THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22568, 11 May 1935, Page 21

THE GARDEN

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS "I. B;," Inviercargill.—Broad beans uhould not require any protection during the winter, but, if in an exposed place, it is an advantage to shelter them from the cold south-west winds with some twiggy branches. You Should stick the peas with twiggy branches, which will provide support arid protection. "Stirling."—You would be better to protect your hydrangeas with scrub during the winter. They should be perfectly hardy after the first winter. Shrubs for your border could be Forsythis suspensa, Spiraea Van Houtte, Amelanchier canadensis, Pyrus malus gorgeous, Escallonia Langelyeneis, Philadelphus virginale, Azalea mollis, • Eugenia myrtifolia, and Stransvesia uhdirlata..

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY All the less hardy bedding plants have to be brought into some kind of shelter for, though we have not had any frost so far, it cannot long be delayed, and it is time that all the spring flowering kinds were planted out. Fuchsias can be heeled in in a sheltered place until there is time to pot them up. They can then be pruned slightly, the roots trimmed, and the plants potted up into as small pots as the roots can be put into. Tuberous begonias can be lifted, part of their foliage'cut off and spread out in. boxes in a sunny frame to dry. The remainder of the stems will soon fall off, when the tubers can he stored in a frost-proof shed or dry cellar in dry soil or sand;. Echiverias, which were used in formal beds, can be boxed up, and dahlias lifted and stored in soil or sand to prevent the tubers from shrivelling. ■'-;,' ;■'■'.■■

Rooted cuttings of bedding geraniums can be potted up, seedlings of Primula sinensis and calceolaria can be placed in five-inch pots and seeds of schizanthus and clarkias and godetias can be sown in small pots to flower next spring and early summer.

Chrysanthemums are now about their best. ■ and notes should be made of the varieties which are outstanding and are to be'erown on for another year. It is better to make notes from growing plants than from specimen blooms on an exhibition board. They are particularly good this year, the colours being clear and distinct, the blooms a good size, and the foliage clean and healthy. Maintain a dry atmosphere and water carefully. THE FLOWER GARDEN Continue to clear out the summer bedding plants, to manure, dig, and lime the beds, and to plant wallflowers, primrose polyanthus, tulips, .hyacinths, and other spring flowering bulbs. ~ Rake up leaves-and put in a heap in some convenient corner where they will rot and form the ÜBefu! potting material, leaf mould. Bush roses should not be pruned yet, but it is advisable to shorten back any strong shoots which will catch the wind and work the plant loose at the'ground surface. Ramblers can be pruned and tied up to their supports now. It is wise ,to .examine pergolas, staudards, and arches to make sure that they are in good order, arid-fit to stand through another slimmer, for it is very, aggravating when they come down when the roses are in full flower.

Continue to. top-dress and replant the rock garden, and to prepare beds and borders for planting roses and ornamental shrubs. - • Fork and weed bulb-beds, and plant out pansies and violas; If old plants of panties and . viojas are lifted carefully, sill their old flowering shoots, cut off, and the clumps broken up a little they will flower very well in spring and early summer.

Sweet pea stakes can be taken down and stored iii a dry place for the winter. The same applies all.,shakes used, for d-'hlias, ehVysrintnemut'nsf and herbaceous plan's. If nut away in a shed now, they can be cleaned, sorted out into sizes, and tkd up in bundles when it is too wet or cold:to work outside during the winter.

THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDEN

r T-hoirgii a- little lat(?, dwarf peas and broad, brans can still bo. sown on a welldrained, .sunny* border. Keep the soil "•'■■'stirred among all growing erops, and weed •onions and other autumn-sown crops. Con•'tinue to lift and store root crops, except parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes, which are better left in the ground a little while yet. Earth up celery and leeks. This should now be the final earthing, for there is not likely to be any more growth. Manure and trench, or dig all vacant ground,' leaving the surface rough and ''"- OP'H. Khubarb beds whieh : have been estab- . fished for more than four years are better : lifted,. and, after trenching and manuring, the ..ground, strong, selected crowns '/can;, be "replanted. Rhubarb is peculiar in that it"is.considered an advantage to .leave the roots., exposed to the weather. ' \fbr>four weeks before replanting. Beds .which are still young and vigorous can ■ be forked over, and mulched with farmyard manure. Clear off the old asparagus tops, clean and fork the bed; and apply a mulch of well-rotted farm-yard manure. Cover it ' afterwards with about two inches of good ,'. clean 'soil,v. '''■''■''. '. :, -Prepare ground and plant all kinds of

fruit'trees and bushes. '' ''Prune gooseberries and currants, and, after gathering up*and burning the prun-

|WORK FOR THE WEEKj

NOTES BY «BS$! *D.TANNOCK. A.H.RJL6.

ihgs, clean, manure, and dig among the bushes. The wood ashes from the fire should be scattered round the plants. SOME UNUSUAL SHRUBS It may not be known to many that the tea plant is hardy in and around Dunedin, and that it is in flower at the present time. It is a neat, little evergreen bush with smooth, dull green, shallowlytoothed leaves. The flowers are fragrant and are white, measuring one inch to an inch and a-half cross. One to tlnee flowers are produced in the axils of the leaves. Its name is Camellia Thea, and its small canrellia-like flowers have numerous stamens with yellow anthers. It is really a-liative of Upper Assam, though it has been cultivated for ages in China. Though of no particular attraction, it.is interesting as being one of the most important economic plants in cultivation. Podalyria sericea, African satin bush, is a genua of leguminous, evergreen shrubs covered with more or less silky or silverypubescent hairs after the manner of the silver tree. This makes them desirable shrubs, apart from the pale purple flowers, which are borne in profusion at the present time. It is a suitable shrub for a dry, sunny, sheltered garden. ; Proteas are peculiar looking shrubs or small trees. They are chiefly natives of South Africa, but extend to Abyssinia, some being tropical. They are not considered to be very hardy, but in Dunedin they are thriving well in the open, being sheltered from the cold south-west winds and excessive rain. They are planted in a deeply-cultivated, well-drained border, but would thrive at the base of a wall or close fence in an open* sunny position. 'The flowers are produced on the ends of the branches, and are densely capitate and surrounded by coloured bracts. The heads are large, globose or cone-like. Podalyria melifera, the Cape honeyflower, or sugar bush, is one of the commonest in cultivation and probably the hardiest and one of the easiest to obtain. Other species flowering in Dunedin at present are P* longifolia, which has pale flowers, blackish at the tips of the perianth, P. Marginata, and P. pityphylla. Fatsia japonica i s usually grown as a house plant, and for this purpose it is very suitable. It is really an evergreen shrub or small tree, and often a spreading bush up : to 10ft in height. Its large, leathery, shining leaves are very ornamental, and for its foliage alone it is worth growing. It has also milkwhite flowers, which are produced in open panicles in the autumn,. and these are followed by black fruits, pea-shaped. It is not considered to be very hardy, but in. Dunedin it shows do-signs of distress in an open, sunny position exposed to some extent to the cold south-west winds. There is a variegated form, but it is hardty considered to be any improvement on the green type. It is a native of Japan. Black currant, Ribes nigrum, is a native of Europe and North America, and. like the red kind, has not undergone any very extensive alterations through cultivation. It likes a fairly heavy, moi6t soil, deeply Cultivated and liberally manured with farmyard manure, and, though it will thrive and fruit in

a cool semi-shaded position, it really likes an open, sunny one, which will ripen the fruit and the wood for the following season's crop. It is a perfectly hardy fruit, and will stand the hardest frosts. The fruit, is a very important one, and as it is a very accommodating plant, and does not take up much room in the garden, it should be cultivated by all who have a reasonably-sized garden. It is used for making jam, for pies, and making wine. Like the gooseberry and the red currant, it is easily grown from cuttings made from well-ripe!led wood of the previous season's growth. As suckers are■ no disadvantage in the case of the black currant, it is not necessary to remove any of the buds, but th<- un* ripened tip of the shoot should be cut off. A young bush usually starts with four branches, and, at the first pruning, these are cut back to about four inches. Next season two shoots will be allowed to develop on each, all others being pinched off, and, at the autumn pruning, -the tips only will be cut. This willgive a bush of eight branches, which will be quite enough. Black currants, unlike red, bear their fruit on the young wood of the previous season's growth, so that, when pruning, one has to retain as much of the young wood as possible. This is done by removing some of the old branches every yea:- and replacing them by young ones, which spring from the base of the bush or even from under the ground as suckers. This means that, to maintain a black currant bush in a fruitful condition, it js necessary to keep on renewing the branch. The sua and air are admitted by a process of thinning, the unripened tips of the shoots only being cut off. For the ease in weeding and cultivating some growsrs like to have a clean stem of from nine to twelve inches, but this is not really necessary, and strong young growths are more 'ikely to spring from the surface of the ground than up the stem. After pruning, the soil should be drawn away from round the bushes with a hoe, a mulch of well-rotted manure applied, and some cleau_ soil taken from between the bushes thrown on top of it. If farm-yard manure is not. available, a dressing of an approved fertiliser can be given, but this should not be applied for uome weeks yet. Varieties to plant arp Carter's Black' Champion Boskoop Giant, and Black Naples.