Garden Notes

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 May 1930, Page 3

Garden Notes

Routine Work in the Garden. AH kinds of structural work may now be undertaken, including the laying.of new lawns, making new borders, making now making newpaths, making of special ga.rde.ns, such as' rock gardens, water gardens, etc.; erecting new arches, rose poles, pergolas for climbers; erecting of new garden summer-house, garden' steps, or alterations to existing structures. Continue pushing forward floral al- \ terations, such as re-arranging borders according to the colour of their flowers. Pliant all kinds of herbaceous perennials. Plant all kinds of biennials and har'dy annuals for winter bedding, but complete this work- as quickly as possible. Apply napthalone to vacant flower border land to kill any lurking pests. Apply lime to the new borders before planting. Plant all kinds of rock plants, shrubs, roses and hardy climbers. Apply basic slag to any borders showing signs of the need of some fertiliser. ~ Use all fine days for outdoor flower garden work; indoor work can be ci.o:>c .">:i wet d \j«. Lift dahlia roots from the borders, transplanting in a trench in the back pardon, refilling the gaps with wallflwrs, cu'e.-i-iiiios, :>r anyth;.;«r X'm\: vni. brigbi.c-*.i rh".' border.* during sprir.j*. Fruit and vegetables. Marrows and pumpkins will keep much longer if suspended from the roof of an airy shed. • Give the late rows of celery the final earthing up. Give the late planted leeks plenty of Manure'between the rows. Continue to collect fallen leaves for compost. Dig, trench or ridge all land as it becomes vacant. Continue lifting root crops. On raised beds plant out lettuce, cabbage and cauliflower plants. Plant a row of eschallots and potato onions for early use. Plant gooseberry bushes on land that has been deeply trenched. Dig between fruit trees and bushes after the pruning has been completed. Clear out old decayed trees from orchards, grubbing au all the roots. Propagate all bush fruits by cfuttings. Plant all varieties of fruit trees. Avoid using jresh -manure when planting apples, nectarines, < poaches, pears and plums. Topdrcss fruit trees in narrow borders, using a rich compost "for bearing trees., ' ' Pla/nt cherries and use pljcnty of lime in tho compost. Plant raspberries on well prepared ground, using plenty of manure and boriemeal when preparing for them. The Shrubbery. Planting time is with us once again, and full advantage should be taken of it, as the time passess all too 'quickly for'those-who are bent on making improvements to the garden'.- There are :*(> many beautiful shrubs to pick and choose from to fill up that vacant space or perchance to substitute where something of lesser* beauty has reigned for a space. Many new gardens lack shelter, but as boundary hedges, walls, etc. are gradually 'added, the,.choice of shrubs is not limited to a hardy few. Wherever shelter is available it is a mistake to*plant something hardy, which woirld grow anywhere in any o\'vrsorl situation, 'in preference to a handsome shrub which will eventually become a lasting joy. There are many spots in most gardens that can do with ■ little interesting improvements, which may be carried out during planting time. At the present time a group of maples, with a background of evergreen is a beautiful sight, yet, these, same trees, divested of their sheltered surroundings, would be utterly devoid of any claims to beauty. Another gorgeous, sihrub is the purpled-leaved smoke bush, purple until now, when its leave* are brilliantly tinted. So, too, are the leaves of the light primrose-coloured azalea mollis, which appears to be so much brighter than those other varieties which have a much greater depth of colouring: in their blossoms, thus seeming to maike atonehrent for its paler spring tints. Khus trees are a blaze -of scarlet, and their handsome leaves hang on for a considerable time. These, too, gain much from the evergreen background. Holly trees, clothed with their lovely berries are ideal for the purpose. So planting time carries jvith it great opportunities for the correct placing of shrubs, so that we gain as great a standard of beauty as possible from our surroundings. The subject requires a great deal of thought if we would get i satisfactory results. Fronting a shrubbery, where low growing things are needed many varieties of the small-leaved berboris are suitable, tneir berries and the colouring of the foliage is striking. Spaces mayibe left hove and there for groupings of bronze and red and yellow chrysanthemums, which have a delightful effect when grown in close proximity to autumntinted foliage, and as wo linger and enjoy the beauties of autumn in the shrubbery a note of ■sorrow mingles with the gladness as we realise the cwift passing of ite splendour. The .Culture of Nerines. A reader of,"Garden Notes" who has failed in getting, these beautiful autumn flowering subjects to flower successfully, asks for information re their culture. Nerines, or Guernsey lilies, as they are often called, are a magnificent family of bulbous plants from South Afr>e<i. ■ The true.■'.rfnd original Guernsev lily (nerine snrniensis) is very, sliv flowering, and as it, is an old-, inhabitant'of'our garden, it has givnh tiic whole familV a bad name in this re- ' spect. Now, however, there is an immense change for the better, and some ( of the more recent, hybrids flower every year if the essential and simple

details of Culture are observed. A peculiar character of their flowers is that they shine as if made of tinsel, or sparkle as if powdered with diamond dust, either in sunshine or artificial light. Thanks to the improvements recently made by hybridists, in their tree flowering properties, is the extension of their range of colour, and in the size of their blooms, the race is rapidly gaining favour. The fact that nerinos hail from South Africa places them at once among those things which require sunshine. .In order to get them to bloom freely, the'bulbs .need to be in' an open, exposed position, where they get well ripened off. Moreover, the bulbs need to be half in the soil and half- out. Where the bulbs are completely covered, it will be noticed that they make a great effort to push their way above the level of the surrounding soil. Th'.i nerine has lengthy roots and for this reason they love, a good rich, virgin loam, to which has been added, some sharp sand and a sinaW amount of leaf mould. A sunny border in the vicinity of a wall suits them well, and they also do well in sunny exposed -positions on a rock garden. In a certain position in the writer's garden, a clump of nerines has not floworod for two seasons, although pre viO'ualy it bloomed most freely. This is due to nearby shrubs overshadowing the spot so that the bulbs have no chance to get thoroughly ripened off. "Without this thorough ripening they will not bloom, nor yet, as stated above if the bulbs are buried too deeply. Give (ho bulbs these conditions and a,s a further precaution, mix some fresh soil ti.ken from under some turfy land, Avith Sf-.nd and leaf mould mixed in. They should bloom year in and year out without any special attention being given them. It would be advisable to move the bulbs now rather than in the. springtime, thus giving them a longer time to establish their 1 roots. Planting Delphiniums. Amongst hardy flowering plants, few are more conspicuous in the borders during their season of blooming than are delphiniums. Probably because of the tall habits of many of them, some people think that, for a moderatelysized garden thev are too ungainly am' rather out. of place. But, those f"llv acquainted with delphiniums know that there are many varieties of a ratherdwarf nature, and noted for their com pact growth. The flowering spikes of delphiniums are always populaT for vases, etc. Another reason why they should be grown in every garden is or account of their hardin'ess and to the fact that almost 4 any deep soil suit? them, provided that now and again they are not forgotten in the matter of manure, or omitted when the time comes to divide the ©lumps. One of the causes why some fail with these en arming plants is permitting them to :{o on for years without any attempt being made to divide them, he result being that instead of strong, healthy spikes, and consequently fine blooms, the clumps get into a weak condition owing to a conglomerated mass of thin and spindly shoots. A clump carrying from five to shoots'is to be preferred, to one with- three tintes that number, as one knows that the fewer spikes will be infinitely superior in quality. "Where the spikes are thickly crowded together, it is imposiblo for the centre cues to got that light and nutriment f-o necessary if strong flowering spikes are desired. fcrreen Manuring. In these days' when animal manures are becoming scarcer, it is a matter for surprise that many who garden do-not make more use in utilising green crops ■a* manure dressings. Because of the comparatively rapid interchange of crops there is very of ten. lying vacant for a time a breadth of ground. A r acant. plots may be sown at any season, and when a few inches high, dug in. Such a manure dressing, secured at such 'rifling cost, will be as beneficial to the ground as will one of average animal manure, as that too often is half exhausted ore it is utilised. Because o* the great value *he leguminous plants have of 'utilising the nitrogen of the air and converting it through the action of bacteria, which exist in the nodules'always found on the roots of the food bearing tribe, that nitrogen. .-o valuable in plant growth and production is converted into an active food eiop. For that reason there are no better seeds to sow for manorial pur poses than those of t*>rcs. or lupins. A few oats' mixed with the vetches is advisable,,, to help give body to the crop. A valuable feature of green manuring is* the addition to the soil of humus, in the form of vegetable matter. Mineral manures help nothing in that direction, yet humus plays a very important part in growth, especially in furnishing fibre to the soil, keeping it open and cool, and helping to retain moisture, which, in its decomposition, it emits. Rape find mustard sown thickly give good .carpets of leafage, and also furnis.h humus and coolness as well as moisture, but they do not create nitrogen as do leguminous plants. Vetches in particular, can abstract it from the :iir and convert it into active plant food in the soil. Such a power applies liMle to the irroen crop itself, but it -'on.-v wit' l 'rrent force to the crop which i« !o -benefit, from the green manure dossing.