GARDEN A ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3343, 10 April 1918, Page 6

GARDEN A ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. Bx D. Tannock. WORK FOR THE WEEK. GREENHOUSE AND NUESEKY. Schizanthus seedlings will now be ready to prick out in boxes or small pots. Continue to pot up the later cinerarias and to house chrysanthemums. Those planted out in beds should. bo disbudded to some extent and the covering materials should be in readiness for putting on the frames at the first sign 3 of frost. The zonal geranium cuttings should be in by now, but there is still time for the ivyleavodj section. Cuttings of marguerites, gazanias, pcntstemons, and calceolarias can also be put in now. Thev can be put into boxes of similar soil to that recommended for geraniums, and placed in a cold frame which can bo kept fairly close and shaded during bright sunshine, to prevent wilting. They can be left out in the frames all winter; the rooting process is slow, but by spring they will be all right, and will speedily develop into good plants, ready to plant out as soon as the weather is favourable. Pansies and violas can also be put in now, but they are better put into specially prepared beds than in boxes. Prepare a bed in a shady sheltered position by excavating the 6oil to a depth of a foot, and provide an outlet for drainage water, put three inches or so of manuka scrub in the bottom of the bed, or if it cannot be got easily a layer of stones, broken bricks, or crocks will do. Over the drainago materials place a layer of leaves, moss, or rough turf, and then put in a layer of cutting soil at least 6ix inches deep. This soil will consist of loam passed through a half-inch sieve two parts, leafmould one part, and sand one part. Make quite firm and spread a layer of clean sand on top, such as is usually recommended for cutting pots or boxes. Fix a nine-inch board all round tho bed, cut a piece of scrim to fit it, and! tack it on to the board at one end.

Cuttings of violas and pansies should be made from the young shoots which arise at the base of the flowering stems. They will be about two to three inches high now, and many can be taken off with a heel and a littlo root attached, but if they are long and thin it is better to cut the top two inches of the stem off; out across just below a node and remove the two lower leaves. Young shoots are solid and soon form roots. Old flowering stems are hollow and do not form satisfactory plants. Care has also to be taken to select cuttings from the most desirable varieties. Those which have been grown from cuttings for some time, and aro well established varieties, are usually all right, but _ there are often a few reversions and seedlings sometimes come up "on their own" which are quite worthless. In a batch of seedlings, unless a raiser is exceptionally fortunate, there are only a small percentage of varieties which are worth while perpetuating, and these have to be carefully selected. As tho cuttings are taken off they should be placed in a basket with a layer of damp moss, or they can bo rolled up in a. piece of wet sacking, for it is most important that they should, if possible, be kept from wilting until they have formed new roots. Dibble them firmly into the frame, burying an inch of the stem in the soil, put them

in rows about two inches apart, and allow the same distance between the cuttings in the rows. Water at once and shade with the piece of scrim. When the frame is filled tack the scrim right over it on top of the boards about eight or nine inches above tho cuttings. This scrim is left on until the spring, when it is removed to prevent the new growth from becoming drawn and spindly. In addition to the ordinary pansies and violas, Viola graceis, vioLa cornuta purpurea, pentstcmons, calceolarias, and antirrhinums can bo put into beds prepared as described, and they will root quite satisfactorily. Cuttings of alpine pinks, aubretias, Arabis albida, fl. pi., mossy phlox, alyssums, and many other rook garden plants can also be rooted in a frame prepared as above. If only a few cuttings of each variety aro required, thoy oan be put round the edge of a small pot, and 1c can be plunged up to the rim in the viola frame. Trees and shrubs v in the nursery should be wrenched. This means cutting- the roots on each side of tho rows with a sharp spade and gently lifting the plants to break the roots underneath. It stops growth, and causes the plants to develop fibrous _ roots which aro very useful when transplanting. THE FLOWER GARDEN. As the season is nearly over, and the tender bedding plants may be out down by frost at any time, it is not necessary to spend so much time on cleaning up the beds and borders. The leaves from deciduous trees will have to bo raked up from time to time to secure them for leaf-mould, and the lawns will require to be mown. By reducing the work on maintenance, some little time will be available for altering beds and borders and for forming new ones. Tho rose garden should receive the first attention. It is necessary to keep it up to date by adding a few new varieties, to renovate a portion of the old borders every year, and to throw out those which have become unsatisfactory through old age or other causes. It is a distinct advantage to get this work done in the autumn, so that the plants may become "established before tho winter sets in, and also to get the pick of the plants from the nurseries. When renovating old beds or borders lift the plants carefully. Those which are worth keeping can be shortened back and heeled in a sheltered, shady place until the borders are ready for replanting. Large old plants, if treated in this way, will renew their youth, and it is much better to lift tho plants, trench and manure the borders, and replant them than to continue to enrich the soil from the surface. Both old and new borders and beds should be trenched at least two feet deep; break up the soil in tho bottom of tho trench to a depth of a foot; place a layer of fresh stable manure on it, throw the top spit on top of tho manure and place another layer of finer or better-decayed manure on top of it, and fill up the trench with the rest of the soil. The manure should be at least 15in below the surface, so that the roots will not come in contact with it when newly planted; they will soon find it out when growth commences. Level the surface and work in a dusting of lime, bone dust, or basic slag. If tho soil is very light, and gravelly or sandy, Hi is advisable to excavate it to a depth of two feet, to put a layer of day in the bottom, and fill up with fresh loam and manure. The peaty soil on the fiat part of Dunedin grows roses very well without the addition of clay. Roses can also bo grown in the alluvial soils at the north end, but the soil on the hills, when properly prepared, is almost ideal, and tho plants aro cleaner and healthier than on tho flats. It is most important to prepare the borders and beds properly in the first place. A little extra trouble will save work later on, and the beds will remain good for at least five years.

Allow the soil to settle for a fortnight; then mark out the rows, allowing 2ft Sin between the rows and 2ft to 2ft 3in between the plants in the rows. Open holes about a foot square and 18in deep; keep the roots of the plants wrapped up in a wet sack to prevent them from drying up; place the plant against the back of the hole with the union of the stock and the scion two inches below the surface, fill in the soil .and tramp it firmly. If the soil should be very wet and unsuitable a little fine loam or old potting soil should be used for filling the holes. Most enthusiastic rose growers will have prepared a list of the varieties they intend to add to their collection, but for the benefit of the beginners and those who may not have had an opportunity of seeing the newer varieties when at their best, I have prepared a list of those which were most satisfactory in the Gardens last season, and some of the novelties which we hope to obtain. Twelve new gold medal roses,_ all of which can be obtained in the dominion, are: Mrs Bryce Allan, Nellie Parker, Flame of Fire, Gladys Holland, Miss Wilmott, Janet, K. of K., Donald M'Donald, Ulster Gem, Lilian Moore, Ethel Dickson, and W. C. Gaunt. Twelve good roses, some of which are fairly new, are: Brilliant. Mrs Ambrose Riccardo, Mrs S. T. Wright. Margaret Dickson Hamill, Melody, Edgar M.. Burnett. Mi's Leonard Petrie, Gorgeous, Queen_ of Fragrance, Natiorial Emblem, William Cooper, and Mrs Herbert Stevens. Six Pernettiana or hybrid briars are: Constance, Juliet, Louis Catherine Breslau, Madam Edouard Herriot, Mrs Wemyss Quin, and Willomere. Eighteen hybrid teas are: Antoine Revoire, Autumn Tints, Caroline Testout, Chateau do Clos Vougeot, Climbing Richmond, Duchess of Normandy, Duchess of Wellington, G. Amadee Hammond, Geni> ral Macarthur, lona Herdman, James Coey, Lieutenant Ohaure, Lyon rose, Madam Abel Chatenay, Mrs A. R. Waddell, Mrs Hugh Dickson, Theresa, Lady Ashtown. Twelve tea roses: Anna Oliver, Comtesse do Cayla, General Gallien. Lady Hillingdon, Lady Roberts, Lady Plymouth, White Maman Cochet, Marie Van Houtte, Souvenir of Stella Gray, Vanity, Warrior, and Betty. Six hybrid perpetual roses: Avoca, Commandant Jule-s Gravercux, George Dickson, H. E. Richardson Hugh Dickson, and Mrs Wakefield, Christie Millar.. Six 6ingle roses: Irish Elegance, Irish Fireflame, Jessie Clark, Red Letter Day, Moschata Albe, and Paul's Carmine Pillar. Six climbing roses: Alister Stella Gray, Ards Rover, Climbing Caroline Testout, Grass an Teplitz, Ladv Waterlow, William Allan Richardson, and Miss Marion Manifold - J ' v Twelve ramblers for pergolas and arches: American Pillar, Albert Barbier, Dorothy Dennison, Dorothy Perkins, Hiawatha, Excelsa, Blush Rambler, Mrs F. W. Flight Aviatour Bleriot, Silver Moon, Shower of Gold, and Jersey Beauty. Six polyanthus roses: Jessie, Cecil Brun-

nor, Leonie Lamesch, Orleans Rose, Snowstorm, and Bessie Warner. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to harvest onions, to pick ripe peas and beans for seed, and to remove all spent crops, also to earth up celery, leeks, and growing crops of winter greens.