In The Garden

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 136, 5 December 1929, Page 28

In The Garden

WELCOME RAIN

ALL GARDENS BENEFIT

•RESULTING IX RAPID GfiWOTH

This column is intended principally for gardeners with small plots, and the aim is to raakg It as practical and useful as possible. Inquiries on any matter of gardening interest will be welcomed. The rule for correspondence is that all communications must be accompanied by the name and address of the writer, not for publication, but'as a guarantee of good faith. This rule will be strictly adhered to. This Is your column—make use of it. AXSWERS TO COItRESPONDEXTS. "Hillside"—The pamphlet on tomato growing Milch you refer to is "Tomato Culture," by W. H. Taylor, and is issued by- the Department of .Agriculture, from whom a. cony may be obtained upon application. The matter you refer to particularly is put thus in the above pamphlet:—"With the tomato the aim should lie to check growth, not to foster a gross habit. My own practice for years past has been to uso no animal manure, which' I believe causes blight, except under dry conditions of soil. Manure is safe to uso in <i dry season, but fatal in a wet season, and we cannot forecast the weather. I never water outdoor tomato plants, but have nuver failed to securo a good crop, and have experienced only two attacks of blight during the past twenty years, and then only slight attacks and from recognised causes." While the above is no doubt the general principle to be adopted, in exceptional :cases where the plants are being grown on very dry or sandy soil some watering may bo jonly assimilate their food in a liquid form, and ■tomatoes, like any other plant, would die if the land iecanie bone dry. In watering, care should be taken to keep the moisture from the foiiaxo as far as possible, but the main idea in Mr. Taylor's statemest is that the growth should not bo encouraged to become rank and \*olt, in which condition it is much more liable to contract blight. The splendid rain lately experienced has given a new lea^e of life to many plants :which were, up to that time, sadly feeling the long dry spell. No amount of watering is quite the same as a good rain. Forjtunately the weather remained-warm and 'as there was sufficient rain to give the [subsoil a good soaking, growth should be (good for some weeks without any artificial ■.watering. In most gardens—in fact it is jfafe to say in all cases—the surface of rtiie beds should be hoed over, as the surface is sure to be caked to a more or less ("extent. jf allowed to remina in this [state, the surface cracks when it dries jand evaporation is too rapid. By keeping rthe surface loose, evaporation is checked land the soil remains nice and moist for 'a longer period. . With the soil so warm growth is bound j^to be rapid after the rain, and attention (•must be paid to all plants requiring supOnce a plant lias been blown over fthe damage is done, and seldom can it be satisfactorily. Tie the plants up -before the damage is done. CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND DAHLIAS. i 'Chrysanthemums grown in the open are rmakiug very rapid. growth, and where 'new plants were put out last month they [will require stopping if it was not done fearlier. All that is required is to nip iout the tip of the growth. -This causes [.the plants to branch out, and if the same ! course is again followed with the resulting Iside-growths, when they are about four i inches long a good bushy plant will result j which will give a wealth of bloom in the -.autumn. The plants should be .stated Las soon as they are a foot high. Supply fstakes, which will be sufficiently tall to £take the plant when it is fully grown, and •see that fhe stakes are strong enough to jresist all the strain there is likely to be 'on them. Dahlias, too, are making very rank • s growth, and these particularly requite attention in the matter o£ supports, the '.stems being hollow and very sappy and liable to be broken down. Delphiniums are also hollow-stemmed, -.and as they grow to many feet high when .well grown they must be securely staked. ..riiese plants are very liable to be attackred by mildew, which should be checked I Tit the first' appearance by spraying the ;,j)lants with potassium sulphide or dusting them with flowers of sulphur. SUMMER PLANTING. While the soil is still moist every effort .should be made to fill in any vacant in the garden with summer-flower-yong annuals. If the seedlings are planted font carefully and can be afforded some flight shade for the first day or two afterpvards they will very quickly send out new roots m the warm, moist soil. ; Late summer and autumn flowering anf rivals should also be planted out as occasion offers—the sooner the better—among winch are salvias, astors, cosmos, salpi■_glossis, _ verbenas, pensfcimons, petunias, and French and African mari- •! golds. . . ; When bedding out, whatever the plants -may be, allow sufficient room between f.,them to allow of full development. Plants 1 never give the best results when crowded, tarnations are throwing up flowering and must be. supported. Buds phould be reduced to one on each stem PAn application of soot water once a fortnight is a safe stimulant to use for and will improve the colour £<>t_tne flowers.: Dustings of lime and wood s»jshea help to keep the plants clean and lree irom mildew and other diseases. VEGETABLE GARDEN. ■Main crop tomatoes for outdoor growi..ing may be put out now. Rich soil is ifUpt necessary, but perfect drainage is esrseutial. A .little soot and wood ashes ■ Jnixed with the soil will do much to prouuce sturdy plants capable of resisting disease. Plants which were put out earlier are only now beginning to make , growth, except in very favoured positions ■-, Ihey require heat and a really warm soil, i, consequently very little is gained, if anything, by planting too soon. As the plants , grow they should be tied in to the stakes tat every six inches or so, and all laterals ! oi- side-growths should be rubbed off Bo »iiot water till the fruit begins to set, and | then only sparingly. A good watering „once a' fortnight in y dry weather is suffi- » cient. ( ' Marrows and pumpkins may be planted (out in prepared plots as required, protecting the plants for the first week or so un- >\ iW hf come "thoroughly hardened and established. The tops of the runners of tjmmpkms should be nipped after the first is formed to encourage side-growths uipon. which most of the fruit is formed. k i. sE raylnS °£ Potatoes and tomatoes f Fhou!d be attended to regularly every ;three weeks. Blight is liable to appear alter the late warm rains. Finish thinning onions, and keep the .beds frequently hoed over to destroy iweeds and encourage growth. Occasional 'cro eS Ot n'ltrate o£ soda will ueI P this _ Carrots, parsnips, and turnips should :*K, as, s°™ as large enough to handle. Only by allowing plenty of room grown 60 Can S°°d Shaped roots b ™ THE SUMMER SHOW. . Every flower gardener isa rose lover hence the popularity of the Rose Show! It was somewhat unfortunate that the day was so wet, but in spite of the inclemency oE the weather there was a good ra.J.' -/tn November. Some very fine exth P mJ" 6 »ad while 7 some of nW h T l'? ]ust past their best and many showed s.gns of the buffeting they &S? f e previrnight' th« ™S ingn standard was well maintained Besides roses there was a good s^owine of pansies and violas, which^re ahfals yevy poptuar with gardening folks. The comprehensive exhibit from the public w serves reflected great credit upon Mr" MKenzie and his staff. This exhibit wa a the centre of much interest, its us* fulness hews much enhanced by the fact that the various flowers and plants had The names clearly marked. The fine collection of calceolarias exhibited by Mr •T. Michie was also greatly admired, but unfortunately these are essentially greenhouse plants, and the great majority of the public cannot run to glasshouses Mr. Miehie is to be complimented on his exhibit. Undoubtedly the outstanding feature of the show was the very fine collection oi_ hydrangeas (consisting or some 46 varieties) exhibited by Messrs. Thomas Watigh and Son. . This display drew the attention, and won the admiration of everyone ■yho-entered. Many of the varieties shown

BY "PRACTICAL"

were quite new to this district, and have never before been exhibited in New Zealand. Among those which attracted special attention w«* Matador, a beautiful rich salmon pink, tvtth huge trusses of bloom; Mons Churtara, a. frilled variety with flowers of a peach red with a white eye; Parzival, a deep red variety, with a good large truss; Pasteur, a variety with a, huge truss of bloom of a deep mauve pink with white tips; Rubis, a rich red flower with large truss; and Vicomte de Vitraye, a true blue, giving a useful variety of colour. The newer varieties are so less hardy than the older better-known ones, and will grow quite well in the open garden in and around Wellington. The condition of the soil affects the colour of all hydrangeas except whites. In some soils it is extremely difficult to get the plants to retain their blue colour, while in other gardens it is equally difficult to get anything but blue. Hydrangeas require a moist position and.a soil composed of peat or leaf-mould and loam. A fair amount of cow manure worked into the soil will improve the growth of the plants. In districts at a high altitude or where frosts are experienced during the winter some protection must be afforded the plants, which are not entirely hardy. FURCRAEA. On Monday last a photograph was published on the illustrations page of "The Post" showing a Furcraea, grown by Miss Costall, of Eastbourne. The plant belongs to the nat. order Amaryllideae. It flowers (in this country at any rate) only after many years, and when the seeds are ripened the plant dies. Occasionally it sends up suckers' from the base, from which fresh plants may be propagated. When the plant commences to flower the spike grows very rapidly—as much as from two to three inches in twenty-four hours—aud when well grown may attain a height of as much as 40ft. The flowers arc a greenish yellow. The plant in question was one of three brought .by the late Mr. Costall from the Manawatu district many years ago. The other two died without flowering. THE WEEK'S WORK FLOWER GARDEN. Pinch out the tops of chrysanthemums when they are sis inches high.' Green fly is liable to be troublesome on roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, and other plants. Spray at the first appearance. . • Plant out seedlings of late summer and autumn flowering aunuals and half-hardy plants. _ Do not neglect the staking of tall-grow-ing subjects. Hoe the surface of the beds to break up the crust caused by heavy rain, and keep clown weeds, which are growiu" very quickly since the wet. Delphiniums or 'other plants showiu" signs of mildew should be sprayed or dusted with flowers of sulphur The disease soon spreads if allowed to remain. VEGETABLE GARDEN. Stake peas and beans before they become too tall, first drawing some earth Prru° thf,-P lants along the rows. linn all root crops in the early stages to prevent mis-shaped roots. ' o^^ Lightly hoe over all ground around growmg el . opS) and so keep down weeds and aerate the ground Keep tomatoes well tied in to the stakes, and rub out all laterals na they to occur in moist, muggy weather.'