IN THE GARDEN

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23972, 12 June 1943, Page 2

IN THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK [By W. J. HUMM.] VEGETABLES The most important work at present in the vegetable garden is preparing for next season’s crops. Make sure that the soil is given a thorough preparation. If manuring is done , with farmyard manure be sure and place it well down. Where crops such as beet, parsnips, or carrots are grown, placing the manure too near the surface will cause them to develop side roots, which are not desired. Great care should be exercised to apply manure evenly. Too often manures are applied in a haphazard fashio. with the result that more harm than good is done. Too much manure is injurious to both soil and plants. No manure can do its work unless the soil is frequently cultivated and kept free from weeds. The more the surface soil is stirred and aerated the better the crops will respond to the manure. Manures cannot take the place of cultivation. It is quite possible to erow good crops without applying artificial manures, but it is not possible to produce good crops without cultivation. The more soil is cultivated the more productive it will be. To get the best out of the soil do not overlook the value of crop rotation. Where the soil is well drained plant cabbage and cauliflowers, broad beans, and earlv peas. Lift and store root crops with the exception of parsnips and artichokes. Plant chives, rhubarb, thyme, sage, mint, and all herbs. Herbs should not be planted under trees; they do best in a sunny position. Prepare beds for asparagus now. but plant in spring. Do not leave rubbish lying about the ground: it keeps the air and warmth from doing their work. Dust a little carbonate of lime round cabbag° and cauliflower plants. GARDEN TOOLS Tools should always be wiped clean and oiled after use. Rust is an enemy to steel and soon destroys its surface. No one can do satisfactory work with dirty tools. If they get rusted time will be lost in getting them clean. It takes much more energy to work a dirtv tool than a clean one and the work is not well done. Lawnmowers should be well cleaned and sharpened during the slack season and be put in working order before spring. All metal parts should be well oiled. FLOWERS Clean up beds and borders and be careful 1 not to dig too deeply round an'' earlv flowering plants. Do not prune any early flowering shrubs now. Should any pruning be needed they are best pruned after

their flowering is over. Buddleias, with the exception of budd’eia alternifolia, may be pruned now. Buddleia colvellei is better not pruned. Tamarix. with the exception of tamarix plumosa. may be cut hard back now. Plumosa blooms in spring; if pruped now the flower effect will be lost. Pyrus malus Parkmanii, Sir Heaton Rhodes, and Coronaria are three of the finest flowering apples in cultivation. Plant all classes of roses. June planted roses always give the best results. Rose pruning may now be undertaken. Do not prune yellow banksia, copper Austrian. Persiar yellow, or any of the rose species now. If any pruning is needed do it after the flowering period is over. Burn all prunings and rose foliage: they may contain blight. After pruning spray roses w'th lime sulphur, using it at one part to 12 parts of water. Paul’s scarlet climber is one of the most satisfactory climbing roses of its colour introduced. It flowers most freely and is a good grower, Chaplin s pink climber is also a worthy climbing rose. Any lilies required should be planted as soon as possible. The stem-rooting kinds should be planted deeply. SHRUBS Erica Darleyensis is at present in full bloom and will remain so for many weeks. This dainty little lowgrowing heath should be better known. It is free flowering and will endure hard frosts without harm. The flowers are small and the colour bright purplish pink. The flowers clothe the plants from top to bottom. It does best when planted in full sun, FRUIT Before destroying a tree that is not productive find out what caused it to be so. Quite often fruit trees are pruned far too heavily and instead of producing fruit can only produce wood growth. One who prunes a tree should know exactly what effect the pruning will have. If he has not this knowledge the tree may be harmed. Unless one can do more for the tree than the tree can do for iteslf the tree should be left unpruned. Each variety requires different treatment. Watch carefully each tree’s fruiting system, for this is the chief guide in the art of pruning. Pruning can be learnt only by experience. He who prunes all trees alike knows nothing about pruning and should not be permitted to undertake the work. Prune armies, pears, and plums now. Plant all classes of fruit trees, including walnuts. Fruit trees require from 12 to 15 feet spacing for their development.