THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 67, 18 March 1908, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

(BY HORTUS..

[Hortus Is willing to answer any questions Correspondents must give their resfi names and addresses, though not for pubncation.i TO COR.RLSPONDENTS. Wood Ashes. — W.C. -- They are a benelicial fertiliser, suitable for all vegetable a:id fruit crops, aud may be applied to the ground at the rale of ten pounds tci fifteen square yards if dag in. Scattered over the ground between growing croos and hoed in they are bencncial. Broad Beans and Peas (autumn sown). —As soon as these show through, hoe and break up the soil into line mould form, pending slight mouldings as soon as the earth is dry enough to work without attaching itself'unduly to the hoc. It is desirable also to dust them over and around with lime or soot to check the depredatiun of slugs. Broad beans sown now will come in well for transplanting for au early crop. Growing cinerarias like to be kept moist and cool. This is the reason why they succeed so well upon shelves where the outer air can directly reach them. Show pelargoniums belong to the samu category, and primulas come next, though they are averse to equally low temperatures, with an excess of moisture. The trio require more frequent regular waterings than may suffice for similar succulent plants. ' The first and third must have room for root extension until they approach the blooming stage; hence another shift may be necessary. Shrubby calceolarias should now be inserted firmly into sandy soil, either in rows iv cold flames, or boxes and pots. Cuttings made from growing side shunts, cut across below a joint, and t!ie two or three lower leaves removed will ultimately root freely in cold frames if the sash is shut down close for a week or two until they will bear fresh air without flagging. Such as are inserted into bo.xes, etc.. also strike best; under the same conditions. There should be no hurried rooting, because the later they root and commence growing the dwarfer aud bushier will the young plants be iv the spring. Michaelmas daisies can be more conveniently propagated by division now, when the old llowc-r stalks are cut down, than later. There are varying arms of base or root growth. Some extend rapidly by pushing forth underground rambling root stalks, and are disposed to usur}) too much space. In their case it is desirable to chop around the central roots with a spade, using the runner roots, if necessary, for planting elsewhere. Others form at this time dense tufts of young shoots so freely and numerously that it is necessary to take each stool up, chop it into two or four parts, and replant separately. All aro best dug up and' replanted after lhe ground has been manured. It is a matter of some difficulty at this time of year to keep the garden in anything like a neat condition, and this i* especially the case where there are many trees. Lcravos, however, are a valuable asset and should be preserved with care. To burn them, as is done, sometimes, is a great waste, and burying them in a pit is also the wrong way of dealing with them. The host way is to sweep them into some out-of-tbo-way corner, aud t licit to shovel a little earth on them to pre* vent them from being blown about. Really satisfactory leaf mould takes a year or more to make, but lor many plants, such as ferns and lilies of the valley, a natural covering of leaves is the. best top-dressing they can have, and from these beds it is not worth while to remove them. The mo.-t urgent work in the fruitgarden is the grease-banding of apple trees as a preventive of the winter moth. In spite of all lhe warninus concerning the ravages of this terrible post which have been given for many years past, the apple trees in this country continue in a very bad condition. The objert of grease-banding apple trees is to prevent the wingless females of the .winter moth from crawling up the trunk in autumn and early spring and depositing their eggs in the cracks of the bark. Unless means are taken lo circumvent (his pest the caterpillars hatch out just as the buds are beginning to open and oat these and -the. foliage. The grease—almost any kincl will do—should he smeared thickly on broad bands of grease-proof paper. The insects must be collected every clamor two and fresh grease applied from time to time. DRAINAGE This is a poTnt or especial importance on the clay and cement bottoms which abound in NfiW eZalanel. On tho porous, volcanic, and sandy soils there need not be so much trouble taken, for on these the water sometimes drains away too quickly. Among the* advantages derivable from drainage are: "Atmospheric influence is not confined only to the surface, but by the removal of superabundant moisture is enabled to penetrate into the lower depths of the soil,

j the results of which are most strikingly 1 j manifested after rain; the temperature iis equalised, and the otherwise cold unI dersoil possesses a more genial warmth ' throughout the growing season. Nourishment suitable to the growth of the plants is conveyed to the roots, noxious matter is washed out, manure and vegetable refuse are more speedily decomposed, and carbonic acid and other gases essential to plants are produced 'in greater abundance; while a stiff clay soil is rendered mellow and friable. Weigelias may be classed as amongst i the most beautiful of hardy flowering deciduous shrubs; indeed, they may be correctly called under shrubs, as they rarely exceed five or six feet in height, and will bloom freely when grown in the vicinity of tall trees—not escepting their northern, shady side. The best amongst them are of neat growth, with a spreading, squatting habit, and this is particularly the case with W. rosea, with its rosy-white blooms, a mixture of colour which is very.showy, particularly so as the individual blooms assume a more rosy, not to say, wholly red, colour as they age. There are several varieties lof them, not the least conspicuous being the golden and silver foliaged variegated, which, according to their size, are ! amongst the most telling of all moder-ate-sized deciduous shrubs. W. amabihs is another leading species, possessing primarily red. white, and striped bloomed forms. There arc, besides, some halfdozen other sub-species, or garden varieties, of both \V. rosea and W. amabilis listed, many of which are of Continental origin, having been introduced to this country from that source. They thrive in any ordinary garden soil, year by year, "even to continuing robust and blooming freely, growing in hard ground over the clay. Being very free surface rooting plants, they should, however, receive occasional mulchings of manure. More than this cannot well be done, as their roots form such a mat near the I surface that forking, or surface ground ] stirring, such as would prove beneficial, ! cannot be attempted. Weigelias are I propagated from cuttings in .spring and I autumn under a handlight.