THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17336, 6 December 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

CULTIVATION OF LILIES. Lilies are among the most beautiful and ornamental of cultivated bulbous plants. Their large showy and richly-coloured —which are in many of the species highly perfumedare produced on erect etems, giving them a stately appearance and rendering them indispensable subjects for the decoration of the flower gaTden and grounds. Many of the strong-growing, hardy sorts are admirably adapted for grouping and naturalising in shrubberies, and, when once established, may be allowed to remain for years without being taken up or disturbed. Planted here and there in clumps along or near the edges of partially-shaded walks and drives, they are most effective when in full flower. Lilies are specially adapted for the mixed border, arraniring them according to their respective heights. The commoner and most-plentiful varieties that have been grown here for many years are the beautiful pure-white St. Joseph's Lily (L. candidum), -which is now in full flower, and is of the easiest culture. L. longiflorumfis another species that has become common in our gardens, with is long, funnelshaped, -fragrant white flowers. Liliura auratum, the golden-rayed lily of Japan, with its sub-varieties, is the most prized of all, but somewhat difficult to grow successfully. Th e speciosum tribe are general favourites, of easy cultivation. By growing a selection of lilies that flower at different times a display may be kept up for a considerable period., For general cultivation lilies require a fairly light, loamy,

well-drained soil and partial shade, and to | he liberally mulched with well-rotted! manure, and occasionally soaked with water when the flower stalks are well ad vanced. In addition to th e rvalue of lilies for outdoor embellishment of the garden, they may be advantageously grown in pots for the decoration of the greenhouse, or conservatory, and the verandah. Japanese Irises. Japanese irises are special objects of attraction at the present time. They are remarkable alike - for their curiouslyconstructed and exceedingly-beautiful, richly-coloured, flag-like blossoms. In >Jat>an they are mostly cultivated as eubaquatics.:" Here 'they succeed admirably growing as ordinary garden plants, but should be freely watered when in full growth and during the flowering period. They are specially recommended for wet. boggy places. The Japanese make a great feature of their display of irises. Summer Display. The holiday season being near at hand, the garden and grounds should he got into the best possible condition. All vacancies "in the flowerbeds and borders should be filled with suitable subjects for the summer and autumn display. The planting o' dahlias must be attended to and completed before the commencement of the holidays; also those other seedlings that ar*> in season, notably cosmcea. scarlet salvias, petunias, phlox, zinnias, African and French marigolds, celosiae, amaranthas. and portulaccas, according to requirements and spaces available. Carnations are now i in full flower, and need attention to tying | up and to thinning out some of the «up«r- j flous flower buds. Gladioli must also be j

well watered. Now is a good time to' plant alternanti.eras, iresines, mesembryanthemum, tricolour and other plants that are employed for carpet bedding Although not an advocate of this style of gardening a bed or Two artistically de- I finned and properly planted to harmonise! arid contract provides a pleasing display ' of colour, and is quite distinct from the surrounding arrangements. Lawns to preserve a verdant appearance, must be copi- ■ ously watered during dry weather. VEGETABLE GARDEN". Although this department should now look neat and trim and free from weeus, l crops are by no means what they should be at this season had more favourable conditions prevailed Most varieties are feeling the effects of the -prolonged dry weather and the hareh, drying winds, though the more tender varieties, such as tomatoes, French and runner beans, melons, cucumbers, and other subjects, naturally suffer most in such weather. In seasons such as the present the advantage of deeply-worked and well-manured ground is apparent. Crops growing in such ground V root deeply and do not feel the effects of a dry spell the same as when sown or planted in shallow-worked land. Sowing in Dry Soils. To sow or plant while the sonl is in ite present condition is almost useless, unless an abundant supply of water us obtainable, : for, although an occasional light shower sufficient to moisten the surface soil is ex- I securely staked to support the tall flower 1 stems and display their handsome flowers to the best advantage. Fuchflias that are in full uower require to be regularly and

perienced, it is immediately dried up by the winds. Although by no means an advocate of artificial watering, unless it is absolutely necessary, unless a good soaking rain is shortly experienced watering I must be resorted to if healthy growth is to x be maintained. « i Benefits of Cultivation.' j. Next to watering, it is important to deeply stir the soil beween growing crops } and cover with a good mulch with manure, 3 grass, or other matter that will assist to i arrest evaporation. With such crops as lettuce watering during dry weather is ' necessary. Good lettuce for table use requires to be grown quickly, and this can > only be produced by well-manured ground i and plenty of moisture. j Trenches for Celery. f The present is a good tim to prepare j trenches for the planting out of celery. To produce good, well-grown heads of celery j -decomposed manure is an all- , important factor; in fact, it is almost use- " I less to attempt to prow really good plants II without a good supply of manure or other i j decomposed vegetable matter. The best _ system of culture is in trenches, as this not only confines the manure where the plants will derive the full benefit of it, i but it enables the grower to conveniently i earth up the plants to ensure their being i properly bleached. [ Depth of Trenches. » The trench should be dug from 9in to 12in deep, according to the nature of the ' soil. In land having a stiff sub-soil 9in I I is sufficient, but in lighter land 12in is ; I,best. In the trenches should b e placed ' ■ from 4in to 6in, after being firmly trodden, ' I of well-rotted manure; , upon this should j •i be placed about 2in of good soil, in which ! . I the plants should be planted. In remov- , f ing the plants from th e boxes they should >be taken out with the soil attached to the \roqts, so that there will be little or no check in their removal. THE GREENHOUSE. In this department, too, the cold, harsh wind is anything but favourable to plant growth. Often during the day the sun shines out brightly, so that ventilation must be given, when the high winds quickly dry up the soil, so that frequent attention to watering is necessary. As soon as a plant shows signs of dryness on the surface it should be well watered, not merely sprinkled, so that only an inch of the surface is moistened, but sufficient given to soak the soil. Water for Vines. Tn such weather it may be necessary to water some particularly stronggrowing varieties, whose pots are well fur nished with rootstwice in a day. At the same time some judgment must be exercised; plants vary so much in their requirements, according to variety and condition in which they are grown, that no strict rule can be laid down. Plants, for instance, that are growing in a close atmosphere. The soil naturally will not drv ! UP as quickly as those that are exposed j to draughts or where free ventilation is given. Plants, however, are like animals, and reomre drink when they are thirsty and if this is not obtainable they quickly deteriorate. n , A Guide to Watering. ( \ The best guide for the amateur to adopt is to water when the surface soil shows t signs, of , dryness, and, if this system is strictly followed, the grower will soon learn the varieties that need the most attention, as well as the reason of their aborbing more moisture than others. Plants that ar quick growers, and that have failed the pots with roots, require much more water than slow-growing or more . , weakly plants do, or plants that have been . freshb- potted. Plants that are allowed - to suffer for the want of moisture, particu- , 'arly during the summer months, soon fall , a prey to thrips, mildew, other insects . and diseases. .. f ' " ' -'.«*-*V-' ' t The Green Aphis. 1 * The green aphis, too, is often very • troublesome at this season. As soon as • this or other pests make their apDearance I ™ on i?. Spray the P lanta wifch black leaf W. This is a splendid insecticide, and, if | the direction sold with the material is j closely followed, is quite safe to apply. A . • good nlan during the summer months is to , plunge the pots in charcoal, sawdust or , any litrht material suitable for the pur- « pose. By doing this a more genial moisture - is maintained and much labour in watert ing is saved, while the plants will succeed | much better. The re-potting of all quick- . growing plants must be attended to. In , re-notting. however, it is not advisable to ' ?▼« too great a shift. It is far better [ to shift from one size to the next, and pot , more often, than to place in too large a , pot and risk failure. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. J.S., Papakuta : Austral is an effective remedy for killing grasses and other weeds I on gravel walks and drives, and a great labour-saver. It must be kept away from the roots of plants used for edgings. H.F.: All the ordinary varieties of tomatoes may be grown upon the one-stem system, Pom'erosa included. Train the leading .=tem up and remove side shoots as they make their appearance. There are . some dwarf kinds that may be grown in i bush form. Ponderosa is, as a rule a shv j cropper. " Hedge," Devonport: Your best plan will be to consult your legal adviser to obtain the information.you desire. Desert," Waipukurau: Celery plants should not run to seed if planted at the • proper time. For early crop plant in I I November, and for general crop towards | the end of December. Your strain of seed j may have been wrongly saved. I A.P., Otangiwai: Marguerite strawberry is the most reliable cropper, and, ! when well grown, of the largest size and ' of good flavour. Trollop's Victoria is of \ the richest flavour, but a poor grower and cropper. ■ Melba succeeds well in some j localities, also Royal Sovereign. I

A.H.: The tea plant (Thea bohea) thrives where the camellia grows, consequently it succeeds well here. It is easily raised from seeds. You should be able to procure plants from some of the nurserymen. Two parts of bonedust and one part of blood and bone, with a Little superphosphate added, is about the best mixI ture for present application. Apply a liberal dressing lightly forked into the sur- ! face of the border. titrate of potash and phosphate of potaeh are excellent for vines, in equal quantities mixed tosether and applied at the rate of 2oz per square yard, or, if used in the liquid form, £oz per . gallon of water. | L.K., Epsom: Leaf curl of the peach and nectarine has been much in evidence this spring, no doubt owing to uncongenial weather conditions Other growers , have expressed their doubts as to the efficacy of spraying to prevent curl, more than one correspondent, thinking; that the dressing with lime-sulphur solution in the winter had in some way nullified the dress- ' ing with Bordeaux prior to the swelling of the blossom buds. Such is not th e case, as the writer, in visiting a few days ago more than one commercial orchard in the Whangarei district, has had practical proof of the efficacy of properly spraying with lime-sulphur in July and Bordeaux in early spring, all the trees being practically free from curl, with the exception of one in the middle of>a row, which was purposely left unsprayed ae a test, and is badlv affected with curl, which clearly demonstrates the" necessity of spraying. In jour case, as in many others, the method of mixine and freshness of the lime used may have been to blame. I " Puriri," Avondale: There are two , species of puriri. The one called by bushI men the white puriri has much larger I leaves than the ordinary kind, is a very ! much quicker grower, but the timber is practically of little value when used for fencing posts and house blocks, as it decays after a few years, consequently, in j I planting for timber purposes, avoid the 1 whjte species. Dysoxylon spectabile is the name of the native tree with very large walnut-like leaves ; the native name is kohekohe. Kepos.