THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21650, 21 May 1932, Page 7

THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK

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ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS J M., Otago—lt is possible that weed killer has been applied to your hedge, or the unsatisfactory growth may be due to lack of drainage. See that the drainage is good and renew tne soil on your side. „ , "Inquirer,” Palmerston. —Delicious, Cox g Orange Pippin, Jonathan,, Sturmer, Peasgood’s Nonsuch, and Hawthorm den would suit you. Those’mentioned are not so reliable. F. P. 8., Timaru. —I should not give you. tomatoes nitrate of soda just now, but sulphate of potash. I prefer to fumi- / gate with X.L. All for white fly. I im afraid you have scorched the leaves of your plants. J H., Balclutha.—l d 6 not think you will dp much good with tobacco in your district unless you have a warm greenhouse in which to. bring on the seedlings like half-hardy annuals. Seed could be obtained through any of the seedsmen. Pme seeds are sown in October. . . <* Ernest,” Port Chalmers.—lt is impossible for me to name the potatoes sent, though they look like Up-to-Date. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY Chrysanthemums, both in the greenhouse and outside under canvas, will now be about their best, and notes should be made of the most desirable varieties, witn a view to propagating as soon as the cuttin™ are available. The chrysanthemum is a perfectly hardy p!ant, and except Jm the need for protecting the blooms from wet and frost, they will live quite well in the open air all the year round. The nearer they are grown to open air condiC the healthier they will be and for this reason it is advisable to get the cuttings In* early, so that they may be rooted" without heat or at least with as little as possible. A simple sort of pro negating case can be made with a box about 12 inches deep, holes being made in the bottom to allow excessive Water to

drain off. In the bottom of this box place about three inches of coarse sand or fine ashes, which helps to ictain mois ture, and fit a few sheets of glass over the top for the same purpose. As soon an the flowers are past then best, they can be cut down to within a foot of the soil, and stood in a cool but sunny frame, where the young shoots which are to be used as cuttings will develop into sturdy, short-jointed growths. The reason for leaving a piece of tne stem is, that, though the best cuttings are produced from the surface of tne soil round the old stem, there are some varieties which fail to produce these desirable shoots, and we have to take those formed up the stem. The cuttings are taken when about two inches long, and u they have a few roots forming at their base so much the better. These are dibbled in round the edge of small pots filled with sandy soil, with a layer of clean sand on top, and alter watering they are placed on the ashes,’ or sand, in the propagating box and the glass is put on. For the_ first week or so the glass is shaded with a piece ot scrim, or paper, during the sunny part of the day, and it is taken’off and wiped every morning. As soon as roots appear round the side of the pot, they are iemoved from the frame to make room toi the next batch, and stood on the greenhouse bench for a few days before being removed to a cold frame. Should either mildew or rust be very bad, it is better to dip the cuttings in a solution of Potassium sulphide, loz to 2 gallons of water and allow them to dry before insertion. Plants growing in the open, under canvas, can be left to form their cuttings, but those which were used in bedding schemes will have - to be lifted and packed into boxes of light soil, and stood in a cold frame to provide suitable cuttings. These can he taken as soon as available, and as they root fairly easy they are usually dibbled into boxes of light soil, and stood in the cool greenhouse or in a frame. Where the plants can be left in their flowering positions until the spring, very satisfactory results can be obtained by simply dividing up the old plants and planting them out again in their 'flowering in the spring or early summer. Singles and summer flowering kinds root quite easily, decoratives are not at all difficult, and they usually throw plenty of young growths, but the large flowered doubles are not so easy and many are shy at making young growths. Bulbs intended for forcing should be well rooted by now, and ready to be removed to the greenhouse to encourage more rapid growth. Those such as Laehenalias, Frees ias, and Crocus, which were not buried in ashes, should also be ready to place in gentle heat to hurry on their growth. Keep them up near the glass, , and as soon as the flower stems appear , they should he given the support of a neat little stake. Annuals such as schizanthus and clarkias, which were sown some time ago, will not be ready tor pricking oufc into boxes. Those sown in small pots can be thinned out to three in each and potted on to five-inch pots. Keep up near the glass, and as .soon as they shown signs of rushing up pinch out the' tips to cause branching. Pot-grown begonias which have now completely ripened off can be sliaken out and stored away in boxes of dry sou, which should be placed in a dry frostproof shed, Those which were lifted from the open ground can be cleaned ana dried as soon as the stems drop off, and then stored away in soil in the same way as the pot kinds. Climbers growing I on the roof of the greenhouse can be i pruned, taken down, and cleaned, and after the glass and woodwork has been washed they can be' tied up again. inis will allow more light to get in to the plants below during the dull winter weather. Hydrangeas which are in- , tended for forcing to get ear y flower I heads should be brought into the greenhouse and stood on the bench until growth starts, when they can be repotted into six or seven-ineb pots. THE FLOWER GARDEN Now that the dahlias and begonias have been cut by the frost, and the other summer bedding plants more or _ less spoiled by wet and cold, the remainder of the planting for spring can he earned out. Wallflowers, forget-me-nots and primrose polyanthus have all transplanted very well this season, and they soon become established in their ndw positions. Bulbs and tubers of all kinds should have been planted some time ago, but it is not yet ' too late, and if kept back in a cool, airy shed, they will not have exhausted themselves to any great extent. Continue to cut over herbaceous perennials and to divide up and replant Michaelmas daisies, rudbeckias. Shasta daisies and other rapid-growing, spreading kinds which soon become overcrowded and deteriorate. There are one or two hardy annuals whicn are still flowering freely, the chief of these being the Calendula or Scottish marigold, which can now be obtained in such desirable shades, and are so useful for providing cut flowers at a scarce time. The various varieties of Viscaua, though not so useful for cutting, provide a cheerful group in the inixed border at present, and so also is the Alonsoa and antirrhinums which had their seed stalks removed, are flowering quite well, i ansies and primrose polyanthus are also flowering freely, and it appears that they will continue throughout the winter. Most ot the leaves are down, and it is now possible to give the.flower garden a good clean up and to prepare for pruning trees and shrubs and digging the borders. Continue to plant, and transplant trees, shrubs and roses, to trench new beds and borders and to clean and top-dicss the rock garden. Winter is not very long, and it is advisable to push on with all alterations, such as draining, forming paths, forming playing lawns for lawn tennis or croquet, and levelling and topdressing ordinary lawns.

THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN There is not much doing in the vegetable garden at present except lifting and Rtnrimr root crops and trenchipg or dig gf„7aV“Cnt W but tbta“ * time in the fruit section. Continue to plant all kinds of fruit trees and hushes, and to prune gooseberries, currants, apples, and pears. THE PEAR The pear, Pyrus communis, is a native of BritaTn and the temperate parts of Europe and Asia and consequently is perfectly hardy in New Zealand. Though nothing like as popular as the apple, it is fairly extensively planted in private gardens, and it is so ornamental when in flower in the spring that it can be planted in the shrubbery or flower garden as a specimen. When left practically unpruned it grows into a s F? a ll, shapely tree, but it can be kept within bounds by pruning just as easily as the apple. The pear is budded or grafted on either the pear or the quince stock, tne former being the better for specimen trees which can be allowed to develop freely, and the latter, which has a dwarfing tendency, for those which are to be kept pruned either as cerdons or bushes. The fruit is borne on spurs produced on the old woo’d, and consequently the direction given for .pruning apples will also apply to the pear. At one time it used to be said that "he who plants pears ■plants for his heirs,” but this does not apply now, for bv using the dwarfing stock pears develop their fruiting spurs quite early, and once they start they continue. After pruning and light digging or forking a mulch of farmyard manure can be applied, unless the plants are making too much Wood, when a dressing of basic superphosphate or basic slag can be applied and hoed in. By making a wise selection it is possible to have pears for a reasonably long season, and varieties to plant are Williams’s Bon Chretien, Jargonelle, Louis Bonne or Jersey Beurre Diel, Glou Morceau, Winter Cole, and Winter Nelis. THE QUINCE Several species of Cydonia are cultivated under the name of quince, Cydqma vulgaris being the common quince, C. sinensis the Chinese quince, and C. japonica the Japanese quince. The quince, which is hardy and easy to accommodate, is a low, deciduous tree of a branchy, straggly habit. It does not require much pruning once it can be induced to grow sufficiently high, except to prevent any very vigorous stems from running away from the rest and spoiling the shape of the tree, and keeping the branches a reasonable distance apart. Most quinces are allowed to develop at the freedom of their own will, except to thin out the branches a little, and, as they bear very freely, there is usually enough for all requirements. Ihe fruit, which is powerfully odoriferous, and, in the raw- state, acid, astringent, and untit for eating, is principally used for making jams and jelly and for giving briskness and flavour to apple pies. It is propagated by means of seeds, cuttings, and layers. ' THE MEDLAR The medlar, Pyrus germanica, is a low, deciduous tree, a native of Asia and Europe, including the British Isles, where it grows naturally in woods and copses. Its fruit is hard, acid, and unfit to eat, until it loses its green colour and begins to deCay, when it acquires an agreeably acid and somewhat astringent flavour. It is not particular as to soil, _ and has a tendency to grow into a twiggy and frequently branched small tree or bush. Though this is not really much of a fniitf and is only relished by a few, it takes on such good autumn tints that it is worth a place in the ornamental shrubbery if there is no room for it in tne orchard. There are several varieties, such as Dutch, Royal, and Stoneless.