THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1844, 19 June 1920, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

'' V- writter Notes are published week reapers, interested.An, gardening ; relating to matters upon which will-be- published with the week preparing SOIL FOR ROSES. I- have hot' been in New Zealand long enough perhaps to leave well alone, but as I was a small and successful grower in England, I should like to make a few remarks about the way' in which I see a number of plants set out here. I suppose a good deal of this carelessness- in prepuringitho soil and in planting is due to the cash with which everything grows in this climate,"Vlmt if I only could have got the same soil and climate ini England 1 would have been a far more successful grower than I was.- ' Growers here do not understand the two inOst important details in connection with roses. _ The first is drainage and the second is deep cultivation, not only with a view to breaking up the lower spits, but also to improving its natural condition. I have seen plenty of material, thrown away hero that would bring up' to halha-crown a barrowful amongst the cottagers at Home td improve their soils and as for the trouble they will go td when drains have to be made, well, it would do some' of the gardeners a great deal Of good to see them,_ Nothing is wasted* and everything has its value and use. Drains are made with stones, tins, pieces of brick, or indeed anything to keep the soil up and apart, and the covering material is such as one sees every day here in a rubbish tip. However, there may be reasons for this waste, but what I really wanted, to emphasise was. the necessity for more careful preparation of the ground before,the plants are set out. 1 do not care if they are roses or anything else. It;is always considered in the part 1 came f/'orn that a rose Ijqcl was one of rhe easiest things to make as long as plenty of drainage anti jnanure' were to lie got. Old gardeners Will discuss the different soils and situations for hours together, and in spite of their evident appreciation of certain kinds pf soils, they are always ready to admit that a soil can he made out of most uncompromising materials. No doubt you have read of old shingle quarries and such places beingturned into beautiful gardens. Well, it is being done every day, and I am sure that if gardeners here would only take a little more trouble over the preparation of their ground that they would get results that would surpass their greatest oxpectatipns, and then there would be a chance of a local rose show being u success. 1

QUESTION. “Rose” says; I am rather a new grower of roses,_ but there are a few questions I should like to ask about the plants. (1) What is a “standard” and why is it a “standard”? When reading about roses the word so often crops up that I must ask. (2) When speaking of Dorothy Perkins 1 understand people to mean a type of rose of several colours. Is this correct ? (3) “Peruoltiana” is anotherword I should like to know the meaning of. I believe 1 have seen this explained wsomowhere a-s a kind-of sweet briar. (4) Plant roses so as just to cover the union of bud and stock with soil. Is this right :jor should the plants be set deeper in 'the soil.' 1 (1) A “standard” is a rose that is budded some distance above ground. The height may vary from one to seven, eight, or more feet. The, highest are gepbrally budded with weeping roses so as to make a kind of umbrella when the plant; has grown. (2) Dorothy Perkins is not a type of rose, but is one of the, wichuriana roses! which has been named and is a pink.; People in speaking, of Dorothy Perkins j often add “and that type of rose,”, but jt is not a type anymore than Hiawatha or American Pillar. (3) Perueltiana is a word that has been given, to a now race of rosea' raised by M. Peruel-Pucher. The forerunner of this class of roses was one called Solid d’Or and since has become ..the parent of many wonderful coloured roses, such as Tyon rose, Mine. Eduard Ilerriot, Rayon d’Or and many others. It would be a very long list to give all the roses that have been put in this class. However, it is a class that is still growing and one that is likely to prove very popular in the near future. In a letter received recently from the originator of this class he says that the colours ehibraco, every shade from white to the intonsest maroon crimson, and very soon wo shall be able to have the finest bedding roses in this class. (4) The depth given td plant roses is alright. They should be planted so that the soil comes just ovqr tnp uni.on of the bud and stock. When roses get properly established roots are omitted from the union of bud and stock aiftl these help not only to hold the plant, in- position, hut also to feed the buds and flowers at the proper time.

f RANUNCULUS, A correspondent says: “I answer to your request as to the way I manage my ranunculus. I never plant too early in the season. ’Sometimes I find it necessary to pot up tny best plants in sand and keep them going in this way for a while, but 1 find t.hoji.longer I can keep the bulk of them out of " tho soil tho better. I like to plant my turbans this month if possible, but at the same time tho soil must be prepared a good while beforehand and it must

for "Standard.")

ly under this keading, and are invited to send in questions I hey wish expert advice; answers ly notes.

be made as light and friable as possible. Work in plenty of sand, leaf mould, old mortar rubbish, or in fact anything that will keep the soil open and free. Above all things never plant unless the soil is dry enough to handle without the soil clinging to your liand9. 'When these plants have n.ade good growth and the "toil is beginning to get dry they can be helped by being flooded with water from time to time. It is a curious thing but very few old English cultivators with" whom I have talked seem to realise, that water is important, but if you study up the history of these plants you will find tliat they como from low marshy places at first. Now, when you are ready to plant only level up the surface soil and do not disturb tho lower soil, as a certain degree of firmness is necessary in the sub-soil. I generally put the rows anout eight inches apart and tho tubers from four to fi,ve inches apart in the rows. When the tubers are planted the crowns .should be about an inch and a half below the surface of tno bed. It is a great advantage to the tubers if a little sand can bo placed above and below each tuber. Put a little in tho '< place each will occupy and then when the tuber 19 in position drop a little- more on top of it. I used to go in for quite a number of named varieties, but I have found .that tho mixed ones will often give quite as good flowers and they are no trouble to keep true. I am often asked the greatest ago to which it is convenient to grow a bulb and the only thing 1 can say is until it begins to break itself up, which is fin about three years, after that do not be tafraid to divide it if it shows signs of beirur divided.

SWEET PEAS. Sweet peas are now in such demand for cut blooms that one is rather apt to overlook its merits as a plant for garden dec*oration. It docs not matter whether it is used for the flower garden, shrubbery, or along the paths in the kitchen garden, it never appears at any timje out of place, and if given a fair amount of attention during the growing soasoijj it will help to make the garden gay for several months in the year; in fact it is doiibtful if there is any plant with such a long flowering season. No matter in what position the plants arc to be grown they are always much benefited by an elrly preparation of the soil, so that, wherever convenient, the ground should bo thoroughly trenched sometime early in the yea,r, working in a good quantity of manure.. The addition of soot, wood ashes, bone, meal or superphosphate of lime will tdnd towards the better development of tho’plants. At the same time if the rooting space is somewhat confined do not overdo the manure, but rather rely upon mulching and feeding lifter the plants are in bloom. If not possible to prepare the ground some time previous to planting or -sowing, then do the best you can when the time comes. Never be content with simply diggng the ground, or when the hot weather comes the plants will soon go out of bloom, and instead of being an ornament they will bo an eyesore. There is a great deal of diversity of opinion about the best time to sow seed, but from experience gained through many seasons tlip month of April has produced the best blooms for show and the months of May and Juno arc the best when quantity of bloom is wanted. Seeds sown now should be sown in pots and transplanted out to their permanent quarters as soon as they are ready. However, if it is not convenient to sow in the autumn, then sow as early as you can in the spring, before the end of August if possible. After that it is not much good sowing seeds, as they will come to bloom; ing when the soil and weather arc very dry, and will not last long enough to bo of any use. Whenever they are sown or planted, bo sure that they are not put in too close together. Every plant should be at least one foot from its neighbour, or even more if the ground can be spared.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. I t Small fruits in the vegetable garden should be attended to as- soon' as possible now. Every your a few gooseberries will die out of an old plantation, and must be replaced with young plarjjs. • There.is no apparent cause for this, but they do it nevertheless. Give the bushes a good dressing of farmyard manure and fork it into the soil. Rhubkrb beds can bo made at the present time, and old beds should have their winter dressing of manure now. When making new beds, see that the subsoil is properly drained, and then break it up and manure it, keeping the manure well out of reach of the plants until they begin to grow. Winter rhubarb planted now will produce some stalks in tho early spring which will be very acceptable, but it cannot 1 bo x expected to produce the same aS old' and established beds. Raspberry bods should also bo gone over, and all canes that have borne fruit should be cut out and now and fresh ones tied into their places. These plants like a deep moist soil that has been well enriched with manure. Thp manure should bo forked in now so as to provide for plenty of growth in the spring.