THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24254, 23 March 1940, Page 5

THE GARDEN

sJ%ksat> NOTES BY r D. TAN NOCK, ARR.H.SI

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS " Oamaru."—lt is difficult to name the small plant sent without a flower, but I think it is a Lepidium. It grows in your district. In my case I do not think it would make a good bowling green. There is nothing better than a gcod brown top green, end I should advise get- . ting rid of all weeds. " H. F.," Alexandra.—Silver birch, poplars and willows would grow in your district, but I do not think bluegums would survive., Planting shculd be done as soon as possible in April or in May, and I will be dealing with tree planting fullv later on. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY Continue to take the buds on the chrysanthemums and put those showing colour under cover of some kind, in case we'Met rcugh end frosty weather. Put in cuttings of, violas, pansies and geraniums, and pot on primulas and cinerarias to their flowering pots. Sow seeds of perennials and native alpine plants, and line out polyanthus primroses in nursery rows. Give both tomato, houses and vineries plenty of air whenever the weather is favourable, and when the crops are picked or cut the ventilators can be opened right up THE FLOWER GARDEN •Continue to cut ever'perennials as they go past their best,■and remove annuals. Collect seeds of annus Is. which should.be taken from the most desirable varieties. Plant daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs, also Canterbury bells,. polyanthus primroses, anemones and ranunculus. Continue to trench new beds and borders for roses, shrubs, or perennials, prepare holes fcr trees, overhaul and topdress rock gardens, and form new ones. Sow down new lawns and give old ones a dressing of blood and bone manure, and if' there are any bare patches scratch them up, give a light tepdressing and sow some grass seed. Clip hedges and prune trees and evergreen shrubs, but not spring flowering kinds. One of the most striking trees in flower at the present time is the scarlet flowering gum. It is a small tree up to 20 feet in height and very suitable for a small sheltered garden as theice" are so few autumnflowering trees;,,: THE ORCHARD AND VEGETABLE GARDEN Continue to collect apples and pears as they ripen, storing them away in a cool, airy shed or fruit room, cut out the old wood which has fruited on raspberries, loganberries, and other ■ plants of the' type. Thin out the young wood on both gooseberries and currants, arid root prune fruit trees which are making a lot of wood, but failing to form fruiting spurs. This will check them and assist the formation of fruiting spurs. Prepare ground for new plantations of fruit trees and bushes. Sow dwarf peas, broad beans, onions, lettuce, spinach, white turnips, and shorthorn carrots. PANSIES AND VIOLAS Pansies and violas are most popular garden plants, specially suitable for edging and carpeting rose beds and borders, and for rock gardens where colour is the main thing. The soil and cultivation given to the roses suit them very well. They come into flower long before the roses, and fall off a bit during the summer unless the old flowers are picked off regularly and they are watered well during dry weather. They-commence to flower again in the : autumn, and continue more or less all winter; .' '.!;'-&. , . ' ram often asked what is the difference between a pansy and a viola. With modern'■■■'varieties the difference is very .slight, for the size and shape of the exhibition, and bedding violas have brought them well up to the pansies. There, is -a' difference ~in origin, the parisy being worked up from the ordinary viola, tricolour found growing v in cultivated, fields in England and the viola is a hybrid between the pansy and an alpine species, the horned viola. Viola cornuta. The pansy proper has large circular flowers with' overlapping velvety petals and robust foliage. The violas are usually longer in shape; their colours are either selfs or two or more colours, and are more dainty and delicateshades than pansies, which are either selfs or r re-blotched or margined witn very rich colours. The violas are-more tufted in habit; in fact, there has been a tendency in recent years to drop the name viola altogether and call them tufted pansies. Both pansies and violas are easily raised from seed, which is now so carefully selected that the seedlings Come almost true, .but to be' certain of a special variety it is better to propagate them by cutWhen seed is soWn in the spring along with the half-hardy bedding nlants and the seedlings planted out in nursery rows, the best varieties can be increased by means of cuttings, put in now. -. ' , The correct cuttings are those which arise at the base of the flowering stems, but which have not flowered. These are nearlv. if not auite. solid, they are umallv about three inches in length ?nd in some cases have already started to form new roots when removed from the parent plant. These are prepared for insertion, by cutting them across . i mm€ ; diately below a node or joint, but

WORK FOR THE WEEK

if thev are not too long and have already formed bits of young roots there is no need to cut these off. The cuttings should not be allowed to wilt, and when taken off they should be labelled and wrapped up in a piece of wet scrim, and when made they should be ke.pt in a cool, damp place or covered with damp moss until put in. The soil is the usual cutting mixture one part clean loam, one nart sifted leafmould and one part sherp sand. They can be rooted in boxes, or if few of a variety, in four-inch pots, or in a specially prepared bed outside. This bed is made up by first excavating the soil to a depth of-a foot, then putting in six inches of clinkers, or brickbats, and over this some fine scrub or turves with the grass side downwards. On this place six inches of the special cutting mixture, making it firm and level on top. Finish off with a layer of clean sharp sand. As it is.most important that the cuttings be prevented from wilting, and that they receive some protection until they are rooted, a framework should be rigged up about 18 inches above the bed and then some thin scrim be tacked on it. ~, , . The cuttings are dibbled in firmly with a propagating peg, in rows two inches apart, the cuttings being from one inch and a-half to two inches apart in the rows. Water well and shade with scrim at once. It should be tacked on firmly to the framework as soon as all the cuttings are in, and it need not be removed until growth commences in the spring. The cutting beds can be made up in a cold frame, and sashes put on, or they can be put into boxes and these put out in a cool, shady, cold frame. As a rule, it is quite easy to get 100 per cent, to root and these develop into nice plants, ready to put out as soon as weather conditions are favourable in the spring. SMALL DIVIDING HEDGES Last week when dealing with hedges I omitted to mention the very dwarf ones, sometimes planted to border a path or to divide some part of the flower garden from another, or from the vegetable garden. For these there is nothing better than the common English lavender or rosemary. Either can be planted at a foot to 18 inches apart and clipped to keep them neat and tidy after flowering. Dwarf box and some of the veronicas can also be used for this purpose. Both lavender and rosemary Can be rooted easily from cuttings, put | in similar to violas and pansies. or in a sand frame along with half-ripened I woody cuttings. LAYERED CARNATIONS Carnation layers which were severed from the old plants a week or two ago can now be lifted and either potted up, planted in their permanent positions, or lined out on a specially prepared border. It is seldom that their flowering positions are available just now, and if potted up into four-inch pots these should be plunged in a bed of sand in the open, or in a cold frame, the sashes being kept off until wintry weather sets in. They are really less trouble when lined out in a bed made up by digging in a quantity of leaf mould and beach sand. The layers are put in rows six inches apart and at four inches apart in the rows, and a stout framework should be fitted up over the bed, on to which sashes can be placed to keep off wet and snow during the winter. It.is advisable to fix wire netting round the border to protect the plants from rabbits.

Digging: and Storing- Potatoes .The potato crop has been splendid this year, and as there is a. little disease appearing on the foliage and stems it will be better to dig them if the skins of the tubers are at all firm, before it reaches them. It does not spread readily during the kind of weather we are having at present, cool nights and bright, sunny days., but if we get warm, muggy, moist weather it will spread rapidly. By cutting off the shaws and burning them the spores of the disease will be removed, but there is nothing to be gained by keeping them in the ground after the shaws have been removed. When digging, be fareful to get the fork well down under the tubers and not to prick or damage them. If the weather is dry they can be left on the surface for a day to dry. a few shapely, medium-sized tubers can be laid aside for next season's planting, and these can be left exposed until they become more or less green. The _ table tubers can be collected and put into sacks, which should be placed in a cool, dark shed or cellar, if there is only enough for a few weeks, but if there is enough to last until the new ones are available next season they are better put into a clamp or pit. Select a well-drained part of the vegetable garden, pile up the tubers neatly in a conical heap, and then thatch this with a layer of straw or dry grass about six inches thick. Next cover the straw or grass with a layer of soil, also about six inches thick, dug from round the base of the clamp or pit. Beat the soil firmly, making the surface firm with the back of the spade, and dace a twisted wisp of straw or grass in the top to act as a ventilator. Stored in this way. the tubers will keep quite fresh and firm until next spring, when they will have to be picked over and all sprouts removed.

As soon as received, it should be thoroughly shaken and turned, removing any refuse which may be therein, and then stacked in a heap three to four feet high, and covered with about one inch of soil. Very quickly it will develop a considerable heat, and, after about one week, it must be thoroughly turned, endeavouring this time to have the outside of the heap on the inside, and vice versa. It will also be necessary to water if there is the slightest suspicion of dryness, for moisture is essential to the fermentation process, but do not overdo this; excessive wetness will never help. This turning process should be repeated three or four times, if possible keeping the heap under cover, or at least covering over with sacks or tarpaulins. To leave it exposed to rein is a great mistake. By the time it has been turned three or four times, the very high temperature at first attained will have subsided, and the compost should be of an even dark-brown colour, just nicely moist, but not too wet. Test for Wetness No water should escape when it is compressed in the hands, and the straw should break readily if twisted. When it does reach this stage, all is ready for the making up of the beds. Mushrooms can be grown in almost any draught-proof building, in sheds, garages, cellars, or even green houses and frames, if shading is provided to keep out strong light. There is one point, however, of importance, and that is they must be clean. Before sterting, it is a good plan to lime-wash the walls. Under cover, flat beds are invariably best, and they should be from seven to ten inches in depth. It is, of course, possible to make the most of available space by arranging the beds on tiers, but, if this is done, see to it that the joiner work is solid, for, when made up, the beds' weight will be considerable.

Their making up is quite a straightforward process. A layer of manure several inches thick is spread over the whole site, and beaten quite firm with a fork. This is followed by another layer, and the process is continued until the required height is obtained, when the final firming is done by treading. If the compost has been properly prepared, it will be quite firm, but st the same time resilient under the feet. A thermometer must now be inserted in the bed, for spawning must be done while the temperature ranges between 70 and 75 deg. Too great heat, which is almost certain at the outset, will kill the mycelium, and, if the bed is too cold, growth will be very much retarded. The best plan is to spawn immediately the temperature has dropped to 75 deg.

With most types of spawn, instructions are to break up into pieces about the size of a walnut. These should be inserted. nine inches apart each way ail over the bed. and each piece should be covered with an inch pf compost, and this thoroughly firmed or pressed into place. It will be at least ten days to two weeks before mycelium commences to run. It can soon be seen if it has. One or two fragments of spawn may be carefully dug up and examined. If the mycelium can be seen spreading like mould into the manure, it is running, and the next procedure is to case the beds with clean, sifted soil. Wherever possible, virgin soil, free from weed seeds, should be used, even If it is taken from a second spit. It is also a good plan to stack it for some time previously . and to give a good dusting of hydrated lime. Before using, it should be well sieved, and just nicely moist enough : to bind without being sticky. A layer one inch thick is all that is required, and it should be laid evenly, and then beaten smoothly with the back of a spade. About Temperatures Providing conditions are kept favourable, mushrooms should appear seven or eight weeks after spawning, but it is essential to see that ventilation is ample without allowing any draughts. In addition, the temperature should range from 45 to 60 deg. A little more heat is advisable in the early stages, and it should never drop below 45 deg. The atmosphere must also be kept reasonably moist. It must never become really dry, and, if the paths are occasionally syringed with a fine spray, it will be unnecessary to water the beds. It is owing to the difficulty of keeping many otherwise suitable places cool that the. summer cultivation of mushrooms is not recommended to the ordinary amateur.