Ref: 2834816 FAIRFIELDS 15x2 Ref: 2831941 BIG JIMS GARDEN CENTRE 12x2 www.taranakidailynews.co.nz Friday, June 11, 2010 TARANAKI DAILY NEWS 13 G ARDENING www.taranakidailynews.co.nz Pruning raspberries: a step-by-step guide with Abbie Jury and Lloyd Sorensen Photos: ABBIE AND MARK JURY 1 The timing of pruning raspberries is not critical as long as it happens before they come into growth in early spring. In fact, it is widely recommended that you start taking out spent canes as soon as they have finished fruiting in summer (or in autumn, for the twice-fruiting varieties), but it is far easier when they have lost their leaves and you can see what you are doing. In our experience, it does not matter if we leave it until winter – it does not seem to affect fruiting or plant vigour. 2 We grow our raspberries in a netted cage, which is currently home to some new pigeons who are undergoing six weeks of acclimatisation before release. The pigeons were less than impressed by our intrusion. We have a latched door into the raspberry cage, which is also home to two ringneck doves. They leave the raspberries alone, but we no longer get a blueberry crop. 3 Strong gloves, preferably leather, are recommended for raspberry pruning, as are sharp secateurs. Raspberries are an extremely prickly plant and you need protection. 4 This season’s new canes, which will bear fruit next summer, are red. The old canes, which are dying off, are brown and dry. Remove all old canes from the base of the plant. Thin out any weak new canes. Our raspberries are planted in a long row and the aim in thinning is not just to remove deadwood, but so you can move up and down both sides of the row for easier picking. 5 Shorten the new season’s canes to a manageable length – around 150cm to 180cm. Dig out any suckers that are in the wrong place. Raspberries are dormant in winter, so there is no point in feeding them until they start growing in spring. We will, however, mulch with a good layer of compost. 6 The prunings need to be burned or otherwise disposed of. We clip them to manageable lengths and gather them in a wool bale for convenience of handling. Like rose clippings, you cannot compost prickly old stems. Town dwellers may like to dry them and then burn them on a woodfire or put them out with the rubbish. Ours will go on the burning heap. Camellia lutchuensis In the crowded class of camellia species with small, white, single flowers, Camellia lutchuensis has a special property that sets it apart: the sweetest scent of any camellia. In fact, lutchuensis is the parent of the scented cultivars (some of which are better scented than others, but few are as good as their parent). While not quite into the heady fragrance of daphnes, lutchuensis has a lovely scent that can be easily detected as you walk past the bush. There is nothing blowsy or showy about this little camellia, but some of us like the simple charm of the creamy white cups that, at only a couple of centimetres across, are never going to shout look at me, look at me. The buds are also very pretty. It is best viewed in close-up. Added to that, the foliage (which is smaller than more common japonica camellias) goes a bit yellow in high light levels, so this is a plant for semi-shade or open woodland. It is definitely for those of more refined tastes – but what would you expect from a species native to Japan, that country which reveres simplicity in nature and gardening? It also occurs naturally in Taiwan, which is another island that has given us some really interesting plants across a range of genera. – Abbie Jury quote of the wee k Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigour and freedom of the forest and the outlaw. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)