IN THE GARDEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 13 February 1942, Page 6

IN THE GARDEN

SEASONAL NOTES FOR AMATEURS t>; \\sj*i \.\ ting operations The weather has Irvii mo ;t suitable |- ! lor ll.mi: plant n .o-,l the pl.nrimg of ; should 1)0 (Mi ne<l Old o. soon ;,s lliere ; is any ground available '.I d lias not " ; already been dun**. Thousand: of plant ; have been put out in Nelson durum the I past feu week Should permanent ' position: not be available, the plants Mian be hoed out on a border at six ; j inches apart, w here they will develop into sturdy plants wine!) can be transi ferred to their permanent position, .‘•with little cheek, as early peas, pota i toes and other crops are removed. - When cutting cabbage*, it is not advis | able to leave the old stumps in the r ground, though they might provide a • | few small heads later on. Leeks should H be planted in well-manured ground. ] I for they are greedy plants, and the 1 larger they become, and the quicker ’ I they grow, the belter they are. After { forking the ground over and working . in a good ousting of blood and bone • manure, draw drills four inches deep at, 15 inches apart, and in the drills 3 make holes from four to six inches ; deep, according to the strength of the ■ seedlings, at 12 inches apart. Lift the . seedlings, trim the roots 'and the tips • i f the leaves, and drop one into each : hole, then water in. It is not neces t scry for the soil to be pushed in; the watering will wash down sufficient soil • to cover the roots, and the stem will - have room to develop. Later on, as 1 the plants develop, the drill can be filled in. and later on still the soil can be drawn up on each side to secure length of blanching. Lettuce can be, thinned out to four inches apart, and] later on every second plant can be transplanted to between the broccoli atj | eight inches apart. As soon as the j skins of the early potatoes are fairly firm, tubers from the most desirable j : and heaviest cropping plants can be selected for next year's planting. The j most desirable plants are those which (produce a good number of mediumj sized potatoes, none large and ugly i and very few *f any, small. The tuber 'selected for seed should be from li to i two inches in width and weight from two to three ounces. They should be exposed to the weather to green, and then put away in shallow boxes in an airy, frost-proof shed, until it is time ! for them to sprout. The saving of , seed of peas, beans, runners, and | French beans should also receive at- , lention, for under war conditions seed | may be scarce. Sow seeds of sturnp- ! rooted carrots, silver beet, turnipj rooted beet, yellow and white turnips, : radish, spinach and lettuce. I Spray carrots and celery with soapy j water for aphis, and dust runner beans j with derris powder for the black aphis., j Pinch the ends out of shoots of vege-1 j table marrows to cause branching, and j give liquid manure every three weeks.) WORK IN I LOWER GARDEN | There is a lot to be done in the! flower garden at present. Bulbs have] i to be planted, and the sooner the var-: j ious types of narcissi can be got into i | the ground the better it will be for them. Tulips can be planted much later' | in the year. Then there is the matter I oi keeping weeds down. These are! , growing very fast at present and if they j can be killed in the seeding stage it! i will save a lot of time and worry later. : ! Anything that can be made into manure 1 should be carted off to the compost) i heap and piled up there. It may not be i | possible to get any manure carted next] i season, and if one has a good stock of it ! j on hand there will be no need to cartj j any in. All rough grass and thistles i will help to make up the bulk. If there | is any old stuff left over from last sea_ ; son this can be dug into the ground as j the land becomes vacant. Remove all I spent flowering plants as soon as they ] have passed the useful stage. Keep j lawns well cut; so far this season there has been a good growth in grass, but those who know its value will make use of all they can get. We have come to the conclusion that it is the best ma-j terial one can use on rose beds or for \ any other plant that requires a man-! ure. Work it into the surface soil and j leave it to rot down. When mixed with | soil in this way it does not take very j long to make plant food. Make a sow- ; ing of Iceland poppy, taking care to sow it very thinly, if this has not already i been done. The seed is very fine and 'as much as will cover a threepenny! j hit is enough for an ordinary sized ; “fiat.” Stocks, sweet william and any j j of the biennials cun be sown now. Some) ! gardeners prefer to sow their seeds in ! {the open ground, and where you have j a nice loamy soil this is quite a good I plan; but where the soil is heavy boxes are to be preferred. Gladiolus conns j that are throwing up strong spikes should be carefully staked and tied up so that strong winds do not break them down. Those that have finished flowering should be watched for the yellowing of the leaf, when the corms can be i taken up and carefully dried off, in the j shade for preference. Keep dahlias j well staked and give each plant a j little encouragement in the way of a t j handful of superphosphate or Seychelles guano. Sprinkle this round them land lightly hoe it into the soil. The' | soil itself should be moist enough atj I present to start the manure acting. All! those who keep a few head of poultry! | can save all the manure they can <v*t I from the house or yard and work some of it into the soil. BUDDLEIAS This is a group of strong growing j shrubs of which many species are found in China. They are excellent garden plants for an open, sunny position, and as they make such strong growths—some being six to eight feet in a season —they are specially suitable for new gardens where an effect is desired as soon as possible. They are also suitable for the seaside, where their tough; leaves and cane-like growths bend over before a harsh wind. They are also! easily propagated by means of cuttings, j The summer flowering varieties of Buddleia variabilis are natives of I China, and though the type is good, the j varieties are better. Var. magnifica is; a strong-growing erect shrub 10 to 12; feet in height, and like the other vane - j ties, it should be cut hard back in the j winter. It has purple flowers, the j throat of each blossom being orange.! and a strong honey-like scent. Var. Pink Pearl has pale lavem i r---mauve! | flowers, each with a straw-coloured j tube; var. rosea is rosy-purple, and! ! Veichianus is slivhtlv deeper in col | cur. Buddleia allcrnifolia is also a j | Chinese shrub, which prefers a steep. ; dry. warm, sunny bank, where it grows j :

' summer its pedulous sprays of purple blossoms arise ad along the branche.. forming a cascade of colour. Unlike variabilis it:, flowers are produced on last sea ;on's wood, and consequently it should not he cut back hard. Any Ininmng-oiil which may bo necessary : hould he done immediately after , 'flowering. Buddleia salvifolia. a na- ' live of South Africa, has not bright . j flowers, but they are sweetly scented,, . 1 and for this alone it is worth growing.) . B. Colviloi is a native of the Himalayas,| and is one of the finest of the genus. Its I { (lowers, which are deep red, are borne! . m drooping clusters. B. Globosa. a . native of Chili and Peru, is well known. A It has bright orange flowers borne in J globular balls, but on (he whole it is j i at her coarse.