IN THE GARDEN

Northern Advocate, 15 July 1933, Page 7

IN THE GARDEN

[BY “TAINUI”]

Y V X OPERATIQNS FOR JULY X Y V t the vegetable garden X v Y •!♦ y Y Sow early peas, broad beans, lettuce, and cabbage. Y X Plant out early sown onions. Good drainage, and a well manured | ❖ firm soil are necessary. Fairly well-grown seedlings are best. X Plant the roots only. Set in about sin. apart, with the rows X »*• about loin, apart. -j . Y X Keep the onion bed clean during the growing season. The onion bed can do with an occasional dusting with wood ashes. V *** Put out a few early potatoes in warm sheltered positions. Y X Set aside potato tubers for sprouting, for later planting. , X Give the soil about growing crops a dusting with supekv X When putting out seedlings, press the soil firmly about the roots. •j* Loose planting does not give the young plants the same X *|p chance. X Y Keep the soil lightly hoed. This will sweeten it, and destroy X Y many insect pests. i f X *j* Plant cabbage, quick-maturing cauliflower, and lettuce. Y a Prepare new asparagus beds. .X Y Give temporary stakes to green peas as soon, as they come through. *|* X Young pea plants want protection from birds. Wire netting, tan- X netting, or cotton strands may be used'. Y Y Plant rhubarb roots in well enriched soil. Use any amount of Y stable manure. ' Y } THE FLOWER GARDEN • • X 1 —, ■ c ■* X Y Old rose bushes that are not doing well may be taken up and ❖ X have their roots pruned. Replant in well manured groandi ; X X Yellow antirrhinum edged with blue lobelia will make, a good , ❖ showy bed. ,V 1 >’Y *|« Bulbs are coming into bloom. They last longer if picked just X £ before the buds open. ’ ■ y X Hardy trees and shrubs may be planted. X Y Guttings .of rosea, hydrangeas, and many shrubs may be put in. | X Well hardened off seedlings of antirrhinum,' pansy, . carnation, Y »K stock, violas, larkspurs, etc., may be planted out. -x Y Perennial plants that may be put out now in good soil are: — X Geums, heleniums, thalictrum, stactiee, Michaelmas daisy, Y •|« aquilegia, aconitum, achillea, stokesia, X Abelia floribunda makes a very good hedge; Guttings may be y X put in new. *5 Jasminum primulinum makes a very good hedge. Cuttings may X be put in, now. . , ‘V3p X .. x

\ Dividing Perennials. I

Although the word perennial means more or less permanent, it is not safe to regard our so-called perennials as permanent plants. They want attention. Left to themselves,, they often enough deteriorate and ' finally die. Plants such as heleniums, delphiniums, phloxes, and perennial asters should* be taken up and ‘divided: at least every three yearsp Some perennials, however, are deep-rooted, and send down hefty roots into the . subsoil. These, of which paeonies, gypsophilas, statice, and thalietmms are examples, should be left undisturbed so long as they are giving satisfactory results. They usually do Best when the roots have'become established, an'operation that may take several years. iSuch plants should not be thrown out because they appear to fail the first season, They should be given a fair chance to become established. V

Gardeners, wishing to grow certain perennials in large masses,'sometimes make, the mistake of allowing the clumps to spread, and naturally cover a large space. But the centres of such clumps become exhausted from starvation, and the only useful growth takes place at the edges. The only remedy in such cases is to root out the whole clump, renew the fertility of the soil by cultivation and manuring, and to replant small portions taken, from the outside of the old clumps.. If desired, the mass effect can be produced by planting several small sets at intervals according to the space available. ? In most districts, the present is a good time for doing this work, and for such plants as delphiniums, phloxes, and gerberas, August is a good time for dividing and replanting. Aconitum, or Monkshood; These herbaceous-rooted plants are very poisonous, and should be, planted with caution. The flowers resemble the delphiniums in colouring and form; They are readily raised from seed, if this is fresh; or tubers may be planted. They prefer a strong rich soil, and plenty of moisture in summer. Planting may be done now. Achillea, or Yarrow: There are several species that are useful in the garden. Unlike the previous ones, they should be confined to rather poor soil, and not grown among more highly cultivated plants, as they are liable to run in the ground and become a nuisance. Achillea ptarmica “The Pearl,” i£ one of the most useful for producing white flowers for cutting. Achillea millefolia bears corymbs of pink flowers, and lias fern-like 4 foliage. Achillea ageratum bears clusters of yellow flowers which are very fragrant. They should be divided every senson. Aquilcgia, or Columbine: In addition to the well known hybrid strains of these popular flowers, there are several species of interest. These all like a deeply worked soil, and will then do either in sun or shade. They are best raised from seed, and moved to their permanent quarters as soon as large enough. They do not transplant as avcll as large plants. Old plants, however, may be propagated from slips or by division of the roots. Among the best species may bo mentioned: Aquilcgia Canadensis (Canadian Columbine),' scarlet and yellow; A. Coerulea (Rocky Mountain Columbine), blue; A. Skinnetii (Skifinet’s Columbine), crimson and gteeh. Small Shrubs. Small shrubs are very useful in small or large gardens. They* may be given a bed to themselves, or they may be used as lawn specimens; and some are good on the rock garden. If the garden is large enough, it is a good plan to have a border of heaths, azaleas, kalmias, and Andromeda, which all need the same treatment. collection of veronicas might also be made. Several dwarf Japanese Mtaplss

might be planted together. A collecr \ tiou of hydrangeas should prove intor-3 esting. • . Dwarf shrubs look very well on" bank. I have seen abutilouS looking very well planted on tW fop 'of ’a V' bank, where the pretty coloured bell- -"3 shaped flowers could be seen to advantage. The following are a. few shrubs. that might be planted now: Red tea- 3 tree, double white tea-tree, the white ; and also the yellow broom;: Ceanothus, ; both spring and summer flowering varieties, Boronias, Daphnes, Diosaea, Dentzia, Grcvillea dallaehiana, Mag- ■( V nolia stellata, and Maguolin eonspicua, Prostranthera violacea, Punica vana. '-i-: etc. ' • X 4' ■; ■; If the shrubs have a ’ border'l to v; themselves, it is quite .a good; plan to ; give them, plenty of space;; to allcfw for growth; as they seldom do well if crowded. 1 Clumps qf annuals, bulbs,. or j.:' perennials may be planted; between the : shrubs. The following are suitable: ’ Gladioli, Bouvardia, Delphinium, Oelf- 7bera, Thalictrum, and Liliums. ’ ■

• ; : The Azalea. 3"* • ■ Among the dwarf .floweripg: azaleas are the most showy;They are present in many shades of bright col- . oiirs, and present a beautiful sights u when in bloom. They are highly orna* : .yi mental wooded plants, grown. pMefly 4 for their beautiful flowers, and a. number of species also have handsome* a--foliage. 1 . ' s

Pew sights of the garden _ are■ as;- - charming pp. the azalea bushes-.' flower, and their branches in tiers, The •- brilliant colourings <, alwaya , appear most effective in/ the. subdued; light; of a shady wood, andstrangely enough. few shrubs flower better ; in: partial shade than do azalesg.r. more suitable in producing a time land- ••• --J; scape effect than / thei hardjr azaleas. .! Indeed, no garden is really- complete without them. ' : ‘ h‘ ' These hardy azaleas,' or ; Ghent-Asst- >;> leas, have arisen mainly from the‘wild hinds of North America, • -v-. v: ' Azalea nudiflora, A. ealendulacea, '^;

and A. ViscoSa. These, and A. Pontica * ; have been so hybridised with tW-wild azaleas of Southern Europe that we:; 4 now have a race in- which. tW colours ' s of the various species are blended: ip ! :;vi a great variety of tints; arid they; all ;o cross so fredly that it is now hard to single out a variety identifiable with any of th© native species. Alt iints> from the most fiery scarlet to delicate pinks, whites,, and dark and pale ye£ lows are to be had in the Ghent-Aia-leas, A very beautiful one is Ponticum Altaclarenc©—bright. i almost orange, with large aud fully built trusses’ which often measure six inches in diameter, and the flowers arc very fragrant. This variety;'too; ; • has autumn foliage of almost bright • red, as well as its masses of bright yellow blooms in early summer. Azalea Mollis is a dwrirf deciduous & shrub from Japan and China. It has ■ given rise to a variety of kinds, yei* Vih: low, orange, Salmon, pink", and orangescarlet the prevailing colours. It is hardy, and as it is dwarf, it may be , V grouped in the foreground of the tall- ’’ er kinds or in front of rhododendron??, etc. . - .1 "V '' "1 Azaleas and rhododendrons like a’ J soil showing acid. Urey do not'like limej and. with some' azaleas, ' . of lime may be disastrous, .In soil that shows no acid, remove the soil where planting is. desired; .’Refilling , i with humus which shows an acid to- fraction. In this humus both azaleas Jp-. and thododendrons will generally well. -The roots of these plants 4houl<i;.||never be disturbed. rGive : tlhera A v ing with leaves, but never with liihe. , . l ?''V ''■■’Mm ; . . . ■-.* ’