THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19405, 14 February 1925, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOE THE WEEK. NOTES BY D. TANNOCK, F.E.H.S. THU GREENHOUSE AND NURSERT. Careful attention should be given to watering and ventilating now, and to harden up foliage plants so that they may withstand the rigours of the winter It is desirable to ventilate liberally whenever the weather is at all favourable. It. is also advisable to go right through the greenhouse and examine all the plants. Turn them out to examine the drainage, remove any surface soil which Is free of roots and topdress with some good loam, taking care to ram the new soil as firm as the old ball of roots. Any palms or other foliage plants . which have become potbound can be shifted on to a larger-sized pot, but It is better to keep them in-smalt' pots as long as possible; they >are more convenient for placing in ornamental bowls in the house, and stand house treatment better when not over-potted. Continue to keep the tuberous begonias picked over, and seedlings which were potted up to maintain the display into the autumn can be allowed to develop their flowers now, taking care to remove the side buds as uiual. The . buds of chry:anthemums which are grown for large blooms can be taken now. If they-are too early for a show date they can be retarded a bit by leaving some of the side shoots to develop; but these must be removed before they starve and damage the bnd. Keep a sharp lookout for caterpillars which lodge In the tops of the Stems and eat out the buds, spray with toapy water and dust with tobacco powder to destroy blsck fly- and keep the stems securely fastened to the stakes. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Antirrhinums are the chief feature of the flower garden at present, and they certainly make a splendid show, being most effective when planted hi beds of one colour. By cutting off the seed stems as soon as the flowers wither they are encouraged to send up side shoots, which will continue to flower right Into, the winter. Dahlias and tuberous begonias are also making a brave show, and these will continue to improve right on until they are cut down by the frost. Unfortunately loth are very tender, and usually gc under with the' first few degrees. Continue to give Michaelmas daifles liquid manure, and In districts where they are liable to attacks of mildew spray with sulphide of potassium or formaldehyde of the same strength as recommended for roses. Continue to layer carnations, to plan* cut biennials such ns Canterbury bells, stocks, wallflowers, forget-me-nots, sweet williams, and doublu daisies,- pick the old flowers and seed pods off sweet’ peas, thin tut and tie up dahlias, pulling off the oil flowers at the same lime, and cut over any herbaceous plants which are past their best. The present is quite a good time to plant out tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils in' borders, and though these bulbs don’t iike farmyard manure to come Into contact with their bulbs, they don’t mind it when they begin to grow and to send down new roots. If the soil Is poor It is better to dig a hole about a foot deep, then to put in about 6in of well-rotted manure end to dig it over in the bottom of the hole, mixing it with the soil in the meantime. Next put In a layer of about Sin of clean soil and plant the bulbs on this, pushing them down a little in the looso soil, allowing from Sin to sin between them, and planting in irregular groups of from five to 50. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN AND ORCHARD. The planting of winter and spring greens can be continued whenever weather conditions are favourable. So far blight has not been very troublesome on the brassicas, and with the approach of autumn, with heavy clews at nights, there is less danger. Should blight appear, spray with soapy water as hot as you can bear your hand in, and apply it with force so that they may be dislodged and destroyed. Continue to reduce the growth on peaches, nectarines, and apricots trained against walls or fences. Cut out old raspberry canes which - have fruited, and thin out dense growth on gooseberry and currant bushes. Earth, up celery, dig potatoes, pull and harvest onions; and any bulbs which show a tendency to continue to grow can have their necks twisted, or the half of their roots can bo out through with a sharp hoe. THE HYDRANGE. The hydrange has always been a favourite in old-fashioned gardens, and grown as a pot plant is often seen in cottage windows in England and Scotland. Now it is a universal favourite, and quite on© of the most fashionable flowers which we can grow. Altogether there are at least 33 species of hydranges, natives of Eastern Asia, the Himalayan Mountains, Java, and NorthEast and South-East America. The species with which we are most concerned is Hydrangc hortensis, and its numerous forms and varieties- It is a native of China, and was introduced to Kew in 1879 by Sir Joseph Banks. The hydrange is a most accommodating plant. It can be grown as a pot plant for greenhouse and room decoration. it is excellent for filling large tubs or pots to be stood on a terrace or verandah. or it can be planted outside and treated as a hardy deciduous shrub. POT CULTURE. There ore now so many delicate shades that to get them at their best it is necessary to keep them under cover when flowor-

ing, and they are so useful for providing a display in the greenhouse after the spring flowering annuals are over and before the tuberous begonias come on. These will be past their best now, but they must not be neglected. They can bo stood outside in a warm, sheltered position, the old ffowsra being out off, but the stems axe not cut back until ihe growth commences again in spring. Water freely at first, but gradually ripen them off, the idea being to develop nice, plump, well-grown buds before winter. During the winter they are rested in a cool dry house, but not kept dust dry. In spring they are out down to five or more buds from tho base, and as soon as growth commences are taken out of the old pots, the old soil shaken off. and repotted in 6in or 7in pots, using a nice rich mixture. Stand in the warm greenhouse, and as soon ns the shoots show flower buds they can be reduced to not more than three, all those which are taken off being put into small pots and plunged in bottom heat, where they will soon > form roots and develop into fine plants by the autumn. As the growth proceeds give plenty of water and liquid manure once a week, and stake out when support is desired. Old plants can bo cut over and grown on for years, but tho best heads are obtained from young plants. When grown in pots most varieties come pink or white in ordinary soils, and to get blue varieties it is often necessary to water with a solution of alum, or to mix iron filings with the potting soil, but whatever treatment is given it should begin early and the solutions have to be foiily strong. Probably tho best results will be obtained by potting in soil which produces the blue colours naturally. CULTIVATION IN THE OPEN. Hydrangea are excellent for grouping among rhododendrons; they flower when the rhododendrons are off, and the conditions they require suite the hydrangea. They like plenty of moisture and manure, and a little shade will prevent the delicate shades, from burning. When preparing tho position for hydrangea trenen deeply, manure freely, and put out well-grown plants. Prune hard back the first year and afterwards thin out tho stems a bit to give the best and strongest shoots room to develop. In some districts it is possible to cut them right down every year and they will send up stems suffioieniy strong to flower the same but where there are early frosts it is better not to risk the hard pruning, but to cut hard back occasionally when the bushes become too large and to adopt a system of thinning as the general practice. Mulching and watering during the summer will assist growth, and an occasional application of- liquid manure will be appreaateH. Hydranges _ are easily propagated by means of cuttings of well-ripened wood put in in autumn along with tho cuttings of other hardy trees and shrubs. These will probably flower the first season, and will certainly develop into well-grown bushes bp the second. The showy part of the inflorescence is the sterile flowers which have no stamens of seed-bearing parts, but consists merely of from three to six flat-spreading sepals with some remnants of the petals in the centre. The perfect or fertile flowers are very small and are very numerous, the sepals, and petals four or five, and the stamens eight to 10. In same cases the sterile flowers are round tho margins of the inflorescence and the fertile ones in the centre. Hydrange paniculata grandiflora is one of tho most decorative of all hydranges for the open garden. It is a hardv deciduous shrub, which likes a nice, well-cultivated, rich, deep, moist soil, and to.be cut right down'every year. The young shoots soon come away and before long every branch will be terminated with a large loose panicle of white flowers, which last quite, a while. Hydrange quercifolia is also a deciduous shrub, growing to a height of 6ft or more. It is a native of the South-eastern United States,* and has large five or seven-lobbed leaves like that of Quorc-ua rubra. The panicles of tho flowers are white at first, but change to a purplish shade when old. Hydrange _ radiata is a deciduous shrub 3ft to sft in height, and a native of North and South Carolina. Corymbs are from 4in to Bin across, always with a few longstalked sterile flowers round the margin. This is not a particularly attractive plant, but very accommodating. Tho following are a _ few good varieties of Hydrange hortensisLily Mouillere. Mariesii grandiflora, Bouquet Rose, Mdm. E. Mouillere. Radiant Red., Dentella, • Ornament, Royal Blue, and-Thomas Hogg.

ANSWERS TO CORESPONDENTS. “Mater” (St. Clair).—There is no need to hurry with the digging of your potatoes if the tops are still very green and all the tubers small. It certainly will not increase their size to cut the tops off. "Dahlia” (Taieri Beach). —It is essential that there bo a bud or shoot on the dahlia tubers ,'when they are- planted, and the failure to note this is no doubt the cause of your failure. Plant at 2ft 6in to 3ft apart and asters or nemesia do very well for carpeting dahlia beds. “Begonia” {Lovell’s Flat). —Tuberous begonias can be grown from cuttings, but these require to be taken off when only a few inches long in spring, and plunged in slight bottom heat. They will soon root and form quite good tubers by the autumn. “Mornington.”—The little growths on the loaf stalks of your cherry leaves won’t do any harm. The leaves will ,soon be ripening and dropping off. “A. H.” (Waimate). —The variegated aoer negundo is' a sport from the green one, and unless care is taken the green branches will again arise and completely outgrow and kill the variegated stems. It will bo better to cut out you dead willows and plant _ again with rooted plants or strong cuttings. I don’t know of a book on forestry suitable for amateurs. “Holly Hedge.”—Your holly hedge is attacked by scale blight. Spray with warm soapy water or kerosene emulsion.