THE GARDEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 130, 14 March 1936, Page 3

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE. t (Written for the “Guardian’’ by J. A. McPherson, N.D.H., N.Z.) Before busy days set in take the opportunity to repair and clean dow and watch that the seedlings are not eaten by woodhee and m Pot on Cinerarias and Primulas into larger pots. Keep them tan y co “' ■ Repot old conns of Cyclamen and pot on young seedlings. They like mi and rubble in the soil. , Bring Poinsettias indoors, top-diess, and give gentle heat. . Reduce gradually the water given to Cacti and Succulent plants. Most oi them partially rest during the wmtei Feed Begonias and Fuchsias if the, are to be kept in flower. Reduce the amount of water given to Streptocarpus, but do not dry them oh and Iceland Poppy SG As ’ Coleus become scraggy, take the tip cuttings and insert in pots o sandy soil. Heat is required to stake them and tide them over the wmtei Rio- a pit or erect a wire framework and prepare for the storage of leaves. Last year’s leaf heap should be wateied and turned over. , , , , Last year’s compost heap should bo turned, given an airing and a dusting of lime (do not lime where ericaceous plants are to be mulched). Commence to plant bulbs m grassland and sort out hyacinths and tulips ready for planting. All early flowering bulbs such as Snowdrops* Grape Hyacinths, and Crocuses should be planted as soon as possible. Prepare areas for new lawns, but do not sow until the ground has had a soaking rain. Label all Dahlias, etc., before the tops die down, names cannot always be carried in one’s memory. Clear away spent annuals used as fillings in the herbaceous border and tie up autumn blooming plants. As lily stems commence to die down, the bulbs can be lifted and replanted if over-crowded. It is necessary to lift them each season. Do not leave lilies out of the ground a day longer than can ho helped. After the next shower plant out Brompton and East Lothian Stocks. Make sure of supplies of Wallflowers and forget-me-nots for spring blooming. Cutting Frames. Readers with small gardens can do much in the way of propagating and increasing stocks of many bedding, herbaceous, and alpine subjects by constructing inexpensive light frames, capable of holding, rooting, and wintering hundreds of young plants during the autumn and winter months.. Usually these frames vary in size, but it will be found that the most convenient is one with a floor space of 3 feet by 6 ieet. The length, however, can always be increased, but keep tlio width to tire above size,_ as over-wide frames are difficult to manage. Frames of 6in x lin red pine will be found suitable for protecting hundreds of cuttings of violas, verbenas, pentstemons, caleceolarias, pinks, aubretias, and similar type of plants. After some drainage has been placed on the bottom, fill in with 4 inches of sandy soil, pressing it evenly and firmly into position. Over this place a lin layer of sharp sand, so that on pushing in the dibble to make a hole lor each cutting, a little sand falls down to the base. With all cuttings choose young wood, preferably semi-ripened tips of this season’s growth. With pansies and violas avoid making cuttings of the thick hollow flower-bearing stems. These are entirely unsuitable, and not nearly so reliable as the young growths springing from the base. In order to insert the cuttings evenly, use a stick the width, of the frame and in the same manner as one would use a ruler on paper. Draw, each lino with the point of the dibble and insert the cuttings at intervals of two inches. A spacing of three inches should bo left between each row. A scrim or hessian covering nailed to a roller should be provided for protecting the cuttings during hot weather and again for protection against winter frosts and storms. From such a cutting-frame the rooted plants can be lifted in the springtime and set out into their permanent quarters. , Autumn Sown Sweet Peas. To produce good Sweet Peas, especially in districts where the summer is hot and the rainfall low, autumn sowing is best. It provides a means of supplying well-rooted plants early in tlie springtime, and such plants quickly grip into the soil, rooting deeply down before the first signs of dry weather set in. The seeds may be sown in boxes, spacing the seeds two inches apart or a better way still and one that is not liable to damage or disturb tlio roots on being planted out, is to sow them singly in small paper pots or specially! prepared paper containers. Disused cream or honey pottles have also been known to serve the purpose. The main point to remember after germination takes place is not to coddle plants. Stand them outside in a cool frame and grow them under ordinary weather conditions, only resorting to covering the frame with scrim or a handlight should extra heavy frosts be experienced or should there be a likelihood of snow falling. During the winter months but especially towards early spring a sharp lookout should bo kept for slugs, and the seedlings dusted with lime. If birds gain access to the frame they will quickly strip the seedlings of their leaves. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Much of the work in the vegetable garden at present is mainly of, a light nature, such as the storage of ripe crops and the clearing away of rubbish. TV he re soils have been tramped down see that the surface is broken in order to take advantage of the next rams. Seeds of beans and peas should be carefully collected, cleaned and stored. It does them no good when once they are dry to leave them baking m the sun. . Little can he done now in tlio way ot seed-growing with the exception of preparing a supply of onions for planting out next spring. A small frame with two handhglits is a great boon in the vegetable garden. In such a frame can be sown cabbage . and lettuce seed, tlie young plants he-

ing given the full benefit of light. and air till fi’Gsts appear, when the lights can then be placed over them at nights, but always removing them in the day time. By! this method one is assured of a good supply of seedlings in early spring. Their sturdiness and general constitution will, however, depend entirely on how they are treated during the winter months—protected, hut not coddled. Amony the Fruits Little can be done in tlie fruit garden at present, with the exception of gathering all diseased fruits from trees and from the ground. These only cause trouble next season since they winter the spores of several fungus diseases. Cleanliness is absolutely essential in the fruit garden and nothing in tlie nature of prunings or even broken twigs should be left lying about. During hot seasons much damage is done by sun-scorch, the sun being so strong as to partly bake the cells on one side of each fruit exposed to the direct rays of the sun. Sun-scorch not only affects fruits, but may be found in the flower garden as well and causes great damage to not only the leaves, but the bark of young trees. When good rains commence, a start may be made with the work of planting out new strawberry beds. Ground vacated bv early potatoes should be in good tilth for planting strawberries. Well decomposed manures should be dug into the area and the young plants set out at intervals of two feet apart. Every encouragement should be given to them to build up strong crowns and a small crop may be expected the first season.