GARDEN FIELD

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7044, 31 December 1932, Page 3

GARDEN FIELD

Routine Work In the Borders,

Complete all plantings of autumn dowering subjects, such as, petunias, salvias, zinnias, asters and mangolds. Sow seed of Iceland poppies for early spring blooms. Sow seeds of freesia, polyanthus, primrose, anemone, ranunculi, wallflowers and other perennials. All seed sown now must be kept well moistened and' shaded from sunshine. Prepare plots for all early flowering spring bulbs Towards the end of January a start should bo made to plant all bulbs required for early blooming. Cut fairly hard back calendulas. These will flower splendidly again during the dull days of winter and early spring. If liked, hoe the soil between the plants and sprinkle seed of Virginia stock among them, which will brighten up the bed until late autumn. The same treatment can be given the plots of esehseholtz-as a little later on. Mulch as many plants as possible where watering facilities are few. Water pot plants very frequently during the next two months. Complete plantings of dahlias and chrysanthemums. Keep a sharp look-out for all garden pests and apply remedies at once. The Vegetable Garden. Plant out all kinds of winter greens. These are difficult to bring through the dry weeks of January and February. Aphis and-caterpillars are very troublesome. ■ The : plants must be kept steadily growing, with frequent sprayings of •water which help to destroy the eggs which caterpillars, etc,, lodge on the leaves. If a cake of Sunlight soap is cut up and melted, and sufficient hot water added .to make a good lather, together with, a' few teaspoonsful of kerosene; it will help to make the leaves less : palatable to insects. If giving the plants a good weekly watering, sprinkle a little superphosphate, around them before the' operation,, which will help the plants to maintain steady growth. Plant-celery-and : leek#,. Where possible give pumpkins, marrows, cucumbers, etc., copious supplies of. water. A plant of sweet com here

Specially written for tho Times by “Lorna.”

and there among them is useful as it helps to supply a littlo shade at a time when it is needed. Sow further supplies of dwarf beans and peas. Seed of salad plants must bo sown whero they are to remain, preferably in the shade. The Tingitana Iris. The above iris is one of the few things that require certain conditions to enable it to flower freely If not already lifted, the bulbs should be immediately attended to, and, these bulbs must bo well baked in the sun. Place them on' an iron roof for preference, and then towards the end of January plant them in a fairly rich, but gritty, soil in a well drained bed, such as the boarded iris loves. A plot where they get all tho winter sun possible and out of direct line of chilly winds suits them well. Under these conditions tiny flower happily and are very welcome in the late winter. Bearded or Flag Iris. How that these have completed their blooming period, the present is a good time to lift and divide them, or to make a start with their culture. Boot growth with these plants practically coases as hot weather advances, and if ■moved then they are unable to anchor themselves in the ground. The bearded iris will do well in any garden, provided they are given a sunny spot,, good drainage and lime. In soil, not deficient in lime-these irises arc rarely attacked by disease, and the one disease to which the rhizomes sometimes fall victims to is easily cheeked by a liberal application of superphosphate of lime, which should be watered in if the soil and weather conditions are dry. The tallgrowing varieties of the bearded iris ■are wonderfully fine, with handsome, sword-like foliage and make a beautiful display in the garden. Where ■ special pains are taken, the blooms attain an enormous size, Well-rotted manure should be placed, well down in the beds where the long roots delve down in-search-of : it. In planting, .the rhizomes should be left partly out of the ground, so as to be exposed to the sun’s rays. Well firm the roots and

partly cut back the foliage, so as not ■to give them too much play with the winds. Beautiful varieties am legion, and they range from very dwarf varieties to those Which stand some five feet in height. Drought has no effect on them and this is a consideration to those who have to leave the garden unattended during the heat of summer. Lithospennum Prostratum Strang© that the above fascinating little rock plant blooms and thrives so readily in most gardens, and now and again absolutely refuses to thrive in certain places. A lover of this beautiful plant, with that hope, without which no gardener can;succeed, repeatedly failed with it for a period of four years, trying it out in several different soil composts with each one a failure. In desperation the last two plants were placed beneath a young clump of pernettya mucronat-a. Two years later, when the plants had been forgotten, a visitor, with exclamations of delight, discovered a lovely mass of blue. Ihc pernettya had grown considerably, but the plants of lithospermum had wandered up through the branches right to the top, throwing out side-shoots all over the place and was literally covering the whole shrub with its priceless blue flowers, completely belying that portion of its name known as “prostratum.” Here, then, is a tip for those who fail to grow the plant in the ordinary way, and for those who like to produce unusual effects. Lawn Trimmings, Few gardeners realise the enormous value of lawn trimmings, or they would not burn them on the garden fire or allow them to rot with rubbish they intend burning, as is so often done. For mulching purposes, fresh or rotted lawn mowings are most valuable and should be largely used at the present time. For digging in during the late autumn or winter they form a valuable substitute for animal manure, especially if some bonemeal is added. Yea T-old lawn mowings are quite as mild as old hot-bed manure, and may be used in the same way. Fresh lawn mowings may be used alone for the making of hotbeds when a sudden heat for a few days only is required. Mixed with a third of their bulk of fresh loaves, a mildew hot-bed is the result, and mixed with fresh, strawy stable manure a very economical hot-bed is easily made. Mixed with vegetable refuse they induce it to rot more quickly and an unequal bulk of rotted lawn mowings and rotted weeds, etc., makes a useful manure for the bottom of clay trenches. For digging into flower borders, lawn mowings about six months old prove invaluable where manure is scarce, and in the preparation of new borders, equal bulks of farm yard manure and month-old lawn clippings will be quite satisfactory. They also have the effect of lightening heavy soils and a great improvement will be noticeable where plots have had a heavy summer mulch laid on. There is also a right and a wrong way to rot these same clippings, and usually the “easy way” is chosen —just tipping them/in a heap. A pit should be tog with a drain at the bottom, leading into a tub, so that nothing shall be wasted. In to this the mowing 3 should be put, and after they have been trodden down a few buckets of water should be-, put over them. The pit should be large enough to take the whole of the summer’s supply of mowings, and the process of watering should be repeated after each weekly consignment has been emptied in. A full month should elapse after tho last mowings have been added before the pit is touched. The strong smell of this rotting material makes it necessary to- have the pit as far away from the dwelling as possible. When using, break up the material, adding a little bonemeal to improve it and then use as quickly as possible.