THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18513, 25 March 1922, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

ICOTES BY D. TANNOCK, F.R.H.S. [WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to put in geranium cutting!., to put primulas and cinerarias into their flowerinf pots, and to prepare chrysanthemums for housing as soon as the buds show colour. Tuberous begonias are beginning to go past now, and as they are taken out of the greenhouse they can be placed on a cool, airy shelf, and allowed to dry off gradually. After the tops fall off the pots can turned over on their sides, and the tubers ca-n remain in them until the spring. Keep the chrysanthemums tied up securely to their stakes, and ease off feeding or stop it altogether as soon as the buds show colour. . . Small bulbs of either tulips or narcissi can be lined out in the nursery, where they •will grow and develop into flowering bulbs bv next season. If the soil has been well dug level and break it up and take out a shallow trench about four inches deep and the-width of the spade. Place the bulbs about two to three inches apart in it. and cover up with the soil from the next trench. It the soil is poor give a dusting with basic phosphate or bone meal. Wallflowers will be growing rapidly now. cultivated and stirrod'up with the scuffle and the soil among them should be kept hoe THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue to clear out annuals as they become unsightly, first collecting the seeds from the most"desirable varieties. Cut the old flower spikes off the herbaceous perennials. but do not cut them right down until the foliage has ripened, as the underground roots and tubers have to be built up for next season. Keep dahlias, sweet peas, and michaelmas daisies tied up and the lawns as neat and tidy as possible during this unseasonable weather. Though the roses are past their best, and it is no longer worth disbudding a-nd spraying them, they should be picked over occasionally, and all long shoots which have shot ahead of the others cat, be shortened back, for if left they catch the wind, cause the plants to become loose at the neck, and wriggle round in the loose, wet soil. .This is a good season to commence alterations in the flower garden and shrubbery, and to trench new beds and borders. In every case where labour will permit, and the depth of the soil warrants it, trenching should be done to the depth of 2sft to 3ft, and during the process liberal supplies of manure can be worked in on fop of the first spit, and if grass, weeds, or vegetable matter of any kind can be spared it should be put in the bottom of the trench. This all tends to deepen and extend the rooting medium so (hat it will drain readily during wet weather, and retain moisture during dry weather. Tt is better to prepare and enrich the bed* and borders thoroughly ai first. and they will then _ do for several years wilh only a little surface dressing. Plant out spring flowering bulbs and bedding plants as soon as space becomes available, but as it is desirable to retain all the colour we can until after Easter there will not be many empty beds for a week or two yet. Carnations which were layered some time ngo will have rooted now. and they can bo severed fiom the parent plants, and at the =;ime time all flowering shoots which have sprung up can be out away. THE A'EGETfABLE GARDEN. Continue to clear away spent crops, and as disease is very common on the potatoes they should be dug as soon as the soil is reasonably dry, and stored away in a dry shed or collar, where they can be kept away from the light, or they can be pitted in' a dry part of the garden and covered with straw and soil. As digging proceeds all tubers of good shape and a reasonable size should be thrown aside for ftyjd. and these can be spread out in the mu to green. The cold wet weather has kept away the blight, from the winter greens and swedo turnips which is something to be thankful for. and as the conditions are favourable it is still possible to plant out cabbage and broccoli for spring use. Earth up celery and leeks and harvest onions whenever the weather conditions are favourable. If nc,v plantations ot strawberries have jiot already been formed no time should !>e lost in getting the runners out. for linle?r they are very strong and planted early they will not fruit the first year. ANSWER? TO CORRESPONDENTS. ‘‘Ophelia.” North-East Valley.--1 certainly commend the trenching of your rose beds 2ft deep, and also the mixing in of liberal supplies of stable manure, as fresh as yon <-an get ir, in your heavy soil. Road which consist of particles of grit, and horse droppings are quite useful for opening up stiff, tenacious soils, but I would not recommend burying in tan bark, l.iinc is also n-el'nl when spread on the surface and forked or dug in before plaming. Nellie Parker and MG.- Wilmolt, are both excellent roses for grouping. 11. P. Pinkerton and Captain I'. Bald are both pood dark varieties, but, Hnwlmark Crimson and Midnight Sun are splendid for colour and of more recent introduction'. Golden Ophelia was quite one of the lies; j-oses at Home last, summer, hut. the weather conditions were quite different from those winch we experienced here this summer, .and probably in a. dry, warm season it would show its true character. I have it budded, but it is not in the rose garden yet. The list you forwarded is an excellent one. but unless yon Mroadv have them I would sngg.-st Antoine Revoire, General M.aearrlnir. < bateau de I "los A’oug-oi. The Queen Alexandra. Haul mark (‘.-inison. Midnight him. .and Ladv Ashtnwn. __ ‘‘Jersey." The scab on the potatoes t? only si.in deep, and is easily removed bni it does not look nice. b is caused !y the in-idny in liie soil, due either to want of drainage or too much organic mat-tor. 'The ,-i-ibliv lidors should not be n.-ed *or seed. ihe pn-ect.- which make holes in your Jiota'oe.- are millipede. and they, too. are nq indication of the in ed for drainage and nn application of lime. "Yellow Viola.” -Von should eti*. nwnv ■flip old flowering stems from your viola? to allow I tie young growths which spring from the lia-e of the stem? room to develop. A T ou should abo put in cuttings to provide plant.- for next, season, or yon can divide them up. heedsiuen can supply you with tt good weed-killer, and directions for application ore on the (in. You should drain (lie wet patch in your garden and plant b. Spiraea Lindleyana. Andromeda japonica or rhododendron, Pink "Pearl nr Corner \Vatcre r. "R. 8.." Port Chalmers. Horse chpstnnls would look very well alongside ihe street, but if I ie scelico I - moi vc!) huge u would be belter to plum laburnums or I’runus pbsardi. 4, Amntonr, w Jniion,- ]),tv »]o not 'uquire to be lifted and di e d off. t i-ocus will stand several year? without Jift ing. a.n.i chrysanthemums can be grown in the same place for several years provided ihe ground is manured and dug and ihe old plant.? divided up. Your fimbria would flower better in a dry position near the lionse. Spray• jng would not increase the amount of blignt on your fruit trees, and you should use an oil spray again. Repot, your lily every year. Nasturtiums will flower belter in dry. poor land. Basie phosphates would help your peach and npri ,-ot trees, and a liberal die?.? jng will do no barm. Iceland poppies ne better sown in boxes and transplanted, and all tile leaf and stem vegetables such es

cabbage. y’!v ft r beet, celery, leeks, etc., can l'o immured with fowl manure. Liquid manure made from foul droppings can he applied to any kind of vegetable crop with advantage. “\V.A.G.,” Whangarei.—Fairy rings are caused by a fungus which extends outwards from the starting point in a circle, thereby causing if to extend from year to year. The mycelium obtains its food partly from the humus in the soil and partly from the roots of the grass, and the crop of toadstools is found just outside the ground they occupied the previous year. To destroy the fungus, soak the ground with a solution of sulphate of iron, one pound to a gallon and a-half of water, and continue to give applications once a fortnight at half the strength of the lirst application. About three applications ought to bo enough, and if the soil should he dry it would bo necessary to water it. first well with ordinary water. 'Pile ground should lie treated just outside the evident ring. "G.DAV.,” Nelson. —The Capo tobacco, which is grown in South Africa, should be the most suitable for making tobacco wash. I know it is a very strong-growing plant and produces a very strong tdbacco. Tobacco is cured as follows: —When ready, to cut, the leaves begin to develop Yellowish spots, the margins bend downwards, and the tissue between the ribs becomes puffed up. Pile plants are cut and allowed to wilt ou the ground, (hen tied together in pairs or bundles and carried to the drying shed, where they are hung over slicks until the mid-ribs become quite brittle. This shotdd take about 30 days. Strip the leaves off the stem and tie them together in bundles of five by twisting a small leaf round the ends of the leaf stalks and tucking the ends in among the others. This bundle is called a hand. The hands are next packed together in a heap on the floor and covered with sacks to ferment, for it is during the fermenting process that the active principle is developed. After a few days the centre of the heap becomes warm, and it is pulled to pieces and rebuilt with the hands which were outside before on the inside. This is dope to secure even fermentation. and for pipe tobacco it has to bo regulated, but for plant wash it cannot be too strong. After about 30 or 40 days the fermentation will cease and the leaves can be damped with a liquid made by soaking the stems in water and molasses. The liands are opened and every leaf sprinkled with the wash. Then they are packed in boxes with a weight on top until required. OUR PRIVATE GARDENS. MR SOLOMON’S GROUNDS, BELLEKNOWES. Set on a sloping hillside at Belleknowes, above the Town Belt, the garden of Mr S. Solomon, K.C., is a place over which the lover of flowers may well grow enthusiastic. Here he has spread out before him a vision splendid of terraced lawn, rose-bedecked arch, dell, and shrubbery, flower-bed and border and pi fact, everything that, goes to make a garden what it should be—a thing of beauty, and a perpetual delight to all beholders. Within a space of five acres the diverse array of flowers anfl shrubs which Mr Solomon has gathered together from many parts of the world reveal the glories of Nature in a wonderful colour scheme, and the general effect produced is certainly unequalled in Dunedin and G probably unsurpassed in any other part o' the dominion. It has been said that, ‘ nothing good is produced without labour ant. nothing great achieved without, enthusiasm,” and it an affirmative proof of the truth of these sayings were required it is to bo found in the veritable fairyland which has been created within the limits of Mr Solomon's property. As the visitor passes along the garden walks the beauty of the place takes bold upon him and he falls a willing captive to the enchanting spell of his surroundings. Unsuspected nook? and corners, which art and nature have conspired to lender beautiful, meet the eye at every turn, and when the visitor emerges again upon another open space of flower-beds 'and lawn it is with a sense of amazement at the profusion and endless variety of it all. Tt is a garden which almost defies description, and while it was naturally at its best during the spring and early summer, it contains so wide -a range of flora that there is even yet much that is truly beautiful and that calls for the fullest and frankest admiration. THE CLEMATIS PERGOLA. Passing through a dividing hedge to the terraced lawn in front of the house the visitor at once comes face to face with one of the chief beauties of the garden—a magnificent clematis pergola winding round the slope of the hillside. Over the arches of this pergola four different kinds of clematis are grown—indivisa and montana rubra for spring flowering, and Jackman:! and Nellie Moser for blooming in the autumn; and to enhance the general decorative effect, the mauve-coloured wistaria sinensis may be seen twining itself round the upright posts of the arches. At one side of the pergola, a laburnum tree in summer adds the beauty of its drooping golden blooms to the already effective scene. Around the embankment on the lower side a rockery has been constructed with a border along the edge, and hero a great variety of flowering plants are growing, including aubrietias, dwarf phloxes, arabis, viola gracilis, an old English cowslip. hepatica, mossy saxifragia, white exalts, jonquils, thrift, thymus, creeping campanulas (with their white star-shaped flowers) ranunculus and many others. One of the finest things in (ho rookery is the well-known lithospermum prostratum, a beautiful rock creeper forming a low patch of evergreen leafage which in summer is smothered in a mass of heavenly blue blossom, _ A picturesque little summer-house occupies an adjacent lawn, this structure being entirely covered with creepers, mainly wistaria sinensis, crimson clematis, and also rims toxicodendron, (he poisonleaf ny IKermesinn), which is grown for the bright autumn tints of its large riiapolv leaves. Nearby there is a tine tree of lepthsnermum Ntcholsn. the native carmineflowering manuka, and also a dwarfed wistaria. one of the curious products of Japanese plant culture. Growing over the arch at the far end of the pergola is a vifis cnignetrisc. a very handsome creeper with large leaves, which fake on brilliant colour tints in the autumn, and through which the flowers of the clematis are at, present gleaming flashes of purple. Beside the arch grows a kalmia latifolia, a highly ornamental evergreen shrub which produces small red and white (lower. which is worthy of a place in every garden As one funis to (he right the ‘croquet awn occupies « level space on (he terrace below. I his is sheltered on one side bv a. line macrocarpa hedge, intermingled with whicli are the flowers of the ivv geranium, the eflcel produced by the bright, colours of the geraniums, backed by I lie green of the macrocarpas. being uncommon c.u.i remarkably beautiful. Ivy geraniums have recently been planted along (be hedge c n the oilier side of the croquet, lawn, and when I hey grow up among the trees" thev will complete as effective a picture as could well bo desired. TilE RHODODENDRON DELL. Perhaps the next feature ..f interest in the garden is the rhododendron dell, 'he surpassing aiiraeijons of which arc known Jo a good many people in Dunedin. When the hlooms are at the height. of their glory there are few more beautiful sights in anv garden in Dunedin._ the range of rich and glorious colour providing the eye with a feast of rare delights. Among the varieties ;n .iv ’lie menloiied .Mtckhmdil hisnmhiana. Fhilsoni ta searleli. Ifarrisii (which blooms from June to November). Dill's Triumph, Mice (a very difficult variety to procure), itr Stocker, .Mauglcrii. and Ula/er. The rhododendron dell i- intersected by narrow grass paths and bordered with azaleas. and additional interest is lent, to tins seetjon bv the presecce of t wo tine soeeimens of anrhomeda andromeda forme,sa. and audiomeda jiponlca a pair of dainty evergreen shrubs, both of wlilcb have (heir seas,,,, ~f bloom wilh flowers something like lily of I he x alley. A heath walk, bordered on tin- right by an overhanging anil shadv bodge of hazel, leads downhill from I ne dell, some of the more notable varieties of heat], being Webbleii. C la v end ish ii. Pcria. Melanlhra. and Vo.-tata coccinea (searleti. On flic other side of the walk, at (lie fool of the row of hazels, there is a border of narcissi. On a level terrace immediately below the rhododendron dell a small garden, tastefully designed in the form of a Malle-c cross, i- planted out for spring effect-, the principal flowers used for ibis purpo-e being mbps and oilier hulls, polyanthus, primroses, forget-me-nots. gcimi. and anemones. Helow this again is ihc lower ro~e garden, containing a number of handsome \ irietics. ineluding American Pillar, which in summer makes a wonderful di-play along a low trellis. By way of providing one of tlnce contrast-, of which the gar dcuer is -o fond, this section i- varied bv I he introduction of live vci v line specimens of the pyrn.s main- family. I.ending down from I ho other side of ihe rhododendron dell is a walk of lilac trees all of which were imported from France, and here there i- also another border and rockery planted with primrose? and phloxes and oilier ~p-propriate propriate flowers. Before leaving this t ■ < rl of the garden one’s attention is alt ram eil bv a bed of ac.nba japonicas, which are grown for their ornamental berries » ud

also by a tine cantua splendens, an uncommon yellow-flowering climber which is used to ilrcornto (lie exit arch. From this arch the visitor emerges on die front palli leading to the main ennimce of (he house, where another strikingly effective stereoscopic design meets the eye, consisling of a succession of arches supporting rambler roses with geraniums growing up through them, and with a long ribbon of grass on either side enclosing a border of all classes of perennials. Close to the gate a place has been found for a very fine specimen of Ihe New South Wales warn tab, a tree which belongs to the same faintly as the rata and which produces a bright tip through them, and with a long ribbon scarlet (lower and also a eucalyptus ticifoli a. which is in flower at the present time. From hero the visitor goes on (o explore the lieaulies of what is known as the ‘‘winding path,” a walk that, winds past a long succession of flower beds which tire arranged so that, as far as possible, there is something in flower over (ho whole period of the year. Among the flowers and shrubs to be found here arc hydrangea?, calceolarias, rhododendrons, pentstemons, geraniums, primuses, magnolias, a hamaxnelia. ft Kilmarnock weeping willow, and a Carpentaria and a ccanothus. Two of the finest shrubs in this section of (he garden are the uncommon exochorda grandiflora, which produces a. mass of white blossom in the spring, and the sweetscented clethra avborea. commonly known as (he lily of the valley tree), which is in full bloom at the present time. SHRUBBERY AND ROSE GARDEN. The next part of the. garden to engage attention is the shrubbery, where a great deal of time may bo spent in admiring a collection of shrubs imported from various parts of the world and probably unique so far as New Zealand is concerned. It would take up too much space to enumerate nil the plants that flourish here, but the visitor cannot fail to be interested by the number and diversity of the representatives of the pyrus family, which in the spring show a gorgeous array of blossom. Other finely ornamental shrubs are the Japanese maples, primus niger. a Eorsythiu suspensa, a euchriphia pinnatifoba, (a native of the Andes which has just shed its lemon-white flowers), a polygala oppositiflora (a native of the South African veldt), and an anopterus glnndulosa. or 1 asinaiiian laurel, a handsome little shrub which would grace any garden. Below the shrubbery is the well-known cherry avenue which ;n spring affords a glorious spectacle by reason of its masses of characteristic pink, white, and yellow blossom. Towards the top of _ the winding path one comes upon the primrose bank whore some 1500 plants have just been set out in propartition for Iho display next spring, "wlion they will lie a feature of Ihe garden. Clo.se by there is a Davida involneruta, a shrub which is considered to be. one of the finest in the world, and which produces bunches of coral-like flowers. It has been growing in the garden for some eight or nine years, but so far it. has not produced any flowers. Emerging in another clear space the visitor finds himself in the main rose garden. where numerous varieties of (he queen of flowers raise their heads in a picturesque S of lawn anil flower border and rockery, backed by a wall of the blueflowered ceauorlius. Among the varieties of roses, which by the way include most of the latest novelties, nitty be mentioned Charles Crette. Golden Emblem, t.Viieen Alexandra. Peerless. British Queen. Madame Edouard Hemot ithe winner of the Daily Mail prize). Madame Melanie Souport, Isobel, K. of TC.. (‘oust a nee, Richmond, Mrs Womvss Ottin, and Maharajah, a very fine single rose. In the centre of the rose garden stands a fine specimen of the weeping beech and at the lower end there is an Embothrium coocinetim, known as the tire-flame tree, which in spring produces a mass of brilliant scarlet, flowers. Other nice shrubs grown along the back fence are swainsonia rosea, lapagena rosea, boronia megastigma and Mandevilla sttaveolens. while varieties of the eydottia ami some japonica lend a splendidly decorative effect to the manuka fence at, the side. On the opposite there is a very attractive rookery which i.> principally planted with spring bulbs, the majority of these being anemones. At the ton of the rockery (here is a handsome cynthen anrarotira whidi is doing exceedingly well. OTHER FEATURES OF INTEREST. Passing on to the propagating house the visitor comes to a part, of the garden where, one of the most interesting phases of the work is carried out—the raising o» cuttings and seedlings for spring planting. Here the gardener has succeeded in raising a great many cuttings from that interesting species of the rhododendron known ns Javatilcnm hybrids. included among the varieties which are doing remarkably well being Aphrodite, 11. J. Mangles" Hercules, Tayloni. Ariel, Primrose and King Edward VII. Another interesting feature of this work is the raising of rhododendrons from seed, and at. the present time the gardener has two jiots of seedlings front) Gill's Triumph which appear to hold out every promise of success. In the greenhouse itself there are some fine showy begonias, all of, which have been raised from seed, and some double lobelia, while the tinted foliage of the Japanese maple is freely user! to provide a tasteful setting for t lie flowers. The cineraria stellata are all potted and are coming on nicely. Outside the propagating house a destructor hn.s been erected where all the refuse from the garden is burned, thus eliminating all waste; and. in this connection, .it may be mentioned that even the leaves from the deciduous trees are saved and .reduced to pulp for top-dressing the rhododendrons and azaleas, Down the northern side of the garden a fernery lias been constructed, forming a dell of delightful coolness in summer, but the ferns have evidently suffered rather severely owing to lasi season's drought. An open space on the left band side of the house has been devoted to a strikingly picturesque lawn and shrubbery where there are move rhododendrons anil lilacs, some primuses, a line specimen of the horizontal, elm, an English ash. and also a crataegus cremilnta. The sharply sloping bunk above the lawn ha.-, been planted out with a number of smaller shrubs, notably (he evergreen Jajrmesc azaleas, which are making good progress and will one day constitute an undoubted feature of the garden From here nin passes on i<> ihe lop lawn bordering the drive up to the house from Graffvilbe terrace. In this area Mr Solomon has collected. . wonderful array of flowering and foliage shrubs from all pails of the world, some of the more outstanding ones being the native pohnt ukawa. erinodondron dependens, nmelanehier (which is a veritable sheet of while blossom in spring), fauns s.v Katies, (the Austrian beech), la nut risk, Japanese maples, rhododendrons, ncer Hookerii (a New Zealand native), and many other.-. Another rhododendron bed contains some of the more hardy varieties, and bordering the drive there are seven or eight lied? of geraniums, asters, and pansies, with other flowers to secure a spring display. Some wellgrown silver birches occupy the space just inside the main gate, and iho whole effect as the visitor passes down the winding drive towards ihe house is picturesque in the exl rente. The gardener, Mr T. Hurley, is aided in his work by Mr G. Reid ami another as-isi a 11( . and (ho wonderful display of (lowers and shrubs together with (he entire absence of weeds is n striking Iribnte in ihe w holc-heavicd interest which they take in their work’.