The Garden.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 7

The Garden.

WORK FOR THE WESK*

Kitchen Garden.— All digging/ trenching; and alterations generally should be preceded with, as the weather is favourable for th'oHvork, which can be done with greater facility toMlsfe the soil is dry. During the last mftntii very/ little rain haa fallen, and unless watering has been freely resorted to, the autuuax sown and planted crops have not made ixmcli 'progress. Endeavour to maintain growth in autumn sown onions, carrots, and turnips by giving' them a, top-dressing of wood-ashea and! by stirring the soil frequently betwean tfce rows: ' ■Tiirnips should be well thinned leaving the strongest plants only, at intwrajs of six inches' ;'ii they do not begin to. To»lb during the next fortnight, there will ba tittle chance of their doing-'so this season. 3?sH up every spare piece 'of •'Ground with cabbage and cauliflower plants.' A sowing- of broccoli may be made on a piece of light ground, to furnish plants for transplanting in

spring. .Flower Garden. — Annuals are n'6't always satisfactory when sown in spring,' as in the event of the weather being dry they make but little prcgwss, and do not bloom' well till the autumn. The tender sorts cannot tod sown now ; but all the hardy sorts may Jap, sown with advantage, as they stand the winter, and are ready to burst into bloom with 'the first warm days in spring. Nemophila.insjgnis and its varieties always does well, if 'a" 'somewhat dry place is selected for it, and' Calif ornica, a splendid bright yellow, :ib suitable for sowing m patches in front of, a, shrubbery. Lenonanthes Douglasii is ahother^of the Calif ornian hardy annuals, and blooms profusely of a pale yellow colour. The Coßinsias are all useful, and give variety both in form and colour. Then, for masses of pink'^ there are the ailoncs and saponaria3, which are very hardy and abundant bloomors. In blues there are the f orget-mo-nols and ouloca viscida, which never fail to please, and if those mentioned are* sown now in suitable positions they will make a groat display in spring.

Greenhouse.— Tt boing no longer safe to leavo out plants of a tender nature, they should be housed as soon aa possible. If climbers avasi grown on the roof, they should be thinned wtfc. previous to housing tho plants, as their v*yidß growth at this season often shuts out 1 aUi the. light, to the injury of tho plants. In a^anging; the plauts avoid overcrowding, whicii prevents-, a free circulation of air. Back v«>y,s may be-, elevated on invorted pots, whyf&i giv^es mor&room and renders the plants, loss, leable to« damp. Show and fancy gejargonyiina are. especially liable to davx^>, aj|d' they should! always be placed wherA^ey, wjll get plenty of.' Bun and a free civ^Mipn. l of ,,sdkr k Tke zonaJL! section is not so, Afusce,Pjtible to damp,,but' it is-, well to get $pvW,qpd> weH »ip6aed,by a, free i exposure to, qug.qnd.. by kae^xug tUem,Eath9sr dry v