We sure have had a taste of winter temperatures this week, not the weather to encourage us into in the garden. The autumn colours are amazing, becoming more intense as this month moves on making up for the lack of warmth.
Time to start bedding the garden down for winter, I have been cutting back summer flowering perennials and annuals which have become long and lanky to clear the ground in readiness for the compost each plant will receive before the pea straw is placed around. The piles of soft plant matter go onto the compost but the stringy hard wood piles are dumped or put through the shredder. The more we can put back on the garden the more the garden benefits. I am leaving the hydrangeas to finish the wonderful autumn show they are offering right now, but have been taking some hard wood cuttings as I cannot get enough of these wonderful plants and it takes a few seasons for cuttings to grow into a good sized bush. Still time for sowing seed out side here on the coast and getting it to prick out size before the days become and growing stops. Once they are pricked out into punnets or pots they will need to be nursed through until spring. Sowing seed now gives you a head start and the seedlings carried through are much stronger and will do better than the new punnets of seedlings on offer come spring. Seeds to sow outside now: Alyssum, aquilegia, calendula, cornflower, perennial lupins, statice, stock, sweet peas. Seeds to sow under cover: Antirrhinum (snap dragon) dianthus, pansy, viola, poppy, scabious, sweet William, pollyanthas, primrose and primulas Lift gladioli and clean corms, after drying dust with flowers of sulpher before storing in old panty hose or paper bags, never plastic.Do not disturb peony roses, just cut back dead tops and lay on top of clumps, if they need divided leave until spring.
Winter roses: will benefit from feeding now, take most shabby old leaves off because they harbour green fly over the cold months, but leave enough to protect the new growth. They can be removed when the flowers come up.
Any one growing tall asters should have had them flowering for a while. If they are falling all over the place and need support you need to remember to trim back the new growth by half at the end of next September. this will make them grow bushier rather than tall.
Make a not on your calendar to do this. I must remember to remind you then. Asters exhaust the soil as the clumps get bigger so divide often when finished flowering.
The lawns are slowing down now, I have given mine a dressing of lime to keep them sweet over winter, lime takes a season to work it's way down and do its job so if put on now the benefits will be had in spring.
Keep off wet lawns as much as possible too much traffic will compact the soil which encourages grass to die off leaving bare patches where grass will not rejuvenate.
If you notice patches of lawn Browning off and the birds showing interest and scratching grass out, you will probably have grass grub eating the roots of the grass. This month is the very last chance you will have to deal to them with grass grub granules, they start their winter hibernation in May. The granules need to be rained or watered in.
Vegetables
Watch pumpkins don't get frosted from now on, if they are big and sound hollow when you knock them they can be picked and sat in a sunny place to ripen more away from the frosts.
Anzac day is traditionally the time to plant broad beans,if you missed that day any time now is good.
Cheers, Linda.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 16th April 2011
Leaves, leaves, leaves so many on the ground and yet to fall, "groan" but to compensate we do have a beautiful gold, red and orange wonder land out here right now.
Most of the leaves turn into good compost but I do not compost oak or walnut leaves, they take too long to break down in my heaps, I burn them and then add the ash. Always good to add lime to Compost heaps now as well, lime will sweeten heaps as they break down over the next few months. I add the compost left over from last years heaps in between layers of leaves and grass clippings and horse or cow manure and water now while the sun is hot to get things cooking enough to keep cooking through the winter months.
Camellias are budding up now and some of mine need opening up to let in light needed for buds to develop well so I have been removing inward facing and cross over branches. I will feed camellias and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, water in well and mulch soon, then forget about them until they reward me in spring.
Don't feed azaleas now, do this as soon as they have finished flowering.
Prune back perennial wall flowers now to encourage new growth for a good winter flowering. On the coast only, do the same to Marguerite daisies. further inland take hard wood cuttings, pot up and protect over winter as a lot of Marguerite daisy bushes are lost due to continuous frost.
Break up clumps of viola like Maggie Mott and the clumping primula vulgaris, plant sections with root attached into pots or trays, they will grow and clump up from now on ready to be planted out in spring. Both of these make lovely edging plants.
I planted out different shades of ranunculus this week, They are so worth while and a good investment for your garden because the multiply well and give vibrant or soft mid height colour to an early spring garden. Renuculas look very dried up and brittle in the packet when bought, soak them over night and they will become nice and plump before planting. Plant at least five together in groups to get the best effect.
Some lilies become available in shops this month and established clumps may be lifted if necessary, but do not disturb them unless they are very crowded or unsuitably sited. Instead top dress them with a mixture of compost and blood and bone. (A cup full of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. be sure to keep lily bulbs moist while they are out of the ground, roots must never dry out. Almost all lilies need to be planted as deep as three times the height of the bulb. the only exception to this deep planting is the Madonna lily which is planted just below the surface and prefers to be shifted in mid summer straight after flowering. This is also one of the few lilies which also prefers limy soil.
Keep planting evergreen shrubs, still time to get them settled in before winter.
Give evergreen hedges a last trim during this month
Vegetable garden
I have mentioned growing a green crop in vacant areas of the vegetable garden, oats is probably the best one to plant in the autumn, it will grow in no time, dig in while still soft and green.
first timers might like to follow the green manure suggestion of using blue lupin as a nitrogen additive . other wise, use mustard as a good soil conditioner in spring and summer, changing back to oats in the autumn.
Green vegetable seedlings will be targeted by birds right now so best to cover them with strawberry net while small, birds will not be so interested when they plump out a bit.
Broad beans can be planted now, try a little potash in the soil just below the bean when planted, it is said to help prevent rust.
Most of the leaves turn into good compost but I do not compost oak or walnut leaves, they take too long to break down in my heaps, I burn them and then add the ash. Always good to add lime to Compost heaps now as well, lime will sweeten heaps as they break down over the next few months. I add the compost left over from last years heaps in between layers of leaves and grass clippings and horse or cow manure and water now while the sun is hot to get things cooking enough to keep cooking through the winter months.
Camellias are budding up now and some of mine need opening up to let in light needed for buds to develop well so I have been removing inward facing and cross over branches. I will feed camellias and rhododendrons with acid fertiliser, water in well and mulch soon, then forget about them until they reward me in spring.
Don't feed azaleas now, do this as soon as they have finished flowering.
Prune back perennial wall flowers now to encourage new growth for a good winter flowering. On the coast only, do the same to Marguerite daisies. further inland take hard wood cuttings, pot up and protect over winter as a lot of Marguerite daisy bushes are lost due to continuous frost.
Break up clumps of viola like Maggie Mott and the clumping primula vulgaris, plant sections with root attached into pots or trays, they will grow and clump up from now on ready to be planted out in spring. Both of these make lovely edging plants.
I planted out different shades of ranunculus this week, They are so worth while and a good investment for your garden because the multiply well and give vibrant or soft mid height colour to an early spring garden. Renuculas look very dried up and brittle in the packet when bought, soak them over night and they will become nice and plump before planting. Plant at least five together in groups to get the best effect.
Some lilies become available in shops this month and established clumps may be lifted if necessary, but do not disturb them unless they are very crowded or unsuitably sited. Instead top dress them with a mixture of compost and blood and bone. (A cup full of blood and bone to each bucket of compost. be sure to keep lily bulbs moist while they are out of the ground, roots must never dry out. Almost all lilies need to be planted as deep as three times the height of the bulb. the only exception to this deep planting is the Madonna lily which is planted just below the surface and prefers to be shifted in mid summer straight after flowering. This is also one of the few lilies which also prefers limy soil.
Keep planting evergreen shrubs, still time to get them settled in before winter.
Give evergreen hedges a last trim during this month
Vegetable garden
I have mentioned growing a green crop in vacant areas of the vegetable garden, oats is probably the best one to plant in the autumn, it will grow in no time, dig in while still soft and green.
first timers might like to follow the green manure suggestion of using blue lupin as a nitrogen additive . other wise, use mustard as a good soil conditioner in spring and summer, changing back to oats in the autumn.
Green vegetable seedlings will be targeted by birds right now so best to cover them with strawberry net while small, birds will not be so interested when they plump out a bit.
Broad beans can be planted now, try a little potash in the soil just below the bean when planted, it is said to help prevent rust.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 8th April 2011
more rain this week and so cold, the first frost on the coast is not far away.
It's that waiting time of year again, waiting for the deciduous trees and shrubs to put on their spectacular autumn show and then drop their leaves, waiting for plants to finish flowering so I can cut them back, waiting for the roses to make seed and not be tempted to cut them back until pruning time in July. It is important not to dead head them now, I know they can look untidy at this stage.
When a spent bloom sets seed the sap continues to be drawn up to feed these seeds and keep them developing. When this is happening the bud shoots going up the steam are not activated because the sap is bypassing them to get to the seed. If we cut the seed head off the sap will go into making new growth which will be too soft to go through the winter and will most probably die back. this will encourage disease and stunt the growth of the bush. Hard wood is needed for pruning so all I am doing with roses right now is removing and disposing of all the diseased leaves from and around the bushes, plus spraying to prevent the over wintering of rust, black spot and mildew. Guild or super shield is ok for this and will hold the bushes until a lime sulphur spray next month.
It is a good time to shift camellias, rhododendrons and conifers now, if still smallish. Larger conifers and shrubs may need to be trenched now and shifted in the winter. If a lot of roots have been removed in the shifting a third of the top growth should be removed, if you do not do this nature will do it for you.
I sprayed weeds around our garden, drive way, paved areas, and lawns this week. I chose to spray at the end of a warm dry day when weeds were thirsty, already I notice wilting. Frosts will take care of the next lot of weed seeds that germinate so the weed spray can go away now until spring.
If the dampness stays around get the grass grub granules on, the grubs are actively eating grass roots until May and then they go dormant and will re-emerge as the night beetle around November.
There is still time to dethatch lawns and resow thin patches of lawn, the ground is still warm enough to get a strike but not for long the nights are cooling down fast. This is the time I give lawns that have not done well a dressing of sifted compost, about 1/2 a bucket to the sqm working it down to the roots with the back of a rake. It will improve both very light and very compact soils. For really compacted areas gypsum can be added to compost.
In glass houses begin to give plants more light, remove any shading and give plants less water.
Vegetable & fruit
Clean up sprays should be applied to all fruit trees and fruiting shrubs that have shown leaf spots. Super copper or Natures way fungus spray can be used. Any citrus bushes that have shown signs of leaf or fruit spot spray with super copper as well.
Still time to sow a green crop when space becomes available in the vegetable garden, dig in veg gone to seed and annual weeds before they go to seed, it's all good humus.
Keep planting winter veg.
Cover pumpkins still growing if there is frost predicted
Cheers, Linda
It's that waiting time of year again, waiting for the deciduous trees and shrubs to put on their spectacular autumn show and then drop their leaves, waiting for plants to finish flowering so I can cut them back, waiting for the roses to make seed and not be tempted to cut them back until pruning time in July. It is important not to dead head them now, I know they can look untidy at this stage.
When a spent bloom sets seed the sap continues to be drawn up to feed these seeds and keep them developing. When this is happening the bud shoots going up the steam are not activated because the sap is bypassing them to get to the seed. If we cut the seed head off the sap will go into making new growth which will be too soft to go through the winter and will most probably die back. this will encourage disease and stunt the growth of the bush. Hard wood is needed for pruning so all I am doing with roses right now is removing and disposing of all the diseased leaves from and around the bushes, plus spraying to prevent the over wintering of rust, black spot and mildew. Guild or super shield is ok for this and will hold the bushes until a lime sulphur spray next month.
It is a good time to shift camellias, rhododendrons and conifers now, if still smallish. Larger conifers and shrubs may need to be trenched now and shifted in the winter. If a lot of roots have been removed in the shifting a third of the top growth should be removed, if you do not do this nature will do it for you.
I sprayed weeds around our garden, drive way, paved areas, and lawns this week. I chose to spray at the end of a warm dry day when weeds were thirsty, already I notice wilting. Frosts will take care of the next lot of weed seeds that germinate so the weed spray can go away now until spring.
If the dampness stays around get the grass grub granules on, the grubs are actively eating grass roots until May and then they go dormant and will re-emerge as the night beetle around November.
There is still time to dethatch lawns and resow thin patches of lawn, the ground is still warm enough to get a strike but not for long the nights are cooling down fast. This is the time I give lawns that have not done well a dressing of sifted compost, about 1/2 a bucket to the sqm working it down to the roots with the back of a rake. It will improve both very light and very compact soils. For really compacted areas gypsum can be added to compost.
In glass houses begin to give plants more light, remove any shading and give plants less water.
Vegetable & fruit
Clean up sprays should be applied to all fruit trees and fruiting shrubs that have shown leaf spots. Super copper or Natures way fungus spray can be used. Any citrus bushes that have shown signs of leaf or fruit spot spray with super copper as well.
Still time to sow a green crop when space becomes available in the vegetable garden, dig in veg gone to seed and annual weeds before they go to seed, it's all good humus.
Keep planting winter veg.
Cover pumpkins still growing if there is frost predicted
Cheers, Linda
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 30th March 2011
A good settled day or two this week to dry the sodden ground out a little.
With our wedding's now at an end for this season I have been taking stock of the garden and making plans for what gets trimmed, shifted, chopped out and nurtured over the soon to be here cold months.
Collecting seed and taking hard wood cuttings is top of the list because I need to get the seed when dry and the cuttings in while the days are still warm enough for them to settle and start to make roots.
Take advantage of the warm ground and cool mornings and nights to keep planting out shrubs, their roots really take off at this time of the year and settle themselves in well before the frosts. I have been finding runners on some of my low growing shrubs, branches that have grown down and rooted themselves into the ground. This is the time of year to cut them from the mother plant and pot them up and nurse them over the winter then plant them out when the pot is filled with roots and growth starts moving again. This applies to climbers as well, jasmine, honey suckle, clematis. Have a look around the garden and see what is there for the taking.
Lavatera's need a good cut back now if they are to look good and bushy through the winter, cut out all the old non producing wood and let it come fresh again before the frosts.
Same for geraniums, they have made a lot of growth over the summer months and need to be cleaned out in the middle where old leaves accumulate and white fly can be harboring, cut out old non productive stems and shorten back long lanky growth. Leave alone further inland cover when frosts come but first take cuttings and protect over winter just in case.
If you would like sweet-peas flowering in early spring plant them now, they will pop up and winter will hold them but as soon as the ground warms up a little they will take off and be there for picking in august. Sweet-peas are gross feeders, they do best in a different position each year. If you really want them planted in the same place dig a trench and fill with stable manure to keep them fed for their long flowering period.
Keep an eye on hellebore's ( Winter rose's) they dry out at this time of the year to the point where they die.They are one of the first plants to flower in late winter. Keep the water up to them and feed them, blood & bone, manure or slow release fertiliser. The baby plants growing around mother plants can be potted up now, they take about three years from seed to flower.
Fruit & Vegetables
Codling moth caterpillars can be trapped now as they are leaving the trees, Tie strips of corrugated cardboard (Corrugation inwards) around the trunks. Once the harvest is over remove and destroy the cardboard.
Keep sowing vegetable seeds onion, radish, spinach and planting seedlings, cabbage, celery, winter lettuce here on the coast. further inland broad beans, cabbage and spinach.
I like to sow and plant butter crunch lettuce now as it keeps growing well into the winter.
Cheers, Linda.
With our wedding's now at an end for this season I have been taking stock of the garden and making plans for what gets trimmed, shifted, chopped out and nurtured over the soon to be here cold months.
Collecting seed and taking hard wood cuttings is top of the list because I need to get the seed when dry and the cuttings in while the days are still warm enough for them to settle and start to make roots.
Take advantage of the warm ground and cool mornings and nights to keep planting out shrubs, their roots really take off at this time of the year and settle themselves in well before the frosts. I have been finding runners on some of my low growing shrubs, branches that have grown down and rooted themselves into the ground. This is the time of year to cut them from the mother plant and pot them up and nurse them over the winter then plant them out when the pot is filled with roots and growth starts moving again. This applies to climbers as well, jasmine, honey suckle, clematis. Have a look around the garden and see what is there for the taking.
Lavatera's need a good cut back now if they are to look good and bushy through the winter, cut out all the old non producing wood and let it come fresh again before the frosts.
Same for geraniums, they have made a lot of growth over the summer months and need to be cleaned out in the middle where old leaves accumulate and white fly can be harboring, cut out old non productive stems and shorten back long lanky growth. Leave alone further inland cover when frosts come but first take cuttings and protect over winter just in case.
If you would like sweet-peas flowering in early spring plant them now, they will pop up and winter will hold them but as soon as the ground warms up a little they will take off and be there for picking in august. Sweet-peas are gross feeders, they do best in a different position each year. If you really want them planted in the same place dig a trench and fill with stable manure to keep them fed for their long flowering period.
Keep an eye on hellebore's ( Winter rose's) they dry out at this time of the year to the point where they die.They are one of the first plants to flower in late winter. Keep the water up to them and feed them, blood & bone, manure or slow release fertiliser. The baby plants growing around mother plants can be potted up now, they take about three years from seed to flower.
Fruit & Vegetables
Codling moth caterpillars can be trapped now as they are leaving the trees, Tie strips of corrugated cardboard (Corrugation inwards) around the trunks. Once the harvest is over remove and destroy the cardboard.
Keep sowing vegetable seeds onion, radish, spinach and planting seedlings, cabbage, celery, winter lettuce here on the coast. further inland broad beans, cabbage and spinach.
I like to sow and plant butter crunch lettuce now as it keeps growing well into the winter.
Cheers, Linda.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
More rain this week which will make leaves hang on a little longer before turning into their brilliant Autumn colours, although i must say that the silver birch up our driveway have turned and are falling so the rake is out now, and will remain out for a few months.
I have enjoyed the rain on the compost, it has saved me getting the hose out, I have been turning the heaps to get the moisture well, I am turning the heaps at the moment and feel the heat starting to build up. I try and alternate the dry leaves with grass clippings and horse manure, keeping the moisture up as the piles grows.
Bulbs: are available now and there are so many on offer to brighten up gardens after a dull cold winter. Bulbs are a good investment for a garden because they are not just a oncer, they flower and multiply each year and when you have too many in one spot you can lift a few and start them somewhere else.
Plant where there are gaps around shrubberies or maybe where a shrub or tree has been removed, why not fill the gap with bulbs until the new shrub matures. Along a fence line is a good place for tall bulbs like daffodils and jonquils because they die right down over the summer competing grass and weeds can be sprayed out while they are still down in the ground leaving the ground free for the bulbs to pop up in autumn.
Large gardens can accommodate clumps of bluebells which naturalise well in woodland areas, smaller gardens could control them by planting in a bucket buried in the ground with the bottom cut out, they seed well so heads would need to cut off after they flowered. Lachenalia look wonderful in large clumps as well, they look like small hyacinths and flower for long periods. Bulbs, as with all plants must be suitably located if they are to thrive. Although their requirements vary most prefer a sunny situation which is free draining - however many tolerate partial shade. most bulbs today are sold with a picture and planting instruction on the packet so you cannot go wrong.Tulip bulbs will be in soon to be
planted in May.
I have been planting out seed collected last month, marigold,hollyhock, foxglove, sweet peas, poppy's, sweet William and primula Have a look at what is seeding around your garden and either plantthem now if your garden is in a sheltered area or store in brown paper bags and plant out in the spring.
Keep dead heading dahlias, they will keep flowering until the frost cuts them down.
Take mulch away from iris rhizomes and let them bake in the sun for a while.
Don't be to worried about dead heading roses from now on if you live in a very cold area, the more you take off them now the more new growth you will encourage which may not harden up in time for winter. In warmer coastal gardens roses will keep budding up for a little longer yet.
Good old fashioned geraniums never let you down and always give a wonderful display over summer and autumn. Cuttings can be taken now that the wood has hardened, cut at a nice leafy section along a branch, remove buds and push into fine soil or river sand and leave in a warm spot. once they have sent out root spot them up and nurse them along over winter if you are in a very cold area and you will have nice new bushes for next summer. On the coast they can be planted out in areas protected from frosts.
*Veg & fruit*
My late peach tree is abundant this year and the peaches are sweet and juicy they do not all become ready at once which is helpful but when they are ready they drop to the ground and spoil so need to be picked
daily.
My pumpkins are doing their thing and seem to be growing before my eyes, I will leave them a little longer yet as they were planted late this year, I always wait to plant these when there is no hint of a frost to set them back .When they have grown and are not quite ready to pick when the first frosts come I cover them at night with frost cloth. If the pumpkin sounds hollow when you knock on it and it's stem connection is drying out then it is ready to pick. I sit them in a sunny frost free place for a time before I store them in a cool dry place.
Plant carrots, onions, broad beans, cabbage and spinach (cover cabbage with frost cloth to keep the white butterfly off, remove when it becomes too cold for butterfly.
Cheers, Linda.
I have enjoyed the rain on the compost, it has saved me getting the hose out, I have been turning the heaps to get the moisture well, I am turning the heaps at the moment and feel the heat starting to build up. I try and alternate the dry leaves with grass clippings and horse manure, keeping the moisture up as the piles grows.
Bulbs: are available now and there are so many on offer to brighten up gardens after a dull cold winter. Bulbs are a good investment for a garden because they are not just a oncer, they flower and multiply each year and when you have too many in one spot you can lift a few and start them somewhere else.
Plant where there are gaps around shrubberies or maybe where a shrub or tree has been removed, why not fill the gap with bulbs until the new shrub matures. Along a fence line is a good place for tall bulbs like daffodils and jonquils because they die right down over the summer competing grass and weeds can be sprayed out while they are still down in the ground leaving the ground free for the bulbs to pop up in autumn.
Large gardens can accommodate clumps of bluebells which naturalise well in woodland areas, smaller gardens could control them by planting in a bucket buried in the ground with the bottom cut out, they seed well so heads would need to cut off after they flowered. Lachenalia look wonderful in large clumps as well, they look like small hyacinths and flower for long periods. Bulbs, as with all plants must be suitably located if they are to thrive. Although their requirements vary most prefer a sunny situation which is free draining - however many tolerate partial shade. most bulbs today are sold with a picture and planting instruction on the packet so you cannot go wrong.Tulip bulbs will be in soon to be
planted in May.
I have been planting out seed collected last month, marigold,hollyhock, foxglove, sweet peas, poppy's, sweet William and primula Have a look at what is seeding around your garden and either plantthem now if your garden is in a sheltered area or store in brown paper bags and plant out in the spring.
Keep dead heading dahlias, they will keep flowering until the frost cuts them down.
Take mulch away from iris rhizomes and let them bake in the sun for a while.
Don't be to worried about dead heading roses from now on if you live in a very cold area, the more you take off them now the more new growth you will encourage which may not harden up in time for winter. In warmer coastal gardens roses will keep budding up for a little longer yet.
Good old fashioned geraniums never let you down and always give a wonderful display over summer and autumn. Cuttings can be taken now that the wood has hardened, cut at a nice leafy section along a branch, remove buds and push into fine soil or river sand and leave in a warm spot. once they have sent out root spot them up and nurse them along over winter if you are in a very cold area and you will have nice new bushes for next summer. On the coast they can be planted out in areas protected from frosts.
*Veg & fruit*
My late peach tree is abundant this year and the peaches are sweet and juicy they do not all become ready at once which is helpful but when they are ready they drop to the ground and spoil so need to be picked
daily.
My pumpkins are doing their thing and seem to be growing before my eyes, I will leave them a little longer yet as they were planted late this year, I always wait to plant these when there is no hint of a frost to set them back .When they have grown and are not quite ready to pick when the first frosts come I cover them at night with frost cloth. If the pumpkin sounds hollow when you knock on it and it's stem connection is drying out then it is ready to pick. I sit them in a sunny frost free place for a time before I store them in a cool dry place.
Plant carrots, onions, broad beans, cabbage and spinach (cover cabbage with frost cloth to keep the white butterfly off, remove when it becomes too cold for butterfly.
Cheers, Linda.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 19th March 2011
More rain this week to make this the greenest Autumn ever.
The ground is so easy to weed and seeds are germinating fast.
This week I have had the hedge trimmer out because some shrubs in my garden have grown and grown with the warmth and rain. I thought it might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs.
Shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like buddleias, rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceonothus, forsythia, coleonema (breath of heaven) only if they need to be trimmed and shaped to reduce their height and width. they should always have this done while there is still enough growing season left for them to make new growth and harden off before the frosts.In colder areas like Kurow this trimming should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas you can leave the old growth on through the winter to protect the new shoots and cut them back in spring in colder areas.
I have also thinned out crowded camellia bushes, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through to let enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring.
Shrubs that flower on current years growth like lavenders, daisy bushes, hebes, rosemary, fuchsia are best left with top growth on them now until the end of winter.They will make rapid new growth when the days begin to get warmer, you will only risk loosing them if you cut them back hard now.
This month is the latest I feel to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's they need to have the new growth harden off before winter, if you intend to shape them be quick or leave them until after winter.
The rule of thumb is hedging plants such as photinia, box hedge, viburnum and tecrium can be cut any time during the growing season but I apply that only to here on the coast in the late autumn. Late spring and summer is a safer time in colder areas.
you can always tell when it is time to trim hebe's, if they are covered in flower heads gone to seed they need the spent flower heads trimmed off, if this is not done hebe's will get lanky, woody and look untidy. Once they have been trimmed plant a few tip cuttings, remove the bottom leaves and cut the top leaves back by half then plant into the ground or trays, keep them moist and in no time at all they will develop roots. Once growing pinch the cuttings back at least twice to get nice bushy plants.
Lawns.
This is such a good year to sow autumn lawns and fill in gaps in lawns. I have been spraying the flat weeds in lawns and applying grass grub granules to be washed in by the rain.
Vegetables
Gardens will be producing in abundance now, I have so much ready to use, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, and a new crop of peas filling out along with corn that may be too late to ripen now and pumpkins scrambling everywhere. I mention all this because you may remember the first full veg garden I grew for the sheep!! they cleaned it right out even ate the potato tops.
Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost.
Cheers Linda
The ground is so easy to weed and seeds are germinating fast.
This week I have had the hedge trimmer out because some shrubs in my garden have grown and grown with the warmth and rain. I thought it might be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs.
Shrubs that have flowered on previous years growth like buddleias, rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, ceonothus, forsythia, coleonema (breath of heaven) only if they need to be trimmed and shaped to reduce their height and width. they should always have this done while there is still enough growing season left for them to make new growth and harden off before the frosts.In colder areas like Kurow this trimming should be done as soon as flowering has ended, with the exception of hydrangeas you can leave the old growth on through the winter to protect the new shoots and cut them back in spring in colder areas.
I have also thinned out crowded camellia bushes, there should be enough open spaces for a bird to fly through to let enough light in to encourage the best buds for next spring.
Shrubs that flower on current years growth like lavenders, daisy bushes, hebes, rosemary, fuchsia are best left with top growth on them now until the end of winter.They will make rapid new growth when the days begin to get warmer, you will only risk loosing them if you cut them back hard now.
This month is the latest I feel to cut back natives like pittosporums and hebe's they need to have the new growth harden off before winter, if you intend to shape them be quick or leave them until after winter.
The rule of thumb is hedging plants such as photinia, box hedge, viburnum and tecrium can be cut any time during the growing season but I apply that only to here on the coast in the late autumn. Late spring and summer is a safer time in colder areas.
you can always tell when it is time to trim hebe's, if they are covered in flower heads gone to seed they need the spent flower heads trimmed off, if this is not done hebe's will get lanky, woody and look untidy. Once they have been trimmed plant a few tip cuttings, remove the bottom leaves and cut the top leaves back by half then plant into the ground or trays, keep them moist and in no time at all they will develop roots. Once growing pinch the cuttings back at least twice to get nice bushy plants.
Lawns.
This is such a good year to sow autumn lawns and fill in gaps in lawns. I have been spraying the flat weeds in lawns and applying grass grub granules to be washed in by the rain.
Vegetables
Gardens will be producing in abundance now, I have so much ready to use, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, and a new crop of peas filling out along with corn that may be too late to ripen now and pumpkins scrambling everywhere. I mention all this because you may remember the first full veg garden I grew for the sheep!! they cleaned it right out even ate the potato tops.
Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been, the warm soil will keep germinating and producing until the first frost.
Cheers Linda
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Gardening in North Otago 12th March 2011
Still moisture in the ground from the last rain shrubs and conifers an be planted now to get their roots started. there is time for them to harden off in readiness to take them through the winter without too much damage.
Take the trouble to find out each plants preference for soil and shelter. Remember some shrubs grow really fast, pick the right spot that will allow for shrubs to grow full size horizontally and vertically . While shrubs are small gaps can be filled with annuals or perennials like lupines, hellebore's or forget-me-not. which can be dug out as shrubs need more space.
The cold snap we had reminds me that the frosts will not be far off, although I feel our seasons are getting later so I am hoping autumn weather will go on for a lot longer yet, as long as the night temperature is not less than 10 degrees at night things will continue growing and germinating so keep planting seeds and get them well under way before the colder nights.
I have had the weed spray out again this week, I like to zap them when they are small and I have dealt to the couch grass which is showing its self through the pea straw cover I have had my eye on it and was waiting until it became long enough to spray. This grass cannot be ignored because it spreads really fast under mulch and weed mat and will pop up all over the garden.
Most gladioli have have finished flowering now and can be lifted, although I saw some still flowering this week .Remove leaves once they have dried off and store in paper bags (never plastic). in all but the coldest areas it is ok to leave them in the ground provided the site is well drained. if superior blooms are required for showing then it is best to lift them and dust them with protective powder. The blooms will always do better if lifted.
Keep collecting ripe seeds for sowing in spring, seeds like cosmos, sunflowers, lupins, marigold, poppies any flower you like which has gone to seed and pot up seedlings you find around your garden, I have an amazing amount of young seedlings of lavender, pansies, primula, hollyhock, foxglove popping up of
Stop dis budding chrysanthemums now, they will be doing their thing soon bringing wonderful colour to gardens.
Pick apples and pears now, pears especially need to be picked while still firm and as soon as they come away easily when pulled, they ripen well inside.
Keep feeding & watering cropping trees and citrus, blood & bone is fine for this and mulching will help keep moisture there.
Grapes need to reach their full sweetness while on the vine, but they will need protection from birds.
Winter veg in cooler areas should be encouraged to grow vigorously while the soil is still warm by mulching, generous watering and liquid feeding late beans con go on producing. Keep an eye on pumpkins which will need frost cloth at the first sign of frost if still not ready.
Cheers, Linda
Take the trouble to find out each plants preference for soil and shelter. Remember some shrubs grow really fast, pick the right spot that will allow for shrubs to grow full size horizontally and vertically . While shrubs are small gaps can be filled with annuals or perennials like lupines, hellebore's or forget-me-not. which can be dug out as shrubs need more space.
The cold snap we had reminds me that the frosts will not be far off, although I feel our seasons are getting later so I am hoping autumn weather will go on for a lot longer yet, as long as the night temperature is not less than 10 degrees at night things will continue growing and germinating so keep planting seeds and get them well under way before the colder nights.
I have had the weed spray out again this week, I like to zap them when they are small and I have dealt to the couch grass which is showing its self through the pea straw cover I have had my eye on it and was waiting until it became long enough to spray. This grass cannot be ignored because it spreads really fast under mulch and weed mat and will pop up all over the garden.
Most gladioli have have finished flowering now and can be lifted, although I saw some still flowering this week .Remove leaves once they have dried off and store in paper bags (never plastic). in all but the coldest areas it is ok to leave them in the ground provided the site is well drained. if superior blooms are required for showing then it is best to lift them and dust them with protective powder. The blooms will always do better if lifted.
Keep collecting ripe seeds for sowing in spring, seeds like cosmos, sunflowers, lupins, marigold, poppies any flower you like which has gone to seed and pot up seedlings you find around your garden, I have an amazing amount of young seedlings of lavender, pansies, primula, hollyhock, foxglove popping up of
Stop dis budding chrysanthemums now, they will be doing their thing soon bringing wonderful colour to gardens.
Pick apples and pears now, pears especially need to be picked while still firm and as soon as they come away easily when pulled, they ripen well inside.
Keep feeding & watering cropping trees and citrus, blood & bone is fine for this and mulching will help keep moisture there.
Grapes need to reach their full sweetness while on the vine, but they will need protection from birds.
Winter veg in cooler areas should be encouraged to grow vigorously while the soil is still warm by mulching, generous watering and liquid feeding late beans con go on producing. Keep an eye on pumpkins which will need frost cloth at the first sign of frost if still not ready.
Cheers, Linda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
