GARDEN NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 135, 9 May 1945, Page 8

GARDEN NOTES

THE FLOWER GARDEN. The flower beds that held annuals in the summer will need deep digging and turning up to the- weather to sweeten. While the digging is going on, work in some compost and mix it well into the soil. If there are some plants such as slocks and Iceland poppies to be planted on it, give the soil a good liming because both oi these like plenty of this stuff. Seed-' lings planted now will flower ,well in the spring/ When chrysanthemums have finished flowering, cut them down to within a few inches ot the ground and this will bring the suckers along to make cuttings for. planting later. When these suckers are about four or five inches high they can be cut just below the soil and struck in sand or sandy soil. Such plants as perennial phlox, rudbeckias and others of a similar nature are becoming very untidy now and it is advisable to cut them off close to the ground. Phlox after a few years in the same place become hard bunches of roots and decaying sticks. Take them up and replant some of the stronger pieces from the oulsides. These pieces will soon begin to grow and a little well-rotted inanure dug in round will help them along. Roses can be planted at any time now. When the plants come to hand their tops may have been shortened back. a bit to make them pack more easily, but they have not been pruned. This can be done in August when they show signs of growth. When planting a- rose, dig a hole wide enough to take the roots spread out, and after putting in a little soil trample them in firmly; then fill in more soil and tramp again and finish up with a little loose soil on top. The depth _to ; plant a rose in is one that varies in difl'erI ent places, 'but we maintain that the union of bud and stock should be about an inch below the surface of the soil. If, later on, the soil sinks away from the union more soil can be put on the bed to br.ing the soil up to the required level. If some manure is mixed with this soil it. will act. as a good top-dressing and bring the rose.s on again next season. Climbing roses can bo pruned much earlier than the dwarfs, for the simple reason that they are grown on the protection of fences and pergolas and also that they are higher from the ground than the dwarfs and do not get the frost in the same way. Ncrines are good garden plants, hut they are not grown as much as they should be, because they are so fickle in blooming. Sometimes they sulk and refuse to bloom after having been moved. It is a curious thing, but ihese bulbs when planted singly refuse to flower until they have built up a family of bulbs around them. When the young bulbs are large enough to bloom, the whole clump will break into flower. If you want to see something good, ■ plant several parent bulbs close together; even if they touch one. another, so much the better. They like an open, sunny position, but are not at all particular about the soil as long as it does not; become waterlogged. During flowering they like plenty of water at their roots; but after flowering keep them 'on the dry side until buds begin to show again. Prepare the bed for sowing, or rather planting out. the sweet peas which should be got into their positions while the ground is warmer and they will soon re-root into the soil. QUESTIONS. "ftose" says: "A friend has shown me a quantity of rose plants he has raised from seed. They look very nice and I would like to try my hand at the same thing. Does one need a glasshouse or can they be raised outside? When should the seeds be taken and should they he removed from the skins?" Rose plants can be raised from seed sown outside, but it is better to sow the seeds in a box rather than in the open ground. It is easier to remove the weeds from a box than from a bed. When the hips are thoroughly ripe, remove them from the bush and sow them about an inch apart. Keep the box outside where the soil can be frozen stiff during the winter. The seed will come up when it is ready, which ] may be any time from two months to two i or three years. When the young plants are two or three inches high, they can be potted and grown on until they flower. Many of them will bo singles, but next season the number of petals may increase. Any likely looking flowers can bo budded on to a I tostoi-parent to get them to come along j quicker. You will gel a great deal of pleai sure from raising plants in this way and i may even get something new and good. 1 "Daphne" has a large bush of daphne which he would like to move to a new home, and wants to know how to do it. A large, well-established daphne is very ' hard to move and the best thing to do would be to get another and plant it where you want the old one to grow. We have never had any luck in moving old _ ones. A well-drained position is wanted, with some : old leaf mould and sand worked in to lighten the soil. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN, Unfortunately, many gardeners arc inclined to trust too much, to artificial manures as a short-cut to growth, particularly ( amongst vegetables. Nothing can do away with the initial work of cultivation; that is to say, the soil must be prepared well before any plants are put into it. Digging and double digging are the secret to success, and, if the soil has been used before, work in plenty of compost. In any case, even if there is plenty of compost in the soil it will not do any harm to grow a cover crop on it for digging in later. Any compost, especially that which is composed of animal manure (such as cow, pig. fowl or any other) when dug into the -HI : - ,!n best* way to build up the strength' of thesoil, and a cover erup will help to Ueep it there. Fertilisers, when used judiciously, are certainly a welcome, and valuable addition, but it must not be thought that artificial manures will do any good on a soil that is deficient in humus, and humus is only grass and leaves of some kind returned to the soil and decayed by the action of the soil itself. The action of artificial manure in the soil tends to use up the humus or decayed vegetable matter, and therefore it is necessary to add fresh supplies each year. It will be necessary in the corning season to grow as much vegetable produce as you can, whether the war is over or not. Vegetables are being grown here for dehydration and this is the form in which much of the produce will be sent, to those countries. Get the plants- growing well and strongly; no further manuring will be required except in the case of those that are being grown for salad purposes such as lettuces, celery, and so on, and in those cases liquid manure fairly often. When the soil is in a fit condition to work, clean up the various crops that are ready for it. Such crops as broad beans, cabbages and cauliflowers are much better if the soil is drawn up to the stalks. Onion seed sown last month should be showing up now and the main thing is to keep the young weeds down. For the first few weeks this will probably have to, be done by hand picking. The main thing is to grow goodstrong plants to set out in the spring. Sow some lettuce seed in boxes under glass and harden the plants off as soon as they are largo enough. If this is done now the plant should be large and strong enough lo plant out when the days begin to get longer. Although lettuces like a good moist soil, they will not grow in a wet, cold ground. Raise the beds six or eight inches above the surrounding soil and work in plenty of manure well in advance of planting time. Anyone who has a cold tranie to spare can .make good use of it by growing a crop of lettuces in it. The lights can be used when the weather is severe, but they can be raised as the plants' grow until they can be taken away altogether. Endive can be blanched by being covered with a box and an old sack for about four weeks. Those who have not tried this vegetable will find that it is splendid for salads in the winter time. It goes vory well with celery. When you have some . time to spare get the seed potatoes sorted out and put into trays to green up and shoot, ready for planting out. If you have not saved any seed, get some as soon as you can. We believe that good seed will bo scarce this year.