THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 4041, 25 August 1931, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK®

NOTES BY

D. TANNOCK,

ah

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY I Make further sowings of the half hardy annuals (the more tender kinds such as salvia, cosmos, and zinnias can he put in now). Continue to prick out seedlings of various kinds as soon as they are large enough to handle, and put in the last of the chrysanthemum cuttings. Pot on the young plants of geraniums p<td pelargoniums intended for greenhouse decoration, which were raised from cuttings in the autumn, and the older plants can also be potted on to their flowering pots now. Continue to bring in bulbs which were potted up for forcing, and complete the potting of ferns and foliage plants as soon as possible. The cypripediums, which have been flowering most of the winter, will soon be over now, and they ought to be repotted at once if this is necessary. Turn them out of the pots, and, if the rooting material is stiff, fresh, and open, the crocks can be renewed, the plants put back, and some of the surface material replaced. If the material is decayed and muddy the roots should be washed clean, and the plants repotted in a mixture of turfy loam with the dust sieved out (two parts) fern fibre (two parts), and one part of sand, char.coal, and some chopped sphagnum moss. The surface should be finished off level with the rim of the pot, and a ■ few heads of live sphagnum moss can be pricked in. Keep in a warm part of the greenhouse, and maintain moist conditions by damping the benches and pots irequently during sunny weather. Prune and thin out the climbers growing in the greenhouse, and give the beds in which they are growing a topdressing of turfy loam and well-rotted manure.

THE FLOWER GARDEN Continue to prune the roses, and, after collecting the primings, rtianure and dig the beds and borders and spray with lime sulphur. Border carnations associate very well with roses. They like the soil, cultivation, and manure provided for them, and come into flower after the first crop of blooms is over and before the second comes on, thus filling up what would otherwise be a comparatively dull time in the rose garden. Layers which were put down last autumn can now be lifted and replanted among newly planted roses, round the margins of beds or in groups in the hardy herbaceous border. They like sea sand, and a liberal dressing spread over the surface and worked in before planting will keep the plants healthy. I consider sea sand very useful for most flowers and all vegetable crops, and, considering how easy it can be obtained, I am often surprised that there is not more used on the stiff elay hill land. Plant the carnations at from 16 to 18 inches apart, and stretch some strands of black cotton over them to frighten birds away. A topdressing of sand will help anemones, ranunculus, tulips, and hyacinths, all of which are now through the ground. Plants on the rock garden are now growing, and many are showing their flower buds. It will be necessary to keep all leaves and rubbish, which would shelter slugs, cleaned up, and it is also an advantage to dust freshly slaked lime under the mats of mossy phlox, dianthus, and other such plants, to destroy slugs, which come out in the evenings and eat up the tender buds. Watering with freshly-made lime water is also very effective. Continue the planting of trees, shrubs, and hedge plants, and the dividing up, re- . planting, and digging of the herbaceous borders.

THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN Complete the pruning ,-ef peaches, nectarines and apricots, and the planting of all kinds of fruit trees and bushes, spray with winter wash as described in these notes a few weeks ago to destroy scale, leaf curl, mildew and to clean the. trees of moss and lichens. Make sowings of broad beans, peas, lettuce, spinach, radish, early turnips, carrots and beetroot, and plant out early potatoes, cabbage and cauliflower. It is not too late to make new strawberry plantations, if well-grown plants are available, but it would be too much to expect any fruit this season. Keep the soil stirred among the established strawberries, and give a mulch of strawy manure, which will feed the plants, while the straw will be washed clean before the berries develop.

BEET Beet vulgaris is a hardy biennial native of Europe, where it is found growing on or near the sea coast. It is a very valuable vegetable, and by careful management supplies can be maintained throughout the year. It likes a light, welldrained, sandy loam and is also a crop which benefits very much from a dressing of sea sand. To obtain early supplies a row is usually put in now, the early Egyptian turnip-rooted type being chosen for the early crop, and the longer-rooted kinds, such as Dell's Crimson, for the main crop. Like all other root crops, it likes a soil which has been manured for the previous crop, or if manure has

to be added it should be dug in deeply in the autumn. After breaking down the soil, anid making it fine, drills are drawn about two inches deep, and the seed sown thinly and covered with fine soil and firmed. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle they can .be thinned out to six inches apart, and, though it is possible to transplant a few seedlings to fill up blanks where seeds have failed, this is not desirable on a large scale. The main crop is better sown on prepared holes, if the soil is a heavy clay. First draw drills about two inches deep, and then make holes about 18 inches deep and three inches wide at the top at intervals of 10 to 12 inches, and fill them with nice light sandy soil, to which a little bone meal has been added. Sow two or three seeds on the top of each hole, and. if more than one seedling appears, thin out to one, taking care to leave the one with the darkest foliage. Varieties to sow are Egyptian Turnip Rooted or Sutton's Globe for early crop, and Dell’s Crimson or Sutton’s Blood Red for the main crop.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS EARLY FLOWERING VARIETIES. Last week 1 gave a short list of hardy trees and shrubs which flower during the winter and early spring. This week I propose to describe a few herbaceous plants which arc equally hardy and are quite as valuable for providing flowers for house decoration and providing a display in the garden. The various species and varieties of helebores are most attractive, and, when planted in a cool, moist place, where they are partly shaded during the summer, and protected from the cold winds in winter, they will flower freely. The ordinary Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) has rather short flower stalks, and consequently is liable to be spattered with mud during wet weather, but by covering the plants with handlights or a sash they are kept clean, and the stalks are drawn out a bit. The taller (Hellebore orientalis) Lenten Rose, is a stronger growing species, and of it there are a great many coloured varieties, many of which are quite useful as cut flowers and are very distinct and desirable. Hellebores are increased by division and by seed. The best time to divide them up is in spring, just after flowering, but the pieces should not have less than five or six crowns. After dividing the plants should not be disturbed for about 10 years, and a mulch of well rotted manure and leafmould in the spring after growth starts will be appreciated. They can also be grown from seed, which should be sown in boxes of light soil as soon as it is ripe. When quite small, the seedlings can be pricked out on a cool, shady border, where they will soon grow into plants large enough to put out in their flowering positions. In this way a stock of the coloured varieties is easily obtained. THE CROCUS.

The spring flowering crocuses are among the brightest of the early flowering plants, and a large patch or a broad band of either yellow, white or purple forms a fine feature on a sunny day. Crocuses are of the easiest cultivation provided they are planted on well drained light soil, which has been enriched with some bone meal, and is in an open, sunny position. The one important point is to plant early before growth has commenced. and the corms may be put at from three to four inches deep, and about four inches apart. In cultivated ground they multiply rapidly, and to keep them strong, healthy and vigorous they should be lifted, divided up and replanted every three or four years. They -are also very effective when planted in thin grass under deciduous trees, and as they do not increase so rapidly there, they do not become overcrowded for years. Though the display provided by the crocus docs not last very long it is very attractive while it is on, and they flower at a time when there is little else out, and carry on' till the daffodill season. Crocuses can also be grown from seed, which is sown in tins or boxes of light, sandy soil as soon as it is ripe, and these are planted in a sheltered place out of’doors until the autumn. During the wet, wintry weather they should be placed in a frame or under cover of some kind, and the seedlings can be left in these tins for two years. They are then lifted and lined out on a bed of mellow soil, two inches apart and three inclies deep, where they will form strong bulbs, and most will flower by the fourth spring from sowing. In some warm, sunny borders they sow themselves all round the old plants, and there the seedlings soon reach the flowering stage. In addition to the ordinary varieties there are a number of species suitable for the rock garden. ALGERIAN IRIS. Iris stylosa (Algerian Iris) is a beautiful plant, flowering freely in mid-winter and early spring. Though the foliage is perfectly hardy, the flowers are very fragile and easily damaged by wet or wind, and they should be picked just before opening, or they could be covered over with a sash. This plant likes a well-drained, warm and dry soil which is both firm and poor, and when once

established they should not be disturbed for years. A small border at the bottom of a hedge or wall suits this plant very well. Iris reticulata is a bulbous species, with very beautiful dee]) purple or plum coloured flowers, with golden yellow markings. It is a native of the Caucasus and Palestine, and is very suitable for a patch on the rock garden or the mixed border. WINTER HELIOTROPE.

Petasites fragrans (Winter Heliotrope) is a rampant weedy plant which should not be introduced into the cultivated part, of the garden, but will thrive on the margin of a shrubbery or the dry grassy bank of a stream. The flowers, which are produced from midwinter on, are very fragrant and of a pale dingy lilac, and are suitable for picking for house decoration. An allied plant, Peta sites japonica gigantea, has recently been introduced from the East, where the great rounded leaves as big as a small sun shade are used as such by the Japanese children. It makes a stately waterside plant, and is quite hardy. The Sowers, which are not attractive, appear in spring before the leaves.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS “ Amateur,” Oamaru. —You should ask the seedsman at Home to ship your gladioli as soon as they are ripe, and you can then plant them on arrival. They will flower and make

quite good corms before next winter. ‘ Lettuce,” Oamaru.—The disease which is attacking your lettuce is similar to black leg, which attacks asters and several other plants. I do not expect that it will attack your tomatoes if you maintain a dry atmosphere, but the soil should be sterilised before you put in another crop of lettuce next year. A good applica" tion of lime will also be an advantage. “ Central Otago.”—The flower sent is one of the Hawkweeds, a hardy annual.

There are several colours “ C,” Lawrence.—Your azalea stems are covered with lichens. These do not really do much harm. On fruit trees they shelter insect arid fungoid pests, but there are no pests on azaleas. The plants could be sprayed with a caustic wash, but, as alkaline conditions are not desirable at the roots, care would have to be taken not to saturate the plants. “ Hill Top.” Caversham.—Grass seed for a lawn should be sown in the following proportions:—Gib Poverty Bay ryegrass, 11b crested dogstai l , llh Chewings Fescue. 11b brown top, lib suckling clover. Sow at the rate of 2oz to the square yard