GARDENING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18447, 7 January 1922, Page 3

GARDENING NOTES.

B* D. Tan n OCX. WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. The chrysanthemums which are being grown on in pots to provide largo blooms will now 'bo getting a hold of. the soil m their new pots, and will/be ready to shift; into their summer quarters. These should be open and sunny, while, at the same time, protected! from the south-west winds. Boards cap be put down to stand them oh to ensure that the drainage will be all right, and to prevent their being blown over it is a wise precaution to stretch wires along the rows like a fence, and to fasten the stakes to them. Provide the permanent stakes as the number of stems to bo taken up is determined, and should black fly appear on the ends of the shoots spray with soapy water or duat with tobacco powder. Keep the tuberous begonias staked out, pinch off the side buds on the double varieties, and maintain a growing atmosphere. The begonia house_ can be kept much damper than the ordinary greenhouse. As soon as such biennials as myosotie, stocks, wallflowers, and Canterbury bells are large enough to handle they can be pricked out into hones of nice light soil, and when hardened off shifted out _ into the frames. Should positions be available for these plants in about a month to six weeks’ time, they can be planted out in their permanent positions; but if there is no room available (and there seldom is in a well-managed garden), they can be lined out in the nursery or reserve garden and grown on there until the autumn. Wallflower seedlings which are growing outside, can be wrenched tin preparation for lining out. This is the season for budding roses, and those who are fortunate enough to have a few stocks growing in the nursery should get them done when the weather is so favourable. There are several stocks recommended, but for the Dunedin clays there is nothing better than the dog_ rose —not the sweet briar, which ia quite a different plant. It certainly, does not make so many fibrous roots is some of the others, and consequently does not transplant so ' easily, but,' 1 once • established it lasts for a long, time;’ 1 and it is the only stock which is used. These are making a second growth now, there is great activity , in the cambium layer which ia just under the bark, _ and the usual term is that the sap is rising through this term is ndt quite correct. Tire selection of the bud ia most important. Nice well-formed buds on a shoot which has just, flowered are the best, and whore there is plenty of material to select from those shoots which have produced the best-shaped and most desirable flowers should be taken. Cut off the shoot, and to prevent, mistakes ,it is better to label each variety as it ia taken; then wrap it in a dampvcloth or,, some sphagnum moss to keep it fresh until required. When doing budding it will not be necessary to take mom than one or two twigs at a time but wood can be transported considerable distances aa long as it is kept moist and fresh., To prevent unnecessary loss of moisture the leaves are all removed except about half, an inch of the stalk, which is used aa a handle later on. , The .only, tool npoeasary is a budding knife, which is a tbin-bladed one with a flatbono handle, used for lifting up the bark to admit the bud. Any good sharp pocket, knife will do if a flat piece of bone or hardwood bo used for lifting the edges of the bark. It is most important that the knife ho and that it .bo kept in. good oplor. A few pieces of raffia .about five feet long should be cut, damped, and tied in bundle ready for binding. To make the operation more pleasant a long stick is put along the rows of plants and their heads pressed over to keep the prickles as well;put of the way as possible; fcd, as, it is most desirable, to bud low, the soil is . often scraped away a bit. With .■ the blade of the knife make a out about one inch and a-half long up the stem, making quite sure that the bark is cut right through. Near the top make a cross-cut also right through to the wood, forming a T-shaped mark. With the point of_tho knife lift up the bark where the, upright and the cross cuts join, and with the flat handle press away the bark from the wood down both sides to allow the bud to-be pushed in easily. 1 '■ Take the budwqod. in the . left hand end start tq cut into the bark about half an inch below the bud and out inwards and upwards to about half an inch above the bud, catch the bud by the little bit of leafstalk; .and,, if it is desired to remove the wood insert the point of /the knife between it and the bark, and,'with* a quick jerk pull it out. This exposes a large surface of cambium, but quite satisfactory results can be obtained with the wood left in; and, as time ia most important,, and there is a danger of the bud being pulled tight put by beginners, it is prpbably better to leave it in. Insert tho lower part of the shield of bark below the bark of tho stock at the junction of the two outs and press it downwards until it is all cr nearly in. If a little bit of the thin end is left out it is cut off. The bud is nexttied in firmly’with the piece of raffia and the operation is completed." What happens is that the layer of cambium, or as it is often called, the inner bark, is brought into contact with the cambium layer of tho stock, and as both layers are busy making new tissue when the operation is performed they continue to do so, and the tissue fuses, tho hud becoming part of tho stock. If tho buds selected are prominent or pushing buds they will grow out right away and probably flower this season, but under ordinary circumstances this is not desirable. and the buds- will remain dormant until next spring. It is just 'os well for beginners to put on two or more buds on each stock, and it will not do any harm, as it means another chance at least. Fruit trees are also budded about this time, but it is not necessary to work them so low down as roses, and in very dry districts it is desirable to use budding tape, which is made by dipping strips of cotton in a mixture of beeswax and rosin. This keeps them moist and cool until tho union has taken place. This is tho method adopted when budding oranges in the tropics. Tomatoes should be growing and flowering freely now. Give water in quantities when it is required, but keep the atmosphere dry and give plenty of air whenever tho weather is at all favourable; in fact, the' top ventilators should never bo closed except on very cold, windy nights. Should disease appear spray with Bordeaux mixture, summer formula. THE FEOWER GARDEN. The _ work in the flower garden will bo more or less routine for a month or so, and bulbs can still bo lifted and replanted as soon as sorted over and tho. soil manured. Considerable attention will have to bo given to staking and tieing; to cutting off the flower stems after the flowering is over, and to keep in the edges of the beds and borders neat and tidy. • Pick 'the seed pods off the rhododendrons and mulch with lawn mowings, stable manure or leaves where they) are growing on dry banks. 1 Give dahlias and sweet peas liquid manure about once, a week ,to encourage growth and keep all the bare soil cultivated. THE VECiETAELB. AND FRUIT GARDEN. Owing to the cold' dull weather which has been experienced there is a considerable amount of mildew on the apple trees. This can bo kept in check to some extent by spraying with Bordeaux, -but As there has aim been an extraordinary growth of twigs, a certain amount of summer pruning can bo done, and during the process tho mildewy shoots cut off and burned. Where trees are properly formed the side twi rr s can bo shortened back to two or three inches and the terminal ones to half their length, care being taken to open up the centres of , the trees to allow in Jildit and air. Peach and apricot trees growing on walls can also be summer pruned, all very strong sappy shoots which soring from near the centre of the trees he cut out and just sufficient shoots tfed in to replace those which will be cut away at pruning time, with a few to tjpaxe /where is room.

Gooseberries also get very crowded by now and unless they were disbudded early they should bo thinned out, whole branches being removed from the centres of the hushes if they are crowded, side shoots stopped bade to two inches and the leading shoots shortened a little. Currants, too, require to be thinned out a bit, but this is bettor done after the fruit is picked as a dense leafy canopy is a certain amount of protection from birds. The thinning out of fruit trees and bushes, when there has been extraordinary growth, has an important bearing on next year's crops, for unless the wood is well ripened fruit buds will not form, and without them there will be no crop. Continue to plant out winter greens as space becomes available. Make further sowings of early turnips and carrots, and plant out leeks. Celery may still be planted in positions where the ground is moist or where there is a plentiful supply of water. Celery is both a thirsty and a hungry plant, and to get good results it requires plenty of good stable manure to root into. • It really grows a little all winter and late planted crops will come in for winter and early spring use. It is most important to keep the soil stirred and cultivated among all crops in the vegetable garden, to admit air to the roots, to destroy weeds, and to shut in moisture which is more than likely to be required during the present month and February. To encourage crops of cabbage, cauliflower, bearfe, and peas, applications of liquid manure can be given once a week, the roses will not require it now and the (barrels can he used for the vegetable garden. Vegetable marrows and cucumbers also like liquid .manure and wandering shoots can bo pinched back to encourage branching.

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. ’ v S. R., Brydone.—The roses you mention are quite good though not included in my list. Cheerful, Prince Charming, and Red CVoss being the best. Good standards are Lyon, Hugh Dickson, Chateau de Clos Vougeot, Lemon Pillar, and Lady Waterlow.