THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19003, 27 October 1923, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

NOTES BY D. TANNOCK, F.R.H.S. WOEE FOE THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. The cyclamen are passing out of flower row and will have to be removed to make room for the pelargoniums. They should not be put away in an odd corner and neglected, but put them in a nice sunny frame and give one or tw r o waterings until the foliage shows signs of ripening, when water can bo withheld altogether. Keep on the sashes and allow them to become baked up a hit, when they can be removed to a dry shed or placed under the bench of the greenhouse on their sides, to prevent water from getting on to the corms. If seed is to be saved the pots with the seedpods can be placed on the stage and watered carefully until the pods, which curl up and hide under the foliage, show signs of ripening Seedlings have to be grown right on for the first year, and neither dried nor rested until they reach the flowering stage. Though old corms will go on flowering for many years, they arc better the second and third year from seed sowing, and as they are quite easy to raise there is no need to retain old gnarled specimens. Young plants raised from seed last autumn will be ready to pot up into 3in pots, a nice light compost, composed of two parts turfy loam, one part learmoukt, half a part of sand, and a dusting of powdered charcoal being suitable. Stand the pots on a bed of cinders up near the glass and spray twice a day to encourage growth. Plants raised from seed sown this spring are still rather small, but as soon as they can be handled comfortably they can be pricked out into boxes; a soil similar to that recommended for potting being used. Seedling begonias will now be growing away fairlv well, and the greatest care has to be taken not to over-water them. Keep in the warm greenhouse for a little while and maintain a growing atmosphere. The bedding begonias will be growing rapidly pow, and will soon be ready to place out in the frames to be hardened off. Spray regularly and shade from strong sunshine. Primula Kcwensis, Primuls obconica, and Primnls malacoides are all most useful for furnishing the greenhouse in the early winter months, and as they all take a fairly long time to germinate and a long season to grow into flowering plants the seed should be sown now. Prepare 6in pots by filling them a third with crocks, over which some rough, turfy material should be placed. Use a nice, light soil composed of loam one part, leafmould one part, and half a part of sand. Pass the soil through a jin sieve and put a little through a fine sieve for topping. After sowing and watering, place a sheet of glass over the pots, stand in the warm greenhouse, and shade until germination takes place. Continue to harden off bedding plants, to put in cuttings of fuchsias, anejr to prick out the seedlings of perennials and alpine plants which have been raised from seed this season. Hippeastrurns can ho plunged in a bed of tan or leofmould in the warm house after they finish flowering, and encouraged to grow as slrong as possible until the foliage shows signs of ripening off, when water should ho withheld. When the foliage has died off the pots can he placed out in a warm, sunny frame and thoroughly baked during the autumn. THE FLOWER CARDEN. The spring flowers have lasted well, but will not survive many more nor’-westers. Bedding out should be in full swing now. the hardiest kinds being put out first. We start with antirrhinums, and finish off with fuchsias, begonias, and sub-tropical plants. G ve the boxes a good watering the night before they are to ho put out, and after planting and levelling over the soil, give the plants a watering to settle the soil down among the fine, fibrous roofs. Sweet-williams are coining on fast, and now that we have so many fine shades they are verv useful for filling in the gap between the spring flowers and the roses. Give each plant a neat stake and a firm tie to prevent them from tumbling over and becoming dirty during wet. windy weather, 'the gales (which we usually have at this season.) have demonstrated the need for staking the herbaceous plants early. The young shoots of delphiniums, phlox, paeonie.s, and poppies are so easily broken or twisted, and if allowed to sprawl at first they are never so satisfactory afterwards. I have often referred to stakes as a necessary avil, and they should be concealed as much as possible. Twiggy branches are verv useful for oupporling the more branchy kinds. They are not at all conspicuous at first, and the flower stems grow up and out through then.. St. Brufgei anemones and ranunculus are flowering well just now, and as they are I>it I: easily raised from seed it is a good idea to mark the best flowers by fixing a ■ piece of raflia on the flower stalks of the most desirable kinds. Just before the seal is ripe, collect and place in paper bags. I'nrists have done wonders with many of ihe oid-fashionor! hardy dowers, and a quite common family winch has sprung into

favour during: recent years is the _ lupin. The free form (Lupinus arborcus) is well known in Dunedin, where it. has been used with such success in reclaiming the sand hills, but there is a variety called Snow Oueen, with white flowers, which is well worth growing in the rougher parts of the flower garden. It is the herbaceous section, however, which has received the attention of hybridists, and many of the new varieties are wonderful. They are quite easy to raise from seed, which germinates readily and the plants flower quite well the first year, hut they are better afterwards when they form large clumps. The most desirable vnrif'tios o<in bo b‘)cron c ocl by cli'idinp up the old nlant=. The following are some of the kinds listed ; —L. nootkensis _ has time, rose, and yellow flowers, and is a 'ju> desirable and dwarf species. L. polyphyluia is blue, and of this species there are the followincr varieties: Albus fwb’to). Posners strain, 'Firefly (Hie nearest approach to scarlet!. Moo-heimi (free flowering with compact habit). Dose Oueen, RegaJ strain (in which there are manv beautiful shades), and Darkness’s latest novelty, yellow shares in mixture. Sunshine is said to he the finest vellow raised, and Somerset, whirh 's a hybrid between the tree lupin and U pnlvpbvllus. ' Lupins will grow almost anywhere b’t. being tall, ereef growers, they are better fm planting among shrubs or in borders bv themselves where they are backed up with a hedee or shrubs. TDK VEGETABLE CARDEN. Keep the soil cultivated and hoed among all "rowing crops, and as it often gets hard and lumpy during dry weather, pos. ions intended for sowing or planting should be cultivated as scon as it is possible to get on to it after rain. The early sowings of carrots and turnips will bo ready for thinning, and this is an operation which is best done in two Stages, At the pre'immary thinning the seedlings should be left at about an inch or two apart, and later on the final thinning can be done when the plants show their true character, the best strongest, and most promising being retained, and the weak and deformed removed. Early kinds do not jr ro w very Lircre, and do not need drastic thinning, 4in to 6in being sufficient for turnips, 2in to 3in for carrots, and om to Sin for round beet. Earlv peas are coming ,on wolh nnci a watering with liquid manure will assist growth and help to fill the pods. Springsown varieties will be ready for stakes now, and there is no doubt that peas of medium growth when staked, are far better than the dwarf kinds which are allowed to sprawl on the ground. First draw np the soil on either side with the hoe. Do not put the sticks in upright, but slope one side one way and the other in the opposite direction, so that they will cross. This prevents the plants from falling out between the stacks if they are straight and without twigs. Sticks of anv kind will do. Manuka scrub, which is very plentiful around Dunedin, makes excellent stakes which last for sevoral years. Broom, whieh is also plentiful, is suitable, and tbo spruce branches and the branches of beech and hirch are also good. Where sticks are not obtainable, sheep netting makes an excellent support. Make sawings of French and runner beans now, also peas, turnins, lettuce, and spinach for succession, and plant out a few cabbage and cauliflower to maintain the supplies. Sow seeds of vegetable marrows under cover on a specially-prepared hill or on the manure or rubbish heap, and put out plants in a frame. Tomatoes intended for outdoor cultivation can be put out into a cold frame to be hardened off. Strawberries are flowering now, and if not already mulched with strawy manure or clean straw to keep the fruit off the dirt, this should be done at once. Plants put out late should not be to fruit the first year, and any runners which show should be pinched off. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Nugget.—Your pear leaves are attacked by leaf blister, *a disease caused by a small insect which burrows into the leaf, where it is safe from all sprays. Spray just as the buds are swelling with some of the winter sprays, such as Woburn winter wash, kerosene emulsion, or black leaf 40. Spray with lime sulphur for black spot. Oamaru.—Your rose leaves appear to have been frosted. We experienced very sham frosts a week or so ago, and the young foliage of the roses is readily checked or destroyed. Mildew or black spot would not be so sudden in its effects. Hollyhock.—Your hollyhock leaves are attacked by the hollyhock rust (Poccinia malvaceartoi), and, like alt of the rust diseases, it is hard to control. Pick off and burn the worst leaves, and spray with lime sulphur or Summer Bordeaux mixture. Seedlings are not bo liable to attacks as old plants.