GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3618, 17 July 1923, Page 9

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Bt

D. TANNOOR.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to pot or box on geraniums, to sow seeds of begonias, antirrhinums, early vegetables, and hardy perennials. As sweet peas soon come through the ground when put into a little heat, care has to be taken to put them up near the glass to prevent the seedlings from becoming drawn, and to shift them out into the cold house, and then into the frames as soon as possible. Put in cuttings of chrysanthemums and continue the potting of ferns, palms, and ot! ier warm house plants. THE FLOWER GARDEN. As soon as the soil is dry enough, scuffle or fork through among the bulbs and other spring bedding plants to destroy seedling weeds and to open up the soil, protect primrose polyanthus v.ith black cotton, and continue to plant out trees and shrubs. Plant roses, trench and dig bods and borders and repair paths. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. Continue to prune and spray fruit trees and bushes, to dig or plough the soil between them, and to make fresh plantations. The seedsmen’s catalogues are arriving now, and orders for next season’s flower and vegetable seeds should be sent in as soon as possible. It is much better to order everything which will be required, as far as possible, at one time, than to run in every Saturday morning for one or two packets. Do not order too much of one kind, hut rather a little of several varieties. which will mature at different times and keep up the supply throughout the s. ason. HEDGES AND SHELTER BELTS. Shelter of some kind is very essential for both faims and gardens, and the most satisfactory and lasting method of providing this nccesasry shelter is by planting suitable shelter belts and hedges. The worst winds occur in spring and summer, and near the coast, where the S.W. winds are also salt-laden very considerable damage is done to both deciduous and evergreen trees. Even pinus insignia and pinus muricata, which are very hardy, are damaged on the windy sides by the sea blast, and I have seen acacias, asb, and elm almost completed defoliated. The S.W. winds, which are liable to occur at any time during the summer, are the most destructive, and fortunately we can shut them out without shutting out the sun. Where space is available it is well to keep the shelter belts well back from the house and garden, as the tree roots are liable to rob the crops and tile occupants of the flower garden of their supplies of food and water. About a chain back from the margin of the garden is a reasonable distance, and, if possible, the shelter belt should be about a chain in width, though one or two rows will do if space is limited.

Ihe ground does not require any special preparation before planting, and it is a mistake to plough or cultivate the land before pitting and planting. When pitting, all that is necessary is to scuffle a spot about 18in to 2ft in diameter with a grubber and to give the soil three or four digs with the same tool to loosen it a bit. In dry districts it is desirable to prepare the pits in the autumn, and to leave them exposed to the action of the frost so that they will become thoroughly saturated during the winter.

The-quickest-growing tree for shelter belts is Pinus radiata (or insignis), and it can be transplanted straight from the seedbed with reasonable success in some districts, but it is really better to put out troesi which have been lined out, in nursery rows for a season usually called one year ones, because they are one season in the seedbed and one in the nursery rows.

Small, hardy plants up to 12in in height are better than tall, soft ones, which will readily and wriggle about with the wind. As it is very necessary that the tree should retain its branches almost to the ground, it is quite a good idea to plant a row of macrocarpas, either on the inside or the outside of the belt; it will retain its branches quite a long time and prevent ground draughts. Cupressus maerocarpa, usually called maerocarpa,” is the most useful farmer’s tree which I know. It grows rapidly, and the young trees which have to be cut out when the plantation is about 10 years old, to allow room for development, make useful and lasting posts and stakes.

Seedling macrocarpas up to 6in in height, which have been transplanted into boxes, are the best, as they can be lifted with a ball of soil and roots, and few fail, even *n dry seasons. Lined out plants do not transplant well unless they are bailed, and this makes them rather expensive when they have to be transported any distance. Pinus muricata is a hardier tree than radiata, but should only be pianted where frosts are too severe for radiata, it being by far the most satisfactory tree.

Cupressus Lawsoniana also makes a good skelter, and when the belt is limited to one or two rows it should be considered. It transplants easily, and its twiggy branches makes a dense barrier, but when grown it is not such a useful tree as the tnacrocarpa.

Planting is a very simple process. The sod is culled to one side with the spade, forming a slit sufficiently wide and deep to allow the roots to go in easily, and then put the plants about an inch or so deeper than they were in the nursery, and push in the soil with the foot, tramping it as firmly as possible. Unless the soil is very wet, or sticky clay, it is not possible to make it too firm. When it is necessary to let the sun in during the winter. Lombardy poplars make a good shelter, their upright habit of growth and their tall, straight stems occupying the minimum of overhead space, while at the same time they provide good and useful shelter. The silver birch also provides useful and quick-growing shelter. Hedges can bo divided into two types—shelter hedges which are allowed to grow as high as they can, and protective and ornamental hedges which are limited to sft or 6ft in height. For shelter hedges tip to, say, 20ft, all the trees already mentioned can be used, for by shortening in the side branches and tripping them at the desired height even Pinus radiata can be kept within bounds, wit a forest tree, when kept down, is sure to become unhealthy sooner cr later, and it is much better ro use a

plant which, while it stands cutting, will remain healthy for years.

When preparing for planting a hedge it is advisable to trench a strip about 2ft in width and at least 2ft in depth, and, if the soil is waterlogged and sour, a drain should be laid along the bottom of the trench. Where the position is liable to flooding, it is advisable to fill in round and above the pipe with rotten rock or sand to a depth of at least 6in. Drainage can hardly be overdone, and it is remarkable how many of the good hedge plants will thrive in almost pure sand. As rapid growth is desirable at first it is quite a good idea, to work in a liberal dressing of stable manure as the trenching proceeds, and even hollies will like it, but failing stable manure a dusting of bonemeal will be found most useful. When hedges are to grow 7 to a considerable height it is desirable to give them room to develop in all directions, and 4ft is not too great a. distance between the plants, while for an ordinary hedge 2ft will be found quite a suitable distance. Evobgerren Hedges.—Olearia Traversii is not so well known as O. Fosteri, but it has much to recommend it. It grows faster and taller, and though it does not clip so well, its upright growth renders clipping less necessiry. It is very hardy, stands up to the sea blast, and will grow to a height of 30ft in a few years. It grows in pure sand, and is easily grown from cuttings, Olearia Fosteri is too well known to need description, and for an ordinary garden hedge is better than O. Traversii. Laurel was at one time a favourite, but the attack of borer a few years ago almost killed it light out. It makes a good hedge, but is cot so desirable as the Olearias. Ihe holly is the best cf all hedges where it will grow .and that is wherever the soil is good and drainage ample. It is not such a slow grower as many imagine, and is very much at home in Otago. Yew is not nearly so often planted as it ■should be, in fact, I do not know of a yew hedge in Dunedin. It is often planted to shut off the rose garden from the rest of the garden in England, and can be .kept very neat and tidy. Eseallcnia inaerantha makes an oxcellent hedge in a wet district ,and when pruned with the secateurs instead of the hedge shears it can be made quite ornamental, and the white variety is also satisfactory. Bamboos make both a useful and ornamental hedge. They require little or no clipping, and provide quantities of useful garden stakes. Avundinaria Falconeri is the best, hut it is a artie tender, and in frosty distiicts would not succeed, but Arundinaris japonica is quite hardy, and will grow anywhere. It is easily increased by division. Other neat little hedges are Box, Veronica buxifolia Uurybia, and Berbevis Darwinii. African Bcrtliorn is also a good hedge plant. Satisfactory deciduous hedges are silver birch, English beech, Hornbeam, Berberis vulgaris, Berberis aristata, Berberis Wilsonii, and thorn. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A. S. W.. Waitahuna.—Mix one gallon of the red oil with one gallon of soft water to which has been added a pinch of soap powder; mix thoroughly until white, and tins will form the primary emulsion. For spraying apples and pears add two gallons of the emulsion to between 20 and 30 gallons cf water, and for peaches from 25 to 30 gallons of water. If the water is hard, add 4oz of soap powder before mixing in the emulsion. B. Waikouaiti.—The name of the plant sent is Tradescantia virginica, commonly called the “Spider wort.” It is a hardy perennial, and is a native of Florida. It is not a bit too late to put in rose or abutilon cuttings. Grade fruit belongs to the citrus

or shaddock family, and is called grape fruit, because the fruits hang more or less in clusters on the ends of the branches. You can prune veronicts as seen as the severe frost is over.