IN THE GARDEN

Northern Advocate, 10 November 1934, Page 6

IN THE GARDEN

[BY “TAINUI”]

OPERATIONS FOR NOVEMBER. |

V THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. A .— ; v Make sowings of haricot and Lima beans, in addition to any other vegetables. ♦;< At this time of the year the benefits of hoeing cannot be exag- y gerated. X Plant kumera plants; also celery, leeks, tomatoes, cabbages and »♦< cauliflowers. • Give the marrow or pumpkin hill an occasional soaking during dry spells. Sow peas for succession. Yorkshire Hero is a good one for Summer growth. ♦*< musk melons and watermelons. These require the same • treatment as for pumpkins, marrows, etc. They like generous manuring and any amount of sunlight and warmth. ♦*, Spray potatoes with Bordeaux mixture, and onions with limesulphur solution, if they show the least sign of mildew. X -'Early . planted onions are commencing to swell. Keep the bed C'i • " free from weeds so that the bulbs can get as much sunlight £ ; . vT,and Avarmth as possible.

_— 1 y THE FLOWER GARDEN. %

v. £ \ Lily of ; the Valley should be kept well watered during the sum- y * mer. months. The ground should be kept firm, taking care *j* not to loosen the ground when removing weeds. A Tulips, and other bulbs should not be allowed to form seed unless y ■■’■ this is wanted for sowing. Do not dig up until the foliage ’ 'turns yellow, •** , Seed pods should be removed from azaleas, rhododendrons and * other shrubs. A * Plant cascade, also large flowering chrysanthemums in pots and * > boxes. s ' X * When transplanting seedlings during dry weather, put plenty of I water in the hole before putting in the plant. Water the box y . of seedlings before lifting, so that the soil will adhere to the £ J roots. i Kochia, often called the summer cypress, is well known. Seed y 1 may still be sown. The neat green plants make a good offset *t* [ for showy summer annuals. »** i Tithonia, or Mexican sunflower, flowers during late autumn and £ 1 grows 6ft. high. The fine, tangerine flowers are very showy % ‘ at the back of the mixed border. i j Seed of French marigold, cosmos, zinnias, celosias may still be v 1 sown. »*. 1 Roses should have the blooms removed as they fade. Cut back *|« * to where, another shoot is showing for later bloom. ; Short shoots a few inches long pulled off with a heel, may be A I taken from many rock-garden plants. These are kept in boxes y 1 for the summer months, and kept well watered and shaded. $ | Most of them should flower next spring. ♦♦♦

Azaleas.

Azaleas have flowered particularly well dhis; fear. The cool weather last summer suited them, and many red varieties that just had a few flowers - most seasons have been covered in bloom this season. Many of the deciduous varieties have been planted in Whangarei and are doing well. The yellow, salmon and flame shades are particularly good in the Azalea Mollis, The Azaleas are perhaps at their best ; planted ; along with the Japanese maples; The varieties that grow about ; and. -are ''.-attractive, with I their . autumn colouring as well as >; the best. These make a cool overhead covering for the azalea during the summer, and the fallen leaves also make a suitable mulch, forming a good manure for the plants. The roots of azaleas " shOtild hot be disturbed. Also, the v plants will benefit by a mulch of leaves, grass cuttings or well-rotted manure during the summer months. An occasional watering, thoroughly hosing the leaves, will also be beneficial during the hot weather. Azaleas should hot have lime or artificial ■ manure. Campanulas in Bloom. The campanulas form a group of plants suitable for all positions in the garden, owing to the diversity in size, habit, etc. The best known is the Canterbury Bell Campanula Medium, an old favourite. It may be planted in groups in the border, or it may be used by itself in beds, different varieties being used; these may be had in pink, rose or white. Then again, there are the cup and saucer varieties, with spreading, coloured calyces. Seed • may be sown now. The most popular kind for the herbaceous border is Campanula persicifolia. It reaches from 2 feet to 3 feet high, and bears cup-shaped flowers in summer. The long spikes of China-blue flowers make it very at- : tractive.- It also occurs in white. Campanula pryramidalis reaches a height of 4 feet or 5 feet. It bears long terminal spikes of cup-shaped blue flowers. It is a perennial, but is ■ better treated as a biennial. Sow seed in pans of sandy soil now. The seedlings are pricked out into deep boxes of rich soil and, when large enough, • planted out 12 inches apart. These • - plants are also ideal for growing in 1 pots to decorate the greenhouse in summer. For the rock garden there are many varieties of suitable habit of growth. Orie of the best, and one that blooms ■ during the greater part of summer is ; .CVportenschlagiand. The foliage consists of evergreen 'kidney-shaped leaves. The flowers are bell-shaped. Digging About Perennials. •When digging about perennials, do not; fall into the error of reducing the clumps by removing the out-growing portion's. The outside portions are the young vigorous shoots, the very ones that should, generally speaking, be saved; the inside portions are the ones that have outgrown their usefulness. The better thing to do is to lift the clump bodily and divide it up by pulling the pieces apart. Thus no roots are destroyed, which is as a rule done when the clumps are cut up with a spade nr knife. The Christmas Rose. The Christmas Rose, Helleborus Niger, is a native of Europe, and belongs to the buttercup family. It will thrive in ordinary soil, but the best results can only be got by using a rich loam with coarse sand, together with a top-dressing of rotted manure, after the treatment of asparagus. A moist situation, well-drained, and partly shaded is desired. The character and quality of the plants will depend largely on the treatment given them during the growing season.

The Hellebores dislike root disturbance, and get a serious set-back after being divided. So leave them well alone once they are planted. There are at present a number of shades among these plants, white, pink, wine, mauve, and white mottled varieties. The central portion of the flower is charming owing mainly to the numerous stamens. Many of the coloured varieties bear -spots of a contrasting shade on the petals. The flowers last well, and are popular for floral work. If only for their early flowers and attractive foliage, these flowers must be admired. Hlppeastrums. These are commonly called amaryllis.—showy bulbous plants for warm, sunny positions. The choicest plants are hybrids, the plants being particularly easy to pollinate and to raise from seed. The best temperature for germination is in the region of 65 degrees F., the seedlings being grown righs on the first year. Plant out the following spring. From seed to flowering bulbs takes about three years. Pot the flowering bulbs in early spring, using a strong loam (3 parts), leaf-mould (1 part), with a little sand and a sprinkling Of bone-meal. Plunge to the rim in a bed of leaf-mould, and presently the bulbs, which appear before the foliage, will begin to show. Once in flower, the plants can be removed to a cooler atmosphere. When the foliage shows signs of ripening off, water is withheld and the plants kept dry until the following spring. Then 'see that the drainage is right, and topdress with loamy soil. Do not repot, as the plants flower better when cramped. The old bulbs can be put Out in a warm, sheltered, well-drained position. When doing well, one bulb will often throw, up two flower stem?. Nitrogenous Fertilisers. Nitrogenous fertilisers are those that contain nitrogen in such a form that the plants, can absorb and use it. Nitrogen is one of the essential elements of plant growth, probably the most important of all, as it is the element most concerned with the actual growth of the plant. But, though nitrogen stimulates plant growth, it ■does not necessarily produce healthy growth. The great danger is in overdoing it. The excessive use of such fertilisers as fish manure, fowl manure, and animal manure generally, and the chemical manures such as niti’ate of soda and sulphate of ammonia, may easily undermine the constitution of the plant and actually predispose it to disease. Some plants, of course, will thrive on heavy dressings of nitrogenous manures, such, for example, as rhubarb, pumpkins, onions etc.; but plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, etc,, might be seriously affected by excessive but delicate growth. In these latter cases the nitrogen should be decreased and the superphosphate and potash fertilisers increased. Brassicas and Lime. Brassicas are plants of the cabbage family, such as cauliflowers, turnips, broccoli, etc. These plants, probably more than any others, resent the slightest acid tendency in the soil. Sour soil predisposes them to bacterial and fungoid diseases. On the other hand, they revel in a well-limed sweet soil. Give them a sweet soil and see that the drainage is right, and a healthy crop at least will be assured. Of course, they want feeding. They appreciate a fair amount of nitrogenous manure such as compost or old animal manure, and a little superphosphate will help to give them a good rooting. It is better to lime the soil a month or two before planting so as to give the soil time to get uniformly sweet. Slaked lime or fine crushed limestone may be used, the former asserting itself the more quickly.