IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17315, 29 November 1921, Page 3

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (smcui.lt wkitirs tor "thi rums- J (Bt J. T. SINCLAIB.) ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Perplexed.—The V-s male, or pollen, flowers j of the vegetable marrow fcom to be' vcf y j trouble-some to some prowers, and lor j some reason it is imagined the plant* . will fruit better if thev are removed. There is no nee-1 to trouble about them | a- all. Tiiev aro produced in greater ir.'.mbers than the fruit-lx-arinp flowers, and also appear earlier. When the p.ants are growiilg ?tro:;?lv, and do not appear to be trait in?, oiiioh out the point of the mam s!ihii«. and so encourage the formation of side ones, which will b« more prolific in fruit blossoms. Thero is no need to trouble about fertilisation; given warm, sunnv weather, tho crop will be plentiful, without it it will be light. VEGETABLES. Rhubarb.—This should not be pulled quite so much now, and if a. good number of stalks have been drawn from the crowns the roots must bo fed for some time to come. Tho plants will tlirive better if given potash in some form, nitrate for preference if it can bo obtained. Nitrate of soda, sulphate of iron, and superphosphates are also good. One application of till© soda and iron will be enough until the second growth begins. It is safest to use the manures separately, and if tho crowns are given weekly doses they will bo greatly improved. Asparagus.—Now that cutting has ceased, tho roots should bo assisted by frequent applications of liquid manureGuano, salt, sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of soda., superphosphates, and soot are all excellent fertilisers when used as liquids. Thev can also lie applied in a, dry state, but should bo well watered in immediately. Onions. —The bed of onions sown last autumn will be all the better if given a good dressing of nitrate of soda. Thero is nothing I know that will increaso tho size of the bulbs better or quicker than tlhis, at the same time, it must not be overdone, or the crop will bo spoiled. The best way to distribute tho manure is to weigh out Lib of the soda, mix this with twice its bulk of! i dry soil, and scatter the whole over | about 15 square yards. From threo to four weeks must elapse_ beforo another application is givon. Needless to say, tons dressing is best put on beiore a shower of rain. In dry weather artificial watering nfust bo given, and directly the surface is workable the hoe should be used between the rows. Runner Beans.—These should bo securelv staked before they assume, tho climbing habit. Poles, hurdles, or wide-meshed wire-netting can be employed. The main thing is to. make the supports firm enough, so that they will not sway in heavy gales. If the seed was sown thickly,' thinning out must, of course, be seen to. On light land the plants will do better, and the crops be heavier, if a good mulch is given after tho stakes are in position. FLOWEES. Hydrangea hortensa-—This is a very useful and highly ornamental shrub in many gardens; it is also extremely serviceable when grown in tubs. Grown in this manner it can be used for forcing, or allowed to flower at the, ordinary time out of doors, the tubs standing in yards, on terraces, or elsewhere where they get a reasonable, amount of sunshine. New plants can be propagated now with ease. Plants intended to be grown in small pots, and to carry a single head of flower, are best propagated about the end of February, but specimens meant to be grown in. tubs or bo planted out in th© borders next winter can be propagated now. Cuttings can bo made, from laterals springing from some of the older wood. Remove the lower leaves in the usual way of making a cutting. They should be inserted in. a mixture of leaf-mould, peat, and sand, in a propagating frame, or a box with a sheet of glass on top. When rooted, they can be potted up and shifted into larger pots, as they grow, the pots being plunged in ashes out of doors during summer. Amateur gardeners are often disappointed that hydrangeas described as blue "produce pink flowers, and this is not, as they often suspect, the fault of the nurseryman, as the blue colour is dependent on the constituents of the soil m which they are grown. Some soils produce blue hydrangeas naturally, but if this is not the case, the plant can be made to do so by adding one-eighth part of iron filings; from a torge to the soil in tWiich it is potted, or by watering with sulphate of iron, or by watering with a solution made by dissolving a tablespoonful of alum in a gallon of water. ■ ", Sun Roses.—Few hardy plants are showier than tho sun roses.or helianthemums early in the season. They form dwarf-spreading shrubs about a foot high, and are excellent, not only on a rockery, but in front of a border, as, for instance, at the sides of a garden path. They are to be ha'd in various colours, single and double, and though the single varieties soon fall in hot weather, a fresh bud, opens on each shoot the following day. The plants are readily struck from cuttings, and it is well to start with young plants, as they do not transplant well when large. After flowering, they should bo cut hard back, and tho cut--1 tings are best inserted by taking off ' the young shoots that are subsequently produced. "When grown as an edging to a path it is well to select varieties with grey leaves, as these always retain their foliage in good condition, and therefore make a satisfactory edging all the year round. Azaleas. —The glowing colours of azaleas are quite unique and unrivalled amongst flowering shrubs. 'This season ' many of them flowered exceptionally well. The plants should now be gone] over and have all the seed pods removed. Care must be taken not to 1 break off the little growth just below the seed pods. A correspondent cbm- ■ plained that he has had very little luck with his plants» Azaleas, like rhodo- : dendrons. to which they are closely i allied, object to the presence of lime in the soil, and if one's garden is on > a limestone or chalk soil, it is not worth while trying to grow them in the open. On other soils, and in par- ■ ticular on those of a peaty nature, i they thrive readily, and flower with regularity in October and November. ( Tho town of Ghent, in Europe, is farfamed for their cultivation where over 5(10 nurseries are engaged m their production. Azaleas can be quickly forced ; into flower, and thousands of plants - are thus brought into bloom in pots by ; market growers every spring, in the [ Old Land, for use in room decoration, , and it is to supply this demand for • plants that the Ghent industry has [ grown up. Azaleas, however, need not l>e forced even when grown in pots. , Wfyen grown thus the pots can be I placed anywhere in the garden, and the plants will flower at the usual time. . Ample soakings of water are necessary to keep the plants in health.