Gardening in North Otago 3rd February 2011

February already, where did January go?
The strong winds we have been experiencing here in North Otago have left us with the dry summer ground we are accustomed to, my hoses have been working overtime and the rain has been only teasing plants.
The first of the seeds I left to fall from spring flowering plants are up, I will wait until perennials are stronger, another week or two and then transplant them into trays then sit them in the shade to keep growing and probably plant them out at the end of next winter. Have a look around plants that have dropped seed in your garden and you will find nice little seedlings of pansies, viola, marigolds, hellebore's, sweet William and aquilegias to name a few.
Seeded annuals can be planted out as soon as they are big enough,they should flower over Autumn.
I have been cutting back the early summer flowering plants like bush lavateras, buddleia, geranium, astrantha and lupins they will bush up again in no time and refill gaps.
Take the seed heads off anything that you do not want to spread, that goes for weeds as well, make sure you whack the seed heads off until you have time to deal with them.
Keep trimming hedges as they put on soft new growth and either compost the trimmings or scatter them around the garden, they are soft enough to break down at this time of the year.
Hydrangeas are looking lovely right now, i have been taking hard wood cuttings of one or two that I need more of. Select a stem that has flowered and cut at a node just before a new shoot, this would be the flower for next year. Push the cuttings into some firm, damp shady ground where they will not be disturbed and place a pot with drainage holes over the top of them. Forget about them until they start to shoot after the frosts then pot them up and get them big enough to plant out in the late spring, early summer.

Give roses a dressing of manure or blood and bone now as they will be ready for a boost after their first long flowering and keep the dead heading up to encourage flowering.

Give lavenders a hair cut now before they make seed, they will flower again, same for catnip I cut mine back twice during their flowering season.
Lawns
its grass grub time again, they are most active from February to May. There are products that can be shaken on and watered on both need watered in well like powdered fertiliser so when it is raining or about to rain is the best time. The grubs feed on the grass roots and leave dead patches of grass on lawns, once the dead grass patch is visible they will have moved on to another area of the lawn so concentrate on the unaffected areas
Vegetable / Fruit
Trim back all leaders on grape vines, this will put the new growth into only the fruit which should be plumping up now.
The strong winds have been hard on fruit trees and bushes, fruit is blown off before ready and needed moisture is sucked out of the ground.
I have been watering in blood and bone, anything too rich in nitrogen will only encourage more leaf growth.
A lot of my leaf veg has bolted before it was used in the last month, the hens at least are happy!
Keep sowing root veg seed and peas, beans and lettuce there is heaps of growing time still ahead of us.

Cheers, Linda