Gardening Notes

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 30, 4 August 1923, Page 19

Gardening Notes

(By "Experience.")

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Sowings seeds of half-hardy annuals, etc., in boxes, in frames, or greenhouses, may now be done. The compost used should be of a porous character, something that can be made fairly fine, and that will not puddle when watered. An amount of sharp eand, varying in quantity according to the nature of the soil used, will keep the compost open and make it firm.. The bulk of the compost should be clean 19am, from old turf if possible, with about a third of leaf mould or old manure, if either is available. Failing either of these, the debris heap should supply very good material. It will do so if the heap has been kept free of woody matter, and lime has been added, as advised on several occasions in these notes; Some humus in the soil is very beneficial, as it causes seedlings to make a large number of roots. The worst seedlings are those that have large tops and a proportionately small amount of root. They are difficult to establish, and, as regards some species, easily fall a prey to disease. For tills reason- the use of rich soil, either for raising the seeds or pricking off the seedlings, should be avoided. Ao artificial manure of any kind should be used. Many failures are due to their use. The boxes used should be shallow ; two and a half inches inside measurement is about right. If deep boxes are filled with compost, its bulk is likely lo cause it to go sour, and if the boxes are only partly filled, the seedlings are drawn up weak and spindly, and are also liable to be destroyed by a damping-off fungus, which can be prevented by having the young plants in a position that allows for a free circulation of air among them, as is the case when shallow, boxes are used. Watering after the seeds are sown, and before germination, cause; many losses. In the case of fairly large seeds a light watering does no harm. Very small seeds are disturbed by even a light watering, and if the soil .becomes really dry, necessitating heavy watering, losses may be expected with any kind of seed To avoid this the soil should be thoroughly watered after being placed in the- boxes. Then, after it has drained oft, add just a little fresh compost and press moderately firm with a dry brick or a piece of smooth board. Very small seeds require merely to be sown on tho surface and lightly pressed in. These must be shaded, as darkness is necessary to secure germination. A sheet of newspaper, with a sheet of glass over it, will secure the necessary conditions, and also prevent loss of moisture by evaporation. Seeds that require it can be covered by shaking soil over them through a riddle made by tacking a piece of perforated zinc on a light frame ot wood. If the glass is shaded it is not absolutely necessary to provide any other shading, because a light sprinkling through a very fine roso will do no harm. Wanting either or both of these the boxes should be shaded as described.

The species to sow include asters, salpiglossis, schizanthus, zinnia, tenweek stock, verbena, petunia, ealvia bonnre, etc. Hardy perennials and biennials are usually sown in autumn, partly because it leaves the space they occupy free for such things as can only be sown in spring, and for the equally important, reason that such plants aa columbines, geums, thalictrum, gypsolAila, etc., will, if raised in the autumn, flower the following summer whereas if sown in spring they do nob flower till the following season. Plants of this class are ready for planting now and anyone not provided with plants would do better to purchase some rather than sow seeds.

Canterbury bells are an exception to the general rule. of biennial plants, insofar that, to get good flowering plants, seeds should be sown early in the season instead of in autumn. They take longer to - come to flower than most plants of their class, and autunuvsown plants are likely to see h, whole year pass without flowering. Those ' who have ,ropm for them should grow a number of separate colours of single,' hose-in-hose, and double varieties. This is ' one instance of a short-lived species ' that surpasses any of the perennial species of the same family. A good many annuals are quite hardy, and it "is waste of time and labour to sow them in boxes, except, of course, when they. are to be taken i.o some other place. They are best sown where they are to flower. These will be dealt with later on, as it is yet too early to sow in the: open ground. Perennial flowering plants of a herbaceous character are, in a general way, more satisfactory than annuals. Once established they required but little care, and are for that reason alone deserving of being more extensively grown than • they are, particularly 'as they keep the garden furnished ■ with a , minimum of labouV. This class of plant shall receive notice in the next notes. ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. ' Planting of these subjects should be completed-within the next month or sixweeks. Later planting is often successful, but there is.the risk that, if a good root-hold is not secured while soil moisture is abundant, dry weather may cause losses. The following are a few of the best evergreen shelter and plantation trees and large shrubs:—The native I pohutakawa is quite the best tree we I have. It will bear any amount of wind, j hut its use is restricted to places not subject to severe frosts. The native karaka is also a fine tree subject to the same limitations. The Ngaio is a fine tree that deserves to be planted much I more frequently than it is; it will bear a good deal of frost. The Ngaio is said by some to object to being cut back. I believe this to be a mistake; it is rare to find a plant that roots freely from cuttings and will not bear trimming. My own experience is that quite large trees that it is desired to furnish more thickly at the bottom can be cut to within a few feet of the groundj and will break into a dense growth. The Portugal laurel, English laurel, arbutus unedo, acacia baileyana, acacia florabunda, acacia milanoxylon, acacia pyenatha, euginia smithei, the Australian pilly-pilly (a very handsome tree of the myrtle family), ficus macraphylla, the Moretou Bay fig (large, handsonia leaves, bears wind well), laurus nobilis, sweet bay, the silver tree, the tulip tree, magnolia graiuiiflora, pliotinia glabra' photinia semilata, evergreen oak, among deciduous plantation trees proCalily the silver birch (known as the lady of tho forest) and boll's poplar, popular bolleana, are tho most useful. PRUNING FRUIT TREES. It is a most difficult task to attempt to advise on pruning. Very many ask for advice, but not one in a score have trees trained in the orthodox way. The" only thing possible is to try to explain the principle and purpose of pruning. Pruning is not for the purpose of causing a tree to hear fruit. " A tree will bear fruit much earlier if it is not pruned at all. If, however, a tree is left tt> go its own way, it will bear ft. few fruity but ivill pgt. grow £9 m.oj;e 1

tnan a tiny bush. In the first place, pruning is to get wood growth, and for this reason the first growths are short I ened to. within a few inches of where they started. Only three branches are required at the start, evenly' disposed around the trunk. Four may be left if four are more uniform than three, but m no_ case should there be more. It is desired to get tw 0 new branches for every one that is cut back. This is the plan for all fruit trees at the commencement but after the second year there is a different plan for some kinds. For apples and pears, the same plan is continued to the f ourth y ear , .L* i» the third and fourth year lateralgrowths to deal with that now. The purpo/o tlL Pr tUmng Up t0 the fourth Wr ii then to cause growth, but pruning alone will not cause it. The soil must be' SSwTV* muet be Sivon, and the soil must be kept clean around the tiee o herwise only feeble growth will Imrf t • a"d ,When that occurs fruit bud ß torn m p ace of wood bud and tho tree is rendered useless. If evervnZl™ aV fc Si loUld bB aftor ih« feuVlli piuning the tree should be. six feet Hr nZ e, MgK and as ni«ch tLough. la the fifth year the first fruits should be obtained and ,„ the sixth year a good crop Ihe treatment after this varies greatly not only as regards varieties, but the same_ varieties on different soUs. The mam object is to keep the tieers quietly growing while bearing ft M? pi\ If a tree steps growing It rapidly degenerates; if it grows too much it fruits less. A fast-growing tree is pruned lightly; a slow grower is heavily pruned to make it grow