The Home Garden

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13088, 23 October 1935, Page 3

The Home Garden

By Andy Gardiner

PROGRAMME OF WORK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue the planting of annuals as required. Sow petunias, eelosia, cosmos, saters and zinnias. Sow in the open ground clarkias, godetia, Shirley poppies, mignonette, French and African marigolds, night-scented stock and coreopsis. Stir the soil at the base of rows of sweet peas and keep secured to the trellis. All side shoots should be nipped out if blooms are required for exhibition Plant out chrysanthemums and dahlia tubers that have started into growth. Climbers are growing fast. Keep them trained in the required direction. Watch roses for greenfly. Spray on its first appearance with nicotine and soap. Dust with sulphur or spray with Bordeaux mixture for mildew. Prune sipring-flowering shrubs as Soon as the blooming is finished. More attention is needed to watering subjects under glass. Ventilate freely as early in the day as possible. Spray narcissus beds as a precaution against bulb flies. Renovate bare patches on lawns by top-dressing with good soil and sprinkling more seed. New lawns should be sown down without delay—before dry weather sets in.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Make successional sowings of kinds sown last month and replace failures. Plant out cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumber, marrow, squash and main crop tomatoes. Earth up potatoes and spray with Bordeaux mixture as a precaution against blight. Stake and earth up peas as required. Sow plenty of French beans. Prepare celery trenches with a good supply of decayed manure. Areas between may be used for small crops. Complete the grafting of fruit trees this month. Spray peaches and nectarines with lime sulphur for brown rot control. When the blossom has fallen from apples apply the calyx spray for codlin moth—half an ounce of arsenate of lead a era lion. Repeat in 10 days. Lawn mowings are useful for mulching crops in the garden, especially as a precaution against the carrot fly. Mulch the strawberry beds with litter to keep the fruit clean. Thin grapes under glass as soon as the berries are well set. Attend to stop)ping and training regularly. When thinning is completed apply a good dressing of fertiliser to the border, well soaking with water if the weather is drv.

SEED SOWING

SOIL MUST BE RIGHT. Success in raising seedlings at this season depends largely upon the condition of the soil at the time of sowing. In every instance the ground should be thoroughly worked and broken up) until a nice fine tilth is obtained. When in this condition the depith of sowing may be easily regulated by the size and variety of the seed to be sown. Seed sown in early spring, when the soil is full of moisture, will not require the same depith of covering as those sown later. Failure, too, often results from sowing tender varieties, such as dwarf and summer beans, cucumbers, marrows and similar subjects before there is sufficient warmth in the soil to ensure germination.

ed it only remains to fork over the surface lightly, incorporating soot, the residue from garden rubbish fires, or lime—the last ingredient is of the greatest benefit to many annuals—and to reduce the soil to a fine, even tilth with the rake. I lie seeds may be either broadcast or:sowu in drills. The latter method is the more satisfactory, even when sowing in clumps in the borders. In this case, however, the drills should be drawn up and down in the form of a series of squares, a few seeds being put in where the lines intersect. When the seedlings are up, all but the sturdiest ones can be removed from each •station. The depth of the drills vary according to the l size of the seeds, and should be the same distance apart as the plants are required to stand. Broadcasting may be conveniently adopted when sowing seeds of dwarf, quick-growing annuals such as Virginian stock, which may be usefully employed for edgings, or for filling -gaps in the rock garden. These should require little* or no thinning. When planning a mixed border of annuals the position should be taken into account. One open to the sun will give the most satisfaction. If the site faces south or east, annuals of delicate shades are to be preferred; if north or west, stronger and more brilliant tones may be employed. The dominant note of the border should be informality. This is achieved not only by having the clumps of each colour merge into ea-ch other in different directions, but also by aiming at harmonies of colour rather than vivid contrasts. The latter, unless skilfully executed, results in a set appearance. WALLFLOWERS. FRAGRANCE UNSURPASSED. Old-fasliioned though the wallflower may be, it is still one of the most piopiular of our spring flowers, due, of course, to its delicious fragrance and rich shades of colour. This year s display is just commencing, but it is essential if it is desired to raise plants for flowering next year to sow the seed as soon as possible. •Late sowing is often followed by disappointment, the plants not flowering until the third year. The seeds can. be sown in a box in a cold frame or on a window ledge. Better than either is to sow thinly in a .sun ly border where the soil has been well dug, the drills 6in. or 9:n. apart. As soon as the seedlings are u|i thin them out if they are in the l east circ> w<led; later, when they can be handled easily, transplant them into anothei position’, setting them -iii- <»r- 3in. apart. Make the soil very firm, the aim being to produce sturdy, stocky 'plants that will stand the winter ; not soft, spindly growth that will flop about and be ruined by the first frost. As soon as the leaves touch again give another shift, this time setting them Gin. apart, ramming the soil very firmly. Keep down the weeds and give an occasional watering in dry weather. By March or the beginning of April the plants can go into their permanent quarters. Lift each carefully with a trowel and preserve the bail of soil around the roots. Thus they will suffer no check and become well established before frost sets in. One thing to remember with the wallflower is that lime and also a well-drained position are uecessarv.

Soils and situations differ widely, xsome being much better pilaced lor raising and growing of earner ops than The season, however, is now sufficiently advanced to sow and plant almost any variety of vegetable, with the excepition of the most tender varieties, and no effort should be spiared to stock the garden with seasonable cropis. PROP AG AT IN G C A N X AS. Canims are a very piopiular bedding -pilant, and if grown in suitable positions give quite a sub-tropical appearance to the garden. There are quite a number of sorts, some with green and some with bronze foliage, and with flower spiikcs of red, crimson, yellow or various shades. In the northern districts they are quite hardy. Their worst feature is that if left alone the clumps get large and a mass of rubbishy foliage and old stems, and the only way to get the best out of them is to lilt, divide and rep) l ant every year, throwing away the old, useless rhizomes. This is the best time to lift and divide, now that the young shoots are just showing. Take the ends of the rhizome with its growing point, say four to six inches long. This is quite enough; all that is required is a few inched of rhizome and a few roots. This can be plotted up, or in sheltered . gardens can he planted out directly in position. Planted in beds, allowing about IBin. between each piece, they make a mass and look well throughout the. summer ; in borders the*v also look well if two or three pieces of one sort are planted together. They are not particular to soil I .' but pirefer a moist, light soil, with plenty of water and manure. As -£aid 'before, their chief disadvantage is the untidy appearance when deft from year to year without belong divided and replanted. SOWING ANNUALS. > PREPARING THE SITE. There is no more suitable 1 time for sowing the main body of liardy annuals for summer blooming than October. The soil is then generally warmer and drier, and this makes for more regular and freer germination of the seed. As these plants need to develop to tlio flowering stage without a check, and as the majority are to be sown directiv into their flowering positions, it follows that as much care must be taken over the preparation of their quarters as with that for some choice perennial. If the borders have already been dug and manur-

GREEN FLY ON ROSES. Already green fly or aphis will have put in an appearance on the young rose shoots and although they may be in only small numbers now is the time to commence spraying to check it. In many gardens, especially exposed ones and where regular spraying is done, aphis is not a menace and never becomes a serious pest. On the other hand, in gardens sheltered and where spraying is not done unless absolutely necessary, aphis seems to be always present in some degree. The only way to control aphis is to spray the moment it is seen, no matter on what plant it is found, and only by such means is it possible to keep plants clear. Once the pest is under control occasional sprayings will keep it under. A USEFUL PRIMULA. Primula obconica can l>e obtained readily in flower throughout the year. Though it is usually desired to have *he plants in bloom from April to September. The raising of plants from seeds is the best means of increase. Sometimes an exceptionally good variety is propagated by division in spring. If large plants are desired a few may be grown a second year, but as a rule seedlings raised annually are more vigorous, healthy and free flowering. Sow seeds during the present month. Prepare well-drained pots of pans of sandy soil, sow thin, and cover the seeds lightly with finely sifted soil Place on a greenhouse shelf, covering with glass and a sheet of paper until germination begins. It- is necessary to grow the tiny seedlings in a light place and if such a position away )rom, the sun is not available, slianidg during the middle of the day will be necessary. Prick off the seedlings when they are easy to handle, into pans, or a dozen to lo yi a live-inch pot. From thesepotting *off singly intA small pots will follow*, then a final move, into five-inch and six-inch pots in which the plants will flower. As *• potting compost for this primula use throe parts of loain. one part of leaf mould and one part of coarse sand, also a little peat of coarse sand, also a little peat if it is available. Decayed cow manure or spent hotbed manure, soot, wood ashes, bonemenl and old mortar rubble are beneficial if used in small quantities. From September to May the plants can be accommodated in a cold frame, preferably where they will escape the fiercest rays of tlio mid-day summer s-un. In recent years florists have selected carefully the most distinct colour, so that while a, packet of the mixed grandiflora strain will suffice for many, others may prefer to purchase seeds of crimson. rose bln©, lilac or white. It is advisable to wear gloves when handling the plants.

CARE OF RASPBERRIES. RESPONSE TO MANURE. Raspberries will not bear lull crops of good-quality berries ii the soil is lacking in manure. Few iruits respond more readily to a generous mulch of manure each spring. Thi< not only provides nourishment, but keeps the roots cool and moist during periods of dry weather. If possible. the much should consist of partly-rotted manure, and should be applied just before the new growths begin to appear from the base of the canes. Failing manure, rotted litter, or even lawn mowings, applied in early summer, will prove beneficial and will prevent the roots drying out. Raspberries are all the better foi the timely application of artificial fertilisers, in addition, to the mulch. In most cases the plants do not receive sufficient supplies of potash. A special dressing of sulphate of potash in late autumn or early spring to weakly canes will make a great difference. The potash should b© applied at the l rate of four ounces to each yard run cf row* aud should be scattered at the base of the canes, and lor a foot on each side of the row. The potash may also be incorporated in a complete mixture, made up of four parts ol 'superphosphate.. three parts of sulphate of ammonia. This mixture i> best applied in early spring at the rate or half a pound to each yard run of row. LARGE, JUICY BERRIES. To obtain those large. juicy berries so much desired, the ya*i>Ijiriv pW't lie w'Oll supplied with moisture during summer. While the manure mulch may be sufficient on some soils, it is a good plan to flood light. sandy ground, twice during December .with clear water, draw iggi ilic up on ea* W side or tfie row so that the water soaks down to the roots and does not run to waste. Loosen the ground with a fork after these heavy waterings, hncl cover with mulch to prevent evaporation. The cane spot, or Anthracnose a uses a serious reduction in the crop in sofnc seasons. Generally the damage done is greater than a casual examination of the crop would indicate. The symptoms are most conspicuous in the spring. Small, dark purple spots are on the stems and leaves. The young canes may be so badly attacked asto present a. cankered appearance, and may die without flowering.