THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2689, 27 September 1905, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. FLOWER GARDEN.— The sowing of hard*annuals should continue to be made in the open ground, and where the amateur possesses a frame B or greenhouse, sowings of the more tender ones can bo made in boxes. Polyanthuses and primroses are now at their best.. • and as some, of Those are much finer than others, they should be marked for future reference, as" the best only should be kept and increased by division,- and the commoner kinds thrown away. This system of selection

' and propagation of the best -only should be ' going s on "in every class of flowera, and by this means, at a small expense to the- owners, Tamable' improvements in the garden can Ye made. Pansies are -now coming more freely.. into bloom, and wnl continue to make .the borders gayior a long time. The greatest '"'enemy they have is r our old foe, the slug, which will riddle the flowers if not killed in 1 time. Penstemons and herbaceous phloxes mre most desirable plants to have, and the present is a good time to plant them, either by itew stock or dividing existing stools and planting in deeply-worked soil into which JianuTo has been freely added. FRUIT GARDEN".— AII young trees recently planted should be securely staked and tied, as often much damage is done to newlyplanted trees by wind the first year. A stout .stake well driven home and the tree tied with

some soft twine is all that is necessary.

Easpberry beds should be cleaned of weed?, ■- and a good mulching of long stable manure applied. Strawberry beds must be kept free from weeds. Grafting of fruit trees should l>e completed during the present month. SITCHEN GARDEN.— Crops are now improving very fast, as growth upon well-tilled ground is rapid. Slugs are very troublesome, and if not checked in time much destruction; is caused to tender plants such as peas, cabbage, and lettuce. Nothing we know is as efficacious as light dustings of newly-slacked

lime, but these must be- applied late at night. , , Asparagus beds planted the last season must h& kept free from weeds by careful handpicking among the crowns, or the crowns ■will be damaged with the hoe. It is irnpor- - itant for the development of this plant to en- ' courage as much as possible" the growth of foliage, as the more foliage there is the greater will be the root action, and to attain this object no crowns ehould be cut from an asparagus bed for at least two years from , flate of planting. A little patience is thus necessary, but the ultimate success of the bed more than warrants it. Sow seed of beefcxoot in drills the same as for parsnips, etc. To grow this root to perfection it should be 'grown in rich, firm soil, and must be sown in drills where the crop is to remain, as tm 9 root is spoiled by transplanting, except the round or turnip-rooted varieties, which transplant freely. The diligent gardener will now find ample work in thiunins out and hoeing

among Ms crops, as fliis work should bo clone a3 soon as the plants are strong enough to handle, as if allowed to remain overcrowded for even, a short time at this season the growth becomes very niucli weakened. Eai.'y planted potatoes will need to have the coil drawn up over the points if they axe breaking through the soil, ara they make rapid piogress at this stage. Upon the approach of a frosty night, the soil should be drawn up over them as much as possible, or, if available, a few branches or macrocarpa trees foi'fn a splerdifl cover, raised a few inches from the soil, but they should be removed in the morning as soon as the frost has cleared off.

G BEERHOUSE.— Fuchsias which weie cut dewn some time since should now be ready for repotting. Turn them out of the old pots, remove the crocks, shake off as mudh of ths old soil as 'will leave the roots freely, and repot each plant into well-drained pots which have been previously washed insirle and out. This, although a simple matter is one of the most important with all pot plants. The soil to be used should be made light, rich, and somewhat sandy, and place the plants in a close place for a few days, and syringe overhead once or twice a day, which should be continued up till all are wanted for blooming. Air must be freely admitted to them after they have recoverd the check of repotting. Pelargoniums must be kept growing by tlu» help of liquid manure. If the pots are filled with roots, keep a sharo leck-out for the green fly upon these and cafceolaries and cineraries; fumigate them with tobacco paper as soon as the flieis are detected. The first principle of growing heaths in pots is to give them as little artificial heat as possible, to place them so as to be fully exposed to the sun and air, and to pot only when the soil becomes matted wit a roots. It is a common practice to turn heaths out of doors for four or fivs months during summer and autumn. The wood thus gets better ripened, and is better able to resist ihe cold of winter. This treatment would not be ne.cessary if they were grown in a house entirely devoted to themselves, as then a free, circulation of air, which is so necessary to thfiir well-doing, could at all times be allows! to play about them. It is only want of sufficient room which compels many to put out their heaths during summer and autumn. When piaoed in the open, the pots ought to be plunged- in the ground. This saves labour in watering, keeps the roots cool, and ailso saves the plants from being blown over by *the wind. The soil best adapted for their culture is gocd fibrous peat chopped into small pieces, with a liberal supply of silver sand added. The plants should be very firmly potted, and as liberal supplies of water are required during the isuinmeT months, the' drainage must b© -perfect. Soil in which lime, iron, or any mineral is known to exist slrbuid.be discarded, as heaths will not thrive in such soils. Besides their value as greenhouse plants, many of them are perfectly hardy, and make beauliful objects in the borders of the flower garcien. Ivy-leaf geraniums will require to be potted into larger pots as the gi-owth proceeds, keeping the shoots pinched back to make compact dwarf plants. Upon all sunny days the greenhouse and fernery should be syringed overhead, and closed up early with a little sun heat.