Whilst winter is often a time for Gardeners to hibernate along with the rest of Nature, there are 1 or 3 jobs that it is important to carry out at this time of year to ensure the continued good health of your plants.
Most importantly, July is the best month to prune your roses so sharpen those secateurs, find your thorn proof gloves & get ready for action.
Wairere Top Tip: ensure you choose a dry day to do your pruning even though they are few and far between. Not only will you enjoy the task more, but your roses will heal faster with a touch of sun on the pruning cuts. Refer to our comprehensive Rose Care instructions for further planting, pruning and winter spraying tips.
While you are in a chopping mood cut back your Hydrangeas by at least 1/3. Making sure you cut just above a swollen leaf bud.
Fruit trees should be pruned at this time of year. Cut out crossing and overcrowded branches. Shorten the side branches (laterals) to stimulate new fruiting side shoots. Cut out any old unproductive branches and generally tidy. In case you are at your happiest when operating a saw of some kind it is important to remember to not reduce the total volume of your tree by more than one-third!
Protective spraying with Copper Oxychloride should be done just before bud burst so make a diary note to carry this out just before the end of winter. It is particularly important to spray Peach Trees to prevent Leaf Curl and other diseases. Make sure you spray the ground around the drip line of the tree as well as the tree itself. The drip line is where the further most branches reach out to.
Whilst we are discussing fruit trees this is the time of year to choose new fruit trees for your home orchard. At Wairere we have a fabulous range of well grown fruit trees, from the every-day favourites to the rare and unusual. There is nothing like the taste of home grown fruit. Don't worry if you don't have a big garden there are now dwarf and narrow upright varieties that can be grown even in the smallest patch. Many are suitable for container growing, especially Citrus. Our staff will be happy to assist you.
Deciduous Trees - Winter is also a fantastic time to choose and plant your shade or feature trees. They are easy to handle at this time of year when they are bare of leaf. Remember to stake well for the first year whilst your precious tree is making new roots. Wairere Top Tip for planting new trees: place the stake in the planting hole with the tree before filling with soil - this will save you struggling to get it in position and will ensure that it is firm. Always use a soft stretchy tie (like the balls of string that we have in stock) to secure the stake to the tree. This should be removed after approximately 12 - 18 months.
Perennials - Towards the end of winter practice slug and snail control on emerging Hosta leaves. If you are a lover of Bearded Irises (and why wouldn't you be) these will benefit from a side dressing of lime in winter. Hellebore clumps should now be in bud and flower. These exquisite perennials are definitely in our top 10 and for me make winter gardening worthwhile. Any old manky foliage from the previous season should be cut off the clumps at this time to make the most of the flowers. If you don't already have Hellebores in your garden then now is the time to make your colour choice and ensure you have the pleasure of their welcome flowers next winter.
Daffodils and Jonquils should be starting to make a show. Remove any spent flower heads but remember to leave the foliage until it dies down at the end of spring. If it gets in the way of emerging plants or just looks lanky, you can gather the filiage together in a bunch and tie a knot in it at ground level. The reason for leaving the foliage on whilst it dies is so that it can feed the bulb and fatten it with nutrients for next year's show.
Container Plants can be kept healthy with regular liquid feeding at this time of the year. Any that are slightly frost tender or don't like being water-logged should be placed in a sheltered warm position. If you don't have many flowers in the garden it's not too late to fill a container with Polyanthus, Primulas, Pansies etc. Along with Cyclamens, these are certainly worth considering to brighten a dull winter day. Place containers at the front door, on the outdoor table or on the deck in a sheltered position.
Winter delights - Though this is a quieter time in the garden there are still many flowering plants to tantalize your senses at this time of year. It is well worth popping along to the nursery to see what is in flower. Plant now for immediate satisfaction and look forward to a winter wonderland next year.
Check out:
-Camellia varieties - long flowering period and so easy to grow
-Chaenomeles japonica - flowering ornamental quince
-Chimonanthus praecox - Winter Sweet smells so good, great for picking
-Daphne odora - a must have for winter perfume
-Gordonia axillaris & yunnanensis - related to the Camellia, white flowers
-Hellebores - Winter Rose, invaluable for winter colour
-Viburnum tinus varieties - evergreen shrubs with very pretty flowers
Once you've done all that, make yourself a nice hot cuppa, give yourself a pat on the back, put your feet up and remember that old Chinese proverb - "He who plants a garden plants happiness"
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