THE GARDEN.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLII, Issue 91, 23 May 1916, Page 2

THE GARDEN.

WHAT TO DO NOW. (Notes by " Amateur.") Clumps of perennials which need dividing may now .be lifted, divided, and replanted. borders planted with hardy perennials with decayed manure. Do not d;g between the plants. New paiths Imay be made now. Excavate the soil to -the depth of six inches, put tour inches of lough stones on the bottom, then, an inch of coarse gravel, and finish off with an inch of fine gravel, then well roll. Topdress poor lawns with finelyrsifted decayed manure and four ounces of bone-meal per square yard. Lawns infested' with moss should have their surface well scarified with an iron rake, then have the loose moss swept off, and the surface dressed with ground liine at the rate of 4oz per square yard. Hardy climbers may be planted. Plant rhododendrons. Avoid planting in soils containing liiine. Hedges of holly, privet, box, etc., may also be planted. See that the ground is dug to a good depth, and to a width of at least 3ft. Trees and' shrubs recently planted should be mulched and manured f'w a distance of 3ft round their .stems. .Mulch newlyi-planted fruit trees. Plant fruit trees when the weather is favorable. Insert cuttings of gooseberries and currants. These cuttings can be preglared from the shoots removed when pruning. Fruit trees which cannot be planted owing to bad weather should be laid on 1 the ground in a corner, and have their roots covered with soil. Dig, ridge, or trench vacant ground, and leave the surface rough all the winter for frost to act upon it. During frosty weather, when patlis and ground are hard, wheel manure, rubbish, etc., on to land to be dug. PLANTING ROSES. When the soil is in a good condition take the opportunity to forward' the work of planting, roses. For new beds •thorough drainage is essential. The ideal soil for these flowers is a rich loam of greasy nature, and it should be dug two feet to three feet deep. A heavy clay soil may be improved by incorporating with it burnt earth, wood aidi and rubb'sh ;. If the soil is of a light texfuro rcmov© the iHittom spit and replace it with good turf—the top spit ironr heavy pasture for preference—and well rot ted cow manure The soil of established rose, beds usually sour in time, and after three years the plants are l>eueiited by ■being lifted and replanted. 111 this case the beds should 'be dug deeply, removing i>. portion' of the old soil and replacing it with good, turfy loaim. Place 'well-decayed manure in the bottom, and vs'pr itklc basic slag or bone meal on the -surface. Before replanting shorten the strong roots that are deficit nt in rootfibres, and 'also cut hack the long growths, for these would be liable to damage by wind and in swaying have ■have a tendency to loosen the plant in the ground . Extra vigorous shoots on established plants should be treated similarly unless it is preferred to secure ■theftn to stakes or peg thnin 011 the ground. Plant firmly and just deep 'enough to cover the junction' of stock and scion with soil. STORING POTTING SOILS. One of tile greatest assets (0 a gardener, be he professional or amateur, is to have at hand a good stack =of potting soil. To the one with a. greenhouse, it is essential that he ■should, l>e equipped with such material, ; as, without it. he is powerless to grow pot plants. This is the time of the year when one may take an inventory of one's possessions in this respect., and make good anyi deficiency for future use. For general potting purposes, we cannot have anything -better than turf soil, leaf-mould, t>and, and rotted dung. 'These should be stacked in a heau> in alternate layers.'and allowed to stand •for some months— a year is none too •long—as, by the end of that time, the •stack will be in a condition which may •be described as '"mellow," and may be cut down and mixed up, being passed through a sieve for use. To this end tturf, sods, audi loaves should be got together along with stable manure, and coarse rityer sand, and. if among the whole a. little soot can bo incorporated, W> much the better. FRUIT TREE PLANTING. ON GRASS LAND. The planting of fruit trees in grass hand seems to present more difficulties to the novice than in the cultivated garden. The work is of great importance because trees planted in grass orchards are soinio time in conning into a bearing state—eight or 10 years, according to the variety in many in(many instances—and it will be 'most 'disappointing to find that specimens are unproductive owing to insufficient forethought and care wing expended l in the preparation of th© 6oil ana the planting of the trees, A frequent cause of failure is an unsuitable site, and more often try planting trees in badly drained soil The first cause cannot alwavs be lighted, "but the second can and should be seen to before the work of planting goes on. If a large orchard is to be dealt with, the whole of the ground should be drained with _ agricultural drain-pipes. Where it is intended to plant & few trees only, special stations for each specimen should be excavated. This method will apply to all kinds of soil because, although the subsoif may not always be of a poor nature, its inert character requires that it should be brought into action by being disturbed and improved where necessary. To leave the soil in its present state involves a good deal less trouble and initial expense, but it is false economy, to allow it to remain undisturbed, be cause there invariably exists a. very nard layer of soil just below the first, epit of earth, which prevent* a free access of air and a proper percolation- of water, and an unhealthy state of the root system follows. Various kindsi <rf disease are apt to attack trees growing in such non-hygienic conditions, and the plants are also more liable to insect attacks owing to their lowered vitality. In the winter time and during prolonged downpours of rain, the soil becomes waterlogged, the roots being in a supersaturated condition, while during drought the water in the lower layers cannot ascend and circulate freely. Preparing the Holes. The first operation is that of taking away the sod, and sites three feet in diameter should be marked off, the sod should be placed- on one side of the station so that they can readily be handled. These sods should be cut from two to three inches in thickness, which will retain most of the fibrous roots of the gpass, and these will be of immense value for the tree roots later on. The layer underneath the sod ehwH be

dug out one foot deep, and placed on the opposite side of the station; thu, 6oil is usually good enough to plant th„ root® of the trees in, but may occasion. aOy .require supplementing with soma, tiling of better quality. The subsoil mt v then b© excavated, and if strong clav or anything approaching a sandy in', ture, Jt should be removed to th'o kit. chen garden, be incorporated, with the ordinary soil, and used for wmiort. ant crops. If the site is at all in< ] nfd to be water-logged, and this catv readily be ascertained! by leaving a hoV> w . posed for a week, cover the top over with a sheet of zinc or boards to » ri .. vent the rain from entering the (1,4 to any great extent. Khould a inches of water stand in the hole, it will be necessary to drain the land. The grass sods should be laid, grass, sl<|» down, over the drainage, and V trodden quite firmly; the better soil pl ;10tl| | on this, and left in a loose condition until the trees arrive. Planting the Trees. If the tret's arrive before plantin,. operations can be carried on they hlmuld have the thickest roots prune*] with a sharp knife, or well puddled in inland water, and laid in a convenient part,,'' the garden. Before planting, tread tit,, soil firmly, and fi.ll up the hole to within nine inches of the top. When plant, iug standards, lix a stake near to the centre of the hole, a.id deep enough w penetrate the upper part of the drainage. The (Jtakes can be lixcd bettor at this stage than afterwards, because ,»f the probability of stabbing the nmi n roots. The roots of trees should !«■ arranged ithat each has a clear portion ■ of earth to grow in, and a few piw.sof old turf might with advantage !*• laid at the extriflnitv of each root, Iw.th tho . larger and the fibrous ones. l'n w .5,,,.), turfy soil carefully in between th,, fibres, and fill in the station Tiit.fi <,v,j. inai"y garden soil. If stations are prepared as <l<-m-i iliri there is no necessity to add any kind of manure to the soil, in fact, where Manure is used it often encourages ;; r 1 growth, and. apart from that, the s °f ui'wly-planted specimens arc* 11,,t i u 1 ! a condition to absorb food of this kirn], 1 [ Very linn planting should always W ; | adopted, .so that strong and quirk growth is obviated as miiirh as possib],, • The uppermost roots should K- <>, I ! with about tluve inches of soil, ami the - i work fitrshed off by placing liu,. r <, r ■ j bracken on the surface to prevent rajiii] ; | evaporation from the upper layers, ami I ' al,s ( > at, protection from frosts.' I stroni; winds, the steins bend o\w, ai,l ! Shaking, Tying afld Protecting, j I'nlcss the trees are carefully jir«. I tectcd from the blowing abmit l>y strong winds, the Menus Vn<l over, and j it- is often difficult to remedy the matj tor later on. Before tying ihe tree t« ■ to the stake, place a pad of hay, -trav, or rag in between the tire t \ and the stake, also wrap a piece of wrim or!«« ' aroundeach tree where the tying nuh terial Is to bo fixed. Tie (irmly , that there is no movement, when' thu ) top of the s]>eermen sways to and fm.