THE GARDEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 82, 17 January 1940, Page 3

THE GARDEN

GENERAL ROUTINE WORK. (Written for the “Guardian” by W. B. Rkockie, N.D.H., N.Z.) GREENHOUSE CALCEOLARIAS. Calceolarias should be sown now. Make up a compost of equal parts fibrous loam leafmould and sand. Sift these components before mixing, then put all of them together through a finb sieve to ensure that the seed soil is of even composition throughout. A clean seed pan must be used. Put plenty crocks in the bottom, placing the larger crocks converse side over the drainage holes with the smaller crocks on top. Some coarse leafmould should be scattered over the drainage material to prevent the soil from washing out. After filling the pan with soil to about half an inch from the top and making it firm and level stand it in a basin of water so that the soil will be thoroughly soaked without disturbing the smooth surface.

Calceolaria seed is very small, almost like dust, so care should be taken to sow it evenly., A, mere dusting of soil will be sufficient covering. Put a sheet of glass over the pan and cover with brown paper. Little heat is necessary for germination and if the pan is stood in a sheltered and moist position on the greenhouse bench the seedlings wiil soon appear when the glass should be removed. For the first week after germination shade the seedlings in the daytime with a single sheet of newspaper, and water twice daily by applying a mistlike spray with a fine syringe. When the seedlings are large enough to handle and before they become crowded in the seed pan prick them off two inches apart into shallow boxes of soil similar in composition to that in which they were sown, but with the addition of a little powdered manure or guano. Subsequent treatment will be in potting them into three-inch pots when the leaves are an inch long, then into fiveinch pots in which they will remain through the winter till the beginning of August when they should lie transferred to their flowering pots of eight-inch size. Keep them growing steadily in cool conditions throughout their growing period.

THE FLOWER CARDEN. Stake gladiolus and dahlias before the heads get too heavy. Roses should be looked over and all faded flowers removed. If mildew appears on the leaves spray with colloidal sulphur. Keep the roots well supplied with moisture to promote free growth for the second flowering period. Examine the stakes and. ties on standard roses and renew where necessary. Seed should now be collected from choice delphiniums and lupins. Sow the seed straight away in a clean piece of ground that has been well worked and watered beforehand. To make quite sure that the seed will not suffer from dryness water the drills well before sowing and cover the seed with about half an inch of loose earth. NATIVE ALPINE PLANTS. Many of our mountain plants are rather difficult to keep alive' when transported to the Canterbury Plains, but with ordinary care and the selection of a suitable site for them a large number can be grown quite successfully. A rock garden with a southerly aspect will suit most kinds, but a flat bed set in a position where it will be somewhat sheltered from the sun after mid-day is excellent. The bed should be dug out to a depth

of two feet at least. If the underlying strata is of gravel there will be no need to worry about drainage, but in clay soils the bottom of the bed should be filled about a foot deep with stones and a drain led therefrom to lower ground to take away surplus water. As regards soil a good sandy loam, preferably of a peaty nature, is best and through it should be mixed a good proportion of quarter-inch road grit or similar material. On the surface of the bed may be set a few large rocks to give the appearance of a natural outcrop and to provide suitable places for plants requiring a little shelter. A group of New Zealand alpine plants and small shrubs is always of much interest however small it may be. Like the cactuses there is an affinity of character among them which makes a collection of them outstanding and quite different from all other plant associations.' Perhaps it is because of that affinity that any one of our alpine plants will associate harmoniously with any of the others. Plant a dozen different kinds'in a dozen different positions, ranunculus, . geum, gentian, veronica, speargrass, edelweiss, helichrysum, celmisia,' aurisia, raoulia, myosotis and snowberry to mention a few, and the result will be a perfect harmopy in every case. Permission to collect the plants should be obtained from the owner of the property on which they are found. Choose small sized plants and get them with as much root as possible, but it is not at all necessary to take large hunks of earth with them. If the plants are packed carefully in a little damp moss and kept in a canvas bag or tin box and covered with a few sheets of damp paper they will remain fresh for two or three days. It is not advisable to plant them directly into the garden during the summer. Plant them fairly close together and firmly in a box containing a mixture of sphagnum moss, soil and grit and keep them well watered until cool and moist weather conditions prevail in the autumn when they can with safety be transferred to their permanent positions.

SMALL FRUITS, As soon as all of the fruit has been picked from the raspberry bed cut out at ground level all of the canes which have fruited this year. It is on the young canes of the current season’s growth that the fruit will bo borne next year. Only the strongest six or eight of these should be retained in each clump. Burn all of the material removed straight away as it may harbour borer. If this pest is troublesome spray the remaining canes with arsenate of lead and repeat the application next spring when the buds are swelling. Prune black currant bushes when the fruit lias been gathered. Vigorous young bushes will not require this attention, but if the bushes have borne fruit heavily for a number of years it will rejuvenate them if some ol the oldest wood is cut out from hear to the base. VEGETABLES. 'Leeks may still be planted. If a piece of ground is available that was well manured in the spring give it a good deep digging then water copiously with a sprinkler. Next day after-a light treading to consolidate the ground rake the surface quite level and dibble the plants in boles about a foot deep, spacing the plants six to eight inches apart in the row and a foot between the rows. Do not fill up the holes. Pour some water into each hole to settle a little soil round the roots. Make another sowing of lettuce and radish. The secret of success in procuring these vegetables at the latter end of the summer season is in well pulverising the ground, followed by watering. .Sow the seed on the following day To obtain young onions for salading sow some seed on a very riehlv-manured piece of ground sheltered by a shallow wooden frame. Water well and keep shaded until the seed germinates.