GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 11

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. By D. Tannock. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Preparations will soon have to be made for putting in the cuttings of geraniums and other betting plants, and judging by present appearances there is going to plenty of material. Growth has been very satisfactory, and no doubt it will harden up in the course of a few weeks. Continue to select the buds of the large flowering chrysanthemums, give liquid manure once a week to encourage growth, and watch for the first appearance of grubs and black fly. The grubs can be hand picked, and the fly destroyed by dusting with tobacco powder. The earliest of the gloxinias are past their best, but their place can be taken by seedlings which were raised this season. By raising a batch from seed every year we can afford to throw a number away, but the best colours should be retained and put back in the warm propagating pit or greenhouse, where they can ripen off gradually. Cinerarias should now be ready for potting on to their flowering pots, which will be Tin or Sin size for the tall-growing stellate varieties, and Gin for the large flowering and dwarf stellate kinds. After potting stand the plants : n the greenhouse for a week or so until the roots begin to penetrate the new soil, then place them out in the frames again, where they should remain until the flower buds develop. THE FLOWER GARDEN. The flower garden is gay at present with sweet peas, antirrhinums, dahlias, gladioli, perennial phlox, asters, carnations, and shasta daisies, all of which are doing well, and the chief work at present will consist of mowing and rolling the lawns, picking the seed pods off the sweet peas as soon as they form, picking the old flowers off the dahlias, and scuffle hoeing the beds and borders. All trees and shrubs have made good growth, and I notice that buds are forming feely on the azaleas and rhododendrons. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. Owing to the continuous moist weather, onions will have a tendency to continue growing when they ought to be ripening off. To encourage ripening, half of the roots can be cut with the sculffle hoe and the tops can be twisted and bent over. Those which have ripened tan be pulled and placed in a dry, airy shed or verandah, either spread out on the floor or tied up in bundles and hung from the roof. Tomatoes will now have set as many fruits as they are likely to ripen, and the tops of the plants can je pinched two leaves beyond the highest bunch. Those growing in the opc are usually limited to five bunches, and though the top bunches do not ripen, they are useful. Onions can be sown now to provide plants for use in spring or for transplanting to rich soil when growth commences in spring. Good drainage is essential, and to secure this the soil is thrown up in beds about 3ft in width. The soil is made firm, fine, nd level, and shallow drills are drawn across the bed at a distance of from Din to 12in apart. The seed is sown evenly in the drills, and covered by drawing in a little of the soil from either side, and firmed with the head of the rake, or the feet if the soil is dry. It is most important to have an onion bed firm and the surface soil in a fine state of cultivation. The weather we are having at present is very suitable for planting out leeks, cabbage, and broccoli for spring use, and it is also keeping the blight away. Earth up celery, clear off spent crops, and keep the soil stirred among all growing crops. BULBS IN THE GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE. Tho present is a busy time, for all bulbs ■nd tubers have to be cleaned and sorted

out in preparation for potting up or planting out in the flower garden. There is nothing to be gained by keeping bulbs out of the ground after th e month, and though it may not be possible to get the flowering bulbs planted out in the garden until the summer bedding plants are over, the smaller ones which are to be lined out in itte nur»erv can be nlantedat once and those which are to be grown in pots or boxes to provide cut flowers during the scarce time in winter, or to brighten up the green house, can also be put in. When selecting the floworing bulbs, take out those which are of a good, reasonable size, according to the kind, and those which are firm, well ripened, and have reasonably thin necks. Practically all the spring flowering bulbs can be forced, but the main ones are freesias, lachenalias, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths. Lachenalias are natives of South Africa, and are known as Cape cowslips. They are charming little bulbs, suitable for either pots or baskets, their broad green leaves being usually spotted with dark blotches, and their fioyvv. yellow tipped with red and The. like a heavier soil than freesias, and are usually grown in smaller pots, five bulbs being put in a 4in pot, and even in a sin size. Lachenalias are also splendid for baskets, an ordinary wire ono oeing quite suitable First line the basket with moss, then a layer of 6oil, and in this place the bulbs with their crowns pointing towards the bottom and sides of the basket, and so placed that the growths will con l ' out between the wires. Fill the basket with soil, place a slate or piece of board over it to keep the sool from falling out when the basket is inverted, as it should be when placed in the frame alongside the pots, where it will remaiicUhtii growth commences. There are a considerable number of varieties, but L. pendula Nelaoni, and tricolour are the best. Lachenalias are hardy, but their flowers art often spoiled by wet weather in early spring. When planted in the open they are better in a dry pocket in the rock garden, or a welldrained border at the foot of a wall. Daffodils for forcing in pots or .joxes should be selected, well-grown bulbs which are sure to flower, and the commoner and therefore cheaper kinds will do quite well. The number of bulbs for each pot will vary according to the size of the bulbs, but It is usually possible to put five to seven in a 6in pot. When planting them in boxes to provide cut flowers allow from lin to Ijin between the bulbs, and they should be just buried in the soil with their necks above it. Daffodils . can be grown in ornamental bowls without drainage, the potting material recommended being moss fibre, but if this is not available turfy loam, the fine soil being sifted out, with a little sand and leafmould, and a number of pieces of charcoal to keep it sweet, will do quite well. Watering has to be done with great care, for daffodils do not like swamp conditions, and must have air at their roots. Though it is not necessary to plunge daffodils in ashes, they should be stood on ashes on the shady side of a fence or he..ge and ccvered with rough leaves or hops to keep the soil moist. With hyacinths it is usual to put one good bulb in a Sin pot or three medium ones in a 6in size, three tulip bulbs in a sin pot, and five in a Gin size will be found satisfactory. After potting the tulips and hyacinths place a small inverted pot over the top of each bulb to keep the ashes away from the growing point, and dunge them in a well-drained and sheltered position in Gin of fine ashes. Where frames are available it is a good idea to plunge the bulbs in one and to put on the sashes to keep out excessive rain. The ashes admit air and keep the soil cool and moist while the roots are developing. The position selected for growing on the small bulbs in the nursery or vegetable garden should be sheltered and well drained, fully exposed to the sun, but sheltered from the cold south-west winds. Trench the border at least two feet deep, breaking up the soil in the bottom and burying in grass or weeds, but unless the soil is very poor and light it is not desirable to bury in any farmyard manure. After levelling the surface roughly set the line and take out a flat' drill the width of the spade and about 3in deep. Sow a liberal dressing of bone meal or basic phosphate in the bottom of the drill and set out the bulbs from liin to 2in apart. Allow lOin to 12in between the row’s, and cover the bulbs in the first one with the soil from the second ana so on till the end of the border when the soil from the first-dri 11 is used for finishing off. Be sure to put in a good stout label to each variety as planting proceeds. Nerines are interesting and beautiful bulbs, natives of South Africa. N. sarnieusis the “Guerbsey Lily” is the hardiest and best known of the species and it can be grown and flowered in the open, if planted in a dry sunny pocket on the rock garden or a specially prepared bor der at the foot of a wall or fence. Once established they are better left midis turbed for years, but they should receive a top-dressing of loam, leafmould, and bone dust in the autumn before growth commences. There are several species and varieties all suitable for flowering in the greenhouse, and these should be showing signs of grow'th at present. They flower better when pot bound and are better left alcne for years, until the bulbs push one another out or burst the pots. Before watering them to start growth, examine the drainage to see that it is all right, for they cannot endure stagnant water, and with a sharp stick prick out as much of the surface soil as possible, replacing it with a mixture of loam, leafmould, sand, bone meal, and crushed charcoal. Make the new soil as firm as the old, stand the pots on the greenhouse bench up near the glass, and give one good watering. The foilage of nerines appears along with the flowers or immediately afterwards, and it should bo n couraged to develop by occasional applications of liquid manure and frequent spraying overheal. When the .leases ripen off the pots can be stowed away in a cool, dry, airy place until growth commences the next season. In addition to N, sarniensis, the following species are w’orth growing:—N. Fothergil!, N. undulata, N. Boudenii, and N. flexuosa.