GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 9

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. TANNOCK.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. The cinerarias will be growing rapidly in the frames now, and the shades can be removed altogether on still, warm nights, but a little shading will be required during bright sunshine to prevent them from wilting too much. Old cyclamen corms will soon be beginning to show signs of -growth again. Stand them up on the bench and give one good watering, and when root action commences shake them out and put up in clean pots in a nice light soil composed of turfy loam, leafmould, sand, lime rubble, and a little well-rotted manure, or dry cow manure. Seedling wallflowers have not had much cf a time so far, but we hope to get some grow’th with improved weather conditions. Seedlings of sweet williams which were pricked out in boxes some time ago will now be ready to plant out in the nursery. Want in rows about a foot apart, and allow' the same distance between the plants in the rows to give them room to develop into good specimens before planting out. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Keep the scuffle hoe going during dry weatuer, edge and weed beds and borders, and keep, the tall herbaceous plants staked up. Thin out the growths on dahlias, keep the seed pods and old flowers picked off, and give liquid manure once a week. Spray the roses for mildew, and keep the old blooms picked off the carnations. Plant out narcissi and other sprifig flowering bulbs, and clean out all annuals as soon as they are past their best. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Potatoes have been attacked by the blight, but in most cases it is not very bald, and as the- foliage of the later varieties' is still quite' green it would be a mistake to dig them or to cut the tops off. which Is just about the same. All future development is arrested. Those which Were fairly early can be dug as soon as the skins of the tubers are firm, and the ground can be limed and planted up with winter and spring greens. Earth up cabbage and cauliflower to steady them, and keep the scuttle hoe going among all growing crops Onions should be ready to lift soon; and those which have thick necks and do not show any signs of ripening can be bent or twisted over, or half their roots can be cut with the scuffle hoe. Cut out the old raspberry canes as soon as they finish fruiting, and thin out the young one* to the number required for next year’s crop. THE HYDRANGES. The common hydranges, Hydrangea Hortnesis, a native of China is one of the most useful plants w*e have for the late summer and autumn, and it is seen in all sorts and conditions of gardens throughout the ■South Island at least, and nearly always doing well. It is quite a hardy plant, and when left alone in a situation which suits it it will grow to an enormous size and produce an abundance of its large heads of sterile flowers, which are alike useful for house and garden decoration. When planted on the lawn as a single specimen, in the front of the shrubbery or the mixed li.order, or on to a terrace or bank it will do well provided the soil is well drained, fairly moist, and enriched with good dressings of farmyard manure. We have planted them among the rhododendrons, and are looking forward to their continuing the display and maintaining the interest in this section during the autumn when there are no rhodos in flower. The autumn or winter is the best time to plant them, and they should be allowed at least six feet between the plants when they are ip groups. They are also excellent for filling tubs or vases to be set about on walls, beside steps on a verandah. They a}so make good pot plants for either greenhouse or house decoration, and if potted Up in tlio autumn in nice rich soil similar to that recommended for chrysanthemums, and wintered in a frame or in the cool

greenhouse, they will send up growths in the spring which, if limited to not more than three on a plant in a six-inch pot, and fed up a bit with liquid manure will throw nice, . large heads, which como in very useful in the greenhouse tetween the calceolarias and the tuberous begonias. After they are over the flower heads should he cut off and the plants rested for a little. They are easily propagated by means of Cuttings, two distinct methods being adopted W'ith equal success. When the plants in pots begin to grow away in winter or early spring, all the surplus shoots if taken off with a heel when about two ■or three inches long, and put singly in small thumb pots filled with nice, light, gritty soil, and plunged in the propagating bed in bottom heat, they will root in a very short time, and will soon grow into satisfactory plants, which are "ready to plant out by the summer, or if potted wiil make nice plants for flowering in the greenhouse by the following summer. Being of a sort of sub-scrub they can also be propagated by means of good strong pieces of Wellripened wood about nine to 12 inches long, which, after being prepared in the usual way, can he put into the cutting bed and buried about three-parts of their length in the ground. They root quite readily bv the following summer, and soon grow into plants large enough to plant out by the autumn. The latter method is the best -with well-established varieties, but when working up a stock of scarce ’ kinds it. is better to resort to soft cuttings and bottom heat. There are quite a number of varieties which vary in the size of the heads, the margins, of the sepals being toothed and fringed or smooth, and the colourings vary from pure white through all the delicate shades of pink and purple to deepest blue. It is a popular impression that the soils influence the colours, and though one can have all the shades in the same soil, the blues are certainly intensified by watering the plants occasionally with dilute sulphate of iron or water drawn from rusty nails. Some of the varieties of LI. Hortensis are: Otaksa, which is very handsome with all its flowers sterile and enlarged. The foliage is a, rich dark green, and the colour of the flowers .is pale pink or flesh coloured. Alios. Hogg has very large heads, and is pure white, Mme. E. Monillere is pure white with pink centre, Radiant is carmine pink. Mine. Chautard is bright pink, Ornament deep blue, Baby Bimbenet is bright pink, and Bouquet Rose is nice amber rose turning to deep rose. Hydrange panieulata grandiflora is a shrubby species well worth growing in front of the shrubbery or in beds on the lawn. It likes a rich moist soil, and as it flowers on the voung wood, should be cut back to within an inch or two of the old wood during the winter. It is a native of Japan, where it is said to grow into a tree 25ft high with a stem 6i'n in diameter. Hydrange quercifolia (Oak-leaved hydrange) is aso a. fine and distinct shrubby species. It is said to flourish in seaside gardens, has leaves which turn a good deep colour iii autumn, and has quite beautiful flowers, colour creamy-white. Hydrange scandens is the climbing hydrange. It clings like ivy.,, but is better when allowed t,o ramble- through a tree or over a tree stump. It will make stems 20ft in length when planted in rich soil, and its colour is white. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. “Pear Tree.” —The best way to prevent the roots of a pear tree encroaching on a yard would be to dig a trench, say, two feet deep along the boundary, and cut- all the roots. 'try 'some weedkiller on the shoots which come through the asphalt. ‘‘Rose Bud,” Balclutha.—The rose buds are attacked by mildew, and the best thing to do w'ill be to spray them with Sulphide of Potassium loz to three gallons of water, or commercial lime sulphur, which can be obtained from seedsmen. Dilute according to instructions on tin. "L. W.,” Christchurch.I—l 1 —I do not think that the variety of silver birch which you mention could be grown from c-uttings, but it could be grafted on to the ordinary species. I cannot tell you where .to get Cedrus deodora glauca, and do not think the Indian rosewood would be hardy here. I would recommend Olearia Traversii for a quick-growing hedge, but holly is the best. Hornbeam or beech would make a good deciduous hedge. “G. 5.,” Mosgiel:—The name of the grass sent is IVlicrolaena avenacea. It is usually found in patches near the bush, and cattle eat it greedily during the winter. “lona,” West Taieri. —The disease which has attacked your tomatoes is practically the same as we get on the potatoes, a-nd the best remedy is to spray with Bordeaux mixture, summer formula. The prevailing weather has been very bad for the tomatoes and .suitable for the disease. You should be able to check it when we get sunny weather. Tomatoes do not really need much manure, and basic superphosphate 2lb, potash nitrate lib, and Jib of sulphate of ammonia -would be a good general manure applied at the rate of 11b to 10 square yards. “Destroyer. —Either . Acme or Pharos weed killer should destroy your grass and weeds. “P. J.,” Invercargill.—You should plant your tulips and ixias as soon as they arrive, but the ranunculus can be kept out of the ground for another month or two. Plant in well-drained light soil, and dip the bulbs in a weak solution of formaline io destroy fungoid pests, I do not think there will be any grubs in them.