THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 21000, 5 February 1930, Page 15

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK

(By

J. A. McPherson).

n Under Glass. n Cuttings of Pelagoniums will now be suf jt- ficiently ripened and may be removed iron !. the plants, trimmed with a sharp knife anc ■ s inserted in boxes of firmly pressed sandy soil devoid of any traces of fresh manure Give the boxes one good watering and stand r “ in a cool portion of the house. Should green. !- fly be noticed on the cuttings prior to takit ing them, dip each in a solution of soft Jt soap and nicoticide (or. Black Leaf 40) before inserting in the cutting boxes. = Pot up Cinerarias and Primulas into three inch pots and bring Cyclamen indoors to start them off. ’’ Cuttings of Fuchsias and Hydrangeas may still be taken and inserted in the propagating frame. On a wet day go through pots of Freesias ' _ that have been dried off and thoroughly clean the bulbs, keeping the largest for potting up early next month. The smaller p ones may be placed fairly closely in a plant tray and grown on to provide an increased , supply of large bulbs. k Pots and baskets of Lachenalias must also be tipped out and the bulbs cleaned and sorted prior to planting. For early spring dis1 play in the greenhouse, these are splendid ( subjects and require no artificial heat. Continue to feed Begonias as advised in last week’s notes. Top Tomato plants and make sure of ferI tilization of all flowers by lightly shaking I each plant. As the fruit shows colour continue to pinch out a certain amount of ~ foliage to permit of more sunlight reaching the fruits. Backward crops may be assisted by watering with sulphate of potash at the rate of one ounce to four gallons of water. As grapes begin to colour discontinue watering and maintain a moderately dry atmosphere. Dust with flowers of sulphur should mildew appear. The best grapes I have seen this season are being grown by Mr P. Plumer the head gardener at Victoria Park, Waikiwi.

Out of Doors. The chief work in the flower garden at T the present time may be placed under the r heading of tidiness. Constant hoeing of beds and borders, staking plants where necessary and feeding any backward Dahlias and Chrysanthemums. Keep an eye on Gladioli as wind is liable to swing them round in the soil and damage the roots supplying nourishment. Weed and roll lawns, and keep the edges neatly trimmed. Remove all spent early flowering annuals, saving seed where necessary. In the vegetable garden crops are keeping up a healthy appearance. Continue to plant Cabbage of the drumhead type for winter use, also Savoys, Broc-1 coli and Curly Kale. Leeks may still be planted and require a l * very ri'.h soil. l " It is yet too early to make a sowing of onions for spring use. .Do not neglect the Rhubarb bed; but re- " move all decaying foliage and flower spikes. Most crops of Garlic and Shallots will be i ready for pulling and drying in the sun, » after which they must be stored in a cool I airy shed. I Early Bulbs to Plant. The time has arrived when certain types of early' flowering bulbs must be planted if we are to obtain the best results. The homely little Grape ‘ Hyacinth or Match-head (Muscaria) is becoming increasingly popular and well deserves extensive planting in gardens, especially as a ground work for shrub beds and borders. Use only large bulbs, placing them three inches apart and at an average depth of three inches. Group them in clumps of a dozen to thirty between the shrubs and their position is easily found . when it comes to lifting them in two or three years time. Near the front of borders that graceful little bulb Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow) may be used to advantage and a planting of Snowdrops made in a similar position. The latter are best left undisturbed for several seasons. The tiny sky-blue Scilla siberica is worthy of better recognition than it receives at present and the Dog’s tooth Violet Erythronium is an equally good bulbous plant. Almost all bulbs resent manures placed immediately next to them; but the manures may be dug well down beneath and in this manner greatly assist once the roots have searched them out. Well rotted stable manure and blood and bone meal are the two to be used with safety, while cow manure will act equally as well if obtainable. , Garden Results or Failures.

Before autumn approaches a general sur- 1 vey of the year’s work will no doubt point out to us the whys and wherefores of the success or failure of many plants both in the flower, fruit and vegetable garden. Then there is the question of the re-organization of some section or perhaps all the garden. This requires much thought coupled with a fair amount of vision on the part of the gardener. Colour schemes too should not be lost sight of and an imaginary grouping of various plants in a bed will greatly assist in the final choice and enable us to determine exactly what we will plant next season in beds, borders, beside pools, over arches, or at the ends of iqng vistas and so on. Anything choice in the way of a tree or shrub should be placed in a position where it will be seen and apprec.ated and at the same time harmonize with its surroundings. However, returning to the question of successes and failures the fault in most cases rests with the grower. He may or he may not understand the particular soil requirements of certain plants while on the other hand material in the shape of good soil and also a good position may be available but not enough attention paid to the proper mechanical working of the soil. Glance for a moment at the shrub border; several plants may appear off colour, possibly in the case of such surfacing rooting things as Rhododendrons we used a spade | to dig round them instead of a fork, thereby injuring many of the roots. Has there been failure with roses ? Perhaps if we remember rightly the ground was too wet when the plants arrived and we left i them for several days still tied up in the bundle and permitted the roots to dry, or did we do the other extreme and plant when the ground was too wet. Such points as these have a marked effect on plant growth and we are Hable to forget and blame it on to the variety of rose or the stock on which it is budded. Sometimes, and in some cases quite often, we blame the nurseryman who suppUed the plants, yet with a httle thought the trouble lies with ourselves in nine cases out of ten. "Pansies did not do well and we shifted them into lovely rich soil.” Quite a hdinely example of a complaint. Soil was all right one must agree; but was the position the best for the good growth of these plants. If the Pansies were exposed to the full rays of the sun all day especially the strong afternoon’s sun, then it is no wonder they did not succeed. Violas (or tufted Pansies) on the other hand will stand much more sunlight. . . Then there is the question of weak and : spindly annuals, many throwing just one head of bloom. This may be the result of being kept too long in boxes before being planted out, or else "the soil in which they are growing is either impoverished or being 1 preyed upon by the roots of large trees 1 growing near by. It is surprising the distance 1 roots of-Elms. Ash and Poplars will travel in 1 search of good food. Then-there-is. the error of: planting pro- < minent beds with some short lived subject 1 leaving them bare for the greater or latter 1 half of the’flowering season. The remedy J for this is to develop “tier” bedding, a sub- < ject discussed in last week’s notes.. 1 Turning now to the vegetable garden, un- f even germination is often attributed to old i seed; but in.nine cases out of ten the fault lies in hasting dcassn drills with uneven i

depths throughout their length and covering -with an uneven thickness of soil. Carrots are small; but has the thinning been carried out correctly ? Dwarf ■ Peas have grown long and spindly with unevenly filled pods. Blame the season of course, yet in all probability the fault lies in using too much nitrogenn ' ous manure instead of applying a phosphate, d Onions are running to neck and will noi y bulb. This time we may find it is not the result of manures; but the fact that j they have been planted or sown too deeply. And so the question of failures in our . garden might quite easily be discussed by us t during this coming week, with beneficial results showing in next season’s growth. Every plant whether it be flower fruit or e vegetable has a personality which must be •) studied and enquired into if success is to be achieved in the garden. In conclusion y might I state that the study of a plant in its . natural habitat goes a long way to understanding its requirements in the more ins tensive and enclosed areas we call gardens. f■ - ■ ' FLOWERS IN HOLLAND t ’ —— 1 On a recent visit, -where I was taken mainly off the usual tracks—Zeeland, North > Brabant, - Gelderland, Overijsel, Dreuthe, - Friesland—conspicuous everywhere were . the gardens, brilliant and glowing with I colour. I say “conspicuous,” but Holland, if you travel at speed, seems to be a coni tinuous flower garden interspersed with lines of trees. Choice collections of border plants, ■ rockeries and other specialities of the ama- ; tern: have their, proper place, but here I write only of the common gardens in their September phase. They are everywhere, ; and glow with all imaginable colour schemes. No cottage is so humble but that it shows something that gives pleasure. Like ourselves, the Dutch are individualists, but their, individualism does not go so far as to hide up the garden. Boundaries of separate properties are just formal boundaries—low fences or railings—and there is no break in the general continuity. The ideal we strive after in garden villages and suburbs is everywhere realized in Holland. Floral and sylvan beauty, which after all are the expressions of the national genius, soil and sunshine, things transcending the individual, are not selfishly concealed behind walls, but blend into a continuous, artistic, pleasure-giving whole. Of the plants grown, the following may be named as general favourites. First, the yellow and orange flowers (in a way the national colour), Calendula, Tagetes, Solidago (Golden Rod), always; Montbretias, annual and perennial Sunflowers—the former big-flowered, often in long rows among the vegetables, but for no economic purpose. Rudbeckia is frequent, especially the bronze variety. In other colours the Dahlia comes first. It is universal and in the greatest variety and profusion—Decorative, Pompon and Cactus varieties. A patch of Cosmos is often seen, and much use is made of tall scarlet Pelargoniums, Begonias and Hydrangeas. Ageratum, often in strips, is a favourite, while China Asters make a great display. Mention must also be made of the less opulent forms of Petunia. Climbers are not commonly grown on the houses themselves, but on pergolas, porches and accessory structures.

What is most striking is the high standard of cultivation— evidence of a nation of expert gardeners. Soil in Holland has been won at great toil and expense, and is fit only to produce the best.

Dutch children begin their gardening early. In every school in the country, after Easter, each child can obtain a set of ‘‘cuttings’’ and on a day in September has to exhibit the result in a town or village fete arranged for the purpose. ■ Such an exhibition I visited one Sunday at Velp, near Arnhem. It was no doubt typical of what was happening everywhere, Etich child brought five pots containing his five “cuttings” (which in this case were a Fuchsia, Tagetes, Begonia, a scarlet Pelargonium and Ageratum), and these were arranged along the sides of a garden in rows at right angles thereto, and in the same order, so that the comparison was easy. It was wonderful how this test “separated” the exhibits. The judges had just awarded the prizes, about one in three of the entries being thus rewarded. For the unsuccessful competitors there were coupons for chocolates, sweets or ices. In connection with the show a fete had been arranged in which the children brought a variety of decorated objects—hoops, Bicycles, prams, parasols, little trollies containing a baby or doll indeed, anything that could be wheeled or carried. In this event also as great a range of taste and artistic ability was discernible as of skill in the raising of the plants. The whole of Velp turned out for the show, and, headed by a band, the procession, following a circuitous route, eventually reached the exhibition ground where the prize-winners were announced.

As these floral fetes and exhibitions are national they must, in the aggregate, give a tremendous impulse to the propagation of horticultural skill as well as taste in using the results for decorative purposes. .The standard reached in both departments showed high average merit; nor did the interest evaporate with the fete, for on leaving Velp next morning I glimpsed lots of children with wheel-barrows retrieving their exhibits.—F. W. Oliver in The Gardener’s Chronicle.

EARLY FLOWERING CHRYSANTHEMUM Though the early flowering chrysanthemums have not received anything fike the attention given to the large flowering and single kinds which are grown for greenhouse decoration and. for furnishing cut flowers during the winter, there is a number of good kinds which are very useful for brightening up the garden during late summer and autumn, and for providing cut flowers very suitable for decorating for harvest thanksgiving services. These are all quite hardy, they will stand a few degrees of frost and continue to flower right on into the winter if planted in a sheltered position or if covered with calico to keep the blooms dry. They are also very useful for providing a second crop in beds and borders which were planted with such early flowering plants as ten-week stocks, asters, and sweet williams. Cuttings put into boxes in early spring soon root, and the plants are ready to put out at the same time as the ordinary summer' flowering bedding plants. They are usually pinched before being planted out, and unless it is desirable to keep them late they are allowed to go right on taking up not more than three stems to each plant. These are securely fastened to neat stakes, and they develop a spray of blooms on each stem. Many of the varieties are very old, and have been in cultivation for about 25 years, but they have still a good constitution, and have not been superseded by the newer kinds.

Madam Marie Masse is a reddish-pink variety which always flowers well, and is now nearly over. George Wermig is a primrose yellow, and • Aphroide creamy white. The three usually flower about the same time, but this season the white and yellow are just showing colour now. Other varieties in full flower at the present time are Weis White (a variety very much like Aphroide), Hiawatha, pink; Firebrand, chestnut crimson; Early Mary Richardson, buff, shaded with amber; Nina Biick, orange red; The Dome, salmon with gold centre; Goacher’s Crimson, bright crimson; Goacher’s Bronze (an orange from the former variety); Shelly, yellow; Lichfield Pink, deep mauve pink, and one of the finest of the. early chrysanthemums. Later varieties which are in. bud. or showing colour are Allandale Beauty, from SoleiT d’Octobre and one of the most popular species, Harvest Home, bronze; William Holmes, crimson; Shasta, white; and Jubilee, a very old but much appreciated variety. '

Debbie's list of five of the beet of the new early-flowering chrysanthemums is

Border Beauty (bright amber with orange centre and incurving flowers), Madeline (deep canary yellow, a fine full flower with wiry stems), Mrs James Whitehouse (bronzy-tera cotta colour, very large full flowers), Purple Robe (light purple throughout compact habit), Tangerine (a brilliant orange yellow, full flowers and quite distinct). Any of the border chrysanthemums can be transplanted into the tomato house after the tomatoes are all picked, if they are prepared by first giving them a good watering if the weather and soil be dry. Then tramp the soil firmly all round them, and lift them- with a good ball of soil. Plant them in the borders in which the tomatoes were growing, and give a good watering, keeping the house more closed up for a few days until they recover. The buds will continue to develop, and they will provide valuable cut flowers during the dull season. They can also be planted in boxes, tins, or jots, and placed in the greenhouse, on a sheltered veranda, or in any warm sheltered position where they can be kept reasonably dry.—Exchange.