IN THE GARDEN

Northern Advocate, 5 November 1932, Page 11

IN THE GARDEN

[BY “ TAINlir ’]

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* OPERATIONS FOR NOVEMBER * THU VEGETABLE GARDEN *> •> x X Plant kumeiTS. ; %* *t* Sowings may be made of practically all vegetables, including haricot and Lima beans. *:* X Plant out celery, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes. •> X Spray potatoes against blight with Bordeaux Mixture. ♦> *;* Hill up potatoes to as sharp a ridge as possible. *i* Lightlv stir the soil between all rows of growing crops. V * ♦♦♦ V Sprav onions against mildew with lime-sulphur solution. Thin out vegetable's as they require it. ’»* Sow sweet corn. *;* *:* THE FLOWER GARDEN * y Sow seed of zinnias, asters, French and African marigolds, X petunias, portulaca, phlox Drummond!!, sunflower, koehia, •»|» celosia, etc. £ Seed of the folbTwing perennials may be sown tor next spring and »j. X summer bloom; —Ranunculus, anemone, polyanthus and prim- £ roses, Canterbury bells, aquilegia, henehcra, cyclamen, etc. £ V To keep violas and pansies flowering, cut oft’ blooms as they fade. *:* £ A few straggling growths may also be removed. •> ••• Roses are flowering well following the recent rains. Plants will •> *t* benefit by a mulch of well rotted manure or grass cuttings. *:* A Roses should lie cut back to a bud as the blooms fade. ❖ *♦* Slips of many perennial plants may be put in now. These should * *«* be kept, well watered and shaded until rooted. Agora turn, ,J, agathea, geranium, diplacus, alonsoa, daisies, scald osa, •> V verbena, etc., may be slipped now. V X Hollyhocks are growing now. They should be sprayed with lime- ❖ *!♦ sulphur to keep down rust. At the same time spray sweet *t* £• peas, chrysanthemums, roses, and delphiniums. *:* To keep grass grub caterpillars and grasshoppers down, spray with v X arsenate of lead. * Tulips should be lifted as the foliage dies down. Dust with •j* sulphur and store in dry sand. Keep in a cool place until ♦> If! March. ♦♦» •> Iris Tingitana is dying down. Do not cut the foliage off. Lift »J* *♦* and place in a very hot, dry, sunny place for the bulbs to »> ripen. •> Lachcnalias ami grape hyacinths may be lifted, divided, and re- •> •j* planted now. Plant about two inches apart, and about the *♦* ♦> same depth. •> *j* *♦*

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Irises. If there is (Mio flower rather than another that I writing about, it is the Iris, T believe I wrote at some length about the different varieties, their flowering seasons respectively, etc., this time last year; so I shall just mention those that are now in bloom, and be brief.

The .(Spanish iris is in flower just now in most gardens. This is a bulbous iris very easily grown. The best known are the blue and brown shaded; but there are also yellow, cream, and lavender shades. When the foliage has died down, plant the bulb? in firm ground, not too rich, and well limed, and in a sunny position. Plant about three inches deep, and the same distance apart. The Dutch iris is supposed to be an improvement on the above. It flowers a little earlier, and has blooms a little larger. The German or flag irises have been very beautiful tlie last few weeks. The late flowering varieties have been fortunate in having cool and rather wet weather while in bloom. These are rhizomons (underground creeping stemmed) irises. To flower well, al! these irises should lie planted by themselves, so that they may not be watered during the autumn, when they like to get, well dried and baked by the sun. They will do qtiite well under trees, provided some sun can reach them. Make them very linn in the ground, give plenty of lime, and have the rhizome partly exposed. Seasonable Work. Manv plants are going over now. There is much work to lie done in the garden, digging,manuring, replanting, cutting back after flowering, etc.- Iceland poppies, anemones, ranunculi, lin aria, and primula malacoides have flnished flowering and should be pulled up. Anemones and ranunculi are md generally worth keeping if they have flowered well this season. .Small conns that have only just had a flower may be kept for another season. Burn the old plants, as they will generally be found to be blighted. Poppies and other soft-wooded plants make good manure. They should be dug in or put on the compost heap. The bedding pansies may generally be keptflowering on until Christmas, when they should be dug in and the beds filled with any of the following:— French marigolds, celosia, kochia, zinnia, portnlaca, or cosmea. Seed of these may be sown now. Clarkia, schizanthus, dimorphotheca, etc., will flower for some time yet. The beds may be refilled later. Chrysanthemums may lie transplanted quite late. The rooted pieces may be put in now about one foot apart. If the ground is well watered before lifting, the plants may lie easily transplanted during the summer months; they are useful for filling beds that have held kite flowering animals. Ageratnm, nlnnsoa, the pretty blue daisy, agathea, gaillardia, diplacus, and many other perennial plants are in bloom just now. Cut off all dead ‘flowers and some worn out straggling growths. If this is dune, the plants will flower for a long time.

Aquilcgias are flowering well now. These aie fine for planting under trees, and i/i the wild garden in shady plaees. As the seed ripens, sprinkle it freely where plants are wanted, and just allow the plants to come up in their own time. There is still time to plant violets for next spring bloom. Put in sturdy little plants of short young growth. Make very firm in the ground, and keep well watered until rooted.

Watering. There is something in watering just as there is in any other simple operation. Much harm may be done by injudicious watering. In the case of border plants it is not wise to give daily overhead sprinklings. Provided the ground has-been properly trenched and is in good mechanical condition, most plants will readily send their roots down in search of the moisture they require. In the ease of shallow soils, and also with shallow rooting plants, artificial watering is necessary about every second clay; but with most plants, a thorough watering once a week is better than a little each day. The soil about the plants should be thoroughly loosened and then well watered. For such plants as dahlias and roses, at least a bucketful is necessary. After the watering, if the ground is mulched with grass cuttings or old manure, moisture will be retained under the driest weather conditions.

Light sprinklings on the surface act simply as a temporary stimulant, f-Uieh a practice is not good, as it encourages copious surface roots which readily dry off under a hot sun. Newly planted seedlings may be watered every evening- until established. It is a mistake to water when the hot sun is on the plants.

It. is always wise to allow and encourage as much rain water as pos- j sible to get into the soil, as rain j •water is much more nourishing for i plants than tap water, which is al- j ways deficient in nitrates and dissolved gases. See then, that the soil is) kept open at the surface by light j hoeing, so that all the rain water possible may reach the plant roots. If the soil is not sufficiently open, ton much rain water will be lost by evaporation, and at this growing season of the year, the loss becomes serious. Ecliinm. The eehinms are all exceedingly showy plants, generally in blue, violet or red flowers. A distinctive feature of the genus is the flower arrangement or inflorescence which is twisted like the claw of a scorpion. Ecliinm vnlgare is a bad weed jn New South Wales, which is a pity, as it is a very showy plant. A very striking and handsome species at present in bloom here, reaches a height of six feet or more, and bears what looks at first sight a dense pyramidal spike of rose-coloured blooms. It is a truly gorgeous plant,- and very uncommon looking. The spike is two or three feet long, and perhaps nine inches or more in its greatest diameter. The stem is covered with long greyish drooping leaves. I take it to bo Eehium Bourgeanum, native of the Canaries. It is easily raised from seed, but the seedlings are tap-rooted and not too easily transplanted. Although numerous seedlings come up spontaneously near Ihe parent plant, it is better to save souk 1 seed and sow bloomin spring, where the plants arc to bloom.