Gardening in North Otago 17th April 2010

What a great rain last night and so heavy, a few more nightly rains like that would be great!

We are well into Autumn now with seeds ripening all over the place on these nice sunny days, I am collecting some seed from the garden every day and also taking lots of cuttings.
These i leave in a bucket of willow water until I get time to plant into crusher dust, this is the very best time to do this as the days are still warm but not long and hot like the summer days that dry out cuttings. The cooler nights retain the moisture in the ground and seedling and cutting trays which means they can be forgotten about until the spring.
By then cuttings should have enough feeder roots to be potted up in their own individual pots to grow on ready for planting at the end of spring when the ground is warming up.
The cuttings I have been taking are, lavender, Margarette daisy, Hebe, hydrangea, choisya, geranium, roses, (always use a steam that has flowered) Fuchsia. These plants are all semi hard wood plants and should push out roots in no time.

Even though there is some moisture in the ground from the recent rain the ground is still very dry, so keep the hoses going and then when really soaked in get the compost and mulch on to keep it there.
Feed plants and shrubs that have been busting themselves flowering with blood & bone, this is good right now because it is not high in nitrogen which will only push new growth out and it's hardening off we are wanting from plants now to take them into the winter. All bulbs would benefit from a dressing of blood and bone as well.

Remove shading from glass houses now and reduce the watering, more light less watering for pot plants inside as well.

It is still possible to divide border plants and perennials or rock plants. In very cold districts by leaving the dead top growth on, it can be cut but spread over the clump and left. If you are strawing your gardens this will do the same job.

If you have small evergreen shrubs and conifers that need shifted do it now, as long as the root ball is not to well spread they should transplant well. Rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas can be shifted now as well.

Lawns have really picked up since the nights have cooled, they can have a dressing of lime now which will condition the soil and work its way in over the winter months to sweeten sour ground in time for new spring growth. Moss in a lawn is a good indication of sour ground.
Lime can also be spread around clematis, lavender, lavatera, dianthus, carnations and all herb clumps.

Keep picking fresh herb growth and dry by spreading out on news paper and leave in a dry place inside where they can be left undisturbed until dry enough to be crushed and stored in glass jars for cooking when there are no fresh herbs about.

The vegetable garden is holding it own again now that it is not being baked through long summer days, plants are sitting up again and growing well with out bolting. Leeks are available now for planting, they are planted laying down in a trench that will hold water to get them going, then they sit up and grow fast.
I planted some wheat in vacant areas of my veg patch this week, I will dig it in before it gets past the leaf stage and this will add nice humus to the soil.

Cheers, Linda.