THE GARDEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 32, 17 November 1943, Page 5

THE GARDEN

GENERAL ROUTINE WORK. (Written for the “Guardian’’ by W. B. Brockie, N.D.H., N.Z.) PLANTS UNDER GLASS. Chrysanthemums should be sufficiently advanced in five- or six-inch pots to be transferred to their flowering pots early in December. In preparation for this final potting, collect the various ingredients of the soil mixture and make up the compost as soon as possible. Use four parts of rotted turf or fibrous loam, one part each of leaf mould, cow manure and sand, and one part made up of lime rubble, soot and wood ashes or charcoal. To a harrowload of this mixture add about lib of bone meal and half a pound of superphosphate. Until the time arrives for potting, turn over this compost two or three times. The young plants at this time should be standing in an open - topped frame fully exposed to the sun. Watering should be attended to in the morning, and it will do the plants good to have the foliage wetted down from a. rose can in the middle of the day. Ferns that were not repotted in spring will he benefited by an occasional watering with weak liquid cow manure. Maidenhair ferns must not be exposed to full sunlight, but deep shade must also be avoided. At this time, when they are growing fast, they will require plenty of moisture at the roots.

Transfer tuberous-rooted begonias to their flowering pots and spray them with clean water from a fine syringe twice daily.

Damp the floor and benches of the glasshouse every fnorning and evening.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Summer bedding operations should be completed if possible by the end of the present month. All of the spring-flowering plants have been later than usual in going out of bloom and as a consequence preparation of the beds for their summer-flowering occupants has been delayed. Tulips and hyacinths should be transferred to nursery rows to ripen the bulbs, which are again lifted about the end of December and stored in boxes in a dry shed. Polyanthus may be divided and planted in a shady place for the summer. Before digging the beds trim the grass verges with an edging iron. The soil must be dug a full spade depth at least, breaking it up rery fine, not only on the top, but to the full cultivated depth. If it is dry, water the bed thoroughly with a sprinkler a day or two before planting.

Here are a few simple bedding schemes: (1) French marigolds, edged agertum or blue lobelia, with dot plants of yellow pom-pom dahlias; (2) blue petunias, edged with French marigolds, golden feather pyrethrum or Golden Gleam nasturtium; (3) Phlox drummondii mixed, without an edging; (4) zinnias, self-coloured or mixed, with an edging of dwarf zinnias, dwarf nasturtiums or French marigold; (5) African marigold, lemon or orange, edged with blue petunia (suitable for a large bed) ; (6) antirrhinums self-coloured, edged with blue lobelia; (7) fibrous-rooted begonias, edged with lobelia or Golden Feather pyrethrum; (8) zonal pelargoniums, edged with the variegated pelargonium Mdme, Soleroi.

Plant dahlias in rich, deeply-culti-vated soil. The large decorative type should be spaced four feet apart, and charm dahlias three feet apart, and pom-poms about 2J feet apart. If old tubers are used dig out a hole with the spade deep enough to bury the neck of the tuber four inches from the surface. A stout stake should be driven firmly into the ground beside the tuber before filling in the soil. Stake and tie securely all of the tall-growing occupants of the herbaceous border. Hoe between the plants regularly to suppress weeds and to conserve soil moisture. Bedding plants of all kinds may he used to furnish vacant spaces. For the back of the border sunflowers, large-growing dahlias and African marigolds are useful. Sow wallflower in drills for transplanting later to nursery rows. These will make large-sized specimens for planting out in the autumn. Sow also forget-me-not, Canterbury bells and Sweet William. These are best sown in boxes in a cool frame, and later pricked off into other boxes of free soil. Close attention must be paid to watering them during the summer.

Maintain the rock garden in a tidy condition by removing all weeds and stirring the soil around the plants frequently. Withered foliage on spring flowering bulbs —crocus, chionodoxa, etc., should be cleared away.

Prune ornamental brooms as soon as the flowers have withered. The branching young growths which have borne flowers should he cut hack to about one-third of their length. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. To maintain a constant supply of green peas sow at intervals of a fortnight from now on till the beginning of January. Sow in drills six inches wide and two inches deep, spacing the seeds about two inches apart. Plant celery in trenches 18 inches wide and six inches deep, setting them in a double row with the plants spaced nine inches apart. Dig in a liberal quantity of thoroughly rotted manure before planting. Through the summer give them plenty of water. On no account must celery be allowed to become dry at the roots. Silver beet requires richly manured soil to give satisfactory results. If there is insufficient niti’ogen in the soil the leaves become yellow

and they never attain large size. This vegetable apart from its culinary use is excellent for providing green feed to poultry. When early potatoes are about six inches high fork the soil deeply between the rows then draw the soil up to the stems to make neat drills. Maincrop potatoes should be planted as soon as possible.

Plant marrows and pumpkins in rich soil.

Sow maize where it will piovide shelter for late sowings of spinch. lettuce and radish. Beetroot of the long-rooted sort should be sown for winter use. Plant cabbage and cauliflflower for the late summer supply. All sown crops which require thinning must be attended to before the seedlings begin to get crowded. Tomatoes may still be planted.