THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 20196, 8 June 1929, Page 24

THE GARDEN

VOUK FOR THTE WEEK.

OaK contribotat, * weH-fca<nm gardener, -Bin bo glad to answer questions, which must bo received not later than Tuesday of each week. ’this column must be banded In to Uh offios before 2 p.m. on • Friday.

REJUVENATING ROSES

Among & number of roses there are generally some ■which are not making satisfactory growth. They may have donct so once, but during the last year or two they have failed, and they seem to be getting towards the end of their tether. It may, be that the case is hopeless; it may be that the best thing would be to grub them up and east; them on the rubbish heap. But sometimes they can be given a new lease- of life by lifting and replanting, possibly even in the same _ position. When roses have been growing undisturbed for a long time, they form . long-.vthiek roots, just as fruit trees are apt to do, and as the food gathering rootlets are mostly situated at the extremities of the roots, they have to draw 'thdir supplies through the whole . length, and if there is anything wrong along the lines of communication, whether as the result of accident or of disease, or mainly from the hardening of the tissues due to age, they may he starved to d?atb. If they are io : have-a chance of living, their long roots should be shortened. This may cause theai to emit new roots from some point near the base and enable them to grow with renewed vigour. , i ROSE PRUNING FOUR COMMON” ERRORS. (1) 'Leaving too many shoots when thinning out. . . (3) Pruning the shoots of varieties severely which require ; little, it any, shortening. 63) Pruning lightly the varieties which require severe pruning. ... (4) Leaving the plants crowded with shoots, and cutting all to a uniform length all over the plant, in the way. that a hedge is clipped. Expert pruning requires intimate knowledge of the various classes of roses, and an experience of the habits of growth of the individual kinds in their classes. . . . It is an old rule, but it is absolutely correct, that the more vigorous the ■ variety the lighter It should be pruned, ; and the weaker the grower the larger the proportions of growth which should " ho -

SEASONABLE WORK THE VEGETABLE GARDEN r Cafrdts .’and parsnips may be lifted and',stored,' or' rather pitted, for. they tiro as‘good; ami safe in pits as in the ground. An advantage is also gained' by enabling one to get the ground freshly manured and dug up for the winter. All vacant ground should bo turned tip to the winter frosts and rain, for there is a great difference in the crops from ground that has, been dug up at the last minute in early spring compared with that turned tip in autumn or early winter. The weather we have, experienced of late has lent golden opportunities:for such work, and the wise cultivator will take every advantage of such chances to get this work off hand. Frosts are hemming severe now, and those having cauliflower or broccoli coming into use should break a few of their leaves over the heads to protect thorn from injury by severe frosts. - Celery will not stand very severe frosts, therefore it would be wise to give it. some protection—extra earthing up or cover the heads with fresh stable - litter. Sea kale crowns should be lifted as soon as the leaves have died down, and preparations made for forcing them, lor they are a delightful winter vegetable. All that .is required is to plant tho crowns in clumps, with crowns just above the ground. Cover, them with sea kale pans or old tubs, or cut down barrels with the heads knocked out‘for the convenience of cutting tho kale when ready. Place these coverings over the clumps and pack around and between these coverings with stable litter, keeping on the lids, well covered to exclude light and air. In a few weeks’ time the sea kale will start to grow, and when about a foot or so in length they are ready for culling. They will be beautifully white and quite tender. When cutting, always cut a slight part _ol the crown of the stock or root with it, as numerous fresh crowns will form for next season. Old outhouses that have clay or. brick floors , may be used for forcing sea kale. Rhubarb may be forced in precisely tbo same manlier. THE FRUIT GARDEN Continue pruning as previously advised. Advantage should be taken of line weather' conditions to _ continue planting fruit, trees of all kinds. Planting.—Assuming the ground lias been well trenched, the work ot planting may lie considered. Many b»ginr.ers make serious mistakes when planting fruit trees. When digging the holes let them be as wide at the bottom as at the top, and rather deeper at the sides than in the centre; that is to say, convex or like a saucer upside down, so that the roots when covered will have a downward tendency. Trim the roots back so that tiey may point out and downwards. V\ hen filling, scatter a little fine soil among the roots and throw the soil the way the roots are'■running, so that there shall be iio fear ot doubling the roofs back. Avoid doubling the roots back, ft is better to shorten them than alloy." that.

In selecting varieties consideration should be given to the district n which 'one lives. Jn Central Otago almost any kind may be planted, but for tins district I should advise good reliable kinds, such as A 1 t'riston, _ Rhymer, Stunner, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Allington Pippin, Jonathan, and Rcinette du Canada. There are so many first-class kinds of apples to be got that one scarcely knows where to stop, but 1 think oiie of the gravest mistakes one can make is to have too many varieties. Select a few good kinds suitable for the district, and plenty of them.

Root .Priming.—Stone fruits do not require to be so severely pruned as apples and pears. Some large I nutgrowers advocate for apples cutting the roots off to near the trunk ot the tree, to make a fresh set of roots, and 1 have seen others plant their rrce', with their roots almost intact, without cutting. This practice .1 do not agree with. Is either do I. agree with the other extreme of cutting the roots nearly all away. 1 believe that moderately-trimmed roots are the best for the trees, especially with stone fruits. 'III.' depth to plant depends upon the nature of the soil, for instance, with light, sandy, or gravelly sod the roots should have a covering of Irom Gin m 9in, according to the lightness or cirynes.’ of the ground. The drier and lighter the deeper one should plant. With heavy, damp soil a 4in covering would be quite sufficient. Deep planting on such ground has a tendency tor the tree to .make , a lot of .vcoif at the expense of fruit, and whore the giound has not beer, proporiv trenched and the roots art down to cold, wet clay, there is little chance at (lie tree pm-I"dms ;l I"’ 1 ’, ciop ot liuil, and none ot first-class Iruit.

THE FLOWER GARDEN Fine weather, with not too ranch frost gives the gardener favourable opportunities of going througu ms stock of hardy plants, and where necessaiy liftim', ’ dividing, and transplanting. It is" not Arise to Hit all plants and dig and manure the ground at this season, for some plants arc better left undisturbed until spring, .whilst others arc better taken up, divided, and replanted before the dead of winter. Some plants may. be left lor several years without dividing. . Lift gladiolus and store them lor the winter. Never mind if they are a little green. They are better than when left to die right off. . Dahlias are best left in the. ground until they have quite died off. then lift them and place the roots under cover for the winter. Continue to plant roses, also shrubs and trees, but avoid doing this when the ground is hard with Irost. Now is a good time to plant out wallflowers, pansies, violas, polyanthus, ptimvoses, and auriculas. Bulbous , plants, such as narcissi, tulips, ranunculuses, anemones, crocuses, and snowdrops, it not already in, should be got in as speedily as possible. With-regard to the polyanthus, it is hard to be too liberal with manure, providing it is well rotted and the ground is deeply dug. This delightful spring flower lias made great strides of late year,?. Few spring flowers offer so wide" a range of colour and fragrance of bloom ns may be found in these. • ; Clear off dead or spent annuals or other flowering plants that have. passed their flowering i>eriod ; . Dig and xnan-

■are beds and borders. Give lawns a final mowing and cleaning up for -lie season. ANSWERS “ Broad Bay.”—No apples for naming have arrived to me so far, 1 will attend to the other matter shortly. “ CaVersham ” wishes to know now long it would take a holly hedge to grow 4ft under fairly good conditions. —Holly under reasonably good treatment will make from one to two feet a year. If von decide to put m a hollv hedge dig the ground up two spades deep, with some manure between the top and bottom spit. Then I think von will not ‘ regret planting holly. (2) The price of holly varies according to size—£2 or £3 per 100. “Tomato.” —'You wish' to know the time fo plant tomatoes, as you are netting a glasshouse built for them.— Yon do nob say if you are heating the rdasshonse with hot water pipes or not. With plenty of heat and good management von "may start as soon as you like ‘But even with heat, do not be in too big a hurry. With an unseated or cold glasshouse you should not plant before the end of August. Of course, the '‘locality in which one ii placed makes all the difference, in any case, do not bo in a hurry.

BELLFLOWERS FOR BORDERS The campanula, family is not only lavcre, but it is luxuriant in the number* of its members that make chavminrr and delightful plants in the garden, show, graceful, aud companionable (writes Anderson M'Culley, m the ‘Ladies’ Home Journal ). With the exception of a lew of the rarer alpines, thev are grown with extreme case. The ‘lustre and clearness ot their colour tones is such that many of them would ho desirable lor this qualitv alone, even though they lacked the tail grace ot the border varieties or the elfin charm of the wee alpines. Though they are chiefly known tor their blues, purples, lavenders, and whites, 1 do not believe I have ever seen a clearer aud more brilliant pink in any garden flower.-- This ranges from rose to faintest shell in various varieties of the cup-and-saucer forms. There are a very few among the family- with yellow flowers. ‘Naturally, with so large a family, there are members for many purposes. There is a salad vegetable among them,' and the alpine members are the glorv of the summer rock garden. Even among the border campanulas there are some that are better placed in the wild planting, for garden purposes they are usually classilied as alpine, medium, and tall varieties. The last make good members towards the hack of a narrow- border, or thev may he used for the middle planting in a wide one. Intermediate ones mav come forward of these, and there are several varieties among the alpine, forms that make very good border edgings, though all are not adapted to this purpose. Tliose forms known as Canterbury hells make an effective backing for gladiolus, and they are frequent jy planted to somewhat precede phlox in the border. Stocks group well before them. Sometimes snapdragons, columbines, or Veronica subsessilis aro used in this way. Foxgloves may hack them for earlier effects, and later ones aro procured with zinnias, marigolds, and Japanese anemones. A background of rambler roses is also effective, or green hedge or shrubbery planting. They even look well against a wall, or they may he used alone in beds. One ot the loveliest gardens; I e\er saw was a formal garden enclosed in rose-hung latticed walls. The perennial border that followed these contained many flowers, hut all the central beds so usually given over to roses in such a garden were massed with magnificently-grown campanulas of the cup-and-saucer varieties —mostly in shades of pink, but with accent blues and whites. .It was a large garden, and several edgings were used. J remember the viola Jersey Gem and the long-spurred columbines. PLANT IN HALE-SHADE. Bell flowers are also valuable in the cutting garden, as their bloom holds over a goodly period in the house and masses well tor decoration. Their lighter [links harmonise with many of the delphiniums, and make good basket arrangements: so used. Mid-June to mid-July (December and January in New Zealand) is the height of the blooming season for the bonier campanulas, though they begin in late May (November) and usually continue at their best well through July (January), some holding over until fall, '['heir bloom seems to hold longer if they are planted in a half-shady place. There is a little difference in opinion as to whether half-shade or sun is best for these;. In the cool and sometimes cloudy summers whore I. garden, full sun seems necessary to bring the brightest development of their colour tones. Where there is no dearth of slimmer sun border varieties prefer half-shade. They may be used in more shady places, but I am speaking of them under their fullest possibilities. Though most bellflowers llonrish under ordinary conditions, they appreciate a rich loam with considerable leaf mould and a dressing oi manure. T lie majority arc Enrol i.in natives, though there arc a few Horn Northern Asia and America, particularly tho A est. All have more or less bell-.shaped [lowers, and nearly all species are some shade of blue or white. Chiefly they are hardy herbaceous perennials, though there are some annuals, as well as biennials. Some of the perennials do better treated as biennials.

Most of them are easily raised from seed, though some of the alpine varieties are slow germinating. They may also be propagated from cuttings or by division. Many seedlings, if started early under glass, may be had in bloom the same year, though will be better by the following. For this purpose use shallow seed pans or boxes, cover very thinly and place near the light, though shade through the middle of the day until started. Sixty degrees is about the right temperature. These should not have too much water, and they will resent that so-called sticky atmosphere. Prick them off into flats when possible, and harden off for setting out into their permanent places in May ( November) VARIETIES TO USE. Seeds may also be sown in the open in late spring, even into early summer. These will be better -with some shade. By the middle of July (January) the spring-sown ones may be set in their permanent places or shifted temporarily

to receive their final move by the first Aveek or so in October (April). When placed for the summer only space them about Bin in rows Ift apart. Seedlings should have a thorough lato-afternoon watering whenever the weather is dry. Listed campanulas run into the hundreds. but for our garden borders we may find a Avide range of form, usefulness, and succession of bloom in perhaps a dozen varieties. Of the border campanulas my personal preference is for massing the cup-and-saucer bellflowers—o. medium calycantbema—in their amazingly large someAvhat doubled ncAV forms 'with rather crinkly petals. There are those avlio hold my taste as clumsy and take a greater delight in the straight type Canterbury bells— C- medium. Perennial peach-leaf bellfloAvers (G. pcrsicifolia) are good for middle border plantings. Try the spurred bellflower (0. alliariaefolia), but Avatch it against self-seeding. LikeAvise, the milky bellflower fC. lactiflora) which docs well among shrubbery. Plant the great belllloAvcr (C. latifolia) in a cool, moist situation in the wild border, also the Coventry bells. The chimney belldoAver (C. pyramidalis) gioAvs six feet high, and should be replanted each year. These do not exhaust the border possibilities of the taller varieties, but by the time only a part of these have been obtained the garden maker Avill surely have found a place Avhere the lowergrrwing edgings Avill come in handily. Campanula glomeiata does avcll in any ordinary place or soil and runs from one to tAvo feet in height. It carries its floAver bells in dense terminal beads on stiff stems. They range from purple to Avbite.

The IoAV-groAving Carpathian bellfloAver is fin© for edging, and runs from violet to Avhite. If annuals are desired try Campanula Macrostyla, Avhich grows twelve inches high.

POPULAR SNAPDRAGONS T’ne antirrhinums seem to be coming more popular every year, and we must noAV count them among the most popular of the summcr-lloAvering annuals. There are few plants, indeed, Avhich lend themselves to so many useful purposes in the garclm. They can be had in floAver in almost any month of the year by a little management in the soAving of seed, etc. The range of colours in the different varieties is very much greater than it Avas a feAV years ago. Indeed, it :s rapidly extending each year. Not only is the range of colour extending under the skilful hands of the hybridists, but also the size of the blooms and the habit of the plant itself are being improved out of sight. ' Tile modern snapdragons are very much in advance of the old ones in every Avay. It Avill be found that tho modern strains thm-e as rockery plants, tor they quickly push their roots down among the crevices in the rocks, and, to our way of thinking, seem more at home Avhen so situated. VARIETIES.

Tlie antirrhinums are divided into three sections. First of all, there is tile tall section, which grow up to .‘3ft in height and bear long spikes of blooms. These make ideal plants tor a back row, but should be carefully staked before coming into flower, as their height makes them very liable to be caught by the wind. Then there is the semi-tall. This is the most popular section at the present time, and are the best sorts of bedding. As they only attain a height of some lain, it will be found that they do not reed staking. The third section is the dwarf or Tom Thumb varieties, which grow about 'Jin high, and arn best used for edging the beds and lor massing in small beds. If they arc allowed sutiicient space they will quickly spread out into compact hushes and (lower freely all the summer. CULTURE. The antirrhinums, being a native of dry positions, thrive best in a welldrained soil, and the principal cause of failure with these plants is to be looked for in a wot soil or one which lias been made too rich by the addition of strong manures. Lime should bo freely used in preparing the soil for their culture, and if it is considered necessary to use manure use only stable manure which has been thoroughly decayed. Though the plants are perennial in habit it is found best to raise them each year from seed. If the best varieties arc desired the only way to rely on getting them is to buy the choicest seed obtainable and raise, them in boxes, to be afterwards transplanted to the garden. Mixed seeds or seedlings rarely give the best results. Most seedsmen now stock a large range of the best-named varieties, and these mostly come true from seed.

mm FOR BETTER VEGETABLE CROPS The decreasing available supplies of farm and stable manure arc making the gardener more dependent upon the use of fertilisers, but these do not produce their maximum beneficial effect where organic matter is,lacking in the soil. A necessary condition for the complete effectiveness of commercial fertilisers is a supply of available lime in the soil. Several conditions give us definite indications of lack of lime in the soil, one of the most reliable being the appearance of club root among cabbage crops. Then the prevalence of certain weeds, such as sorrel, is also indicative of lime deficiency. The addition of lime has a good chemical effect on the soil. Sourness, which is decidedly injurious to the well-being of certain crops, is overcome by the free use of lime. Peas and beans and other members of this family are particularly sensitive 10 sour conditions, as are turnips and root crops generally. Potatoes arc comparatively tolerant to a certain degree of sourness, and applications of lime previous to. planting this crop are not advisable. The addition of lime to heavy claysoils has the effect of granulating the clay particles, and so making the ground mateiially more friable and easy to work, and also improving its conditions as a medium for root development. In the past some gardens were manured until they were in a condition that miglm be termed mum re-sick. In such a soil lime is usually 7 deficient,

and a single, dressing Avould bo of marked benefit. No doubt there may be plenty of matter present in the soil, but it is unavailable for the crops. If the soil is kept constantly supplied with lime, not only are reserves food gradually unlocked, but any manure applied quickly becomes available, and the formation - of 'insoluble compounds is prevented. When there is a sufficiency of lime in ihe soil commercial fertilisers, carefully balanced, may be depended upon to bring satisfactory results.— “Syringa”’ in the ‘Garden Lover.’ARTICHOKES Referring to the difficulty experienced bv housewives in preparing artichokes ‘because of the knobbiness of shape, an interesting letter lias been received from Mr Charles J. Poiver, Ashley-Russ, Tasmania (says the ‘ Australasian ’)■ He sayfr “1 ran now irrow artichokes resembling dean, wellshaped potatoes and Aveiglang up to ffib. Jt is merely a matter of selection. At" the end of the season the artichokes must be thoroughly cleaned up cut of the ground; the very best m size and shape are replanted. They should be planted in rows 2ft apart and lit between the toavs. Should any plants appear between the rows from old tubers left in the ground they can be destroyed by hoeing or pulling out when about bin in height, ihe ground should be deeply dug and lightly manured.”

FORGING SEAKAIE METHOD TO FOLLOW About this time of the year seakale becomes dormant, and in the ordinary course of events one Avould have to Avail until spring, when tho plants break into fresh growth, belore tno mop could be gathered (says the gardening contributor of the Auckland ‘ Herald ). It is possible, however, to force the plants so that they may be used much earlier. There are tA\o ways m Avlncii seakale may be forced; one is mucii quicker than the other, but the roots have to be dug up, and they are afterwards of no use for further cropping. In tiie sloAvcr method tho plants are forced in the ground, and these aviu continue cropping lor three years. One thing to note is that the quality of the forced seakale can in no as ha compare Avitb that grown naturally. It 0)13 must have an extra early crop the plants may be lilted as soon as tbe\ become dormant and be replanted in a box - of good soil. It is best to Avail until after a frost to lift the plants, as thev Avill then start aAvay quicker. Suitable boxes for the purpose of forcing seakale should be about loin oi 18in in deptli, and should be filled Avith the good soil to Avithin Gin of the top. Some compost or coav manure should be incorporated with the soil Pome stable manure*should be placed in the bottoms of tho boxes for the purpose of providing drainage. The kale may be planted fairly closely, say. oin apart, as thc-y do not require much room Avhen being forced. The boxes should he covered Avith a close-fitting lid or some sacking. , . , , The rate of growth is governed bv the temperature, Avbicb should not be more than Sodeg F. If the box heats up too much it should be opened up and alloAved to cool off. As the produce becomes ready it should be used. There is no need for blanching, as toe groAvths Avhich have been forced from ill,. cvoAvns under the above conditions will be entirely devoid of any colouring matter. ’ , , . ~ When forcing the seakale in the ground some compost or cow inniune should be worked into the soil along the sides of the rows. The plants are then covered Avith straw or fresh stable manure, containing mostly straw., and on top of this 2in or Gin of soil. One can easily tell when the produce is ready, as the soil will Ixj seen to crack under the pressure of the groiving shoots. 11 is not advisable to force more plants at one time than one Avill require. It is a. better plan to force in succession. When one comes, to the normal crop the leaves will reed to be blanched before use, and this may be done bv placing straw lea A-es, etc., over thorn shortly after the plants commence groAvlh. . When the plants Avhich Avcre luted for forcing in boxes are being discarded one should provide cuttings to take their place. Root cuttings are used for the purpose. Roots about ns thick ns a pencil should'be used. > These should be cut into lengths of 4in or sin, the top ends being cut square and the bottoms with a sloping cut in order to distinguish them. These cuttings should be heeled in until the time for planting m spring. A croAvn vvi 11 form at the top end. just ns roots will grow on stern cuttings.

ROSES DURING AUTUMN In these days of perpetual-flowering roses, one expects, and usually obtains, a fairly good show of roses in autumn. Jt is not generally recognised that by paying attenion to details it is possible to improve the display of bloom. 'Che most important point is to keep the plants in a healthy growing state. Often during the first flowering the needs of the plants are forgotten, and the consequence is the trees lose their vitality and become stagnant in growth, if a good autumnal bloom is required, the hoeing and manuring and spraying should be continued right through the season This season there has been no need of giving water; the rain has been sufficient fm all needs. Hoeing and spraying have been ami are still necessary. A certain amount of pruning is also necessary. Firstly, all old (lower stems should be removed, and of course any seed beaus that are forming. On removing these old flower stems and seed heads, cut hack to a good plump hud on tin main stem. Where the blooms have been cut closely for decoration o* othei purposes, a lot of this pruning will not be required. When the blooms begin to show, a dressing of superphosphate should be given to stimulate the production of blooms. These instructions may ho simple and obvious, but it is surprising how seldom one sees roses carrying a good lot ol autumn bloom fow the want of a little attention.