Practical Gardening.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 36, 10 February 1917, Page 16

Practical Gardening.

By DIANTHUS. Out nmponitmiU mO. greaMf vbtig* by ohstrrvmg the foOmolng rale* tn fmtdfma questions' for publication in these columns: — J.'Letters should be addressed Garden Editor "Btar" Office Atitzklattd Z. Write one erne tide of the paper, mud make all communications a* mm etpt-jmjpemaible ■; " ; ..... * Flowers, ettL, sm* for naming must be sent eepargtelp and, if possible, mmeijied-im • tim or woodm bos— catdboari boaea are very liable to be broke* jf» trmmsit mmd the eontemts damaged. 4. The puM name and address of the sender mmmt mtunf *c wmt, but m pcs Jo ptmmo er initial may be firntm fir publication. i = si:; B.g -■■.■■-■ z.zr-.--^z~^^^^-^^^---~~-~-----\z.^-~^._-... r ... - =,:i--:.-. j=-=^j^-^

THE WEEK'S WORK. - THE FLOWER GARDEN. The wind of the last few days has found out who stakes their plants - properly* • ■ ".'"■ . ».*'.'." Well stake and tie Dahlias and Chrysanthemums. Get ground ready for Border Carnations. .Sever Carnation layers as soon as properly rooted.- . .' A spraying of arsenate of lead, loz. to 2 gallons of water, will prevent caterpillars on Dahlias, etc. Begonias will need feeding with weak manure water. An early sowing of Winter Sweet Peas can be made at once. Sweet Pea ground, spring and summer, should be got ready as early as possible. Bulb-lifting and planting should be pushe on with all speed. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Sow a few Carrots and Beetroot for winter aupplies. Cabbage sown now should turn In during late winter and early spring. Plant out Celery as soon as possible. Onions should be lifted and stored as soon as thoroughly dry. Cucumbers that are bearing will need help wtth an occasional dose of liquid manure. Tomatoes should be kept tied, and upon first appearance of caterpillars spray with arsenate of lead. A sowing of Silver Beet or Perpetual Spinach will provide good green vegetable during winter. Keep Beans picked as fast as they are ready. Dig ground as soon as a crop is off it. Dirty ground is bad gardening.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. .

G.M.H., Ponsonby.—The delphiniums cji be lifted and divided during the autumn or spring. The foliage will begin to assume a yellowish tinge later on. when it will be safe to lift and divide the clumps. They may be left till spring, when lilting and dividing should be done as soon as there la any sign of growth commencing. Perennial phlox may be treated in the same way. Autumn planting will be | found the most satisfactory, ns the pieces will make roots before the winter sets in. J.W.D., Mount Albert. — The red-berried plant is Solatium capslcastrum. It Is sometimes grown as a decorative plant, and if kept within bounds is very good. It appears, however, to be getting out of bounds, and is beginning to run wild In and about Auckland. The grass is Paspolum scroblculatum, a native gross of no particular value, and in cultivated ground can be considered a weed. ROSARIAN, Hamilton. — Cuttings of rambler roses, such as Crimson Rambler and the Wlchurianas, can be taken at any time of the year. They should be inserted in the open ground, and If taken f~ the" summer time, should be kept watered and shaded. Moke the cuttings W bout 9ln long, and when placed in the only leave two or three buds out. 15°S? wood should be used for the cuttings, and be careful to make the ground very firm. -, nivtrs Te Kulti. — Tne broad beans ' be allowed to stand until the pods Ire fully developed, which will be seen £ the lower pods beglnnlns to turn 57 J- The stems should then be pulled. ?'f.f ,"„ hMbs? and allowed to dry in the £ to an open, airy shed. As soon B T«£ the beans should be threshed out, and be rtorea in paper bags in a (jol, dry place.

NATIVE VERONICAS. j. Native trees and shrubs do not receive much attention in the decoration ; of our gardens. Most people seem to : picture native trees and shrubs as constating either of weeds or else large trees. Usually, if a garden is to be > planted, the order of trees and ehnrtw i would not contain more than ten per cent of native flora, the remaining 90 j per cent would consist of exotics which have scientific sounding naon.es, many ' of which wffl linger for a while, then die; pthem will grow co vigorously, that they have to be removed in a few ' years. There are abundance of beautirul native trees and shrubs enitable for aU position, and our gardens would Txnefit by much larger planting of native trees and shruba. One of the most beautiful and largest genera of the native flora is the veronicas or kokoromifco. This geuus includes planta that grow close to the ground and upwards to shrubs of 25 feet high. One of the ■best shrubby varieties is perimakes a shrub 6ft. to 20ft high, but with cutting it can be kept as a round-headed shruib. 3tt. or 4ft ihi"li j and as such is a splendid shrub for" a ' small garden. The flowers are borne n long racmes, an d are of a light pale lilac, and when m full bloom a, plant is a pretty picture. There are many other pretty veronicas; in fact, few there ere that are •not worthy of growing. Ordinary garden soil suits them, and they need no .~- doling or fancy cultrratioli.

LEAT VEGETABLES. Speaking at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society in London, C. Herman Lenn says: "There never was a time when food economies required to be more I closely studied than the present. The entire vegetable world is falling out to housekeepers and conks to give it a better show in the competition with the abnormally high-priced butcher's meat for human food. Vegetables are essential to both good eating and good health; j they possess great nutriment, and many] of them valuable medicinal properties in addition. The preparation, cooking, and consumption of vegetables should be made I a special daily feature in every family, ! and there is no doubt that we should be better off, in both health and pocket, by consuming well cooked vegetables more j regularly." . j

——— GATHERING PEARS.

CARNATION CUTTINGS. iTiere are usually several growths on carnations which it is impossible to layer, and these may be dibbled into pots of sandy soil as cuttings- Remove them with a "heel" if possible, and alter trimming ami intertill:; place ill a frame, keeping close for a week or two.

TO PROPAGATE HYDRANGEAS.

I The Hydrangea is not a difficult plant to grow wh«n the cuttings are well rooted, but rooting them is sometime* a task not easily accomplished. To obtain nice plants that will flower next season cuttings of (airly well ripened wood should be put in at once. Each cutting should be made about six inches long, land should possess at least two fuly-de-'veloped leaves. The loaves from tho lowest joint must be cut off, also the stem immediately below thnt joint. Put the cuttings into a shady place, or, better still, put them into a pot or box and .shade them with some material placed over them. The soil the cuttings are put in should be made firm and should bo sandy and well drained. After putting iin the cuttings they should receive a good watering to settle the soil around them. Keep the soil in a medium state lof moisture.

I There is a right and a wrong way of \loing this, the importance of which is often overlooked. The gatherer should lay hold of the fruit in the palm of the hand, and lift it up, giving it a slight twist to make the stalk part cleanly from the spur. The latter should not be broken away with the fruit, because I fruiting spurs are of permanent value, OiTiC twrm A

'and may fruit again from a side bud of the tame epur next year. Some varieties are beet gathered before they are quite mature, and kept for ft tew days in a roam, when they will be in nice condition for table. When pulled thue early they do not part readily from *he spur, and care muet be exerched.

HOW TO KEEP XXOWmS , FRESH.

The following Mute are ueefaj to *•- member as aide to keeping flover* fmh, especially daring the hot weather; — (1) The water should hare tk» dull taken off. Bain water ie tpt beat. (2) A drop or two of Con&j , * Fluid, a small pinch of salt, or of bicarbonate of soda if added to the water nifl make the flower* last longer. (3) Change the water ereiy other day at least. (4) Poppy or dahlia bleoma ihotfld have the ends of the stems sealed by being held in a flame for a minute. (5) A drop or two of glycerine in eveiy pint of water will assist in keeping roses and many other flowers fresh. J (6) Long stem flowers ehopld have the stem cut slantwise, and thick • stemmed flowers should have a little of the stem (removed, each day. (7) Do not try to cram in more blooms than the vase will comfortably hold. (8) Do not stand vases of flowers in draught. (9) Do not forget to fill up the vaaea once every day, especially if the raaee ,*re small or' the blooms large.

SUMMER PRUNING OF SHRUBS.

Shrubs to a greater or less extent arc allowed to grow uncontrolled after planting. This may be admissible in the planting of extensive pleasure grounds or woodland drives, but it will not suit in a limited epace where the surroundings are more or lese of a formal character. In many cases shrubs are about the last things to be attended to in the busy time of summer. If, however, they are to be kept attractive, and each separate from its neighbour, pruning must be systematically carried out at leaet annually, and in many cases much oftener, or the plants will soon get uns-haipely and overgrow each other. Let us separate the shrubs with which we intend to deal into those grown principally for flowering, and thoee grown for their evergreen and ornamental foliage. In the case of flowering ehrube some knowledge of the habit and time of flowering is necessary before cutting is commenced. We prune and thin fruit trees to keep them within 'bounds and to increase the quality of the fruits, which have to be preceded by flower*; why not, then, apply the came system to shrubi? Many shrubs make their growth the previous year, consequently to oat hack late in the autumn, OT before flowering takes place in spring simply destroy! the whole of the flowers for that season. Am soon as possible after flowering is orer is the beet time to prune *n shrobe at this class, thinning the branches where crowded, and cutting out useless and dead wood, and cutting hack the shoots that hare flowered so that fresh wood may be made for the succeeding year. Forsythiae, dentzias, weigelae, buddleiae, sbnbbry spiraeas, lilacs, vibrunums, hydrangeas, and many others should be treated thus. If allowed to grow unchecked their shape and'limits are soon overgrown, and they get one-sided; the base gete bare and the blooms are born on the top. Pruning should be done with a knife or pair of secateurs, and care should be taken not to out into too regular an outline, otherwise a shrub ehowe too much of the knife. The aim should *>c to cause the shrub to retain its natural outline, but within the apace allotted to It.

TOMATOES AND POTATOES ON THE SAME PLAKT. In the hssue of the "Auckland Star"; on the Ist met., I noticed a paragraph referring to the fact 'hat Mr. K. L. Strange, Black Hill, Balliirat East, Vic-' toria. had given a public demonstration attended by representatives of Ballarat city and town councils, showing that potatoes and tomatoes can be grown on the β-ame plant. This experiment, if ijueh it can be called, is like the sea eerpent, periodically resuscitated. In the "Gardener's Journal," 1847, p. 85, is an account of grafting the tomato on . the stem of the potato, bot-h tomatoes' and potatoes having resulted from the i union. Mr. A. Dean, of Bedfort, England, ': exhibited before the Royal Horticultural i Society in 1876 a bushy plant of a potato : which had been grafted on a tomato 11 stock, and the potato haulm being thus i j elevated above the earth, it produced ] tubera in the axils of its leaves. i In the "Journal of Heredity," December, 191G, is an account of the same I: experiment accompanied by the photo-'i graph of a plant, both of whioh are reproduced here:— t

widespread interest that has been manifested, it would appear that the i ea was a new one, while, as a matter of fact, it has been common knowledge of botanists and horticilturiets for ntanr rears. The idea did not originate at the Pennsylvania State College, neithe l is it considered especially remarkable nor of tfreat economic value. In order Io demonstrate the ease with whiel , these two closel.v-relatcd plants may oe grafted, one attempt wa* male, the I'ommon inverted saddle graft method being used. The plant was wrapped vith raffia at the junction of the two pieces, and was then placed in a humid atmruphere for several days, until the union waa perfected. Later the plant wae shifted to the outoide, where little attention was given it. Later tubers developed on the potato part and tomatoes on the top. The illustration shows the general appearance of the plant, the value of which ie inversely proportional to the amount of attention it has received." The same experiment was performed a few years ago at both the Ruakura and Waerenga Experimental Farms. The result ifl, however, only a novelty, for the potatoes produced are small and the

TOMATOES ABOVE GROUIfD, POTATOES UNDERNEATH.

"Considerable interest has been! aroused by the quite general publication j in the Press of the country of the graft-' ing of a tomato plant on a potato plant j at the P nneylvania State College, and the inetitut.on "was credited with the " conception of the experiment. Prom the J

tomatoes small in size and crop; there i» no value either from a utility or com-'-lereial point of view. Although it may jbe possible to make two "blades of grass grow where one grew before," the possibility of getting two food crops, one j above the other, is very remote.

ROSE BIiOOMS. WITH GREEN CENTRES. The production of blooms -with green centres eeenu to ba> jmculiox to certain

varieties of roees. In spring this freak may be due to a check; another common cause is over manuring. If the trouble recurs annually, the best course is to grub oat the affected txeea.

XEMESIA STRTJMOSA STXTTONI. The nemesia is one of the most beautiful and hardy annuals that is grown, and there b do other annual that will better repay one for their labour. They flower in the early spring, and for that reason are doubly welcome. The plants grow about one foot hi-rh. and are of an irregular branching habit. They bloom most profusely, and the Hovers are of an almost endless diversity of colours, including blue, white, red, magenta, pink, cream, yellow, and orange. The seeds should be sown in March or April, or an early batch may be put in at the end of February, and as soon am the seedlings are large enough they should be planted out in the beds. If put out about six inches apart, the bed will be one mass of colour. The most suitable position to grow them is where they get full sun and in a well-drained position; dampness or stagnant water is very harmful to them. They like a fairly rich soil, although if in a sunny, well-drained position, they will do well in ordinary garden soil.

MILDEW ON ROSES. \ Dr. OTKmel Browne, the famous rosarian, of County Kildare, Ireland, re* commends as a spray for mildew on roses a 1 or 2 per cent solution of lysol; that is, 1 part lysol to 50 or 100 part* water. Messrs. Alex. Dickeon and Sone '- have used it, and say that it is " good."

A WASH FOR HOSE TREES.

I The following in a good form of kerosene emulsion for freeing rose-trees of aphides: Boil loz. of.aoft or bard soap in 1 <rallon of rain-water for twenty minutes. Pour a wineglassful (about one-eighth of a pint) of kerosene into a cup, and add about three-eighths of a pint of milk, then stir until oil and-milk are mixed, add the mixture to ths boiling soapy water. Stir vigorously, then add half a gallon of clear boiling water. The plants should be well syringed or sprayed with the mixture j when cool. It is a remedy for aphides, 'will act aa a fungicide, clearing the slants of mildew, and will clean the 'oliage and give it quite a glossy, lealtby appearance.

TO KEEP PEAS AND BEANS. ■

To keep shelled peae and beans for winter—otherwise than in "pickle" in, bottles or jars—it is necessary only to let them mature and then shell them and dry thoroughly but slowly on sheets of paper in the eun or the rack of the kitchen range, or in the oven, and then put them in boxes or airtight tine. They may miseolour a little, and they may get too hard to boil "ell, but they make excellent soups or stewe if broken or ground up. Dried broad beans well soaked can "be scalded and peeled easily if preferred. If one has neither tine nor boxes for storing, peas and beans will keep on open shelves or in 'bags. AURICULAS. For many years these were one of the moat favoured of "florists' Bowers," and in their day exhibitions in which they were the chief flower were quite com- I mon. At the present time they have one |, Society which holds a show annually in | their favour, but interest is not so great ■ as it used to be, and it is left to a few i enthusiasts to keep their memory green, i Auriculae are divided into two chief see- i tions known as "Florists'" or "Show" and "Alpine" varieties. The show j auricula is easily known by the flowers 1 being thickly covered witn a wnrte ! powder or "paste." There are a whole i host of named varieties, but as a class ' they are bad doers, and need great care ' to briug to perfection, and no doubt it is largely due to this that the auricula has fallen out of cultivation. The "Alpine" section, however, are just as J hardy, are easily raised from seed, and j will do in ordinary garden soil, giving in the spring a wealth of beautiful variedcoloured velvety blooms, borne in large trusses. The seed should he sown very ! thinly in a well-drained pot or box filled with soil consisting largely of leaf soil and sand, and put into a shady position. Hie seed, when sown, should "be lightly covered with sand only, and the surface should not be allowed to dry; this can easily be accomplished if it is -well shaded. The best way to water the eeed pans is to dip them into a vessel of water, instead of watering overhead in the usual -ray. When the little plants have made- three or four leaves they should be transplanted into otb-»r pots | or boxes, allowing them about two inches apart. When large enough, they ' can be planted out. A half-shady position euits them the best, but if water can be supplied in dry weather, they will do in full sun. A soil in which leaf soil or rotting vegetable form the largest .jpsjt suits thai admirably.