THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 21717, 1 June 1932, Page 10

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

(By

J. A. McPherson.)

The Greenhouse.

The greatest care must be taken with plants in unheated houses during very wet weather. Water should be used only when necessary and none be permitted to cause excessive dampness, which would result in cuttings damping off and also assist the spread of mildew if any is about. On fine days go over all foliage plants and sponge them with warm water to which has been added a little soft soap.. This will remove all dust and minute insects and at the same time improve the general condition of all plants so treated. Standing foliage plants outside in cold rain showers is not to be recommended. Any rooted cuttings of Pelagoniums may be potted into small sized pots, and watered very sparingly. As Chrysanthemums finish blooming cut them down and stand the pots outside as advised in last week’s notes. Exit the Grass Grub.

One of the most troublesome pests which gardeners have had to deal with for many years is the destructive grass grub. It has caused many a good lawn to fail and various remedies tried have not been on the whole as effective as one could wish.

Recently, however, there has been placed on the market a fluid called “Restar Grassgrub Exterminator.” It appears to be a by-product of tar and possibly the phenol content is responsible for the actual killing of the grubs. The fluid used as directed is very effective and trials which I recently carried out on an infested lawn brought the grubs to the surface at the rate of fifty per square yard while many others were killed before they could reach the surface. It has been tried and is recommended by the Agricultural Department for use on lawns and is now in use for exterminating grubs on bowling and croquet greens further north. The directions must be carefully followed and when the solution is mixed at the rate of one part to one hundred and fifty parts of water it is applied at the rate of three gallons to the square yard. Ten minutes after the application it should be followed by three gallons of clear water to the square yard. The grass will show a slight check but if topdressed in three week’s time it will be noted how the desirable finer grasses come away. It is important not to walk on the treated portion of the lawn for some days. Autumn is the best time for application as it gives the grasses a chance to recover. Its use on flower beds and borders is not recommended. The Flower Garden.

When too wet for digging operations attend to the pruning of shrubs and trees. Wall shrubs and climbers can now be taken in hand, pruned and nailed or tied back in position. All work of this type is best taken in hand before heavy frosts set in and it also saves much valuable time later on. Continue to prepare borders ard beds for roses, saving all the wood ashes and charcoal for incorporating with the surface soil. It is not too late to lift, divide and replant Auriculas and Polyanthus. Instead of cutting them apart with a knife, try placing two hand forks back to back and after inserting them in the clump to prise gently apart. This does not damage the roots and the plants receive little or no shock. If roses, shrubs and other plants arrive from the nurseryman during wet weather, do not attempt to plant them in their permanent positions. Open out a shallow trench and lay the plants in, covering the roots with some soil. They will be quite all right until ground conditions improve. Keep an eye on autumn sown Sweet Peas, for about this time they will show signs of yellowing if too much moisture is permitted to collect near the roots. Shelter them from prevailing winds by placing boards near the row; but watch for slugs which will be attracted by the boards for shelter for themselves. A dusting of freshly slaked lime on a dry evening will keep them in check. The Vegetable Garden Except for heavy digging operations there is very little to do in the vegetable garden. Choose a well-sheltered spot and have it dug over several times before spring in order to receive a batch of early potatoes. If the land is low lying and not protected do not attempt early potatoes. Protect autumn sown Peas with short pieces of manuka brushwood; but not dense enough to exclude light and air. Letttuce for spring planting may be sown in boxes in sheltered frames. If they come away too fast and overcrowd they may be pricked off into other boxes in a similar manner to treating annuals of the flower garden. Plants so treated will be sturdy and receive little if any check when set out in early spring. Once Asparagus tops have been cleared away give the bedding a dressing of salt at the rate of one ounce to the square yard. After a period of four years rhubarb beds should be overhauled. Lift the plants and leave them lying in a sheltered spot while the beds are being retrenched and manures added. Only good, strong plants should be returned to the beds. Towards spring give the beds a light dressing of half rotted stable manure. Soils and Manures. Last week we left off when partly through a discussion on nitrogenous manures. Here are a few more that come under this heading and are of great use to the gardener: Nitrate of Potash (Saltpetre) contains potash as well as nitrates but it is little used in small gardens. It is best applied as a liquid manure at the rate of one ounce to four gallons of water. Dried blood contains about 13 per cent, nitrogen; but is slow in acting. It must be used with care at seed-sowing time, otherwise it will have an adverse effect on germinatiion. Better applied when mixed with superphosphate. Blood and Bone Meal is very good since it contains phosphates as well as nitrates. It is a good slow acting but even a lasting manure for digging into the top spit during winter. Hoofs and Homs are rich in nitrogen but extremely slow acting and best used for vine borders and round large fruit trees. Next we come to Guanos. It is very hard to obtain a good rich guano and usually the price is very high. Guanos come from the deposits of birds on cliffs and islands in very dry climates. Good guanos are rich in nitrogen and phosphates. Soot is another form of nitrogenous manure. A good light and bulky soot contains as much as four per cent nitrogen. Synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers such as Urea, Nitrolim etc., are extremely rich in nitrogen. They are produced from the atmosphere and some day it is hoped to have a plant for. the production of this type of manure operating in our own country, thus giving us a valuable type of manure at a reasonable price.-

Potash manures will be dealt with next week. Answers to Correspondents. “Mangapiri”: Carbonate of lime will suit your fruit trees if they are growing on a light soil. For wire worms it is best to fork in freshly slaked lime and keep turning over the ground several times before the spring. Traps of carrots and potatoes wired on to sticks make good traps when plunged into the ground. They can be exammed every few days. “Farmer“: The reason for a low percentage of takes for your seedless gorse plants is the soft cuttings you speak of. Try a little harder wood with a “heel” next time and cut off the sappy tops. Plant as before and ram the cuttings firmly into the soil. A little sand along the base of the cutting trench makes a good rooting medium if it can be obtained. “Grateful”: After dealing with potash manures a full table of application covering the manures discussed will be given. If room permits it will appear next week. GROUPING SHRUBS. No garden that is planted in a haphazard fashion can be expected to give such lasting satisfaction as one upon which care and forethought have been bestowed. It is only by happy association of the various subjects employed that each can be made to display its full beauties. Conversely, careless grouping may be attended by the most unhappy results, colours being brought into close contact which clash with or kill each other, tall plants being placed in front of those of dwarf stature, and so on. Three Important Points. Before finally selecting the trees or shrubs for any group, the proposed varieties should be jotted down on a piece of paper with their colours, seasons of flowering, and heights. Then, with the aid of a rough sketch of the plot, it will be possible to ascertain what pleasing harmonies or contrasts can be obtained, and to detect any difficulties that are likely to arise. Many a scheme has gone awry owing to relying on colours only, and forgetting to take into account the flowering period of each subject, a matter of the greatest importance with trees and shrubs, as many do not last in perfection for long. Height is apt to be a little deceiving, as shrubs differ so much in their rate of growth. For example, that beautiful winter-flowering shrub Hamamelis mollis may eventually attain to 20ft. or more, but it would take many years to do so, and is far more frequently seen as a compact bush of some 6 to Bft. Hibiscus syricus and Ribes sanguinea are two more wellknown subjects that are seldom seen at more than about half their full height. On the other hand, quickgrowing shrubs, such as Buddleia variabilis and Leycesteria formosa, soon attain their maximum development. The novice should rely upon information given in the catalogues of reliable specialists, and such practical hints as can be picked up from other gardeners, amateur and professional. Two Successful Schemes. ■ Another attractive planting in which azaleas play a prominent part. In this case a magnificent background of foliage has been provided for the vivid azalea blooms by planting conifers, Acer pseudoplatanus brilliantissimum and silver birch in the rear. This acer, a slow-growing form of the common sycamore, is one of the best foliage trees for gardens of moderate size. In spring the leaves are a delicate coralpink, but later they change to yellow-ish-green, with purple splashings beneath. There are several other varieties of the sycamore which are worthy of more extensive planting. Amongst the best of these Prince Handjery, with yellow and purple foliage, Nizeti, in which green, yellow, pink, and crimson are handsomely combined, and the green and yellow Simon-Louis Freres.

Some Suggestions. As a background for yellow and white-flowered shrubs there are few more effective subjects than Corylus Avellana purpurea, the purple-leaved hazel. It is a robust shrub, and will thrive in any ordinary garden soil, being pruned into shape annually with impunity. The foliage is of a fine bronz-purple shade, and shows off light-coloured flowers to great advantage. Two fine evergreens for the same purpose are Osmanthus ilicifolius and Eleagnus pungens aureo-variegata. The former has glossy dark green foliage, much resembling that of a holly, and forms the ideal setting for scarlet and other brightly-coloured blooms. The eleagnus has frequently been- described as the best of all variegated evergreens, high praise which is by no means unmerited. The leaves are a fine green, each relieved by a broad, irregular splash of goldenyellow down the centre. It is rather a slow-growing shrub, but will eventually attain 10ft or more, and is worth waiting for. Early-flowering Subjects. Where possible, it is advisable to devote a sheltered border, backed by a fence or wall, to shrubs which flower very early in the year. It is not that these, as a class, lack hardiness, but that their very precocity exposes their blooms to the inclemency of our winter, and their period of effectiveness is likely to be much curtailed unless some such precaution as that suggested is taken. The wall may be effectively covered with such things as Azara microphylla, which produces small vanilla-scented flowers in February, and has fine dark green evergreen foliage, the lovely blue-flowered Ceanothus Veitchianus, winter-blooming Jasminum nudiflorum, Cydonia japonica, with cheerful pink or scarlet flowers, and redberried Crataegus coccinea. In front of these will be Hamamelis mollis and others of . its genus, sweetly-per-fumed Chimonanthus fragrans, Daphne, Mezereum with its more richly-scented ' purple . blooms, yellow-flowered Ber- ' beris japonica Bealei, forsythias in several delightful and free-flowering varieties, and, if the soil be free of lime, a selection of winter and springblooming heathers. Should there be room for one or two larger shrubs or small trees, there are several suitable subjects available which will bloom at the same time as the other occupants of the border. These include the Cornelian Cherry (Comus mas) with yellow flowers in February and pretty fruits later; Nuttellia cerasiformis, which has creamy-white blooms, strongly scented of almonds; Prunus subhirtella autumnalis or purple-leaved plum; -the better-known P. cerasifera Pissardi, and almond. A. H. in “Amateur Gardening.”