Gardening in North Otago 10th July 2012

Brrrrrrr still hard frosts but really the lovely warmish days are worth the cold start here on the North Otago coast and the bugs that thought they could just cruise into spring will be getting a hurry up now. The most urgent requirement right now is rain! the ground is parched and my trees and shrubs are suffering especially camellias, rhododendrons and azalea's which will no doubt show signs of this in spring by displaying leaf tip brown off, this always shows up in the following season. All shallow rooted shrubs like camellia, rhododendron, hydrangea, azalea, lavender, Hebe, fuchsia and some perennials such as Ajuga Reptans and sedum need to be deep root watered when the ground is as dry as this winter. I notice my iris's are looking very thirsty as well so I have been using a watering can to apply fish emulsion fertiliser before each plant gets a root soak and a compost mulch for those that have not yet been mulched.
Some Daphne’s are in flower now and hellebore's, primroses and polyanthus are just starting to brighten little corners of our garden.
Primroses are so pretty they clump up well and in time can be broken up spread around to add colour to a winter garden. If you are at the stage of breaking up clumps, remove quite a few leaves on transplanting and keep the water up to them until they take hold, they will soon grow new roots to support them. Polyanthus and primulas will benefit from an application of Dried Blood to increase plant vigour and flowering
Under glass sow seeds of antirrhinum (snap dragon), carnation, calendula (common marigold), sweet peas, verbena and viola they should pop up and be ready to plant out in spring. for planting out in Spring.
Dahlias, gladioli, and peonies are also coming in this month and can be planted from now on in good draining soil, if you think there is a chance they would sit in wet soggy soil over winter they may rot, planting can continue until September
.If young trees or shrubs need transplanting now is a good time to do it whilst they are at their most dormant stage.
Remember to continue protecting plants like Margarete daisies and pelargoniums from frosts with Frost Cloth as a cover above them, not touching. I have Margarete daisies that frost on the top each year, I just leave the frosted tops on to protect the new growth beneath. This would not work further inland. It would be best to protect or nurse cuttings to be planted out when the frosts are over.

Rose pruning is still going on here in my garden, just in case you need reminding on how to tackle pruning.... make a slanted cut just above a strong outward facing bud.
Standard roses should be pruned to about 25cm above the main stem and bush roses can be cut back about two-thirds, leaving 3-4 buds on each branch. Climbers can go back leaving 5-6 strong canes. Secateurs must be sharp to avoid damage by ripping branches which leads to die back.

Turn over compost now if you have not already done so and add some moisture if the pile is dry.
If you still have leaves to Rake up why not fill large black rubbish bags,add a little water and leave to rot. Leaf mulch is such a natural benefit to soil which we tend to remove at leaf fall stage because it looks untidy.Rotting it down this way you can then add it to the soil and it will not be noticed

At this time of the year I make a few trips to the Waireaka sale yards to the Waireaka Valley Lions Club sawdust and sheep manure stand, volunteers clean out calving sheds and under shearing sheds to keep the stand topped up for keen gardeners. I use the calving shed sawdust on garden pathways and the sheep manure on the compost heaps, on the vegetable garden and around the roses when horse manure is not at hand. Sawdust can be used on wet gardens as a weed suppressant and it helps to absorb excess moisture, but never on dry gardens, it will dry out soil already not retaining moisture.
Vegetables
In land start raising vegetable seeds for spring planting in glass houses or under glass or plastic with ventilation spaces to circulate air and stop seeds going mouldy.
On the coast plant seedling plants that are now on offer along with garlic cloves.

Start sprouting seed potatoes, early varieties like Jersey benne, Cliffs kidney, Rocket, Ilam hardy, Maris Anchor should be sprouting now for an early planting.

Comfrey, it is such a useful plant and if you can get your hands on some I suggest you plant some root sections in an area of your garden where it can spread. Comfrey needs to be planted where it can send it's roots very deep down into the soil to tap into much needed nutrients. It is fast growing, high in potassium and can be cut back again and again. I have listed below some uses for comfrey around the garden.
Compost activator, add to your compost bin to heat up the decomposing materials and enriches the compost.
Put a handful of comfrey leaves into a bucket of rainwater and let them rot down for around 6 weeks to give you a rich liquid fertilizer for plants.
Lay comfrey leaves in a potato trench and leave for 3 days prior to planting the tubers to give them a potassium rich boost of fertiliser.
Use as a Comfrey leaf mulch around plants, by layering leaves around the stems of plants. Potassium will slowly be released to the plants as the leaves break down – Great for tomatoes, beans and fruit bushes.
Use wilted leaves as a nutrient rich Chicken feed

Gardening by the moon
FULL MOON
Saturday 14 July 2012
Garden:
Collect your seeds ready for planting into seed trays next new moon
Plant broad beans and peas into trays ready to transplant when tops are up.
Now might be the time to book yourself into a Bio Intensive Gardening Workshop? This workshop will equip you with the best information and practical experience I know of to get you growing in a way that works. It will teach you how to get the best results and in the most efficient way possible.

Orchard:
Look closely at the shape of your fruit trees and plan how pruning can improve them if needed.
http://www.koanga.org.nz

Cheers, Linda