THE HOME GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20366, 21 September 1929, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE HOME GARDEN.

programme of work.

fHE FLOWER GARDEN.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Rightly stir surface soil In tho different beds and borders to break tho crust and aerate the soil. Attend to tho staking of all recently-planted trees and shrubs that need support against tho strong spring winds. Prepare ground for chrysanthemums for October planting. Dig deeply, and leave the surface rough to sweotcn. As soon as the shoots from dahlias placed under glass Are 2in. high cut them off and insert in small pots or plant trays. Seeds of eschscholtzias, lupins, nasturtians, larkspurs, mignonette, candytufts, Shirley poppies, gillies, Collinsta, sllene, godetlas, scarlet linums, malope, and other'hardy kinds may be sown outside. Vor sowing flowor seeds in the open deeply dig and weil pulverise the soil beforohand. Cover the small seeds lightly with a dusting of fine soil. Chrysanthemums.—Attend to the propagation and potting of the struck cuttings to have a supply of stocky, woll-rooted plants for October planting. Transplant carnations and picotoes into their permanent places In the beds and borders. Plant shrubbery calceolarias, ponstomons and other border and bedding plants. Sow under glass seeds of scarlet salvias, petunias, schizanthus, phlox drummondi, asters, portulaca3, balsams and other summer-flowering annuals. T.Awns and othoT plots intended for grass, which werfl too late for autumn sowing, should be proparod and eown at once.

Autumn-sown onions for tho general crop should now bo planted. lirst, shorten back any straggling roots or tops. Avoid deep planting, but Arm the soil around the roots. Complete the planting of rhubarb in well-manured ground. To obtain strong, woll-grown crops for two or three years In succession the ground should be deeply trenched and thoroughly manured. Weed and thin-out seedling crops, and turn the soil over between tho rows. To protoct seedling crops from slugs and snails keep the ground free of weeds or o'her rubbish under which they can shelter, and freely sprinkle the crops with lime.

Tomato plants raised under glass should, as soon as sufficiently advanced, bo placed in a sheltered position outside, to allow the plants to thoroughly harden. Established asparagus beds should be given another light dressing of nitrate of soda, following which they should be mulched with stable manure, or other suitable material.

The planting of fresh asparagus beds should no longer bo delayed. Tho crowns will now be well started, and there will be little risk of failure. In no case omit to cut back trees that were budding, making a clean cut back to just above the bud. Should any of the buds have failed, grafts can still be inserted to take their place. The present and succeeding month Is the best time to plant out tree tomatoes.