THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 287, 7 November 1925, Page 11

THE GARDEN.

Notc.i aro published weekly under thi* heading, and readers interested in gardening are invited to send in questions relating to matters upon which thoy wish Ciport advico: answers will be published with the weekly notes. ;TIIE FLOWER GARDEN. Seeds of pansies should he sown now if good plants are wanted for next spring. As soon as the voting plants are large enough to handle prick them off into some good soil and keep them growing until they are large enough to plant out. As soon as they havo been pricked out get the bed ready to plant them into. It must he good soil well enriched with manure which should be well mixed with the soil. Trench the ground and put somo manure Well down and then, when the bed is finished, put some more manure on tup and fork this up with the soil two or three times so" as to got it thoroughly mixed and broken up. It should then be ready to plant out in. Put the plants about a foot apart and water well to give them a start. Alter this they should he about ready to look after themselves' except for periodical honings which must he given to keep the surface of the soil in a good tilth. Pansies sown-and treated in this way will come earlier and stronger in the spring. Violas like, the same sort of treatment in regard to soil work, but they are usually grown from cuttings as seed does not give a very good percentage of plants that are worth growing. The last week’s line weather has made the soil in a very good condition for working and, as long as tho hoe is lccflt going now as often ns .possible, the inoistiiru that is in the ground will not dry out for a long time to come. It is a mistake to use the hose when the surface of the soil gets a little dry, because it brings the water up from below and is evaporated by the sun, but if there is a good line tilth of dry earth on the surface it will take a long time for the water to evaporate through the leaves of the plants: In some places there were a lew degrees of frost last week, and those gardens that it settled on have suffered to a small extent. \\ here plants have been cut it would be better lo replant at once, because it is very unlikely that we will get another now. One man who had put his dahlias out early last month has had the whole lot cut down to the ground but, as they were tubers that were planted, no further damage is likely than to put him back a week or two. Small green plants would take a long time to recover and it would be better te get some more and replant them. Chrysanthemums have not been hurt and their growth will not be checked at all. Sweet peas are doing well now and from present indications there is going to be a splendid crop of these flowers. The usual thing at this time of the year is to feel a certain amount of disappointment because the early flower buds drop off, but there is nothing to be alarmed at in this and, alter a . week or so, they will begin to set al- j right. Keep the soil round the plants! well worked with the hoe and, as soon. | as the first flowers have set, manure water in quantity can bo given to them, as long as it is not made very strong and is given when the ground about their roots is moist; then the manure water will go well down into the soil. Keep the plants well, tied up and as soon as the flowers are open pick them off, or they will soon set seed and stop flowering. j There is one thing that is very often ’ neglected in the garden and that is to pull the dead and dying flowers and seed heads off azaleas and rhododendrons. This neglect is due to the fact that few gardeners realise the functions of the flowers and to tho fact that in nature the whole energy of the plant is put to the work of multiplying itself by means of seeds. If this is stopped and the flowers and seed heads picked off, then the energy of tho plant will be directed towards growing and, as the flowers are mostly produced on the best ripened wood this season, it means that there will bo more blooms per plant for a little extra work now. “When doing this work be very careful not to break out the shoots that are immediately below each flower head. This is the best time of the year to lift and replant gerberus which liavo become overcrowded and, also, for making an extension of the bed. These flowers arc most useful for cutting and if tho soil suits them they can ho relied upon to givo a quantity of bloom

right through the summer and autumn well into the winter months. It is not all soils that they will grow in. They like a good sandy loam with plenty of drainage, but for all that they can he grown on a clay subsoil if it is well drained. Asters may be planted out this month for - bedding purposes and, if the soil is in a suitable condition, they will come on very quickly. They should never he planted for two years in the samo soil or they wilL quickly develop that disease, collar rot, which is so deadly to a fine looking crop. For show purposes these plnnts should be grown in well manured ground and given more room so that you can get round them to disbud them.

EXHIBITING ROSES. Most people who grow roses do so with the idea of getting the best blooms that they can. Perhaps not with the idea of ever exhibiting, but for tho satisfaction of knowing that they have grown something good and that your friends have been good enough to admire them, Growing roses for exhibition does not mean that all tile blooms grown will be exhibited; very far from it, but it means that the plant will he better grown and, even if you pick some for uvhibition purposes, there will ho plenty left to make the garden gay. Then, again," those who would like' to grow roses for showing are often deterred by the fact that they think they must grow nothing else but show roses. A[imy of the best decorative roses are exhibition roses as well. And another tiling is that there are classes at most of tlie rose shows to-day for purely decorative blooms. Exhibiting , roses is not an expensive hobby if you go to the home show, which should be supported in any ease. If you want to go further afield, then it may become more expensive, but by doing so you will he gathering more knowledge which will stand you in good stead when it conies to putting pip your flowers at the homo show. If you take up any schedule, the Palmerston North one for instance, you will lind plenty of classes to suit you, and these, should be supported. Enter your blooms and then, when the day ol the show comes along, stage them as required by the stewards and also watch what your opponents are doing and you will gain a- lot "of useful hints ; certainly many of them will lie not how to do the work, but how not to do it. If you intend exhibiting get up early on the morning of the show and cut your buds before the sun comes on to them, and immediately put them into vases of clear rain water, so that they can get a good fill before you are ready to pack them up. A rose bloom will develop very quickly between seven in the morning and nine and tell, and it is here that the necessity for taking buds will soon be seen. The buds may have the outer or guard petals down. It the day is very hot it may he necessary to shade the boxes the blooms are staged in for a while, but do not forget to remove this before you leave the hall. Y\ hen tiie judging is over and the public are admitted go round and examine the exhibits and try and find out where vou have failed. Judges may make a mistake, but remember that an hour or two in the hot part of the day makes a great deal of difference to the blooms, and yours may have been too close or too open. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Now that the ground is getting wanner .some of the more tender^ kinds of vegetables may be sown. Trench beans, Lima beans, runner beans, celery, cucumbers, vegetable marrows, pumpkins and tomatoes are some that come under this heading and all may he sown now. If good vegetables are wanted it is necessary to keep a good tilth and to break up the surface as finely as possible. Frequent cultiva--1 tions will keep water in tho soil and will help the vegetables to grow quickly. It is important that all vegetables should be grown as quickly as possible so as to keep them tender and succulent. More water is required in the vegetable than in the flower garden, but do not begin to use water until the soil is getting very dry at the roots of the plants. If you do it means more work in keeping weeds down and, unless they are kept well under control, they' aro taking away a lot of water that is required for the vegetables themselves. The hoo should follow every watering as soon as the surface of the ground is dry enough to walk on. All vegetable crops should be thinned as early as possible for the same reason, and for the i reason that overcrowding means that ' weakly plants arc developed where > strong ones should be. A great deal - can be done for vegetables that are > grown for their top growths by giving 1 them some liquid manures. Nitrate - of soda dissolved in water at the rate i ! of a teaspoonful to a gallon of water

will help lettuces along wonderfully, hut it should not ho poured on the foliage or the plants will look as if they have got somo blight. If the liquid does get outlie leaves water the plants well with clear water so as to wash it off. Fowl manure also makes a good liquid manure if it is steeped in water lor a day' or two and the liquid only is used. T his can he broken down to the strength of weak tea, but it must not be used on dryland. Water the soil before putting it on and give the water some time to sink in. Somo gardeners prefer sprinkling the nitrate of soda on the ground round tlie plants and watering it in, and if you have a tap and hose handy this is" a good plan. Sulphate of ammonia is also a good thing to use in the same way, but all these artificial manures are best when used sparingly.