THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20022, 12 February 1927, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. Notes by D. TANNOCK, F.R.H.S. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. It is necessary to keep such spring and winter flowering plants as cinerarias, primulas, cyclamen, and calceolarias growing on slowly and steadily, shifting them on to larger pots as soon as they fill those they are in with roots to prevent them from becoming starved and stunted. The usual practice is to prick out the seedlings into boxes at first, next to pot them on to Sin or 4in pots, and when these arc filled with roots to put them into those they arc to flower in, which will be either Oin or Tin size. There is no advantage in potting plants into very large pots. They are easier to manage and easier to arrange in tnnsc of medium size, and they can be fed with liquid manure when the soil becomes exhausted. Tuberous begonias are now about their best, and to keep them flowering they will require* to be picked over regularly, removing all the side buds on the double varieties, and all the old flowers as soon as they commence to wither. Give liquid manure twice a week now, but give it weak. THE FLOWER GARDEN. The present is a busy time in the flower garden. Dahlias are now growing rapidly, and they require to be thinned and tied up from time to time, and all the old flowers have to he picked off regularly to prevent them from forming seed which is not required. Keep the pods of the sweet peas picked off, and tie them up fo their supports from time to time. Carnations are still good, and a start can now he made to layer the most desirable varieties. The old flowers of the rambler roses should be cut off aa soon as they cease to he attractive, but it is not advisable to cut the old stems right away just yet. Keep the young growths tied in. and spray for mildew or black spot should any of these pests appear. The second crop of bush roses is coming on rapidly: a certain amount of thinning is desirable, and spraying may be necessary. Narcissi bulbs which were lifted some time ago can he sorted out, and the large! flowering bulbs planted as soon as possible. There is nothing to be gained by keeping them out of the ground, and they ran be planted in beds, borders, or in the grass under deciduous trees. THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to remove spent crops, to dig the potatoes which have matured, and to weed and clean up generally. Cut away the old raspberry canes which have fruited, and tie in the selected young ones; thin out the young wood on gooseberry and currant bushes, also peach and apricot trees. Make further sowings of lettuce, spinach, and early maturing carets and turnips. Earth up early celery and leeks, water growing crops if necessary. and give them liquid manure at intervals, unless the soil was heavily manured in the Keep the soil stirred among nil growing crops. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. “A. 8.,” St. Clair.--I will he dealing fnllv with strawberry cultivation in a week or two. In the meantime keep the plants free of weeds and runners, unless they are required lor tunning new plantations. , | . ‘’Fruiterer. v F;i M’l i e.-—\ on sliouol spi <i> vonr plum trees with Paris Green as soon as the crop is picked, then spray with arsenate of load, 'i on need not mind some of your plums falling oft: it is Nature’s way of thinning the crop. It your pear tree is growing well and it remains unfruitful. J would recommend r v ,ot pruning during the winter. “W. N.,” Balclntha. —The plants sent are native orchids, but they arc not likely to be of any commercial value. “J. 11. T„” Invercargill.—You should cut and dry your gypsophila as soon as the flowers are fully developed. It is quite common for cherries to exude gum. ‘■lnquirer,” Alexandra. —You could clip vour holly hedge now, and it is desirable to cut it back to an even width throughout, two feet being quite suitable for a voting hedge. Do not cut it down, however ; just tip the plants which have reached the required height, and wait until the others come on. “M. C.,” Chatto Check. — The name of the" plant sent is Spiraea Douglasii, a shrub which is inclined to run, but uitable for a dry bank.

BROCCOLI. Like the cauliflower, the broccoli is a cultivated variety of the wild cabbage, and is grown for the sake of the succulent head, which is produced in the same way. The broccoli, however, takes a longer time to come to maturity. It is hardier, and withstands the frost better, and also differs somewhat in its general appearance. The broccoli has usually more numerous, stiffer, and narrower leave than the cauliflower, and is treated as a biennial, the plants being raised one season and the heads produced the next. Broccoli seed can be sown at any time in early summer so as to produce well grown plants by January or Februax-y- It is really better to sow the seed in boxes and to prick out the plants like ordinary annuals and to prow them on until they are xvell developed. Being perfectly hardy, the seed can also be sown in beds or drills in the open, and if the position in which the plants are to prow is not available until the autumn they can be lined out like wallflowers in a well cultivated, but not heavily manured, piece of ground at a distance of six inches apart each way. In any case, the transplanting means the development of fibrous roots, and the plants can be placed out in their permanent positions with the minimum of check to their development. Like all other members of the cabbage family, the broccoli does well in a sweet soil, and a liberal dressing of lime is essential. They like a deeply-cultivated, well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, but not recently manured with fresh farmyard manure. It should be firm to ensure a sturdy growth, and some growers recommend planting with a crowbar. As a rule broccoli has to follow on an early maturing crop, and is usually recommended for filling up the places occupied by the early potatoes, lettuce, spinnacb, or early turnips It is not really necesary to dig over the soil alter these crops. If the surface is levelled a bit and a liberal dressing of lime worked into the surface with the fork or hoe, it will be ready for planting. Draw fairly deep drills in the usual way, allowing 2ft to 3ft between each, and if the soil is very dry give it a good watering the day before planting. It is also advisable to give the plants a good watering the day before they are to be transplanted, to lift them carefully with a ball of soil attached to the roots, to plant them firmly, and to water in at once. If the weather is very dry at the time of transplanting, give a second good watering, and sprinkle the plants freely for the first week, and it is also an advantage to stick a few pieces of green twiggy branches round them for shade. Should the weather be very wet and slugs very troublesome, it is advisable to surround each plant with a ring of nexvqy slacked lime, and to renew this after every very heavy shower of rain. When planting out plants xvhich have not been transplanted, it is an advantage to cover the roots with a puddle, xvhich is made by mixing clay and cow manure with water until it is like thin mud. By dipping the plants in this as soon as they are lifted from the seed bed the fine roots become coated with mud, and consequently do not shrive] up. To reduce the loss of water during dry weather the older leaves are often cut off before transplanting, but this weakens the plants, and should not be done if it can be avoided. In addition to ordinary broccoli, which forms a head just like a cauliflower, white and firm, there are a few known as sprouting broccoli, xvhich do not produce a true head yet are quite useful. One is the purple sprouting or asparagus broccoli. It has purple stems and leaves resembling a curled red cabbage, producing not only in the heart, but in the axils of all the leaves, rather thick, fleshy purple shoots. These shoots are produced in succession for a long time, and they are gathered and used as they develop. It is not too late to plant out curly greens, silver beet, leeks, celery, and cabbages xvhich become available in the spring. Lettuce, winter spinnacb, shorthorn'carrots, and xvhite turnips can also be soxvn. . In manv districts where the winter is mild it is found most satisfactory to sow onions in the autumn. The ground is prepared iu a manner similar to that recommended for spring soxving. Lhe ground is deeply dug, thoroughly broken up, and then made firm by rolling or tramping. The surface is raked smoothly, drills are drawn about an inch deep ani from 9in to 12in apart, the seed is sown thinly and evenly, covered with care, and firmed with the head of the rake. The general practice is to leave the seedlings in the drills where they were sown until the spring, when, they are liftd and transplanted out, but in very mild districts they can be transplanted in the autumn, the roots and leaves being trimmed like the leeks. The large varieties, such as Giant Rocco and Giant Gittau, are considered the most suitable for autumn sowing, but other kinds can also be used. It is often said that the host effects are obtained by planting comparatively common but real good hardy plants in large quantities, and I noted a very fine effect in a garden in New Plymouth, produced by massing Agapanthus umbellatus, the African lily, on a dry bank. This bulbous plant is a native of the Cape, perfectly hardy in Nexv Zealand, and suitable for planting in the herbaceous border, among shrubs, or on a bank beside a pond or a creek. It can be increased by division, the bulbs being replanted in autumn or early spring, and a mulch of leafmohld or straxvy manure encourages vigorous growth. In addtition to the ordinary A. umbellatus, of xvhich there is a xxTiite as 'Well as a blue variety, there is a variety called gigantea, the flower-spikes of which attain a height of 3ft to 4ft xvith umbels bearing from 150 to 200 floxvers, and other two strong growing xmrieties, one called maximns and the other major, both larger than the type. There is also a small variety called minor, xvhich is suitable for the front of a mixed border. Gnltonia candicans, the Cape hyacinth, is also a noble hardy bulbous plant in flower at the present time. From lilylike leaves it sends up stems from 4ft to Oft in height, having spires of white bell-like blossoms IJin long. This is a valuable plant for planting in large groups in the herbaceous border, or among dwarf shrubs or rhododendons. It increases fairly rapidly, and should be lifted and replanted every three or four years.