Gardening in North Otago February 24th 2018

Such a lovely summer day today, Tuesday the 23rd  January with not a cloud in the sky and a gentle warm breeze following me around the garden as I worked keep cutting back. I am still filling the wheelbarrow time and time again with cut back early summer plants finished flowering . Cutting will promote a new lot of blooms, but remember to feed what you cut back because they need help to make the new growth required of them.

Roses are budding up again after the first flowering prune, it takes about six weeks from cut to new bud. I am still finding rust effected leaves to remove and destroy on some but see the organic fungicide has slowed down the spread. 

This summer is proving a challenge for rhododendrons, camellias, azalea's and hydrangeas, they all do best in moist soil so good soakings are needed to keep moisture up, mulch with un-sprayed grass clippings. Hot drying days have also really effected new growth on trees causing early leaf drop good soakings will also help with this.

Cut English lavenders back by 2/3rds and give a dressing of blood and bone, if they are too old and woody they will probably not put out new growth so take cuttings from what you cut back and grow a few new plants. Catmint and alyssum are also needing a cut back to encourage another flowering.

Seed collecting begins again and the sowing of seeds for colour during autumn and early winter, pansy, poppies, statice, calendula, primula, cineraria, alyssum and snapdragon will all get an early start if sown now into seed trays then placed in semi shade.

Lawns: All lawns will be stressed now,  weeds can be sprayed out with product at the suggested strength, If too heavy handed even the grass will be affected in this hot weather and please consider only spot spraying for the sake of the worms.

Fruit & Veg: It's proving to be a bumper year for both fruit and veg, sunny days with slightly cooler nights down here in the south and pollination good with warmth bringing bees and insects out. Corn, tomatoes and all in the pumpkin family are getting the growing conditions they love. Berries and currants were in abundance, apricots and early peaches are dropping from trees so I am sure there will be a lot of sauce and jam making going on.

Keep rotating root and leaf vegetables to get the best results, i.e where carrots have been growing, plant lettuce. I have just sown carrots and parsnips, picked all the board beans and replaced the spot with lettuce plants.  

Looking back through my notes the growing pattern of dull days over the last five years may have been broken, lets hope so. 

Cheers, Linda.