THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 123, 24 April 1936, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

Notes are published under this h dening are invited to send-in questio they wish expert advice; answers wil

STANDARD ROSES

Standard rose plants are those that have been buckled at a distance from the ground. Some arc known ns quarter standards and have a stom or trunk from eighteen inches to two feet ip height. Half-standards are from two to three feet and full standards from three to four. Other standards can be got taller than these, but are generally budded with a weeping variety of rose so that they will hang down from the head. The illustration depicts an ordinary standard planted and staked. Staking is a very important thing when planting them because they are liable' to he blown over when the soil they are planted in becomes soft with the winter rains. Tying the standard to the stake is also important and a piece of old tubing from a motor tyro makes a splendid buffer. Wrap the tailing round the sta]>; so that the thickest part' is between the stem of the plant and the stake, and make the tie over tlio top of it. The tubing can be tacked on to the stake to stop it from slipping down. The stake should lie of good timber that will last in the soil for a few years. If you do pot think they will last tar the ends of then when the timber is dry- If about two ounces of mutton fat is boiled up with every gallon of tar the tar will goon dry and remain hard. If the ends of the stakes can bo dipped in hot tar it is even better than painting them. They must he stood where the surplus tar can drain away from them. Standard roses are pruned in much the same way as the ordinary dwarf varieties. They should not he allowed to ripen seeds or their vitality will be impaired.

THE .FLOWER GARDEN. Flower gardening, or in fact any gardening at the present time, is a matter of preparation for the coming of winter. Beds that have been tilled with annual plants have to be cleaned up and got ready for something else at a later date; but when they are being cleaned up now it is a good plan to dig them over and work in some compost or animal manure that will go to make humus. Without humus no soil can be fertile, and tlifc more that can be worked .in now and mixed up with the soil the better it will be for plants when they begin to grow in tlio spring. Preparations should be made now for planting roses, because the sooner they can be got in now the better chance they will have of getting well rooted before the growing season comes tut. If new plants are to lie put in old beds or in spaces where old plants have been growing, remove the soil for a foot on either side and right down to the clay, or whatever the subsoil may be, apd replace it with good turf if- possible, Turf from an old pasture is one of the best manures that can lie got for new rose plants, and if it is pot rotten it does not matter because it will be rotten by the time the rose plant needs it most.

i Chrysanthemums are begining to bloom freely now, but they will not last very long unless they are protected in some way from the weather. Such covers will cause the grower to wonder how and why, but they should lie strong enough to resist a good heavy wind and turn any rain that falls.

Nothing can he done to help the dahlias now. As soon as tlio weather gets cold enough for frosts they will lie cut whether they are covered or not. Lawns which are really a part of tlio garden will want some attention now, especially those that have been played on during the last few months, jt was during the latter end of March and the beginning of tin's month that they began to wear badly, and now sonic parts of them are quite bare. Get these patches turfed over as soon as possible, so that they will have a chance to join up during that part of the season when they are resting, which is during the

winter. If this work is left until the spring it is never as satisfactory as when it is done now. Then there is the rest of the lawn which must have some attention in the way of topdressing, If you do not mind a certain amount of clover in the general makeup give the grass a dressing of basic slag at the rate of half a pound to the square yard. This will encourage the clover, but it will make the grass shoot out and grow also. If it can bo got give the whole surface a covering with fresh soil.. Good soil is the best top, dressing you can have, and it will help to fill up the depressions and at the same time prove a benefit to the grass. Daffodils that were planted early, and even those that wore planted last 'month, have got a good start now and the soil between them should lie'careful Iv stirred so that the air can get into it. When working amongst these plants do the work carefully so that you do not injure the young shoots as they are breaking through the surface. If this is done and the shoots gel cut or broken cel worm can find their way into the tissues of the plants, and then trouble will begin. Anemones and ranunculi can still bo planted for sucesslon. Put a little sand along the bottom of the trench when putting in the tubers. This w U keep them dry and will help the rooting process considerably. Iceland poppies can lie planted out now and will stand the winter quite well; they will he useful as cut flowers in the spring when these are in great

lading, and readers interested in garis relating to matters upon which be published with the weekly notes.

demand. Stocks planted now will also be ready for spring blooms. They , do not like too much shade. Those gardeners who have clumps,or beds of lielibnres, or winter roses as they are sometimes called, will find that they will do a lot hotter if tlioy cnii bp given a dressing of some well rotted manure lightly forked into the soil between them. During the last few years those plants have been grown in ever'increasing numbers and they are most useful for all kinds of homo decoration. Florists have been hard at work on them for some years, and in England some very fine named kinds can lie got. If one raises them from home saved seed some will be got that are superior to the older kinds, but white will he the predominating colour, even when the seed has boon saved from some of the new hybrids, 111 gardens where shrubs are the main feature some well rotted manure ■should bo got. and a good dressing forked into the ground between them. One would hardly credit the difference it will make, not only in their growth, but also in the look of them. A well-grown specimen of a shrub is I always a welcome feature in any landscape. There are sonic things si]cl) as brooms and berberries that are grown more in dry poor situation's, and they do not require the manure that can he given to other tilings. At the same time they like the soil between tliony to he forked over and kept in a fairly 'good condition.

Keep the primrose border clean and if it is getting very dry water them to keep them going until it rains.

WOODLiCE

“Sufferer” says: “I noticed recently that you were giving a recipe to someone for clearing wqodlice out of their gardens. I have been a sufferer from these troublesome pests for some years but now am quite free of them. The bait is made up as follows: One ounce of Paris green and lib of maize meal. Mix the two together thoroughly and moisten slightly, with a little water and sugar. After mixing wait until it is dry before scattering it around their haunts. Sprinkle it about on every third day for a fortnight, and it will not be long before you cannot find one of the little pests. The maize meal is better than bran or any of those things, and if you cannot get it you can probably got your grocer to grind up a pound for you in his coffee mill, which will make it fine enough. Before 1 heard of tin's cure 1 had tried bran, pollard, and several other things without success, but since using it we have been able to grow all kinds of seedlings in safety. I have been told that slugs can be killed with the same stuff, but as they have not been very bad I have not tried it for them. I do not know whether it is injurious to birds or poultry, as I have neither, but there always seem to be'a lot of birds about.”

We would not advise anyone to feed their prize poultry on the above mixture as Paris green is a deadly poison and will kill birds and fowls. Keep the mixture in a tin well out of the reach of children. We are inclined to think that the amount of Paris green is too heavy and that half the quantity mentioned above would be enough to mix with one pound of meal. GLADIOLI. “W.H.” says: “I have a rather fino ■ collection of gladioli,- hut unfortunately they are not enough to dig up. 1 have been moved from this town in the course of a business shuffle and do not know what to do about them. They have finished flowering, but the tops have not died down. Would it be possible to lift them and replant at once until such time as they are ready to be dried off? I believe that where I am going gladioli do very well and there are several enthusiasts who would allow me to plant up in their gardens until I can get the new place ready, which is only just out of the builders’ hands, and you can imagine the state it is in.” If your conns have finished flowering we do not think it would hurt to

lift them at once and take them with you. The only thing you will have to do is to keep each variety separate, and as soon as you get to your new place open them up and dry them off. If they are-left in closed hags or boxes with a part of them moist they will be likely to sweat and that may cause trouble. When taking them up reduce their tops as much as possible, and when you open them up again to dry put them where frosts cannot get at them. A cool airy shed would suit, or if you have a glasshouse put them out on the benches to dry. it is a very much discussed question as to the right stage to move or lift these plants. Some growers maintain that they should be lifted immediately tlieir tops begin to turn yellow, and others say you must wait until they die down. We have tried both and prefer lifting early. 0 ■'» THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

There are maiiy gardeners who have special strains ot vegetables they grow from their own seed which they save from year to year. Those who are doing this should lose no time as soqn as the seeds are ripe enough. A change in the weather will probably bring frosts and rain and a lot of ripe seed will be washed out and lost. French beaus that were sown late can be pulled up and a bunch of about twelve plants tied together and liung up in an airy shed to dry. Later on, when you’ have more time, the beans can be shelled out by band and then stored away. Haricot beans are picked pod by pod and kept until they are wanted.

Peas can bo dried on the floor of a shed, but in the case of large crops it is better to stack them up before threshing them out. They are very lull'd to get out of the pods as soon as they are dry.

Such seed as carrots and onions can be filing up head down in paper bags, and the seed will fall out when it is ready, or it can be given a gentle shake which will loosen it. In the case -of tomatoes take the pulp and seed and, put it in an earthenware or enamel vessel and pour some water in to start fermentation. Stir up well and in three or four days’ time the seed is easily washed out in clean water.- The pulp, must not be put in jron or tin or it may turn the seed a dark colour. It will not injure it,

but dark seed does not look so well as clean, silky looking stuff. The acid in the tomato acts on the iron or tin and causes the change of colour. Clean up and manure any spare ground that you lu.iy have' in tlie vegetable garden. Spent crops are only taking good material from the soil. If you have plenty of manure handy put it in and then sow a cover crop on the soil to stop the weather leeching the goodness out. It is a well-known fact that any soil that has a cover on it during the winter is more productive in the spring than soil which has been exposed to the elements, hut at the same time it must be dug a while and left in a rough state before prejvring it for sowing or planting. It is quite safe to say that all vegetable garden soils require lime; there are lew gardens that have enough of it in them and the best time of the year to sow it is in 'the late autumn or early winter. It is slow in action, hut none the less sure, and many almost unworkable soils have been brought to a wonderful state of. fertility by its use. In those gardens where it has not been used a dressing of a pound to the square yard will not he too much; but where it lias been-used a quarter of a pound woulcf be enough to use, aiid as long as one goes on using it every year the soil will keep in good condition. As long as manure is used lime will not work the humus out, but if immure of au organic nature is not used then you had better give lip gardening as you will spoil tlie land or break your heart.