GARDEN & ORCHARD,

Otago Witness, Issue 3512, 5 July 1921, Page 7

GARDEN & ORCHARD,

By

D. Tan nock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. the greenhouse and frames. Continue to pot and box on the geraniums for the summer bedding; sow sweet peas and a few of the early vegetables in boxes. In most districts the vegetable peas will stand the winter, and these come in before Christmas, or about that time, when they are much appreciated. A row or two should also have been sown on a warm, dry, sunny border, but, for those who cannot winter them successfully, or do not have an early border available, it is a good idea to sow a row or more in boxes and to plant them out when weather conditions are favourable. Turf similar to that used for boxing the geraniums or sowing the sweet peas will do. It can be freshly cut if no other is available, and each turf is fitted into a box with the grassy side downwards. It is then cut into strips about three inches wide, and a trench about two inches deep -e ‘3 cut out of the top of each strip. Then put a little fine soil mixed with bonemeal into the trench, and sow the peas at about half an inch apart on this soil; cover with more fine soil and make firm; water and stand the boxes on top of one another in the warm greenhouse or propagating house. They can also be put in a frame or cool tomato house. where they will come on quicker than outside. They soon germinate, and the boxes have to be set out ar.d kept, up near the light to prevent drawing. As' soon as growth is well under way put in some small pieces of scrub for stakes and stand out in a frame to harden off. When planting out on a well-manured, sheltered place tape out a trench about four inches deep with the spade and then lift out the strips of turf, placing them end on in the trench, push back the soil, or add fresh soil if it should be wet and sticky, and provide stakes for support and shelter. If hardened off, the plants suffer very little in the process of transplanting, and are ready to grow away whenever the weather is favourable. Such varieties as English Wonder are usually selected for forcing in this way, but Sutton’s Dwarf Defiance is also suitable. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Never miss an opportunity, when the weather conditions are favourable, to get on with the pruning of trees and shrubs as well ns the forking or digging of the borders. Where bulbs are planted forking is necessary, but, if carefully done, the soil can be inverted and a clean, fresh surface provided. Continue to trench new beds and borders and to prepare for planting out trees and shrubs when the season is suitable. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to dig and trench all vacant land and to get the work as well forward as possible while the weather is favourable. Lift and store winter and spring vegetables and wheel in manure during frosty weather. Repair paths and drain any land which may require it. If potatoes for seed have not been stood on end in boxes to sprout, this work should receive attention at once. So important is this considered by the large growers in Ayrshire that great quantities of seed are sprouted before planting. The boxes used are similar to those I have so often recommended, yia they are stood in barns where there is no danger of frost. A few rows of very early varieties can be put out on a warm, sheltered border. SPRING FLOWERS IN GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH. The development of parks, gardens, and open spaces in both Glasgow and Edinburgh has gone on at a great rate during recent years. While Glasgow had five parks 25 years ago, now there are 27, and several are very extensive. In those near the centre of the city there are good displays of sprinnflowers, but further out flower beds are not so much in evidence, and the attractive features are the trees and shrubs. I noted a great improvement in St George’s Square, Glasgow. The railings have all been removed from round tlie garden plots, a kerbing 18 inches high beirm considered sufficient protection, and the bed's were all planted with daffodils, which were just coming out in the beginning of April, in the South Side Park a great many daffodils of the common kinds were planted in the grass, and there were beds of tulips, hut neither wallflowers nor polyanthus Probably the sooty winter weather is too much for them. In one portion a number of allotments had been laid out. and, though the war is over, they are still well cultivated, and all classes of vegetables are beiim grown. Though there were thousands gom° to football matches, there were still numbers working diligently in their allotments. In every direction one sees allotments, even railway embankments being used,’ arid judged by the high prices of ail kinds of food products, the crops from these small spaces must amount to a considerable sum and help to solve to some extent the high cost of living. Glasgow is well provided with glass houses or winter gardens, and these are visited by great numbers, particularly on Sundays Painting and repairing, though necessary’ had to stand over during the war, but advantage is being taken of (he unemployed relief funds to get all arrears made up and consequently many of the houses are closed at present. In the Botanic Gardens the show houses ■were filled with cinerarias, primulas, forced Bhrubs such as rhododendrons, azaleas and deutzias, and forced bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths, ar.d daffodils. It ( ]id occur to me that these were a Hit out of place inside when they were to he seen growing to greater perfection outside, but probably they were intended for earlier forcing, and the lack of coal prevented this. fn the Mouth side Park there was a very fine collection of Clivias in pots. Most of them had been raised from seed, and they showed considerable variations. There was also a big collection of seedling lippeastrums, many of which were very fine and several just ordinary. One pleasing feature of Glasgow is the way the large landowners are either presenting their estates to the city or opening, them up to the public. Sir John Stirling Maxwell has opened his park and portion of the gardens to the public for a long time, but now he has granted a considerable area to the corporation for the use of the people, and the city park authorities are laying out paths and forming playgrounds, anil, while retaining (lie natural features of the woods, are rendering them more accessible. In a short time these woods ■will be completed with bluebells and anemones, and at the time of my visit quantities of daffodils were in flower in the grass.

Edinburgh has always been famous for its Princes' street and the Princes street gardens, and the citizens have just reason to be proud of both. In the Princes street gardens there were thousands of daffodils planted on the grassy slopes, and, as these could be viewed from below as well as above, the effect was very fine. They didn’t appear to have been planted more than one or two years, but if the grass is left to grow until their foliage ripens they should multiply and thicken up in time. A few of the beds and borders near the street were filled with tulips and hyacinth's, both doing well, but it was quite evident that spring gardening had not returned to its pre-war glory. In the Botanic Gardens everything was neat, tidy, and in order, and, though there were not many of the shrubs in flower outside, the new Chinese and Himalayan primulas and rhododendrons were a wonder. There are now primulas of all sizes, shapes, anfi colours, from little dwarf ones with flower stalks of not more than an inch in length, to great robust growers with leaves like young rhubarb and flower spikes like miniature dilphiniums. They are also of all different shades and colours, some being blue, others pink, others yellow, white, cream, At present they are rare, and lew are in cultivation outside Botanic Gardens, but they promise to be hardy in j\ew Zealand at any rate, and I hope to be able to obtain seeds of many of them before I return. Mr Harrow said that where they had been planted in Ireland they were simply growing wild, and selfsown _ seedlings were coming up in all directions.

Rhododendrons, too, are wonderful. They were being grown from seed by the ti l°us a n cl. This method of raising rhododendrons will quickly revolutionise their cultivation. It was mentioned that during recent years collectors had sent Home about m new species, and few of these are on . e J' e L They are hardly hardy m Edinburgh, a,nd a large house has been set aside for their cultivation, in which such well-known kinds as Auckland! arboreum, etc., were flowering at the time of my visit, as well as a few of the new ones, but most of these are known only by the collectors’ description, and it will'be years before they all flower.

Judging by our experience of the older Himalayan rhododendrons in Dunedin, I should tiunk that all the new ones will be hardy, with us, and we can look forward witti interest and expectation to flowering them in Dunedin. Some grow into trees about 50 feet high, while others are so small they will have to be planted on the lock garden, and the variations in the oliage are as remarkable as the colours and shapes of their flowers. Edinburgh is fortunate in having as the keeper of the guldens such a great authority on both primulas and rhododendrons as” Sir Isaac Ba ' ev Balfour. He is most enthusiastic, and has promised me seeds and plants for e gardens in Dunedin, which is looked upon as the Edinburgh of the south. It will be quite possible to find room for many more plants by extending the dell.