THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. Tannock.

(The Greenhouse and Nursery. Advantage should be taken of showery ’■days to line out the wallflower seedlings jn ground which was manured and cultivated some time ago. Give a dusting of lime, and plant the seedlings nine inches apart each way. Sweet William seedlings will soon be ready to line ota too, but as they have to grow into fairly large spreading plants before they ait put out they require 12 inches between the plants and 15 inches between the rows.

Continue to lift bulbs which were fined out in the nursery after they were removed from the beds in the flower garden, spread them out in boxes to dry and sort them out into flowering bulbs, those which are not quite certain, and those that are too small. Continue to pot on the cyclamen which were raised from seed this season and make another sowing of Chinese primulas and greenhouse calceolaria seed. Tuberous begonias growing in hanging baskets soon exhaust their soil and should be given a little weak liquid manure twice a week.

.The Flower Garden. The main work in the flower garden will be staking, weeding, and hoeing, with the usual mowing of lawns ano clipping of verges to keep everything neat and tidy. The second crop of roses will be coming on now, and it is still advisable to thin out the buds to one or two on eacn stem.

There is a little mildew showing on some of the more susceptible kinds of ramblers, and spraying should be carried out at once. As soon as the Canterbury bells and other biennials are past their best they can be removed, and if the blanks which are left in the borders are manured and dug over they can be filled up with dahlias and chrysanthemums which have been potted up for the purpose. Some people recommend the cutting down of delphiniums as soon as they ar.e past to secure a second crop of spikea in the autumn, but this has a tendency to weaken the plants, and should not be practised with the good varieties. The old flower stems and seed pods on lupines, iris, paeonies, and other early flowering perennials should be cut over, but it is necessary to leave the foliage to ripen off gradually. Seed pods should be picked off the lilacs and choice rhododendrons, and, as the latter are preparing to form their buds for next year’s flowering, it i s advisable to give ■them a good mulch with well-rotted manure, leafmould, or compost heap (provided lime has not been added to it), but, failing any of these, lawn mowings and grass will do. If the soil is light and very dry give a good watering before applying the mulch. The philadelphus and weigelias aie much later than usual this season and some are still at their best. Philadelphus Lemoinei—a hybrid between microphyllus and coronarius—is one of the finest types of this beautiful sweet-scented race of hardy decidous shrubs, and the variety virginaie is the best kind. It has double flowers l£in to 2in across, nure white, borne in dense clusters. Avalanche is the best of the single varieties. To keep the Philadelphus within bounds the old shoots should be cut out as soon as the flowers are past to make room for the growths which are springing up. .The Vegetable and Fruit Garden. Continue to plant out broccoli and winter greens, and make sowings of lettuce, carrots, and turnips to provide a succession. ■ The strawberries will soon be over, but the plants should not be neglected, for it is found that it is upon the autumn growth that next season’s flowering depends. Unless runners are required to form new plantations these should be removed at once, weeds should also be removed, and the soil round the plants and between the , rows, which has been tramped down hard when picking the fruit, should be forked or dug up, some of the fine soil being worked in round the plants under the foliage. At the same time a liberal dressing of blood and bone manure or bonedust can be applied. Watering should receive attention where the soil is light, and applications of liquid manure will also be appreciated. Selected runners, if well treated and transplanted with a ball of soil in the autumn, will fruit fairly well the first season, and very well the second, but after that the plants have a tendency to grow up out of the soil and ar e , not so satisfactory. Nets and other protective coverings which have been placed over the currant bushes should be removed as soon as the crop is picked and the young growths should be thinned out to allow the selected wood to ripen. Lilies. . Among the hardy summer flowers, the four white-flowered lilies are deservedly popular, all being suitable for planting in the ordinary mixed or herbacous border, as well as among rhododendrons and other choice shrubs. Lilium Regale, a comparatively new - plant, is one of the handsomest of the Brownii group, and was discovered, by Mr E. H. Wilson, in China. It is still a fairly expensive plant?, and not at all common, but, judging by - the ease by which it'can be grown from seed, it should soon be one of the cheapest and most popular of the summer-flowering lilies. It has narrow, leaves which are produced on thin grey-grefin stalks, which vary :n< height from 18in to sft, and the number ©f flowers varies from one on the short

thin stems to a fair number on the strong stout ones. The individual flowers are from sin to 6in long, purple on the outside and pure white shading to clear yellow on the inside, and in the short tube. This lily does not require peat, and is quite happy in good, rich, well-drained, deeply-cultivated loam, a dressing of charcoal or burnt garden refuse being an advantage, 'though it does increase in the ordinary way this lily is so easily raised from seed that no other method of propagation need be considered. Though it is quite likely to be pollenated naturally, it is just as well to make certain, and as the parts of the flower are large and easily got at, the transferring of pollen from the anthers to the stigma is a simple process. Seed is produced in abundance, and this can be sown as soon as ripe, or it can be kept until the spring and sown in box°s which are placed *n gentle heat to hasten germination. If sown thinly, the seedlings can be left in the boxes until they are large enough to plant out in the open. If too think it will be necessary to prick out the seedlings in boxes like ordinary H.EL annuals. The beds for the seedlings should be well prepared and well drained, the soil being raised about Gin above the paths. A liberal amount of leafmould, sand, and wood ashes should be worked into the surface. About the beginning of December the seedlings can be lined out in rows 6in apart, allowing Sin between the seedlings in the rows, and to provide a little shade and shelter a few rows of gladioli should be planted among them. The bulbs are not disturbed the first winter, and by the following summer many will flower, and they will all be flowering bulbs within three years, which is not long to wait.

Lilium giganteum is a noble lily also in flower at the present time. It is a native of Nepal, and though perfectly hardy, it is bettor planted among thin shrubs, which will shelter the young growths in the spring. It likes a deep soil rich in organic matter, and appreciates a liberal mulching of well-rotted manure during the summer. It has large spreading heart-shaped leaves, and the stout flower stems which grow to a height of from 6ft to 10ft bearing about a dozen long, nodding, "ragraat flowers, which are white tinged with purple on the inside. After flowering, the old bulb dies, and it take a little while for the offsets to develop to the flowering stage. This lily is also easily raised from seed, which is produced in abundance. The seed should be sown as soon as it is ripe in boxes or in a specially prepared bed. They lie in the ground all winter, and germinate in the spring, and it is considered that seedlings take up to eight years to reach the flowering stage. Liiium candidum (Christmas or Madonna lily) is one of the best known of the lilies, and large groups are often seen in cottage gardens, where they are allowed to grow as they like with little disturbance at the roots. This lily will thrive in a dry, hungry soil to which lime has been added, and any attempt to treat it will bring on disease. As the resting time of the lily is shert, U it is proposed to transplant it,' the operation should be carried out no 1 later than from five to six weeks after flowering. Unfortunately disease has done considerable damage to this lily recently, and at the first sign of the malady the plants should be sprayed with loz of sulphide of potassium dissolved in two gallons of water or Bordeaux mixture summer formula. Dusting with freshly -flaked lime will also be an advantage.

Lilium Longiflorum -nd its variety Harrisi (White Trumpet Lily) are also very desirable border plants, Arriving in rich, light, welLdrained loam, this bulbs being, planted about Din deep. This lily is extensively cultivated in Bermuda and South Africa to supply bulbs for the English and American markets, and it is considered that both this and Regale could be grown in New Zealand successfully on a commercial scale.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. “ Inquirer,” Opawa.—There docs not appear to be any disease on the shoots of your apple -tree, and the trouble is probably due to unseasonable weather. It would be advisable, however, to spray w : th lime sulphur, summer strength. Grass grubs are likely to be the cause of your grass going off —* your front lawn. You cannot do much just now, but in the autumn you can rake off the loose grass, sow some grass seed, a-1 topdress with sufficient fine soil to cover it. Give the whole lawn a dressing of lime. “ C.,” Lawrence.—The plant sent is an epilobium, and likely to become a troublesome weed.

“J.K.M.,” Bayfield.—Carraway seeds could be grown near Dunedin, but they would develop better in drier parts, such as Central Otago. The sample sent is good. '