THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19067, 12 January 1924, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

NOTES BY D. TANNOCK, F.R.H.S. WOES FOR TEE WEEKTHE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Now that we are having more settled warm weather it will not be necessary to have any fire heat except for the tropical houses, and even there it is desirable to give as much air as possible during the day, shutting up early in the afternoon to keep in the S”n heat. In the greenhouse and cool houses there ought to be v -itilat’on on both night and day except when there are very cold winds blowing. Plenty of air encourages sturdy healthy growth, which will produce plenty of flowers and ripen up in time for the winter. Tomatoes should do well this season, and ihev »■■!’ --eon re»ch their maximum growth; give plenty of air on all possible occasions, and a few of the leaflets of the lower leaves can be removed to allow the sunlight to get to the fruit as its ripens. Keep all side shoots pinched out and give feeding with moderation. Pelargoniums which are set out in the Sunshine to ripen their wood will soon be ready to cut back to provide cuttings. These can be made in the usual way and put, into boxes of sandy soil, pressed firmly into the soil and placed on a bench in the r-reenhouse where they will soon form roots. Geraniums (Zonal pelargoniums) intended tor autumn and winter flowering can be ported up now. Use a soil similar to that recommended for chrysanthemums, and after potting stand on the sunny side of the greenhouse or a cold frame where they can he, shut up should w-g have a lot' of wet weather. Prick out seedlings of primulas, cinerarias sweet williams, forget-me-nots, double daisies, and Canterbury bells, line out the balance of the wallflowers and prepare a place for planting out tho sweet william seedlings. Rases can be budded now, provided it i= s ;v >le get good- h”dwood. I am. a f raid that the buds on shoots which hare already flowered will be rather too far advanced and those on the second cron shoots w’ll hardlv be ready. I have described the method of budmng so often that it won’t be necessary to go into detail, hut simply ment : on some of the most important, points. (1) Take the hudwood from the best and healthiest plants and select, the best shoot. (21 ?e!ect a well-formed bud not too far advanced. (3) Don’t cut out the hud until the cut on the stock has been prepared, and be as smart as possible about the whole operation, for the cambium layer soon dries up ard a n’ouer un,ion depends entirely on nt. (4) Bind up tightly and be sure to attach a label with the name of the variety. Them is not much to indicate whether the bud is going to take or not at first, but, the litt’e bit of leafstalk which is attached to the bud drops off when touched lightly, it is agooasign. and there won’t be any need fo put on another. Should the first buds fail there is still time to put on others. THE FLOWER GARDEN. The second crop of roses is opening very satisfactorily, but there is a little mildew shewing on the most susceptible varieties. Spray as recommended with liver of sulphur once a week to check its development. The ramblers which have been most satisfactory are passing row, and the old bunches can he cut off as they wither. In some cases tho whole cf the old shoot can be cut out, but this has a tendency to cause the buds on the young wood to shoot out, and we don’t want them to do this until the spring. Stake out the Michaelmas daisies providing a stake for each stem, tie up dahlias, removing tho old flowers, and thinning out the stems to three on each plant, pick the pods off the sweet peas and give them a little liquid manure once a week. If growing for special blooms, thin down to not more than three stems to each plant; hut. if for ordinary garden decoration and cutting, the shoots can all come, provided they are • looped up from time to time. Delphiniums and lupines are over, and they can. be cut back to secure a second flowering in the autumn. Remove biennials such as Canterbury bells as soon as they- are past their best, and other things which are past their best, and cut over Carnations are coming on well this season, and afrer two years of disapiwintmcnt it is encouraging to see them doing so well again. Keep them tied in or looped up to their supports, and as soon as the most of the flowers are past a start can be made with the layering. Seedlings have been rather disappointing with us this year, a large proportion coming single and worthless, but there are a few worth propagating. Complete the lifting of spring-flowering bulbs of all kinds and start to plant back the narcissi, collect seeds of alpines and herbaceous plants as they ripen, and keep all the beds and borders cultivated. Hydrangeas are most useful plants both for tho greenhouse and the flower garden. They are valuable for filling tubs or large vases, for sotting out on a terrace or verandah. They thrive and flower well on a shady bank, and are satisfactory in tho shrubbery borders where they provide a display when most of the shrubs and rhododendrons are over. Most of the garden kinds are varieties or Hydrange hortonsis, a deciduous shrub which grows to a height of Bft and 12ft or more in diameter when it is doing well. It is a native of China and Japan, where it lias been a popular garden plant for centuries, and was introduced to Kew in 1789; but though it has always been a favourite in cottage gardens it has become more popular in recent years through tho introduction of many new varieties. It belongs to the saxifrage family, and the flowers we admire are all sterile. The main colours are white, pink, and blue, but these shade into one another in a remarkable way in some of the newer varieties. It is very remarkable the way this plant changes its colour; in some gardens it is always blue, in others pink, and pink plants put into a blue garden will change to blue, blue plants in other circumstances changing to pink, and in some cases both blue and pink flowers are produced on the same plant. It is generally considered that the presence of iron in the soil in some form is responsible, ami it is quite remarkable how the blue’colours predominate where there is a clay soil overlying hematite or in which seme hematite has been mixed. Mixing iron filings with the soil, watering with liquid drawn from rusty nails or with a weak solution of sulphate or iron is tried, and a weak solution_ of alum is also used to produce blue varieties. 1 he following are some of the varieties —Avalanche, pure white; Bouquet Rose, deep rose pink; Thos. Hogg, white and very large; Cyanoclada, blue: Madame Mouilliere, pure white with carmine pink eye; Royal, blue; Ornament-, blue : Radiant, red: La Lorraine, soft rosy pink ; and Bouquet Rose. Hydrange paniculata grandiflora is a most r c.fni *bxuL for a moist bed or border. Xo

got it at its best it should be pruned hard back in the spring and later when the young growths appear tho weakest should be rubbed out and tho strong ones, if plentiful, thinned out a bit. A mulching of rotted manure when growth is well started will be found an advantage on light soils, and it should never be allowed to become dry. Hydrange arboreccens, granditiora, is a deciduous shrub, and being much hardier than H. hortensis it would be a suitable plant for districts where hortensis won’t grow satisfactorily. Tho flowers are all of the large sterile type, whito and very beautiful, its chief drawback being that tho flower heads are often so heavy that the slender stalk is not strong enough to hold them upright. Hydrange quercifolia is a deciduous shrub growing up to a height or 6ft or more. It is very handsome both in foliage and flower and well worth growing in the shrubbery. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. The dry weather will soon tell on vegetables, and wherever possible crops of peas, cabbage, lettuce, celery, and leeks should have a good soaking once a week to maintain steady growth. Keep the soil stirred among all crops, and when this is done immediately after rain or watering the moisture is kept in the soil until the plants take it up. Make sowings of lettuce, onions, carrots, and turnips to maintain supplies, plant out winter greens, and put in one more row of peas. Should it be found impossible to provide supports for runner beans, quite satisfactory crops can bo obtained by pinching out tho points of the runners and allowing them to sprawl over the ground. Tire one drawback is that the pods are spattered with mud during wet weather, but they can bo washed. Continue to select sets of the early varieties of potatoes as digging proceeds and leave them exposed to the weather to green. Should the blight appear on the leaves of young cabbage, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts, they can ho sprayed with t«r water or kerosene emulsion, but it will be readily understood that this cannot be done with any that are preparing to form their heads. Soapy water is also useful provided it is applied with considerable force. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. F. M., Mataura.—The following are the names of the specimens sent:—No. 1. —This is a variety of the common - barberry (Berberis vulgaris). _ It varies very much in the colour of its fruit, and your one is the most desirable; fruit coral-like. (2) Cantua dependens. (3) Thalictrum aquilegifolium.