THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 170, 20 June 1931, Page 11

THE GARDEN.

SWEET PEAS.

Sweet peas that have been raised in boxes or pots should be planted out as soon as possible. If they are still under glass they should be gradually hardened off, before planting, for a week or so. They are hardy, but any plant grown under glass and suddenly taken outside is liable to receive a severe check. On the first occasion when the soil is dry, give the places where the plants are to grow a dusting of soot and hoe this in. It will help to keep pests away and will also act as a gentle stimulant to the plants. One thing is essential and that is that the root hold should be firm. Tread it firmly before planting. It is sometimes said that the purpose for which the blooms are wanted will determine the distance apart to which the plants are put, but we have found that anything less than one foot apart will spoil both plants and flowers and then only plant the weak at this distance and allow more where they are wanted to produce show blooms. When setting the plants out some growers like to plant with a ball of earth round the roots, thinking that the plants will not receive a check, but when it is considered how matted the roots are, especially when the plants are grown in pots, it will be seen that it is _better to shake the plants free of soil and to make a deep hole so that the roots can be extended as much as possible. We have always found that plants treated in this way will begin to grow at once, especially if the soil is pressed down firmly round them. Keep the base of the plant at the sams depth as it was growing in the pot or box. There is another thing that is very important and that is that the shoots should not be allowed to lie on the ground, but should be supported right from the start, and to do this, put some small twigs round them. If good bamboo canes can be got about eight feet long, some of the twiggy laterals can be used for the young plants and generally when they have got this start in life they will be strong enough to cling to the bamboos without any further supports. If they do break away they must be carefully tied with raffia or wool pulled from an old sock. To make the plants break well from the base it is a good plan to pinch the tops out of the young plants and then train up two or three of the new growths. When the weather gets warmer the plants will make rapid growth; but never begin feeding until the first lot of blooms has been picked and even then it must bo carefully done or you will have coarse blooms instead of perfect blooms. COLOUR IN HYDRANGEAS.

Mr H. H. Hazelwood, writing about the colour of hydrangeas, says: “You will always find that those growers whose plants come naturally pink will want blue and vice versa. For those requiring blue where pink is the natural colour the plants should be treated with sulphate of iron, either applied direct to the soil or used as a liquid manure. It is nonsense to put a few rusty nails or old horseshoes in the ground near a plant and then delude yourself that the flowers do so, but it will be more by luck than good management. Have you ever studied the rooting system of good, well-grown plants? If not, do so and you will find that their roots spread in all directions on the surface and straight down into the soil; in fact everywhere for several feet beyond the outside of the spread of the branches. How would it be possible for a plant to take up enough iron to supply the blue for this bush? The quantity of sulphate of iron to be used must be determined by the grower and the particular conditions. More will be required in limestone country than in others. Begin with a small handful crushed and spread over the surface of the ground and hoed in, or half an ounce of the salt to four gallons of water and used as a liquid manure. This may be increased or reduced according to results. We have noticed that plants set out in well-manured and limed soils will come their natural colours according to the English catalogues; but leave them alone for some time and they will exhaust the colouring materials in the soil and will soon begin to change their colours. Some plants that were originally pink have come all shades of blue and mauve, .and there are cases where both colours are on the same plants, but rarely on the same branches. Perhaps some of the fascination attached to these plants can be put down to their ways of changing their colours, but there, is nothing that can be clone to stop it until it has been found what the initial colour is going to be. When planting them, make the positions they are to occupy as rich as possible with plenty of good manure, some of which should be placed well down below them, where the roots can reach it after they have begun to grow strongly, and then surface dressings of nitrogenuous manures can be given as required. Water will be needed in the hot, dry weather, however well the soil may be made up.

RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS

Rhododendrons and azaleas are handsome plants that are justly appreciated by both large and small gardens. They make effective shrubs for putting in as specimens on lawns or for borders. • At certain times of the year their flowers are the brightest we have and their foliage is always attractive. When making up a site for planting, dig deeply and see that the drainage is good because, although they like plenty of water, they will not stand “wet feet” or stagnant water at their roots. Never plant near large trees if it can be avoided, because the strong roots of'the larger trees will rob them considerably. Neither rhododendrons nor azaleas have large roots, but are well provided with a lot of fine ones which do not penetrate very deeply into the soil. If the natural soil is not rich enough it can be worked up and some well decayed manure and sand worked in to make it lighter. When the plant is put in, never plant it deeper than it was growing before; and press the soil well round it, leaving it loose on top. When the • dry weather comes on mulching is a necessary part of the culture pf these plants and lawn grass is very useful for this purpose, especially if it is mixed with a certain quantity of well-rotted manure. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. It must always be remembered that where artificial manures are used in the vegetable garden they will not he effective unless lime is used on the soil. Now is the best time to put the lime on the ground and if this has not been done before, give at least half a pound to the square yard. Where sorrel is growing well it is generally a sign that lime is wanted. Lime, in addition to being a corrective of sourness, is also helpful in breaking up the soil. Such crops as peas, beans, turnips and cabbages will not grow in a sour soil. Potatoes do not seem to mind either way. When lime is used on heavy clay soils the effect is to break

Notes are published under this heading:, and readers interested in gardening: are invited to send in questions relating to matters upon which they wish expert advice; answers will be published with the weekly notes.

the particles in the clay and this makes it easier to drain and work generally. Many gardens are manured until they are in a position which can be called manure-sick and in such cases it will be found that there is not enough lime in the soil. One dressing would be enough to corect this and it will generally be' found that the soil will respond to it at once. When there is l enough lime in the soil artificial manures, used with discretion, will be almost sure to bring good results. A complete manure has three necessary elements, namely, nitrogen phosphate, and potash. Nitrogen is for the growth of leaf and stem, which is really the general framework of the plant. Phosphate acts in another way and promotes roots and seed development and also helps the general ripening process. Phosphates are useful in‘.the beginning and again at the end. A deficiency of potash in the soil will mean the restriction of sugar and starch, which will be reflected in the weight of the produce. Potash also has the effect of warding off blights of various kinds by hardening up the cuticle of the leaf. What is necessary is a complete mixture of all these things and the following mixture has been found to be a good one: Two pounds of sulphate of ammonia, five pounds of superphosphate, one pound of fine bone-meal, and one pound of sulphate of potash. The above mixture, which is generally sown before planting, is enough for forty square yards. It can also be used when the plants are up and hoed into the rows between them. Such crops as cabbages, lettuces, onions, and celery can be helped along by using nitrate of soda as a light top-dressing and hoeing it in, but it must never be allowed to touch the foliage or it will be burnt. When any artificial manure is used on the garden it should be immediately hoed in. HERE AND THERE. It :.s calculated that the broccoli crop grown in Cornwall are worth £IOO,UOO per year 'to that part of Britain. It is chiefly grown "* round Mounts’ Bay, Penzance. Broccoli are also largely grown in Kent. They are planted as soon as the early potato crop has been lifted and by a selection of varieties the season extends over a long period. AVe notice in an English paper that the annual report issued by the Department of Lands in New Zealand shows that for. the year elided March 31, 1930, some 6,982 acres, of land of historic or scenic value were scheduled as reserves, bringing the total number of such reserves up to 851 and embracing an area of 511,792 acres. There is nothing which matches in character the scenery of the area, pierced by the Fox and Franz Joesef glaciers. Long rivers of ice issuing from vast snowfields and finally passing through an evergreen forest -where the dominant tree is of tropical origin, where tree ferns grow at no distance from the ice. Botanically, a large portion of this area is still unexplored, though the gaps are growing smaller each year.

A Kensington (London) gardens has mosaic paths; made of the coloured capsules from bottles, while a neighbour keeps marauding cats away by a wooden model of a black one with back arched and fighting expression. A flower-lover in Maryle bone nas no garden at all but grows his blossoms in a window-box shaped like an old three-decker battleship. A new daffodil with white petals and trumpet of deep apricot was shown recently at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Show, at Westminster. The flower, which was grown in Cornwall, is called Penwitli. While more stock is being raised money cannot buy this beautiful daffodil.