THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 10, 9 December 1932, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

Notes aro published under this heading, and. reader Binterested in gardening arc 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

Before lifting seedlings of any kind from a box, give the plants and soil a thorough watering to cause the soil to cling to the roots and then you may be able to dispense with the necessity of settling them into the soil with water. The best time of the day to plant seedlings is in the cool of the evening, and if the ground around them is very dry it may bo necessary to water it, but if the plants have lrad a good soaking in the box and the soil is moist they will give no further trouble. As soon as the surface of the bed is dry go over it carefully with the hoe so as to leave a nice loose soil on the surface which will act as a mulch to bring the soil water up from the lower depths. Seeds of asters, balsam, zinnias, cosmos, antirrhinums, Canterbury bells and gaillardias can bo sown in the open ground now and the surplus plants thinned out. It is useless to sow seed in the open and then to leave them to grow just as they come up. When plants are too close tee getlier, they crowd one another and become drawn and spindly, and when they are like this they can never be expected to produce flowers that arc good for very much. Roses are making a good display now and to keep them growing and blooming all the old and faded blooms must be removed directly, they are past their best. A little liquid manure, given once a week now, will be found to bo most helpful. It will not only keep them growing, but will also strengthen up the plants for better flowers later on.

to the fact that no liquid manure lias been given and that the available supply of potash in tho soil is becoming exhausted. It lias been a noticeable feature of gardens where sulphate of potash lias been used on the plants that tho flowers are firmer and last better than whore no potash has been used. A dressing of superphosphate is also useful and should bo used at the rate of two ounces to the square yard. All nitrogenous manures should be avoided as they induce rapid, sappy growths which are not wanted at this time of the year. Keep the surface of tho soil round roses moving and they will do much better. All the old flower heads should be removed from rhododendrons and azaleas now. If these are left on it will be at the expense of the next season’s flowers. Just below the old flower heads are a cluster of shoots and if these are induced to grow they will all flower next season. Give the plants a mulching with lawn clippings or anything of that nature that will help to keep the sun from burning the soil round them. Unfortunately, they are very shallow rooting plants and tho soil cannot be worked much round them without injuring their roots. Semi-shade and protection from heavy winds is what they like, and if these conditions can be given they will grow where there is very, little soil.

HEALTHY POT PLANTS.

Healthy pot plants are always a feature of the garden they are grown in. It does not matter whether they are placed on the verandah or in a glasshouse as long as the plants are healthy and have a cared-for look; they will come in for a great deal of admiration. Pot plants must be sheltered from tho wind and should get as much of the morning sun as possible. Another thing that is important is that the pots should be clean and well drained. The potting material should be fairly rich and of such a free nature that water can percolate easily through tho soil. There are plenty of pot plants that can be re-potted now and as the Christmas holidays are drawing very close it would be a good thing to get this work done as soon as you can in order to give the plants a chance to take hold of the new soil before they are left. When re-potting, it is not necessary to take away all tho old ball of soil, but it certainly, is a good plan to remove some of it and replace it with good fresh compost. The compost need not bo made very rich beyond what can be got from good leaf mould and fibrous loam, because pot plants can bo fed with liquid manures at any time and in this way the strength of the soil can be kept up. Nitrogen, phosphates and potash are tlie general requirements and it is easy enough to make a liquid manure that contains all these. Liquid manure must never be given when _ tho pots are dust dry. Soak them in a bucket of water until the ball of earth is soaked right through and then when they have drained for a while tiie liquid manure can be given to them in diluted quantities. EVERLASTING FLOWERS.

Some growers this season have been lamenting the fact that their blooms are not lasting as long ns they should and we think that this is partly due

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During the last few years dried flowers for winter use have become very popular and in many gardens special beds have been set aside loxgrowing them in. A little care lias to be exercised in drying them. They should be cut in small bunches and hung up with the flowers down in a dry airy shed free from dust. When they are dried they can be wrapped in florist’s paper and kept in boxes until required. Probably the best of the everlasting flowers are the lielichrysums, which can be bought in a variety of colours such as yellow, white, crimson, rose, pink, and salmon. The seed can be sown in the open ground and the plants must be thinned out to a loot apart at least. Cut the flowers for drying beiore they begin to show their centres or much of their beauty is lost. The rliodanthe is very graceful and is well worth growing for tho purpose of drying. The Globe amaranth is another good plant that should be grown. •Statices of various kinds are ad well known and are largely grown wherever dried flowers are wanted. Statice sinuata is largely grown for market purposes and always sells readily. Seeds of all these plants cun be sown this month ill well worked ground, and if it is of a heavy nature some sand and straw manure can be added to keep it open. The main thing with most of these seeds is not to sow them too deeply and to give some light shelter until they germinate. The sea hollies can also be dried and used in the same way as the other things, but they should be picked before seeds begin to set. Lavender is always useful and imparts a scent of an old-world garden that is always sought after. It is a wonder that lavender is not grown more, and used in the way onr grandmothers used it years ago, for putting in the linen cupboaids. QUESTION.

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“Zinnia” says: “I saw some very large blooms of zinnias last year and I want to try my hand at growing them. Could you give me any hints about the work and what kind of soil to put them in? The variety I saw and admired were called chrysanthemum flowered and were about six inches across.”— We think the zinnia to which you refer was the giant dahlia flowered. They like a rich light soil, and a position that is fully exposed to the sun. We believe that you can buy plants of this strain from nurserymen . who specialise in seedlings; otherwise you will have to buy seed and sow it where tho plants are to be grown. The plants must be set out in rows so that you can work amongst them and tie them up to stakes. The flowers that these plants carry are heavy and, although they are not extra brittle, they are liable to be broken down by heavy winds' and rain. Before planting or sowing the seed, give the bed a good dressing of lime and do not water the plants when once they are growing freely. They will stand more dry weather than most garden plants. When the flowers have set, allow three or four to each plant at one time and remove tho others. A little liquid manure can bo given when the buds begin to swell, but it must be weak to begin with and must never be given when the soil is dust dry. Planted or sown now the flowers should be ready about next March, but if the weather turns stormy or wet leave some covers ready to put over the particular blooms you want as they damage rather easily when wot. CHRYSANTHEMUMS.

Growers of chrysanthemums have to begin work on their plants this month because it is tho time of the year when the “break bud” appears. This bud is the one that appears on the top of a plant and is useless as a flower bud. When this bud appears, remove it, and the two or three side shoots immediately below it will begin to grow. All other side shoots and laterals must be removed and the three shoots that are retained should be carefully staked. The

stakes must bo considerably taller than tho plants, as they will grow a lot more before they reach the second crown, which is the one that is generally kept for flowering purposes. There are still a few varieties that are grown on “first crowns,” but they are not varieties tha t are usually cliosen by novices. It is only when ono lias mastered tho details of tho work that they can be trusted to use those first crowns. The next bud to follow the “break bud” is called tho “first crown,” and this is followed by more slioots. This crown is nipped out and only one of the side shoots allowed to continue growing. The plant, now having three leading stems, is grown on until tho “second crown” appears, which should come some time early in February. The main thing now is to remove side slioots and keep the plants clean and healthy. It is better to keep them short and sturdy than to force them along with water and manure, and as long as this can bo done tlie ultimate results should be good. Caterpillars aro liable to attack tho leaves on the undersides and a strict watch must bo kept for them and the plants sprayed at once before they do too much damage. Arsenato of lead is generally used for this spray, about tlie same strength as that given to apples and pears and it must reach tlie undersides of tlie leaves. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Tomato plants must bo staked and tied and all the side shoots pinched out to keep them to one main stem. There are other ways of growing them, but we believe the single stem system is the best for amateur gardeners as the plants are easier to manage and cun be looked after and sprayed more easily when grown in this way. Keep the soil round them well cultivated, and, when the first bunch of fruit has set, work in some sulphate of potash round them, and later on a little superphosphate. Another sowing of runner beans can be made this month. Take out a trench and put in a few barrowfuls of animal manure, and on top of this replace the soil and givo it a good coating of lime before sowing the seed. The seed should bo sown in a row and be at least twelve inches apart. Poles or string must be provided for them to climb up and tlieso can be put in after tlie beans come up. A row sown now will provide good picking after tlie first row begins to go off. Keep sowing lettuces for succession in well manured ground. It is better to sow seed now than it is to try transplanting seedlings out; the seeds will come on just as quickly as the transplants and will give a better crop. When digging now potatoes give tlie soil they are taken lrorn a good stirring up with tlie iork and it will be in fine condition for any crops that you may wish to grow for tho winter. An early variety of celery can be planted now. Make a trench about a foot deep and along the bottom put about three or lour inolies of manure, and on top of this two or tlireo inches of soil and tread tlie whole lot down firmly. The trench can be wide enough to take two rows of celery and should be near the water supply because this is a vegetable that needs plenty of water to bring it to perfection. Another sowing of celery can be made now for late planting. Sow the seed in a box and cover with a paper until it begins to germinate, when the paper can bo removed and tlie young plants allowed to grow until they are large enough to prick out into other boxes, where they will have moie room to develop. Ground should be got ready for planting the winter cabbages and broccoli. Both these crops like a fresh soil that has not grown these things before, and if this can be got they should. <lo very well. In tlie case or old garden soil it is essential that the ground should be well limed or there may be trouble from club root winch will destroy a crop very quickly. Thin out ail growing crops and keep the hoe going amongst them as long as possible. Later on when they get bigger it will be impossible to work amongst them. Draw tho soil up to pumpkins and marrows, it will keep them in the sou and they will grow better if tlie iv ind cannot shake them about.