THE GARDEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 248, 1 August 1946, Page 3

THE GARDEN

GENERAL ROUTINE WORK (Written for the “Guardian” by W. B. Brockie, N.D.H., N.Z.) I PLANTS UNDER GLASS The main work in glasshouses for the next two or three months will be in raising and tending annuals and bedding plants for the summer display. Sow seeds of antirrhinums, petunias, verbena, stocks, lobelia, clarkia, larkspur, viscaria, salpiglossis, dianthus, calendula, linum and cornflower. For the seed soil mix together 4 parts leafmould, 4 parts sand and 3 parts loam. All of these ingredients should be passed through a quarter inch sieve. Make the soil firm in the boxes or pots and top with about a quarter of an inch of very fine soil shaken through an eighth inch sieve. Level with a float and sow the seeds evenly and not too thickly. Press the seed into the surface soil with the 'float then cover with little more than a dusting of soil. Water with a fine rose can then cover the box with a sheet of glass and a shading of brown paper. When germination occurs remove the shading and tilt the glass covering to admit air. Little watering will be needed until the seedlings are ready for pricking off, and spraying with a fine syringe morning and afternoon will be sufficient to keep them in good order. . Insert chrysanthemum cuttings in sandy soil. A good method is to in\sert three cuttings in a 3-inch pot. The pots are stood in a box about eight inches deep and covered over Avith a sheet of glass to maintain a close and moist atmosphere. When Avell rooted transfer the cuttings singly to 3-inch pots, using a fairly rich soil. Start begonias into grorvth by placing the tubers in light'soil in a warm house. The tops of the tubers should be just slightly above the level of the soil. i Cyclamen seedlings from a soAving made in late autumn should uoav be ready for transferring to tlvnjb pots. Care should be taken not to bury the young corm much more than half its depth. After potting Avat.er them well and stand close up to the roof glass. THE FLOWER GARDEN Planting of shrubs should be completed as soon as possible. No pruning of young plants - will be needed except to remove Aveak groAvtlis Avliich may arise from the base. In planting dig out a good size hole in ground that has already been deeply cultivated. Spread the roots outAvards and doAvnAvards and make the soil firm around them by tramping. Roses should be planted Avitliout delay. The topmost buds of rose bushes are already in growth and Avhen this takes place it is a fairly good indication of the time 'to prune, but the first Aveek in August is satisfactory in most circumstances. Cut out dead Avood, weak shoots and any superflous shoots and shorten the remaining shoots to anything from two inches to eight inches according to their strength. Burn all prunings then spray with lime sulphur for the control of scale and fungoid pests. The beds may then be dug over, mixing in a fair amount of Avell-rotted manure. Clematis should be planted in a position Avhere the roots will be cool and moist during the heat of summer but where top groAvth Avill be in the sun. As the plants will occupy the same position for many years the soil for them should be well prepared. Dig out a hole at least two feet deep and three or four feet Avide and if the loAver soil is very poor, replace with rotted turf mixed Avith leaf soil. Well rotted compost is a good manure for clematis especially if some mortar rubble is mixed with it. » Plant pansies and violas. These enjoy a rather heavy loam lightened Avith a liberal quantity of rotted, straAvy manure. Good drainage is essential. In light soil, blood and bone is an excellent manure for violas. It should be heavily sprinkled on the cultivated soil and hoed in before planting. Keep the soil,betAveen the plants Avell hoed during the growing season; a light forking iioav and again will be beneficial.

SAveet peas soavii in boxes in April: should be planted out in a trench pre-j pared for them. To obtain vigorous growth that will ensure a long flowering period good rich soil is necessary and the best results are obtained if a good proportion of virgin loam is used to replace some of the poorer soil taken out. from the bottom of the trench. Cultivation should be at least tAvo feet deep and rotted manure should he mixed Avith the loAver soil. No animal manure should be added to the top soil but sulphate of potash w-ell forked in at the rate of 21b to twenty yards of trench will improve the substance of the leaves and flowers. A sprinkling of superphosphate should also be applied to the surface and hoed in a feAV,- days before planting. Set the plants a foot apart and insert some twigging branches along the row to enable- the plants to climb up to the supporting structure of Avire netting. After growth has made some progress, reduce the number of stems on each plant to three and, thereafter, remove all basal and lateral growths. The leaders should lie tied in regular-j ly. Grown this Avay four-flowered j blooms on stems fifteen to twenty! inches in length can he obtained. Prune hydrangeas by cutting out! from the base a little of the older j Avood; shorten back to a plump budj the younger shoots Avhicli bloomed last | summer. Cuttings of Avell ripened j young Avood may still be inserted, i j Beds of wallflower, forget-me-n'ot and polyanthus should he lightly fork-! ed over Avhen the soil is in workable condition. Azalea and rhododendron beds Avill be much improved if they are heavily mulched with leafmould or rotted vegetable refuse. Wood ashes or lime is poisonous to these plants. SaAvdust: is useful as a mulch on heavy land, j i THE KITCHEN GARDEN Jerusalem artichokes may be plant-j ed. Medium sized tubers are. used: and these should be planted six inches: deep, 21 inches between the sets Avith I the roAVs three feet apart. Choose aj sunny position for them. Lettuce, radish and an early var-j iety of turnips such as Early Milan, may he soavii. but it is essential atj this time of the year that a specially! favoured part of the garden should be] selected. This need only be tAvo otv three yards square for an average household as the' object of a small-

sowing early in the season is to provide salading a week or two earlier than the main early crops. It. will be an advantage if the bed is raised three or four inches above the surrounding soil. The- lettuce will be benefitted if a barrowload or two of rotted manure or compost is dug in and a smaller amount will suffice for the raddisli and turnips. When thinning the lettuce, plants will be obtained for filling another bed and these will mature after the undisturbed seedlings have been used. The finest parsnips are obtained from an early sowing and if the ground is in suitable condition for this operation the first week in August is the best time. Freshly manured ground should not he used and the best soil for them is a deeply cultivated loam that was well manured last season. Space the rows 21 inches apart and sow rather thinly in drills three quarters of an inch deep. { Dig over the rhubard bed mixing in some rotted manure then top dress with a mulch of strawy manure. A fe.w clumps may be forced into early growth by placing wooden boxes over them, around which should he heaped a considerable quantity of straw or strawy manure. Plant cabbage and cauliflower in manured ground. Broad beans and early green peas should he sown in a warm north border. Fork in ,a sprinkling of ground lime before sowing.