GARDENING

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 144, 21 June 1939, Page 9

GARDENING

Routine Work in the June Borders. Plant shi'ubs as weather and soil permit. Clean up the garden generally, and fork manure into the borders Avhere the herbaceous plants are growing. Take side shoots from chrysanthemums as they get large enough, transplanting them into rows in the reserve garden, when the old plants can bo discarded. Plant lilium bulbs. Continue to plant anemone and ranunculi corms in well-drained soil. Continue to sow seeds of hardy annuals and to plant out plants of same. Plant all kinds of perennials. Lift all dahlias from the borders if not already done. Dig and manure all vacant ground. Prepare new borders, rose gardens, shrubberies, etc. Plant hedges, digging the soil iyPlant all kinds of rock plants. Prune roses and shrubs needing attention. The Vegetable Garden.

Plant shallots and potato onions. Where soil is not too cold plant a few potatoes and sow first early peas.

Continue to sow broad beans. Plant rhubarb and asparagus on deeply dug and well-manured soil. Dig and manure all vacant ground. Plant cabbage, lettuce and early cauliflower.

Sow seed of same for later plantings under glass. Sow tomato seed under glass.. Sow endive, radish and cress in warm situations. Plant all kinds of fruit bushes and trees. Commence the winter pruning and give the trees a good spraying when this work is finished. Work around all fruit trees and topdress with manure. Plant fresh strawberry beds and manure existing ones, keeping down all runners. Basket Plants. A suitable selection of well-grown basket plants invariably excites admiration, wherever suspended. If quartered within a greenhouse, it is unwise to have too many as to exclude light from other plants on the stages beneath. It is better, too, to have two or three fairly large-sized baskets rather than small ones, as one can provide enough compost to keep the roots cool and prevent premature dryness. Fresh green moss is the best to use, and this should be packed rather thickly and well pressed before compost is brought in. It will obviously depend upon the plants to be employed as to the nature of the material to be used, but for general purposes good friable loam, leaf mould and sand, well incorporated, meet the requirements of many plants. In filling up with compost, it should be well pressed in to the top of the basket, as .after watering and allowing to settle, there will be a certain amount of sinkage. Sometimes baskets are suspended above the pathway of the house, and in these cases watering should be under taken either at night or early in the morning so that dripping ceases in a reasonable time. Fuchsias, heliotrope, ivy-leaved geraniums and verbenas are all useful. Other subjects are to be found in the trailing campanulas, begonias, lobelia, etc. It will-be found better to plant a basket with two, or possibly three, young plants than attempt to crush into a limited space older plants with largo roots. When they have begun to make progress, pinch out the centre shoot from each plant in order to secure lateral growths, so that the sides of the basket may soon be covered. For porticos and verandahs, where conditions are cooler, the baskets may be planted with trailing nasturtiums. Foliage plants are also attractive, and grown under shady conditions are often 1 very effective. Tradescantias are most useful for growing in hanging baskets. They delight in a warm, humid atmosphere. Rose Pruning. The pruning of dwarf roses should not be delayed too long. The first thing is to cut hard back any dead wood, also weak growths. When pruning weakgrowing varieties, cut back, leaving eyes, also leave the top-most bud pointing to the outside. Strong growing varieties should be left with more wood. If space is available some of the H.P. varieties can be left unpruned and the shoots pegged down, leaving them in the shape of a bower. After they are pruned, scatter blood manure over the beds at the rate of two ounces per square yard, then point over with a fork. Firm the beds by treading, where the soil is on the light side, and finish off with the Dutch hoo. When the beds are finished give the ground and bushes a dusting of ground lime. The lime is a good preventative against rust and black spot. Difficult Gardens. Given ideal conditions garden planning is not difficult, but how often does one find those ideal conditions. Very rarely. Difficulties there usually are, which must be considered. Where there are forest trees, it is safe to reckon the root run about equivalent to the span of the branches. In the case of pine trees, this is considerably more, and the resin from the fallen needles themselves effectively discourages all plant life. Thus, where there are tree roots and shade; if the tree is in the garden itself, a seat around the tree, on crazy paving, or a bird bath in its shade will give an interest to the tree, if shade is cast from next door’s tree, or there is a group of trees in one’s garden, the following plants will live and grow in their shade:—Hypericums, virburnum tinus, polygouatum, pernettya muscronata, ruscus, berberis, vinca and foxgloves. Where there is a group of trees, added charm may be given them by naturalising these plants with spring bulbs, leaving room for a winding path between. The wind-swept garden presents a problem all its own. If the garden is large enough, a nurdic fence and a double hedge gives the owner a wider choice of plants that will grow.

(Specially written for "The Times" by "Lorna.")

Laurel and escallonia are two that will act as a break-wind. Allow for root run (a path all round between the hedge and the borders or lawn is effective and useful) and plant at least seven feet from the inside hedge. The garden sloping to the north is another problem, but iu this case a much more satisfying result is obtained by realising the planting limitations and planning accordingly. There are certain things which will grow well and happily, and it is far better to arrange bold groupings of these than a collection of struggling and unhappy specimens halfheartedly flowering. If the slope is steep, a terrace always looks neat and gives the garden greater depth, and as grass will always do well, large stretches of green with a few large group plants will give a definite impression of coolness and quiet retreat. A few plants which, will do well in addition to spring bulbs are: Most flowering shrubs, anchus-as, aconitum, campanulas, michaelmas daisies, shasta daisies, border chrysanthemums, many liliums, and ferns iij variety. The damp and water-logged garden presents another problem usually connected with a good deal of hard work. Broadly speaking, it is best to try and make different levels in this garden, incorporating a good-sized pool in the lowest level, with jdenty of planting space around it for the real bog plants. If the site is flat, a sunk garden is both ornamental and extremely practical; a sodden lawn is unpleasant to walk on and the grass will never look happy, and it is advisable in the majority of cases to give up the idea of a lawn altogether. If the garden is on a slope, however, a solid retaining wall can be made between a fiat lawn on the higher ground and the semi-bog garden with pool on the lower.

When planning any garden on a slope, it is as well to remember that the higher part of the ground will probably receive a good deal of wind, therefore plant low things on the high ground and the more luxuriant plants on the low ground. The remaining difficulties of garden owners usually lie in the type of soil they have to contend with, and of these perhaps the most heart-breaking kind is that consisting of hard gravel, with a thin layer of peat on top and hard shale below.

This type of garden means a great deal of hard work at the beginning, but if this is done it is a soil, which, strangely enough, will stand periods of prolonged drought as well as any. The peat should be skimmed off the surface and stacked. The gravel must be trenched and the sub-soil broken up to a depth of not less than three feet from the surface. This will probably need a pick-axe. While trenching, incorporate all the available garden rubbish, turves, kitchen refuse, etc., and tread firmly, leaf mould and decayed manure should then be added, and lastly, six inches of garden soil. Planting, in spite of the hard work involved, should b 8 limited to what will grow well in that type of soil. A few plants to select from are stocks, lupins, genistas, wallflowers, cistus.

Lastly, to deal with a heavy, cold, clay soil. This is rich in plant food if the clay is the top soil and not merely the sub-soil, and will grow strong, sturdy plants if it is possible to incorporate anything which -will lighten it and render it more porous. Mortar rubble from houses which are being pulled down, gravel, grit, fine twiggy branches, evergreen leaves, fine cinders, small stones, etc., all these will help and a good dressing of lime in early winter, leaving the ground rough will help considerably. Horse manure, if procurable, should be chosen for this type of soil. Deeprooting plants grow well in a garden of this type, but trees and shrubs grow to enormous proportions, so plenty of Toom must be allowed when planting.

All the beds should be raised well above the paths, and the lawn should have a narrow gully all round to drain surplus moisture. Paths of crazy paving with uncemented spaces and laid on fine gravel will help to drain the borders, while frequent hoeing during summer will assist in preventing those distressing cracks which appear during the hot weather in a close and sticky soil. One general rule applies to all difficult gardens where the soil is at fault, however much one tries to change the soil and render it more fertile, always choose plants that already prefer that type of soil.

Absent Twice in Twenty-fiva Years A record that will take some beatiug has been established by Mr G. Belton, chairman of the Patea County Council. During the 25 years he has been a member of the council he has missed only two meetings, and he is very proud of the fact. “As a matter of fact, I am trying to create a record,’’ he said. He was first elected a member of the council in November, 1914, and was appointed chairman iu May, 1929.