The Home Garden

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 10 (Supplement)

The Home Garden

By KEPOS

FLOWERS Where black spot has appeared among the roses, collect all the fallen leaves and burn them. Spray she soil around the plants with Bordeaux. ' Make a sowing of winter sweet peas without delay either in the open ground or in boxes. Sow Iceland poppies, primula, pansies and stocks for spring bloom. Sow anemone and ranunculus in prepared beds. Shade will be required from strong sunlight. Plant lachenalias, freesias and early-flowering bulbs. Remove all the faded flowers from beds and borders and apply a little fertiliser to stimulate another crop of bloom. Mulch the chrysanthemum bed to retain the moisture. Spray with Bordeaux where there is danger of rust. The Greenhouse Early - flowering hippeastrums have- now completed their growth and should be exposed to the sun to ripen the bulbs. Give plenty of ventilation to houses containing begonias and gloxinias; a close, moist atmosphere will cause damping and mildew. Pot up the old corms of cyclamen that are: showing renewed growth and make a sowing of seed, for next season. Plants of primulas for winter flower should be potted on ' before becoming root bound. Calceolaria seedlings should be kept in cool! conditions; watch careful- for greenfly, to which these plants are subject. Zonale geraniums intended for winter flower should now have their last pinching.

Working, Guide for the Week

VEGETABLE Mildew is appearing among the late peas and spraying will be advisable; one ounce of liver of sulphur in three gahons of water. Sow turnips, swedes, spinach and short carrots. Plant out cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli for autumn and winter. Make a sowing of corn salad and endive. Keep up a supply of lettuce by frequent sowings. Globe artichokes may be cut down when the heads are used; clear the beds of weeds and decaying foliage. Make a sowing of black Spanish radish for winter use. Sow a pinch of the red cabbage for pickling purposes. Sow down vacant plots with green crops for digging in later. The Orchard Where the strawberry beds are to be kept for another year, remove all the runners as soon as they appear and keep the beds clean. The new shoots selected for loganberry and other bramble fruits should be loosely tied in and the remainder cut out. Autumn-fruiting raspberries should be kept well supplied with moisture. The colour and flavour of black grapes are improved by partial shade; do not remove too much foliage in the vinery. Tomatoes should be sprayed with arsenate of lead to prevent the caterpillar and also the second brood of the stem borer. Shorten the long growths of plums to half way now.