GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3542, 31 January 1922, Page 7

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. TANNOCK.

THE G REEXHOUSE AND NURSERY. The cinerarias can be planted out in the frames as soon as they become established in their pots and shaded during bright, sunny weather, but the sashes can be pulled right off in the evenings and during nice warm showers. Prick out the seedling calceolarias and any other seedlings as soon aA they are large enough to handle, shading them during sunny Weather and keeping them as moist ar.d cool as possible without watering. Any cinerarias not required for the greenhouse can be planted out in the garden, where they will do very well unless we get a very severe winter. They can be planted under trees, on rocky banks, and ir, the rock garden. The only drawback is the hairy caterpillar and the leaf miner, both of which can be kept away by making the plants distasteful by spraying them with tar water or quassia. The caterpillars can be poisoned by spraying with arsenate of lead. Continue to line out wallflowers and other biennials while the weather is favourable, and sow seeds of bulbs and hardy perennials and alpines as they ripen. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Mildew is showing on roses now, and spraying with sulphide of potassium should be carried out whenever the weather is favourable. There is no use spraying while it is raining or when the foliage is moist; it simply dilutes the solution. The afternoon is the best time, and be careful to wet all the foliage, both the under and the upper sides of the leaves. Tlie exceptionally moist weather is causing the plants to make growth instead of flowering, and the only plants which seem to really enjoy wet weather are fuchsias and tuberous begonias. Their flowers are not spoiled, and they continue to grow alright. Continue to stake and tie up the michaelmas daisies and other herbaceous plants and to cut the flower spikes off those which are past. Carnations are not having much of a time. They really like nice warm sunny weather, but as they are such favourites and so useful for cutting, we will just have to go on propagating them, hoping for a better season next year. The most satisfactory method of increasing the stock, ajiart from seed, is by layering. When cuttings are taken they should bo taken off about 4iu to 6in lona, out across immediately below a node, ana inserted in boxes of a specially prepared cutting bed prepared as described for a seed bed last w r eek. With a layer of clean sand on top, water well and shade with a piece of scrim or some branches. Border pinks and many of the alpine pinks can bo propogated bymeans of cuttings, and it is usual after cutting the stem across immediately below a node to cut up through the node a little way and to put a little piece of the leaf into the cut to keep it open. Water and bog plants should be at their best just now, but the rainy weather does not suit them. Their roots have all the moisture they require, and all they want is sunshine to develop their flowers and to keep down rank growth. The water lilies certainly require all the heat and sunshine - they can get, and for this reason they do best when grown in a comparatively 6mall pool surrounded with rocks which absorb, and afterwards radiate heat. It is well said that the Japanese iris likes to grow with their roots in the water and their heads in the sun, and though they grow in an ordinary border they are best when their roots are in water or verymoist soil like the ordinary English flag iris. Some of the moisture-loving plants suitable for planting near a pond or stream are —Iris laevigata, the Japanese iris, iris ochroleuea, which grows to a height of 6ft, and iris sibirica (the Siberian iris). There are quite a lot of spiraea and allied plants such as Astilhe Davidii, with rosypurple flowers, the white Astilbo japonioa and its pink variety, Spiraea giganteum, which grows nearly 6jj. the S. aruncus, nearly as high, the S. ulrnaria (the meadow sweet), the S. filipendula (the meadow dropwort), and the S. palmata. Saxifraga peltata is rather a peculiar plant. Its white or pale pink flowers appear in early spring, and these are followed by large shield-like leaves. Podophyllum Emodi is a plant from the Himalayas which grows from about a foot to 18 inches high with large leaves cut into wedge-shaped lobes, their whole surface a bronzy red in spring. The flowers are white, and are followed by bright red fruits as large as a hen’s egg. Rodgersi is a similar kind of plant to the saxafrage and the podophyllon. It ’ has bronze green leaves one foot or more across and cleft into five broad divisions. The flowers are produced on spikes 3ft to 4ft high like a giant meadow-sweet, and are quite handsome. Sfenanthium robustum is a North American bulbous-root plant which throws up spikes of creamy-white fragrant flowers from 2ft to 3ft high. The moisture-loving primulas are a host in themselves. There is the old well-known Frimtda japottica. which can be had in several colours, and the newer P. Bullevana. P. Beesiana, the Lissidale hybrids, P. dentioulata, P. rosea. P. coekhnrniona. P. sikkimensis, P. farinose, and P. Vetehii. Of the stronger growing flowering plants there are Senccio clivorum, with orangeyellow flowers. Kninhr.flas or red-hot pokers, purple loostnfe. giant willow herb (Epilobium augustifolium). plume poppy fßoooonia cordata). the blue poppy (Meoonopsb Wallichii), trollies or globe flowers. Riebardia aethiopica, var. gigantea, and Rebel in fulgens. Smaller plants for growing round the margins of the water and in the shallow parts are Oaltha palnstris and C. polvnetnlee. the Bog bean, water plantain, and water hawthorn (Anonogefon distachyon). Foliage pl->nfs and grasses are Gnnnera manienta. and ft. sr-ahra. native flax. Rheum palmatuni and R. Emodi, Funt-ies in many varieties, pampas grass, Eulalia japonioa, and polygonums. THE VEGET VRT.E GARDEN. Continue to weed and cultivate growing crops, earthing up those which require it, and thinning out the seedlings before they become too crowded. Take advantage of the moist, showery weather to get out the winter and spring greens and to transplant celery and leeks. Sowings of shorthorn carrots and early turnips can still be made, and, of course, the supplies of salading plants must bo kept up.

Mushrooms are always appreciated, and beds can be made up either in a shed or cellar or in the open air, but I will have to leave a description of the details of cultivation until next week’s notes. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. “Roesbank.” Ralolutha.—Your bean foliage has been ataxrked by rust, and if it is not very bad the affected leaves can be picked off and burned and the remaining foliage sprayed with Bordeaux mixture summer formula. If very bad burn the lot. It is not wise to save seeds for future sowing from diseased plants of any kind. “Amateur,” Tuatapere.—Club root is a very troublesome disease which is liable to attack all the plants which belong to the natural order Cruicferse, such as turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. The disease is caused by a fungus which may lie dormant in the soil for several years, and often when nothing better offers will attack shepherd’s purse and charlock. Wet, cold Weather and sour soils help to make the presence of the fungus more evident. Good drainage and deep cultivation are an advantage. It is also undesirab’e to grow two crops of brassicas on the same land in succession if it can be avieded. Applications of freshly slacked lime at the rate of five to seven tons per acre about six to eight months before the crop is sown are very effective. Plants attacked by this disease should not be thrown on compost heap, but should be burned at once. “Crab.”—The leaves are affected by the sweet chestnut disease Sclerotinia padi. This disease frequently attacks the leaves in spring and during rainy weather. Later the disease is conveyed to the flowers, causing mummified nuts, which ought to be collected and burned.

GARDENS COMPETITION.

VEGETABLES AND FRUBT.

The vegetable and fruit garden competition, held _ annually under the auspices of the Dunedin Amenities and Town Planning Society was judged this year by Messrs F. Hollingworth and John L. Roy. The results give the following placing:—Miss Ruby Anderson, Oban street, Roslyn, 47 points, 1; Mrs H. Cross, Coughtrey street, St. Clair, 41 points, 2; Mrs Hunter, Loyalty street. South Dunedin, 40 points, 3; Mr A. C. Goodiet, Edgar street, Kaikorai, 39 points, 4. This competition has no area limit, amateur owners of gardens of any size being eligible to compete. It is recognised as the most useful of the society’s competitions, being judged solely from the utilitarian standpoint.

NEW ZEALAND NURSERYMEN

CONFERENCE IN CHRISTCHURCH. CHRISTCHURCH, January 25. lhe fifteenth annual conference of the Nurserymen’s . Association opened to-day with a civic reception. The president (Mr A. W. Buxton) said that modern methods of production demanded many changes in the system of advertising and producing, and more co-opera-tion was needed. In view of the high cost of imported choice plants these must now ba grown in the dominion. He hoped a sound basis for future afforestation would be arranged. The executive would meet representatives of the (forestry Department, when the big question of' forest nursery practice would fee considered. He hoped it would be strongly financed, and that a pomological board would be formed The work of the association had steadily progrossed, and he believed the present stringency was but a passing phase. The conference carried the following remits:— “That the executive consider the matter of the registration and inspection of all growers and sellers of trees, plants, and bulbs, anti take such action as it thinks fit to bring it before the Minister. /‘That the matter of a Dominion School ot Horticulture be kept before the Government. “ That the Government he urged to arrange quarantine regulations for all imported trees, etc., and that one or more islands be selected as quarantine stations ” It was decided to hold the next conference in Wellington. ‘ January 26. At the Nurserymen’s Conference resolutions were passed as follow : That the Government he urged to take the necessary powers to deal with garden pests on the same basis as with orchard pests. That when prices are being fixed it should be done as far as possible by those who are growing and handling the different lines under review. That the Department of Horticulture he asked to furnish annually a return of all trees, plants, and bulbs imported with their countries of origin and values. A remit dealing with fire blight was discussed in committee, and it was resolved—- " That this conference urges the Government to take prompt measures to deal with the hawthorn in an effective manner f or the control of fire blight.” A resolution was passed (hat the conference. regrets the delay by the Government in paying compensation to those nurserymen who have been debarred from selling their fruit trees in the fire blightarea, and hopes that if will soon bo paid It was also resolved that superintendents of public gardens be asked for their sympathy and help i,, eliminating all inferior varieties of roses m fiilure phmlino-s Officers were elected as follows^-’-Presi-dent, Mr A. W. Buxton (Ghristchurch) • vice-presidents, Messrs V. C. Davies (North Island) and T. D. Lonnie (South Island)treasurer, Mr A. W. Hamilton; secretary end ™ga»iser, Mr G A. Green : auditor. Mr R. D. Brown (Hastings). The conference then closed.