Gardening in North Otago 1st July 2016

July has arrived and thank goodness for last weeks rain, still well down in the soil and so important for new spring growth.

With this winter continuing to be mild it changes the normal in winter gardening,

some good frost are needed to harden wood and there are definite signs of spring already around coastal gardens. Once plants have moved into the first stages of budding they should continue to bud up during the sunny winter days, camellias and rhododendrons are getting a head start and spring bulbs are well on which probably mean we are in for an early spring. Daphne bholua is in flower now wafting lovely fragrance around this garden, daphne bholua has the bonus of winter flowering and is a must for cold inland gardens having derived from Nepal's high altitude regions but unfortunately resents exposed coastal conditions.  Like all daphne's, bholua can get that wilting back problem if unhappy but still so worth while in any inland garden.

Dahlias, gladioli, and peonies are in Garden centres this month and can be planted now in good draining soil, if you think there is a chance they would sit in wet soggy soil over winter they may rot. As I have mentioned often, if young trees or shrubs need transplanting now is a good time to do it whilst they are at their most dormant stage. Remember to continue protecting plants like Margarete daisies,  pelegoniums, geraniums and small seedlings from frosts with frost cloth if in severe frost area.  

 

Pruning is still on hold here in our garden, with all that rain in the ground frosts should be not far away to harden wood for an August pruning.

If like us you are still finding leaves to Rake up why not fill large black rubbish bags, add a little water then leave to rot. Leaf mulch is a natural benefit to soil, we tend to remove them all from the ground at leaf fall stage because they look untidy. Rotting leaves down in this way will make them hardly noticeable when put back on the garden for worms to take down onto the soil.

At this time of the year I make a few trips to the Waireaka Valley Lions Club sawdust and sheep manure stand, volunteers clean out calving sheds and under shearing sheds to keep the stand topped up for keen gardeners. Sawdust can be used on garden pathways as well as  a weed suppressant on wet gardens to help absorb excess moisture, but never on dry gardens. I use sheep manure on the compost heaps, the vegetable garden and around the roses when horse manure is not at hand. 

Vegetables: In cold areas start raising vegetable seeds for spring planting in glass houses or under glass / plastic with ventilation spaces to circulate air and stop seeds molding.

On the coast plant seedlings now on offer along with garlic cloves. 

Comfrey: gardeners have long known the advantages of growing comfrey,  I been reading up on it again, it is such a useful plant and if you can get your hands on some I suggest you plant some root sections in an area of your garden where it can spread (away from ornamential gardens) and send it's roots very deep down into the soil to tap into much needed nutrients. Comfrey is fast growing, high in potassium and can be cut back again and again. I have listed below some uses for comfrey around the garden. 

1. Compost activator, add to your compost bin to heat up the decomposing materials and enriches the compost. 

2. Put a handful of comfrey leaves into a bucket of rainwater and let them rot down for around 6 weeks to give you a rich liquid fertilizer for plants.

3. Lay comfrey leaves in a potato trench and leave for 3 days prior to planting seed potatoes to give them a potassium rich boost of fertiliser. 

4. Use as a Comfrey leaf mulch around plants, by layering leaves around the stems of plants, potassium will slowly be released to the plants as the leaves break down – Great for tomatoes, beans and fruit bushes. 

5. Use wilted leaves as a nutrient rich Chicken feed if they will eat it,( mine will not, too well fed I guess) Liquid form added to their water should do the trick. If you would like some comfery root please contact me. Ph: 03 4349786 also pig manure for the garden by the bag will be available next month, fund raiser for the Weston School Girls cricket team to get them to the Nationals contact:  Loe 02703318214

Cheers, Linda. http://nzstyleforever.blogspot.co.nz/

Gardening in North Otago 22. 6. 16

The shortest day has been and gone and still there is growth happening here on the coast in North Otago, although I have noticed this week that grass is looking duller, and reacting as it should at this time of the year to the colder days and nights.

The lime sulphur went on the roses in the weekend which will defoliate them but I feel still too early to prune roses yet, I will leave until well into July.

I am sure further inland it is winter as it should be and rose pruning will have started.

Hellebore's (Winter roses) are starting to send up flowers, I removed all the old leaves from mine which really shows the pretty flowers off. There are a lot of hellebore seedlings growing around the main plants, I leave the very small first year ones but dig out and transplant seedlings from year before. These second year seedlings will take another few years to flower and will look best in mass plantings. Hellebore's like to be planted in damp soil and semi shade, they do wonderfully well planted around rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas.

Almost at the end of my mulch / compost now, leaving the empty spaces to fill with layers of leaves, manure, ready compost and soil. The garden is looking tidier with its cover of pea straw spread over a layer of compost. I had the hose out first soaking dry areas before it was all applied. We seem to be missing out on the rain that threatens on those short dull days and I notice a few plants showing signs of being too dry. Keep an eye on shallow rooted shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias, Azaleas and Maples they are budding up now so their roots need to be moist and well mulched to stop buds and leaves browning off.

Lawns:

The lawn mowers should be resting in sheds now but with the warm temperatures grass is still growing sporadically and leaves are still being picked up, a bonus for layering over leaves on the compost. Keeping off frosty lawns is best during the cold, frost and freezing months of winter grass goes into a dormant stage. It stops growing and relies on the starch stored in its root system to survive. While the grass may appear dead and need little attention it also is the time when your lawn is the most vulnerable to damage.

How To Prune Apple (pip)Trees

First, fruit is produced from shoots which are in their second (or later) year. One of the aims of pruning is to produce a balance (roughly half and half) between side shoots produced this year and side shoots produced last year, this will provide a crop of apples in the current year and sufficient shoots for next year's crop.

Secondly, when you prune during winter while the tree is dormant, this will invigorate the tree, causing it to grow more during the following season. If you prune during summer this will cause the tree to grow less during that growing season. Spring pruning has an effect somewhere between winter and summer pruning.

The first pruning should occur immediately after planting (normally June / July) - make sure you know if you have a one or two year old tree. The examples below show pruning starting at a one year old tree.

PRUNE A ONE YEAR OLD TREE

A one year old tree should be pruned immediately after planting - cut off the top half of the trunk with a sharp pair of secateurs.

Before cutting, make sure that the bottom half contains at least four buds or formed branches. If not, make the cut higher, above the fourth bud.

PRUNE A TWO YEAR OLD TREE

Prune from June / August. The light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third - see the thick black lines.

When pruning, cut just above an outward facing bud - this bud will then produce a side shoot in the spring which will grow away from the centre of the tree.

  
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PRUNE A THREE YEAR OLD TREE

Prune from June / August. Pruning is similar to the two-year old tree - the light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third.

Always prune to just above an outward facing bud.

PRUNE A FOUR YEAR OLD TREE Prune from June until August Pruning is the similar to the three-year old tree - the light grey coloured parts of the tree show growth in the previous year, this should not be pruned unless it is diseased. The black coloured side shoots should all be pruned by a third.

Always prune to just above an outward facing bud.

A five year old tree can be considered mature and the basic shape will have been established. Pruning should consist of keeping the centre of the tree relatively clear of growth, removing all weak or diseased growth and keeping the tree within the space available. Remember that apples will grow on wood produced the previous year, so always leave a good proportion (say 50%) of the previous year's growth.

Stone fruit trees should only ever be pruned in the summer months. This will help prevent disease and avoid fruit wastage.

I hope this is straight forward and helpful.

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago 15th June 2016

Nice mild days early this week were great outdoor working conditions for gardeners doing the winter clean up.  It is too late in the year to trim soft trees and shrubs but ivy can be taken right back. If you have ivy growing it really needs to be trimmed at least twice a year, it is like wisteria if you are too kind to it new branch growth will want to turn into tree trunks.

This is the time to remove trees and shrubs that have long out grown their youthful beauty and replace with a younger version of the original or something different. By doing this and under planting with something new and colourful, you can change the whole look of a tired garden.

If a huge gap along a fence line will be left with the removal of a tree or shrub, fill the gap with a section of manuka screening placed behind the smaller replacement plant, it will give the plant protection and once the plant has reached the desired height and width the screening can be removed.

I found lots of rogue trees and shrubs that the birds have introduced popping up everywhere while weeding, some which have grown in among shrubs like rhododendrons and camellias and have become quite established before I noticed them so stubborn to remove. They need to be removed completely, even if it means lifting the shrub if small enough because the intruder will just keep growing stronger each year and undermine the roots of the needed plant. Self seeded plants like hellebore, lupins, poppies, pansy, viola, forget- me- not and primula and can be dug up and transplanted or potted up to grow on, they will not put on top growth at this time of the year but lots of roots will be forming.

If you have pollyantha's left in the ground from last year they will have multiplied, and will be easy to break apart and plant out separately. Polly's love dried blood it l greens them up after transplanting. If you do get some dried blood sprinkle a little around camellia's and Daphne's if not thriving.

Plant sweet-pea's now to flower very early spring.

Roses: I am leaving mine a while yet to harden wood before pruning apart from ramblers, take out old wood if possible and cut back long leaders to encourage new growth. Some old ramblers are best cut back with a hedge trimmer if they have been established for many years. 

Lawns 

Grass dried out again this week with the north west wind, it dose not take long for my lawns to harden on top with those winds so have had to soak some areas until frosts start again to draw moister up.  

Vegetables

In the vegetable garden where green leafy vegetables and onions will be growing next summer give a dressing of 250 grams per square metre of dolomite lime. If you follow a regular rotation this will ensure that most of the garden receives lime once in three years, permanent crops like rhubarb should be limed every three years as well. In gardens fed with compost rather than chemical fertilisers the PH tends to rise gradually eventually making regular liming unnecessary.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago June 6th 2016

Gardening hours have been snatched in the last two weeks because of Nana duties in Christchurch and Wanaka.

Frost is settling in now as it should be to do what nature intends, deciduous fruit trees  benefit from winter chilling, and cold snaps turn starches into sugar in crops such as parsnips, improving their flavour. Frosts can also disrupt pest and disease cycles, and improve soil structure. If you have vulnerable plants in your garden cover with frost cloth that allows sunshine through to recharge the heat source for the next night. keep an eye on tender plants like fuchsia, daphne, borgenvillia and young seedlings.

Now that deciduous trees and shrubs are bare inspection is a must to spot any sprouting of new growth beneath the graft on a grafted tree, it makes all the difference to the look and health of a tree if it is kept to grow as it was intended. For many years now formal, deciduous trees are grafted onto stronger and more manageable root stock than their own. Trees such as flowering cherries, magnolia, silver birch, ashes and oaks. Any large well grown specimen tree bought today will have been grafted and sometimes the root stock will push growth out and up to compete with the grafted section. This root stock growth must be cut out before it becomes established. I have seen a few mature flowering cherry trees left unattended and the result is not good, a display of  beautiful pink blossom on one side and insipid root stock white blossom on the other spoils the originally chosen tree. I have also noticed young weeping specimen  trees with root stock growing straight up through the middle of weeping branches. Cull out all of these rogue branches now while trees are dormant along with all branches crossing over, don't just shorten a branch back because it will regrow from that point, take it right out, cutting on a slant leaving a short collar against the trunk. Prunus, (flowering cherry) crab apple and silver pear trees are bad for producing over crowding branches which tend to rub together encouraging disease if not removed. ( To avoid spreading silver leaf in prunus trees do this pruning in Spring) Keep equipment clean from tree to tree, wipe with methylated spirits as you move from tree to tree.
With the help of an arborist if needed, tidying up established trees like rowan, hoheria, silver birch, ash and oak. Tree's that really need attention each year are standard kilmarnock willows,these small ornamental willows are a ground cover willow species grafted onto a willow standard becoming a Man designed upright small weeping tree that nature had no plan for. Growing along the ground as it should the dead undergrowth would rot and break down but in the upright form each seasons growth dies and builds up under new growth. Past growth is brittle and easily removed by working under the new growth canopy. Attending to this annually is best, unwanted build will make the tree top heavy, two of mine fell over in overly wet ground.
Robinia mop tops need the same annual cut back, they have also been grafted onto a standard but these trees put out fresh new growth each spring so all past growth needs to be cut right back to retain the round growth habit. Weeping silver pear is another ornamental needing annual attention, don't let it get over crowded in the center and remove branches intent on growing straight up.

Vegetables

Keep planting out seedling veg plants, board beans, garlic and here on the coast rhubarb and asparagus crowns.

Those with glass or tunnel houses will be cleaning them out about now, removing all old summer produce, sterilizing and building up again with fresh compost. An old trusted sterilizing method is to use jayes fluid, derived from what is called, Tar acids or Tar oil, refined from natural tar or oil from the ground. It's not pure organic gardening, but although it will kill overwintering slugs, pupae, bugs and many fungal spores, it's not considered a dangerous chemical, nor will it affect beneficial life in soil long term or pollute waterways as long as weak solutions are used. Our great-great grandparents used it! Jeyes fluid is also used to get rid of any green algae growing on glasshouses and cold frames. Any slimy places or unwanted moss, tools and pots will be sterilized with a solution of 1 good tablespoon of Jeyes fluid to a watering can of water (roughly 2 gals). 

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago June 1st 2016

June already, with the shortest day just around the corner and snow on the  Kakanuis I am once again wearing thermals, gloves and woolly socks as leaves still fall and temperatures drop into winter. The rain last week was fantastic for dry North Otago and ground should remain damp now to boost spring growth slowly pushing through. Pea straw is still going on here to help retain that ground moisture.

Keep tiding up perennials that need to rest now, divide overgrown plants and plant rooted cuttings from the outer edges of perennial clumps, if you think the mother plant is past it's best dispose of it. 

Keep planting or shifting lilium bulbs, they should never become dry and are best planted in raised well drained gardens, as are early plantings of gladioli for November flowering. 

I see early roses on offer, the sooner they are out of plastic bags and in chilly air the better. The warmth of the packaging will have encouraged new shoots which will drop off as stems harden in cold air. Newly planted roses need pruned to out facing buds, bare rooted roses on sale are field grown and are all mass trimmed before lifting.

Root cuttings: If you've ever had problems propagating some of your favorite plants, Root cutting is worth trying to produce many perennial and woody plants, it is a straight forward process best done during the plant's dormant season between June and September.

Carefully remove dirt around the roots on one side of the plant, dig fairly close to the base of the plant to make sure you find healthy roots pencil thick belonging to the plant you are working on, take 2 to 6 inch cuttings and cut into 2 to 3 inch (6 to 7.5 cm) sections. 

To keep track of the cuttings top end and bottom end is to make a flat cut on top side, and a slanted cut on the bottom side. 

Plant in a deep pot, (frost free) with a little sand in the bottom of the planting hole, dust the bottom of each cutting with powdered sulfur to control fungi. Make sure that the tops of the cuttings are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the soil and cover with a layer of  coarse river sand or small gravel, water only when soil becomes dry.

For Perennial Plants.
It is usually easier to lift the entire parent plant, look for large fleshy roots, the thicker the better.Take 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.5 cm) cuttings the same way as above, then replant the parent plant and water in. In three to four weeks your cuttings should be forming roots, and some even may start to push through new growth,when new shoots appear give them some liquid fertilizer at half strength.
List of Plants suitable for Root Cuttings.
Figs, Hydrangeas, Choysia, Poplar, Red and yellow twig dogwoods, old roses (non grafted), viburnum Snowball bush, Weeping willow, Yucca, Aster, Bear’s breeches, tall phlox's, geranium, globe thistle, hollyhocks, horseradish, aster, Oriental poppies,Primrose, Rhubarb, Sage, Sea hollies, perennial statice, Raspberry and Blackberry.

Lawns; Growth should have slowed right down now, if you noticed your lawn was hard and cracked during the dry summer spread gypsum during rain or water in to soften and turn clay content into soil. 

Vegetable On the coast Sow broad beans, garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing much can be planted

Gardening in North Otago May 25th 2016

End of mellow May lands us into a new month bringing different gardening challenges with the start of winters chills.

I have had a busy Nana time in the past week and now need to play catch up in getting the garden ready for winter.

The ground should stay damp now but with if winds persist keep the water up and soak rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas as they are the shrubs that suffer most during a dry spell, Keep a eye on maples as well, if leaves shriveled too quickly during colour change it's an indication of root dryness give these a good soak as well.

Rose flowering is coming to an end but don't cut spent flower heads off, leave all types of roses to make seed and harden wood before the big prune next month. Have some lime sulphur on hand for a clean up spray after pruning, or before if timing is better, (lime sulpher will hasten leaf drop.) use on all rose bushes and climbers as well as the ground where they are growing to kill all fungus and disease remaining from summer flowering. Lime sulphur smells like rotten eggs when first applied, is safe for bees and is also the spray to use for the removal of lichen and moss growing on branches of trees and shrubs.

New seasons bare rooted roses should be arriving in Garden centers soon so if you plan to plant a certain type of rose or shades ask a Garden center to hold them for you so you don't miss out. Prepare ground now by digging in old stable manure or bagged rose mix. If planting a rose in the same place a rose has been growing, you will need to remove the soil and replace with soil from another part of the garden, disease is transferred very quickly from one rose to another. Bare rooted, winter planted roses are less likely to suffer from planting stress.

Re-pot container grown buxus  if they look pot bound, buxus  root growth is prolific and they don't seem to suffer from the removal of half the root ball, replace potting mix with new. 

Winter colour in pots, plant polyanthus, pansies, primulas and snapdragons, a few poly's in a pot is all that's needed to brighten up any doorway. 

Lawns; The recent rains perked dry lawns up but growth should be slowing right down now bringing  lawns to that tuffty stage, here in this garden lawn mowers will still be on the go until the last of the leaves have been picked up. Next time it rains have some lawn fertiliser on hand and a week after feeding sprinkle some garden lime over lawns for a boost before they stop growing. Keep in mind for next growing season, lawn grasses grow best on a nutrient ratio of 3 parts nitrogen, 1 part phosphorus, and 2 parts of potassium. (12-4-8). While this is an ideal ratio you may not be able to find the exact ratio in a lawn fertilizer, a close match will do.  If ground pH is below 6 on the pH scale lime will make a marked improvement in growing conditions come spring.One sign of a low soil pH is the presence of excess moss and weeds in your garden or lawn. Moss and weeds are acid loving plants, though not a guaranteed indicator, an excess of moss and weeds is a good sign that you should raise soil pH. Another sign that you need to raise soil pH is when fertilizer doesn’t seem to be doing its job. Acidic soil prevents fertilizer from functioning properly, so no matter how much fertilizer you apply, you will see little to no results.

Vegetables:  On the coast Sow broad beans, garlic, shallots and rhubarb. Colder areas nothing much can be planted without protection.

Fruit:  Bare rooted fruit trees will be arriving in garden centers soon, ask if they will be stocking required trees and have them put aside on arrival.

Ground can be prepared now for planting, choose an open, sunny position, sheltered from strong winds. Fruit trees will grow in a wide range of soil types as long as there is good drainage.

Plums and pear root stock tolerate heavier soils than most other fruit trees. Using good quality compost will improve water retention in lighter soils and improve drainage in heavier soils as well as improving fertility. Pruning of newly planted fruit trees will not take place until trees have branched. During early stages of tree development, the main goal is to develop the shape and framework which will support the heavy crops of fruit. 

Pruning: 

Apple: After initial shaping of apple trees, the only pruning necessary is the removal of excess twiggy growth. Apple trees usually produce fruit on spurs, (short stubby growths attached to main branches). They continue producing on the same spurs for a number of years. Pears and cherry fruit also grow on spurs and require similar treatment. 

Apricot: Prune apricot trees in late winter or early spring as the new leaves and flowers begin to open. During this period of time the tree is actively growing and the pruning cuts heal quickly. Newly planted apricot can be pruned soon after planting. Remove all damaged or broken shoots and limbs and all branches with a narrow crotch (those that grow up more than out) and all branches that are within 18 inches of the ground, Shorten last year’s main branches to about 30 inches.

Peach and nectarine: These trees flower on new wood made the previous summer,  prune hard to encourage new growth otherwise, fruit will be produced further and further out on the branches each year. Flower buds are plump while growth buds are flatter.

Plum: Plum trees produce fruit on the same spurs for several years. Once shape has been established, they require little pruning because excessive pruning can over stimulate tree growth at the expense of fruit. Remove vertical branching and water sprouts regularly. Look at a tree and it is easy to distinguish the water sprouts from the regular growth they grow straight up from the canopy branches and trunk and are thin and scraggly in appearance. A heavy hand when pruning may increase the number of water sprouts on the tree. When pruning plum trees in the winter only remove 20 percent of the growth from the previous year.

Cheers, Linda. 

Gardening in North Otago May 17th 2016

"What a difference a rain makes" late Monday it came and more than the usual skiff and on Tuesday morn our garden had a whole different look.
A heap of work was done here in the garden this week, my ready compost went down fast as autumn leaves and annual weeds were removed it got shoveled on thickly over beds ready a layer of pea straw.

I have been potting up well grown seedlings before the nights get colder, because they are straight from seed trays the frost cloth has gone on and will remain on until spring.

remove water trays from pots now, the soil will stay damp from now on and should never be waterlogged through out winter as this will lead to plant roots freezing and rotting.

This is a great time to make new perennial beds or re-organise existing beds, with perennial clumps increasing in size annually they soon over fill a space. Lift overgrown clumps, break up and replant some of the youngest growths from the perimeter. Healthy vigorous plants can be reduced by putting a sharp spade in where you would like a reduction then lift the cut portion out without disturbing the plant remaining. I have been doing this with asters, phlox, aurbretia, small grass's, hosta's, and herbs like sage, thyme and lemon balm. Rockery plants can be divided now as well. Once plants have been sectioned and rearranged cover the bed and around plants with compost which will encourage new root growth and help to keep perennial beds warmer through the colder months.

All old leaves from my hellebores have now been removed, they are budding up for a winter display so a fortnightly liquid feed can be given now if you feel they need boosting. Further in land it would be advisable to leave some top growth on to give frost protection to soft new growth, once hardened remove all leaves to display flowers.

Lilies, this is the main time to shift or divide old over grown clumps of lilies. Be careful not to break the fleshy scales and to retain all the basal roots. Don't pull the old steams away from the bulb as it leaves a hole where water can enter and cause rot, just cut old stems short and bend. Never allow Lilly bulbs to dry out while out of the ground, I plant lilies on a little river sand and cover with compost which has had blood and bone added.

Vegetables and fruit .
Continue planting strawberry plants, raising the beds where drainage is suspect and adding manure rich compost to the beds.
Garlic planting time, It is said to plant garlic on the shortest day but any time from late May until August is ok. Select large single cloves (plant point up) 5cm deep and 20cm apart in warm, well-drained sites where soil has been recently limed.
Having been such a good ripening season apples are dripping from trees, it is best to pick apples for storing when not too ripe and store in a cool dark place
Start pruning pip fruit trees any time after the leaves have fallen, remove dead or damaged wood, crossing or inward turning branches, excess leaders or sucker growth developing on the main trunks. Shorten back vigorous leaders by about a 1/3 to promote branching. Prune long side branches back to a weak twig to discourage further spread.

Cheers, Linda