GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 11

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. Tannock.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. The greenhouse will be Ray with calceolarias. pelargoniums, hydrangeas, and geraniums. and these should continue the display until the tuberous begonias come in. These will be growing rapidly now, and if potted up in smaller pots with a view to giving them a shift into their flowering pots later on, they will require to be under constant supervision, and receive the shift on as soon as the roots are well round the inside of the pots, and before there is any signs of becoming potbound. Water carefully, spray both night and morning on warm, sunny days, and maintain a moist atmosphere by damping the paths and benches frequently. Sow seeds of primulas, cinerarias, double daisies, sweet williams, forget-me-nots, biennial stocks, and Canterbury bells, in pots or boxes, keeping them cWe and shaded until Eermination takes when they can b placed in a cooi, airy, fairly light position to harden up the seedlings, and pro vent their becoming drawn Ffow wall flowers in specially-prepared beds in the open, shading them with scrim or twiggy branches until germination takes place. Continue to prick out seedlings, hardy perennial, and rock garden plants, placing the boxes out in the open os scon a 9 the seedlings recover from the shock of transplanting. Pinch the shoots of single and decorative chrysanthemums to cause them to branch, and prepare the soil for the final potting of the big bloom kinds. Put In cuttings of the various greenhouse and tropical house plants, and pot on thorn already rooted. Fumigate or spray the gloxinias and gesneriaa to prevent mite or other posts from becoming troublesome, and pot on seedling tuberous begonias and gloxinias. x. E VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. Cold weather, which came a month later than usual this year, has retarded the growth of the more tender vegetable crops, ■uoh as French and runner beans, vegetable marrows, and tomatoes, and if these are badly stunted it is better to root them out and sow and plant again. One© a plant becomes stunted it is better to root It out altogether, as the season is so short, there is no time for slow recovery. Continue to make sowings of tho various sala> and quick-maturing crops to maintain a- sn «• cession and prepare land for planting o'.U the autumn broccoli and winter greens. Thin out the young growths on the bush fruits to allow a free circulation of air and to admit sunlight to ripen the fruits. Keep the soil free of weeds and well cultivated among the plants, and if there is not permanent protection from small birds, make preparations for covering them with nets. Growers adopt various devises for frightening away birds, but the most satisfactory way is to keep them out with nets. Spray apples for mildew and codlig moth with Bordeaux mixture or lime sulphur and arsenate of lead, and peaches for leaf curl with Bordeaux mixture. Though there are no signs of blight on the potatoes yet, it is just as well to spray them at least twice as a preventative. Draw the soil up round cabbage and cauliflower to support them, stake peas and beans, and keep the surface soil stirred among all growing crops. As soon as the broad beans set a reasonable number of pods the tops of the plants should be pinched off. This concentrates the energy of the plants into the develonment of the crop, and also removes the bean aphis which attacks the young shoots THE FLOWER GARDEN. The present season again demonstrates the advantage of hardy herbaceous perennials and biennials for providing cut flowers and brightening up the flower garden between tho spring show and the roses. Newly planted annuals and geraniums are not of much use until near the end of the year, and when we have a cold, hack ward season they take a long time to recover. If we plant early there is a danger of being caught by the frost, end if we delay planting is a danger of warm, dry weather setting in which will cause premature flowering. Among the plants flowering at present there are none better than the various kindg of iris. The iris is called “the poor man’s orchid,” and the peculiar structure of the flowers and their remarkable markings render them quite as attractive as orchids, and much easier to grow. The greatest improvements have been made in thi bearded section, and npw we have tremendous vigour as well ag size of flower and delicate markings. The bearded iris ij not at all particular as to the kind of soil provided it is well drained, and it contains Time. The best time for dividing up the old plants and replanting new beds and borders :'s after they have finished flowenng, before they have made their new growths, and their new roots. This would mean Dividing in January, a time when we a r - so very busy with rosee, and getting the garden cleaned up and in good order. We also get warm drying and withering winds at this season, and newly divided plants have a bad time at first. Another drawback with us is that we are so busy with bedding out and other work that there is little time Tor trenching and preparing now bods and borders. As it is necessary to divide up the bearded iris every three or four years, we had to do something last ’ season, and instead of lifting the whole of the old plants and spoiling the display for tho season we simply took off a few “fans” where they could bo spared without spoiling the summer display altogether. This work was done in early winter, and much to our surprise they are flowering away better than the parent plants, the Cower stalkg are longer and the flowers irger than those which are not disturbed. Autumn and winter planting is much more convenient than summer. There is usually a alack time during the autumn or early winter when f.he beds and borders can be trenched and prepared, and the soil is usually in good working order. Where apace is available it is advisable to lay oun nn iris garden, which may be formed with tho beds cut out of the grass like the formal rose garden, or the beds can be irregular in outline the higher and drier positions being reservod for the bearded cinda and the lower and moist positions for those without beards. They can atand Water, but. the bearded kinds cannot. The following are gome ol the more Striking varieties in flower at present, and though they are what are known in England as April. May. and June flowering kinds the bulk of the varieties are June

flowering, which would be the end of November or beginning of December with us in New Zealand. Archeveque is deep velvety violet, with standards deep purpleviolet, immense flowers. Alcasar is a giant in growth and fn flower. The standards are light bluish-violet, the falls deep purple with a bronze-veined throat. Albert Victor is a tall form of Pallida, and one of the best. Dawn is a beautiful sulphur yellow, bronze-veined at the throat with an orange beard. Dominion is something quite distinct and is the forerunner of a new race on account of its strong growth and large falls. Hie standards are light bluish-violet, erectly held, and slightly veined. The falls broaden out at the base to a deep rich indigo-purple and there is a little veining on the throat. This is still a scarce and fairly expensive variety, but one well worth having. Florence Wells is a pretty and free flowering variety. The standards are soft mauve and the falls of a deeper mauve. Hilda is white with broad falls, also white margined blue Oriflamme is one of the largest of the bearded iris, the standards are bright blue falls broad and long and dark purple. Prosperois is a vigorous and tallgrowing kind attaining a> height of 4ft. The standards are pale lavender flushed with yellow, the falls are deep red purple with lighter shading on the margins. Leander is a showy variety of medium growth, with reddish-violet self-coloured flowers. Lord of June is an iris of enormous size. The standards are lavender-blue with falls rich violet blue. La Reaute is a dwarf form with large distinct blue flowers. Paragon has pale lavendcr-bluo standards, tho falls being slightly deeper. Trojana grows to from 3ft to 4ft high with branched spikes or very largo flowers. The standards are light violet-blue and the falls deep purple violet. Regan is a distinct dark purple early flowering M-colcur with very long falls. In addition to the bearded iris we have also tho Dutch iris in flower at present. These are like largo Spanish iris, with ein.il-ir colours and markings and like them useful for cutting. Tho Spanish iris are too well known to need description, they are cheap, they flower freely, and are most useful for cutting for house decoration. The Siberian iri3 (Iris siberica) has long grass-like leaves ana small flowers on stiff, thin stalks. They are suitable for massing beside water or for planting in a damp place. The _ English iris is not in flower yet, but it is a bulbous kind suitable for planting in a moist but not wet position. The common English flag iris is also worth planting beside or in water, in the rougher part of tho garden, where it will spread rapidly. Tho Japanese iris, which is quite distinct from those already described, is not in flower yet. but it is pushing up its new foliage and promises to do well. Roses are coming on rapidly now, and they will require constant attention to keep both them and their surroundings clean. Spray for green fly or mildew as soon as these pests appear, continue to disbud, and keep the surface soil of the beds and borders scuffled up to remove all footprints : and to destroy weeds. The young shoots of ramblers should be tied in from time to time. The foliage is clean and healthy, the buds getting time to develop, and everything points to a lemarkably good season. Stake carnations with spiral wires stake and tie up sweet peas, and provide uli the strong grov mg herbaceous plants with stakes before the- stems are blown over. Complete the planting out of the summer a .nd autumn bedding plants as soon as possible, and keep lawns mown and rolled.