THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21994, 1 July 1933, Page 7

THE GARDEN

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSErV

Sow seeds of violas and pansies, antirrhinums, alyssum, and 10-week stocks. Cut over. the last of the chrysanthemums, and after taking cuttings put the old plants in a cold frame to encourage further sturdy growth. Line out seedling primrose polyanthus in nursery rows. Alany, in fact most of the plants, will flower sufficiently well to select the best for growing on, the others to be planted out in the shrubbery border. Prune and clean vines, wash down glass and woodwork. and top-dress the border.

r* - _________ rtv Ur TUP VvEEK-^l

NOTES BY »D. TAN NOCK, A .H.R.H.Sy

THE FLOWER GARDEN Continue to plant roses, and ornamental trees and shrubs. Prune rambler and climbing roses. It is a good idea to peg down the lonjfc new shoots of climbing kinds if they have nothing to climb on. This has to be done before the buds begin to shoot; otherwise those at the top grow, but those lower down the stem remain dormant. Cultivate among wallflower, primrose polyanthus, and forget-me-nots. Form beds in which narcissi, tulips, anemones, and ranunculus are planted. b Plant lilies, a suitable place being among azaleas or dwarf rhododendrons. Dig herbaceous and shrubbery borders and weed and top-dress lawns.

THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN Continue to prune fruit trees and bushes. ; ~ , Trench or dig and manure all vacant ground. Lift and store any root crops that may be left in the ground. If left much longer the roots begin to become active and growth above is the result. Spray fruit trees for mildew and scale Cultivate among strawberries and prepare for spring planting. Force rhubarb, seakale, and asparagus. SOME UNCOMMON SMALL FRUITS In addition to the small bush fruits already dealt with, there are some less common, but still valuable, bush and small tree fruits which are well worth growing, even in.a garden of, limited area. t These also have ornamental flowers or foliage.; Myrtus ngni, sometimes called Eugenia ugni, is a neat ornamental shrub, a native of Chile. The. leaves are leathery, dark green above and paler underneath, the flowers are white with a pink tinge, and the berries, which are produced in great abundance, are globular and crowned with persistent calyx teeth. They are reddish brown and when ripe are highly flavoured (said to resemble pineapple. and strawberry), and in addition to being pleasant to eat raiw, they make a very nice jelly. It is easily grown from cuttings or layers, and will thrive in any reasonable soil and in any position, ' The Japanese wmeberry ( Kudus phcenicolasius), though not so valuable as the raspberry, provides an additional variety, and in addition to producing abundance of fruit in the autumn, the plant is also distinctly ornamental in appearance, sufficiently so to warrant it getting a position in the shrubbery. It is of the same habit of growth as the blackberry and requires ' similar treatment. The young stems, which grow to a length of Bft to 10ft, are covered with reddish hairs, and the fruit, which is borne in clusters, is wine red in colour — juicy, and agreeably acid. Bilberry or Blueberry.—The common British bilberry, Vaccinium Myrtillus, is ha'rdly worth growing, but the various varieties of American blueberry, mostly forms of Vaccinium Pennsylvanium. are. The .blueberry is a native of Eastern North America, where it is found growing in poor, sandy and peaty soil. It is a low deciduous shrub, the leaves taking on beautiful tints in the autumn, and the berries, which ard round, are normally black, and are covered with a blue bloom. They have a pleasant flavour, and are one of the most important wild fruits in North America. They can be raised from seed, and are suitable for semi-acid bush soils. Feijoa Sellowiana' is a neat shrub with greyish foliage and pretty flowers, fawn coloured on the outside and purplish crimson within. The fruit, is yellowishgreen, egg-shaped, guavolike, and of a delicious aromatic flavour. It belongs to the same family as Myrtus ugni, which has also a pleasant perfume, and is a native of Brazil. It has grown quite well with us in the Gardens, but so far has not flowered, I think it will need a warm, sunny corner next to a wall or fence. Mulberry (Morns nigra) is a small, shapely, deciduous tree, suitable for a lawn specimen. It succeeds best in a rich, deep, somewhat moist soil, and the fruit, which is produced in abundance, is a dark purple colour, approaching black when ripe, and is very juicy. Fig (Ficus carica) is a native or Southern Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It is perfectly hardy, but to get it to ripen its fruit properly it is better planted in a warm, sunny sheltered position against a wall or fence. It fruits better when its root system is confined, and the compost for the border will consist of good turfy loam two parts, lime rubble and brickbats one part* and add a six-inch pot of bone dust to every barrow load of the mixture. This should be rammed down fairly hard before planting. Tills plant is deciduous, and produces several crops in succession, but the crop which we can depend on is formed on the voung growths in the autumn, when it develops to the size of peas. If larger they shrivel up during the winter. In the spring these continue their growtn and ripen during the summer. As the «g bears its fruit on the young wood, it should not be pruned back, but the shoots should be thinned out to some extent, and, if nailed up to a wall or fence, so much the better. The fruit, so called, is not a fruit at all but a thick, succulent inflorescence, with the _flo\vers on the inside. CAPE GOOSEBERRY Physalis Peruviana is a native of South America, and can be treated as an annual or hardy herbaceous plant. It likes a warm, sheltered, sunny border similar to that required for tomatoes, and a very rich, deep soil. Plants raised in spring can be brought on in the greenhouses like tomatoes; potted into six-inch pots, and planted out when weather conditions are favourable. The fruit is enclosed in a papery calyx, and, when ripe, makes very good jam. ( LIME IN THE GARDEN The advantages of the use of lime, in garden soil are-usually recognised without being properly understood, and this substance is sometimes credited with properties, which it does possess. It is, however, very valuable in all garden soils, and for some crops is quite indis- ‘

Though suitable for pasture lands, carbonate of 'lime is too slow for the garden; consequently quick or burnt iinie is usually recommended. When limestone is burnt in a kiln several important changes take place. The heavy, inert rock is converted into a light, porous rock known as shell lime or quicklime, and in this form it is more active than either limestone or slaked lime. When quicklime is exposed to the atmosphere it gradually absorbs moisture, with which i* combines very readily, giving out heat, swelling up, and crumbling into a fane powder. Both slaked lime and quicklime absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, whereby they are converted into carbonate of lime. AH forms ot lime in the soil become converted into bicarbonate of lime, a compound, readily washed into the soil. This is the reason why dressings of lime have to be given at frequent intervals, and it is better applied little and often than in large doses at long intervals. Lime has threefold action: (1) Fhj' - sical; (2) chemical; and (3) biological. It has an important action on stift clay soils, making them less sticky, more granular, more .porous, and therefore drier and warmer. The general effect is that lime opens up these heavy soils, letting away-excess of water, so that they warm up more quickly in the spring, and plants start into vigorous growth a fortnight earlier than in untreated ground. On light soils, on the contrary, lime has some cementing powers, and particularly when applied in the form of clay marl, binding the particles together to ‘some extent and rendering them more capable of holding supplies of water and soluble plant food. Lime in itself is a plant food, but with the exception of pod vegetables is only required in comparatively small quantities. Quicklime is extremely caustic, rapidly decomposing all animal and vegetable matter with which it comes in contact, and is supplied to soils containing inert vegetable matter with great advantage. Soils such as these are usually newly broken up grass lauds or soils of a peaty nature. It is generally conceded that lime acts more by bringing other substances into proper conditions for being absorbed by the roots. In soils which are sour! owing to excess organic acids, lime acts as a corrective by uniting with and neutralising its evil effects. Where the ground has been manured top the purpose of growing vegetables it is liable to be more or less sour, and lime acts beneficially both by neutralising the acids and hastening the-decomposition ot the vegetable matter. It should be remembered however, thnt constant liming without the addition of farmyard manure or other organic matter would soon exhaust the soil.

Lime has a considerable effect on the character of the .vegetation, and troublesome weeds such as sorrel and spurry, which like a sour soil, aro> eradicated to a certain extent by liming, and thereby creating alkaline conditions. It is also vciy useful for controlling fungoid diseases. one of the most troublesome being “ e’.u’o root,” which attacks all brnssicas such 'as cabbage; cauliflower, and turnips. Ground infected with' this disease can be cleaned with one or two dressing of quicklime. . Lime does not have much effect on insect pests, but is death to slugs when it comes in contact with them. It is only effective when applied in a freshly slaked powdered form, and should be dusted over the ground in the evenings when the slugs are out looking for their food. Freshly-prepared limevvater is also effective, and this is the most suitable form for applying it to the matlike plants in the rock garden. There are some families of plants which do not need lime, and are better without it, such as heaths, azaleas, rhododendrons, and pines. They have an arrangement of'their own for overcoming the acidity in the soil. \