GARDENING NOTES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 December 1933, Page 8

GARDENING NOTES.

Colour in the Borders. It is Christmas week in the garden and usually our borders are at their best and glowing with colour, but the unusual early spell of hot, dry weather has prevented many of' our annuals from developing as much as usual. There are many things, however, which are giving a vast amount of pleasure, among these being the beautiful scented regale lilies, fragrant carnations, sweet peas, the scent of the lavender, beautiful Japanese Irises,., water lilies and the early hydrangeas. A wealth of orange it added by alstromerias, (Peruvian lilies), gaillardias, Iceland poppies, and many gay annuals. Delphiniums there are, too, and while the best of the roses arc over, the dwarf polyantha are giving of their best. In the shrubbery escallonias are quite a feature, with the purple of polygala, and the scarlet of the bottle brush, while the perfume of orange and lemon blossoms is wonderfully penetrating. The abulitions ‘lantern, flowers), are at their best, with masses of lovely, pendant blooms. Quite a display is being made by the graceful fuchsias, and the scarlet of geraniums is very welcome. Among the prettiest sights of the December garden are the masses of ivy geranium in shades of scarlet, soft and deep pink, and a pretty shade of mauve. Boutine Work in the Garden. Work to be done at this season largely depends on weather conditions. Ofttimes we have showers round about Christmas , time which enable bare spaces to be hoed and filled with such things as French and African marigolds, cosmeas, zinnias, dahlias, chrysanthemums, salvias, ageratum, phlox drummondii, petunias, apd the bright bedding begonias, etc. Sow seeds of sweet william, delphinium, anemone, polyanthus primrose, ranunculi, wallflower, frecsia and any hardy perennials. Continue to lift bulbs, ranunculi, and anemones from the borders. Ferns are making good growth and where grown in pots will benefit from an occasional dose of soot water. Continue to pot up begonias for an autumn display. Give carnations which are not looking too healthy, a light dressing of superphosphate and hoc ,in. Keep the hoe going as often as possible, especially if watering facilities are not to hand. Keep newly planted things watered nightly until well settled. Complete plantings of gladioli.

The Vegetable Garden. Continue to plant all kinds of winter greens. Plant celery and leeks. Sow seed of all salad plants in half shady positions of the garden. Hoe growing vegetables ’very frequently and if water is available, give one weekly thorough soaking. Surface sprinklings encourage roots to come to the' surface. Where space is limited, lift the first early potatoes which can be buried beneath soil to keep fresh refilling with plantings of winter greens, celery and leeks. Sow seed of swedes and there is still' time for a few more carrots and beet-root. Continue . to' plant tomatoes, pumpkin, marrow and cucumber plants, also it is not too late to sow seeds of the pumpkin family. Sow more French beans and dwarf peas, w.ell watering the trench. Safeguarding the Garden while on Holiday. Probably there are a few readers who are asking themselves the question "what.shall I do with the garden while I am on holiday?” Allowance must first be made for the growth of plants and a possible storm by staking everything securely. If you .have gaps in the. borders get them filled in at. least a week before you leave;; this will give you a chance to water them in the evenings and get them established when they will take no serious harm if left to themselves for a fortnight. The next precaution is to water thoroughly a few nights before, all roses and shrubs that were planted during last autumn or spring after which, place a mulching of strawy manure, lawn grass clippings, or anything that will help .conserve moisture around them. Remember that mulchings should be kept a few inches away from the stems. It is advisable to cut pretty, well all the flowers that are fully opened. This cutting sets the plants busy producing new flowers, ready to give you a welcome home. Any flowers that have ceased to be of decorative value should be cut and thrown away. Time spent on this work is amply repaid before the summer is over, for producing a pod of seed takes a plant as ranch as producing many flowers. Every rose past, its best, too, should be removed, together with the seed pod below it. Also be sure to nip off the dead flowers from Canterbury bells and campanulas. Pansies and violas bloom better if their seed pods are removed and if the plants are getting old and leggy it will give them new life to work in a little fertiliser and cut some of the old growths away. Another little task before you depart, is to pick all the seed heads off azaleas and rhododendrons. The longer you leave them the more energy is dissipated just at a time when the whole attention of the plants should be concentrated in making growths which will bear the flowers next season. Seed pods from polyanthus should be removed and aubrietias cut well back. AH plants want a little help after the process of flowering. Plants in pots are a somewhat more difficult problem and if there are any choice ones they had beet be handed over the care of a neighbour. Most of them will go through safely if they are stood in a tub of water to get a thorough soaking and then plunged into soil up to

the rims of the pots. Choose a fairlyshady spot, not exposed to rough winds,, and not where they will get the drip of trees if it rains. Dig a hole for each pot, stand the pot in its hole, and then pack the soil round it. The plants will benefit from the change from indoor conditions and enjoy the fresh air and moisture from the soil. Vases, baskets, and boxes' that cannot be moved should have the benefit of a good mulching,, coconut fibre or moss being about the best things to dec. A simple way to* keep these moist for a while is. to place tins among the plants each furnished with one tiny hole and then filled 'with water. In this way thewater will last quite a'while, and keep )the plants going. This method of watering can be applied t.o any thirstysubject in the border, where a leaky bucket can be filled with water and utilised for the purpose. Manures for Roses and Gladioli. The question is often asked: “What shall I give roses and gladioli?" Quick acting manure for roses should always be used with great care. The opinion is held by the majority of rose growers that good cow manure when well rotted and added to the soil gives the best results. The manuring of an established rose bed depends to a largo extent on the amount of preparation that has been given the soil before the roses wore planted. Where the soil has been double dug and manure worked into the lower spit and bone meat with the top requires little in the way of manure for two years. After that period, a top dressing of basic slag at the rate of four ounces per square yard applied in the autumn and forked in is useful. In the spring, 'after pruning, give a dressing of well rotted farmyard manure. -Every third year I omit the basic slag and use lime instead. If liquid manure is used at any time, it is best to use that made from animal manure in preference to that made from nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia. In the culture of gladioli a good top dressing, is one part of sulphate of ammonia, one part of superphosphates applied at the rate of two ounces per square yard. One application of this should be sufficient during the growing season. The gladioli loves moisture and the soil among them should always be worked to a gno tilth to keep the moisture rising. When the flower spikes appear they will benefit immensely from. freqfient copious supplies of water and liquid manure. Plants for Hanging Baskets.

Baskets of fine foliaged and free flowering plants areeyery restful during the summer and autumn. Some plants .owing to their habit,' are better fitted than others, and it is advisable to select only those that ydl! cover the frame-work quickly. Under no conditions are ivy Veaved geraniums likely to show themselves to better advantage than when grown in baskets. Petunias are not usually considered in the light of basket plants, but if they are grown specially for this purpose by pinching out the leading shoot and encouraging the growth of laterals, one may- havewell furnished plants. The same remark applies to verbenas. Fail, to stopthem and the result is never so a-vtis-factory as when they are pinched in the early stages. All three mentioned are especially good as they do not oas-, ily suffer from dry conditions. If a basket of fragrance is desired, there are few more suitable things than the heliotrope, which will- thrive in either sun or shade. Lobelia and several of the dwarf campanulas are suitable for shady cool spots. A perennial plant of great value for a sunny spot is ipQinea mauratanicus, prolific with its blue flowers and almost ever blooming. There is a pale pink companion to the above which is also vhry charming.