Filling the garden's empty spaces

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 309, 17 October 1989, Page 16

Filling the garden's empty spaces

After having such a good clean up in the garden last weekend a good many empty spaces seem to be in evidence. Some of the casualties of winter will need replacing.

The wide variety of shrubs, rockery and border plants and

perennials now available provide a good selection from which to

choose to fill those gaps. A good choice for a smaller shrub is Eriostomen, an evergreen shrub. Very hardy, it grows about one metre in height and forms a compact bush. The sweetly scented white starry flowers seem to go on and on. Crowea exalta is another small evergreen shrub with starry white flowers. There is also a pink form of this. Boronia denudata, the pink form of Boronia is also very dainty. Will probably need a little

shelter from taller shrubs up here in the Waimarino. Coprosma 'Chocolate Soldier' is a good accent shrub. Quite small and compact, the leaves turn a rich chocolate colour in winter and make a good foil against the green foliage of their neighbouring shrubs. Two shrubs worth a mention

are the white flowered Leptospernum and the white broom Cytissus alba. The latter is very good for floral work. Leptospernums should be trimmed back to shape after flowering. Left to themselves they grow too tall and 'leggy' all the growth being at the top of the bush. Trimming them will help to encourage

the growth to thicken lower down the stems. If you can find Berberis 'corallina' it is a de-' lightful small shrub. Very compact and quite tiny, it shows a wealth of brilliant orange flowers in the summer months. A really bright spot in the garden. The dwarf Nandinas are also good accent shrubs, the deep reds and golds of the foliage in autumn and winter will provide good colour when a lot of the other colour has fin-

| ished. There is a good j choice of perennials coming along now • (Those plants which ' flower in summer and 1 die down in winter), and summer annuals for a bright display. Deserving of a place in any garden is the lovely Dicentra Spectabilis, commonly known as 'Bleeding Heart'. Lush green foliage and long sprays of flowers. Lythrum "Rose Queen' made a striking display in our garden last summer. Tall spires of rosy pink blooms standing erect and needing no support. This grows into a big clump and will need Turn pase 17

Filling spaces in the garden

From page 16 space. Liatris 'Gayfeather', smaller than Lythrum, can always be relied on to give a good display. Of ihe smaller varieties there are some lovely Aquilegias available this year. Two which captured my imagination are a delicate blue and white, Aquilegia Alpina and also a pure white form. Ideal for those shady places under trees or larger shrubs. For something a little different a lovely Armeria with much taller and larger rosy pink flowers, quite striking as a border plant. The 'cartwheel' perennial Dimorphotheca is quite a novelty. The large variety of the brilliant coloured rockery Phlox are really worth growing. These quickly form into a dense mat helping to suppress the weeds and making a riot of colour. A Euphorbia which is said to be hardy enough to grow up here. A pretty little thing, I hope our frosts aren't too much for it. The roses are shooting well now and now is the time to apply a good rose spray to dispatch all the greebies which will feed on the new growth and to control diseases like black spot and rust before they get a hold. Black spot is a disease which can winter over in the ground and usually attacks the lower leaves of the plant first. If you notice yellowing of the leaves with the telltale dark spots on them remove the whole leaf stem with the affected leaves and burn it. Keep up the spraying programme about once a fortnight and feed the plants with a balanced rose food during the growing season and you will be rewarded with a magnificent display. New container roses will be available about the end of the month so if you are planning a new rose garden now is the time to prepare it. Roses like sun but some shade during the hottest part of the day in mid summer and some shelter from strong winds, especially for standard roses. Dig over the ground thoroughly opening up to wind and weather, and light dusting of lime won't hurt but don't be too heavy handed with this. After two or three weeks dig the soil over again and add humus in the form of well weathered horse manure, well rotted compost, or in the absence of either of these incorporate a dressing of peat moss. Rake the ground to an even tilth before planting. A well prepared bed to begin with is worth all the additions later on. It is time to plant

your Dahlias. If you lifted them after last season and have had them stored in a dry airy place they should have come to little harm. Go through the tubers and discard any pieces which show hard tough wood without any growth buds on them. Dahlias like a sunny spot in rich loam soil. Add some blood and bone at the time of planting and give another dressing as the plants begin to show growth. I don't think I am letting the cat out of the bag when I tell you the Ohakune Garden Circle is planning to hold a Dahlia show in Ohakune sometime in February, so come on you Dahlia growers, give those plants a little tender loving care for champion blooms.