Gardening in North Otago 27th March 2018

Gardening in North Otago 27th March 2018

A nice warm day or two this week with rain seeming never far away here in North Otago. Having spent time in the Waitaki valley last weekend I was surrounded by the beauty of autumn golds and aqua glass like lakes, how blessed we are to have this beauty on our door step.
We have the rakes and wool packs on the go again here collecting the bounty of leaves to turn into leaf mulch by layering lawn clippings, manure and water. Start on wet bare ground for moisture, ground warmth, microorganisms and worms to be drawn up through the heap to start decomposing.
Time to take stock of the garden and make 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 for me, seed is gathered when dry and the cuttings need to be 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 well grown shrubs, roots really take off at this time of the year and settle in before the frosts. I have been finding runners on 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, pot them up and nurse  over the winter. They will be ready to plant out when a pot is filled with roots in spring. Have a look around the bottom of climbers as well, jasmine, honey suckle and clematis there are sure to be sections rooted into the ground. While looking around the garden see what is there for the taking in the way of seedlings, I have potted up heaps of native seedlings growing among shrubs and many small seedlings from seeds germinated in graveled areas. 

Lavatera's and buddleias 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 from the cuts. 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. Further inland leave them alone, cover when frosts arrive but take cuttings now in case you loose established plants over winter.

Sweet-peas popped up for me this week, the winter will hold them back but as soon as the ground warms up in spring they will take off and be there for picking in late august. Sweet-peas are gross feeders, they do best in a different position each year. If you want them planted in the same place again 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 may die, they are one of the first plants to flower in late winter so 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.
I am now going to draw a plan for the big Easter egg hunt for our Grand Children and friends here at Rockvale gardens and will remember to keep Scruff away after he disgraced himself last Easter hunt by showing off hunting my bantams instead of Easter eggs!

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago 20th March 2018

More like autumn weather this week with still warm days, and then rain and weeds growing like they do in spring but if the hoe is kept on the go while weeds are small they wont get away on us like they do in spring. ( wishful thinking?) I am still cutting back heaps because everything is really tired now. Once I start chopping back at this time of the year there is no stopping me leaving destruction in my wake. Cut back, lift and divide summer flowering perennials and shrubs, remove seed heads from ornamental grass if you have not already done so, clumps will look a lot tidier. 

I have received a load of that lovely black garden mulch from  Alliance works Pukeuri, I find this perfect to build up my ornamental gardens and keep weeds down after an intensive growing season. I also use it around established plants in the veg garden and as layers on compost heaps. (too strong for seeds or young seedlings) Every plant, shrub, tree gets a dressing before pea straw beds the garden for winter. Inquiries to Gregg on 0272293215 

Ponds have been over heating this summer encouraging oxygen weed and slim to grow rapidly, I use a leaf rake to lift it out where I can get at it, the straw I put in the pond at the start of summer to help pond life broke down quicker than it should so I have just added more and also pulled out water iris as they escaped pots and seemed set to take over my pond. To re pot water iris line a plastic pot ( large enough to stand the top heaviness of the iris when tall) with sacking or even a chux cloth place a generous amount of gravel on top then some soil, a little stable manure, or slow release fertiliser granules, plant iris then add another layer of gravel. The gravel on the bottom and top helps to prevent manure or fertiliser leaching from the pot while at the same time weighting the pot down when the iris becomes top heavy. Topping ponds up often during hot weather helps to cool water and keep ponds cleaner.

Lawns Get new lawns sown now, the cooler nights and mornings are allowing moisture to remain longer after watering and a strike will happen pretty fast in the warm ground. For established lawns dry weather encourages thatch to build up around grass roots and lawns can become thick with it killing out good grass. If you feel your lawn is being choked by thatch this is the time to address the problem, a de-thatcher can be hired from our local garden hire business. Once a good portion of thatch is removed good grass gets a chance to grow strongly again. Scarification will also help remove moss and an added bonus is removed thatch can be added to compost heaps. Grass grub are on the go munching grass roots and leaving dead patches, treat lawns from now until May.

Vegetables. March is an important month for planting winter veg, prepare soil prior to planting with compost, general garden fertiliser and lime (only if needed to bring the Ph up), I add lime to my compost. Keep planting all veg seedlings on offer but as I'm suggested last week cover from birds and white butterfly, I had several punnets of broccoli seedlings grown from seed completely chewed off before I could get them planted!! Prepare garlic beds with compost/ manure worked in then left to settle until planting out in June, heartease (small wild pansy) ia a companion plant to garlic and onions.

Fruit: Weed, manure, mulch/compost around fruit trees while ground is warm. Citrus should be producing flowers and fruit well this season give them citrus food as a reward. 

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago March 14th 2018

Shorter days, temperatures up and down and leaves falling like snow as autumn sets in. but frequent rain is not the norm when we think autumn weather is it? However rain is keeping the ground soft and easy to weed.

We are still filling the trailer with the summer cut back and now leaves, a good amount of leaves are added to the compost heaps along with soft weeds, soft hedge trimmings and lawn clippings. Leaf mulch is a real benefit to soil, but as Gardeners we tend to rake up from under ornamental trees to keep grounds tidy rather than let leaf drop build up and break down over the roots of trees as nature intended. Bagging shredded leaves into wool packs or fertilizer bags along with layers of fresh grass clippings to add nitrogen and a sprinkle of water, (not a drenching) is a way to break down leaves without them blowing all over your garden.  Then In Spring, your mulch will be ready to add back under trees and to your garden. You might see a white covering on the leaves. this is a leaf fungus that adds to the mulch's nutrient value. The easy way to shred leaves is to run over piles with the lawn mower, shredded leaves break down quickly to a fine mulch.

Cut back, lift and divide summer flowering perennials as most are putting on root growth after flowering. Small sections with roots can be potted up to be planted out once roots have filled pots, you will have good success increasing plants this way rather than planting small sections with limited roots straight into the garden. Pot up sections of catmint, lambs ear, violas, primula's virtually any plant that does not grow from a root ball and increases in width as it sets down roots.

Keep collecting seeds, keep annual seed for a spring sowing but perennial seed can be planted now to germinate and continue making roots over winter. Protection from frosts will be needed while small through winter.

While working my way around I dealt to bearded iris's by cutting leaves back by two thirds and making sure the top of rhizomes were above ground to bake in the autumn sun. I have shifted a lot out from shade into sunny well drained locations. Iris's are well worth the trouble of growing and look wonderful planted together in their own bed enabling them to put on a grand display on their own. Propagation is usually 6-8 weeks after blooming when the rhizomes are divided leaving a chunk of rhizome and roots to every new division. 

So many spring bulbs are on offer now all need to be planted in good light apart from bluebells and snowdrops, both cope with dappled shade and look wonderful in a woodland setting.Tulips are planted in May. Ranunculus and anemone corms are on offer as well, they are very small and dried up when purchased but with a soak over night in water with a little liquid fertiliser added they plump up ready for planting.

Ornamental grass seed heads should be removed now,  pulling out with a rake head will leave grass clumps a lot tidier. Clumps can be trimmed back if getting too big or divided by putting a spade through the middle and removing half. Sometimes I have to dig the whole grass out and pull apart while standing on half.

Roses: If thinking of adding Rose's or more roses to your garden I suggest looking at rose variety books or going on line to make your choices then getting your order into Garden centers. New seasons roses will begin arriving in June and by ordering now you will be sure not to miss out.

Vegetables.
March is an important month for planting winter veg, prepare prior to planting with compost, general garden fertiliser and lime if needed, (I add lime to my compost)
Beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and silverbeet seedlings can be planted but will need to be protected from the white butterfly, shade cloth or strawberry net will do the trick and something planted close by for them to lay their eggs on instead like a veg gone to seed.
In colder areas seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are best sown in trays for planting out later.
Any areas of the vege garden not being used for vegetables this winter can be planted with a green manure cover crop. This will be dug in later to enrich the soil for spring and summer crops. Blue lupin, mustard or oats are good options. Make sure mature crops will not shade vegetable plantings.

Herbs
Parsley can be grown from seed sown now. 
Perennial herbs, chives, mint, thyme, sage, and marjoram can be divided and replanted. Basil, a summer annual should be harvested before the cold weather. It can be dried or frozen. I dry all the trimmings from culinary herbs now by laying out in a dry airy place until crunchy to touch then rub and put into a glass jar for my mixed herb supply.
Fruit
Late peaches, apples and quince should be ready to pick now, feed citrus trees with citrus fertiliser.

Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in North Otago March 6th 2018

How good has this growing season been??? just when I thought I should get the hoses out again Mother nature does it for me, perfect warm rain. 

Autumn should have taken a couple of steps back after being revitalized but colours are changing and leaves are falling as they should be after such a warm summer. 

My garden is really tired and bedraggled  now so cutting back is the only way to smarten things up and get plants and shrubs to push new growth and colour out before the first frosts. Petunias and begonias get knocked back after rain but if you have the time to dead head and cut back to new growth they will recover in the warm autumn sun. I have many new seedlings to plant out once gardens are trimmed back and cleared of annual weeds. I cut back what is there flowering and add the annuals that will take over once those flowering now are pulled out. Stock, statice, snapdragon, wall flower, and Iceland poppies are my fillers. I am still collecting and storing seed on dry days, have managed to collect a great stock of lavatera and delphiniumn seed, the lavatera I will save until spring but the delphinium has been sown and once up will sit making strong roots until planted out in spring.

Roses: Keep the rose dead heading up to encourage the last blooms of summer, it is 6 weeks from a prune to another bud which will take us into April, after that flowering it is best to not dead head, leave blooms to make seed which will help to harden wood for the winter ahead. Pruning and feeding then will encourage new soft growth so no feeding from now on either. 

Compost: I got a bit desperate for potting mix while potting up so have been adding compost to the peat mix, my ready heap needs to be emptied to make room for all the leaves to come. The other heaps are breaking down well with the heat and rain, I need to add manure and a little lime now while they are cooking. 

March is defiantly a great planting month with the soil warm and the nights and mornings cooler, newly planted trees and shrubs settle in well. There are a lot of well grown trees, shrubs and plants on offer right now in Garden centers ready and waiting to be planted. Gardner's further inland will need to read the labels to establish frost ratings before buying, if in doubt wait until spring. 

Spring bulbs can be planted now. If you have not already done so break up really large clumps as they tend to double in size with out you noticing and in no time a garden bed can become choked, looking attractive only in spring and dull for the rest of the year. I have often been asked the reason for spring bulbs not flowering after the first couple of years from planting, the problem can be over crowding, lack of adequate light as trees become larger and throw more shade during summer, but the most common problem is bulbs may not have not been planted deep enough. Spring bulbs need to be planted 4 to 6 inches deep, that's 4 to 6 inches on top of the bulb, if not planted deeply eventually when they do come into leaf and experience a dry patch during this time they wont take up enough moisture to come into bud.

Rake mulch off bearded iris rhizomes they need to e exposed to the sun for a baking now.

Layer carnation stems by pinning the center of the stem down under the soil while still attached to the mother plant with the flower end still exposed, roots should form along the buried stem. Once rooted cut from the mother plant and pot up to grow on before planting out in lime sweetened soil. This layering method can be applied to many herbs, plants and shrubs.

Lawns. 

After those baking hot days and a lot of mowing lawn growth starts slowing down from now on although, catchers will still be filling up for a while yet but don't feel you need to cut lower than usual because growth has slowed, a scalped lawn dries out faster and encourages weeds. Still the best time to sow new lawns while weed growth is slowing. The flat weeds I do come across now I pop out with the blade of secateurs before they seed and spread.  

Fruit: Late peaches, quince, apples, apples, apples and so many ways to use fresh apples, black sauce ( just like the bought one) have just made some, stewed apple, apple jelly, apple and quince jelly, apple pies, apple sponge, apple shortcake. Pick them, peel them and freeze them or the birds will get them.

Vegetable  Gardens will be growing new crops for the cooler seasons, leaf veg should not bolt so readily now and will not mind the days getting shorter and cooling and root veg seeds will germinate well while the ground is still warm. Second sowing of peas will be up, corn is picked and the pumpkins have out grown their space and just keep going, pumpkins can be picked before the first frost. Onions can be lifted once leaves have bent over, don't bend or damage leaves before they are ready to bend naturally if you want them to store and keep well.  Once dug lay them out in a warm place to fully ripen then store in a cool place. Root veg seed should germinate quickly in warm/moist autumn soil.

Cheers Linda

Gardening in North Otago March 1st 2018

Autumn begins: The wonderful warm ripening season, long shadows, low sun in cornflower blue sky's. ( At this mellow time of the year the poet in me emerges!!) I am still cutting back plants that looked stunning through summer but are now just tied and straggly like bush lavatera, mignonette, lavender tops, geraniums, they will all leaf up again to go through the winter, and still seed collecting, there are so many ready now, I plant a few now but save most to sow in spring. It is a perfect planting time for trees, shrubs, spring bulbs and perennials and annuals. As I have mentioned before buying  punnets of annual and perennial seedling now to pot on into individual pots will give you a head start on early winter flowering, some will bud up and flower others will grow strong roots through winter and flower when the ground warms up in spring. Try this with pollyantha, Iceland poppy, lupin, primula, wall flower, stock, snapdragon and if sweet peas are planted in late Autumn they will pop up and sit through winter to flower in August.

This month is said to be the best time to plant conifers, there are such a lot of different types on offer now and I consider conifers contribute to the bones of a garden. Tall narrow conifers planted in groups give larger gardens a vertical push and formality. Labels need to be read carefully they give the height and width for the first ten years, after that they do keep growing and should be removed if they start to look untidy, most ornamental conifers look wonderful for years and years. A web site with a comprehensive selection is ttp://www.conifers.co.nz , a good contact for those who like to bonsai.

It's difficult to think about Spring when Autumn has just begun but if you want that beautiful spring splendor in your garden after the chill of winter it is now that most spring bulbs are on offer, all that beauty sleeping in bags waiting to be planted.  Daffodils along a roadside fence line, grouped in a vacant paddock, under deciduous trees with bluebells and best thing is they can be forgotten about and happily multiply year after year. Tulips are planted last in the month of May.  

Compost:This is an excellent time to start building a new compost heap and get it heating up before winter. http://freshorganicgardening.com/learn-to-build-a-compost-pile/. The heating process stops during the coldest months so get one started now when leaves are falling and lawns still need mowing. Hen manure becomes too hot for heaps during other months but ok to add now. 

Lawns. This is said to be the best time to sow a new lawn,because perennial weed growth is slowing.The ground and nights are warm and dew helps with moisture so grass seed will be up in no time.  Water your new lawn early in the morning instead of during the day, between 6am and 10am, this will ensure that the moisture actually gets down into the soil and to the roots of your grass before the sun evaporates it away. For mature lawns aeration with a fork or a push along spikier is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your lawn healthy and happy and best done now, in autumn after your lawn has suffered heavy foot traffic and drought throughout the summer. If a lawn is chocked with thatch then the hiring of a detaching machine is needed.

Vegetables: That last rain was just what veg gardens needed and with the now heavy dew's moisture seems to be staying to benefit all the new planting. Keep planting in rotation, leaf veg where root veg has been and it is a good time to sow Root plants like Asparagus , Beetroot , Carrots , Chives , Leeks ,Onions , Parsnips , Shallots , Spring Onions.  When potatoes are dug they need to be kept in the dark or they will go green. I take what I need from a dig and leave the rest in the ground until needed. When the time comes for storing them there are products which will inhibit sprouting, but many gardeners avoid chemicals near food so I will once again mention a natural alternative with you. Layer the stored potatoes with sprigs of rosemary, sage and lavender, the essential oils given off by these herbs not only inhibit sprouting, they will also help to keep the tubers free from bacterial soft rots. 

Fruit: Apples, quince, plums, walnuts and late peaches so much at once! the birds must be overjoyed by their feasting and the rats / mice will be munching sunflower seeds and waiting patiently for the walnuts to ripen, I am sure they are pleased with the work we have put in to feed them!

Cheers, Linda

Gardening in North Otago February 20th 2018

The rain at the beginning of this week will rejuvenate gardens and lawns but I am sure the drop in temperature is having an adverse effect on Gardeners  as well as dog's, Scruff became like a drowned rat as he followed me around, looking at me as if to say why are we out here??? and then there is the wet dog smell once inside! I am looking forward to the balmy days back again as we slide into March.  

Parts in our garden  are really tired now particularly the long boarders although the plants there I cut back early this month are beginning to make regrowth. Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering then top dress with compost and some blood and bone to give all a gentle boost for the growing they have yet to do. To get superior blooms on gerberas, dahlias, delphiniums and chrysanthemums dead head and give fortnightly feeds of liquid fertiliser, remove excess buds from large flowering chrysanthemums they will be putting on a show soon,  dead heading all plants will encourage flowering rather than seed producing.  With rain and the now heavy dew's gardens should carry on producing new growth until the first frosts but as days shorten colouring and leaf fall will begin then the raking up season will begin!

Those  lucky enough to pile garden trimmings in a stock paddock for burning, be mindful of what is being left for stock to eat. There are a number of common plants that can poison animals and Children : Arum lillies, Calico bush ( Kalmia latifolia ), Daphne, English yew, foxglove, Hemlock, Holly berries, Iris, Ivy, Kowhai (especially seeds) Laburnum, Lily of the valley, Ngaio, Deadly night shade, Privit, Rhododendron, Rhubarb (leaves) Spindle berry, Potato ( green berries and green tubers)

Wrenching: I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer being shifted at this time of the year even if water was kept up to them, best to wait until winter when the sap is down, so wrench now shift later. To wrench is to dig down on one side of the tree or shrub cutting roots as you go, once all feeder roots have been severed pack compost or peaty potting mix  around them for new roots to grow into over autumn.  Untouched roots on the other side will continue to feed the tree or shrub until lifting in winter when plants are dormant. Once planted cut tree or shrub back by a third. However if you have no option and have to shift trees or shrubs a root ball would need to be as wide as the plant, retaining as much of the tap root as possible, the planting hole should be twice as big as the root ball, compost or peat added then filled with water before planting and firming in with a secure stake to protect the transplant from wind movement. Remove a third off the top and side growth then leave a hose dripping down into roots until you feel things have settled.  

 Lawns: Lawn weeds sprayed here last week are wilting away, even the Hydrocotyle which I thought was not going to succumb to the spray. I see where grass grubs are eating away at the roots of grass, mostly in the ground at the foot of trees night beetles strip leaves from, (Grass grubs turn into these beetles), lets hope most drowned during that last heavy rain, if not granules can be applied from now until May during the next significant rain fall. 

Veg: New root veg can go in now, board beans, french beans, carrots, parsnips and beetroot, if planting out leaf veg it would pay to cover from white butter fly and birds that seem to go for the small newly planted. So much home grown produce will be picked and frozen or stored this month, so reassuring for gardeners to know their fresh veg is fresh and safe from chemicals.

Fruit: Dig out old spent strawberry plants and discard, plants being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps. Transplant strong runners and keep the water up to them until they make roots. Apples, late peaches, nectarines, quince and grapes are the next picking crops then walnuts will be falling, SUCH ABUNDANCE.

Cheers, Linda. 

Gardening in North Otago 13th February 2018

North Otago weather this month is a Gardeners dream, cooler nights, still days, warmth and rain all trees, shrubs, plants and Gardeners should be thriving as I am with many trays of seedlings doubling in size daily and compost heaps breaking down nicely. 

Bob has had the hedge trimmer on the go here again, if you think something in your garden needs a cut back do it now, at this time of the year you can trim back quite hard if needed as the grow back rate is pretty quick. Even if the plant is still producing flowers, but you notice there are more seed heads than flowers it's a good indication the plant or bush is ready for a trim.

Keep dead heading roses and dahlias to get continuous flowering, I have also been dead heading lavender, catmint, geranium and cutting hard back bush lavateraand  buddleias, ( the butterfly bush) tall thin arching branches with grey/blue leaves and lavender, purple or pink long narrow flowers that will have faded now.

I noticed some potted annuals looking looking a bit yellow in the leaves, when I investigated further the affected pots had drain holes blocked or were continually sitting in water, these plants were drowning with no oxygen for roots. I tipped the sodden pots on their side and left them like that until the excess water drained away then added slow release fertiliser as nutrients will have washed away.  

I broke up clumps of spring bulbs a few weeks ago and got around to planting them out this week,  the tops had died back and they had dried nicely for planting in groups of 5. Spring bulbs should be coming into garden centers soon. Lilly bulbs cannot be left like that, they must never dry out.

Lawns: If your lawns were feed during the rain and have thickened up keep the blades up a notch to what you usually have them set from now on to give needed shade to roots.With nightly dew's back lawns should stay lush now through to autumn, if the grass grub leave them alone.

Vegetables: February is usually our hottest month but this year January scorched the ground first and with vegetable gardens being open to the sun they have suffered, dig compost, blood and bone or old stable manure into depleted  areas and soak well to bring the worms back up,  then let all settle until the worst of the worst of the heat is over before planting out leaf veg which will only bolt to seed right now, sowing veg seed would be the best option. Garlic should be harvested and drying by now, remember to put aside the best bulbs for planting on the shortest day for next years crop. 

Fruit: Can't complain about fruit not ripening this year, so nice to eat fruit straight from the tree or vine. Garden centers are ordering now so this is a good time to get an order for trees you would like to fruit at your place. Grapes are plumping up, time to cover from hungry birds.

Cheers, Linda.