THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 146, 22 May 1936, Page 15

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.

IN MEMORIAM. It is with very deep regret that liorticulturalists have hoard of the death of two gentlemen who were very prominent growers in Palmerston North. We refer to the late Mr F. Owtram and Mr W. M. Tapp. Both were very much interested in horticulture, hut in different brandies. The late Mr Owtram was one of the leading orchardists and was well-known throughout the countryside for the excellent apples which he grew,, and many a lad has had his pockets well filled from his store. At one time ho exhibited largely at the horticultural shows and was always prominent as a prize-win-ner. Of a kindly, generous nature he will be widely missed by a large circle of friends. Mr Tapp was an expert rose grower and had some hundreds of plants. It was a joy, indeed, to see his eyes sparkle at the sight of a perfect bloom. He exhibited largely, but at the same time his energies were not wholly devoted to exhibition roses as in his collection there were many of the purely decorative types which he admired. He always ready and willing to help the beginner with advice and demonstrations. Deepest sympathy is expressed, to those who arc loft to mourn their loss. THE FLOWER GARDEN. It is important that bulb beds should be kept well cultivated at this time of the year. It is uleless to simply hoe the weeds out and let them lie to grow again. Pick them off carefully and carry them away to the compost heap where they will rot down and make manure. A little lime sprinkled amongst them when they are heaped up will help the rotting process and will also act as a detriment to vermin. We do not think bulbs are going to be any earlier than they have been in other years. Some growers were inclined to think that they were coming on faster than usual, but since the colder weather has come they seem to have been checked. In some gardens primulas of the malacoides types are showing flower buds, but these will not be much good until later on in the season.

Helebores can bo bellied along now by being given a good dressing of well rotted manure. Spread it over the bed to a depth of two or three inches and lightly fork it into the soil. These plants being winter bloomers like a cool root run at all times, and manure put on the ground now will help to bring these conditions about. Anyone who has a small bed of them'will find that they are invaluable for winter work, and will do well to keep them growing. Once the plants are well established there is no need to move them, lii fact, they resent being moved from one place to another more than anything else in the garden. Alterations and the planting of new shrubs can be undertaken at any time now. Get roses planted as soon as you can, but do not plant when the ground is wet. It is better to heel the plants in and to wait until the soil is drier than to plant when it is at all sticky. The test ior stickiness is to take a quantity of soil in the hand and if it sticks to the fingers it can safely be sa.id to be too wet. The only way to overcome this is to keep a quantity oi dry soil handy and covered, and to use this to put round the roots of the plants. If dry soil is tramped down it does not become caked later on, but tramp down wet soil and it will become hard and impervious to water after the hot weather comes on. As soon as chrysanthemums ha.ve finished flowering the plants can be cut down to within a few inches of the ground and this will allow the young suckers lo come up. These are the parts that are wanted to make the new plants for next season. In cases where the plants seem to be sulking it is a good plan to lift them right out of the ground and replant them in boxes of lighter soil. Slugs are very fond of the young shoots and so they must be protected by frequent dustings of lime, or any other means you may have at your disposal. Some of the later varieties do better when plants are taken for rooting early in the season. If you can get a.uy of these about the end of this month,'or even next month, do not be afraid to root them up. QUESTION.

“ATolets” sends some plants and “wants to know what is wrong with them as they are not showing any signs of flowering and a friend is picking plenty of them now.” In the first place the plants are not established. They have evidently only been -put in the ground about two or three months. They should have been planted in October last to bo in flower now. AVe cannot tell what variety they are, but they are not the double variety which is not such a strong glower. Give the plants some blood and bone manure, scattering it along the side of the rows and hoeing it in. This willi help to force them along a.nd they may begin to give some few blooms in August. Do not dig them out; it is not their fault that they are not ready to flower, but your own lor not putting them in at the proper time. As far as we can see there are not any signs ot blight. The blight which you refer to on the lemon tree is caused by native brown scale and the sooner yon can clean up the tree the better it will be for it. Use one part of emulsified red oil to twenty parts of soapy water and thoroughly spray all parts ot the hush with this mixture. If you can use it hot it will do more good than when cold. If the bush is badly affected it may want two or three sprayings at intervals of a fortnight. Perhaps you have some other shrubs, especially some of the natives which arc affected. Have a look and sec; the blight is easily recognised. SHRUBS FOR COLD PLACES.

A correspondent says: “You have given a list of shrubs and trees suitable for dry banks which lias been most helpful, and we have appreciated it very much. We would be glad if you could give us the names of some trees and shrubs for cold situations, high rip above sea level.” In regard to high altitudes there are many plants that can be grown in them and which do better than in the lower ones. The whole of the Berbcrris family are particularly good for this kind of planting, arid we do not think you could find a more beautiful shrub than B. polyant.ha when it is covered with berries. B. Wilsonii is another good one and so is Zagnipanii. The Mahonia Bealii has variegiated foliage and both flowers and fruit a.rc good. B. Aggregata does well in the vicinity oi r J aihape, and we would include this. Hypericum patulum is given as a good shrub for such places, but wo have no information beyond that it is given for such planting. Primus Padus, the bird cherry, does well and grows into a line tree. Its aijtumn colouring is wonderful and it should be grown for this alone. There are many of the native veronicas which would fill the hill very well. Mountain varieties would be the best. Liquid ambers do well and colour up splendidly. Roses can be grown, but of course their season of flowering is much shorter than with us. "When choosing annuals use some of the hardier kinds such as antirrhinums and marigolds. Such plants will stand lato

frosts which is one of the greatest troubles with high gardens. Brooms should do well also. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

AVe would advise ail those who have a piece of ground available to begin preparations for the coming season. Ground that has been dug early in the year will grow much better crops than that which is merely turned over and planted the same day. Another thing about it is that land which is carrying a rough crop of grass or even weeds can be sweetened after digging by giving it a good dressing of lime. Potatoes are about the only tilings that are grown in home gardens that do not require lime. Even these we have found are improved in flavour by having a certain amount of lime in the soil. To get the best produce the land needs what is called “bastard” trenching. There are very few gardens indeed where the true trenching can be carried out successfully. True trenching is to bring the lower spits to the top and it is only in deep soils that this can be profitably done. The other kind of trenching is the

A. —A Jerusalem artichoke. An easily grown vegetable that should be in every garden. B. —Globe artichoke is a vegetable that is seldom seen in gardens. It is a perennial plant but the plants should be renewed every two or three years. C. —A root of celeriac prepared for cooking. It is an off shoot of the celery species and is highly prized in European countries for flavouring and as a vegetable.

best liecause the top soil is inverted, hut it is kept at the top and the lower or sub-soils are broken up as finely as possible. Most ol our land has a subsoil of clay which varies in density in different districts, and - even in the same garden it is easy enough to find clays that are quite unlike one another. Some are almost impervious to water and others will hold it for a long time in suspension. These are the easiest soils to manure and work because the soil water will take up plant food and hold it until the time comes for a root to find it. Vegetables vary in the depth of soil required. Some are deep' rooting and others feed on the surface or close to it. Plants like lettuces and cabbages can be grown in a very shallow soil providing that they can he supplied with enough moisture, hut carrots and parsnips, peas, and so oinvant deptli so that they can send their roots down to where the soil is cool and moist. In any case a fair depth of cultivated soil is always to be' preferred to a shallow one. Trenching' is slower work than digging, but when the soil is prepared in this way it can bo relied upon to give much' better results than dug soil. . Rhubarb cannot be grown in a shallow soil and even a deep soil must be well enriched to grow it successfully. Pumpkins and marrows can be grown in almost any kind of soil, but they must have manure added to them and the soil can be heaped up in mounds. The main thing at the present time, however, is to get as much soil as possible prepared, so that when the time comes for planting out or sowing you will have the ground ready to do what you like with. If it has been a vegetable garden before the best thing to do is to make a plan of where the different kinds were growing last year and in this way you will make siuo that you are not repeating the crop. Rotation of cropping is the essence of good gardening, especially in manured land, because of the fact that file essential salts or food required by one crop may not be wanted by another. Onions like a good rich soil, but they

will do well on any soil that lias been manured for a previous crop as long as that, previous crop was not onions. Most of the blights that come to this crop are caused bv growing them in soil that has already carried a crop of onions. SHELTER TREES. Those who are contemplating planting shelter or even replacing some of the trees that were blown out in the gale of February should get to work and prepare the ground to plant them in. In the first place when new plantations are made the ground should be prepared by ploughing and working in the same way as for any other crop. If the land is wet it can be drained by means of open drains. No trees can be expected to do any good if their roots are standing in water. AVe have often been asked to suggest something that will stop the ground draught that comes through under the trees. One man who had considerable experience in this matter says that the best results he has ever had were by planting pampas grass as a secondary line. If this is done the pampas should be planted at least ten feet from the row or rows of trees and six feet fro mthe protecting fence. It is, useless to think of planting trees' ot aiiy kind without protecting them from stock. If there were any kinds of trees that stock would not touch it would be alright to leave Vkem nilfenced, but as far as we know there are no trees of this kind to be found. Macrocarpas make the best shelter that can lie got and the timber makes good firewood and posts. Some clay banks could be planted with wattles and would make good timber lor any purpose. These clay slips and banks are unsightly at any time, but where covered with trees they are useful and ornamental.