THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 149, 25 May 1934, Page 12

THE GARDEN.

Notes are published under this beading, 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 note*-

QUESTION

“Interested Reader” says: “Could you inform me whether there is any spray suitable for cineraria ? Aline are quite healthy and flower well each year, but before the season is finished are invariably attacked by a small black grub.” There are two grubs that attack cineraria if they get a chance. One is a. species of green fly and is fairly easy to control by spraying or fumigating if the plants are being grown inside a glasshouse. The other is a leaf miner which causes considerable damage if not checked in time. The female punctures the leaf and lay its egg in the interior, and for this reason it is not always possible to reach it with spray. Directly the young caterpillars are hatched they begin to feed upon the leaves and tunnel about between the two surfaces in their quest. After a while the caterpillar becomes a chrysalis, and eventually the perfect insect emerges from the chrysalis, completing the cycle. Preventive measures include spraying the plants with quassia extract or some other distasteful liquid in order to prevent the insect depositing its eggs upon the leaves. Plants sprayed at intervals of three weeks have been found to be fairly free from the trouble. You could begin to spray now, but examine the leaves to see that there are no grubs in them and if you find one pinch it and the caterpillar will be killed. "Black leaf R)” is said to be a good thing to use, but do not use it any stronger than recommended on the Bottle. In fact, for this purpose it could be used much weaker. ROSES. A rosegrower asks for some hints on rose management as she is quite a novice. In the first place, it is necessary to prepare the ground in a proper and workmanlike manner by trenching and mixing in some farmyard manure with the lower spits. If the soil is heavy clay, some drainage must bo provided to carry away the surplus water, because plants will not grow when they have stagnant water at their roots. After the bed has been made, give tho surface a good dressing of lime. A pound to the square yard is better than half a pound, and the plants will like it. As the surface soil becomes worked the lime will sink into it and keep it sweet. There is one thing you must avoid and that is using any manure at planting time. If the roots of roses come in contact with any fresh manure that is the end of them. Another thing is not to plant when the soil is wet; if this should be so when the plants arrive heels them in and wait until it dries out. It will be dry enough if it does not stick to the hand when a handful is taken up and squeezed. Loose or very deep planting should be avoided. When the roots are spread out as much as possible, put a little earth on them and press this down with the feet and then put in some more soil and press this well down. The 'last lot of soil can be left loose on tho surface. The correct depth to plant a rose is about four or five inches, so that tho union of stock and hud is an inch or so beneath the surface. There are times when this cannot always be carried out, and then it is better to plant a little deeper to get the union of stock and bud under the soil. Alany plants root from the union and this will give them extra roots to carry the vcrop of flowers, which is considerable. Never allow their roots to dry out after unpacking them from the bundle, but have a bucket of water handy to put their roots in if they are to he planted immediately. If they are not to be planted at once, heel them into the ground in some convenient spot. Heavy frosts are troublesome at planting time and are liable to lift the plants, in'the soil. This must he watched for and the plants trodden down again when this occurs. The most failures with roses are due to improper preparation and having an acid soil through neglect of lime. Excessive manuring will cause soil sourness and lack of drainage is another cause. In the case of stagnant water, lime will not correct the sourness and drains must be put in. A good selection for garden purposes is given by “Rosarian.” Shot Silk is a rose none can do without. It is a free bloomer and disease resisting, the colour is cerise orange. Golden Dawn comes next; it is free flowering and one that blooms the whole season through. The colour is yellow fading to cream. Hawlmark Crimson is a good crimson and is a really free bloomer. When well established it will bloom the whole season. In. pinks there is a large selection to bo made, but Airs E. Willis will take a lot of holding from a bloom point of view and this rose is not very subject to mildew. Another good pink is Airs W. E. Lenon, a free bloomer carrying the flowers very upright. In whites nothing has been evolved to beat Airs Herbert Stevens, which is a beauty. As a garden rose Warrior is wonderful and will bloom the whole season thorugh. There are many other good roses, but those mentioned are quite outstanding . THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Those who are looking after the flower garden should rake up and stack all the leaves. If they are left lying about on tho ground they are only a harbour for slugs and other vermin and a little time spent in taking them away will be well repaid later on. When these leaves are put on the compost heap a little lime should be sprinkled over them. This not only keep 3 slugs away but also helps the manure to rot down in the quickest time. When so treated it is not good for rhododendrons and plants that do not like lime, but those who are growing these plants generally keep a separate mixture for them. It is not generally known that when rhododendrons begin to take, on a straggly and unkempt appearance they can be out down and will send out a lot of nice new wood to make them look like new plants. We have seen this done in several places and, although flowers may be lost for a year or so, the better appearance of the plant will pay for this. This is a good plan to adopt when plants get badly infected with tlirips and red spider, and the old trunks can be sprayed or painted with red emulsified oil and water at the rate of one part of the red oil to sixteen parts of soapy water.

Prepare any sites that you have for new shrubs. These should be get into position as soon as possible so that they will have a chance to get rooted before the dormant season comes on. In this district wo are really very lucky, because planting of some kind or another can go on the whole season through without hindrance, but it will always be found better to plant ea.rly rather than wait for the spring. Those who have been growing dahlias in their borders can cut the tops away from the plants now as they have been well frosted. While doing this, look over the labels and name pegs and see that they are in order and are legible. Alucli heartburning will be saved later on if this is seen to now. If convenient, leave the tubers in the ground until about August. They will keep well in the soil, but

i it might be a good plan to draw some soil up to them as when they are growing they are very liable to lift themselves up in the ground and the frosts will get at the tubers and kill them. Pansies, violas and antirrhinums can be planted out in beds or clumps whenever the weather is fine enough for this work to be done. Those already planted out want the soil stirred between the rows, and it should bo left just as it is hoed or forked over and not raked, ltaking heavy .soils is a mistake in the winter time as it only allows the rain to batter it down hard. Leave it rough and the weather will help to break it up. All plants such as annuals and the tops of herbaceous plants should be taken away a.nd burnt. They generally have too many seeds among them to make them worth putting on the compost heap. Lawns that have been down some time and are showing signs of wear should be done up as soon as possible. Re-turfing is the best way, but seed can be sown if it is wished. To re-turf you must have a supply of good turf, and as this is hard to get it is better to fork up the damaged parts to a depth of two or three inches and sow some good lawn grass seed on it and rake it well in, leaving the surface in a raked state and not rolled. Weeds can be removed, but the sulphate of ammonia process in the spring is the best, and where this is going to be done give the lawn a good coating of lime now at the rate of half a pound to the square yard. SOME SHRUBS FOR PLANTING NOW. AA'e have been asked to give a list of shrubs for planting now in a fairly sheltered position where the land has been well drained and worked. Some of the shrubs have to be berry bearing and others flowering. The list of shrubs is such a long one that we can only pick out a few in an article of this kind. One of the plants which pleases us most at the present time is the Californian allspice, which is just beginning to flower and is scenting the whole garden with its delicious smell. This is a winter flowering plant and the leaves turn a beautiiul golden yellow before they fall. Another shrub which is very fine at the present time is Berberris AVilsonii. It is a berry bearing shrub and the birds do not seem to be very fond of- it, which is one advantage when shrubs are wanted for decorative purposes. The long sprays of berries are water white. Another barberry which should be largely grown is one called B. Thumbergi purpurea. It is coloured more or less tlie whole season through, but at the present time is a beautiful picture. It is a dwarf grower. One of the Nammenalis Mollis tribe is just showing buds and will be a beautiful sight in about a month’s time. Camellias will be beginning to bloom before long and they are well worth growing in any garden. Boronias and daphne are so well known that they do not need any description. The crab apple Gorgeous is one of the best amongst a large family of crabs. It is a dwarf grower and hears so freely that it should be planted in every garden. There are other members of this family which should be used, especially the beautiful red one Eleryii.

The various maples have wonderful autumn colouring and some members of this family should always be included for their foliage alone. A\ r ith foliage trees the scarlet oak is well worth a place especially when it can be grown as specimens and not crowded up with other trees and shrubs. Probably one of the best of all the foliage shrubs is Sassafras officinales, which passes through every known colour from green to yellow and then the brightest red. 'The' flowering cherries have good autumn colouring, but their beauty is when they are in flower in tlis soring. There are also some good double flowering forms of plums, notably Bleriana and Moseriana, which have good foliage, though possibly the best loliage belongs to Nigra. Some of the cotoneasters are wonderfully free berrying plants, the best being pannosa and frigida. Birds are fond of them when they are ripe, but one must provide good food for them as they help to keep down the insect pests; so plant some of these. Enonymous Europaes, the spindle tree, is a fine berry bearing plant, and the foliage of some of the garden varieties is gorgeous. Laburnums are beautiful when they are covered with their long tassels of flowers, the best perhaps being Vossii, which has pods of seed which are red and orange —a very beautiful plant. The Feijoa is a shrub with a flower very much like our native rata, only it has silvery while bracts. In some instances these flowers are followed by fruits of a lioney-like sweetness. If this shrub was better known it would be grown in every garden. Arbritus suedo, the strawberry tree, is a beautiful evergreen shrub for good land and is covered with strawberry-like fruits which are very handsome. There are many other fine things, but if one had the above the others could be added later. THE A 7 EGETABLE GARDEN.

When the growing season is over one is inclined to lose interest in the vegetable garden; but it must be remembered that it depends a great deal on the amount of work that is done now as to what the crop is going to be like in the coming year. Now is the time to lay the foundation of the growth for next season by thoroughly stirring the soil and working all the available manure in those parts that were not manured last season. The part which was manured last season will do for parsnips and carrots and such crops as these which do not require much manure, and which are hable to fork if they come in contact with it. As Long as the surplus water can get away from land it will increase in productiveness during the winter because the rain as it falls carries nitrogen to the soil, and if it is not too wet and sodden the soil will hold this in the form of nitrates which will be taken up by plants later on. In cases where it is not possible to get manure sow a green covering crop to dig in later on to form the humus which is so necessary to all plant life. Soils that are devoid of humus are lifeless, and a lifeless soil will not grow plants of any kind. It has also been found that when there is humus in sufficient quantities artificial manures are more useful and can be used to advantage. With soils devoid of this, artificial manures are only wasted when they are used. Lime is necessary to all vegetables and there is no better time than the present to apply it. Slaked lime can be used or ground limestone, whichever you prefer ; but slaked lime should not be used in such quantities as ground limestone can be. Half a pound per square yard is quite enough for slaked lime.