GARDEN CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10243, 4 September 1909, Page 2

GARDEN CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER.

(By James Gebbie.')

This is a busy month in the garden, and as the culinary department is one of considerable importance 1 will deal with it first. If the weather is favorable, that is dry and mild, the various operations of cropping should be attended to with diligence. No time should be lost in committing to the ground the requisite seeds and roots of plants, in early light dry soils it is an advantage to sow and plant early, so that tlie crops may gain sufficient strength to resist the droughts of summer, but in such as are cold and wet the state of the weather must determine the time of sowing. It is always better to wait till the ground be in a fit state to receive the seed than to. sow too early when it is not, as many of the less hardy seeds will not vegetate freely when the ground is cold and wet. The following seeds should now be sown : Peas, about every fortnight, to keep up a supply; cauliflower seed sown now will produce plants which will come into use in January and February: towards the end of the month will be early enough to sow broccoli, savoy, and Brussels sprouts for 'winter and general crops; cabbage seed may also be sown and plants of cabbage and cauliflower transplanted as they become available. A little turnip seed of some early sort may be sown during the month. - If sown too early they show a disposition to run to seed. If not already put in, a sowing of onions for a full crop should be made as soon as possible. Crops of carrots and parsnips may also be sown as the weather permits. Lettuce, radish, cress, and other salading should be put in once a week, a little at a time to keep up the'supply, also plant potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes, and any pot or medicinal herbs it is desired to cultivate. All ground not immediately required should be dug and left somewhat rough until wanted for c'roping, and it will be benefited by the operation. •Fruit Garden. —The planting of all fruit trees should be fini .':: xl without delay and before the are too far gone in vegetation. All young trees planted during this planting "season should be gone over and cut back, according to their various sorts, and the modes of training to be adopted. Apples and pears should be cut down to four or :As buds, according to their strength. Plums and apricots require to be cut back the same as the apples, this cutting back will induce the putting forth of more branches and by

annual pruning well-shaped trees can be produced. Now is a good time for planting strawberries. The ground for their reception requires to be deeply dug or trenched (as the roots penetrate to a great depth), and at the same time be well manured. This is tin* proper season for carrying into effect the operation of grafting. Tlie simplest mode of renovating old treesis to cut off all the branches in a careful manner, when young growths will be made in abundance, or they can be grafted with better sorts if desired when they will soon come into a bearing state.

Flower Garden.: —The planting of all flowering shrubs should now be finished.

Roses will soon be in leaf and it fa now time they were placed in their permanent places. Few flowering shrubs require a better soil to produce their flowers in perfection than the rose, and they can hardly be planted in soils too rich or, strong. Herbaceous plants may still be planted, but the sooner the better. Planting as a rule should take place always before or at the time of digging or dressing the borders. Hardy annuals of all sorts may now be sown in the open borders where they are to flower, and tender varieties on a slight hotbed, to be afterwards pricked into boxes and hardened off before planting out in-October and November. Many perennials require to: be sown now to bloom next year. This is a good time for sowing lawn grass seeds. Old lawns can be improved by lightly raking the turf and sowing some fresh seeds of the fine grasses and applying some fine soil mixed with well-decaved manure or bone-meal and well rolled afterwards.

Greenhouse.—Cainelias, azaleas, and heaths are classes of plants which we seldom see in cultivation round this district. Azalea's should now be coming into bloom and a glorious display they make when well looked after. Ca'meliawould now be going out of bloom, and this is the time to re-not such as re- ' quire a shift. Young plants require an annual shift, and when they get into a good-sized pot they can' stand for three or four years without injury. Heaths seldom require re-pottjng more than once a year and this should bo done with each particular variety just [ when it is ready to renew its? growth. These, plants and azaleas must never be allowed to get drv at the root. To-wni-ds the end of. the month Chinese primrose seeds - may be sown for early autumn-blooming plants. Get them potted singly into small pots as. soon ns possible and place in a close frame for a short time, but grow them during .summer in a cool , frame. Fuchsias now starting to' grow freely must be re-potted according to their wants. Geraniums should now be placed, in the nots in which they, are to bloom. After th" plants are placed in their bloominp pots, the outer branches should be tiV' down towards the pot rim, which will give the others more room. Climbers starting into growth should be shifted into larger nots and have their perivn.Tiont +rel! ; s"s if not' already supplied. The tr«i'n<"ng,'of them should oarsfullv attended to from-time to time before the branches get into a confused j mass. . , . I

Routine.—Pot off or pi-ick out all struck cuttings of greenhouse plants, .change the nots of those plants'whichhave filled them-"with roots for'potssize' larger, and • stir the surface of. tho: soil of those which do not want, shifting. Keep everything clean and dry. and let neatness and order prevail both in the greenhouse and open garden. '•...■