The Week's Work

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 60, 12 March 1938, Page 16 (Supplement)

The Week's Work

THE FLOWER GARDEN. Lift bulbs, dry and clean them. The bulbs should be graded into three grades and all of one grade planted together. Cuttings of Pinks can be taken. They root easily in sandy soil, well shaded. Plant cuttings of Tecoma for hedging purposes. Young growths three or four inches long are best. Sow Antirrhinums in boxes to produce early flowering plants. Lift and divide Lobelia clumps. Lobelia makes a good edging in frost-free districts if planted now. Peg down to the ground the growth of Petunias, Verbenas and similar plants. Securely stake all late flowering herbaceous plants. Dahlias will need attention to staking and disbudding. Chrysanthemums must be disbudded. See that the plants are securely staked. Spraying for grubs and rust must be done. Seedlings of Pansies, Primulas, Aquilegias, Delphiniums, etc., sown about the New Year must be transplanted as soon as large enough. Now is the time to lift and replant Lilium candidum, the Madonna Lily and the Lilium Icngiflorum, or Christmas Lily. Save Lilium seed as soon as pods start to split. Seed can be saved till spring, but it is best sown at once. THE GREENHOUSE. Pot up bulbs for winter flowering. The system of growing bulbs in moss fibre is clean and convenient. Lachenalias can be potted. They make good subjects for baskiets. Make a sowing of Schizanthus for flowering in pots. Sow thinly and transplant early into boxes before potting. Mignonette makes a good winter flowering subject when grown in pots. Regal and decorative Pelargoniums should be cut back and stood outside. When the plants have started to shoot the plants should be shaken out and repotted. Pots and benches should be thoroughly cleaned. Chilly nights will soon room in the greenhouse at a premium and cleaning out of the question. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Make a sowing of Cabbages, Cauliflowers, etc. Plantings of Silver Beet and Perpetual Spinach can be made. Sow Lettuce and Radish. A fairly large sowing of lettuce can be made, as seedlings can be transplanted and will last well into winter. Late sowings of Peas should be staked. If dwarf varieties, they should have short sticks to keep them off the soil. Clear off spent crops and either dig the ground or hoe off the weeds and sow down in a soiling crop, such as Lupins or Oats. A sowing of Shorthorn Carrots and Turnip-rooted Beet can be made. Tie the leaf stalks of Celery loosely together before adding soil. Choose a day when the soil is comparatively dry. Harvest Onions. Let them dry thoroughly before harvesting. They keep best when tied in bundles or ropes and hung from the roof of an airy shed. Leeks should now be growing freely and occasional doses of liquid manure will benefit them. Keep lateral growths cut away and plant* trimmed so as to get the best of late Tomatoes. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Tie in young canes of Logan and Raspberries. Old fruited canes should be cut away. It is not too late to summer prune Red and White Currants. Black Currants should have old growths cut out as soon as the crop is harvested. Apples and Pears should be harvested as they mature. Collect and destroy all fallen fruit. Stone fruit can have a partial pruning to allow sun and air to get into the -centre. Now is the time to cut out useless and decrepit trees.