Gardening Notes

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 17

Gardening Notes

DRY WEATHER EFFECTS

ST. THOMAS' HORTICULTURAL SHOW

(By "Practical.")

"What can be done in a garden in spite of abnormal weather conditionSj such as have prevailed this season, was exemplified at St. Thomas' Horticultural Society's Show at Newtown last week. While some of the 'exhibits showed unmistakable signs o£ the effects of the long dry spell, the standard all round, both in vegetables and flowers, was high, especially when the fact that the exhibitors were all amateurs is taken into account. Special mention may be made to the excellent display of the gorgeous gladioli, some very fine spikes being shown. Excepting for these the present time is rather an awkward one for flowers, being too early for such blooms as dahlias, and too late for roses^ sweet peas, pansies, and carnations, which are all past their prime. The arrangements of the show were excellent, plenty of room being allowed between the different stands and the classes being well arranged. Altogether the show struck me as being an excellent one, reflecting credit upon the committee and exhibitors alike., A larger display of vegetables next year would be an improvement. After all a gardener's success is- largely judged by the vegetables he can grow, and even the smallest plot can be made to produce a wonderful lot of good vegetables of the smalle^ variety. The recent heavy rains have had a most beneficial. effect upon the gardens and a very apparent «tunulus has bts«n given to all growing plants. The.weeds will require keeping in check, as they more than other things, have felt th# bepefit of the moisture. Be careful, in hoeing round and among chrysanthemum plants, not to go too near the plants 'themselves as the roots are very close to the surface and' consequently easily damaged. Care should also be taken among these plants—they are very easily broken. The tying up of chrysanthemums should be proceeded with, no delay taking place, as they are growing very fast, and if not tied securely, may be severely damaged by high winds. The second nipping is due now. ■• As soon as the new growths from the first nip have attained a length of from four to six inches, the point should be again taken off to induce a bushy growth. Strict watch should be kept for grubs, which do incalculable damage by eating out the flower buds. The only satisfactory way to copa with these pests is by hand picking.

Dahlias require attention now that they are starting to come intr. bloom. The buds should be thinned out to get the best results, and attention paid to watering and liquid manuring. All early varieties of gladioli should be lifted and dried off. After liftin"carefully cut off the tops two or three inches from the bulb—do not pull them off—and lay the bulbs ■ out on a bench or in a dry place to thoroughly ripen them. After they have dried, the roots and old 'mother bulb can be removed, and put into boxes or hung up in paper bags until planting time. All sprin°flowering bulbs which have become too crowded or which are to be moved for any reason, should be lifted as soon as the foliage has turned yellow, as new root growth starts almost immediately after the foliage has died right down. Some" of the v earliest kinds of narcissi have hardly any resting time at all and should be lifted at the first sign of the foliage dying off. Otherwise the new roots will be destroyed, and the new season's blooms very seriously retarded. _ The earliest varieties of spring flowering bulbous plants should be planted now, and_ the sooner the better, the ground being thoroughly prepared before planting. Tulips do best in soil which is fairly heavy, and require plenty of lime—in fact they can hardly have too much of it. These are such gorgeous flowers, that they are well worth any amount of trouble to get them' really good. < The chief cause of failure is probably too shallow planting. The base of the bulbs should be at least five inches below the surface in heavy ground, and six inches in light or sandy soil. The bulbs should be spaced eight or nine inches apart each way. As to situation, a warm sunny, and sheltered position is the ideal one to choose. Where possible avoid damp, low-lying, parts, where they would be exposed" to spring' frosts. Exposed wind-swept situations should be avoided, remembering that many of the Darwin varieties grow .to a height of from two to three feet. Where the ground is very light or sandy, tulips would be benefited by a layer of wellrotted cow manure or leaves, about two or three inches below the bulbs, as this will give a cool toot run, A dressing of lime should be mixed in the top soil. The heavy soils (which are more suitabla for tulips), strawy manure should be used, working the ground deeply for at least eighteen inches, to help the drainago. In no case must the bulbs come in contact with the manure. The loss of the brown skin of the tfulip bulb has no detrimental effect on' the bulb, and just as good results may safely be expected. It must be borne in mind, however that having been deprived of the protection of this outer covering, the bulbs are more liable to injury, arid consequently greater care should be taken in handling them. ,

Narcissi grow in almost any soil, bnt naturally do best where there is a plentiful supply of humus for their roots to work in. Some of the largest bulbs, "Soliel dOr," "Paper White," and "Grand Slonargue," throw their roots to a depth of eighteen inches, or two feet, consequently the ground should be deeply dug and manured. The depth to plant depends upon the size of the bulb, the largest varieties as deep as seven inches, the smallest from three to three and a half inches from the surface of the ground to the base of the bulb. Ixias, tritonias, freezias, and such small bulbs should not be planted more than about two inches deep in heavy soils, or two and a half inches in light, sandy ground. As a general rule deeper planting may be resorted to in light, sandy soil, rather than in heavy clay ground.

WINTER VEGETABLE CROPS.

In the vegetable garden the work of planting winter crops must be pushed on with, so that the plants get a good start while the ground is nice and. warm. Plants of the cabbage tribe, whijih were put out before the late rains, will have made a good start, and may be kept growing by occasional watering and applications of nitrate of soda once a fortnight, after being watered. As they grow, draw the soil up along'the drills to keep them from being damaged by high winds.

Small sowing of pease^-an early variety—may still be made, but it is getting rather late now for these, and the result is problematical. The same -applies to French beans. Beans and ,peas should" be kept picked as they become ready, as by so doing the cropping period will be prolonged. Any; flower stems which appear on rhubarb should be cut off as low down as possible, as soon as they start. A good dressing of decayed rubbish or manure will be of great benefit to the plants. TUe ltlting untl alei-ins of petalae* tliould be continued v lute .tops cbusge