THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19156, 26 April 1924, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK

NOTES BY D. TANNOCK, F-R.H.B.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. We may have frost at any time now, and arrangements should be made for placing the tender plants under shelter for the winter. If geraniums have not rooted well, old plants can be lifted from the beds and packed closely together in boxes of light soil or planted on the sheltered side of a hedge or wall where they will spend the winter. In spring they can be cut back and potted up, and will make useful plants by bedding-out time. Fuchsias can be winterer! on the dry side of a hedge or fence, or they can be potted up and stood in the greenhouse, or in a deep frame. Ecliiverias should be planted in a frame and covered with a sash to keep them dry and tuberous begonias can be lifted dried off, and stored away in a frost-proof shed. Continue to bouse chrysanthemums and cover those which are growing under a framework with canvas to keep the blooms dry. Keep the young schizanthus plants up near the glass in the cool greenhouse, and complete the potting up of the primulas and cinerarias. Fumigate the cinerarias and calceolarias occasionally to keep green fly in check, and put on a little fire-heat at nights and on wet days to maintain a dry atmosphere in the chrysanthemum house. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Now that we have had satisfactory rains we may expect frost at any time, and a . start can be made to clear out the more tender of the bedding plants and to plant out the spring flowering kinds. The summer tedding plants have had a good innings, and, though we hate to clear away any colour, it is also necessary to remember that the spring flowering kinds have to get a chance to become established before the very cold weather sets in. If the beds were well manured for the summer plants, all that will be necessary now will be to dig them over, to give a dressing of lime or basic phosphate and to level them down ready for planting. Lift the wallflowers with great care and transfer them to their flowering quarters with the minimum of root disturbance and delay, give a good watering (though the soil may be moist), and finish off the surface smooth and level. Sweet williams, which are growing in the nursery should also be planted in their flowering positions now. and any herbaceous perennials or alpines which muv be growing in boxes or nursery rows can be put out. A start can be made to prune the rambler roses, which are growing on rustic fences, poles, or arches. The annual pruning of ramblers is most important, and in ordinary seasons there are usually sufficient strong young stems to take the place of the old ones which have flowered, so that all we have to do is to cut the old ones away, to shorten the young one* back a bit, and to tie them in. This is a very simple method of pruning, and so long as it can be carried out and the plants renewed every year they w'll jcmain healthv and flower vroll. Unfortunately the growth is not so vigorous as usual owing to the prolonged dry weather, and it may ho necessary to retain a few of the stems which have flowered, pruning back the side brandies to within an inch of the main stems. On pergolas and arches it is seldom possible to get sufficiently long, young sheets to go right over or across, and a few of the old ones have to be retained, the side shoots being pruned back as already advised. Do not be afraid to prune fairlv bard, and do not leave tangled masses of old stems, twigs, and dead leaves. After pruning see that the Doles, fences, or other supports are firm and in good order, and tie the stems in with flax or tarred string. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Make another planting of cabbage fo come in early next summer; transplant silver beet, and make a sowing of dwarf peas on a warm sheltered border. Earth up leeks and complete the earthing up of the late celery. Potatoes, which were selected for seed when digging was being carried out and afterwards snread out in boxes to green, can now bo stood up on their ends in the trays and stored away in a frost-proof shed, or behind a hedge or wall in districts where there is little or no danger from frost. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. ‘•P. J.,” Waiwera.—The specimen sent is Kuonymns curopneiis or (spindle, tree). It can he grown from cuttings of wellripened young wood, put in outside at the present time or from seed, but, as the plants vary considerably, some fruiting much better than others, it is better to propagate by means of cuttings taken from the most desirable varieties. "G. W..” Green Island. —Silver beet is belter when sown earlv in January in rows 21t anart and thinned out to from 12 to 15 inches apart, and to get strong, luxuriant

growth give plenty of manure. Mangolds can be sown in spring. Yellow- Globe would suit your purpose. , “P. D.,” —Edievale. —Aspidistras grow best in partial shade, and, though they require a great deal of water, this should not be applied too often. When growing in the house one good soaking once a week will do. Turn out your plant and , make the drainage satisfactory. Put it back in a clean pot the same size as the one it came out of, and prick away as 1 much of the surface soil as possible without damcring the roots, and topdress with nice light loam. They do not require to be repotted until they burst the pot. ORNAMENTAL FRUITING TREES AND btIRUBW Though most of the hardy trees and - shrubs flower in the spring or early summer there is still much of interest in the shrubbery at this season and throughout , the winter, when the ornamental fruits begin to ripen. Ihese, when associated with autumn-tinted foliage and chrysanthemums, make good autumn and winter decorations for the house The following list is not by any means complete, but includes most of the kinds at present in cultivation in New Zealand, and most of them will be exhibited at the forthcoming chrysanthemum show. Several can be propagated by means of cuttings or suckers and practically all by means of seeds. Acer pseudoplatan us erythocarpum is a native of the Bavarian Alps and, though its red fruits are not so very valuable for cutting, they look very well on the trees in early autumn. Arbutus Unedo (strawberry tree) is an evergreen tree growing to a height of from 15ft to 30ft and occasionally to 40ft. It a native of South-western Ireland, as well as the Mediterranean regions, and is quite hardy in New Zealand, where it thrives in moist, peaty soils. It. will also thrive on limestone, and in this respect differs from most of the members of the Erica family. The. fruits hang on quite a long time when rine, and are very useful for house decorations. Acuba janonica is a unisexual evergreen shrub ot roundish bushy form usually valued for its shining green leaves, peculiarly marked with spots and blotches. The first introduction was a variegated and female form, and it was not until 60-years afterwards that fortune introduced the male green-leaved form that produced handsome red berries, and its full beauty was thus realised. Now both the variegated and green-leaved varieties of both sexes are quite common. On the male plant the flowers are borne on erect terminal pinnacles 2in to 4in long, and on the female they are produced in compact clusters 2in to Sin long, each berry being roundish oval about half an inch long and bright scarlet. The flowers are produced in spring and the fruit is in good colour all tnrouirh the late autumn, winter, and spring. In London large quantities are grown in pots and sold lor house plants. This plant will thrive under the shade of trees, but to get it to fruit it should be planted in a fairly open situation, and, of course, both sexes must be represented. The berberis are a host in themselves, and with the introduction of the many now Chinese species and their English raised hybrids there is no end to their possibilities. Berberis anstata is a strong growing species from the Himalayas and is very suitable for forming high impenetrable hedges. Its berries, which hang in clusters, are dark red covered with bluewhite bloom. It is easily raised from seer’ and thrives on a dry hank. Berberis Vulgaris, is the common Barberry often planted to form hedges, and being a very accommodating plant, it will grow o-nv where. It is a very handsome plant when in flower and in autumn its berries, which vary very much in colour are much admired. The variety with corallike red fruits is most sought after. It can be propagated by means of suckers and the rest by means of seeds. Berberis Wilsons©,‘ is just one P* many beautiful forms introduced by Mr Wilson, now of the Arnold Arbortenni, which was named after his wife. It is an elegant deciduous or- semi-evergreen shrub growing from 2ft to 4ft high, ot rnerading habit, and usually more in diameter. The flowers are small and pale yellow, and the berries which are borne in abundance are roundish, coral, or salmon-red. somewhat transinrent and very ornamental. The leaves also take on brilliant autumn lints, and. being a very hardy species suitable for growing . on a steep, drv bank, it is a ver-- desirable plant. We have now quite a large collection of the newer berberis in the Botanic Gardens, but most of them are too young tn fruit freely, and consequently have not shown their true character yet. Celastris articulates Is a vigorous-grow-ing woodv climber, very suitable for glowing over decrepit old deciduous trees or tree stumps. Its fruits, which are produced in abundance, are brilliantly coloured and. as tbew appear to have no attractions for birds, hang on right throughout the winter. It is a native of North-east Asia. Corpus mass (Cornelian cherry) is a deciduous shrub or small tree, valued mainlv for its yellow flowers, which are produced in great aboumfance in winter or very early in spring. Its fruit, which is not produced in great abundance is handsome, and has been used for making preserves. It is a native of Europe, and wiU thrive in a moist position. The cotoneasters, like the berberis, aie a host in themselves, and, though all produce fruits, they are not all alike ornamental. Feme are upright growers, suitable for the shrubbery and margin of the woodland, while others are excellent for covering dry sunny banks and the dwarf kinds suitable for the rock garden. Cotonuaster bullatn, a native of Western t-hina. is a deciduous shrub growing to n heignt of from 10ft to 12ft. The leaves are large r or a ootoneaster, and its fruits, which are pear-shaped or round, are brilliant reo. Gotoneaster bnxifolia is one of the best for covering a dry bank, a stump, or an u"ly fence.' It is a native of the Nilghin Hills, and its fruits, which are red, are produced in abundance. C. !Di®lsiana is a new introduction from China, and one of Mr Wilson’s plants. Its habit is singularly graceful, the long whip-like shoots spreading outwards and downwards in every direction. The scarlet fruits are round nr pear-shaped, and a quarter of an inch '°cf horizontal!* is a deciduous shrub ot low flat habit rarely more than two to three feet in height, the branches spreading in a, horizontal manner. The berries, which are produced in great abundance, are bright red, and seem to be relished bybirds The leaves turn bright red before dropping off, and it .is well worth growin.r for its autumn tints clone. It is a native of China, and is easily raised from seeds or cuttings. It is a good rock garden or dry bank plant. C Simonsi I is a deciduous or semi-ever-green unright-growing shrub of a somewhat stiffer habit ft Is a native of the Khasia mountains, and is valuable alike for its tinted leaves anti scarlet fruits which are produced in abundance when the plant is doing well. All the cotoneasters are easy to progagale bv means of seeds or cuttings. There are still so many desirable ornamental fruiting trees and shrubs to be dealt with that I shall have to continue the list in another week’s notes.