Practical Gardening.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 180, 29 July 1916, Page 17

Practical Gardening.

By DIANTHUS. |

Correspondents mil greatly ollige by observing the foZtounng rales in •jfenGtig questions for publication in these columns: — 1. Letters should be addressed Garden Editor "Star" Office Auckland 2. Write one one side of the paper, and moke all communications as totidte as possible S Flowers, etc., sent for naming mast be sent separately and, if possible, puked in a tin or tuooden baa — cardboard boxes are very liable to le broken tn transit and tlie contents damaged. 4. The fall name and address of the sender must alvoays be sent, but a fam-dc phone or initial may be given for publication.

2*_C_ WEEK'S WORK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. fc The weather ias somewhat improved this , last few days, and there Is plenty of work f to keep one s°lng. 1 Weeding is no small item jnst now. The \ ground is too moist to allow of hoeing and leavjiig tie weeds lying. The sun is not strong enough to dry ' them np before there is a shower, and they commence to grow again. The only way to deal with weeds just low is remove them either by hand or ihx lake. One very bad weed in seedling beds just saw is the common annual grass (poa annua). This comes up everywhere. One of its worst characteristics is the mass of roots it makes. If allowed to prow for long it gets snch a hold that it lifts a mass Of soil, seedlings and all. Beds of Eeedlings should be kept weeded, i and watched for the ravages of birds and •lugs. I Any seedling pansies. antirrhinums, pent-, 6temons, verbenas, or such like, should be put out. The weather aud the soil is just rigit, and they will not feel the move. 1 Stocks are growing fnst now, aud stakes , ehould be put to them to prevent the plants . going over sideways. The hoe should* be put through the bed ' to keep the surface loose. I Rose pruning, Mould lie got on with, and . the beds manured and dug. .' If there is any intention of planting I hedges, now is the time to get this work I done. If left too ling the dry weather; Will he here before the plants get started. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN". Here there is little fresh to record, as the work mentioned the last week or co should be continued. Plantings of cabbage and cauliflowers •hould be made whenever possible. ■A sowing of cabbage and cauliflower Ehonla be made, also a sowing of sliortnorn carrots. ' A planting of potatoes should be put in ' a warm, dry spot. I Wet wearier should be taken advantage of for the preparation of labels and stakes ready for the coming season. | Boxing of potatoes for sprouting is also a wet weather job. If this work is done when the wet weather is on it means a big relief later on. COLLIKSIA. This is, I suppose, one of the most ■popular of all hardy annuals—at any r ate, it deserves to be. It is a fine little plant, growing only some S to 10 inches high, but its slender stems are smothered in attractive blossom. There are two kinds—bicolour, which has lilac and ""bite flowers, and candidissima (white). It comes very readily from 6eed sown where the plants are to bloom. It is one pi the best for sowing in autumn. tOVE UES BLEEDING. •Sow the seeds of this popular annual, "Knaranthus eaudatus, in a greenhouse or frame, and plant out the seedlings in a forty rich soil about the end of October, ■vbe plants grow three feet or more in 'eight, a giant strain approaching sis 'eet. The long drooping crimson flowerspikes are very effective in tbe mixed border, and associate well with bedding Slants.

A HANDY DEVICE. A pair of boards similar to those shown at A in the sketch herewith will be found very serviceable for taking up sweepings of leaves and garden rubbish. Feather-edge or weather boarding which if. tapered, should be used, and each board be from 15 to IS inches in length. A stick arranged as shown at B is another useful contrivance, and simplifies

the gathering up of leaves and paper under shrubs and trees and in awKward places. All that is necessary is to insert a long, headless nail in the end of a euitable stick, the pointed end of the nail, of course, projecting downwards. I I PRUNING ROSES. / When pruning roses the first thing to consider is the object for which the flowere are grown, whether for exhibition or garden decoration. The following directions are given for roses grown for garden display or for cutting; if for exhibition the difference is that only half thie length of wood or number of :buds should be retained- For instance, .if it is recommended to leave six or ' eight buds for garden decoration, then if for exhibition only, four or five buds I should be retained. Of course this is for general purposes. Many varieties have little peculiarities, which mean 3 that particular means have to be used to bring that variety to perfection. Again, some roses are essentially decorative roses, and are sold and classed as such. It is useless to prune these for exhibition, for although they are sometimes found on the show board, it is only an occasional bloom which ever attains size and quality sufficent to warrant it

finding a place there.

. I The time for pruning roses vanes | i largely, and may be said to be from the t beginning of July in places that are free 1 1 from frost, to the end of August in j.i places where late frosts are cxperi- < i enced. A heavy frost on the young,] i tender shoots of a rose tree will cut j 1 them right back, and the result is that..' secondary and dormant buds have to j ; break, and this second starting is detri- i mental to the flower, so that if frosts are i likely it is advantageous to leave the]: pruning rather late than to be early | and get the buds frosted. Commence by j pruning the hybrid perpctuals, following ] with the hybrid teas, concluding with j: the teas and chinas. Always use a', sharp tool for pruning: a clean cut is | then made, and the bark is not bruised,

and the wound heals quickly. Pruning is the cutting back and shortening of the growth made the previous year, the : removal of thin and surplus shoots, and , the general "shaping" of the plants. Constant pruning of roses year by year often results in the formation of old wood near the base. This can be obviated by cutting out entirely one or two shoots. Commence the pruning by cutting out unripened growths, and all weak, badly placed shoots, and also any ' growths that cross; the thinning of those remaining may also be necessary. All ' growths are cut back to an "eye" or 1 butt. The top bud left on the shoot

should point outwards, away from the centre of the plant. This is done by •holding the shoot in 4S»e left hand, and with the knife in the right hand, making a slightly upward cut, commencing on a level or slightly below the bud; if the knife is then drawn in sharply towards the body and the stem is held tightly witht the left hand, a good clean cut should be the result. It is much easier, and makes but little, if any, difference to the ultimate result, if, instead of a knife a good sharp pair of secateurs are used- There are numerous theories in

regard to. different prunir.p tools, but the success lies not so muoh upon the kind of tool used a"> upon the fact oi •whether the tools arc sharp or not. Secateurs with a keen edge and screwed up tight will make Aβ clean a cut as a knife for all practical purposes, whereas ii blunt knifp will make a bruised, i:i;r•red cut that is bad for tlio plant and heartbreaking to the enthusiast. Tlierc is another, and to most people's opinion I an important point in favour of secateurs, and that is one can keep tlieir hands more clear of thorns and scratches i than when using si knife. J.e.itncr I jrloves are useful to wear when secateurs J are used, but they are essential if a I knife is used. The amount of pruning required by dwarf roses depends largely upon the section to which the particular variety belongs. There are hybrid perpetuals. This class can be divided into three sections representative of their vigour of growth, whether vigorous, strong, or moderate. They should be pruned according to their growth; the stronger the shoots are fhe less pruning they need. Speaking generally, the vigorous growing sorts should be cut hack to about one foot, strong growing sorts to six inches, and those of moderate growth to within about three or foar inches of the base. 'Die same'principles apply to the tea and hybrid teas. The pruning of the climbing roses, on the other hand, is somewhat different, and should consist chiefly of the thinning out and cutting back of weak growths or dead wood. The best time to prune jelimhing roses is directly after flowering. lln this way a good autumn growth can !be obtained that will give some splendid I blooms early. A SHOWY ANNUAL. Phacelia campanularia is considered by many to be the beat dwarf blue-flowered annual. It is one of the earliest to flower, and continues in bloom for some con-sidera-ble time. Sow the seeds on a I border outside, preferably iviiere the , i plants are .to flower. Growing some nine I inches high, this phacelia forms a useful edging for borders, and thrives in good 1 garden soil. PENTSTEMONS. Fcntst'emon cuttings thai base been struck and kept in cold frames during the -winter can now be planted out. A good show is obtained if they are planted, not too thickly, in a bed by themselves, but it pays to prepare the eofl thoroughly. "■ PATHS. Clean, -tidy .paths add much, to tix smart appearance of even the emailesl garden, and any neceeeuy repairing should be attended to nonv. Remove weeds as far as possible, and gixe s dressing of some approved weed-iillei during suitable weatner. Finally rol ttcMnd make quite firm.