DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20703, 29 April 1929, Page 16

DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB.

The Dunedin Gardening Club met on Tuesday night, when there was a good attendance. Mr F. H. Hollingworth presided. Mr J. Whyte addressed the meeting on seasonable operations in the garden, and dealt with the upkeep of lawns. Where lawns had become rough and over-run with weeds, the only plan was to dig down and rc-aow. If blood and bone were used instead of farmyard manure one did not get so many weeds. If the weeds were in patches they could he cut out aud a piece of turf from a clean pasture fitted in and pegged down. Lawns should have a proper and substantial edging. Where there .was a thinness of grass it was advisable to sow with grass seed. A good lawn grass seed mixture was: 7Jib perennial ryegrass, lib Agrostia Albva (brown top), 11b Chewing’s fescue, Jib crested dogstail, Jib white clover. The work in the flower garden consisted of taking all means to prolong the flowering season, such as staking and removing of all fading blooms and stimulating where required. Chrysanthemums in pots or tins should be removed inside when the buds show colour. All tender plants should'be taken up and removed inside. Plants such as delphiniums, German iris, peonies, derviueums, lupines, itc., should be divided and replanted. Geranium cuttings ..should bo allowed to dry for a day or two and put in sandy soil and placed in a sunny situation. Cuttings of pansies, violas, antirrhinums, pentstemons, and other perennials could be put in. Climbing roses should be pruned by cutting out' the old wood and thinning out the new shoots. New rose beds should be prepared, Strawberries should bo planted, holly hedges should be pruned, and where subject to smut blight should be sprayed with red oil. A number of questions were answered, aud Mr Whyte was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his interesting and instructive talk. It was agreed to take charge of the flowei stall at the St. John Ambulance Association’s carnival for five nights.