THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIII, Issue 12159, 24 March 1900, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. Kitchen. Garden.—Onions sown for spring are well up now, and should be kept very clean and free from weeds by the constant use of the Dutch hoe. A little fertiliser mixed with a small quantity of soot, and distributed when the plants are damp, would be of much assistance. Tomatoes—Remove. any tender growth there may be on the' plants. Pick the fruit as soon as it becomes red, in order to give the green ones a chance of ripening. Cabbage may be planted, and • if the grub is troublesome among the winter spinach, make another sowing in a warm quarter. Carrots—. Those sown late will be : large enough to bo thinned now. This need not be done so severely as in the spring,, because the small roots will be very usefulfor soup; therefore, leave the plants fairly I close, and finally thin as they may bo', wanted, in the kitchen. Lettuce—Do not; leave these too long in the seed-bed, but; prick them out directly they, are large; enough to handle. Endive should be plant-; ed; give this more room than lettuce.; Turnips will want thinning rather severely,; They will grow very fast now that the, nights are getting cool. Sea-kale—A start; should be made now by taking up a few' roots to give them a rest before starting) them by forcing. ■ _ ; , Flower Garden.—Christmas Roses: This) is a good time to take these plants up;, divide, and re-plant them. It is a* welli to remember that although these plants will! bear dividing, they should only be dis-! turbed about once in four or five years.; Given sufficient room and feeding they will; bloom well for four years without being dis-; turbed. Those that are to be divided should; be operated on with care. They must not) be cut with a knife, as this method destroys,; too many roots. The plants must be divided' by pulling them apart. This is a rather : difficult task, but if the roots are disen-i tangled it can be done. The bushes should! be re-planted as soon as possible, and a; little extra attention given to the soil will be fully repaid. They are not very particular as to soil, but they do not thrive in heavy clay. A rather light . loam, with some leaf-mould and old hot-, bed manure incorporated, will suit them. As to where they should be planted, ’ the gardener should be guided by two con- ’ siderations—water and partial shade. Too often the roses are planted in the open border, exposed to all the heat of the sun and hot winds, and away from, any . supply of water.- Then the gardener complains that they do not bloom satisfactorily. It has been pointed out in these columns that during November, December and January these plants require constant water-, ing and partial shade. beau- . tiful border plants are not grown as ex-' tens-ively as their merits warrant. S. patens and S. patens alba have been extremely beautiful during the past six weeks. Good blue flowers are very scarce, and saivia patens is the best Royal blue. S. rutiians is scarlet, and very effective. S. Betheli is pink, and is very useful. Gladiolus—Many of these -are past their best, i and unless the seed is required the faded spikes should be cut back to the first leaves.' ll the seed pods are left it is a great tax on the cormbs, and retard their development. Dahlias are blooming freely now.' They will require tying to prevent the wind breaking them down. « A large number of small shoots will be sent out near the base of the plants. These should be removed, and each plant .should be examined to make sure that the label on it is correct.’ Carnations'—Examine those that have been layered, and, if dry, give a good watering, „ Ihey cannot root freely in dry soil. Greenhouse.—Plants for winter blooming is the great question to gardeners now, and' a little extra attention during the next few weeks will be more than repaid. Azaleas — These should be examined, and any that have not ripened their growth should be put in a more open phice. Stand the plants in a row, and shade the pots from the sun with boards. Give due attention to watering, especially during damp weather, as tho dense leafage of these plants prevents the rain getting into the pots. If they get very dry tirips will attack them. .Zonal® pelargoniums—These furnish the best and brightest colours during the winter months. Render these every assistance by ■ giving each plant ample space and manure-water once a week, Do not remove any more flower buds, but let them develop, and when there are signs of frost remove the plants to a cold frame or greenhouse. Put them close to the glass, and expose them to the full sunlight. Any shade will make them soft, and induce the plants to become leggy. The show and decorative. sections will be . growing fast, ami must, have plenty of room. If they are crowded now they will not make good ripe shoots, so necessary for -a good supply of bloom. Bo careful with the watering-pot. These will not require as much as the zonale section. Too much water may destroy some of tho more tender varieties. Quite a number of -bulbous plants will begin to show signs of rest. Gloxinias, gesneras, caladiums, etc,, require very careful attention during the 'next few weeks.' It is a very frequent complaint that many’ of these tubers die during the winter. The chief cause of this is the insufficient ripening of the bulbs. The plants should not be discarded directly their beauty begins to - fade, but should be put in some warm, sunny position, and gradually ripened.

■Pater sparingly as long as there are any Ireen leaves ; then gradually withhold it. Iloleus—The cuttings that were pat lipnth will require potting now. Lse small lots, and rather light soil, with plenty ot Irainage. Ferns will require all their old Ironcls to bo picked off before the damp (feather of April sets in. These old fronds I)oh only look untidy, but destroy the young [ronds with which they come into contact, pive more light now to all ferns, with a Iriew to making them harder.