THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 182, 4 July 1931, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

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 FLOWER GARDEN

In most places tlie best time for planting shrubs is in the autumn, but from various circumstances it is often impossible to do this; then one has to wait until the weather begins to get warmer before doing the work. Wet weather is another deterrent and shrubs should never be planted when the soil is sodden. It is essential that all trees should be planted firmly and this cannot be done when the ground is wet, because it would be trodden into bricks. When preparing a site for a tree or a shrub dig the hole wide enough to take the roots to their greatest spread and break up the soil underneath; not that the tree should be planted deeper than it was growing, but so that it will be able to penetrate the subsoil when ready. If by digging two spits deep the hole is likely to become filled with water, drainage must be provided to drain the surplus water away from the bottom. In some soils a small auger hole can be put down beneath the site and a half-plug of gelignite exploded in it with good results, but the subsoil must be tested before this operation can be made a good one. 'I he planting of roses should be done as soon as possible now. If the bed is not ready, lose no time in getting it down. If the bed is liable to sink it would be better to have it for a week or so, but it can be top-dressed with good soil if it sinks after that. It does not matter what book or paper you take up dealing with roses you will find all kinds or different manures advocated, but if some good iresli turf and plenty of cow manure can be worked into the bed below the first spit it will be all that newlyplanted roses require. The other manures can be given when the plants are growing and a certain amount of experimental work will have to be done to decide what particular manure is the best. Some soils lack potash and so on, but if a complete manure is used there will be something in it that is needed. When the planting is finished, make a plan of the bed and name each rose in position before removing the labels. There are few who can name all the roses growing in a district without seeing them growing, and even then it will take one who has a, very wide knowledge to do so.

Bulbs are now showing up strongly and the beds should be weeded and the surface soil loosened before its gets too hard. Allow air to get into the soil as much as possible. From the way that the bulbs are showing up now bulb-growers say that, given a fair season, the flowers will be very fine.

Chrysanthemums are over and the plants should be cut down to the ground. Any cuttings that are ready can be taken and put in pots of nice sandy soil to root. Be sure to plant firmly, because these cuttings are to form the future plants and if loosely planted will come soft and flabby. As soon as the cuttings show signs of rooting, take them outside ■where they can get sun and air. Go over the carnations and pick off any diseased and rotting foliage and burn it. Give them fortnightly dressings of slaked lime which keeps disease away and helps the plants to grow. If water lies on the surface, dig a drain round the hed to let it away as quickly as possible. There is nothing they dislike so much as stagnant water about their roots. Plants that require replacing should be done at once and a handful of old mortar rubbish placed under each. Give polyanthas and primroses a good clean up, and a light dusting of blood and bone manure worked into the soil round them will do a wonderful lot of good if the plants are at all backward. There are few plants that will give more flowers than a good bed of these if well looked after and kept hoed at this season of the year. THE ENGLISH BOSE SHOWS. A recent visitor to England from these shores has a lot to say about the wonderful exhibits that are staged there by both the amateurs and nurserymen. He says the vastness of the whole show is enough to take one’s breath away. The size of the exhibits is wonderful and each firm has several helpers, not only to do the staging but also to talk of roses to their customers and anyone who wants to know about them. They are always delighted to talk to visitors from “their favourite Dominion” as they call New Zealand, and will give any information within their power. The thing that struck the visitor most was the wonderful colour of the flowers. Although they were not as large as we have them they surpassed in colour anything to be seen here. In the amateur sections the classes were well filled and there was very little difference between many of them. The new roses were the most admired and all day long the visitors- crowded into the tent where they were staged. The polyanthus section is one that has gone ahead by leaps and bounds lately and some growers are getting quite new colours and combinations of colours. They consider that they are unsurpassed for bedding purposes both for private gardens and parks. A QUESTION. “Black Currant” says: “We should be very glad if you would give us some hints on pruning back currants, also red currants. So far we have not had much luck with either and possibly have been at fault in our pruning methods.” Black currants are grown on the youngest wood and so the work of pruning resolves itself into cutting away the old wood and allowing as much new wood to remain as possible. Very often the mere fact of cutting away old wood induces new wood to grow from the base of the plants and if this can be done it should be encouraged. Bed and white currants are different because in their case the fruit grows on spurs from the old, wellripened wood and therefore it is better to remove the young growths that come up from the base, except when it is intended to renew some of the main steins and then these can be worked in to replace them. Shorten the spurs back to about four inches in length. The question of manuring for fruit is one that should receive attention, for much good can be done. Potash and superphosphate are necessary and when the growth is not too good a dressing of some farmyard manure dug into the soil round the bushes will help considerably. The potash and superphosphate can be applied to the surface and worked in with the hoe. SPRAYING OF FRUIT TREES. All fruit trees require spraying during the winter. Apple trees should be sprayed with red oil emulsion. This oil can be got in tins of about a gallon and will make about sixteen gallons of spraying material. The water to mix it with should have some soap worked into it. This not only makes it easier to work, but also spreads it better. Plums, pears, peaches and

nectarines- should be sprayed with bordeaux mixture (winter formula, which is 8 lbs of bluestone, 6 lbs or quicklime and 40 gallons of water). This spray should be used the same day as it is made, as it will not keep. A fine day must be chosen for spraying so as to allow the spray to dry on the trees before it gets washed off. Peaches and nectarines will want spraying again when the buds begin to turn pink. This spray is only half the strength of the winter spray. Small gardeners do not seem to realise how important it is to keep their fruit trees clean and healthy. Some of the Japanese plums are very bad with balloon plum which means that they will drop off. A good spraying in the winter and again in the early spring and the fruit will be quite free of this disease. There is no doubt that fruit trees need potash and superphosphate and this can be given to the soil and worked in later on.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. The weather has not been at all good for work in any part of the garden, but ns soon as anything can be done all tiie ground that is available should be worked up in readiness for planting or sowing as the case may be. There is no doubt about the advantage of opening up drains in heavy land to let the surface water get away quickly. Young cabbage plants should be earthed up to give them a certain amount of drainage which not only helps to keep the soil warmer but also keeps the plants steady in the soil. Broad beans can be planted at any time now. If there is a fairly dry part of the garden it would be a good plan to try a row of early peas. Lime must be used with all leguminous crops and the best way to use them is to sprinkle it along the drills before filling the soil on the seed. Those who have a spare frame can make good use of it by sowing some lettuce seed in boxes and these will be ready for planting when the weather gets warmei. If a good warm bed can be made up with plenty of manure some seed can be sown outside. Wherever seed is sown outside at this- time of the year the bed should always be rather narrow and raised about six inches above the surrounding soil.

FRAMES. Those who have small frames in their gardens have a great advantage in raising a few early plants. In these days it is almost impossible to get enough stable manure to make up a hot bed and therefore the frames have to be used cold. As soon as seeds begin to come up air should be admitted to the frame when the weather is fine enough. The frame can be shut up at night and as much cold as possible kept out. As soon as the young plants are large enough they should be stood outside in a fairly sheltered place for a while before they are ready to plant. By keeping the frame busy a great deal can be done as long as the seeds that are used are not too much out of season. For instance, it would be waste of time and space to sow tomato seeds in it now. Tomatoes will be early enough if sown under the protection of glass sometime in September. Such plants as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflowers and so on, can he raised now. Follow these up with seasonable sowings as required. It is a good plan to have plenty of fairly dry soil ready mixed with sand for seed sowings. Put this in a place where it can be kept covered from the rain.