Gardening in North Otago September 24th 2009

That's more like it Spring rain and lots of it and very considerate as well with the clouds opening on us after lambing and the tailing.
Mulching roots to keep in moisture is worth doing when the rain stops. Cut up squares of old wool carpet and fit snugly around the trunk to hold in place with a rock at the join to stop it lifting with the wind. This will keep the dampness in for ages. It works on my worm farm, once I have soaked the mound the old woolen carpet is then wet and goes on top, it's always still damp underneath weeks later. If you can get hold of pea or barley straw this is a great mulch as well but I am pretty sure there is very little of either around this year.Layers of grass clippings are fine also along as the layers are not very thick it's all adding good humus to the soil and suppressing the weed seeds at the same time.Don't use saw dust as a mulch except on a very wet area, sawdust will rob the nitrogen from the ground while breaking down.I use sawdust on my woodland paths and top it up every year.

Some prunus trees have finished flowering now and will have put out branch growth already, If they are drooping too much and shading the garden beneath lift the branches by trimming them up to let more light in. Leave larger branch pruning until the summer when the sap is well up
I have been dead heading my early flowering Rhododendrons a little at a time as I walk past them, this way it is not such a chore. Once the flowers have dropped break off the what's left before it makes seed. there is a point where it breaks easily, once you have broken a few you will know where it is. All the new growth should go not the bush not into making seeds.
Also remove all brown camellia flowers if you have time, to keep the bushes looking fresh right to the last
As soon as your evergreen azaleas have stopped flowering feed them with acid plant food and they will reward you well again next year.
Keep planting up pots and baskets, they need to be planted when it is still cool so they don't bolt and go to flower too quickly, the cooler nights hold the flowering and they bush up a lot more than when planted in the cooler weather. If you want to hold flowering back until needed for a special occasion, plant them out now but keep them in a cool shady spot until you are ready to put them in the sun to bud up. I see tomatoes plants on sale, still early enough yet unless you are prepared to cover them at night even in a glass house. The nights are still not letting the ground warm up enough so don't let them go into the night with cold wet roots, this is only asking for fungus trouble and they will sit and do nothing until it warms up a little more at nights. Plant some small marigolds now and basil later when it's warmer around where the tomatoes plants will grow so they will be flowering at the same time to help keep away the white fly. Still the right time to get a veg garden going, and still no white butterflies around to spoil nice new plants. Seeds sown now are popping up quickly so get them in and how about encouraging children to help, you may be surprised at how interested they are in watching what they have planted develop into food.
Grape vines are fast making growth and they need water from now on, so this rain has been perfect timing for them.
Cheers Linda