THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19228, 19 July 1924, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WOIIK FOE TEE WEEK. NOTES BY D. TAN NOCK, F.R.H.3. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to put in cuttings of chrysanuernums as they become available, sow seeds •d the hardiest kinds of bedding plants and no early kinds of vegetables, also those of • iborous begonias, hardy herbaceous and • pine plants and trees and shrubs. Seeds co not germinate so quickly just now, even ben we put them into a heated greenhouse ■ r frame, and growth is slow at first, con■cquontly we have to keep a sharp lookout : a- slugs, which would soon devour a box - •• pot of tiny seedlings. Civo primulas, inorarias, and cyclamen applications of • nuid manure at least once a week; pot on crus, palms, and other foliage plants, and prune, clean, tie up, and top-dress climbers ■ hich are trained on tho roof or walls of : ie greenhouse. The old fuchsias which ore lifted from tho flower beds last autumn nil were heeled in at tho foot of a hedge r wall can be lifted now, and after, trilling the roots and cutting away all the ob- . lousiy dead wood pot them up in pots .hich will just hold tho roots. Lise a light • id mixture, shake it well into the roots, : ;id stand tho plants on the sparred bench ; .1 tho greenhouse whore they can ho vringed twice a day with tepid water to encourage the breaking into growth of tho many dormant buds. When started now the plants have plenty of time to make a reasonable amount of new growth before the; have to be put out into the frames

io bo hardened off in preparation for plantin" them in the summer bedding schemes as standards among begonias. THE FLOWER GARDEN. The pruning of hardy trees and shrubs and the digging or forking of the beds and borders should bo completed as soon as possible to enable the garden to bo cleaned np in preparation for the spring display. Where trees and shrubs are growing in tho gross they look both neglected and uncomfortable when the grass grows up through tho brandies or round the stem. A circle, at least 2ft in diameter, should bo cleajicd and cultivated round them, and if growth is not satisfactory a mulching of well-rotted manure, leaf mould, or compost heap, or failing cither of those a topdressing of bone meal will bo helpful, 'lire planting and transplanting of trees and shrubs should also bo pushed on as rapidly as possible. Spring bedding plants are beginning to grow, and all beds and borders should be cleaned and scuffle-hoed or forked up; this kills seedling weeds, admits air to tho roots, and should keep thorn clean and tidy until tho spring display is over. If not already planted, tho carnations which were layered last season can be lifted and planted in their permanent positions now. They are quite satisfactory in beds or borders by themselves or in groups in the mixed or herbaceous border or rn the newly-planted rose bods and borders, wdiore they seem to like the conditions which have been provided for the roses and come into flower just after the first crop of bloom is over, thereby continuing me display. Plant roses, lift, divide up, and replant herbaceous plants, form and repair paths, and clean tho rock garden. At this season when cut flowers are bo very scarce I have found tho wattle very Useful. Acacia Baileyana has been flowering for some time, and the flowers last quite well in water. It is _ known as tho Cootamundra wattle, is quite hardy, has finely divided silvery foliage, and grows into a small tree, but commences to flower when little more than a bush. Young plants in pots can bo obtained from nurserymen. Tire silver wattle (Aoacia dealbat a) follows A. Baileyana, and it is followed by the bush-like A. oultiformis, aften called the knife-leaved acacia. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. Plant and prune hardy fruit trees and bushes, spray whore necessary, and dig, plough, or otherwise cultivate among them, manure and trench or dig all vacant ground, and thereby expose the soil to tho breaking down and pulverising influences of air and frost. For those who don’t possess a greenhouse, but own a garden frame, it is a groat advantage to make a hotbed which will enable them to bring on seedlings and to root cuttings during the early sprang months, when weather conditions are very uncertain. A hotbed is not at all expensive, tho load of fresh strawy manure is little tho worse as a fertiliser after the heat has gone out of it, and it is a way of making this manure servo a double purpose, so that nothing will be wasted. A load of fresh, strawy manure and one of leaves will be sufficient for an ordinary two-light frame, and to start the fermenting process those materials have to bo thrown up loosely, and well mixed together. When the healing process lias started tho heap can be turned over, that from the outside being placed inside, and the hot stuff fom the isido bought to tho outside to secure even fermentation. In another two days tho heap can be again turned, and it will bo ready to pack into its position. When tho frame is small, it is (.letter to build tho heap a foot wider and a foot longer than the frame, and sot it on top, but if it is both large and deep it is certainly more satisfactory to put the manure inside. In this way the whole of tho heat is retained. When tho frame is placed on the heap some of tho boat goes off into the air.

Don’t put your seeds or cuttings into the frame as soon as it ia made up, but allow a few days for the fumes to pass off, then put a layer of fine soil about six inches deep on it, into which the seed pots can bo plunged. Give a little air whenever the weather is at all favourable, and cover with sacks or scrim on cold, frosty nights. To get the best out of a load of manure the heat should be utilised for raising seedlings in the spring, grow a vegetable marrow in it during tho summer and tho well decayed materials will be suitable for mixing with potting soils or for applying to tho garden in the autumn. Make small plantings of early potatoes, small sowings of dwarf peas and broad beans, spinach and lettuce. Set up see<l potatoes in boxes to sprout, and cultivate among autumn sown or planted crops to kill seedling weeds and open up tho soil. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A. 11. 8., Westland.—The plants advertised in the American Magazine- are as follows:—Wonder rose: This is a little rose which can bo flowered in six weeks from time of sowing seed. The seed can' bo obtained from Now Zealand seedsmen. Shoo Fly plant: I don’t know. Giant butter beans are sometimes known as yard beans, tho pods being about a yard in length. I don’t think that tho seeds of this plant can be obtained in the dominion. Fire Fly Plant is tho night blooming convolvolus, usually known as the Moon Flower. Seed should bp available in New Zealand. Wonderberry is a kind of nightshade plant, Solanum Nigrum. It is an annual which appears on rubbish heaps, and the fruits can boused, but I would not like to recommend them. Bush melon is just a musk melon which does not run. I don’t think it has any advantages over the ordinary musk melon. Mexican Firefly Plant is the summer Cyprus, Kockin tricophylla. The seed can be obtained from any seedsman.

“Holly,” South Canterbury.—lt is quite common for hollies to flower and fail to set berries. Trees vary very much in their freedom of fruiting. By cutting round the roots like root-pruning apple trees your tree may bo induced to set berries. A. H. —You need to keep your semporflorens begonias moist during the winter and encourage them to grow as soon as possible in the spring, by giving them a little heat.

“Novice,” Mornington.—lt is quite possible to grow good grapes in an unheated greenhouse, and as the vine is at rest during the winter no artificial heat is required at that season. Gardeners often go to considerable trouble in preparing a vine border, but you should succeed fairlv well if your soil is well drained, well cultivated, and manured with bone meal in liberal quantities. Vines can be planted now, and any of the Dunedin seedsmen should be able to obtain a plant ot Black Hambro for you. Remove it from tho pot in which it will be growing, to tease out the roots, prune back the strongest ones a little, dig a hole 18in square and the same in depth, spread out. tho roots, fill m with fine soil similar to that required for potting, shako the plant to work the soil in amongst the fine roots, and make firm. It would require a lot of space to describe the construction of a rock garden and to list the most suitable plants. I have written a little book on this subiect which is to be published shortly, and in it you will find full instructions, also lists of suitable plants.

“Rnk'lutha.” —Any weed killer which would kill convolvulus will kill everything else in tho garden, and the only remedv which I can advise is to dig up as much as possible during tho winter or soring and keep all growths hoed ofT frequency during summer. If nrevonted from making leaves tho roots will in time perish, A good manure for your lawn will be basic phosphate or hone meal with a little nitrate of soda when growth commences in soring. Boiling water would kill tho weeds beside your asphalt path, and the commercial weed -killer would also he satisfactory. It won’t, kill your pampas grass to cut it over. “Caroline Tostont,’’ Ovvaka. —Black snot is certainly a very troublesome disease, and in wet, cold seasons almost defoliates the pornotinnas. It is caused bv the fungus Actinonema rosea, and can be controlled lo some extent by nicking off the affected leaves in the early stages and spraying with ammonialed carbonate of copper, which is prepared ns follows: Make up soz of carbonate of copper into a thin paste and aim three pints of strong ammonia, which will produce a clear solution. Dilute this with 45 gallons of water. This is not quite such a good fungicide nsi Bordeaux mixture, hut it can’t he applied during the summer. After the pruning, is completed it can be applied with advantage, tho winter o r stronger formula being used. You will find _it better to lift and replant your gladioli every year, and, if desirable, they can bo kept out of tho ground all winter.