Garden and Field

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3477, 13 October 1926, Page 4

Garden and Field

(By “Lorna.”)

Good headway has boon made by all growing things during tho last week. Seedlings are making quick growth, and should bo planted out 'as soon as largo enough to handle. These, however, must bo carefully watched and protected from slugs, which at present are very trouble:some. To avoid the nightly task of looking them, up with a lantern, pieces of old sacking may be left lying about, ‘Which, although not very elegant in appearance, have the advantage of coaxing tho slugs to shelter under them, where they may. bo destroyed in tho morping. Keep the soil constantly stirred among the growing plants, as weather and soil permit. There is nothing to bo gained by interfering when tho soil is in a wet state. Weeds are' growing rapidly, and much may bo done to keep them in chock by pulling them out by hand, an operation which can be gone on’ with when tho soil is too -wet for anything else. Chrysanthemums and some dahlias for early flpwering may bo planted out this month. Re-pot any plants requiring a shift. Lawns are needing constant attention: keep the grass free from unsightly weeds. A few drops of benzine are said to destroy dandelions, etc. Seeds of almost all kinds of flowers may be sown now.

The Vegetable Garden. Rhubarb is making good growth: carefully remove any flowering stems which may appear. Earth, up peas, potatoes, etc., as growth requires, and utilise every spare moment in working among the growing plants when tho soil Is in a fit state. Seeds of all vegetables may bo sown. Plant out tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflowers, onions and potatoes. A few French beans may be sown in a warm situation. Prepare tho ground for mangolds, field peas and late potatoes. Prepare the bods for pumpkins, melons, etc. Dig deeply and trench in plenty of rotted manure.

Spinach Beet. In small gardens the spinach beet is particularly valuable, as It gives such liberal returns for tho small amount of space occupied. In gardens which are somewhat hot and dry during tho summer months, tho common spinach runs to seed quickly, whilst the spinach beet is very satisfactory in such positions. The first 9 sowing may be made in early spring, and picking commences in about six. weeks or a little later from tho dato of sowing. This crop will give a succession of pickings till autumn is well advanced, and given mild weather, loaves may be gathered through tho winter. Tho best yield for winter is furnished by a second sowing during March and April.. Plants from both sowings will, however, if allowed to stand over the winter yield frequent pickings again in the spring at a time when greens are scarce. A good plan is to sow tho seeds in drills 18 inches apart, thinning out when required to six inches, tho thinnings supplying the first dish. Rich, welldug soil is necessary for specially good results, as it must be borne in mind that a plant which is providing material for tho greater part of the year requires rich soil to start wth.

The Bine Woodroof (Asperula Azurcasetosa).

A good hardy annual, which deserves far more attention than it receives, is tho Blue Woodroof. It bears numerous flowers in clusters, which are of a pretty soft blue of exquisite formation, which on close inspection give the effect of delicate lace work. The plant grows only about a foot in height, and is a valuable annual for the rock garden, as on rockwork it will assume a prostrate habit of growth ’which makes it very suitableV for -covering the places where the earliest bulbs have gone to rest. It' may be sown thinly where it is to ’bloom, in any good light soil, just covering tho seeds with fine compost. Its habit of flowering resembles the Blue Lace flower (Didiscus . Coerulous), and tho blooms of tho two would blond very happily together.

Beauty In the Garden. One of the features of all small gardens should bo tho herbaceous border. Once started, with a little renewal each year, it is a source of continual pleasure. All plants in it should ho grouped, as stray plants here and there give no effect. Have tho border wide. 6 or S feet at least, and the full length of the garden. Group the larger plants, such as tho lupins, delphiniums and hollyhocks, at tho back, coming down in height towards the front. Clumps of marguerites and Michaelmas daisies are showy, and the purple of tho stcnactis is always pretty for filling up between tho various groups. Got some dark snapdragons and group them together. Fill in another space with the beautiful Oriental poppies; the bright scarlets and tho lovely salmonshaded ones arc, very showy. Clumps of irises arc nice near tho front, and do not forget a nice clump of the sweet-scented clove pinks somewhere near tho front of the border. Bushes of lavender will help fill in the background among the lupins and delphiniums. It is surprising what effects can bo got by qulto simple means and a little trouble in a garden. The Creeping Rosemary. A gem for the rock garden may he obtained in tho creeping Rosemary, which goes under tho name

of Rosmarinus prostratus. It is a charming rock plant for trailing over stones and veiling- them with delightful greenery spangled with small dainty flowers. Like tho wellknown upright growing variety, it is easily propagated from cuttings. A warm sheltered place should be chosen for it on the rockery, with light, gritty, well-drained soil.

Flowers for Cutting. Tho cultivation of flowers for cutting a profitable business for those gardeners who live near towns, as there is always a demand for cut blooms of the right sort, while tho varieties which are most; in request are those that present no difficulties in raising. Sweet-scented flowers arc always favourtes, and quite a number of highly perfumed annuals can ho grown from seeds sown in the open or in boxes in spring, tho most popular of them being sweet peas, scabious, ten-week stocks, sweet Sultan and mignonette. Even quite a late sowing is profitable, furnishing blooms long after tho earlyraised plants are over. Sweet peas arc indispensable for cutting, and of late years have become very popular. Those who have limited space would do well not to grow too many varieties. It is better to grow a few than to grow a large number and get them crowded out. Like everything else in the floral world, it

takes just as much labour and trouble to grow poor varieties as it does good ones, and. now that so many magnificent giant flowered ones can bo obtained at small cost, there is no excuse for raising worthless varieties. Mignonette and the other plants above named, can be sown thinly where they are to flower and covered with just enough fine soil to bury the' seed. Ten week and giant stocks come particularly fine this way, as they resent moving. Wallflowers are very fragrant in spring, and useful as cut flowers, but they must be treated as biennials, tho spring-sown seeds giving a wealth of bloom the following spring. Several distinctly coloured varieties are obtainable, though probably tho old blood red and the rich warm browns give tho most satisfaction. Roses, of course, must bo grown, but they are a largo class and need careful selection. Choose mostly hybrid pcrpotuals, as these provide blooms for quite six months of the year. Carnations and pinks are valuable for cutting, and can bo produced from seed, but plants aro generally to be obtained at a reasonable price Tho now pinks of tho Allwoodi type are a great boon, as they aro perpetual flowering. Lily of the Valley and violets provide a lot of sweet-, scented flowers. A shady north j border is the best to select for the former ,and if it is under trees it will not bo less successful. With an annual mulch of leaves and the occasional removal of weeds, a bed of Lily of tho Valley will give no further trouble for years. There is a recently introduced variety which produces charming palo pink spikes of bloom.

Violets are best raised from division in the spring, or from cuttings planted in the autumn. Tho fragrance of tho violet makes it a general favourite, and it is just tho flower for button-holes. The bunching of tho flowers is a little tedious, but anyone accustomed to tho work can get over it in much less time than a novice. Violets love a rich loamy soil: tho bed should also have

a sunny position, and bo well drained in order to produce blooms as early as possible. In making a selection choose the large flowered types, together with early blooming qualities. Gcr-bera daisies as cut flowers arc always in demand, but unfortunately they arc fastidious as to soil, demanding a deeply worked silty loam. If your soil is at all clayey it will bo best to leave them alone. Tho early flowering narcissi aro indis-’ ponsablo for late winter and early spring use. With these ths first expense -is tho last, and tho blooms obtained from them tho first season should pay for tho bulbs. Anemones, where they can ho got to flower early, are perhaps tho most profitable, of all, as largo quantities can bo gathered off a bed. These are quite successfully grown from seed, and tho roots or rhizomes may bo obtained at a cheap rate. Procure largely of one or two colours, scarlets, purples, pink and salmon shades being most in favour. Iceland .poppies aro another lino that pay well. They aro very popular and flower continuously. The new pink shades are wonderfully attractive, while tho glowing orange shades aro always popular. A bed of ranunculus is well worth cultivating, providing many attraclivelyhuod blooms, and last' but not least tho handsome Darwin tulips, the outlay for which will prove a little • more expensive.