The Home Garden

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23489, 28 October 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Home Garden

Working, Guide for the Week

By KEPOS

FLOWERS Remove spring-flowering plants from; the beds when past their best and replace with summer-flowering plants. Newly-planted ornamental shrubs and trees should not be neglected; water regularly in dry spells and mulch to retain the moisture. Herbaceous plants will need the surplus growths thinning out; these plants always produce too many to flower really well. Plant out chrysanthemums and dahlias from cuttings. Rhododendrons and azaleas will appreciate a mulching of leafsoil. Seeds of most hardy perennials can now be sown out of doors' ii\ a cool position. Attend to the disbudding of roses if fine blooms are required. The Greenhouse Pot hydrangeas coming into bud will need regular feeding with liquid manure. Shade ferns from strong sunshine, which soon takes the colour from the fronds. Poinsettias are now starting into growth; turn out of the pots, shaking all the old soil from the roots, repotting in fresh soil. Tuberous begonias started early are now, ready for the flowering pots. Make up the hanging baskets in good time so * that a bushy growth can be made. More water and ventilation will now be required, but avoid cold draughts.

VEGETABLES Plant out lettuce in good supply and sow more seed. Examine all seed beds and where there are any failures sow again at once. Sow runner, French and butter beans, marrows, pumpkin and cucumber. Plant out tomatoes for the main crop supply. Earth-up the potatoes and spray as a precaution against " blight." The thinning of seedling crops should be attended to in good time; firm the seedlings that are left after thinning. Established beds of asparagus will need' a topdressing to keep up the crop. Make a sowing of parsley for autumn and winter use. The Orchard Keep a watch on all fruit trees for any appearance of aphis and spray on its first appearance. Reduce the young shoots of raspberries to six to each clump. Shallow hoeing should be the rule for raspberries, as the roots grow near the surface. Spray the apples for codlin moth as soon as the petals have fallen. , Do not omit the lime sulphur spray to the peaches at a strength of one in 120 as a protection against brown rot. Growths showing any signs of wilting on the fruit trees should be cut away and burned.