Gardening in Waitaki 27th March 2024

We will soon be rolling into the cooling down. month of April but thank goodness days stay warm a little longer even if the nights and mornings are cooler. Autumn here in Waitaki is usually more predictable than spring or summer, a time to reap and sow lest all be lost to the frost. Growth here has had the benefit of good rain to keep things green longer. It is a good time to view the light situation around your garden before leaves fall, because of trees and shrubs getting taller and wider every year blocking out light. Note what trees and shrubs to reduce in height and width and which trees and shrubs to remove all together. Sometimes one tree or shrub will do the job of the two or three in one spot. Sacrifice trees that give little interest for trees close by that offer more, and shrubs that have grown too big in the front of a garden hiding what is behind need to be cut back, maybe wrenched for shifting later or cut out. I have at times changed the whole look of gardens by removing a few front shrubs/trees to let the sun in and then planting sun-loving plants. Here on the coast keep cutting back large daisy and lavatera bushes to encourage new buds that will flower over the next two months. Also get all hedges cut back now before frosts start, this will be the last cut until the new growth in spring. This is just the time to clean up garden areas that have been flowering all summer and to visit the garden centres to choose plants for planting now to bud up before winter, if planted while the ground is still warm to get the roots going they will continue to get enough winter sun to carry on and bloom. Suggestions: viola, snapdragon, pansy, polyantha, stock, calendula, wall flowers, sweet William and good old primula malacoides. Seeds of all plants mentioned can also be sown, they should pop up very quickly to be pricked out and potted into punnets to plant out if we have a mild start to winter or held over and protected until spring. Planting shrubs: If you want to plant evergreen shrubs other than conifers now is the time or wait until the frosts are over, once frosts start it is only deciduous trees/shrubs and conifers that will cope with the really cold nights ahead. Keep planting spring bulbs in the warm ground and Hybrid clematis are still on offer, the lovely huge blooms, deciduous type which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. This type are not as invasive as the Montana variety. They love being planted into warm autumn ground and are so pretty growing in with other climbers and scrambling through climbing roses that flower at a different time to them. All clematis like manure and lime. Strengthen plant growth by applying potash to plants, Potassium hardens up plant growth and helps prevent damage from winter chills. Lawns: Spot spray lawn weeds if they are taking over your lawn and apply sifted compost and gypsum to lawns if they are compacted ( a bucket to the square metre). the compost will improve the humus content and the gypsum will soften clay soils. If you have had a good strike with a newly sown lawn delay cutting until the grass is 7-8 centimetres high, set the blades high and avoid cutting when the ground is wet and soft. Veg: I have dug the last of my potatoes and stored them with a covering of herbs. Pumpkins can be left growing until the threat of frosts then harvested and hardened in a dry sunny place before storing. Time to dig up and divide Rhubarb crowns, mixing in heaps of compost before replanting. Sow: Spinach, Snap Peas, brussel sprouts, board beans and spring onions, fill the top of a shallow pot with spring Onions to have handy by the back door, start thinning when plants are still quite small, and pull them as they’re needed. Cheers, Linda.

Gardening in Waitaki March 19th 2024

My autumn perennial garden.

What wonderful rain yesterday which will probably keep autumn growth greener when ripening and drying is what is required in autumn, I am sure Farmers loved it, moisture down deep before winter. Cut back everything that has finished flowering, I need no encouragement in this area so the wheelbarrow has been getting good use. Once I start chopping back at this time of the year there is no stopping me from leaving destruction in my wake. Plants that get the chop: Acanthus mollis (bears britches), agapanthus, tall phlox, daylilies, damaged hellebore, hosta leaves, buddleia, honeysuckle, jasmine, abutilon, evergreen viburnum, alstroemeria, hebe's, iris and all leggy, gone to seed herbs. Iris: While working my way around I dealt with all the bearded iris by cutting leaves back by two-thirds and making sure the top of rhizomes were above ground to bake in the autumn sun. Shift any in shade to a sunny position. Iris's are well worth the trouble of growing and look wonderful planted together enabling them to put on a grand display on their own. Propagation is usually 6-8 weeks after blooming rhizomes can be divided, leaving a chunk of rhizomes and roots to every new division. Bulbs, Bulbs, Bulbs: To create a spring explosion in your garden plant them now, bluebells and snowdrops can cope with dappled shade, the daffodil family needs sun, hyacinths look great in either pots or garden, ranunculus and anemones are vibrant after a long dull winter and freesia's love a sunny warm spot as do all the other spring bulbs on offer, Tulips are planted in May. Over years of multiplying bulbs can take over garden beds so If your bulb clumps are getting too big offer some to other gardeners who I am sure would gladly dig them up and find the perfect spot in their garden for them or take them to our resource recovery park and from there they will find a good home. It's time to cut back ornamental grass, pull seed heads away with a rake leaving 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 to do this, then put the spade through and pull it apart while standing on half. If you are thinking of adding roses or more roses to your garden I suggest looking at rose variety books or going online to make your choices and then getting your order into Garden centers. New season roses will begin arriving in June and by ordering now you will be sure not to miss out. Herbs: Perennial herbs, chives, mint, thyme, sage, and marjoram can be divided and replanted. Basil, a summer annual, should be harvested before cold weather, it can be dried or frozen. Parsley can be grown from seed if sown now. Lawns would benefit from a dressing of fertilizer during the next heavy rain to wash it in to boost lawns before winter. Fruit: Late peaches should be ready to pick now and nectarine trees can have a summer prune. Citrus trees should be putting out new growth after heavy cropping, and feed with citrus fertilizer before winter. All fruit trees benefit from a dressing of potash around the drip line in autumn. Vegetables. March is an important month for planting winter veg, prepare before 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. A framework to hold strawberry net stretched over plants would do the trick. Any areas of the vegetable garden not being used for vegetables can be planted with a green manure cover crop to be dug in before it flowers to enrich the soil for spring and summer crops. Oats, blue lupin, and mustard are good options.

Gardening in Waitaki March 12th 2024

With nights cooling and days shortening it will not be long before the major leaf drop but going from my past notes trees are holding leaves green longer this year, probably due to the rain showers North Otago has been lucky to have received during summer. Low branches on large trees will probably need to be lifted to let more light onto lawns and plants below. Wisteria, jasmine, and honeysuckle climbers can be trimmed along with hedges and shrubs if needed. Rose deadheading will be the last for this growing season, roses will soon need to stop putting out new soft growth as rosewood needs time to harden from now on before the big winter prune, which means allowing spent blooms to make seed. Keep deadheading dahlias, petunias, and geraniums to keep them flowering through until the first frost, and continue to remove spent summer annuals so the soil can be worked ready for winter flowering annuals such as primulas, wall flowers, polyanthas, pansies, and violas. Fork in some compost and soak well before replanting. Be on the lookout for useful self-sown seedlings such as foxglove, lupin, cineraria, hollyhock, and primula malacoides, they can be transplanted now to settle in before winter. Peony roses are on offer now, they are worth planting with their big showy blooms taking over from the spring rhododendron displays, be careful when planting not to disturb the new shoots (eyes) forming. A peony root to be planted should contain at least 3 eyes that will eventually become stems. A root with only 1 or 2 eyes will still grow, but it will take longer to flower. Peonies are very adaptable, but they do prefer sunny, well-drained, slightly acidic soil and benefit from compost added when planting, they can remain in the same spot for upwards of 70 years. Peony roots should be planted relatively close to the soil surface; only about 2-3 inches deep. It may seem odd to leave roots so exposed, but they need chilling to attain dormancy and set buds. Lift gladioli bulbs now and store them in a dry place, if left in the ground they may be attacked by pests. Lawns: Get new lawns sown now, the cooler nights and mornings are allowing the moisture to remain longer after watering and a strike will happen pretty fast as the ground is still nice and warm. Vegetables: Good growth is still happening as long as the water is kept up, pumpkins and corn should be ready to harvest, dry off pumpkin and squash skins before storing them in a cool dry place. This is a good time for planting above-ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside like lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain green crops for digging in to add humus to tired soil. Cheers, Linda.

Autumn lawn sowing gets best results.

Gardening in Waitaki March 5th 2024

March is when seeds ripen and growth slows, it would be good, if able to slow down along with the growth and enjoy the mellow days.  it is time for the Autumn flower display to begin, autumn crocus has burst into flower along with nerines, chrysanthemums are budding and some spring bulbs are pushing through.  I spend a lot of time hand watering to top up moisture around plant roots while at the same time noticing what needs dead-headed or cut back, perennials cut back last month have already bushed up again to fill in gaps. I thought this would be a good time to mention the pruning and shaping of shrubs. Shrubs that flowered on previous years growth, rhododendrons, camellias, azalea, ceonothus, forsythia colonemia ( breath of heaven) only if needed can be reduced in size now while there is still enough growing season for them to recover before winter. In colder areas trimming of all flowering shrubs should be done as soon as flowering has finished, except hydrangeas leaving the spent flower heads on to protect new shoots through winter.Shrubs that flower on current years growth, daisy bushes, rosemary and fuchsia are best left with top growth on until spring. Caring for soil is important now after the intense heat and summer blooming this year, deep watering, and then the addition of organic matter either dug in or left as a top, mulch will help to condition soil in readiness for next spring. I wait until autumn leaves have been raked off gardens before I add the compost and pea straw cover that will take gardens through winter which leaves time from now until then to sow a cover crop like blue lupin, mustard, or alfalfa to add natural nitrogen to the soil. Dig in before flowering, or just cover with compost before a final cover of pea straw. Lawns. The grass grub damage will be showing up in lawns now with birds letting us know just where they are, I have decided to leave them for the birds to deal with then rake out all damaged patches and re-sow. Fruit: This is a wonderful gathering time, I am sure freezers will be filling with stewed fruit, and jams and relishes will be on the go. Vegetables: All seeds sown will germinate but watch the heat, I have covered my seed boxes with shade cloth to keep them from drying out. If planting out seedlings I would cover them as well to keep moisture in and white butterfly's off. Cheers Linda

Gardening in Waitaki 1st March 2024

Signs of Autumn are apparent now with cooler mornings and nights, wonderful warm ripening days as leaves begin to turn. Well that is how it usually plays out as nature navigates through climate changes. Planting: With days shortening and nights cooling, warm ground begins to retain moisture again making Autumn one of the best times for planting trees and shrubs to settle in before the coldest stage of winter. Always plant trees and shrubs to the depth they were in the pot or bag and stake well if tall. Seed sowing: As I have mentioned, March is the month to collect and sow seeds, hardy annuals can be sown directly where they will flower. A majority of the seeds I collect are stored for a spring sowing as needing to protect germinated seedlings through the winter can be tricky. Hardwood cuttings: This is the time to take hardwood cuttings, place cuttings in a water filled container as they are taken. Prepare cuttings by removing bottom leaves and cutting top leaves back by half. Push cuttings into river sand, keep moist and hopefully over a few weeks they will develop roots in the warm sand. Then rooted cuttings can be potted on into potting mix fill pots to sit over winter making more roots. Once pots are filled with roots cuttings can then be potted on into bigger pots. At this stage pinching tip growth back on the cuttings will encourage nice bushy plants. Bulbs: I notice some spring bulbs are pushing through which means it is bulb planting time, iris, crocus, hyacinth and daffodils along with any daffodil bulbs you need to shift. Bulbs require deep planting in a sunny well drained spot. Tulips and lilies can be planted in May / June. Hedges: will have finished pushing out this year's growth so get them trimmed well before frost's arrival to damage new growth, especially the lovely photinia red robin, if trimmed now beautiful new, bright red growth will be enjoyed during winter. Ponds: Warm water in ponds will be heating up especially small shallow ponds, warm water has low capacity for holding oxygen, so you may see your fish gasping for air close to the water surface. A minimum depth of two feet is suggested for the bottom of a shallow pond to remain cooler. If your pond has no waterfall or fountain algae is sure to grow as water heats up. A natural way to stop this happening is to add barley straw or barley straw solution to the pond, as barley straw decomposes it releases something similar to hydrogen peroxide (H202) which will eventually kill the algae. Fill a string bag with barley straw and weigh down with a rock. If there is a waterfall or fountain, place the straw where water will flow through. Top up pond water gradually so the temperature does not change dramatically for fish. Lawns. Grass grub damage may be showing up now in lawns with black birds letting you know just where they are, if it is a large area leave the birds to deal with them then rake out all damaged patches and re-sow. By May grubs will be too deep for birds or products to make a difference. Vegetables: All seeds sown now will germinate but watch the heat, I cover my seed boxes with shade cloth to keep them from the harsh sun. If planting out seedling plants I would cover them as well with shade cloth to help keep moisture in and white butterflies and birds off. There is time from now to sow a green crop in vacant areas of gardens, blue lupin, mustard or alfalfa will add natural nitrogen to soil. Dig in before it develops firm stalks, or just cover with compost for worms to take down into soil when bedding gardens down for winter. Cheers Linda

Gardening in Waitaki February 21st 2024

How good has this growing season been, warmth and a lovely heavy shower during the week. Gardens will be starting to tire now so dead heading and cutting back will smarten things up and enable plants and shrubs to push out new growth and colour before the first frosts. While cutting back seeds can be collected and left to dry in paper bags and seedlings that have popped up among plants can be removed and potted if in the wrong place. Fill in gaps with the lovely annuals on offer in garden centres. 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 deadhead, leave blooms to make seed which will help to harden wood for the winter ahead. Pruning and feeding will only encourage unwanted new soft growth so no feeding from now on Compost heaps and bins will be cooking well now, water will be needed to help break things down enough for a ready compost, I add manure and lime at this time. Cut back border and rockery perennials as they finish flowering then top dress with compost and some blood & bone to give all a boost. 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. I would dearly love to shift shrubs but I know they would suffer being shifted at this time of the year even if the water was kept up to them. Best to wait until the end of Autumn when the sap has gone down. However if you have no option and have to shift trees and shrubs before winter it would not be as traumatic if they were first wrenched to cushion them from the shock. Wrenching is when one half of the roots are dug around and lifted, then compost is added under them for new feeder roots to grow into. It is important to keep the water up once roots have been cut or disturbed. A tree or shrub will survive by being fed from the remaining untouched roots while at the same time the other half is making new roots into the compost in readiness for a shift later. Holes can be dug now while soil is soft in readiness for a winter planting. Lawns. After those baking hot days and a lot of mowing lawn growth starts to slow down from now, catchers will still be filling 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. The flat weeds I come across I pop out with the blade of secateurs before they seed and spread. Veg & Fruit Keep the water up to corn and pumpkins to ensure a juicy crop, they both need a long ripening season. Dig out old spent strawberry plants that have finished cropping and discard. Plants that are being kept for another season should have runners cut off now to preserve the strength of the main clumps. Transplant only the strong runners closest to the Mother plant and keep the water up to them until they make roots. Grapes are filling out now so keep water up to them and net covering will soon be needed to keep birds off. Late peaches, nectorenes, apricots, quince will be in abundance and birds will be feasting if not picked. Lawns. After those baking hot days and a lot of mowing lawn growth starts to slow down from now, catchers will still be filling 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. The flat weeds I come across I pop out with the blade of secateurs before they seed and spread.

Gardening in Waitaki February 13th 2024

Days start to draw in and dews return as we zoom through February and conditions for growing in North Otago remain good with warmth and the moisture in good measure. I am so enjoying the second year in my new garden, the Japanese style plantings on gravel are giving colour and interest in abundance while needing very little attention other than shaping. I planted a long, slightly raised picking garden which is now full to bursting with colour and texture with every shrub and plant finding its own space leaving no room for weeds. The delphiniums are in their second bloom, hydrangeas, salvia, dahlias, roses, gypsophila to name just a few of the back, mid and front plantings are creating a tapestry of beauty. I mention often the importance of cutting back cutting back plants and shrubs as they finish flowering, if not done and bees have done their job seeds will be forming letting the plant know it is finished for the growing season. This is most important for shrubs that make new wood from where seeds are ripening as, hebe's do. If not trimmed back after flowering a hebe bush will show mostly branches and full growth only on the top. February: is a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants. Why? Because by late summer soft new spring growth has hardened and cuttings are less likely to lose moisture from leaves. Semi-succulent plants like geraniums (Pelargoniums) or impatiens are easiest for beginners, but many common shrubs such as abelia, buxus, lavenders, fuchsias and hebe's have a relatively high success rate. The trick when growing plants from cuttings lies in keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots. Professional nurserymen do this by growing cuttings in glasshouses where they're regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Try the following: Take cuttings early in the morning, while it is still cool, choose tip pieces that are about 100- 150 mm long then drop into a bucket with enough water for cuttings to stand up in, cuttings can remain there for a couple of days if you are short of time. Work in the shade. Fill a deepish container with river sand or crusher dust, water well and allow to drain. Trim the base of the cuttings below a leaf node (which is where the leaf is, or has been, attached to the stem). Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top. Large leaves can be cut in half to further reduce moisture loss. Dip the base of the cuttings into hormone gel or powder. Use a pencil to poke holes in the top of the mix a 150 mm pot can hold about six cuttings. Insert the bottom of each cutting into a hole and gently move the mix back to hold it in place. When the pot is full of cuttings, water carefully and place the pot in a lightly shaded spot, out of direct sunlight, no plastic cover is required at this time of the year but check regularly to make sure the mix stays moist. After a couple of months, gently move the stems to feel if they are firm. This will mean roots have started. When roots are established the rooted cuttings can be moved into individual pots filled with good quality potting mix and fed with a gentle liquid fertiliser. Plant cuttings out in spring. Spring bulbs will be arriving into plant shops now waiting to be in the ground. A bulb comes ready-equipped with the promise of a flower and in its previous growing season bulbs do all the work of flowering then creating an embryo flower safely stored within the bulbs waiting for the right moisture and temperature to trigger growing. In all but the wettest areas, bulbs can be left in the ground from one year to the next, If soil stays wet for long periods (especially during cold weather) your bulbs will simply rot away, feeding once they make an appearance is the secret to ongoing success. Lawns are showing heat stress now, keeping lawn mower blades higher will help with shade and moisture retention for grass roots. Fruit: Feed citrus trees with citrus food and spray any scale you notice with winter oil. If your lemon bush has become crowded with branch and leaf remove a few branches to let light and bees in. Vegetables: Keep sowing veg seeds, carrot, beetroot, parsnip, spring onion, and lettuce because there is plenty of growing time left for seeds to germinate and grow. Seedlings being planted now will need bird protection while small. The tunnel house I tend has become over grown with tomato and cucumber plant growth, the cutting out of unneeded leaders has been ongoing from growth starting but still plants have romped while producing plenty of tomatoes and cucumber flowers which are now becoming cucumbers. Oh the joy of growing veg. Cheers, Linda