Practical Gardening

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29239, 24 June 1960, Page 8

Practical Gardening

Specially Written for "The Press” by

T. D. LENNIE.

’. A.H.R.1.H.. N.Z.

Plants Repay Winter Care And Protection

Most persons have a keen desire to extend the range of plants grown in their garden, and, although many of the enticing good things are thoroughly hardy, they need some protection in winter time. That means some form of covering to protect them from frosts and cold winds. There is no doubt that the provision of such protection greatly extends the garden’s possibilities and the range of floral treasures. To gain the best results, some form of glass structure is desirable, whether it be greenhouse, frame, or cloches, and the possession of any one of these gives one a big advantage. Possibly the most valuable aspect of the possession of these forms of shelter is the wide range of seeds which can be raised beneath their proection, and the carrying over of many seedlings which would be greatly hampered in the open air. A greenhouse may be expensive, although it has many advantages, among which are space, temperature control, and the fact that the gardener himself is also provided with shelter from the weather while working therein, but for the average home gardener a cold frame offers an excellent alternative at a much more moderate cost.

The cold frame is merely a sizeable wooden frame, one or two feet high at the front and two to three feet at the back, with moveable glass frames on the top which can be raised or slid up and down for ease in working. Once such a frame has been constructed, it can be kept filled with a continuous relay of boxed or potted plants according to the seasons, and thus greatly add to the number and health of plants available for bedding out in due course. Nurserymen and commercial plant growers would be much handicapped without their cold frames. Violets, helleborus, primulas, freesias, and spring bulbs planted in boxes are only a few of the plants which, at the present time, would be greatly improved by such protection. Tree and Shrub Planting

Tree and shrub planting will now be claiming the attention of those who are anxious to extend or improve the lay-out of the garden, and the selection of the right thing to plant is not always an easy matter, and a decision on what should or should not be grown must vary according to various circumstances. For this reason it is impossible to lay down

any hard and fast rules as to what should be grown or where ( it should be planted. There are, however, more or less general rules which can act as a guide in achieving certain effects and results for which the gardener may be striving.

Jn new gardens a judicious mixture of tall flowering trees and bushy shrubs is the accepted pattern; but with established layouts it is possible to amend or add, or even in the best of gardens there is usually something which falls short of one’s hopes, or newer subjects which one desires to include.

Shade and beauty are obtained by planting along the frontage such favourites as the flowering fruits that amply justify their inclusion during September and October. So, too, do rowan, laburnum and betula, or the natives kohwai and ribbon wood. With these planted at 12 to 20 feet apart, there is plenty of room for good flowering shrubs to be set out betweep them, and this range covers a whole range of worthwhile things. Indeed, the range is so wide and varied that the gardener is often faced with a problem in making a selection with which to fill these gaps. He should include berry-bearing shrubs and those which carry coloured foliage in the autumn, as well as those planted for their purely decorative floral attributes. But here again the choice is so wide that it is worth discussing the matter with your nurseryman, who will be glad to give'you the benefit of his skilled advice, before making your final decision. Those who have established gardens should not hesitate to root out any worthless shrub, and to replace it with one which will be a feature of the border.

Hedge Trimming and Pruning Hedge trimming is a winter job, and one which gives the gardeneracceptable exercise on cold days. It is good for most hedges to be well cut back at this season, as spring growths will soon fill any hollows left by overhard cutting. This also applies to the pruning or reshaping of flowering shrubs. One of the trick problems of the home gardener is to decide the proper time to prune roses. It is the general custom with most deciduous plants to trim them severely or mildly when the leaves have fallen and the dormant stage has begun. That applies to all hardy subjects, but the practice has to be modified in the case of more tender things

Roses, geraniums and fuchsias are in this latter category; therefore the pruning of these should be deferred until the heavy frosts of July are over. It is only common sense to let top growths alone to take the brunt of cold nights, so that when August comes with its swelling of buds, hard cutting back will remove the frosted ends and leave the desired framework. Marking and Planting Mark the positions of lilies and choice spring bulbs. It is disheartening to damage these when hoeing or digging, through ignorance of their position. Lily planting should be completed. Tulips and hyacinths should also be in the ground. Care of Gladiolus Corms The annual lifting and storing of gladiolus corms is very important, for, if left in the ground, their degeneration is very rapid. Warmth during the resting period is also of the utmost importance. The gladiolus is a South African plant and condiitons are warmer in the sun-baked soil of South Africa during the resting period than during the growing and flowering season. It is therefore desirable during storage to give the corms the conditions that obtain in their natural habitat. The gladiolus is also subject to disease, which can be controlled by Immersing the corms during the dormant period in a solution of one ounce of corrosive sublimate in ten gallons of water for half an hour.

VEGETABLE GARDEN

Crop growth, if it has not already ceased, is coming to a standstill. Green crops, sown in the autumn, have generally reached full growth, but they may be left in growth a little longer. When the valuable green crop manure is dug in, a liberal amount of garden lime should be added.

Digging and weeding in preparation for spring sowing should be carried out as weather permits. The addition of compost and farm manure will pay rich dividends later. Another valuable addition to revitalise the seed beds is seaweed, which has won high praise from many enthusiastic gardeners. It is worth noting that the smaller portions of seaweed give earliest results, and that the heavier kelp takes longer to decompose. Sawdust is also a useful material to scatter over any idle ground to a depth of two or three inches.

Seed potatoes may now be boxed to sprout. Protection from frost should be provided. Lift any remaining root crops and rebury in a handy position, removing all top growth where the crop is not large. Lime and roughly dig the vacant spaces. Firm the soil round young growing cabbages. Early peas can be sown In warm districts, so can long pod beans, shallots, early cabbage and cauliflower plants.

STRAWBERRIES IN A SMALL GARDEN

These at one time were entirely a crop of the home or vegetable garden, and although fashions change, and it is considered right to buy and not grow strawberries in the small garden, there is no doubt that the home grown article was far superior to the poor flavour acid berries that are offered to us. The birds and other things are blamed for the reason why strawberry growing has gone out of fashion. Strawberries like deeply worked rich soil, there is no doubt that measured by the ordinary rule of manuring it js correct to say that they like a very heavy supply. Planting can be done now, put the plants about nine inches apart in the row with the rows about two feet apart. Choose the most open place in the garden, shade of any form is detrimental to the strawberry. When planting make the hole large enough to spread the roots out fanlike, using a trowel for planting. Potash is necessary, and this can be supplied by wood ashes or sulphate of potash, this latter at the rate of one ounce to the square yard. A good dressing of super should be given, using about four ounces to the square yard; these manures should be applied about 10 days before planting. At planting time use four ounces of bonedust, sprinkling it along the row before planting. After planting, work between the plants at every opportunity. A strawberry bed should have the surface worked once every month till the mulching is put on.