THE GARDEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14888, 13 January 1912, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN

The: Flower Garden. Flowzb garden operations , for :. the present month •will' mostly. consist, of routine work, such as hoeing and raking the different beds and borders to stir the surface soil and keep down weeds. Picking off spent flowers, tying up dahlias and other plants that. require support, thinning-out and regulating the growth of ; those' that-, have become -overcrowded, pinching back some of the bedding plants to keep them dwarf and . bushy, and within their prescribed places. Weeding the rockeries, removing spent flowers from mosembryanthemums, kalosahthes, and others. This greatly prolongs the flowering time and vitality of the plants. When . they are allowed to form seed-podtj the blooming ceases, and growth becomes stationary. * ' Attention • to Chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums teed almost daily attention, notably those that are being grown for the production of exhibition flowers. Suckers that start from below the surface must be removed, and side shoots, pinched off. Three leading > branches Vara': sufficient to each plant, and one flower to each. . & look-out must.be kept for leaf-roller and other caterpillars. ; Hand-picking is the only effectual means of dealing with these ''pests. In addition to caterpillars and aphides, the plants are liable to bo attacked by mildew and other fungoid diseases, rust being one of the ' worst. ; Syringe with * vermorita or other suitable fungicides to - prevent leaf troubles, and mulch the. plants with some well decomposed stable manure. Storing Daffodil Bulbs. Narcissi or daffodil bulbs should be taken u£ about every second year. Now is the right time to lift them, »when they are quite dormant. Oare must be taken ; to keep the different ■ kinds • separate, j Allow the ) bulbs to remain on the surface for a few days to properly dry, <> preparatory to storing them away. Afterwards well manure and deeply dig or trench jfa grounds that they occupied Apply a surface-dressing of , lime, and after a few; days deeply hoe, to incorporate the lime with the soil, whioh should be in good condition for planting phlox or other equally showy free-flowering annuals. > Sweet peas that have completed their flowering should be cleared away, and the ground similarly treated. ■ > ■ ' : ;.,., ; i ' Carnation Culture. ... t 'Carnations need some attention. Out off old flower stems, lightly 'fork the surface soil around the plants, and apply a mulch of well-decomposed manure, to keep the soil moist, and to encourage new growth. OwW to- the .backward season, there is still time to bed alternanthera, and : the other varieties that are employed for carpet-bed ding purposes. - A - few well*designed and tastefully-planted beds produce a showy ' effect, and are a contrast to the ether- ' arrangements.' There is an abundant dis | play of flowers, notably, annuals , and bum I mals, also roses, fuchsias, Japanese irises ; penstemons, pelargoniums, marguerite daisies' cannas, perennial delphiniums, and others! To keep up the display water should be j liberally given during dry weather. - ; « V" : '.-"':' Kitchen ' Garden. ' '' Crops in this department haw a flourishing appearance, tomatoes excepted. I n the majority of cases fungi fi as been most destructive, consequently tomatoes will be scarce. The moist, windy weather experienced during the spring was conducive to the disease, and made it difficult to properly spray; besides, so many never spray at all Fungicides should be applied at least onco a week, when the plants are young, as a pre- I vontafcive. Routine work for the month should chiefly consist in hoeing to destroy weeds and loosen the surface soil. Keep the

celery trenches well watered; W C, I suffer from dryness they bceonj 0 ■~ ***»*. i ami tough in texture. 8 0w fcjj on «r ' | for succession, arid keep up a g00d 67 I lettuces, which arc in demand d? «l -> 1 hot weather. Wla ß tig r | Answers to Corresponded "' $ "Doubtful," Waikato: Your J is quite wrong in stating tint the"^ 11 I berry throws up suckers from the root " ' "• other suckering plants; it in, i n f°! " 1 suckering. It is possible. he h as seen .""a- | that have been untrained, where th k*** 1 " 1 have 'been allowed to trail « Oft 'it *<i ground at will, and ; whsu *♦~'! tips of th© branches have ■ > t4 * "■ § root and formed fresh plants. TV 4« ' I will do, and is one of the method** • ? i creasing the stock. If, however, the 1 ' I art trained on fences or trellis . J p.' should be to bo Profitable,. keenW'ttT'' shoots off the ground, no suckers "wbffJl ' will ; throw up. Strong shoots wilft course, throw up each season from the ' ? stool, to furnish wood for the follows*" 1 year's fruit, but not any root-Mickors • plants are evidently growing well ? should bo trainod on trellis, allowing'«? ' • shoots to extend as far as they will t" winter or .early spring, at the time of D : ing, the leading shoots will need ■boriS* cutting off a portion according to ft ' Strength and length of growth mat Though it is several years since the to berry was first introduced, the excellS"* of the fruit and the prolific cropping dO ' bilities of the plants is only now becoini generally known. It is without doubt 5 - best-berried ' fruit introduced in recent vm. Raspberries: There should be no difficult' in growing this fruit successfully & S •' district and soil if properly treated. -ft* chief difficulty, particularly with the iJ* poriencod grower, is not regulating ■ .*', number of suckering shoots that grow w* around the base of, the, plant. The mS adapted the soil is,for raspberry culture t2■■'"• more suckers grow. From each' stool, &*': should be.at least throe feet apart, only SI of the strongest shoots should be altowJl! grow; all the others being cut off ftS to time as they appear above ground. *% four shoots from each stool should be silo*J '■ to grow as high as they will until the «»* ' ' of pruning, when ft short piece, should'U . cut from the top of each shoot. • Kxroa*