THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 23881, 10 May 1941, Page 4

THE GARDEN

CUB IBFIES BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS AND FRUIT Flowering and crab apples are noted for their floral beauty and coloured fruits. At this season of tho year there are no shrubs or trees which give more pleasure. Just now many of the varieties present a glorious sight, not only with their foliage, but with their bunches of fruit, which are crimson, orange, and red. When these trees are planted, not only in the shrubbery, but as specimens on the lawns, with their highly coloured blossoms in spring and early summer, the surroundings are greatly improved. Tiie habit of several varieties is very graceful, and although they are decidious the bark is very pleasing throughout the winter months. These trees are not particular as to the soil conditions, provided it is free, with good drainage. They seem to thrive in any position which is sheltered from strong winds. The best months for planting are June and July. The following are tho best: — 4 Mains Atropurpurea: Carmine crimson flowers, followed by purple fruits. Maius Parkmanni; Flowers rich carmine, fruit carmine. Mains Gorgeous: Flowers pink, large bunches of fruit (orange coloured), with low-growing habit. Spectabilis flora pleno- Flowers, some double, rose pink. Another highly coloured tree is the maple. These make splendid companions for the above. They are easy to cultivate, provided they are sheltered from the prevailing winds. Jhst at this stage the foliage is in splendid colour. Although they are deciduous the wood is a beautiful colour throughout the winter. June and July are the best months to plant them. They enjoy a free and open soil. If a little good rotted leaf mould or animal manure is worked into the soil when planting this will help the roots to start away quickly Tho following should do well in these districts; — Acer Palmatum: Strong-growing habit, with yellow and red shades in the autumn very hardy. Acer Atropurpureum: Foliage and shoots crimson throughout the summer months and purplish-crimson in the autumn. Acer Marginatum Variegatum: Compact habit, with white margin. Acer Negundo Alba Variegatum: Rich green, marked silvery white, tall growing Acer Atropurpureum Rubrum: Reddish brown foliage. Very beautiful in the early spring. THE ROSE GARDEN The season has arrived for the planting of tho queen of the summer flowers, the rose. The following list may be helpful to those who. intend to plant new beds or borders of these delightful flowers. The following are most suitable as bush roses:— Angele Pernet, reddish orange. Madame Butterfly, pink, apricot, aud gold. Madame E. Herriot, coral red and rose. Miss Marion Manifold, rich scarlet. Daily Mail, scarlet. ' Mabel Morse, clear yellow. General M 4 Arthur, deep crimson. Padre, coppery scarlet. Dame Edith Ellen, glowing pink. Mrs David M 4 Kee, creamy yellow. Shot Silk, bright cherry with orange. Sunstar, deep orange yellow. Rev. Page Roberts, rich Marechal Neil colour. Mrs C. V. Haworth) apricot and cinnamon. Lady Margaret Stewart, yellow and scarlet. Hadley, deep velvety crimson. Etoile de Holland, very dark red and very highly scented. Snow Queen, the best white. Ethel Somerset, shrimp pink. There are many more varieties listed, but these will be found to be a success in these districts. The following are the best climbing roses:— Daily Mail, scarlet, scented. Etoile de Holland, dark red. Madame E. Herriot, apricot and crimson. Shot Silk. Miss M. Manifold, crimson, scented. Paul’s Scarlet, one of the best. Lady Hillingdon, yellow. Mrs Herbert Stevens, white. President H. Hoover, pink. Prince of Orange, deep orange. Golden Emblem. THE FLOWER GARDEN Complete the planting of pansies, violas, wallflowers, sweet williams, stocks) and all early spring flowering plants. All bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths should be planted at once, but such bulbs as ranunculus, anemones, babbles, ixias, tntonias, sparaxis, and Dutch iris may be planted up to tho end of May. Nerines, Guernsey lilies, and Belladonna lilies may be planted from now on. These bulbs must not be planted deeply, but should be allowed to show their necks above the surface. If planted deeply they will continue year after year to throw up foliage instead of flowers. Where such bulbs have become crowded and do not flower, on no account should they be lifted and divided up into separate bulbs. If the soil is removed from the surface and they are exposed to the sun the bulbs will ripen and will continue to flower. Where the bulbs are very large and throw a great deal of foliage, on no account should feeding of any kind be carried out, as this method will help the bulbs to send up more foliage than ever. This is the sole reason for these delightful lilies not being a success in many gardens in and around Dunedin.

COMPOST FOR FRAME CUCUMBERS The best soil for frame cucumbers consists of three parts well-rotted turf and one part decayed stable manure, well mixed together, with a few handfuls of o]d lime and a handful of boncmeal to each bushel. A small mound of the soil should be placed on the hotbed for each plant, and when the roots appear on the surface a topdressing should be given, and repeated as necessary. Too much soil which becomes sour is the cause of mildew appearing on the surface, with disastrous results to the plants. SOW PARSLEY THINLY In order to grow parsley successfully one must sow thinly, and thin early and severely. There is nothing the plants like more than to he grown as indivdual specimens: there is nothing they dislike more than being crowded. As an edging plant it is ideal. To keep up a continuous supply, three sowings should be made throughout the season. The first in August (under glass), the second in November, and the third in January, Under glass seeds should be sown in boxes filled with sandy compost. Individual seeds should he spaced out lin apart, and the plants thus raised should he transplanted in October into rows 12in part, the plants being 12in apart in the rows. Parsley that is not' cut regularly is ant to be coarse, so the keen amateur will cut over the rows to ensure a continuous crop of young, tender leaves.

Work for the Week :

MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY In the highly specialised cropping of gardens any reduction in the supply of fertilisers in addition to a shortage of organic manures creates a position which requires careful attention, more especially as regards the supply of potash, which soon becomes seriously depleted with the total removal of crops over a long period. Potash is a necessity for cropping light, sandy, or peaty coastal soils, and the supply under present conditions is best obtained as far as possible in the form of seaweed. In a wet state carted seaweed contains about 1 per cent, potash, but when dry the percentage rises to 5 per cent, to 10 per cent,, according to the kind of weed, In a general way seaweed is comparable with farm manure, although it is rather poorer in nitrogen, much richer in potash, poorer in phosphates, and has a high proportion of common salt. Collected in the autumn and composted with farm manure and other organic material, it will decay, and, arter turning and mixing, be in good condition sor application to the land in spring at a rate of about 10 tons to the acre (bib per square yard). Where large quantities of seaweed are available it can applied to the land in autumn as soon as it is vacant in liberal quantities of 20 tons or more per acre and turned under. Dried and sheltered from the rain, it will keep without deterioration, and be available for application later in the season in concentrated form. When cropping land at a distance from the coast the labour and cost of cartage heavily discounts the value of a bulky manure such as seaweed. Apart from what

animal manures may be available, green cover crops have chiefly to be relied upon, and the potash requirement may be supplemented with wood ash. Root crops, legumes, and fruiting plants generally have a partiality for potash, and where high feeding with nitrogen is to be done it will be most successful' when balanced off with that mineral. Wood ashes from ordinary hedge clippings contain about 11 per cent, potash, common broom 33 per cent., gorse 28 per cent., and ordinary sawmill wood ash 5.88 per cent potassium oxide—real potash. Half a ton (lOcwt) of sawmill wood ash will contain potash equal in quantity to that in lewt of sulphate of potash. It will also contain those " minor elements,” the lack of which is causing serious losses in crops of many kinds. Further, it will contain a considerable quantity of lime, and also magnesia, manganese, and phosphoric acid. In plants the greatest amount of nutriment, including potash, is contained in the young growth, and not in the woody portions; hence the richness of young grass, prunings, and trimmings from hedges, etc. In the mineral ash remaining when wood is quite consumed the potash in the form of a carbonate .readily absorbs moisture and quickly runs away. The leached ash will contain most of the other minerals, but to preserve the potash wood ashes must be stored in a dry place before leaching takes place.—Wm. C. Hyde, horticulturist, Wellington. HOW TO ESTABLISH SNOWDROPS Snowdrops are often as difficult to establish in some gardens as they arc easy in others. The best method to adopt is to obtain bulbs lifted from the garden of a friend or nurseryman directly jfhey have finished flowering. If planted m a cool, shady place it is likely that thev will succeed where the autumn-planted bulbs have failed.