THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22266, 19 May 1934, Page 7

THE GARDEN

NOTES BY a.h.R.H.S.

work for the week

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS “Tyro” (Dunedin). —You should not mix cow manure with your tomato soil unless it is very poor. It. .has a tendency to cause soft, long-jointed growth in the 'early stages which is very susceptible to disease. The superphosphate and bone dust are all right, but the cow manure had better be added later either as a mulch or as liquid. The White Island product will improve your soil and destroy fungoid pests to some extent. A quarter of a pound of super will be enough for four tins. When spraying with Formaline add two tablespoonfuls to a gallon of-water-, This for the house, alone and, for plapts, half that strength would be enough. You are. better to use bone dust after digging l the ground for the vegetables and it should be worked in when forking of breaking up- the ground before sowing or planting. The question regarding gladioli will be answered later when dealing with the cultivation of this plant.

fleshy roots like parsnips, and in winter these are lifted, the tops are cut oyer, and they are packed into boxes ot lignt soil, which receive one good watering and are then stood in a frost-proof shed or cellar and kept in complete darkness. To hurry on growth at first a tew roots can be put under the greenhouse stage, where they will get the benefit of the warmth provided for the plants, care being taken to exclude all light, ot coarse. Breaking off the leaves is better than cuttings, and it may be begun in a few weeks after the roots have been stored. With a little management one may have a supply from May until spring vegetables are available. THE FIG Ficus Carica is a native of Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia, but is perfectly hardy in this country, ana will ripen fruits regularly in the south if planted against a wall in a position sheltered from the cold wind and where it will get the maximum of sunshine. ine chief difficulty here is to prevent it from making too vigorous and sappy growtu, which will not ripen properly, and consequently will not bear fruit. When making up the border for the fig put in at least six inches of brickbats or clinkers for drainage and mix a liberal quantity of broken bricks or lime rubble with the turfy loam, which should be rammed firmly when planting. Hie -fruit is borne on the current years growth, but in the south these have not time to develop, and ripen the same year, and those which are lower down on tne shoots shrivel and drop oft_in the spring. Those nearer the tips of the shoots, however, which are not much larger than a pea, will stand through the winter ■ and continue their development when the sap rises in the spring and ripen during the summer or early autumn. the fruit is really formed one season and it develops the next. When pruning which is not very necessary if S r ™ « short-jointed—the thin growths are cut out, and those which have borne fruit shortened back a bit. They pan be trained against a wall or grown in bush form according to the space they ™ occupy—either are satisfactory. When growth is active they require plenty ot water, hut when ripening and at rest can he kept dry. The variety Brown Turkey is the best for outdoors. THE MIXED FLOWER BORDER The mixed or herbaceous- border w’the main feature of most small gardens fact, in the very small gardens it is the only decorative feature, and when pioperly planted with a representative collection of the various herbaceous perennials! some annuals and biennials, a few roses and a few flowering s' l ’*’ ll " be made interesting, and attractive throughout the year. The long, wide, herbaceous borders backed by walls covered with choice climbing plants, clipped hedges of . yews, or rustic fences covered with roses or sweet peas, are a distinct and beautiful feature in the garden, and wherever space is available they should be imitated. The size of a border does not matter, so much, for no matter how small it may’ be it should be carefully and thoroughly prepared by trenching about two or three feet deep, and liberal manuring both at a depth of two feet and at the surface, so that both the deep-root-ing and the shallow-rooting kinds can find supplies of food readily. The position is important, and it is_ better tc .have a background of some kind to provide she - ter for the tall kinds, such as delphiniums, hollyhocks, golden rods, and rudbeckias, and to form a suitable setting. The Lackground may be a hedge, a wall, r. wooden or rustic fence, or a shrubbery, but as far as possible strong-growing greedy trees of shrubs or hedge plants should be avoided. The width will vary according to the length and the space available, but should be not less than three feet and can be up to 12 or 15. The border with a winding front is more decorative tnan the straight one, but it should be gentle curves and not meaningless wriggles. Having marked-out and trenched and manured the border, the next operation is the planting, and if the ground is at all workable it is better to plant in the autumn, which means at once, so that the plants may be established before the winter sets in, and it is better to group the plants in from three to a dozen of one kind than to dot them individually all over the border. When setting out the perennials, spaces should be left for the mtroduetion of spring flowering plants and both hardy annuals and biennials, and the groups should not be set out in circles, squares or triangles, but each group should merge into another, so that when the border is at its best it will be completely filled up, and no soil will be visible. Another point of importance is to group the plants according to the height to which they will grow, not keeping all the dwarf kinds in a row along the front with the intermediate ones in the middle and the tall ones at the’ back, but here and there the intermediate ones will come- well to the front and in other places the dwarf kinds will go further back, forming an irregular outline'showing each group to the best advantage. The colours and the nature of the inflorescence, whether a spike like a delphinium or a hollyhock or a head like a sunflower or chrysanthemum, should receive some consideration. In very large gardens it is possible to have borders of special colours, such as blue, grey, or gold borders, also borders of a season such as spring, summer, and autumn borders—but these are not possible in the large public garden or the small private one° where the interest in all parts has to be maintained throughout the year. The list of suitable plants can be a very long one, but a few of the best of each type for providing cut flowers for house decoration and for providing a display in the garden should suffice, ine importance of any plant is indicated bv the number of named varieties there aie. Tall growing kinds suitable for the back

are Anchusa Dropmore variety, Bocconia cordata, delphinium in many varieties, Eryngium Oliverianum, Enpotonum putpureuni, heleuiums in variety (Riverton Gem being a good one), Heliamthus, Miss Hellish, hollyhocks in variety, kniphotias in variety Michaelmas daisies in variety,Rudbeckis Golden Glow, and llialictrum dipteroearpum. OT medium height there are Anemone japonica, Antlienus tmetora, chrysanthemums, shasta daisies, and early flowering border varieties, Coreopsis grandiflora, gaillardias in variety, _ Gypsophila pauiculata fl. p., Selenium Crimson Beauty, iris in many kinds, including the bulbous and bearded kinds, lilies in variety, phloxes in variety, paeonies both single and double, poppies in various kinds, pyrethrums both single and double, potentillas, Campanula persicifolia, Scabiosa eaucasica, Statice latifilia, and S. Dicksoni, sidalceas in variety. Dwari kinds are Campanula earpatica, di an thus, including Allwoodii, geums in variety, lieucheras, linums. Nepeta miisseni, Oenothera speeiosa, Phlodx mossy in variety, aubretins. alyssmns. Christmas roses. Salvia patens, trollius in variety, primulas in variety, Vebena venosa, pentstemons. Primrose polyanthus, 'with groups of crocus, scillas, Chionodoxa, grape hyacinths, daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, anemones, ranunculus, etc. This is a general list to indicate the wonderful variety which can be had in hardy perennials and does not include carnations, sweet william, Canterbury Bells, walflowevs, and forget-me-nots, without which no border would be complete. While this is the best time to plant new borders, it is also the best season for overhauling old ones, and some of the occupants arc better when lifted, and after the ground has been manured, replanted every year, others every second or third, and some, such as paeonies, should never be disturbed at all. It is also a good thing to overhaul the border every four or five years and lift out all except the things which should not be disturbed. One method is to do it in sections of about 20 feet, heeling in the plants from the first section and replanting it with those from the second, but unless it is very long it is better to lift the whole of the plants to label them carefully, and heel them in until the whole border is ready. When replanting, be sure to select the young, vigorous pieces from the outside of the clump, and to plant them firmly just a little deeper than they were before. The distance between the smaller plants in the groups will be nine inches, the medium growers 12 to 18 inches, and the tall growers 24 to 30 inches, and space between the groups being about 18 inches. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN All potatoes should be dug and stored in clamps or in a dai'k, cool, airy shed. Beetroot and carrots can also be dug and stored in sand in a shed or cellar, or buried at the bottom ot a hedge or wall. Continue to clear off all spent crops and manure and trench or dig all vacant ground. After heavy rain fork or hoe among growing crops to open up the soil and let air in. Continue to prune all bush fruits after manuring and digging among them. Plant all kinds of vine, bush."and tree fruits. Examine potatoes which were selected for seed and throw put any Showing signs of disease or decay.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY Chrysanthemums should - now be about their best or getting very near it, and notes should be made of the most satisfactory varieties with a view to progagathig biter on. Cuttings which are showing now can be.taken and put into small pots of sandy, soil. . Keep the atmosphere as dry' as possible and dust the foliage with sulphur to prevent mildew. T’elargoniuins • and geraniums, which were cut over some time ago and were afterwards potted into small pots,, should he ready to be potted into their flowering pots’, which will be sis, seven or eight inch size according to the strength of the plants. Their soil will be loam three parts, Icafmould and well-rotted manure in equid quantities, one part, sand half a part,'- and lime rubble, and a six-inch potfuT of. hone meal to every barrowload of the mixture. /Take the more forward cinerarias into the greenhouse and give a little .weak liquid manure once a week. Jlake and put imhardwood cuttings. Pot the: rooted’bedding geranium cuttings, the ivy-leaved kinds to three-inch pots; and the scarlets into fours. Any ivyleaved kiijds which are required for standards should be put into fours. Use a soil similar to that recommended for the pelargoniums. Shake out the dry tubers of gloxinias and tuberous begonias and store away in boxes of dry soil in a frostproof she'd or in the greenhouse. Pot caledlarias into their flowering pots- and also any _ late primulas and cinerarias. A sowing of schizanthus, clarkias. and: godetias or any other hardy annual may still be made in small threeinch, pots. Bulbs which were potted or boxed, some time ago and have nowstarted to grow can be removed: from thencovering of ashes and brought into the greenhouse to hasten on growth. . THE FLOWER GARDEN Gladioli can be lifted and dried and afterwards'stox-ed away in a dry shed. Dahlias can. also he lifted as soon as the frost has finished them and stored in dry soil, hut. they will winter all right in any well-drained border if.mulched with straw or covered with leafy branches to protect them from frost. Overhaul and replant old mixed borders and plant out new ones. Overhaul and topdress the rock garden and plant out new plants from pots or boxes. ../T'. V Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths should have"'fceen planted but anemones, rauunculas,- ixias and bulbous iris can still be planted. ■ Clean off beds and borders and plant out wallflowers, primrose polyanthus, pansies, violas, double daisies, and forget-me-nots ■ for spring flowering. Continue to plant and transplant trees and shrubs. CHICKORY Though chickory is extensively grown for mixing with coffee, it is also a useful winter and early spring vegetable when well grown and suitably blanched. It can he cooked like seakale or used as a salad similar to celery or lettuce. Unlike seakale, it is ; an annual, and is sown in spring in rows one foot apart, and the- seedlings are thinned out to about nine inches apart. It forma