THE GARDEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 124, 24 April 1940, Page 7

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. Very soon now there will not be' many flowers in. the garden. The few violets coming out are very much appreciated. So far this season has been a good one lor marigolds, both the French and the African varieties. Some splendid examples of the latter j have been seen and one in particular has taken' our fancy. The name was given as Gold Coin, and it is a very free {lowering variety. Another good flower that we have seen a lot of is a nasturtium called Rod Gleam. The flowers arc borne in great profusion and are intensified under electric light. The flowers are semi-double. In spite of the erratic season petunias have done well and some splendid beds have been seen. It is a good plan to make a note of any good plant for future work and, although all plants do not appeal to the same people, each one can pick out those they like the best. Preparations for seed sowing next spring can be made now by stacking up some good, turfy loam with a certain amount of manure put in between the sods as the heap is built up. Later on this stack of soil can bo cut up and mixed together. A little lime dusted over the heap will help it to rot down. When required for filling boxes the soil can be put through a quarter-inch sieve and saved until it is required. The longer soil can be saved beforehand the better it will be for the purpose required. Heavy soil can have sand mixed into it and thoroughly incorporated. HERBACEOUS BORDERS. However good an herbaceous border may be. there comes a time when the majority of the plants need lifting and dividing and the soil they are growing in .needs to receive a thorough digging, or preferably trenching, and some manure added to it. At the same time it may be desirable to remove some of the plants altogether 'and replace -with newer or better species of the same kind. AVe have never yet met a gardener who was completely satisfied with the results of his work. The work of remaking the herbaceous border should be undertaken every three years at least, and there arc three good 'reasons for this. The first one is that the stronger growing plants become so large in time that they will choke out their more delicate neighbours, and very often these plants are better suited for the purpose than the larger growing ones. The second is that the larger an herbaceous plant grows the smaller the flowers become. The third reason is that, after three years' continuous growing, the soil is becoming exhausted, and then it is in need of a thorough overhaul in the way of digging a.nd manuring. Even though you" may have given the plants aome help in the way of topdressing with various manures, it is difficult to keep the soil in good order, and repair the loss of .humus which naturally takes place. The best time to tackle this work is after the frosts have crippled the plants and they are beginning to look draggled and unsightly. There is one thing that gardeners should do first and that is fix labels to each plant to be replaced or put back. Unless this is done .some of your choicest plants may be lost. If the height to which the plant grows and the colour of the flowers arc added this will help you to find their proper place when replanting, and assist those who arc trying to work out,a colour scheme. When lifting choice plants heel them in again somewhere handy while the work of renovating the border is going on. There are some subjects which are difficult to re-establish and it would be better not to lift these but to work round them carefully and work the right manure in for them. The Californian poppy .(Rcmineya C'oulteri'' resents root disturbance. Some of the herbaceous clematis and alstromerias arc in the same class. Lilies of all kinds when once established will go on for years without being moved and any manure that is given to them should be in the way of well-rotted leaf mould or old cow" dung that is returning to soil.

When the border has been cleared of all plants that can be reasonably moved the-work of remaking can then be begun. Jf the border has been wellmade in the first place it should be easy enough to do the work now. Remember that what is wanted is a good, deep root run. Nearly all herbaceous plants have a tendency to send their roots well down into the soil and can easily find manure that is a foot or more below the surface. We have often been asked what is the best manure for herbaceous plants, and we can only say that a good strawy sort is the best on heavy land. It may not be possible now to get well-rotted horse manure, but as long as farmyard manure has plenty of straw in it we ■would use it. For light, sandy soils cow manure is certainly the best, and we have seen it tipped in almost green with good results. Do. not be tempted to use fowl manure, but keep it dry and allow it to powder away, when it can be used as a surface dressing in small quantities It is not often that herbaceous flowers need any other dressing but this, but potash may be necessary in some soils and we have found that it promotes good health amongst all classes of plants and a light dressing will do a lot of good if given at planting time. QUESTIONS.

“Mrs J. M.” says: “Will you kindly state when is the right time to move the bulbs commonly known as Fairy Rolls? Also, the right time to cut back Chinese lanterns, and will clematis grow near and climb a cabbage tree?” We arc sorry, but wo do not know of any bulbs under the name Fairy Bells. Bluebells are hyacinths and can be moved now. Chinese lanterns (abutileons) can be pruned in the spring if they require it. You will not find much difficulty in establishing a clematis at the foot of a cabbage tree. It will be necessary to dig a place to start it in and put some manure down below. Clematis of the Jackmanfi type are very fond of lime, and when growing should be watered with lime water. “Amateur” says: “In last night’s paper you tell us to put our seed potatoes out now in light and air to make shoots and green up and harden, but did tliis mean onlv the early ones, or does it include the seed for the mam crop as well? Some of my early seed which I had in a bag'are making shoots now.”

All seed potatoes can be put into boxes now, whether they are early or late. That your early seed are making shoots shows that they should be put in boxes or trays. If they are left in bags the shoots will continue to grow and become soft, when they will be useless. What are wanted are short strong shoots, and when the seed is exposed to the air this will happen. The main crop varieties are slower to shoot than the early' ones, and will be ready when wanted if they are •started now.

LIME FOR THE GARDEN. Lime is a necessity for most gar-, dens, and there are several ways in. which it can be applied. It is ol great benefit in all horticultural operations. i It is of use as an insect and 1 lingua destroyer, and its chief use is when it is applied during the autumn and winter. .When it is put on in this manner its principal action is to mellow heavy clay soils and make them easier to work, it also sets lice certain food elements and makes plant food easily available to the roots. When soils have been cultivated for years and manures of all kinds have been used they are liable to become sour and j plant ’sick, although there may be plenty of food in the soil but not in an immediately available form. In j such cases if manuring is discontinu-1 ed lor one year and lime is used in- 1 stead it will at once change the look j of the crops and a healthy plant; growth will follow. There are some j plants which do not like lime in- the soil, notably ericas, azaleas, rhododendrons, boronias and such plants. There are many others, but most of them arc 1 looked upon us weeds; rushes, and alii kinds of water plants are found amongst them. There are plenty of plants grown in gardens that arc found on limestine formations —primroses and polyanthus, together with carnations, are some. The dianthus | family to which the' carnations belong I are particularly fond of lime. GypsopliiJa plants cannot be successfully grown without plenty of lime i.n Hie soil, and those who grow them well ladle it on with no uncertain hand. In the vegetable garden peas and beans are pnrticiilar]y\fond of it. It is often said that potatoes can be grown without it, but we have found that potatoes grown with it are cleaner than those without. Tomatoes will yield better fruit, and the plants are less liable to disease when they arc grown in well-limed soil. Fruit frees cannot be grown properly without it. Limestone soil is generally considered the best for fruit growing, but when this kind of soil is not available heavy dressings of lime must be given. Naturally heavy soils will stand more lime than light ones. There are various methods of finding out whether a soil is deficient in lime, but that is not always satisfactory because soi.ls vary a great deal in short spaces. The best test is the growth of plants. If they show a weak growth, with yellowish foliage, it is a certain sign that lime is deficient. Anyone who is observant will often have noticed the difference between the grass along the lines where a tennis court has been marked out and the land that lias not been so treated. The advantage will always be seen with the marked lines. * Lime is obtainable in several different forms. Ground limestone or the lime that farmers use on their land is limestone ground up as finely as possible so that it can he spread through a drill or a similar device. This is useful for land that has not got enough lime in it and is the safest form that gardeners can use. It lias no caustic properties and is no use lor the destruction of pests. Burnt lime is a different thing and is obtained by burning carbonate of lime until it is what is known as quicklime. It is got in lumps and when it is put out in the air or sprinkled with water it will turn into dust and is then known as slaked lime, and is in the right condition for the destruction of pests such as slugs and snails. It soon loses its caustic properties, hut even then it is good for the soil. As this lime is much quicker in action than ground limestone. about half the quantity of slaked lime should bo used at a time. Air slaked lime can be used on the foliage of plants without doing them any harm. Carnations arc a case in point, and it is always recommended that they should he dusted every fortnight, and it does not matter if the leaves become caked with it—no harm will result but good will he done. When using ground limestone for the first time put about a pound of it uii every yard of soil, and half this quantity of slaked lime. There are some manures which are destroyed when lime comes in contact with them. Fowl manure is one and when lime comes in contact with it the ammonia content is freed and lost to the use of plants. Land that is manured with cow manure will stand lime and give better results than without it. Potash that is in the soil is freed by the use of lime and slowly I becomes available to plants.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

It is often said that vegetables that arc intended for household use are the easiest of all plants to grow, but with this statement we beg 1 1 differ. There are some gardeners who have a very favoured spot and anything they put into the soil grows to a mure or less perfect state. However, when one comes to consider the matter there are very few favoured ones who have tins class of soil. Ninety per cent or even a larger percentage of them have to “make” their soil and to do this they have to dig and manure it in a scientific manner. A number of them do not know why they do this perhaps, but they follow blindly where they are led. Because their neighbours who have a good garden do this, they likewise follow. ]n main’ of our soils this may be a good plan,* but there arc some heavy claying soils that would break anybody’s heart unless they are drained, and worked only when the surface of the soil can be walked upon without clinging to one’s boots. When. such a soills properly worked it will give just as good results as the best and will last longer, for the simple reason that all manure put into it will stay there until it is used up. Such a. soil will benefit from dressings of lime given freely, also from any strawy manure that may be available and from leaf mould ail'd stuff from the compost heap. Another thing that will help such a soil is burnt clay worked into it. When you have such a soil as ibis, begin breaking it up and draining it now. If it is left in the rough with a. coating of lime over it the clods will break down by the ac+ion of the weather during the cold winter Some crops may be sown now in the most favoured parts, crops such as broad beans have a very beneficial effect, especially when they arc sown with a .rood dressing of lime. Peas have the same effect, but they arc hardly a crop to sow now as it is only a catch crop at this time. Onion seed could be sown m a portion, also cabbage and cauliflower seed, but it would be better to raise the beds a few inches above the surrounding soil for these crops. Cauliflower seed can also be sown in boxes later. When they are largo enough to handle the plants can he pricked out into other boxes or pots. When growing cauliflowers the mam tiling is to keep the plants growing steadily all the time. When the plants arc grown in pots they can be transfer-

red to the ground and will go on growing. Clear, away all spent crops and start a slow fire going to burn all rubbish that is nut lit to go into the compost heap. ' it will make good stuff to spread about the garden and any soil that is in it will help to lighten the clay.