THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21580, 27 February 1932, Page 19

THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK

NOTES BY TANNOCK, A.H.R.H.S.

Answers to correspondents G. F., Owaka.—The lilium sent is L. ehalcedonicum, the scarlet martagon, and it is not at all likely to have changed from an L. condidura. It may, however, have been a bulb planted along with them but not sufficiently strong to flower last year. W. T. D., Dunedin. —You could try the . arsenate of lead as recommended for the grass grub in this -week’s notes. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY Continue to pot /up bulbs for forcing, to pot on old corms of cyclamen and to pot on the first of the cinerarias to their 'flowering pots dr tins. We find half petrol tins -with plenty of holes both in the bottom, and in the sides near the bottom, very useful for the stellate cinerarias. It is not necessary to fill them quite to the top. <■' Within two inches will do, and this will provide sufficient soil for a good, large, well developed plant. If pots are used, the seven .or eight inch size will be found suitable for the stellatas, and the eix.ineh size for the dwarf, large flowered kinds. Seeds of alpines and perennials can be cleaned and sown now —small lots in four-inch pots and larger in rows in ' a seed box. They can then be placed on the bench in the cool greenhouse, or in a shady cold frame where they will soon germinate and,. as the seedlings become large enough to handle, they are pricked out in boxes, in which they will ■pend the winter. Put in cuttings of pelargoniums, and get the soil ready to follow on with the geraniums. Continue to take the buds on the chrysanthemums, and, should rust appear, pick off the worst infected leaves and spray with liver of sulphur at the rate of 2oz to four gallons of -water. Tomatoes will now be ripening quickly, and it may be necessary to reduce the foliage a bit to allow the sun to get in to the fruit. Only leaves which are changing colour and showing signs of ripening should be removed. THE FLOWER GARDEN Pick off all old blooms which have been destroyed by the wet and all seed pods which may be forming, so as to direct the energies of the sweet peas and dahlias into the development of buds and flowers. So far the dahlias -have not needed any feeding, as they are making plenty of growth without

it, but the large-flowered kinds will soon need something, either liquid manure made from cow, sheep, or stable manure, or blood and bone manuie spread on the surface and hoed in. Remove all annuals and biennials such as sweet william, nemesia, and stocks, and continue to plant out spring flowering bulbs, and plants, and to scuffle hoe all vacant soil. * THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN The recent rains have made the plantin"- out of winter greens possible, and if the plants are available no time should be lost. It is too soon yet, to plant out cabbage and broccoli to stand over the winter and mature in spring, but if seed has not yet been sown, it should he got in aff once, so that the plants may be well-established before the winter sets in. This is also a good time to sow seeds of both of useful vegetables on a well-drained, sunny border where they will stand the winter in the seedbed, and be available for planting out in early spring. As the weather conditions in the autumn have such an influence on the growth, if we get favourable conditions extending into May, seedlings raised now would be too large, therefore it will be better to make a sowing now and another towards the middle or the end of March. Make sowings of white turnips, shorthorn carrots, lettuce, spinach, and broad beans, but it is still rather soon to sow peas "to stand over the winter. Stimulate the growth and develophient of runner and dwarf kidney beans by giving them a watering with ordinary liquid manure or a solution of sulphate of ammonia (a tablespoonful to two gallons of Water). Earth up celery and early leeks, harvest' onions, and dig the main crop of potatoes. Collect apples and pears as they ripen, and store away on shelves in a cool, dry, airy shed or proper fruit room. Reduce the growth on peaches and nectarines growing on walls or fences, and, if the old raspberry canes have not been cut away, this should be attended to at once, to allow light and air to get at the new ones, to secure ripening. GRASS GRUBS Grass grubs are very destructive not only in lawns, but also among the ordinary garden plants and in the nursery. Up till now it has been difficult to get a substance which will destroy them effectively. Apterite is quite good in potting soils, or in soil used for covering seed beds, but it is difficult to keep the fumes in long enough to destroy the pests in the open ground. The ’following treatment is recommended for lawns. For each 1000 square feet of lawn obtain one bushel of sand or fine soil, moist, but not wet. Spread this out in an open shed, or in the open, to a depth of three inches, and sprinkle on top slb of arsenate of lead. Mix thoroughly and sprinkle evenly over the surface in the autumn, or preferably in August. Do not apply fertilisers containing nitrate of soda, superphosphate, or sulphate' of potash, or kainit, for they react with the arsenate of lead, but sulphate of ammonia or well-rotted stable manure do not react. This substance should not be applied to shrubbery or herbaceous borders or vegetable crops, and it is not very safe on lawns where poa annua, poa trivialis predominate, or on grass growing in shady places. For large areas 2501 b of arsenate of lead to the acre will be required. ANTIRRHINUMS Antirrhinum majus, commonly called snap dragon, is one of the most useful, remarkable, and popular handy bedding plants of recent creation. It is perfectly hardy, and is found growing on railway cuttings not far from London, where it is a hardy perennial or subshrub, the lower parts of the stem becoming quite woody. Not so many years ago the varieties cultivated were all striped or flaked, self colours not being popular with the old florists. Now stripes and flakes are quite out, and the self colours, of which there as so mnay, are the favourites. In a recent catalogue there are no fewer than 22 varieties of the tall kinds, 27 of the intermediate, 10 bedding, and seven dwarf. There are thus plenty to choose from, and whether grouped in separate colours, in the mixed border, planted in beds of one or more colours, or in large borders they are very effective. Being perfectly hardy, if left in the "round over winter they will flower quite well the following spring and early summer, but are best when treated as annuals or biennials and grown from seed each year. The most popular method of raising the plants is to sow the seed in heat in early spring, prick off the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle, and, after hardening off, plant out in early summer. Plants treated in this way will flower throughout the summer, and, if the seeds are cut off as soon as, the spikes near the end, they will form side branches, which will flower right on into the winter. Another method is to sow in the autumn, and, after pricking off the seedlings in the usual way, to winter them in cold frames or in some sheltered place and plant out in the spring. This method will appeal to those who have no heated greenhouse or other facilities for raising plants in the spring. If sunny welldrained borders are available, the plants will come through the winter all right, if planted out in their flowering positions in the autumn. They can also be sown in the open in spring, like cabbage and cauliflower, and the seedlings planted out in their permanent positions as soon as large enough. Grown in this way they are later in coming into flower, but they are useful in the autumn. Special kinds can be .raised from cuttings, but, as all the colours come true from seed this method is not necessary, the plants being weaker than those grown from seedlings. Though in nature they grow on poor, dry railway cuttings and embankments, in the garden they like good treatment, and farmyard manure should be dug in some time before planting, or bone dust or blood and bone manure may be used at the time of planting. Lime is also an advantage should the soil show any tendency to become sour. The distance apart will vary according to the kinds, but the tall ones can have from 18 inches to 2 feet each way, intermediate from 15 to 18 inches, bedding kinds 12 to 15 inches, and the Tom Thumb kinds 9 to 12 inches. They do not require much attention during their growth. The surface soil has to be kept .scuffled, and weeds must be kept down. The tall and intermediate kinds are the better off with one stake to steady them. The tall varieties are excellent for the back of a border, the centre of large beds, groups in the mixed border, or dot plants among the intermediate or bedding kinds. They grow to a height of three feet, and can be had in 22 colour varieties. The intermediate kinds are the most popular for bedding and for groups. They grow to a height of from 18 inches to 2 feet, and can be had in 27 colour varieties. The new bedding varieties are half way between the intermediate and Tom Thumb, and they are suitable for small beds or the outside row of large ones. They grow to a height of 12

inches, and can be had in 10 colour Varieties. The Tom Thumb varieties are suitable for edging large beds or the outer row of a ribbon border. They grow to a height of six inches, and can be had in seven colour varieties. A large bed could be very effectively filled bv planting the tall ones in the centre, with two or'more rows of intermediate, one row of bedding and the outer row of Tom Thumb. Another effective bed could be made by filling up with intermediate varieties, edged with lorn Thumb, and to put in dot plants of the tall kinds. Antirrhinums can also be sown in the autumn and grown on in the greenhouse to provide cut floweis, or a display in the greenhouse during the winter. In addition to the garden varieties of Antirrhinum majus there are several species, the most important being A. glutinosa, A. rupestre, and A. asanna. The latter is a hairy, creeping species suitable for a dry bank or a sunny place on the rock garden. ■