The Star: June 14, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday June 14 2018 39
Gardening
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COLOUR: Brighten your garden during the winter months by planting primulas or sweet pea.
BEWARE: Be careful what you plant in
winter, plants need to be hardy to survive
the cold.
Warm up in winter by digging plants
AS THE first official month of winter, June
brings wet, cold weather, making the garden
a less than desirable place to visit.
However, don’t be discouraged; rug up
and carry on, it’s time for tackling those
winter gardening tasks (plus it’s a great way
to keep warm).
Vege patch
Add compost around growing winter
vegetables to help absorb excess water
from typical winter downpours. Harvest
any vegetables that are ready and continue
sowing seeds (directly) or plant seedlings
of broad beans, onions, peas and spinach
into well prepared soil. Old crowns of
rhubarb can be divided and replanted into
permanent positions around 60cm apart.
Rhubarb thrives on ‘rich soil’ so incorporate
generous amounts of compost into the
existing soil when planting.
Flowering Annuals
Winter flowering annuals should now
start coming into full bloom. They are
great for adding colour to dreary parts of
the garden or in containers to brighten up
decks. Try alyssum, calendulas, cineraria,
lobelia, nemesias, pansies, poppies, primulas,
snapdragons, stock and sweet pea.
Fruit trees
The best of the new season’s fruit trees
are now available in garden centres.
SKILL: When you are planting your
new tree, make the hole twice as big
as the container the plant came in.
Choose wisely and avoid any older specimens
that look root bound or have been in
planter bags/containers for a long time. Instead,
select vigorous looking trees. Choose
fruit tree varieties that will grow and fruit
the best in your climate. For instance, some
varieties such as citrus are frost sensitive,
and others like stone fruit need winter
chilling for fruit to set.
June is the main month for pruning
your existing deciduous pip and stone fruit
trees. Give your secateurs a good clean
before you start. For young fruit trees, you
want them to develop a strong structure
that will carry fruiting wood in successive
years. Older trees may require more
detailed pruning especially if they have
been neglected for a few years. Remove
old wood that is no longer producing fruit
and any overlapping branches or diseased
wood. Reduce the height of older trees to
make harvesting easier.
Planting trees
Planting during early winter ensures the
tree has enough time to establish a good
root system before hot summer months.
Think about where you want your trees to
go in the garden and what you want them
to achieve i.e. provide shelter/privacy,
provide fruit or be purely ornamental.
To plant your new tree, dig a hole twice
as wide and deep as the container it came
in. Add generous amounts of compost to
the hole and mix in well. Make a mound
at the bottom of the hole and place the
root ball on this to encourage drainage,
then backfill with a mixture of compost
and existing soil. Stake the tree for extra
support if it’s tall or prone to rocking
in strong winds. Mulch with additional
compost or crushed bark and water.
Garden planning
June is an excellent time to take a step
back and re-think any existing gardens or
plan new ones in preparation for spring
planting. Monitor areas where you are
planning future gardens for cold winds and
excessive moisture, as both conditions will
influence what you can plant in that area.
Use your outdoor living areas
all year round
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