THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23221, 19 June 1937, Page 7

THE GARDEN

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS A., Clutha. —Name of plant sent is Bomara, a handsome climber closely related to Alstromeria and belonging to the Amaryllis family. Plants are a little tender, but can be grown in the open in a warm, sheltered position. The species are mostly natives of South America.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY From now onwards there is plenty of work to be carried out in the greenhouse and nursery, and, as a rule this nas to be reserved for occasions when the weather conditions are not suitable for work in the open. Owing to the wet autumn, however, the soil in the open is not very suitable for digging, or planting, and by getting the indoor work well ahead attention can be given to the open later on when there is more heat,in the sun, and more drying. Ferns, palms, and all foliage plants soon begin to make new growth, and they can be repotted now r . As a rule the smaller the pot in which these plants can be grown the belter, they are less liable to become waterlogged, and the smaller pots fit into ornamental bowls when the plants are to be used for house decoration. Foliage plants should seldom receive a shift of more than one or two sizes —from a four to a six-inch, or from a five to-a seven-inch. After prepar mg the soil, which should consist of three parts turfy loam, one of leafmould, half a part sand, and a six-inch potful of bone meal and wood ashes .; and crushed charcoal to every barrowload of the mixture, the pots should be washed clean both inside and out, and if new ones are used these should first be soaked for a little while. Put some clean crocks in the bottom to provide drainage, and over these some rough material such as sphagnum moss or rough leafmould to prevent the soil from being washed down among the crocks and; blocking up the drainage. Put in about two inches of the soil mixture, and ram it firmly, and then turn the plant out of its old pot. Remove the crocks and the surface soil in which there are few or no roots and if pot-bound the roots can be teased out slightly with a sharp-pointed, stick. If the roots are not healthy and the soil sodden, as mdeh as possible should be pricked away, and in some cases the soil should be washed out altogether. In this case, the plant should be put into a smaller pot instead of a larger one. To pot on, the plant is placed in the middle of the new pot with the top of the ball of roots about an inch below the rim, and the soil is worked in evenly all round " and rammed until it is as firm as the old ball of roots. Add more soil and finish off the surface level and about half an inch below the rim. Give one good watering, stand in the warm greenhouse, and maintain a moist atmosphere by spraying overhead on warm, sunny mornings, and damping the paths and benches first thing in the morning and last thing at night. When pld plants, such as ferns and aspidistras, have become pot-bound they can be divided up and repotted in pots just big enough to take the ball of roots and a little new soil. When they recover from the shock of being broken up they can be shifted unUo larger pots. The old plants of streptocarpus should now be ready to be repotted, and after shaking off as" much of the old soil as possible without unduly damaging the roots, they can be repotted into six-inch pots. ■ making the soil fairly firm. For streptocarpus, which like an open soil in addition to the soil ingredients already mentioned, one part of chopped polypodium or todea fibre is added. They are placed in the warm greenhouse and kept under moist conditions, but watered carefully. . The old plants of streptocarpus will flower in spring and early summer, and the seedlings froln late summer until early winter. Streptocarpus and gloxinia seed can be sown now and as both are very fine, little or no covering is required except a sheet of glass and a piece of brown paper to provide shade until germination takes place. Other work in the greenhouse will consist of potting up rooted geranium cuttings and sowing seeds of antirrhinums, nernesias. calendulas, and tomatoes.

THE FLOWER GARDEN '

Now that the soil is reasonably dry, the trenching of new beds and border? and . the planting of trees, shrubs, and roses can be carried out. Herbaceous perennials can be cut over, the strong- - growing kinds, such as michaelmas daisies, heleniums, and' perennial phlox, divided up, and, after manuring and digging over the border, replanted. It is not necessary to divide up phlox every year, but. like montbretias. they should be divided every second. Del--1 phiniums, lupines, and other, herbaceous perennials can be planted: also lilies of all kinds except candidum. ' The planting of spring-flowering plants,

such as wallflowers and primrose polyanthus, should be completed as soon as possible, and anemones and ranunculus can be planted if tubers can be obtained at this late date. Plant hedges and shelter belts, attend to drains, and form paths. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Continue to dig or trench vacant ground, to lift root vegetables, and to .store them in sand in a shed or cellar, or bury them near a path where they can be got at with little trouble. Thig is not a month for sowing or planting In the vegetable garden, but where a frame is available a sowing of cabbage and cauliflower can be made to provide plants for putting out as soon as weather conditions are suitable in the spring. Plant fruit.trees and bushes, and continue pruning of all kinds except peaches, nectarines, and apricots. Lift rhubarb which is to be forced, or which is required to make new plantations, and expose it to the weather for a few weeks. PATHS IN THE GARDEN Good dry, firm paths are very essential in the garden and when properly constructed they will also serve as drains. The paths in the flower garden or the front garden should be neat and ornamental as well as useful, and could be made of concrete if desired, marked out as crazy paving or real crazy paving which, when properly laid down with suitable stone, is very ornamental as well as useful. Asphalt, when well laid down, is useful, and so also is gravel, topping or brick. When designing the paths, which should be among the first operations when laying out a new garden, they should have as good a grade as convenient when on a hilly or sloping site, and in every case steps should be avoided if possible. It is a distinct advantage when carrying out the various gardening operations to be able to wheel a barrow round all the paths. To form the paths on the surface soil by simply spreading a layer of ashes or gravel or screenings is not only unsatisfactory in wet weather, but as a rule valuable soil is buried which :should have been added to the beds, borders or fruit and vegetable quarters. First of all the good soil should be thrown out to a depth of at least two feet and the subsoil sloped in to the centre, to the depth of another In this an agricultural pipe, or stone drain, should be laid and on top of this about two feet of rough dinners, brickbats, rotten rock or rough gravel and on top about three Inches of fine ashes, screenings, gravel or topping. This‘also provides an excellent foundation for concrete, asphalt or crazy paving, which should not be put down in a new garden until the heavy wheeling and soil formation is completed.

Crazy paving is suitable for the front and flower garden, and is not at all difficult to put down when suitable stones are available. On top of the rough foundation of clinkers a layer of sand or fine ashes should be spread, and this provides a foundation for the flat stones, which should be of various sizes and shapes, but all should fit into one another. Spaces for planting dwarf rock plants can be formed at intervals by removing some of the ashes or sand and putting in good soil. The edgings of thb paths are also important, and box, which was at one time fashionable, is now about one of the most unsuitable. It provides excellent shelter for slugs ana other pests, 'and sooner or later becomes the home of couch grass or other perennial weeds. For a living edging the dwarf veronicas and catmint are suitable, but probably the best of all is a neat grass verge up to 12 inches in width. For the kitchen garden stones or bricks set on their edges are very suitable, and hardwood can be used, provided it is coated with tar or other wood preservative. A good edging for a mixed border can be formed with thin stones, set up on their edges, and filled in between with a rock garden soil mixture. In this a great variety of dwarf and alpine plants can be grown which will add very much to the interest and beauty of the garden. For a higher edging amounting almost to a dwarf hedge, lavender and rosemary can be planted and good herbaceous edgings can be formed with dwarf pinks such as the various Allwdodii aubretias or double alyssum. PLUMS AND DAMSONS

Plums and damsons belong to the same natural order as apples and pears, and are the next in order of importance to the hard fruit trees. They can be used for dessert, and for cooking and making jam. Fresh fruit is available for about five months, and for the rest of the year they can be bottled or dried. They are amongst the hardiest of the fruit trees, they flower early when they are very decorative, and they will grow in any deeply-cultivated and reasonably-nch soil provided it is well drained. They also like an open, sunny, airy position if possible sheltered from the southwest winds, and for the early-flower-ing kinds it is an advantage if they are shaded from the early morning sun. By pruning they can be kept within the compass of large bushes, but they are usually allowed considerable freedom, and are allowed to grow into small trees which fruit freely pro vided the growth of new wood is reasonable. Young plants receive similar treatment to the apple during the first few years, beginning with three branches, then six. and afterwards nine or 12. It is a mistake to add too much young wood in any one year and ai pruning time the young growths which are to form the main branches of the tree are shortened back by about onethird of their length. Once the tree is formed all the pruning which will be necessary will be to thin out the branches slightly to prevent overcrowding in the centre, to remove all those with a tendency to grow inwards, and to cut out all dead or decaying wood. The fruit is borne on spurs and on young ripened branches, and when there become over-crowded a little thinning out will be necessary. When the trees are making too much young wood and failing to form fruiting spurs, root pruning should be resorted to, and this can be very drastic if occasion requires it. Plums can be trained fan shaped, as espaliers, and planted against a wall or fence, but in ordinary gardens they are quite satisfactory as bushes or standards, and the wall space can be reserved for more tender and choice fruits such as apricots, peaches, and grapes. After pruning the pruning? can be raked up and burned, and a dressing of bone meal and Kainit, three parts of the former to four parts of the latter by weight would make a suitable winter application, and this can be lightly dug in or mixed with the surface soil with the fork. About a pound of the mixture would be sufficient for a wellgrown tree.

ORNAMENTAL FOLIAGE The evergreen trees and shrubs with ornamental foliage are very welcome during the dull days of winter when flowers outdoors are over, when autumn tints have gone and the birds eaten most of the ornamental berries. Among the exotics the various kinds of variegated hollies are always pleasing, and they stand up to the most severe weather. The golden lawsons Cyprus, Retinosporus plumosa aurea and the variegated acubas are all attractive during the winter There are many fine foliaged trees and shrubs amons the natives, most of which are suitable for a small garden. These arc the purnle raneiora. variegated broadleaf and variegated forms of coorosma senecio, veronica and karaka These should be nlanted as lawn specimens, to relieve the monotony of the deciduous kinds .and to form shelter belts.

notes by * D. TAHNOCK, AH R.H S.l