Gardening: What to plant in autumn

Citrus can be planted in autumn.

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We are, at the moment, having a splendid, settled autumn period. Not only are the days enjoyable to be out and about in, but it is also great planting and growing weather.

Long weekends give us more time to enjoy the outdoors.

Excluding some soft frost-tender plants, which are better left for planting in the spring, autumn is the best time for making new plantings for most trees and shrubs.

Planting in the autumn allows plants to develop their root systems into the soil well before the hot, dry summer months arrive again. New plantings made close to the summer months can often struggle to get established unless intensive watering is maintained.

This week, we are looking at a number of fruits that are good for planting out now.

Dwarf Grafted Cherry Compact Stella: Many know the compact Stella cherry for its bright red heart-shaped fruit and for ripening with its delicious produce around Christmastime each year. The tree is usually a reasonable grower, reaching a size of four to five metres. This can provide a feast for the birds if not carefully pruned and managed.

The Dwarf Grafted Compact Stella has a root system that is far less vigorous and maintains a more manageable size of 1.8m to 2.5m in height. This size is far more realistic to cover with bird netting, and it’s easier to reach the fruit, which has the same fruiting attributes as the regular Stella.

Blueberries: A much-enjoyed fruit, the berries are pleasant eaten fresh and may be cooked in pies, muffins, jams and hot fruit sauces. The fruit ripens between December and April, or even later. Though often an expensive fruit to buy, as garden plants, they are easy to grow and crop well in the home garden.

The plants themselves are quite decorative. Smaller growing varieties can be maintained to about 1m, but others will grow to 2m or more if allowed. Blueberry plants prefer acidic soil conditions like those preferred by rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias.

They should be fertilised in spring and autumn with both acid fertiliser and citrus fertiliser to give the ideal blend. For maximum cropping potential, plant two different varieties, which will increase pollination and subsequent fruiting.

If you are limited in space, you can consider growing blueberry plants in pots. They will grow and fruit well in reasonably sized (about 35-litre) pots and containers for five to eight years before becoming too pot-bound.

Citrus: Includes lemons, oranges, grapefruit, mandarins and tangelos, which are the best-known typles, and limes, kumquats and lemonade fruit (a sweet lemon hybrid) are also worth growing in the garden. Most are good tub or container subjects, which is useful when space for a fruit garden is limited. Citrus left to grow without pruning usually forms naturally well-shaped trees and produces good crops. Removal of dead, damaged or tangled branches is the main pruning requirement for the majority of citrus varieties.

Lemons do benefit from a light prune or trim just after harvest. Most citrus may be lightly pruned or headed back at the time of planting to assist their establishment. Pruning cuts should be treated with pruning paste such as Yates PruneTec Sealant or Grosafe Prune ‘n’ Paste to help healing and prevent infection and pest attacks.

A large proportion of good fruit is borne around the outside of citrus trees, so these should only be lightly pruned, if at all. Allow enough space for lawnmower and maintenance access. It is important to keep the area under trees clear of fallen mouldy fruit, which can spread infection back onto the trees. Citrus trees can be pruned at any time of the year, and it is usually most convenient to do so when the fruit is being harvested.

Raspberries: There are a number of varieties available, but one of exceptional quality is Raspberry Aspiring. This brilliant variety is a dual cropper fruiting in both summer and autumn. Summer fruits are produced on last year’s canes. Autumn fruit is produced on the top 10-20 buds of new canes. Aspiring has large dark red conical firm fruits with excellent flavour. It has been developed by Plant & Food Research NZ. This raspberry grows as a bramble on upright canes.

Covered with rose-type leaves, simple small white flowers are followed by luscious sweet delicate fruit. Aspiring is a strong and productive plant, which spreads fast and is one of the easiest of all to grow.

Feijoas: These grow and fruit well in Whanganui. They are delicious, easy-to-grow backyard fruit trees that require little or no care and do not seem to be susceptible to many pests or diseases. Feijoas are often planted for their multi-purpose attributes.

A good productive fruit tree, with good ornamental value, with red pohutukawa-like flowers and which acts as a hedge for shelter, so it can handle some coastal exposure. Feijoas ripen between March and June and grow approximately 3m tall - the trees can be kept pruned to a much smaller size if desired. Many varieties need to be planted in twos for cross-pollination.

Here are some good varieties for growing in Whanganui.

Feijoa Unique: Traditionally one of the most popular feijoa varieties grown in NZ because it is self-fertile. From a young age, it is a prolific bearer of fruits of medium size with smooth soft and juicy flesh and an early-season bearer.

Feijoa Dens Choice: Produces medium to large-sized fruits which are oval in shape. They have a strong aromatic flavour with a good sugar-acid balance. It’s a medium-vigour tree and moderately compact. Harvest between April and May.

Feijoa Sherbet: An early-fruiting variety (late February, early March) with very large fruit. This variety has smooth white flesh with a sweet, tangy flavour and a vigorous growth habit.

Feijoa Bambina: This is a dwarf variety growing only 1.5m by 1.5m. It produces miniature-sized fruit which can be eaten skin and all. It suits small gardens and is excellent for growing in containers, with its abundance of bright red Christmas flowers followed by delicate wee fruit. It has thin edible skin surrounding a sweet aromatic pulp bursting with flavour.

No need for a spoon. Mid-season harvest, April to May. Description provided by Incredible Edibles.

Figs: These grow well in a sunny, sheltered spot in the home garden. They like plenty of water and bear their heaviest crops when roots are restricted. Figs prefer heavier rather than lighter soil.

If left to their own devices, they grow 3 - 6m tall and can spread equally as wide. Fruit is harvested from late December to April. Figs are deciduous and bear fruit that ranges in colour from yellow through to green to purplish black.

Other fruits which grow well in Whanganui gardens include apples, pears, peaches, olives, plums, quinces, gooseberries, cranberries, guavas, kiwifruit, grapes, walnuts, hazelnuts and persimmons. And don’t forget - many varieties of citrus fruit.

For more gardening information, visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz.

Happy gardening!

Gareth Carter is the general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.