GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3499, 5 April 1921, Page 7

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

By

D. Tannock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND FRAMES. to put in g-eranium cuttings. They will root quite well yet, and as the season is now well advanced for them, there U not the same restraint in cutting the plants in the beds about a bit. Continue to pot primulas into their flowering pots, ! to pot up the old corms of cyclamen. ine first ct the chrysanthemums will be showing colour, and it is not desirable to get them wet when they begin to unfold, for then the least little touch of frost is fatal. They will be quite safe if placed under a verandah or under canvas so long as they are kept dry until there are sufficient to put in the greenhouse. Chrysanthemums are often flowered in the vinery or tomato houses, for both crops are quite or nearly over, and if they are to be placed in the vinery it may be necessary to pull off some of the ripened leaves, ana also to cut out some of the young growth to let in light. If they are to be placed in the tomato house they can be cleared out altogether. In any case, the glass becomes more or less dirty during the summer, and as we require all the light we can get in the autumn, the glass should be washed down inside; also all the woodwork, to remove any lurking insect or fungoid pests. To wash down the wood and glass there is nothing better than hot soapy water. Scrub well with a hard scrubbing brush, and syringe afterwards with clean water to wash off all the soap. If there are any brick or concrete walls they should be whitewashed with newlv-slacked lime, which will fill in all the cracks and crevices and destroy many of the insect pests in their hiding places. After washing, open up all the doors and ventilators to allow the moisture to dry up as quickly as possible, and afterwards do not spill any more than you can help fbout the house. Where fuchsias and other climbers are grown on the roof of the greenhouse they will have to be cut back and thinned out a bit to let in light and to make the washing process easier. Before the plants are housed they should be weeded, and any old withered foliage near the bottom of the stems can be pulled off, and, should the soil be badly washed out, a little nice light soil, almost free of manure, can be applied and rammed firm with the potting stick. Wash the pots, which are usually rather dirty after standing outside all summer, and then lay the plants over on their sides, syringing them thoroughly with sulphide of potassium (liver of sulphur), one ounce dissolved in three gallons of soapy water. Allow them to drip and then stand upright again, but don’t put them inside until the foliage is dry. After housing the chrysanthemums give them plenty of air, opening up the doors and ventilator to allow of a complete circulation and to keep the atmosphere dry. Caterpillars often hide round the buds and eat their way into the opening flowers. Examine the plants oarefullv at intervals, and .whenever there are any signs -hunt until the intruder is found, or it will soon ruin a good flower. Tuberous begonias will be nearly over, and they can be removed to a sbelf in a dry shed, where they will complete their ripening process. They require too much watering. and create too moist an atmosphere to be associated with chrysanthemums. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Though the season is now well advanced and the hardiest of the summer flowers can be depended upon to keep the garden bright, still we hang on to anything that is satisfactory, knowing that we will have a long enough season without much bloom. Out over herbaceous plants which have passed their best. Keep the seed pods picked off the 6weet peas and other annuals to help to prolong the season and clear out all annuals which are past. Keep the leaves raked up and the lawns as tidy as possible, and prepare for planting out wallflowers and polyanthus as soon as the beds are vacant. As a rule we get rains by this time, and a start can be made with the planting of narcissi in the grass. There can be no doubt that they thrive better and look happier in grass than in cultivated borders and beds. They are not nearly so susceptible to attacks of the different diseases, their colour is better, and during wet weather the blooms do not get spattered with dirt. There are two ways of planting daffodils, one with the planter when the bulbs are planted individually, and the other by removing little squares of turf, planting them in groups of five or more. In both cases the best results are obtained by grouping them in large drifts of one variety, not mixing them up indiscriminately, late and early, tall and dwarf, trumpets and poeticus, etc. With the bulb plant little discs of turf are stamped out, and a bulb dropped into the hole with a little bone meal if it is required, the piece of turf being replaced and tramped into position. By the other method the bulbs are spread out in little lots of five all over the grass forming irregular groups. With a sharp spade a little square of turf 9 inches by 9 inches or 12 inches by 12 inches is removed, and this is set on one side, the soil in the hole being worked up a bit with the spade, and a little handful of bone meal, basic phosphate or basic slag being worked in. The bulbs are planted up to the neck with a trowel, and the turf is replaced and tramped down firmly. The only drawback to daffodils in the grass is the fact that the grass cannot be cut until the foliage ripens, and that is not much before Christmas. When bulbs are plentiful a number can be planted on the front lawn every year. In spring the grass and foliage can be cut as soon as the blooms wither and the bulbs sacrificed THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to sow vegetable seeds to provide for the winter and early spring. Cabbage and cauliflower can be sown now to provide plants for putting out in their permanent quarters in the spring. Select a well-drained, sheltered border (make sure of good drainage), and work up the beds which will be three feet wide and six or more long, according to the demand of the plants. Have the soil a little higher in the middle than the sides to run excessive water off and make the surface fine with the steel rake. Sow tie seed thinly and evenly, cover with about a quarter of an inch of fine soil, and make firm and level with the back of the spade. Cover with a few pieces of scrub until the seedlings appear, when it should be removed and a few strands of black cotton tied over the beds to frighten away the birds. As the plants are liable to become crowded before they are required for planting out, a number can be lifted and transplanted to

another bed about four inches apart, from which they can be lifted with a ball of soil and their roots intact and put into their permanent positions in the spring. Lettuce can be treated in the same way, the seedlings being transplanted to a well drained border, where they can continue to grow, and they will be ready for use in early spring when they are scarce and much in demand. In districts where frost is veryhard or the weather it very wet it will be better to transplant the cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce to a bed in a cold frame. 9he sash can be put on during the frosty weather and opened up when the weather is fine, for the hardier the plants are the less liable they are to damp off. Varieties to sow are : —Cabbage : Flower of Spring and Early York. Cauliflower: Early London. Lettuce: All the Year Round. Peas and broad beans can be sown now, and a well-drained, sheltered position should be selected. Dig over the soil, break up the lumps, and get it into a good state of cultivation, and work in a liberal supply of basic phosphate, basic slag, or bone meal. If the soil is very dry tramp it a- bit to get a firm seed bed, and after levelling the surface make flat drills about six inches wide and two deep. Sow the peas thinly, push in the so:! with the feet and firm it, and with the feet then rake the surface smooth and level, then cover with a few pieces of manuka scrub until 'the seedlings appear. Birds are very fond of the peas, and as they practically stand still during the winter it will be necessary to cover them with wire netting guards, for black cotton is hardly sufficient deterrent when green food is so scarce. A dwarf kind, such as English Wonder, is usua'lv \own in the autumn, but Sutton’s Dwarf Defiance is also suitable, and it is a much heavier cropper. Broad beans are also planted in a flat drill, the seeds being placed in two rows six inches apart each way, manures similar to those recommended for the peas being sown in the drill along with the seeds. Cover with fine soil, but as beans have not as many enemies as the peas, it is not necessary to cover them over. Brown Windsor and Green Windsor are suitable varieties.