break between strong and soft shades, will grow in sun or semi shade and lambs ear has the added bonus of being an interesting texture as well.
Keep an eye on seeds which have germinated, up until now I have had mine under frost cloth and looked at them only occasionally to see if they had struck. This week I noticed they were well up and in need of thinning out and regular watering.
I thinned them out by transplanting some like Pansy and lobelia which have shallow roots into deeper seed trays and those with longer deeper roots like lupin and poppy into their own individual small root pots. The shallow rooted plants transplant well into the garden or baskets from a tray but it is best to have a well developed root ball attached to the stronger deeper rooted seedlings when planting out.
Baskets and pots need to be thought about now, again use only shallow rooted plants for baskets like pansy, lobelia, small type petunias, Virginia stock and nasturtium with lots of slow release fertiliser and water Chrystal's to keep them going.
With pots, the roots of what you want to plant will determine the size and depth of the pot. Potted roses need a deep pot which will not heat up and cook the roots at the height of summer. Tin foil around the inside of a pot before filling,( shinny side facing out) will help keep roots cool for roses, camellias, azales', hydrangeas and small trees & shrubs. All potted plants need excellent drainage and a consistent supply of food and water. if a potted plant is left to really dry out before each watering it will never thrive and look lush and healthy.
Now is the time to take tubular begonias out of dry storage, I see mine are starting to sprout a little. I have been cutting large tubas with a sharp knife into smaller individual pieces each with a noticeable shoot ready to plant into baskets and containers.
The showy red flamboyant begonias become nice big tubas in time and by cutting sections off them each year you will achieve a nice boarder of them in no time. It's best to lift them at the end of their growing season each year because like dahlias they can rot in really wet ground like it has been this year. All begonias love any fertiliser with a seaweed of fish content.
I have just planted wild flower seeds thickly into big plastic containers which I plan to use as gap fillers in my long perennial boarders once Lillie's and other spring and summer flowering plants have finished. I am wanting these flowering blocks of mixed wild flowers to last right through until the beginning of next winter, which they will do if I keep dead heading them. Mixed wild flower seeds can be bought
Roses are really leafing up now and the warmer it becomes the more aphids ( green fly) will be about, aphids settle on the top new growth of rose bushes and are easily visible on new small leaves for you to dispose of them by removing with finger and thumb. I leave spraying until leaves are well grown and and hardened up a little.
New lawns sown now on the coast and as soon as we have a few nice sunny days in a row to warm the ground up the grass seed will strike, as I have mentioned before seed must be sown thickly in spring to beat the annual weeds.
Keep the mower blades up when cutting spring grass to allow it to thicken up and feed a little each time it rains and they will stay lush..
Vegetables
Here on the coast Plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in new potatoes, they are so much better dug just before you cook them.
My board beans are well up, I was once told to plant each bean with a little pot ash to help with rust problems, they still get a little rust but I think that's probably due to them getting too dry between watering's, like corn their roots are well up near the surface, mounding soil up over their roots stops roots becoming exposed and drying out too quickly.
Cheers, Linda.
In the garden
I have been enjoying planting out bedding plants and putting the finishing touches to new garden theme designs this week. I think every gardener enjoys trying new plants and colour combinations. I had a large clump of lambs ear growing in my rockery which did not need to be so large so I dug half of it out and broke it up into single plants to use around the border of a garden and as silver drifts in amongst low annuals.Silver is a shade to use as a break between strong and soft shades, will grow in sun or semi shade and lambs ear has the added bonus of being an interesting texture as well.
Keep an eye on seeds which have germinated, up until now I have had mine under frost cloth and looked at them only occasionally to see if they had struck. This week I noticed they were well up and in need of thinning out and regular watering.
I thinned them out by transplanting some like Pansy and lobelia which have shallow roots into deeper seed trays and those with longer deeper roots like lupin and poppy into their own individual small root pots. The shallow rooted plants transplant well into the garden or baskets from a tray but it is best to have a well developed root ball attached to the stronger deeper rooted seedlings when planting out.
Baskets and pots need to be thought about now, again use only shallow rooted plants for baskets like pansy, lobelia, small type petunias, Virginia stock and nasturtium with lots of slow release fertiliser and water Chrystal's to keep them going.
With pots, the roots of what you want to plant will determine the size and depth of the pot. Potted roses need a deep pot which will not heat up and cook the roots at the height of summer. Tin foil around the inside of a pot before filling,( shinny side facing out) will help keep roots cool for roses, camellias, azales', hydrangeas and small trees & shrubs. All potted plants need excellent drainage and a consistent supply of food and water. if a potted plant is left to really dry out before each watering it will never thrive and look lush and healthy.
Now is the time to take tubular begonias out of dry storage, I see mine are starting to sprout a little. I have been cutting large tubas with a sharp knife into smaller individual pieces each with a noticeable shoot ready to plant into baskets and containers.
The showy red flamboyant begonias become nice big tubas in time and by cutting sections off them each year you will achieve a nice boarder of them in no time. It's best to lift them at the end of their growing season each year because like dahlias they can rot in really wet ground like it has been this year. All begonias love any fertiliser with a seaweed of fish content.
I have just planted wild flower seeds thickly into big plastic containers which I plan to use as gap fillers in my long perennial boarders once Lillie's and other spring and summer flowering plants have finished. I am wanting these flowering blocks of mixed wild flowers to last right through until the beginning of next winter, which they will do if I keep dead heading them. Mixed wild flower seeds can be bought
Roses are really leafing up now and the warmer it becomes the more aphids ( green fly) will be about, aphids settle on the top new growth of rose bushes and are easily visible on new small leaves for you to dispose of them by removing with finger and thumb. I leave spraying until leaves are well grown and and hardened up a little.
New lawns sown now on the coast and as soon as we have a few nice sunny days in a row to warm the ground up the grass seed will strike, as I have mentioned before seed must be sown thickly in spring to beat the annual weeds.
Keep the mower blades up when cutting spring grass to allow it to thicken up and feed a little each time it rains and they will stay lush..
Vegetables
Here on the coast Plant lettuce plants at two week intervals and any spare ground could be planted out in new potatoes, they are so much better dug just before you cook them.
My board beans are well up, I was once told to plant each bean with a little pot ash to help with rust problems, they still get a little rust but I think that's probably due to them getting too dry between watering's, like corn their roots are well up near the surface, mounding soil up over their roots stops roots becoming exposed and drying out too quickly.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 11th September 2010
Not a lot of sun again this week and moisture we really don't need but spring is still happening with such lovely blossom everywhere.
This week with an energetic helper we removed all the bog iris from my big pond, this was a much needed job because the iris was spreading so fast and took up a quarter of the pond,( lesson learned, don't plant yellow bog iris in a domestic pond) The place for this iris is along the banks of a creek, the fibrous roots are fantastic at holding the sides of a creek back from erosion.
Cut out all the dead branches from beneath Kilmarnoch willows if you have them, this is the ornamental pussy willow used so often now in small gardens. Each new branch grows out from the bud of last years growth. All subsequent years growth dies and builds up under the new growth. The grafted weeping tree is much nicer to look at with all those dead branches removed.
The popular Robinia mop top also required a clip back of all its last years branch growth. Removing the branches will encourage new bushy growth.
After the wind last Sunday night you will have been shown what was needing staked in your garden as I was shown in mine. I had one well grown Ake Aake tree blown over which has left a huge gap, thankfully I have a youngish cornus tree needing a new home once the chain saw has done it's job. Those freak winds are always a possibility at this time of the year and firm stakes will save young trees but the quicker growing trees like Ake Ake, gums, wattles and virgilias are all ways susceptible when large and top heavy.
Keep feeding new spring growing plants (other than bulbs ) with liquid plant food to encourage strong growth.
Lawns need to be feed as well, best time to do this if using dry fertiliser is when it's raining, or now would be a good time to use the liquid weed and feed option as lawn weeds are on the move.
With the soil now warming up I have been sowing grass seed in areas of lawn that have thinned out over winter. Seed must be sown thickly at this time of the year to beat and smother weeds that insist on growing when sowing a spring lawn. I use fine sifted soil to cover seeds before the birds get a look at what I am up to. If birds do find sown seed, cover the area with wind break or frost cloth pinned down until signs of germination.
Vegetables:
Get pumpkin, butternut and squash seeds started now, they need a long warm growing season to grow and ripen.
It is good to be planting salad veg again, keep planting leafy veg as you use the veg you have carried over the winter months...still no white butterflies or aphids about in my garden. As an early season deterrent start spraying fish emulsion on both veg and flowering plants. This will feed the plants and repel pests by fooling them into thinking their favorite food is now protein not vegetable. Have some ready in a spray bottle to repeat after rain.
Cheers, Linda.
This week with an energetic helper we removed all the bog iris from my big pond, this was a much needed job because the iris was spreading so fast and took up a quarter of the pond,( lesson learned, don't plant yellow bog iris in a domestic pond) The place for this iris is along the banks of a creek, the fibrous roots are fantastic at holding the sides of a creek back from erosion.
Cut out all the dead branches from beneath Kilmarnoch willows if you have them, this is the ornamental pussy willow used so often now in small gardens. Each new branch grows out from the bud of last years growth. All subsequent years growth dies and builds up under the new growth. The grafted weeping tree is much nicer to look at with all those dead branches removed.
The popular Robinia mop top also required a clip back of all its last years branch growth. Removing the branches will encourage new bushy growth.
After the wind last Sunday night you will have been shown what was needing staked in your garden as I was shown in mine. I had one well grown Ake Aake tree blown over which has left a huge gap, thankfully I have a youngish cornus tree needing a new home once the chain saw has done it's job. Those freak winds are always a possibility at this time of the year and firm stakes will save young trees but the quicker growing trees like Ake Ake, gums, wattles and virgilias are all ways susceptible when large and top heavy.
Keep feeding new spring growing plants (other than bulbs ) with liquid plant food to encourage strong growth.
Lawns need to be feed as well, best time to do this if using dry fertiliser is when it's raining, or now would be a good time to use the liquid weed and feed option as lawn weeds are on the move.
With the soil now warming up I have been sowing grass seed in areas of lawn that have thinned out over winter. Seed must be sown thickly at this time of the year to beat and smother weeds that insist on growing when sowing a spring lawn. I use fine sifted soil to cover seeds before the birds get a look at what I am up to. If birds do find sown seed, cover the area with wind break or frost cloth pinned down until signs of germination.
Vegetables:
Get pumpkin, butternut and squash seeds started now, they need a long warm growing season to grow and ripen.
It is good to be planting salad veg again, keep planting leafy veg as you use the veg you have carried over the winter months...still no white butterflies or aphids about in my garden. As an early season deterrent start spraying fish emulsion on both veg and flowering plants. This will feed the plants and repel pests by fooling them into thinking their favorite food is now protein not vegetable. Have some ready in a spray bottle to repeat after rain.
Cheers, Linda.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Gardening in North Otago September 3rd 2010
SEPTEMBER,the season of new beginnings and this past week has convinced me that spring has arrived in Weston after a later start than past years, more sunny days needed I feel.
Everyday something new is happening in our garden, sweet peas, ranunculus, anemones and tulips are through and putting on good growth each day. I am now watching what is pushing through the pea straw and clearing a space to let them through and needed light in.
I have very wide perennial boarders which insist on growing couch, biddy- bid, and chick-weed which I try to get rid of now while still small and while all the flowering plants are still low, with the ground still being so wet they all pull out easily. While doing this weeding I can see what needs attention like delphiniums needing stakes in to give support while growing, removing mulch from around iris rhizomes and peony rose crowns and removing self sown plants and natives before they settle in.
The weeds are off to a flying start as well, I have been spraying over the last two weeks and notice the first lot has worked, so all good, get them before they flower and make seed. There are organic weed sprays on the market that work best when weeds are new and small so now is the time.
All plants, shrubs and trees will respond to feeding now, the sap is well up and buds are swelling and bursting open. We have a number of deciduous magnolia trees and they are taking center stage right now with beautiful blooms pushing through their huge furry buds.
Liquid feeding on all perennials and bedding plants making growth and a good general fertiliser for trees and shrubs to help them along now.
Azaleas and tulips are the exception, azaleas like fed after flowering and tulips store enough food in the bulb for their requirements. if you load them up with more they will grow more leaf than needed and hide the blooms. (No feeding for Australian or South African shrubs such as leucodendron, protea, waratah and grevillea.)
I cut the old growth from the cat-mint this week, I leave it on over the colder months to protect the new growth, once the new leaves are seen to be making good growth the old can be removed.
It's time to dress your garden for late spring and summer, think colour and where you want it and what colour is needed where, at this time of the year concentrate on the sunny areas in the garden because these will be the warmest to get bedding pants and perennials moving. There are still roses on offer and they do not need to all grow together in a rose bed, use them as gap fillers in boarders. To give those new to roses an idea of what to look for I will list the different types below.
ROSES (modern type)
There is a rose for every sunny situation and a few that will tolerate light shade.
Miniature Roses
A dwarf growing bush rose with all parts scaled down. Their height will be listed on the label - I find these not as long lived as the larger bush rose.
If you have one that is not performing now, and has been growing for a few years, dig it out, change the soil and plant another.
PATIO ROSES
About knee high for front boarder planting, about 80 cm apart when grouping.
These can be grown in containers as long as the roots are cool and they are fed right through the growing season.
FLORIABUNDA
Flowers grow in clusters - bushes grow to about waist high on average, space these about 1mtr apart when grouping. Cut off spent flower clusters and they will reward you with masses of colour right through the growing season.
HYBRID TEA
This is the rose to give you the large exhibition one steam bloom. They grow about chest high. These are the picking rose and need feeding well right through the growing season to give the best results.
The secret to keeping roses free from disease is to remove all last years' diseased wood and leaves from the ground around them and burn. Keep the food up to the bushes, starting now while they are beginning to leaf and continue right through until the end of summer. Manure enriched compost around them now will feed and protect the roots but keep it off the graft. Blood & bone, vormacast or the liquid form is also good right now. When the ground warms up a little sprinkle the man made balanced rose fertiliser around them, these fertilisers have been designed to promote just the right amount of leaf and flower growth, and need the warmer soil to activate. Don't waste them by using them too soon.
I have learned through selling and growing roses which are the good doers and which are the poor - But in saying that there are growers of roses that raise better healthier roses than others.
From my experience a rose-planted bare rooted in the winter or early spring will do better for me than a rose planted going into the summer.
But I understand the new gardener likes to see the bloom's before buying and now days a large range of roses are on offer in the late Spring, bagged, in bud and flower ready to plant. They take a little more care to become settled.
Here I am heading on into summer already! but at the same time enjoying the spring splendor happening around me right now.
Vegatables
All green crops need to be dug in now, before they flower and get stringy. Keep planting seeds and seedlings and enjoy the absence of white butterfly! I worked on my gooseberry bushes last year and again this week,Thinning branches before the leaves arrive out and cutting up the bottom branches to get the bushes higher off the ground for picking.
I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, so much easier to pick the fruit from underneath and not have to fight my way through a tangled mess of prickly branches.
Cheers, Linda.
Everyday something new is happening in our garden, sweet peas, ranunculus, anemones and tulips are through and putting on good growth each day. I am now watching what is pushing through the pea straw and clearing a space to let them through and needed light in.
I have very wide perennial boarders which insist on growing couch, biddy- bid, and chick-weed which I try to get rid of now while still small and while all the flowering plants are still low, with the ground still being so wet they all pull out easily. While doing this weeding I can see what needs attention like delphiniums needing stakes in to give support while growing, removing mulch from around iris rhizomes and peony rose crowns and removing self sown plants and natives before they settle in.
The weeds are off to a flying start as well, I have been spraying over the last two weeks and notice the first lot has worked, so all good, get them before they flower and make seed. There are organic weed sprays on the market that work best when weeds are new and small so now is the time.
All plants, shrubs and trees will respond to feeding now, the sap is well up and buds are swelling and bursting open. We have a number of deciduous magnolia trees and they are taking center stage right now with beautiful blooms pushing through their huge furry buds.
Liquid feeding on all perennials and bedding plants making growth and a good general fertiliser for trees and shrubs to help them along now.
Azaleas and tulips are the exception, azaleas like fed after flowering and tulips store enough food in the bulb for their requirements. if you load them up with more they will grow more leaf than needed and hide the blooms. (No feeding for Australian or South African shrubs such as leucodendron, protea, waratah and grevillea.)
I cut the old growth from the cat-mint this week, I leave it on over the colder months to protect the new growth, once the new leaves are seen to be making good growth the old can be removed.
It's time to dress your garden for late spring and summer, think colour and where you want it and what colour is needed where, at this time of the year concentrate on the sunny areas in the garden because these will be the warmest to get bedding pants and perennials moving. There are still roses on offer and they do not need to all grow together in a rose bed, use them as gap fillers in boarders. To give those new to roses an idea of what to look for I will list the different types below.
ROSES (modern type)
There is a rose for every sunny situation and a few that will tolerate light shade.
Miniature Roses
A dwarf growing bush rose with all parts scaled down. Their height will be listed on the label - I find these not as long lived as the larger bush rose.
If you have one that is not performing now, and has been growing for a few years, dig it out, change the soil and plant another.
PATIO ROSES
About knee high for front boarder planting, about 80 cm apart when grouping.
These can be grown in containers as long as the roots are cool and they are fed right through the growing season.
FLORIABUNDA
Flowers grow in clusters - bushes grow to about waist high on average, space these about 1mtr apart when grouping. Cut off spent flower clusters and they will reward you with masses of colour right through the growing season.
HYBRID TEA
This is the rose to give you the large exhibition one steam bloom. They grow about chest high. These are the picking rose and need feeding well right through the growing season to give the best results.
The secret to keeping roses free from disease is to remove all last years' diseased wood and leaves from the ground around them and burn. Keep the food up to the bushes, starting now while they are beginning to leaf and continue right through until the end of summer. Manure enriched compost around them now will feed and protect the roots but keep it off the graft. Blood & bone, vormacast or the liquid form is also good right now. When the ground warms up a little sprinkle the man made balanced rose fertiliser around them, these fertilisers have been designed to promote just the right amount of leaf and flower growth, and need the warmer soil to activate. Don't waste them by using them too soon.
I have learned through selling and growing roses which are the good doers and which are the poor - But in saying that there are growers of roses that raise better healthier roses than others.
From my experience a rose-planted bare rooted in the winter or early spring will do better for me than a rose planted going into the summer.
But I understand the new gardener likes to see the bloom's before buying and now days a large range of roses are on offer in the late Spring, bagged, in bud and flower ready to plant. They take a little more care to become settled.
Here I am heading on into summer already! but at the same time enjoying the spring splendor happening around me right now.
Vegatables
All green crops need to be dug in now, before they flower and get stringy. Keep planting seeds and seedlings and enjoy the absence of white butterfly! I worked on my gooseberry bushes last year and again this week,Thinning branches before the leaves arrive out and cutting up the bottom branches to get the bushes higher off the ground for picking.
I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, so much easier to pick the fruit from underneath and not have to fight my way through a tangled mess of prickly branches.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Gardening in North Otago 28th August 2010
Some nice sunny days this week to help spring come to life.
The Garden centers are fulling up with wonderful well grown bedding plants, some even in flower which makes me think they will need protection in the garden when planted out right now. The best idea is to buy while there is a good selection on offer and hold them in a sheltered place to harden off for a week or two before planting out.
Roses on sale now are all leafing up in their bags, it is still ok to plant them for a while yet while the ground is moist and cold. They will be making feeder roots into the potting mix in their bags so planting will need to done carefully from now on so not to disturb those new feeder roots.
Trees and shrubs
There are some lovely magnolias and michelia's on offer now as well, they are all in bud and look as if they need hardened off before planting, to get plants to look as good as that this early in the South Island spring they will have had some pretty special growing conditions. One lovely small magnolia I noticed was called Fairy blush, it is an evergreen which grows bushier and smaller than the original grandiflora magnolias. This one can be grown as a hedge or in a large pot. magnolias resent having their fleshy roots disturbed so be very careful when planting.
Keep an eye on the flowering camellias and rhododendrons now in the garden centres, most are showing buds and flowers, this is the time to choose the right shades for your garden
Herbs
With the popular modern cooking trend these days a kitchen herb garden is a pleasure to grow and have close to the house.
It is wonderful to be able to pluck needed herbs from your kitchen garden like parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, bay, basil, to name just a
a few. Herbs grow happily together and all like the same growing conditions, full sun and a well nourished good draining sweet soil. This means they can grow in a small area or even a large deep good draining container. A dressing of lime in winter will sweeten the soil in time for their growing season, mid spring through to winter.
Rosemary being a woody herb will produce strong roots that will encroach on softer growing herbs so in small herb gardens plant this in the top a bucket with the bottom cut out and buried in the ground. The bucket will contain the roots. Mint can be contained this way as well.
Never plant lemon balm in a kitchen herb garden because in no time at all it will spread and choke every other plant.
Tall plants like pineapple sage, fennel and upright rosemary can be planted as a low hedge divider if you wanted to section off an area in the veg garden for herbs. A standard bay planted at each end of a herb divider hedge could look good.
Vegetables
Its all on now for sowing as many seeds as you have room for and planting leaf veg before the white butterfly's arrive here on the coast,
keep the hoe moving between rows to keep weeds down, this movement will keep soil warmer.
Protection will still be needed further inland.
This weekend I plan to create a raised garden for strawberry runner plants I have been given. I plan to use logs from trees topped during the winter to retain the raised soil. Strawberry plants benefit from manure buried in shallow trenches along the side of the rows then when they start growing a dressing of fertiliser high in potash for good fruit development.
Putting out runners weakens a strawberry plant by the end of the season so new runner plants planted each year is best.
Cheers, Linda
The Garden centers are fulling up with wonderful well grown bedding plants, some even in flower which makes me think they will need protection in the garden when planted out right now. The best idea is to buy while there is a good selection on offer and hold them in a sheltered place to harden off for a week or two before planting out.
Roses on sale now are all leafing up in their bags, it is still ok to plant them for a while yet while the ground is moist and cold. They will be making feeder roots into the potting mix in their bags so planting will need to done carefully from now on so not to disturb those new feeder roots.
Trees and shrubs
There are some lovely magnolias and michelia's on offer now as well, they are all in bud and look as if they need hardened off before planting, to get plants to look as good as that this early in the South Island spring they will have had some pretty special growing conditions. One lovely small magnolia I noticed was called Fairy blush, it is an evergreen which grows bushier and smaller than the original grandiflora magnolias. This one can be grown as a hedge or in a large pot. magnolias resent having their fleshy roots disturbed so be very careful when planting.
Keep an eye on the flowering camellias and rhododendrons now in the garden centres, most are showing buds and flowers, this is the time to choose the right shades for your garden
Herbs
With the popular modern cooking trend these days a kitchen herb garden is a pleasure to grow and have close to the house.
It is wonderful to be able to pluck needed herbs from your kitchen garden like parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, bay, basil, to name just a
a few. Herbs grow happily together and all like the same growing conditions, full sun and a well nourished good draining sweet soil. This means they can grow in a small area or even a large deep good draining container. A dressing of lime in winter will sweeten the soil in time for their growing season, mid spring through to winter.
Rosemary being a woody herb will produce strong roots that will encroach on softer growing herbs so in small herb gardens plant this in the top a bucket with the bottom cut out and buried in the ground. The bucket will contain the roots. Mint can be contained this way as well.
Never plant lemon balm in a kitchen herb garden because in no time at all it will spread and choke every other plant.
Tall plants like pineapple sage, fennel and upright rosemary can be planted as a low hedge divider if you wanted to section off an area in the veg garden for herbs. A standard bay planted at each end of a herb divider hedge could look good.
Vegetables
Its all on now for sowing as many seeds as you have room for and planting leaf veg before the white butterfly's arrive here on the coast,
keep the hoe moving between rows to keep weeds down, this movement will keep soil warmer.
Protection will still be needed further inland.
This weekend I plan to create a raised garden for strawberry runner plants I have been given. I plan to use logs from trees topped during the winter to retain the raised soil. Strawberry plants benefit from manure buried in shallow trenches along the side of the rows then when they start growing a dressing of fertiliser high in potash for good fruit development.
Putting out runners weakens a strawberry plant by the end of the season so new runner plants planted each year is best.
Cheers, Linda
Friday, August 20, 2010
Still a winter chill in the air this week which if nothing else keeps the weeds back a little longer although I have been weed spraying to eradicate those that have dared to pop through early.
I also find that by adding a couple of inches of compost
to the top of the soil once the winter clean up is completed really helps to supress early spring weed growth and adds benifical humus to the soils structure.
I encourage birds into our garden to deal to pests like catapillars,aphids and grass grub so always expect weeds from the seeds in their droppings as nature intended, it's all part of gardening and weeding little and often will keep you one step ahead of nature.
I am still breaking up and shifting perennials like agapanthas, large and dwarf types, day lillie's, grass's, and succulents. Some of my plants never made it through the winter so there are a few gaps needing filled.There is still time to divide hostas, these dramatic shade loving perennials can make a shaded spot with their fresh greens and variegated light shades. Simply lift established clumps at least 4 to 5 years old and use a sharp spade to slice them into a few good sizes pieces, then replant, even in pots they look great.
I have been finding a lot of self sown plants like wall flower, primula, for-get-me-not, bellis daisy and heaps of other useful seedlings to fill gaps which should not mind being transplanted while the ground is so wet.
I have noticed that the north-end of Oamaru is away ahead of our Weston garden with mass's of spring bulbs on display and early blossom, we have nice hellebore's in flower and heaps of bulbs through but nothing in flower as yet.I guess we are just that bit closer to the snow on the Kakanui's.
Also this week some of our taller shrubs like phebaliums, pittosporums, psudopanax and the like have been reduced in height.This can be done if height is a problem without spoiling the shape of shrubs.
What I do is cut out the center top branch down to where the other branches bush out. This removes the natural point at the top of the shrub and will sometimes reduce the height by 2 or more meters.The shrubs will soon send up a new leader but will also put more growth into the side branching which can be trimmed into shape if a problem. The reason that this sort of control works now is because it is just the start of the growing season and plants will recover fast because they are intent on just growing. Leave doing this for another month further inland.
If you have leggy lavender bushes trim them back now past their woody growth,lavenders are just starting to make new growth so this is the right time to get them bushy again.Lavenders also enjoy old stable manure and a little lime at this time of the year.
As I keep saying If you have no time to do anything else in the garden right now feeding plants is a must for health and vigour through the summer, it is well worth the effort and will minimize the spaying needed if plants are unhealthy.
Slow release fertilisers are a safe bet to keep on feeding over a long period. They are very clean and easy to apply and you will not be at risk of over feeding with them. Each time the plants are watered they are fed as the granules break down gradually.
There are slow release fertilisers for specific plants and a general one for most plants.
Now would be a good time to talk about plants that resent fertiliser: Many South African plants and Australian natives such as proteas, leucodendrons, banksias, and all grevillia's do not need feeding. I have lost grevillia's because they had absorbed fertiliser from neighbouring plants. There are wonderful displays of leucodendron bushes around town at the moment, they are great for picking right now so fill vases and enjoy inside, cutting the blooms off will do the bushes good and stop them from becoming woody and leggy.
The Vegetable Garden
It's the perfect time to sow seeds under cover as I mentioned last week,I planted parsnip, carrots, broad beans and peas at the beginning of this month and they are up and doing well.Any seeds that say spring sowing on the back of the packet will pop up now. I use a tray of compost & potting mix with a layer of seed raising mix on the top.This way your seed raising mix goes further. Once planted cover the trays with plastic or glass but use spacers to let air circulate around the trays.This week I put in some rocket (early potatoes) that had good sprouts, but Because the nights are still so cold I have mounded soil up over them and covered the row with straw to help keep the soil a little warmer.
Give rhubarb clumps a good dressing of compost and manure now,they are heavy feeders and start looking for food early in the season.
Fruit trees
Peach and nectarine trees should be sprayed now for that dreaded leaf curl, the most effective fungicides are chorathalonil (Bravo)or copper compound sprays.It is best to spray down on the trees from a ladder to make sure it's they that get a good drenching and not you.
Cheers, Linda.
I also find that by adding a couple of inches of compost
to the top of the soil once the winter clean up is completed really helps to supress early spring weed growth and adds benifical humus to the soils structure.
I encourage birds into our garden to deal to pests like catapillars,aphids and grass grub so always expect weeds from the seeds in their droppings as nature intended, it's all part of gardening and weeding little and often will keep you one step ahead of nature.
I am still breaking up and shifting perennials like agapanthas, large and dwarf types, day lillie's, grass's, and succulents. Some of my plants never made it through the winter so there are a few gaps needing filled.There is still time to divide hostas, these dramatic shade loving perennials can make a shaded spot with their fresh greens and variegated light shades. Simply lift established clumps at least 4 to 5 years old and use a sharp spade to slice them into a few good sizes pieces, then replant, even in pots they look great.
I have been finding a lot of self sown plants like wall flower, primula, for-get-me-not, bellis daisy and heaps of other useful seedlings to fill gaps which should not mind being transplanted while the ground is so wet.
I have noticed that the north-end of Oamaru is away ahead of our Weston garden with mass's of spring bulbs on display and early blossom, we have nice hellebore's in flower and heaps of bulbs through but nothing in flower as yet.I guess we are just that bit closer to the snow on the Kakanui's.
Also this week some of our taller shrubs like phebaliums, pittosporums, psudopanax and the like have been reduced in height.This can be done if height is a problem without spoiling the shape of shrubs.
What I do is cut out the center top branch down to where the other branches bush out. This removes the natural point at the top of the shrub and will sometimes reduce the height by 2 or more meters.The shrubs will soon send up a new leader but will also put more growth into the side branching which can be trimmed into shape if a problem. The reason that this sort of control works now is because it is just the start of the growing season and plants will recover fast because they are intent on just growing. Leave doing this for another month further inland.
If you have leggy lavender bushes trim them back now past their woody growth,lavenders are just starting to make new growth so this is the right time to get them bushy again.Lavenders also enjoy old stable manure and a little lime at this time of the year.
As I keep saying If you have no time to do anything else in the garden right now feeding plants is a must for health and vigour through the summer, it is well worth the effort and will minimize the spaying needed if plants are unhealthy.
Slow release fertilisers are a safe bet to keep on feeding over a long period. They are very clean and easy to apply and you will not be at risk of over feeding with them. Each time the plants are watered they are fed as the granules break down gradually.
There are slow release fertilisers for specific plants and a general one for most plants.
Now would be a good time to talk about plants that resent fertiliser: Many South African plants and Australian natives such as proteas, leucodendrons, banksias, and all grevillia's do not need feeding. I have lost grevillia's because they had absorbed fertiliser from neighbouring plants. There are wonderful displays of leucodendron bushes around town at the moment, they are great for picking right now so fill vases and enjoy inside, cutting the blooms off will do the bushes good and stop them from becoming woody and leggy.
The Vegetable Garden
It's the perfect time to sow seeds under cover as I mentioned last week,I planted parsnip, carrots, broad beans and peas at the beginning of this month and they are up and doing well.Any seeds that say spring sowing on the back of the packet will pop up now. I use a tray of compost & potting mix with a layer of seed raising mix on the top.This way your seed raising mix goes further. Once planted cover the trays with plastic or glass but use spacers to let air circulate around the trays.This week I put in some rocket (early potatoes) that had good sprouts, but Because the nights are still so cold I have mounded soil up over them and covered the row with straw to help keep the soil a little warmer.
Give rhubarb clumps a good dressing of compost and manure now,they are heavy feeders and start looking for food early in the season.
Fruit trees
Peach and nectarine trees should be sprayed now for that dreaded leaf curl, the most effective fungicides are chorathalonil (Bravo)or copper compound sprays.It is best to spray down on the trees from a ladder to make sure it's they that get a good drenching and not you.
Cheers, Linda.
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