PROGRAMME OF WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

PROGRAMME OF WORK.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

The first batch of ranunculi, anemones, narcissi, Spanish irises and freesias may be planted according to instructions. Complete the layering of the border varieties of carnations and picotees. Weed those previously layered and take oS and put in cuttings of the perpetuals. proceed' with the budding of roses and cut of! all spent blooms, and shorten any shoots that have outgrown the others, to balance the plant 3. Take chrysanthemum buds as they appear. Second crowns are usually selected for show blooms. Attend to and spraying for rust and caterpillars. Dahlias have made abnormal growth and require special attention to tieing, disbudding and removal of superfluous side branches. Seeds of calendula, godetia, mignonette, larkspur, acroclinium, rhodanthe, nemophila, convolvolua minor, etc.. may be sown in the open ground for early flowering. The propagation of azaleas, rhododendrons, daphnes and numerous other shrubs may be effected by layering. Insert layers now. JTreauent rains and warm growing weather has rendered the usual manurial mulchings at this season unnecessary, the growth being ample. After every heavy rain the surface soil should be stored to break the crust that invariably forms. Greenhouse and window plants, notably Chinese and other primulas, cinerarias, cyclamens, herbaceous calceolarias adianturns and nephrofepis ferns require to be repotted in pots a size larger.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Every portion of the ground carrying crops should be deeply hoed or forked over. This is necessary aftgr the "recent heavy rains. Take advantage of present conditions to sow and plant all seasonable crops. A further sowing of peas and dwarf beans can still ba made. Scarlet and other runner beans are now cropping abundantly and require to be kept closely picked before the pods develop their seed. Potatoes should be dug as soon as they are sufficiently ripened for lifting or the tubers soon start again into secondary growth. In no case neglect to pull and harvest onions and other bulbs as they mature and ripen. For storing onions a good method is to suspend wire netting in a cool, airy shed. Well-ripened bulbs placed upon wire invariably keep better than placed upon benches. A further planting of celery and leeks can still ba made in well-manured ground. Cucumbers, marrows, melons and similar crops have so far kept comparatively free from aphis. A close watch, however, should still be kept, and upon the lea3t appearance of the pest spray with nicotine solution. Kumaras are now growing very rapidly, and the lateral shoots quickly take root if allowed to grow away unchecked. To prevent this occasionally lift the runners or they will rob the main roots of much of their nourishment.