GARDENING FOR THE WEEK.

Evening Star, Issue 15139, 22 March 1913, Page 9

GARDENING FOR THE WEEK.

Our contributor, a well-known gardener, will be glad to answer questions which must be received not later than Tuesday of each week. J —Tho Rose Garden.— It is very gratifying to see how the rose has torged ahead of laie. It always was as-far as we have records, the queen of lowers, is growing more popular than ever. There is no royal road to perlection m rose culture. It is not difficult to attain to respectable mediocrity, but to get anywhere near the top of the +-ree a man. must be in earnest. Frequent attendance at rose- shows will give tho beginner ;ui idea, of what a rose should be I should not like, however, to suggest that there are no other ways of arriving at perfection in rose ' growing but thasi that I indicate. The experience of any one individual must necessarily be very limited, and soils, climates, and other conditions vary so much that 'it woxdd bo impossible for me to frame instructions suitable i'6r everybody. The beginner may be euro of ono tiling, and that is that if he takes a real interest in the study or cultivation of anything, be it a rose or a cabbage, before long he will make discoveries tor himself, and by close observation and the reading up of literature on the rose he is sure to come out on top sooner or later. In dealing with the different subjects about the rose, it will Ije necessary for me to continue weekly for a short time, so as to enable me to make my remarks instructive. The first thing to be considered is the soil, and the preparation of it. Roses do best on deep, hoavy loam resting on clay, and worst on poor sandy soil resting on rock or shingle. These "arc the two extremes, so one must be guided by the nature of the soil with which, he lias to deal. With heavy soils it is necessary, to get the best results, to provide some "kind of drainage by opening out a- channel, according to the extent of the rose - ground. Then trench two spades deep at "least—three is better. After opening out a trench 2ft wide and right across the proposed bed, wheel to the far end the top soil, for filling up at the finish; then trench up the bottom one or two spades deep, and if you have any old, broken bricks to place under the clay, so much the better. Over the stones or bricks put the clay, and upon the loose clay place a good thick layer of well-rotted stable manure. Then line off another trench of an equal width to the first, and dig over all the soil into the first trench, turn up the clay as with the first, and manure, and so on until the finish. See that no clay is brought to the surface, but kept, down. Though roses like some clay, it shoidd be kept down, where the roots can work into it as they desire. The trenching being finished, some surface preparation will be required. Apply lime, wood ashes, or burnt rubbish lightly pricked in under the surface and left until planting time. If this work is got on with at once the soil will be in fine condition at the time of planting. If the soil is of a light, dry, sandy, or gravelly nature cow manure is preferable to stable manure, it being more binding, and turfy loam, if possible, should be added, with a thorough top-dressing of fresh lime. This all tends to stiffen light soils and make them more suitable for rose-growing. With light soils of this nature wood ashes or any ashes should not be applied, they being" too opening, but with lime it is different. Lime, strange as it_ may -seem, has an opening tendency with stiff soils, but on tho other hand", with light or sandy soils, it tends to stiffen. No matter 'what kind of soil it may be, lime should be always used more or less, as the nature of the soil demands. Do not buy rubbish. If you know anyone who grows roses well, when they are in bloom go and ask him to allow von to inspect them. You need not fear refusal as most growers are pleased to show off their blooms. Buy only those with short stocks, as leggy plants are never so steady in the ground, consequently do not do so well. The next point to consider is the class of rose to buy. This should depend upon the nature of the soil. If yonr soil is light and dry, give, preference to the whites, pinks, yellows, and light shades; if heavy and binding you may have an equal number of dark shades, as dark shades are much harder to retain their color than the light; j n f act , thev rarelv show their true color in light and drv soils. J % The next point is to order early. This is very important, and will often save a lot of disappointment about obtaining "♦"h" varieties required; and, besides, the late arrival has to take the leavings, and nerhaps .the ones most desired are sold out. —Tho Vegetable Garden.— Clear away weeds. Trench and manure the ground. Lift and storo potatoes. Do this while ..he ground is dry, as potatoes are better and have a cleaner appearance than lifted when the soil is wet. _ Earth up celery, and in case the soil is dry about the roots give them a vood soaking of water. This" will carry them right through, and tend to prevent them from going to seed. Earth up leeks as they become sufficiently advanced. They will benefit bv a watering with liquid manure before earthing. Keep down weeds in asparagus beds, and strip off the seeds to prevent them ripening and falling off. If this occurs, there is a danger of the seed growing and demoralising the bed. If time cannot be spared for stripping the seed off, the next best thing to do it to cut off those that are seed-laden as *oon as the tops begin y turn yellow, and before the seed drops. The crowns for the next season wiil by that timo be sufficiently advanced not to be materially injured by their removal. Sow lettuce in a warm border. The Cos lettuce is the host for winter use. Sow spinach for winter use. Early snowball turnips may still be sown in a favorable situation. A sowing of paisley may be made for winter pickling. Onions may still be sown. The best for this sowing is of tho Tripoli type. Plant out cabbage a.nd c.a'utiffowor to stand the winter. A small sowing of the -latter may be made, but it should °bc on a rich bed and in a, warm position to stand the winter. —Answers.— " Springtime."—You may still plant Savoy cabbage and broccoli "to come in for use, providing you can secure good plants, not too old. This is quite late enough. The best results are never obtained 'by planting so lato in the season. This class of plants should have been jn some time, and have made good strong growth by this date. Then, again, ifc is not so much the particular date of planting as it is tho variety to plant. There are those which head in the autumn, and others in the winter, and some hi the early and others in tho lato spring, with broccoli especially k It is not so much so with Savoys. " Strawberry."—There .is still timo to make a bed of strawberries; in fact, plants are mostly in good strong condition now for planting out, but the sooner they arc in tiro better. PLC.