GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 11

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. Tannock.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. As soon as the pelargoniuxjs which were placed outside in full sunshine have ripened sufficiently they can be cut over and the shoots made into cuttings. It is not necessary to use the tops of the shoots only, for if the stems are cut up into pieces with two or three eyes they will root and form quite satisfactory plants. Prepare pots or boxes of nice light soil composed of equal parts of loam, leafmould and sand, make them firm, and insert the cuttings about two inches apart. Water and stand out in the open if the weather is not too wet, or on a bench in the greenhouse. The old plants when cut over can be "stood close together in a frame and syringed frequently during dry weather to encourage them to make new shoots. Geraniums for autumn flowering can also be placed in a frame fully exposed to sunlight to encourage short sturdy growth, but all the flower buds should be picked off, for some time. yet. The chrysanthemums should now be .in their summer quarters and growth will be fairly rapid. Keep all the side shoots pinched out as they appear; tie in' the stems from time to time and dust the young tips with tobacco powder occasionally to destroy green and black fly. x As soon as the cyclamen show signs of growth again they can be stood upright. ive one good watering to moisten the soil and then spray frequently until root action commences. Cyclamen like a rest, but should not be allowed to shrivel up, and they take a long time to develop their leaves and to get into active growth again. During that time they have, to be watered with great care. This is usually a trying month for cinerarias, primulas and calceolarias, they like coo] moist conditions, and as excessive watering is bad, we have to do our best for them by standing them on a bed of ashes which is kept moist through frequent damping, and the paths and walls have also to be sprayed frequently. Pot them on as growth develops, for if they become starved or stunted at any time they form their flower buds prematurely and are of little use. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. It is not too late to plant out winter greens, leeks, etc., and to make sowings of quick-maturing crops such as shorthorn carrots and white turnips, also lettuce and spinach to maintain supplies. The early and second early potatoes will now have ripened sufficiently to enable us to select sets for next season’s planting. It if found to be, better to save immature tubers for sets and as soon as the skin is firm enough to stand handling they are alright. As digging proceeds .to supply the daily wants, good medium sized tubers should be selected from the plants which have produced good crops of reasonable size, with few or no very small ones. Leave the selected tubers fully exposed to the sunlight until they become quite green and then collect and place them in sb ali a w trays which ara placed in a cool airy place (still outside) until there is a danger of frost. Keep all crops staked and earthed up, and give those which are developing a little liquid manure occasionally. RAMBLER ROSES. As anticipated the ramblers have followed on after .the bush kinds and the rose garden is now gay with standards, arches, pillars, and fences of the various kinds, amongst which American Pillar predominates. It is certainly the very best for a season like the present, it makes abundance of new "wood every year, its foliage is so glossy and healthy and the large single blooms of a lovely shade of bright pink are borne in enormous clusters resembling a bouquet. If one has only room for one rambler I would advice him to plant American Pillar, and if he desires a big display of colour plant it on a rail or rustic fence. Next to American Pillar Excelsa is the most desirable. It is also a vigorous grower of the true Wichuriana type more suitable for arches or pergolas than for rustic fences, and very beautiful as a weeping standard on a high stem. . It is bright scarlet, with glossy foliage which does not mildew readily. Hiawatha is a single Wichuriana w'ith deep crimson flowers shading to almost white in the centre, with deep crimson stamens, but it is not as good as Excelsa. Dorothy Perkins, though an old variety, is still the best of the pink Wichurianas. it is like Excelsa in growth, and suitable for similar positions. It unfortunately mildews badly some seasons and unless it is pruned and thinned out every winter it is impossible to spray it effectively. Alberie Barbier is the most satisfactory of the yellow Wichurianas; it is also a vigorous grower with dark grce», glossy foliage, its flowers being creamy white or canary yellow. In addition to being suitable for pillars and arches this variety is also suitable for covering rustic fences. . Dorothy Dennison in a lovely shell pink, and quite as vigorous a grower as either Excelsa or Dorothy Perkins. Unfortunately the delicate colour is spoiled by bright sunshine, but it is very effective in a partly shaded position or in a dull season. Paul’s Scarlet Climber is a vivid scarlet, shaded with crimson, and an excellent variety for covering walls or fences, and good as a weeping standard. Other ramblers worth growing are Mrs W. Flight, Claire Jacquer, Snowflake, Shower of Gold, Emily Gray, and Silver Moon.

It is important to remember that next season’s display on the ramblers depends on the vigour of the young growths made this season; these have to be tied in from time to time, any excess of growth cut away, and as soon as the old ‘ flowers wither they too should be cut away to allow light and air to get through the plants and to secure ripening of the young wood. It is not advisable to cut away . the old stems, however, for by throwing all the energy of the roots into the young wood the auxiliary buds, which should remain dormant, push out into growth, and these have to be cut off during the winter pruning, thereby weakening the plant. Continue to give

ramblers applications of liquid manure, and spray regularly for both green fly and mildew. BUSH ROSES. These are making satisfactory second growth and they should be ready to continue the display when the ramblers are over. Though we don’t get the massed display now that characterises the first flowering, by thinning the buds to one on each stem, and feeding if necessary, we get quite a number of good blooms, and the colours are usually better. HARDY FLOWERS. The main display in the garden at the present, apart trom roses, is provided by the pentstemons, Sweet Williams, 10-week stock, and nemesia. The nemesia is one of the most useful of .modern annuals, and though quite hardy and can be treated as a hardy annual, the seed being sown where it is to grow, it is much better to treat it as a half hardy annual and to raise it from seed in the early spring. They come into flower so early that they can be depended upon for the holiday, season, and as they don’t last very long it is better to use them as a catch crop among tuberous begonias. dwarf dahlias, or autumn flowering chrysanthemums. They flower freely for six weeks or two months, and as they have so few leaves, and these are small, they don’t keep the light or air from the plants which are to follow on. They look best when the colours a're mixed, but it is better to obtain seed in separate colours and to put out the mixture in the proper proportions when planting. Imported seed floes not germinate very well, and when large quantities are required n is better to save your own seed, picking the* capsules before they burst to liberate their fluffy seed, and placing them m paper bags to complete their ripening process. The best colours are crimson, orange yellow, and pink, but there is a blue one which is worth growing. Ten week stocks are also valuable on account of their early flowering, and seedsmen novy seem to be able to obtain the fine varieties we used to get from E. Benary. They, too, should be sown early in spring in gentle heat, and when large enough, and properly hardened off, they ar ®, planted out in a well-manured border which has just been deeply dug or trenched.

Like the nemesia 10 week stocks are better treated as a catch crop and planted among flowering things such as chrysanthemums, or michaelmas daisies or grouped . round autumn flowering plants in the herbaceous border. Though they don t break over so readily as the antirrhinums, it is better to stake the double varieties to keep the flowers from becoming spattered with mud.

I have frequently mentioned Sweet Williams as suitable for filling large beds and borders and for grouping in the mixed borders. They are at their best when the flower garden is a bit dull, as their colours are so bright and pleasing. The various shades of pinks are the most satisfactory. and as it is better to treat them as biennials, and to raise fresh plants from seed every year, the most satisfactory colours should be marked in some way with a view to seed saving later on. This year’s seedlings will be about ready to line out in the nursery or reserve garden. To get satisfactory growth before the winter it is necessary to give them a good rich soil similar to that required for the wallflower, break up the surface, making it fairly smooth and level, and line out the seedlings at a distance of from 9in to 12in apart in the rows and allow 12in betweeen the rows. Give one good watering after planting if the weather is dry and afterwards keep the surface soil stirred up. The plants will continue to grow, and by the autumn will have formed nice bushy plants with several stems, all of which will, flower the following summer. Pentstemons are awfully good things for the summer garden; they like the other plants mentioned, have been greatly improved during recent years, the colours are more distinct and the individual flowers larger. They can be raised from seed quite easily, and the best procedure is to raise a number every year, to propagate the best varieties by means of cuttings put in the usual way in the autumn, and to grow on the old plants for two or three years. They become quite woody and are really sub-shrubs, but in time become hard and stunted and are not so satisfactory. Old plants flower early, and at the present time two large shrubbery borders which are interplanted with them are very gay. Those which were raised from cuttings P i n l as t autumn have not commenced to flower yet, but they are coming on and will continue the display well on into the autumn. Pentstemons are excellent for growing on dry rocky banks, and on large natural rock gardens. Violas and pansies are still doing well, and The old plants left in the borders from last season are quite as v OO d as the young plants put out in the spring. A series of beds in the Botanic Gardens, edged, with the purple viola cornuta and filled with mixed nemesias, are very bright,. and what we can do on a large scale in beds and borders can be reproduced on a smaller scale as groups in the mixed borders. A very attractive group in the rock garden is composed of hybrid primulas ot the Beesiana and BulleyanaHype. They show a great range of colours, are very vigorous; and the various shades blend very well. They have appreciated the cool, moist conditions which have prevailed this season, but in a normal season should do very well in the bog garden or in a moist, shady border.