IN THE GARDEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 4 March 1932, Page 3

IN THE GARDEN

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK the Vegetable plots The in.-tiii work in the vegetable garden at present is to keep a cover of loose soil on the surface. This is the only way to help the ground keep what little moisture it holds, and it keeps down tile weeds at the same time. Make a sowing of cabbages and cauliflowers. The seedlings will need watching for that scourge, the cabbage fly. Sowing of turnips, beetroot and carlofs can now be made for winter use. Sow lettuce and radish to suit, requirements. A small lettuce such as “All the Year Round” is best for sowing now. Pick the beans and treat- them as if you were going to cook them for dinner. String, wash and slice them, put them into an open-mouthed jar or keg, put plenty of salt in layers, and cover with a lid or piece of board to keepout the dust. Be sure and use plenty of salt, putting a. layer of beans and a layer of salt until the jar is full. When wishing tc use, Lake out what is required, and soak for several hours. Then wash and drain them, and put in fresh water and bring to the boil; strain then, and then cook as ordinary fresh beans. The best beans to use are Dutch or White Wonder, and Canadian Wonder. The beans for pickling should be young; none that have a coarse string should hr- used. An easier me tliod of treating beans is to cut them in the ordinary way and leave them in the sun to dry. Draw some soil uo the stems of Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, etc. It keens the plants erect, and also gives more soil for tlie plants (o root into. Cut off all flower heads that appear on the rhubarb plants; clear away all old leaves, and give the beds a good dressing of stable manure Failing this, use superphosphate and a little nitrate of soda ; or fowl manure is very good. Harvest- haricot beans as soon as the pods turn yellow. The best way, if there are onlv a few plants, is to fie them in bundles and bang them on a fence till dry. when they can be threshed and stored. Silver beet may still bo sown or planted if conditions are right. In harvesting onions, mike two samples of the bulbs. Those with thin necks will keep in good condition much longer than those with thick necks, therefore classify them, the latter kind for present rise, the others later. Celery and leeks will need feeding with liquid manure. Bad foliage and side growths should be cut off, and the surface soil loosened with the hoe. Some gardeners are always in a hurry to earth up celery. This is a mistake The object of earthing up is to blanch the stalks, and as blanching takes only from four to six weeks nothing is gained by allowing a longer time and a good deal may be lost. The pressure of the surrounding soil checks growth, with the inevitable result that the plaids lend to throw up flowering stems, or. in the gardening phraseology, fo bolt. One of (lie commonest causes of bolting is eartliing-np too soon. Tlie sea kale should not lie neglected sit- fliis time of the year. A mulch to keep the heat out will mean better heads next season. A further planting of leeks can be made; a well-manured trench, sis for celery, is best for this vegetable. ’MIDST THE FLOWERS Bulb planting ,1$ now in full swingft and no time should be lost- in getting; tlie bulbs into the grounrh Use no fresh stable mnnun?;‘a Tittle'bonedust or basic slag is all that- is required. •Sow seeds of hollyhocks. Choose a well drained, sunnv position if sowing in tlie open ground. They can bo sown in boxes or pots if preferred. Tulips take front rank among the most beautiful of hardy bulbous plants. In the middle of the 17th century tulips lealised most fabulous prices never before or since reached in the history of plants. New varieties of tulips are obtainable from seeds. The general method of inn-case is by off-sets. There are Darwin tulips, Parrot tulips, early single, early double, and late-flowering tulips in endless variety. They are hardy and of fairiy easy culture Double and single (lowered varieties mixed together, planting the bulbs five inches apart and from two or three inches deep ;n groups in Hie mixed border or in separate beds, produce gorgeous effects with flowers. Commence planting now, making suecessional plantings at intervals to secure as long a flowering period as possible. They succeed well in volcanic soils. In stiffer soils a little sand around each bulb is recommended. Bunsvigia are splendid autumn-flow-ering bulbs, the flowers being produced on very long upright stems in many

flowered umbells. The bulbs are very large. Groups or clumps of bunsvigias planted hero and there in ihe mixed border and strikingly effective. They continue in (lower for quite a long time. They are better if left in the same place for years. The variety .h.'-epbineae (Josephine’s) is (lie best- and most grown. It is* exceedingly handsome. The variety multiflora (many-flowered)' red is also very beautiful. Cuttings of pensteinoiis, antirrhinums, calceolarias, marguerites, violas and geraniums can be taken now. All these root well in sandy soil. Keep moist and shade till rooted. Cut hedges and give a general clean up. Rubbish and weeds soon dry. and can be raken into a heap and burned with little trouble just- now. Plant up border carnations as soon as the layers are sufficiently rooted to be moved. Early planting is one of the sec rots of growing good border carnations. Chrysanthemums are showing the second crown bud. This bud should be “taken.” Side growths directly below the bud should bo pinched out. Feeding should commence. Give liquid manure weak and often. Primrose- polyanthus are usually lifted. divided up and replanted in the spring after flowering, but if this was not done they should receive attention now. They are most effective in the spring garden, and are very useful as edgings for shrubbery borders or bulb beds.

Cut back old nlants of lobelia. If this is done now the plants will make a bunch of young growths which can be broken up and planted next, month. Lift, divide, and replant iris germanirn or any of the rbizomatose iris. Plant the rhizmones almost on tlie surface Lavender for diving should be cut when about- half the flowers on the spikes are expanded. Cut them with a good lemrt’.' of stalk; tie ii: bundles, and hand in a cool, airy, dry shed to dry. Among annuals zinnias are ihe floral feature of our flower beds and borders at the present time. They are splendid dry weather subjects, remaining in bloom for a long period. Hitherto zinnias have been considered by many much too stiff and formal, but this cannot be said of the giant double dahlia flowered strains, the massive heads of which are fairly loosely arranged Tho immense double blooms make a gorgeous show when massed in a large round bed or border. The brilliant scarlet and other effective colours make a gorgeous disnlav

The old objectionable zinnia purples have been eliminated. Pretty mixtures of art shades have been added, including cream, buff, apricot, pink, salmon and old rose. The flo\yers are of immense size and extremely useful for furnishing large vases as well as brighteneng the summer and autumn garden. In bedding out, the plants should be arranged good distances apart to allow them ample room to expand and to produce side shoots. In addition to the giant flowered sections. there are miniature and intermediate forms of zinnias and also some with quaintly double-quilled petals, with others reflected showing a different colour on the inside, giving a charming effect. Zinnia- Haagena is a distinct species with small orange scarlet flowers.