GARDEN NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 237, 5 September 1945, Page 8

GARDEN NOTES

'the flower garden

Get tho manure on to the rose bed and fork it into the soil. The rains will wash the plant food down to the roots and will feed the plants at the time when the shoots are beginning to need feeding, 'ihe ashes from rose prumngs can be spread over tho beds and win help. Keep a watch for green- fly, which begins its work early in the season. If any appear, spray them at once with a ruliablo spray. Herbaceous plants that need breaking up should be attended to as soon as possible. Dahlia seed can be sown now and are well worth growing. Sow in a box of light soil and cover with a mixture of sand and leaf mould. When they are large enough to handle, prick them out into other boxes where they will have room to grow. When the young plants are ready, set tihem out where the soil is good and has been well limed. Even if the seed has been saved from doubles, some of them will be singles, but they make a good show, and, who knows, you may strike a record-breaker. When the soil is dry enough, push on with' the work of setting out bedding plants; There are a large, number of hardy annuals that can be put in now. Nemesias, phlox, pansies, antirrhinum, dianthus, godetia, salpiglossis, stocks, and so on can be planted out in good batches. Those who take pleasure in hybridising will find a good held ready in the polyanthus primroses, which are beginning to bloom freely now. In Darwin's "Evolution of Plants" he says, that thrum eyes should be used on pin eyes and vice versa, but wc have found that if you wish to_ make a special cross it does not matter if you use the pollen from thrums on thrums or pin eyes on pin eyes. In any case; it is possible to make isome very interesting crosses and to got colours that you did iiot know existed. Always use the strongest growers, particularly those with good stems and a heavy head of flowers. As each seed-head contains up to 100 seeds, it is easy enough to work up a good stock. Pot up all the chrysanthemum plants that are rooted into small pots and, as soon as they begin to grow, out the pots outside where they can get plenty of air and sun. If the bed has not been got ready, do this as soon as you can, to allow the soil to settle before the plants are set out. If they arc to be planted where they were growing last year, it will pay well to take the old soil away and replace it with some fresh soil from an old pasture if possible. If this is done there will not be any need to use manure until the buds are taken. It is a good plan to plant out a few early gla-ioli coims for early blooms. If the soil is poor, a little well-rotted manure can be worked in well down in the soil. When setting the norms in the soil, open a trench about six inches deep and put some sand along the bottom for tho base of the enrms to rest upon; some sand to cover them with is also advisable. Then the soil can be replaced. Later some more corms can Le planted to make a sucression. It in much, better to grow them for garden purposes in this way than to put the whole lot in at once The boronias are beginning to flower well now and there is a. chance that it might be better to spray the plants with black-leaf 40 to keep the red mites away. These plants can be sot out now; the soil should be made up with plenty of sand and leaf mould. Give the maidenhair ferns a good dressing of compost which can bo lightly worked into the soil round them. QUESTIONS. "Gardener" says: "I have read somewhere that sphagnum moss is a useful material to use tor propagating cuttings of various kinds of shrubs and trees. -Can you tell me how to use it as I cannot rind the article in question'/ Is there, a good book to be got on the work of propagating '!" Sphagnum moss can .be used .by breaking it up thoroughly and mixing one .part of sand to every, two parts of the moss. lPress lire mixture well down into the pots before inserting the cuttings; then stand the pots nearly up to their rims in pure sand. If these pots can be covered with a bell glass or something like that it will help the rooting process. A good book called "The Propagation of Plants" iB one written by ,-J.vlr A. C. Ilottes, of Melbourne. We do not know the publisher, but you will find 'that it gives very good instructions that are easily followed, it would probably be found in any bookseller's catalogue. .; "Apple" wants to know the correct time to prune a flowering apple tree.. , The best time to cut the tree is during the period it is flowering or immediately afterwards. If cut when flowering, the, sprays can be used for decorative purposes, If the tree is grown for its fruit alone, prune earlier in the season when ordinary apples are worked. "Daphne" says: "My daphne bushes are turning yellow and dying out. Can you tell mo tire cause of this and how it can be stopped?" There are so many causes that it is hard to say without the plants. You may, have been digging too near the roots, or the ground may be wet. Try lightly forking in some wellrotted manure and leaf mould round it, and give, it a good mulch during the hot, dry weather. It may have gone too far for anything to be done to it, but try the manure. Also examine the leaves and branches for signs of blight pitch as b'-rnvn scale. If these are present, spray the bush with white oil at the rate oi one part to 80 parts of water; loz to half a gallon of soapy water. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Here is a email paragraph taken from a cutung sent in by a -reader: "Last year New Zealand produced 8000 tons of onions from 800 acres; this year the Dominion was pledged to supply 4000 tons for the United States forces alone. _ It was made evident that unless every civilian produces his own, he would go short of vegetables." This will show tlio need for the home gardener to get busy with his preparations to grow plenty ot vegetables. Wo would like to point out that onions are not the only vegetables that are required by our Forces and those of the United States. About ±O,OOO tons of potatoes, 1000 tons of beans, 3000 tons of tomatoes and about 1500 tons of lettuces will be required also. To send all this produce away means a heavy drain on the country, especially as our own boys are returning in numbers and vegetables will be needed for them. Many of those who have had to live on dehydrated stuff do not want to see any more of it. However, if ypu get to work and grow plenty of good fresh vegetables for theni you will be doing a really good job. Most gardeners have a few potatoes in already and in some cases they are showing through the ground. Walch for frosts and cover them with straw or hay at night and remove it in the morning. Peas are coming up and birds are taking a heavy toll of any unprotected plants. When this crop is about two inches high, sow another 'to follow on. Sow peas on ground that has been well manured. Even though this crop collects its own nitrogen, there are several other things that these plants require and these can be supplied by good farmyard manure. Carrots and parsnips are two useful vegetables that can be sown now. When the carrots are about roady to come up dust the rows with derris dust and if it rains give them some more. Sprinkle horticultural napthaline between the rows and hoe it into the ground. It will last for some time and the plants will have a chance to grow before the fly gets at. them. Parsnip seed can bo sown at any time must be dry. Sow the seed carefully so must be dry. Sow the seed carefully eo that very little thinning has to' be done and this' will save time in working. Lettuce is another vegetable which is not much trouble to grow as long as the soil is well manured, and is drained so that the plants do not have their roots in water. When planting out cabbages and cauliflowers choose a fresh piece of ground that has not grown them before, or at least not or some years. Dig in plenty o manure and give the soil a good liming. The use that i? made of the hoe while the crop is growing is very important. A little nitrate of soda given to the plants when they are growing strongly will help them on. It is too early to think of sowing French or runner beans but in the case of the latter it is worth while to clean.up the old plants of runner beans; Fork along both sides of the row or rows, and work in some well-rotted manure. If the-soil the row is growing in is wet, a drain can be dug along one side, and this will take the surplus water away. \ ■,'.,;>