IN THE GARDEN

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1932, Page 7

IN THE GARDEN

[BY “TAINUI”]

*:* OPERATIONS FOR NOVEMBER v V •> V ❖ :*: —; * .*. X A THE VEGETABLE GARDEN X X t * • * ? * X Sowings may be made of practically all vegetables. *l* Plant out celery, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes. * *|* Sow tomatoes for later crops, or slip in side shoots of growing X plants. *:* X Plant kumeras. ❖ V V X Sow haricot and Lima beans. , ♦> »|* Use the hoe lightly and freely between all growing crops. No X operation is more important just now, ❖ *l* Keep tomatoes tied with soft material, and remove all laterals .♦* X that are not wanted, as soon as they show. V * t V X t & THE FLOWER GARDEN X T ❖ V * ❖ *V V *> x Soil that is worn out, and that does not seem to respond to ,t. manure will benefit by a few inches of new soil as a topV dressing. Well rotted compost also makes an excellent X X dressing. £ y The present is a good time to mulch roses, lilies, and many shrubs *J* X and climbing plants. Use rotted manure or rotted garden ♦|* refuse. X X Roses, sweet peas, delphiniums, and other plants that are subject »*♦ to mildew may be dusted with sulphur early in the morning •£ X when the plants are damp with dew. Spraying -with lime- ♦> V sulphur solution is also .good. *:* X Grass grub beetles have made their appearance. These posts A work by night, eating the. foliage, particularly of young *♦* y seedlings. Spray with arsenate of lead to kill the beetles. ,*♦ Do not plant geraniums in too rich a soil, otherwise they Avill X y make soft growth that becomes easily blighted. , .*« Sow seed of zinnias, asters, petunias, French and African mari- X *J* . golds, portulaca, phlox Drummondii, sunflower, kochia, | celosia, etc. X Seed of the following perennials may be sown for next spring and »*. X summer bloom: Ranunculus, anemone, polyanthus and prim- £ roses, Canterbury bells, aquilegia, henehera, cyclamen, etc. X •> A

Polyanthus and Primroses,

These spring favourites have just finished their flowering seasons. A few words about their cultivation may prove useful. While divided plants do very well, and come true to what the grower wants, the finest blooms and strongest plants are obtained from seed. I always had the idea that seed should be sown before Christmas, but one most successful grower tells me that the plants flowered very well from seed sown early in January. Seed is best sown in boxes, using some leaf mould with the soil. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, 'prick out into boxes of soil to which leaf mould or well rotted cow manure has been added; the latter should bo worked through a sieve first. When planting out, to get the best results, particularly with polyanthus, mix plenty of well rotted cow manure with the soil to a spade depth. Do not plant out until after good autumn rains. These plants want plenty of water to keep them going, and they should not be allowed to become dry during the summer months. The old plants may be lifted and divided now, putting plenty of compost or rotted manure underneath; this will help to hold moisture during the summer months. Plenty of water will be necessary after dividing, so as to get the plants established before dry weather sets in.

It is quite a good plan to dig up the old clumps, and plant them close together in some cool shady part of the garden for the summer months. They may be dug up, divided, and planted in their flowering position in the autumn.

Polyanthus and primroses do best planted in a partially shaded position. One facing the east, but sheltered from the afternoon sun suits them best. Red spider is very troublesome on the leaves during hot weather. Warm soapy water, or a good sharp hosing will help to control these pests. Grass grubs are also troublesome at the roots. Spraying throughout the summer months with arsenate of lead is the best measure for these pests. Waratah. The waratah, Telopea Speeiosissima, now in bloom here, is generally regarded as the most showy shrub of New South Wales, its crimson globular or ovoid heads being very striking. It is probably the most distinctive of a showy family of plants, the proteaceae. The foliage too is distinctive, being bold and leathery, and coarsely toothed towards the tips. The waratah is not readily raised from seed. The seed germinates freely enough, but damps off on the least provocation. Lima Beans. Lima beans are perhaps the least known of our half hardy beans, but they are beans of quality, and should be more generally grown. A warm rich soil is necessary. Place the rows about three feet apart, with about six inches between the seeds. The tall varieties reach up to about five feet, and require staking. Once established, the plants should be mulched with a good rich compost to conserve moisture, hasten maturity, and increase the yield. The beans are shelled, cooked and served as broad beans; and they are said to be much more nourishing than broad beans. They may, if desired, be dried off and stored for winter use. Sweet Com. As a substitute for green peas when the latter are thinning out in the hot summer months, sweet corn a useful purpose. It may be planted now; it makes a quick start and is a quick grower. It may be conveniently planted among the marrow and pumpkin plants. If the plants stool out at the base, these secondary shoots Should be taken off. » mZ*

Gathering Seed,

In many cases, it is well to buy seed from a reliable firm. But our own saved seed is often quite satisfactory; seeds of anemone, ranunculi and nemesia are particular examples. The seed heads of these plants are now ripening and should be carefully watched, for, once a certain stage is reached, the seeds ripen very quickly, and unless caught at the right time, may be blown about and lost. This is so with anemone and nemesia seed, which, being light and woolly, are readily blown away and lost. The anemone head commences to to ripen by splitting at the apex, -when the outer layer of closely packed seed commences to unfold. It is at this stage that the head should be carefully nicked and stored in a shallow box- in a dry warm place. Nemesias should be gathered as soon as the plants show dry seed cases. Then if the whole plants are gathered and placed loosely in a box the seed will rijieh in a few days, when it may be easily shaken out. The seed may then be separated from the empty husks by sieving through a ten-mesh sieve. If necessary, the dirt may be separated by gently agitating in a -wide container such as a basin; the dirt will settle at the bottom,. when the seed may be brushed off. Slugs and Snails. Everyone complains of these pests, which, according to popular opinion, are “worse than ever. ,, Numerous measures have been suggested and traps devised, but after all, we generally fall back on burnt lime dusted on or about the plants at night when the pests are busy. This is better than going after them in the early morning when they arc on their way home, surfeited with the juices of our choice plants; for a snail will travel a long way when something tells it that there is a tasty delphinium at .the end of the journey, Xeronema. Flowering—l believe for the first time in cultivation—in Mr A. E. Pickmere’s garden in Hatea Street is a species of Xeronema, a native of the Poor Knights, and a plant that has excited a great deal of interest since, its discovery some years ago by Mr W. M. Fraser, of Whangarei. The rather dark red flowers are in the form of a raceme about seven inches long and rather more than two inches wide at the lower and Avidest end of the inflorescence. The plant belongs to the lily family, and has dark green, rather rigid flax-like leaA r es up to tAvo or more feet in length. The plant in bloom is particularly interesting, as it looks like a lone genus, bearing little or no resemblance to any other plant we knoAV of. In its natural state it groAVs on the higher and drier parts of the Poor Knights, and it is probably on this account that it Avas overlooked by Dr. Cockayne Avhen he A-is-ited the islands many years ago. Xeronema is a lone genus, but not a lone species. Xeronema Moorci, 1 found in Ncav Caledonia, Avas described in a bulletin of the French Eotani--1 cal Society in IS6J, and it was regarded as the only species, until Mr .n .7 11 R. B. Oliver, of the Dominion Museum ’ named our own plant Xeronema Bp. Our plant is larger than its Ncav Caledonian sister. The discovery of the Ncav Zealand species seems to strengthen the opinion held by many botanists and geologists, that in bygone days Ncav Zealand Avas an ex--1 tension of the Malayan region.