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Tuesday April 28 2015
SELWYN TIMES
GARDENING
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Tasks for the cooler temperatures
There is always plenty to do in the winter garden and it’s a much more pleasant time to be working outdoors than during the heat. Here are some timely tasks for winter: Lawn care in winter Grasses will stay a better green if they are fed with a good quality lawn fertiliser. Many weeds establish themselves in the lawn when it’s weakened by cold. Examples are Onehunga weed, cotula, clover, hydrocotyle and creeping oxalis. Moss in lawns can be spot sprayed. Winter’s the ideal time to lime the lawn to keep the soil sweet and the grasses happy. Winter pest and disease control Treat caterpillars on winter veges with low toxic sprays. Check for borers in trees. Clear away debris and spray exposed holes. Spray deciduous plants with lime sulphur after their leaves fall. This helps clean up fungal spores and some insect pests. Do the same (lime sulphur) to roses immediately after pruning. Watch for aphids on new growth in late winter. Winter pruning tips Cut out old canes from multiplestemmed plants like abelia and buddleia. Prune deciduous plants (such as crepe myrtles). Don’t, however, prune spring bloomers or you’ll prevent
SWEET: Fertilise your lawn to enrich its colour. Right: Camelias prefer an acidic soil them from flowering in spring. In late winter cut back gardenias and hibiscus. Prune most roses in mid-to-late winter. Prune hydrangeas but only cut the stems that have flowered. Camelia season Winter is the height of camel-
Autumn Tidy Up This month is a great time to focus on getting everything tidied up for the winter months ahead. Here are some tasks that can be done now: Rake up leaves off the lawn and pathways
lia season and the camellia that is best-loved by traditionalists is the japonica camellia. There are more than 200 named varieties of japonica camellias with blooms in shades of pink, white and red. How to grow japonica camellias Japonicas need light shade to
flower and grow well. In full sunlight their leaves will burn and the flowers will be very short-lived. Try to choose a spot that receives dappled light but is protected from the early morning sun. Sun striking the buds in the morning can contribute to a problem called
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GardEninG
Treat paths for moss and slime so they aren’t so slippery and dangerous
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Roll up and store away hoses so they don’t get damaged by frosts
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Send your mower in to get the blades sharpened
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Sharpen the blades on your loppers and secateurs
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Pull out any summer annuals and dig over the ground
Tend to any areas that pool in winter Make a bird feeder – the birds will love you for it! Handy tip If the soil is too wet, don’t work on it. This will cause more damage than good. Just leave it until it dries up a bit!
balling which means that the flowers fail to open. Soil for camellias Camellias prefer an acidic soil that contains plenty of organic matter. A mixture of old leaves and milled cow manure can be dug into the soil before planting.
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