Gardening News & Notes

Northern Advocate, 5 January 1946, Page 3

Gardening News & Notes

A comprehensive garden calendar would fill a large volume. The idea here is just to remind readers of the main work for the different months. The weekly notes give more detail.

JANUARY Vegetables

Sow cabbage, cauliflower, dwarf peas, beans, lettuce, carrots, during breaks in the weather.* Flowers

The main work is to prepare fot early winter flowers, such as late chrysanthemums, perpetual carnations, cyclamen, Iceland poppies, primula malacoides, winter sweet peas, linaria, calendula. Sow' seeds of the annuals mentioned toward the middle of the month.

Sow seed, layer, and plant seedlings of carnations.

Plant cyclamen late in the month. FEBRUARY Vegetables Sow c*abbage. cauliflower, dwarf beans, turnips, lettuce, carrots, spinach, silver beet. Plant out celery. Flowers

A good month for putting in cuttings of short side growths of many useful soft-wooded perennial plants. Layer trees, shi-übs, and some softwooded plants. Sow seeds of the following annuals for flowering in late winter and early spring:—Cineraria, Iceland poppy, larkspur, stock, antirrhinum, pansy, linaria, winter sweet pease, calendula. Plant bulbs of all kinds towards the end of the month. Plant grape, hyacinth and lachenalia early in the month. Perhaps the biggest seed-sowing month. MARCH Vegetables Sow carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet, turnips, parsnips, spinach; also early onions. Flowers One of the busiest months of the year, with the upkeep of the garden, now in full bloom. Sow seed of most of the springflowering annuals. Plant out seedlings of earlier sown annuals, e.g.. Iceland poppies, etc. Continue to put in cuttings, and to layer plants. Plant bulbs of all kinds early in the month. Plant anemone and ranunculus cormes and seedlings; also tulips towards the end of the month. Plant sweet peas in permanent positions. Lift and divide polyanthus. Sow, seed of gerbera, delphinium, ftnd other perennials. APRIL Vegetables Sow onions, broad beans,. lettuce, and quick-maturing cauliflower. Flowers Sow Shirley poppy, eschscholtzia, godetin. calliopsis, candytuft. Virginian stock, scabiosa, Clarkio, cornflower. Plant bulbs of all kinds. Put out seedlings for spring bloom. Put out rooted slips. Transplant evergreen shrubs. Divide herbaceous plants. MAY Vegetables Sow broad beans, onions, lettuce, early dwarf peas. Sow tomatoes under cover. Lift and lay aside rhubarb roots. Cut down asparagus tops.

Flowers

Transplant liliums, etc., early in the month.

Plant out annual and perennial seedlings. Plant bouvardias. Sow sweet peas early in month. Put in hard-wooded cuttings. Plant out shrubs and trees. Plant lily of the valley: also herbaceous and rockery plants. Plant irises. Lift dahlias.

JUNE Vegetables Sow broad beans and early peas Sow tomatoes under cover.

Try a few’ early potatoes in frosttree situations.

Flowers Prune trees and evergreen hedges that are not frost tender. Only cut out old wood of trees and shrubs that are spring flowering. Lift and store dahlia tubers. Plant roses and other shrubs. Set in rose and other cuttings. Cannas may be lifted and stored under a hedge. Don’t plant tender plants. JULY Vegetables

Sow early peas, broad beans, lettuce, cabbage, and quick-maturing cauliflower.

Plant out early-sown onions. Plant cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce; also shallots, tree onions, and potato onions.

Flowers

Plant hardy trees and shrubs. Lift chrysanthemums and plant ip poor, well-drained soil. Put in hard-wood cuttings of-roses, shrubs and climbers.

Make main planting of gladioli towards end of month. Divide Japanese irises and peonies. Prune roses.

Prune hardy trees and shrubs

Th e month to rearrange the garden and plant all hardy plants; but not those likely to be damaged by wind or frost.

AUGUST Vegetables

Sow peas, turnips, cabbage. Sow lettuce in boxes. Plant out onions. Sow onion seed. Sow melons, cucumbers, etc., under glass. Plant Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus^

Put out early-sown tomatoes in favourable positions. Plant sprouted potatoes. Flowers

The biggest planting month of the year. Plant trees, shrubs, hedge plants,

perennial plants, and rock garden plants, etc. . Plant out seedlings of annuals in sheltered gardens. Make new violet beds. Divide chrysanthemums, and plant roots and cuttings. Sow sweet peas. Sow indoors or on hot bed, under glass:—Salpiglossis, phlox, dimorphotheca. dianthus, delphinium, schizanthus, annual gypsophila, verbena. Put in cuttings of shrubs and climbing plants. Plant out annual seedlings.

SEPTEMBER Vegetables

Sowings of practically all vegetables may be made, with French beans and marrows, etc., towards end of month. . Plant early tomatoes. Plant potatoes. Flant rhubarb roots.

Flowers

Plant out seedlings of annuals. One of the biggest ' seed-sowing months of the year. Sox phlox Drummondii. salpiglossis. antirrhinum, delphinium, gypsophila, dianthus, larkspur, sweet sultan, scabiosa, verbena, Clarkia, schizanthus, asters; and towards the end of the month zinnias, French and African marigolds and salvia. Plant tender trees, climbing, rockery, herbaceous, and shrubby plants. Divide iris stylosa; also violets. Put in slips of all kinds. Plant dahlias for early bloom; also sow. dahlias. Plant chrysanthemums. OCTOBER Vegetables

Plant out tomatoes, lettuce, late maturing cauliflowers, marrows, etc., raised under cover. Plant potatoes; also chokos. Sow practically all vegetables. Flowers

Sow, early in the month, seed of all summer and autumn flowering annuals.

Plant out seedlings of perennials and annuals.

Sow for next spring blooms: Anemone, aquilegin, ranunculus, Canterbury bells, polyanthus, Oriental pqppy, sweet William, thalictrum, gerbera. cyclamen, hollyhock. Plant rooted pieces from chrysanthemums. Plant dahlias. Divide flag irises after blooming. Plant out seedlings for summer bloom.

NOVEMBER Vegetables

Sow all vegetables, including haricot and Lima beans. Plant kumaras. Put out celery, leeks, tomatoes Flowers

Watering is all important 1 his "month; particularly with perennial plants, trees and shrubs planted in winter; also plants that are growing ' Continue to plant; dahlias, chrysanthemums and seasonable annuals. Sow cosmos, mina lobata, zinnia, portulaca, French marigolds, celosia, kochia. Lift bulbs where necessary as they dry off. Wage war on garden pests and diseases.

DECEMBER Vegetables Make successions! sowings of peas, beans, etc. Flowers

Keep plants watered, mulched, staked, sprayed. Keep weeds from seeding. Sit in the shade and make plans for next year's planting.