THE WEEK'S WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 170, 19 July 1924, Page 20

THE WEEK'S WORK.

I I I THE FLOWER GARDEN. j k Plant a Daphne or two. Get strong, healthy plants. Prepare your § »oil before planting by having it well manured and deeply dug. ( fh Shade the root* if in a sunny position, and water in dry weather. j 1 Heaths should be planted during July and August. Buy strong, j t healthy plants. Water well before planting, and plant at a j % depth not greater than half an inch deeper than the plants f had previously been planted. Water carefully and keep the * roots moist, particularly when newly planted. % Plant Roses this month. The weather has improved, and planting ty should be done as soon as possible. The Rose is an early i grower, and commences to make new roots during late winter. I Plant one or two Boronias. Spray established planU with black leaf 4O to control the aphis. I Rhododendrons are liable to get straggly and tall. All branches % that can conveniently be bent to the ground can be layered j ■; now, and in the course of two years will give a fine stock of j :': young plants that can be severed from the parent. ■$ The improved weather conditions will mean abundance of work, ; I) and one of the most important will be getting rid of weeds. This should be done with all speed; in many cases it will |<j mean hand weeding, in others the soil between the plants can iij be forked over and the weeds buried. The planting of shrubs, trees and hedge plants should be completed J without delay. If this work is put off too long it will mean j! that the plants have very little time to form roots before the ~j : dry weather is here. I THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. I The ground for Onions should be prepared at once. Trenching k and plenty of manure are necessary for the best results. Plant k the Onions shallow, and although not absolutely essential, it is convenient to cut off the extreme ends of both the leaves 'm and the roots. % Make a. sowing of Broad Beans. One seed every foot, the rows |S thirty inches apart, and the seed three inches deep. =$ The weather has improved, and the soil has begun to lose some of % its surplus water, and work can be done that has been waiting !'} since last April. -;'<j Choose a warm, well drained spot and sow a few rows of a dwarf 1 ijj early Pea. There is no doubt some more rain coining, and '■'i these early sowings should be sown shallow, say, about two | |! inches. Well worked and manured soil is essential, of course. i Supplies of an acceptable salad can be kept up by souring Cress at • intervals, followed three days later by Mustard. Shallow f> boxes are best for the purpose. Use light soil, press the seeds i into it, cover the surface with paper, and place the boxes I; in a cold frame or greenhouse. Water the soil well at the I time of sowing. a| Cet the ground ready for Shallots by deep digging and manuring. , :, It can scarcely be made too rich for them. The bulbs may be : ; planted by pushing them half way into the soil. 3 A planting of Potatoes should be made now that the soil is drier. ■$ A warm, sheltered position, as well drained as possible should |l be chosen. Good early sorts for planting now are Early Rose 1 and Beauty of Hebron. Plant the tubers about a foot apart, ii and put them about four inches deep. Shallow planting is I best for early Potatoes. I THE GREENHOUSE. § Zonal Geraniums in pots may be cut back, and the cuttings inserted j S in pots or boxes. I Freesias which are throwing up their flower spikes may be greatly t assisted with weak liquid manure at every second watering. I Give plenty of ventilation, and do not shade. ;jj Cyclamen sown in autumn and now showing a leaf or two may be •k potted off or transplanted into boxes. Dr%in the pots or j ja boxes well, and maintain a moist atmosphere. I THE FRUIT GARDEN. % The planting of fruit trees, which was held up by the bad weather, I $ is now possible, and the work should be got under way at once. | |j The end of August is the best time to plant Citrus trees, but the i <j ground should bo prepared at once. Work the soil deeply, : ■k and add a little bonedust, but not stable manure. m Spraying with a strong solution of Bordeaux or lime sulphur should < j be applied at once to all fruit trees. Apples with woolly aphis, J or any trees with scale will have to be sprayed with red oil. '■■ ■ Even if you only have one tree spraying is necessary, and ] should be done well. \ j) Pruning can be done now. Do not leave the pruning! lying about; i I pick them up and burn them. Weeds and all other rubbish I i should also be destroyed. Dirty orchards are never successful. i