GARDENING NOTES

Grey River Argus, 3 August 1935, Page 5

GARDENING NOTES

CARE OF FLOWERS. Wet weather holds up most work in the garden. Tree and shrub planting may be continued an soon as the soil is fit l’o work, but it is wiser to postpone the work if the soil is very sodden. Continue to prune roses and flowering shrubs. Hydrangeas may be pruned. Cut out any dead wood, useless weak growths, and shorten back the remainder to strong eyes. Annuals for summer display may be sown in boxes under glass. In seaside disitric-t’s where the soil is sandy the hardiest annua s may be sown in the open ground. Seedlings of nemesias, calendulas, Iceland popies, pansies, and similar plants may be put out. Endeavour to keep down needling weeds by lightly digging them under. Hoeing is practically useless while the sol 1 is wet. Loosen Hie soil along the rows of sweet peas. A. further sowing may be made to produce plantn to flower after the early ones are over. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Plant out autumn-sown onions, also cabbage, cauliflowers, and lettuce. Trench or deeply dig an yground required for carrots, parsnips, etc. Deeply dug and wel'-worked soil is necessary to ensure good straight roots. Plant rhubarb in good, rich well, worked soil. Asparagus beds may be planted being placed on a slight hill. Sow broad beans, c arly peas, carrots, turnips, beet, radish lettuce and spinach. Seeds* require very lidile covering at this season and the seed beds should be in the warmest and best, drained position available. As far as possible whenever condition are favourable, get every plot dug over and put in readiness for sowing and planting. Prune fruit trees. Stone fruits require first attention and this work should be completed without further delay. Some of the early varieties are already coming into bud. Aft-re pinning, gather up al! prunings and burn them. Fruit tree planting should be gone on with.

Leaf Mould

Leaf mould is one of the most use ful things to have in the garden. It may be used with advantage for topdreeing all hard-wooded shrubs such as rhododendrons; for promoting the growth of seedlings it is unsurpassed: and numerous jdants. such as primu as cinerarias, thrive wonderfully where there is a fair amount of this material in the soil. Leaf soil is formed of th c .leaves oi trees ‘that fall naturally and are kept moist. There is no better leaf soil than that which is formed naturally, the reaso<Jbeing that the moisture to which the’letvesi are subjected is never excessive. They may, at times, become dry, but eventual’y they decay and become available for use in the garden If leaves are constantly saturated with ■water they retain their freshness for a long time. We find such leaves under water in creeks land, in the busfli. To cause a natural decay the leaves should be gathered as they fall and placed in f-'at heaps—not high conical-shaped ones —in some convenient place. Un any great quantity they engender heat and become spoilt, but if the heap is turned over every four or five weeks, such excessive heat will be arresrted and a natural rotting •take place. Shake out the leaves looselv and sprinkle water on them it ( dry, Do not tread down the heap; let. it sett’e gradually. The should be continued throughout the, summer, and more water used when needed. Tn the course of 18 months, the mass should be flakcy and sufficiently decayed for u#e. Without turning a heap may require from two to three years to decay. If fresh leaves are gather and treated in separate heaps annually, leaf-soil will always bei availab'e Sticks and foreign matter should be picked out. Lime and ammonia.cn! liquor will bring about decay in a shorter time, or sa’t sprinkled over each layer will have the same effect, but- the mould may not be as good for plants as that rotted in a natural ■wayj.