PATCHES OF COLOUR

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 266, 6 August 1937, Page 18

PATCHES OF COLOUR

To Spill Over Formal Edgings Spare a thought for ageratum ami alyssum with catmint (Nepeta mussini) to spill over on to paved paths and courtyards. Formal beds of annuals, though brilliant ami colourful, are not the beginning and end of garden layout. Little splashes of colour here and there breaking the definite edges of paths and filling odd corners' are the touches which, gd to the eye ami, the heart. It is these little patches which make the garden so interesting. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Work For August Sooner or later during the month of August all of the early crops, including turnips, potatoes, globe beet, carrots and peas, may be sown; main crop parsnips, onions, artichokes, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and parsley may also be sown. Toward the end of the month kumaras are bedded down on a hot-bed, and celery, melons, cucumbers and half-hardy crops of most kinds are sown with a view to producing sturdy plants for setting outside in about two months’ time, when hard frosts have about finished for the season, states the “New Zealand Journal of Agriculture.” In tlie larger establishments and in the colder districts the hot-bed often takes the form of a low, gable-roofed glasshouse, 12ft. to 14ft. wide, heated by means of hot water carried round the interior in 4in. pipes, or by means of an electric cable bedded in sand on the bench. In smaller gardens the hot-bed is a stack of fermenting stable manure 2ft. or 3ft. high and sufficiently wide to have a margin of about a foot when a glass frame is placed on top. In warm districts less manure is necessary to maintain the desired temperature, which is about 55deg. to 60 deg. at night. The preparation of the stable manure will take about two or three weeks to bring it to the desired state of fermentation. More care is generally necessary in carrying out this operation. It is important that the material should be moist, and light sprinkling should be done when turning it, as is necessary, to maintain this condition; at the same time, it should not be exposed to heavy rain during treatment. Where stable manure is scarce lawn mowings and fallen leaves may be mixed in to assist in making up the desired quantity. The desired temperatures are more readily obtained in the hot-bed if it is made in a welldrained, sunny, sheltered spot, also when the frame is well built to exclude cold draughts and in cold, wet weather it is well covered' up at night. The precaution which is most important is to air the plants by adjusting the sashlights, especially in the early morning on fine days. There is no doubt the most fertile cause of disease among thbse crops is just the neglect of this attention. Much water will not be required at this stage, but what is given should be tepid. Parsnips and other mature roots in the ground toward the end of August i should bo lifted before a second growth I commences and stored in a cool place. CORRESPONDENCE Answers to Inquiries How to Store Vegetables: Parsnips arc not injured by freezing, but when it is necessary to lift them, they may be stored in the same manner as potatoes. The niain requirements of a shed for storing potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beet is that it should bo dry and of a fairly even temperature, and fairly well ventilated. A temperature a few degrees above freezing point gives the best results. Never permit sunshine to strike the vegetables and never attempt to store diseased roots with healthy ones, (R.A.L.. Wellington.)

LT. (Island Bay): Making inquiries. Lord Howe Island Iris: This plant resents disturbance and takes several years to.settle down after transplanting. I saw one in Hower last year which was planted twelve years ago. ami had just flowered for the first time. (M.,T.S„ Otaki.)

Bursting Carnations: Some carnations will burst their calyces under almost any conditions. They are known as ‘‘bursters,” and are often shunned by growers on that account. Overfeeding or too drastic disbudding and wet weather will cause the others to burst. Rubber rings are sold for the purpose of holding the calyx. These are placed on the hud just before “colour” shows. Good raffia tied fairly tightly will have the same effect. (Miss C.S., Lower Hutt.)