Pratical Gardening

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 102, 2 May 1931, Page 6 (Supplement)

Pratical Gardening

LXIII

CLEANING TJP RUBBISH.

Without a doubt if rubbish heaps were unknown in our gardens there would be much less need of spraying and the makers of soil fumigants and such like would soon go out of business. A garden free of rubbish would, from both a sanitary and an aesthetic ppint of view, be ideal. There is, however, the practical side of the question and in no other place on earth does rubbish accumulate so quickly as in a email garden. In a large area you can place it in such a position that there is no need to gaze on it for a few months and then it is simply a green hummock. In a small

garden either it is hedge primings, weeds, the residue of a crop of cabbage or potatoes, or some other crop, the bulk of which is left on the ground. To get rid of such bulky material there are two waj r s: the "woody and dry portion can be burnt and if a furnace is built of bricks with a few pieces of old pipes or iron bars for a grate it is quite an easy matter to get rid of a lot of bulky material. A sheet or so of old galvanised iron is very useful to keep the stuff dry should rain be possible before the fire can be started. The {•oft, wet, green, rottable material can be buried. Dig out a trench

three feet deep and three feet wide, dump in all the rubbish and throw on some soil. Start filling at one end and fill it almost to the top, then put back the soil. It will look as if you are trying to raise the garden, but it will soon consolidate and sink to a normal level. You continue until the trench is full, then dig out a new trench and start again. Besult, you have no rubbish lying about except what is in the trench and this is "out of bounds." The garden is enriched and benefited by trenching, and humus is added to the soil. ROCKERY BUILDING. Many amateurs will be busy early in the year forming or rebuilding their rockwork. Where a rockery ia made with several layers of stones, one above another, care should be taken to place the stones so that the plants will receive sufficient moisture at the roots. A crevice running exactly horizontally is not good, unless sufficient moisture can percolate through the upper part of the rockery to reach the roots of the plants inserted in the crevice, and where large blocks of stone are used this is difficult to secure, and young plants, in particular, have a poor chance. With an oblique crevice, which is higher at the front and runs downwards, it is different, as the rain falling against the face of the rockwork runs into the crevice and reaches the roots of the plants. To uccure this properly, the lower stone or piece of rock should project a very little •way at the crevice. An angle of 45 degrees is not too great,, but a little less will do for the inclination of the crevice. Where possible the plants should be planted as the work proceeds, and a small stone or two should, in any case, be inserted between the two large stones to prevent undue pressure on the plants.

BRITISH V. FOREIGN STOCK. Commenting on the above, the editor of the "Horticultural Advertiser" says: "Few buyers realise that trees,• shrubs, bulbs and plants of "all kinds, cost, a fair amount to produce, because of labour, interest on capital invested in land and materials, high taxation and transport costs and necessary overhead expenses of running a business. Customers do not realise that .the tree, or whatever plant it is, they buy, may have occupied its place in the nursery,' not for days or months, like most traders' stock, but for years, and that during this period constant labour and attention has been employed upon it. When such facts as these are realised the British price looks more reasonable. Having thus driven from the mind of tlie custbmer the ignorant idea that the local nurseryman's price is not profiteering, it must be realised that the higher price paid is, in truth and fact, for a better article, and one which is worth its price. The British nurseryman stands behind his product, and is there to be shot at direct or chrougti the Coorts if his produce is wroiig; whereas little or no satisfaction can be obtained from foreign suppliers. Local produce, too, will suit local gardens. Some foreign produce is of course admirable, but in almost every case the British raised and produced plant stands alone, comparable in any way, with points in its favour, against the foreign product." ' ASPARAGUS BEDS, i Directly the growth of asparagus becomes yellow it should be cut down to within an inch of the ground and carried off to the.fire. If allowed to remain until the seeds commence to idrop the seedlings which spring up between' the rows and all over the bed will prove a, nuisance. After clearing away the top growth, weed the beds carefully, allowing not one to remain. Next give the crowns •a. topdressing. of mellow decayed manure, covering this with about 2in of soil. Do the work neatly, and leave everything smart for the wjnter. If the asparagus is growing on heavy land avoid using wet farmvard manure. If material of a drier nature cannot be obtained, it will be better to withhold the dressing altogether, and use artificial manure in spring. .

MXLDEW IN ONIONS.

Onion mildew of late has increased to such an extent as to represent a verygreat loss in onion crop. It is one of those diseases that does not entirely kill but only reduces the crop by partly defoliating the crop during the growing season and which, preventing the leaves from performing their proper functions, naturally must result in a reduced yield. To what extent it is difficult, in fact, almost impossible, to say, ,but no doubt it is also in a measure partly the cause of the local grown onions keeping badly when in store. The question has been taken up by. the Department of Agriculture, New South Wales, and although up to the present there has been no definite results, the following recommendations for control are given:—(1) Seed treatment, more particularly bulb treatment for elimination of the fungus, by those growing for seed production; (2) rotation of crops; (3) as far as possible removal and destruction of diseased leaves at close of season. Certain varieties have been reported to show resistance to this disease in England, e.g., Cranston's Excelsior, Kousham Park Hero and Up-to-date. These varieties have been tested, and Cranston's Excelsior has shown some resistance, whereas practically all local New South Wales types are very susceptible to the disease. The work is being continued mainly in the direction of the breeding of resistant strains, utilising the forms known at present to be resistant as parental material.

KALMIA. Is there a more beautiful shrub than Kalmia which, in the United States is called the "mountain laurel?" In some parts of that country it grows as commonly as gorse bushes and resists frost most wonderfully. The shrubs flower when small, which is one of its pleasantest advantages. This should ensure it a ready market among amateurs who hate to have to wait for years before they see a flower. Indeed, when successfully grown, the clusters of flowers are so thick that one can. scarcely see the leaves for them. The shrub is easy to handle and safe for transplanting, because it has a ball of roots like a rhododendron, instead of straggly roots which are often a nuisance. In colour the flower varies from a lovely carmine to the palest possible pink, shading almost to a white. ,The minature form of Kalmia, known as myrtfolia, has leaves about one inch long and onequarter inch broad. It is a neat and pretty little evergreen shrub. A useful variety of alpine plant is the dwarf variety, called Kalmia augustifolia nana. Another good Kalmia species of a different kind is Kalmia augustifolia, which is only about two feet high. To grow Kalmia use a cool, moist, lime-free place, the same sort of .situation that suits rhododendrons. For the first season the ground around the roots should be covered with leaf-mould to keep off the heat of the eun. ASPIDISTRA LEAF BLOTCH. The aspidistra, that common, hardy window or room plant, which is looked upon to grow under conditions which no other plant would tolerate, and often does remarkably well under apparently adverse conditions, does not suffer from many diseases and is usually healthy if given a fair show as regards soil, light and water. There is'a disease, however, which often attacks the leaves; it is at first apparent by a kind of whitish blotch at the back of the leaves, the whole of the foliage soon changes to a yellowish green and is ruined 1 . It is due to a fungus known as ascochyta aspidistrae. The disease is aggravated by ill-treatment, such as sour soil or a cold, draughty position. It can be kept in check and entirely eradicated by sponging the leaves twice a week with a rose red solution of permanganate of potash. This is made by dissolving a level dessertspoonful of the crystals in a gallon of water. The plants should be kept rather on the dry side during the winter, but not dry enough to cause the leaves to wilt. WHY BRUSSELS SPROUTS BURST. Brussels sprouts sometimes fail to produce "buttons" or sprouts that are solid, and -often make flabby or completely burst sprouts instead. The ground may be excessively rich; that is, rank manure may have been applied heavily in preparing for planting. Also, there Is often lack of sufficient nourishment in the soil, whilst thp most prolific cause is want of firmness ' about the roots. Ground intended for Brussels sprouts should always be prepared well in advance, to enab l " -L to settle down and become solidified.

panther lily, is the easiest to grow. Crossing the Pacific we come to Japan and China, and among many fine species lilium auratum, in particular, stands out as one of the finest lilies found in Japan or elsewhere. This is one of nature's most wonderful flowers. We then find a few lilies in India and Burma, growing under almost tropical conditions. Certain species are found in the wilds of Siberia and Manchuria, tigrinum and

qiher varieties, and in the Caucasus t, find lilium .szooitzianum, which is-pej, fectly amenable to cultivation, uflfc ' a most wonderful lily. .In Soutaej, Europe we find lilium , candidum (the Madonna -lily), th» orange lilium crococum, purple | gan, and lilium pyrenaicum (the early , yellow martagon). We have novr % briefly run round the world, as it we> '. and find that lilies from east to west and west to east almost encircle tin globe. Among typical lilies of easy & ture for the ordinary garden are of all the martagon group. Thersj, the old purple martagon. and its white variety,'- martagon album, and th ß superior form, martagon Dalmaticm,,, This latter is now very rare in cultfra. tion. The purple martagon will almost anywhere, and, being a native of Southern Europe, is more amenable to cultivation than many other varieties, I have seen it grooving under small trees in orchards and coppices, where it spread and increases from year to year, ft jj not a particularly handsome lily, its stature and form are'very effective. The white form is a lily-'worthy of tie choicest position in the garden, with its reflexed, snow-white flowers on ascending spikes in*.tiers one above'the other, then come to the old orange lily, croceum, which one sees in cqttage gjy. dens throughout this country; flowering in mid-summer with its tiers of bloom This variety is of a very robust nature. Frequently grown with croceum is the old lilium candidum (the Madonna lily). It generally grows best when apparently least cared for, ~biit unfortunately it is apt to be affected by disease. The foliage turns brown, black and very discoloured, and finally ohrwefc and therefore affects the t flowering o{ the plant. On the other land, itis not detrimental to the bulb itself, and the next year the same bulb may flower with the utmost freedom. 'We then have the various forms of lilium umbellatum, mostly orange red lilies With cup-shapetl flowers' on strong, robust stems. The' cultivation of these is fairly simple to that of lilium croceum,; The Japanese lily, lilum .Hansoni, which is known u the Japanese martagon Ely, is very rapij in growth, and comes up very early, ft has thick, fleshy, recurving flowers, y«k low spotted purple. A very handsome lily indeed;' its greatest drawback ig spring frosts. We then eall on Chins for another lily, lilium Bjenryi, inbfr! duced about 30 years' ago by Dr. Henry during his travels, "it is commonly described as the yellow flowered specif sum, and is one of the most distinct lilies, tall growing, reflexed flowers of i pure orange yellow. When Iwell established it grows from six to eight feet high with as many as 20 to 30 flowers on a stem. Its constitution is strong and robust. Mention has already been made of Jilium regale. Introduced from China by Wilson, it is apparently grown with the utmost vigour in all soils and situations without being unduly particolar as to its situation. It has beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers, tinted brown outside and yellow in the mouth of the throat, very sweetly scented. It is most easily raised from seed and, generally speaking, flowers in the second or third year. It is a lily that is becoming increasingly popular and will doubtless be as common in gardens |n a few years" time as the old lilium- candidum. It is of hardy constitution and is the finest lily that China"nas given us. Coupled with its beauty is its. great reliability. Then we have the Californian lilium pardalinum. This is a lily that from a cultural point of view demands but little except a cooL:moist, soil in a half-shady position. A delightful lily for growing in semi--woodland, where it wiir grow and increasi with the utmost vigour. So far we have not mentioned the. old tiger lilies »which have been growing in gardens oTJsr a hundred years, originating in China.aW Japan. Orangecoloured reflexed flowers- with dark purple spots and four: to-five feet high m many cases, beariig bulbils in the axils of the leaves.? A" very popular lily associating well with herbaceous plants and fine for ,!he iback of the border in autumn. The' colour is very clear and clean. It is a lily that increases, fast and possesses on the whom a good constitution. The above-named Mies may be tried ty most people with success. It is a shcrt list but comprises some of the most baautiful of the gema, and at the same tibe varieties that are suitable for general garden cultivation.'

NOTES ON THE IXEX*

Sfr. R. W. Wallace, wrfttog on BBes in the "Horticultural Advertiser* says: Recent years have shown a wonderfully increased interest in the cultivation of the lily, for there is no plant more beautiful and more regal in appearance when full grown. This increasing interest is, in a measure, due to the fact of the various introductions from abroad in recent years, particularly that wonderful Chinese lily, lilium regale, discovered by Mr. E. H. Wilson. Before dealing with the various types, it might be as well to draw attention to # the fact as to where and how lilies are found growing wild. They are widely spread throughout the world, in fact, few other, "if any, families have such a distribution. We find certain varieties growing on the East Coast of America in the high mountain ranges, where a moist atmosphere is to be found, and among these in particular are the fine lilium canadense and superbum, two of America's finest lilies. No species are found in the middle States of America on account of .the heat and dryness of the climate, but coming to the coast ranges of the Pacific Coast right away from Vancouver to California we find 1 a considerable number of species, most of magnificent size and stature, but not ( all of too easy a culture. Lilies are, generally speaking, sun lovers, but at the same time they require their stems protected from the hot burning rays of the sun. They are also found growing on the sides of mountains and in low meadows, where a moist atmosphere abounds. They start into, growth late in "spring and grow with great rapidity, therefore one can understand how a late night frost injures, the Amongst the finest of these Pacific t Coast: species are liliimm Humbpldtii,* -Washingtonianum, and pardalinunt. Lilium pardabnum, popularly known as the