The Star: July 13, 2017

The Star 29
ardening
Latest Christchurch news at www.
Thursday July 13 2017
Flowers brighten the gloom of winter
.kiwi
NOW IN the depth of winter, we
are experiencing regular, heavy
frosts. Soils are wet and cold, winds
are chilly and we’ve even had snow.
However, the gloom of winter
is brightened by the appearance
of blooming azaleas, camellias,
early flowering rhododendrons
and early flowering cherries. It’s an
excellent time to plan your summer
garden as spring is just around
the corner.
It’s harvest time for those winter
maturing vegetables that were
planted in late summer/autumn.
Veges to harvest in July include
artichoke (Jerusalem), broccoli,
brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers,
carrots, celery, leeks, lettuce,
parsnips, silver beet, spinach
and swedes.
Continue to spread compost
around maturing vegetables to help
with excess water and improve the
soil. Inspect your vegetable plants
regularly for snails – they appear to
become more cold-hardy every year.
Where possible, prepare the soil
for spring plantings, digging to a
depth of 200mm and adding compost
as you go. Ensure it is mixed
in well.
Winter flowering annuals should
now be providing masses of colour
in your gardens and containers.
Remove dead flowers to encourage
continuous blooming throughout
winter. Flowering winter annuals
include; ageratum, calendulas,
cineraria, cornflower, nemesia,
pansies, poppies, primulas, snapdragon,
stock and sweet pea. Top
up existing plantings with ‘potted
colour’ annuals that have been
grown to the flowering stage.
Complete pruning of deciduous
fruit trees and spray with copper
oxychloride to prevent fungal diseases
reappearing in spring. Grapes
and kiwifruit can also be pruned.
Garden centres and nurseries now
have new season fruit trees in stock.
Plan your purchase carefully.
Part of your fruit tree selection
should be to ensure you have a
year-round supply of fresh fruit.
You can easily do this by planting a
few varieties that crop at different
times of the year. In warmer areas,
a variety of citrus are now ripening,
including mandarins, lemons,
limes, grapefruit and early oranges.
Last plantings of strawberries
should be completed this month.
Garden centres are bursting
with new stock of a wide range of
ornamental trees and shrubs. July
is a very safe month for planting.
Ensure your planting sites are
well prepared with the addition of
compost and have adequate drainage.
Pop in a planting tab when
planting your trees/shrubs to give
them the best start. Plan out what
and where you will plant. Check
the heights that plants will grow to
avoid overcrowding in future years.
July is probably the main month
for pruning roses throughout the
country as the plants are now
dormant. Don’t be afraid to prune
your roses quite hard as rose
bushes are increasingly resilient.
Spread fresh compost around the
base of the bushes.
One week after pruning, spray
with lime sulphur or a copper
compound such as copper oxychloride
to ward off fungal diseases
(do not mix these sprays together),
then three or four days later, apply
a horticultural spray to kill off any
overwintering pests (again do not
mix with copper).
Garden hygiene is very important
with roses so remove any
dead leaves or diseased wood from
the ground. Remove these from
the property as they can harbour
overwintering fungal diseases and
re-infect your plants come spring.
Don’t forget about your houseplants
in winter. Try not to overwater
them. Many only require water
once a week or fortnight. A light
misting of foliage with warm water
stops leaves from drying in warm
indoor conditions.
HARVEST: It’s time to eat those winter vegetables.
BRIGHT: Flowering rhododendrons should now be in full bloom.
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