GARDEN CALENDAR FOR JUNE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14703, 2 June 1920, Page 7

GARDEN CALENDAR FOR JUNE.

(By J. GeMrifeJ , _ , . June corresponds with December in Great Britain, and as we arSneonng the shortest day every effort stoulti .be. made to get as much.garden .-wort -done? a 6 possible while the weather is favor- , able, as later on there is •generally a push to overtake .necessary work. Any. alterations or improvements to be made should* be carried out at once, aiidthc. planting of ornamental trees, roses, and other shrubs ~ proceeded ... witjl-. Where trees or shrubs have been too thickly planted, as is.,, often-,;the ease, now is a.,good thnd to remove those, which are not wahted, and plant them elsewhere. It is better to remove so pie things altogether than to ciit and lop to make room for all. The flower borders may be dug over, ;and any. clumps of herbaceous plants that have' become too large may be divided and replanted, keeping the tallest and strongest growers at the back of thp- borders,-- or, in the middle of )jeds 01* clumps- and .the colors and the varieties -sorarranged that the whole may appear to best advantage wiieti ill flower.. • Old plants of •roses which have become stunted if lifted, pruned hack very hard,,,,and. m-,i planted in fresh 6oil well enriched with, manure, Will take on a-new -lease of life. Rambler roses may-, .now ; ;be pruned.* Cut out the old wood which has flowered as much as possible, and tie in the young wood upon which the :f flowers are produced. Lawns require attention in the way of removing .weeds and filling in the'small holes with fine soil. Lawns should be rolled ly when the surface.-is :ill.-a-- comparatively dry state/ This-operation improves the texture and-quality of tbe grass. Lawns that-at© a,t all exhausted should receive a. top-dressing,, and.there is nothing better than stabfe >and fowl manure for the„ purpose, - .Mix- stable manure with "a fair proportion of fowl manure added, and spread evenly, oyer the grass. If "this is. leift on for_a fe# weeks during the. dead of winter it puts new vigor into the grass. In spring, fake off all the loose straw and give the lawn a. good rolling.Vegetable. Garden.—ln this depart-; ,ment manuring, trenching, and diggingshould be carried out with expedition, so that the surface- soil will lie exposed, to the frost and rains a& long 1 as poe-*! sible before being cropped. Where the soil is heavy a good liming is beneficial | to both soil and crops. The best time to apply the lime is when the ground is newly turned over. Potatoes, carrots,' and beet should be dug up and stored in a frost-freo place.' Parsnips are best dug as required for use. Where rhubarb is grown it should be cleared of weeds and the crowns covered with good, fresh stable litter. The rain, washes down the manure from • the 1 straw,„■ and consequently strengthens the ..crowns and fits them for the production of next , season's crop. . ' Orchard.—Fruit trees should now be planted, ; for which purpose choose dry weather. It is bad to plant in sloppy ground.' Plant shal- . low, not one or two inches deeper than the tree was before, if that. The sooner fruit trees are planted after the leaves have fallen tile better. Where fruit- trees are to be planted the ground, if of a stiff nature or has a. clay: bottom, should .be trenched at. 1 :' least -two feet deep. If merely dug the chances are that in digging the holes a basin is formed and / the consequence is that water accumulates _aiid keeps the roots' cold and wet. It is also essential that; they be not too deeply planted, for. un-, less the roots are hear tlie sitrface they' are incapable of producing those, fibrous roote which are so necessary- for fruit production. . ; Greenhouse.—The routine work in this department is to attend to .watering, which must be carefully done at this season of the year. Such plants as cinerarias, Chinese primroses, find j newly-potted plants if over-watered are;;! liable to damp off. Give plenty of veil- ] tilation when the weather is favorable, ; and remove all dead and decaying foli- j age and flowers, as if allowed to drop j and lie on the benches they engender;! fungoid and. insect pests. Cyclamens should now be showing bloom, and this is a good;, time. to give -them a little. l ! liquid manure"; applying it'once a week | and not too strong. Primnlas msiv be I potted on lis they requiro.it. Primulas, require.an open, rich and free soil, and to be potted deep, always using clean pots. Fuchsias, as they ripen off, 'may. be stored away in a dry position.for the winter. Tuberous begonias and- gloxinias should be carefully stored away free from frost or damp to keep their tubers sound throughout the winter. Pelargonium cuttings which were inserted in pots or. boxed-early iu. summer should be well rooted now and fit to go •Sto four-inch pots, which, will .be large enough to carry them through the, winter. The best potting material for them is three parts of gocd turfy loam, a little leaf mould, sharp sand :or bid manure dry enough to rub through the hand, making the other part mix up thoroughly. Pot firmly, and be sure to give good drainage.