Gardening in North Otago January 18th 2017

And this changeable January continues, with spectacular cloud formations. I am liking the heavy rain falls keeping the garden fresh, but must be annoying for hay making. Some of my roses are still suffering from rust on leaves, there are varieties more susceptible to rust attack and I feel these roses succumb and become distressed when the ground becomes dry during strong warm winds. Removing affected leaves and destroying will help to stop the spread and a feed now with manure enriched compost and deep watering around the roots will keep roses happy. The summer cut back is still in full swing here in our garden, with the continual growth and with garden maintenance being all about keeping plants and shrubs under control cutting back after flowering is the rule of thumb. Hydrangea's are wonderful right now, intense colours, big healthy leaves and large full blooms, result of the frequent rains and overcast days, hydrangeas like damp conditions. Lavender is right for picking now, choose a hot dry day and pick when stems are strong but before flowers have opened fully. I have been bunching and hanging to dry in a bone dry place, any hint of moisture and lavender will rot. Drying takes a few weeks once dried it can be enjoyed just in bunches, or rubbed from the stems and stored in paper bags, (never plastic). Uses: add when filling wheat bags, lavender sachets for draws and wardrobes, use dried lavender buds in pot-ourri along with dried rose petals and other dried summer blooms then lavender stalks can be saved for putting on the fire to bring the fragrance into the house when summer has long past. Herbs are at the right stage for cutting and drying as well, so worth the effort to pick and lay flat on news paper or hang in bunches in a dry airy place for as long as it takes for them to dry out completely and become crunchy to the touch. Then simply rub between hands, remove stalks and store in glass jars. My mix is as follows: thyme, marjoram, mint, coriander, tarragon, dill, parsley, sage, small amount of rosemary and a few bay leaves. Seed collecting starts now as well, I select beautiful annuals and perennials and let a part of them go to seed for collecting when fully ripe then store seed pods to pop out into brown paper bags, so far I have aquilegia, poppies, dianthus, pansy, viola, and pollyanthus still waiting on delphiniums, peony, iris, and many more treasures. Fruit & Veg. Sill picking black currants to freeze for when I have time to process them, strawberries have been disappointing for me this season, I put it down to replacing old plants with new and will need to give them another season to preform. Raspberries have taken longer to ripen this season with overcast days and up and down temperatures and the last winds have taken care off thinning out apple bunches. The vegetable garden is doing fine,seeds are popping up in no time after sowing, my lettuces seem to be sitting waiting to be picked without bolting, the corn is putting on some good growth now but I find myself telling the pumpkins to hurry up as they and corn need a long hot ripening season. Keep planting all veg, seeds and plants (apart from corn and pumpkin) they should have been started before now. Cheers, Linda