Gardening in North Otago July 3rd 2019

Brrrrrrr hard frosts I heard while I was lucky enough to be enjoying milder weather in the far north for 10 days, how ever on our return found we bought the same temperatures back with us!  The most urgent requirement right now is rain, with  parched ground trees and shrubs will be suffering. 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 it was out with the hose again on my return. ( avoid watering late in the day, soil and foliage should not be wet going into the night.)
Polyanthus and primroses are starting to brighten little corners of our garden. Primroses are so pretty, they clump up well and in time can be broken up and spread to form a front boarder adding colour to drab winter gardens.

Breaking up primula clumps, on transplanting remove gnarly old growth and quite a few leaves, keep water up until they take hold. Polyanthus and primulas benefit from an application of dried blood.
Raising flowering annuals: under glass sow seeds of antirrhinum (snap dragon), carnation, calendula (common marigold), sweet peas, verbena and viola, they should pop up and grow a little during sunny winter days then really take off when soil warms again in Spring. I find carrying small protected seedlings through the colder months make strong rooted plants hardened to temperature changes in spring and early summer. (next new moon is a seed planting time.)
Dahlias, gladioli, and peonies will be on offer this month, plant in good draining soil in a sunny spot, if you think there is a chance they would sit in cold, wet soil over winter they may rot, planting can continue until September.
Remember to continue protecting plants like Margarete daisies and pelargoniums from frosts with frost cloth as a cover above them, not touching. If they frost on the top just leave the frosted tops to protect the new growth beneath. This would not work further inland, it would be best to start nursing cuttings to be planted out when the frosts are over.
Rose pruning is happening now,  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. Mature climbers will need old canes removed to be replaced with new strong canes tied horizontally against a wall or fence to encourage flowering buds. Secateurs must be sharp to avoid damage by ripping branches which will lead to die back. 
                                                                                

Compost: Turn over uncovered compost now, add 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 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

Manure: At this time of the year I make a few trips to the Waireaka sale yards for the Waireaka Valley Lions Club sawdust and sheep manure, volunteers clean out calving sheds and under shearing sheds to keep the stand topped up for keen gardeners. I use the sawdust on garden pathways and the sheep manure on the compost heaps, the vegetable garden and around roses when horse manure is not at hand. Sawdust can be used on wet gardens as a weed suppressant as it helps to absorb excess moisture, but never on dry gardens. 
Vegetables:  Start raising vegetable seeds for spring planting 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.
I must again sing the praises of comfrey, it is such a useful plant and if you can get your hands on some I suggest you plant root sections in an area of your garden where it can spread and send it's roots 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 some uses for comfrey around the garden.

1. Compost activator, add to your compost bin to heat up decomposing materials and enrich the compost. 
2. Put comfrey leaves into a bucket with a little rainwater and rot down for around 6 weeks to give you a rich liquid fertilizer. 
3. 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. 
4. Use as a Comfrey leaf mulch around plants, by layering leaves around ground stems. Potassium will be released slowly to plants as the leaves break down – Great for tomatoes,       beans and fruit bushes. 

5. Use wilted leaves as a nutrient rich Chicken feed

Cheers, Linda