THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23203, 29 May 1937, Page 7

THE GARDEN

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY ! :frhe hardy annuals which were sown ;in. pots or boxes to be grown on lor the greenhouse, such as schizanthus Bifid clarklas, should by now be large enough to pflck out into small pots, olf into other boxes, or those which ate sown in small pots can be potted Ufi into five-inch sizes. They have to ba grown on steadily with as much light as it is possible to give then! during the dull Winter months, and yftth just sufficient artificial heat to maintain a steady growth, | .'Bulbs such as Lachenalias, grape hyacinths, crocus, ffeesias, etc., should now be well rooted, and can be. brought into the greenhouse and stood on the bench in a sunriy and airy position. Hyacinths, tulips, and polyanthus narcissus can also be brought irt 1 to stimulate growth. They Should n6t be put into heat until the buds 'appear* * 'Chrysanthemums are opening Slowly 1 oa account of the dull, moist weather, but they are coming on steadily, and they promise to be of good colour. A start can be made to put In cuttings 'of the newer arid scarcer varieties. The cascade varieties are more curious than beautiful, they are no good f<ir cutting, and are only useful for dtaping the front of the stage and iifeening the pdta of the upright grOwMg varieties. '•The old plants of cyclamen should It developing their flower buds* how and they, like the seedlings, should be given weak liquid manure drice a fortjatight. cyclamen- are among the. most qaeful of winter and spring-flowering plants, and by raising a batch of Seedlings every year and throwing play the bid cofms aftef they HaVe powered twice, a regular display will b* maintained.

THE FLOWER GARDEN The continuous wet weather has retarded outdoor work, and the removal df'summer and autumn bedding plants arid the planting of wallflower, primrdfie polyanthus, forget-me-nots, and the Various spring-floweritti* bulbs and tubers should be completed as soon as possible- Conditions are Very favourable for transplanting, and though the wallflower plants are a bit sdft t ' they Hifdly V wilt at all. '■ Cdriditioria' haVe rid? I been favourable fdf the planting of trees, shrubs, and roses, but this wdrk can be carried out in light soils or well-drained beds arid borders whenever overhead conditions are favourable, and the trenching of beds arid borders arid the preparation of holeS should be pushed on. As soon as the dahlias, tuberous begonias, and gladldli at* sufficiently dry they can be cleaned arid fitdfed away in a frostproof shed or cellar, the dahlias and begonias being backed in df? sail to prevent shrivelling and thd-gladioli in bag* ot" boxes without soil; , Rambler end climbing roses eenbe pruned arid tied Up td tfUQf suppdrts, which should be examined* arid if they show sigriS df rotting should be repaired or replaced. In both cases the .old wood which has flowered is cut away and the young growths tied in. THE VEGETABLE ANfcl FRtrtT"' ' GARDEN Continue to dig and store root crops with the exception of parsnip9< and manure, trench, or dig all vacant ground and prepare ground for new plantations df bush df tree fruits. Continue to prune gooseberries, currants, raspberries, apples, and pears. Lift rhubarb roots which are required for fording, arid 6kpds6 thdiri 1 td tfitf weather for some weeks;; Cut over asparagus beds, arid after weeding arid forking up the ; surface lightly* give ti gddd dressing -''Vol : . well-rotted stable, manure 'or seaweed.

-'WORK FOR THE WEEK

NOTES BY rfllj® D. TAN NOCK, A.H.R.HLS.

RASPBERRIES. LOGANBERRIES, AND BLACKBERRIES These are all useful hardy fruiting vines suitable for Small or large gardens because they can be grown in positions and Soils where little else cah be planted. The raspberries will thrive in a moist light loam rich in organic matter, and where they receive ah ahnual mulch of farmyard manure or compost heap accompanied by a dressing of blood and bone manure. The loganberries like a warm, sunny position, and are suitable for grdwirig over stone Walls or against fences, and the blackberries ate suitable for growing on wire netting or fustic fences in any kind Of soil and in any but heavily-shaded positions.

Raspberries bear their fruit on the young growths which spring from the canes produced last season, and the pruning process is simply to cut away all the Old canes Which haVe fruited, to reduce the number of canes to each stool or group of plants to the number desired by cutting the weaker ones right out and Shortening those left by cutting off the uhriperied tips to where they begin to twist or bend. The number of young canes left will be d&tetrhitied by the method of training, arid there are at least three ways which are quite satisfactory. Probably the best Of all is to tie the young canes to a wire fence, fit a fan shape, which allows each room to deveiOn its flower 1 - ing branches and ripen the fruit. The canes should be from nine to twelve inches apart at the tips, and by planting the groups at four feet apart each plant will occupy that space. They can also be planted at two feet apart and trained upright two canes to each plant. A common method Is to plant in groups of three, at three feet apart in rows five feet apart, the young Canes being thinned out to four or five, which are tied to a stake with tar twine or binder twine. The stakes, which should be hard wood or Soft Wood tarred or dipped hi some preservative, should be driven ihto a correct line arid cut to the sanie height. They are also planted at four feet apart and trained in an arch by taking two ■or thfee young canes from one Stool and bending them over until they meet a difhilar number from the next stOoli the', two lots being tied together to form an arch o* hoop. In this Way the fruiting canes are away from the young ones which spring from the base of the plants, and haVe plenty of room to develop. In some eases the canes are silmply tied together hear their tops arid left to support one another as best they can. Loganberries are said to be a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry ; and their method of growth and treat-: mftht Is similar. They bear their fruit on the young canes, and the method of, pruning 'is to out away the old growths Which have fruited altogether, to thin 6Ut the yotihg grdwths, leaving just Sufficient to COVer the space al-> lotted to them, at frbffl 12 to 15 inches apart. They require considerable sun heat to ripen the fruit, properly, and are better trained against a wall or fence or Over rocky bariks.

rilay think that as the wild blackberry is such a cdrilrhon plant and that fruit can usu j ally, be gathered in quantities from Waste places, that it is not worthwhile planting them in our gardens. The Wild fruit is, however, a very poor; thing compared with the cultivated Variety, which is larger and of better flavour arid ripens earlier. The rnost successful blackberries I. have seen were trained over? the, wife nfittitng fencfe df a fowl t un. They, helped to scredn the fun dff ffdrri the rest of the garden; arid as thfl fowls did not cftfe for the fruit, theV.Wefe able td ripen satisfactorily. The rriethdd of pruning is to cut aWay old arid dead CBines, to tie iri the ydurig dries atj about 12 inches apatt*.and cut away the urifiperied tipSi . The ciit-leaved Italian IS a gddd Variety, arid so also the' ffuits krioWri as LOW Berry and Ldstdri Berry* and dthefs df a Similaf nature* •.

DRAINAGE The pteseni >wet season has emphasised the need for drainage, and where the soil is at all heavy and there is no drainage provided it is .completely saturated. In nlost years we require drainage at some time, and it is a wise precaution when laying out a new garden to make ample provision; A Soil Which is 'Waterlogged is incapable of growing most kinds of crops, first because there is a lack oJ! fresh air, and secondly because a wet soil is a cold one. The roots require fresh air just as much as the stems and leaves, and unless there are ample supplies available they are suffocated. There are, however, some plants, such as those which grow in bogs, which manage to get along with a minimum supply, and others, like the water plants; which are able to get all they require from the water. Most garden , crops* however, require lots 'of air,' especially those with bacteria oh their roots, like the various members of. the pea and bean family. A wet soil is also sour owing to an accumulation of organic acids, and consequently is not suitable for the various members of the brassica or cabbage and cauliflower family, and when we cut out the oeas and beans, and the clbbagej cauliflower and turnips, there are not many vegetables left. A wet soil is cold because of the constant evaporation which takes place, and a wet soil is not fit for sowing of planting until well on in summer. Fortunately it is not difficult to get rid of the surplus Water by means of subsoil drainage, which is also assisted by deep cultivation. The usual method is to lay agricultural pipes, which are porous Clay specially made for the purpose. These are laid in trenches about two to three feet in depth, the trenches being from 12 to 15 feet apart, according to the fall of the land. These lines of pipes are laid diagonally across a sloping garden, so that each row Will collect all the water which falls between it and the roW above, and carry it off quickly to the main drain, which is laid along the side with a suitable outlet by which it can discharge the water into a creek, ditch, of storm water sewer. By laying the pipes about half their width in the subsoil they collect the water as it flows down and by covering them with a layer of clinkers, brickbats, or rubble they are rendered more effective. A three-inch pipe is sufficient for the ordinary collecting drains, and a four or six-inch one for the main drain into • which all the others discharge. Though agricultural pipes are the best, quite useful drains can be made with stones—one on each side with a flat top will provide a suitable channel for the water, and by placing a layer of ashes, grassy turves, or manuka scrub on top of the stones the soil is prevented from washing down and blocking them up. Old bricks also make a very good drain and failing any of these, long manuka scrub laid lengthwise in the bottom of the trench will be effective for some years. Where the drains are laid on flat ground they have to be deeper at the outlet to give the necessary fall to secure the discharge of the water, six inches in 60 feet should be about the minimum fall to secure a quick discharge. Not only have we to drain to get rid of the surplus rain water, but we h&ve also to consider that which soaks from the land above when we are on a slope. To get rid of it a drain is laid along the top of the section to intercept the water as it flows downwards. Occasionally we have also to deal with springs which appear in quite unexpected places at times. We then lay a drain through the Wet patch or dig a hole and fill it with stones and run off the collected water by means of a pipe drain.