GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3467, 24 August 1920, Page 7

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

By D. Tannock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. „

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY.

Cuttings of border chrysanthemums should be put in as soon as possible, and whenever the supply of cuttings is obtained the old plants can be lifted, and, after digging in a liberal dressing of stable manure, they can be divided up and replanted. They are quite satisfactory when divided up, provided the pieces are not too large and the number of. shoots are limited to not more than five. Continue to sow seeds of the bedding plants, and as the seedlings of the early - Sown varieties become large enough to handle they should be pricked out into boxes of nice light soil and placed in the warm end of the greenhouse or propagating house until thev take to the now soil and commence to grow. Imported primula seeds are usually rather 'disappointing. Their germination is poor, and the growth sometimes very weak. It is therefore advisable to save your own, and at least two of each variety should be selected, hand-pollenated, marked, and set on cne side to ripen the seed. The plants selected should be the best, both in colour, vigour, and habit, and by following this system every year not_ only is the quality of the strain maintained, but it is improved, and as new shades appear they can be fixed and maintained. It is not sufficient to merely mark the plants, for there are no insects about at present to carry.out the pollenating. ' Pot up the chrysanthemums into 3in pots as soon as they are well rooted, and continue to' pot and topdress the cool greenhouse plants THE FLOWER GARDEN". The rose pruning can be continued, and, after cleaning up the prunings, the beds can be ma; ured and forked or dug over. Where bulbs are growing among the roses bone meal will be applied, but where there is no obstruction q srood dressing of wellrotted stab'e manure should be dug in lightly. Where mildew and black spot are very bad it is a good idea to spray the plants and the soil with some suitable fungicide. The winter formula of Bordeaux is very satisfactory, or sulphate of iron at the rate of half an ounce to a gallon of water. Sulphate of iron can also be applied in the dry form. Powder it down finely, and apply at the rate of one ounce to every square yard: The replanting of the herbaceous border should be complefed as soon as possible, for the plants have already started root action, and will soon be throwing up their stems; but it is possible to plant out trees and shrubs for another six weeks yet. In spite of the frost the grass is growing, and will soon require to be mown, unless :t is intended to allow it to grow on for a bit Jn the spring and then to cut it close down Sith the scythe. Where bulbs are planted t the grass it must be left to grow, but it is a good idea to allow it to grow for a few months in the spring, then to mow it ■With the scythe, and to give it a dressing of chemical manure. Grass grub has been very bad this winter, and many lawns are eaten right out or are bare in patches. It is not necessary to dig up the soil before sowing again; all that is Required is to rake off the old grass and ■weeds, to scratch up the surface with a rake, to sow some fresh seed, and to cover it with some fine, sifted soil, such as old potting soil, or a mrxture of fine soil and Wood ashes in equal parts. It i? too early to sow down a new lawn yet. The soil is still cold and wet, and, even should the seed germinate, the seedlings will remain stunted until the proper growing season, commences. Siring flowering bulbs of all kinds arc through the ground now. and we shall soon nave narcissi in bloom in warm, sheltered spots. The snowdrops are out at present, ■but they did not seem to receive the attention 'which they merit. With us they do well on a diy, sunny part of the rock garden, and in a border _ among heaths where there* is a clay subsoil, and the soil Which is rich in humus is always moist. They are better when lifted and divided up every three or four years, but otherwise thev require no attention. The double variety seems to be the most plentiful, but 'the single is the more graceful, and in some gardens it ripens seeds.. the seedlings coming up round the old plants like onions in the spring. Erica melanthera, which is_ a most reliable plant for winter flowering, is opening well as \isual. and several of the other heaths are assisting to brighten up the shrubbery at this season. _ Erica carnea is useful either for carpeting the taller varieties or for the rock garden, and E. Verna is a very interesting and Beautiful kind. Pyrus japonica (often called japomca) is jbeginning to open in warm, sheltered positions, and where it receives a vigorous famning out when in flower provide Sfcakrial for house decoration it will con-

tinuo to do well, but when it grows into a tangled mass of twigs it is not so satisfactory. There are several varieties, probably more than 20, but many of them are very much alike. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN". Continue to clear away spent crops and to manure and dig all vacant ground, getting it in order for next season's crops. A little planting and sowing of early kinds of vegetables can be made now on a warm, dry, well-sheltered border near a wall or fence, but it is too early to put out any of the main crop kinds. ' POTATO PLANTING. If the patch intended for potatoes has been trenched or dug and manured, the preparation now will consist of forkmg or breaking up the surface witli a manure drag, but it is not necessary to make it very fine. A little wood ashes and lime can be spread on the surface and worked in during the soil preparation and if farm yard manure was not dug in during the winter a dressing of basic phosphate, prepared potato manure,, or bone meal can bo worked in. There are three methods of planting, and the most common is to draw a drill about six inches deep with a hoe and to plant the sets in the desired distance apart, and then to draw the soil soil back in again. It seems to be an unnecessary amount of labour in pulling the soil out and pushing it all in again, and it is much less trouble to plant with either a trowel or a dibber. Planting with a trowel is the best when dealing with sprouted sets. A hole can be dug in with the trowel to the desired distance apart, the set dropped in, and the soil pushed back again. Though there is little danger of the shoots being broken off it is just as well to be careful, and it is much easier to be careful when planting with a trowel. Planting with a dibber is fairly satisfactory. Holes are made with a blunt dibber, and the sets dropped in and then covered up by pushing in a little of the loose surface soil with the feet or the manure drag. The distance between the rows and the sets will depend on the variety, and whether they are to bo dug green or hot, but as a general rule from 12 to 15 inches between the sets in the rows and from 24 to 30 inches between the rows will be satisfactory. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. " Sensitive Plant,'' Glenomaru. The seeds ot Mimosa Pudica, the sensitive piant, usually germinate lairiy weiL but as it is a tropica* plant you have no hope of raising it witnout considerable heat, either troin a hotbed or in a warm greenhouse. Seeds can be sown in a pot. use good light, sandy soil, make him and level, press the seeds into the soil and cover with about an eighth of an inch of soil. Water well by soaitmg tho pot in water until hubbies stop rising. "ft. P.," Tarras. —Ashleaf Kidney potato seed is certainly very difficult to get true, but I think any of the Dunedin seedsmen could obtain it for you if you ordered early enough. Celery rly is very troublesome in some districts, and it may be the cause ol your failures. The grub burrows into the leaf, and it can be crushed between the linger and the thumb, or the injured portion of the leaves can be cut out and burnt. Dusting the plants with lime or soot will keep the fly from laying its eggs, or they can be sprayed with coal tar water. Boil half a pound of tar in a gallon of water for 20 minutes, and add 50 gallons of water and spray about noon throughout December. Celery likes plenty of stable manure and plenty of water at all times. "Poppy," Portobello. —The Dervvent potatoes were called red, though that is hardly the right term for the colour of their skin. It is not at all likely that, you will <~*> able to get them true now. "A. H.," Waimatc. —The leaf sent looks like an Irisene, but it is not hardy and is not a shrub. If it is from a hardy shrub, then it must be Rhus Cotinus. Pentstemons flower quite well for' two years, but after that they beoome woody, and should be grubbed out and replaced with young plants raised from cuttings or seed. Marguerite carnations are very satisfactory, and they will continue to flower right on into the winter provided the weather is not too cold. Sutton's Marguerite carnations are very good—we graw them every year. The marguerite carnations are annuals, and will have to be thrown away when the flowering season is over. "Novice," Invercargill.—lt will not do your araucaria tree any harm to out off a few of the bottom branches. It may gum a little, but will not bleed to death. It would be better to prune it at once or leave it until next winter. You can still sl.ift Lilium giganteum. though it would have been easier a month ago, when the bulbs were at rest. Chrysanthemum cuttings will not root well in wood ashes unleS3 there is a Jarge quantity of burnt soil in them. The cutting mixture is one part soil, one part loaf mould, and one part sand, and about half a part of wood ashes can be added to tha soil with advantage.