The Week in the Garden

Southland Times, Issue 22991, 10 September 1936, Page 13

The Week in the Garden

(By

J. A. McPherson).

THE GREENHOUSE. With more warmth from the sun, plants and seedlings under glass are begining to show rapid growth. It is at this period that many amateurs fail in glasshouse management. With a rising temperature more ventilation is required during the hottest part of the day and a start made to damp down benches. This damping down of benches creates r nice growing atmosphere and is beneficial in keeping down those two greenhouse pests, thrip and red-spider, both of which delight in a hot and dry atmosphere. Pot chrysanthemums into three-inch pets -and stand them outside in a cool but sheltered frame. Too close an atmosphere will bring on mildew. Hydrangas which have been brought under glass for early flowering will benefit by a light syringing of the young foliage during bright sunny days. These plants are gross feeders and also require plenty of water. Stake seedling sweet peas with twigs of manuka and harden them off as soon as weather permits. Look over begonia tubers and make up a good potting mixture ready to commence potting in four to six weeks’ time. The mixture should be of an open and turfy nature to permit of perfect drainage. Tlie Flower Garden. Before the planting season for trees and shrubs is finished look over the collection and see if you have included such outstanding subjects as Forsythia intermediate var. spectabilis, Prunus Bleriana (better than P. Moseri), Prunus Dawn, Abelia Schumannii, Desfontania spinosa (leaves like a holly), Enkianthus (does not like lime), Kolkwitzia amabilis (beautiful pink flowers) and Cytisus Burkwoodii (Venetian red broom). All the above rank as first-ckss small trees and shrubs and are perfectly hardy. Now what about those ugly fences? Why not cover them with a quick growing vine such as Vitis coignetiae or Vitis purpurea both of which turn beautiful autumn tints. Even the native Kaw Kaw Beak (Clianthus) will be found excellent for extra cunny positions. Then there is Contoneaster horizontalis which does its own training and is a beautiful sight in berry. If one so desires, gooseberries and currants can be used as a foil to hide ugly fences, but no matter what is used, try if possible to hide those necessary but ugly dividing fences. Look over newly-planted roses and give them a hard pruning back; they can be sprayed immediately with lime sulphur at a strength of 1 in 75. Perennials that were raised in beds and boxes last summer will now be fit to plant into their permanent positions. Blooming at the present time is Azara microphylla, a small evergreen tree with a habit and leaves similar to our small-leaved native beech. On the undersides of the branches are minute yellow flowers, not very attractive in size or colour, but exuding a rich and powerful scent of vanilla. The scent can be detected over a chain away and the plant being perfectly hardy should be in every garden. Most bulbs are above the ground now and a light pointing of the surface soil will be an advantage to them. r ße sure and keep greenfly off tulips to save the spread of the virus disease which causes “breaking” or stripping of the blooms. The Vegetable Garden.

The month of September is most suitable for the planting of asparagus. If planted earlier, especially should the soil be wet and cold, there is a tendency on the part of the crowns to sulk and the full benefit of the first season’s growth is lost. Readers wishing to plant asparagus for the first time should bear in mind a few important points on general cultivation. Firstly, though the crop can be successfully grown on both heavy and light soils, the ideal soil is a sandy loam; but no matter what type of soil it must be very deeply worked and prepared during autumn and winter. The crop being a gross feeder, it is necessary to provide ample supplies of nitrogenous manures throughout the full depth of the bed, and an opportunity should be taken while doing so to work rotted seaweed into the soil. Why seaweed? Because it provides the plants with a balanced diet, asparagus being in its native state a plant of the seashores of England and other parts of the Continent. It is not necessary to build up the beds where drainage is perfect and the soil of a sandy nature, but on stiff soils of a cold and retentive nature slightly raised beds help both with drainage and soil temperature. Beds should never be laid out in the vicinity of trees, for both the overhang of branches and adventitious roots will soon rob the asparagus of light and nourishment. An open sunny position free from prevailing winds, especially low ground draughts, is essential.

In order that the crop may be cut without the necessity o' much walking on the beds, the maximum width of any bed should not be more than five feet, and provides room for three rows. In small allotments, however, readers will find that a bed having a width of three feet and capable of holding two rows, with plants spaced 18 inches apart is a very handy size indeed. Perhaps the most critical time in the

life of an asparagus plant (or crown) is the time during which it is out of the soil awaiting planting in the beds. The soft roots are hardy when undisturbed and respond rapidly after planting provided that they have not been unnecessarily left out in the air and wind. Two persons should always plant up the beds in order that the crowns may be got in with as little delay as possible. Open out narrow trenches five inches deep and sit each crown on a small raised portion of soil so that the roots may slant downwards. Do not cut any shoots (or grass) the first season, but allow the crowns to build up. Staking must be carried out in windy localities for the heavy tops are liable to be wrenched out of their sockets, thus damaging the crowns for next season. Split up Herbs. Two essential herbs may be treated this week by dividing and re-planting. The first, mint, is liable to get out of bounds and should be planted in a strong container sunk into the garden. Early mint can be obtained by potting up a few strong roots and placing in the greenhouse or frame. The second, chives, should be in every garden and an additional lot grown in areas where it is difficult to grow onions. Split up the plants and set out in rows a foot apart with a spacing of nine inches between each clump. Thyme, sage, marjoram, all essential in the vegetable garden, should be split up and re-planted in ground bordering a pathway. From such a position the sprigs are easily obtainable as required. Current Work. Plant first early potatoes and procure a supply of second early varieties. Rhubarb and seakale may still be forced out-of-doors. Seedlings in frames over the hotbed should be gradually hardened off. (This applies to early cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce seedlings). Sow onions, radishes, stump-rooted carrots, parsnips, peas (early dwarf), beans (broad), and spinach. Peas and beans raised in pots under glass should be gradually hardened off prior to planting out. Garden Economy Hobbies may, in most cases, be made as costly as one chooses, but usually there is a definable line between advantageous expenditure of cash and ineffective extravagance (says a writer in a London paper). A chess player can win games with stained pieces of wood on a papier-mache board just as well as with hand-carved ivories on an inlaid table. The players of bowls, billiards, and many other games are differently situated, because the perfection of their play is influenced by the quality of materials and workmanship in the “gear” necessary for the game. Nevertheless, some players would beat others, even though they used makeshift equipment against the finest and truest that is made. When it comes to gardening matters there are quite a number of points where the question of economy and extravagance may be debated with strong arguments to support both sides, but to gain a clear understanding as to what is real economy and what is futile extravagance is to go a very long way along the road of horticultural progress. Times out of number it has been declared that good plants can only be raised from the best of seeds or from stock of first-class quality. The fact remains that many first prizes haVe been won in keen competition with flowers and vegetables raised from packets of seeds costing pence against those costing shillings and half-crowns. The explanation is that too many people suppose that by paying the price for seeds the plants should be capable of producing the goods, whereas the successful ones are those who realize that even the best cannot produce the best of which it is capable if it is denied proper opportunity. One of the most frequent phases of false economy is to give plants too little room for full development. It is probably correct to say that the majority of amateur gardeners have less ground space than they would like, and it is the all too frequent consequence that they tiy to grow more plants on a given space than can come to perfection. This applies to vegetables on allotments as well as to flowers in beds and borders.

In sweet pea culture many growers have learned that they can get finer results from circular groups of a few well-spaced plants at intervals of two or three yards than when they are planted or sown closely in a continuous row. The spaces between the clumps can be planted with other subjects, and all get the benefit of free passage of air and light. Economy of time is a difficult problem for many. Everybody knows that the more time spent upon a patch of garden ground the better the prospects of good results should be. But a great deal of labour is expended that might be saved because necessary tasks are left too long, and in consequence become difficult, where, they might have been simple. Tying growths of rampant plants is one of these jobs. If a plant is staked and tied early, while

the growths are still erect and independent, it is not a difficult matter to place it in position to grow on in the way is should go; but if it is allowed to bend about and entangle itself with other growths, a great deal of time must be occupied in the tiresome task of restoring it to a proper position. So, too, with weeding. It does not take long to hoe or hand-pull a few small weeds among the patch of plants, but a week later the weeds will have grown to such an extent that one has to spend hours carefully pulling them out and pressing back the soil they have disturbed. The moral is: Always do whatever needs doing at the right time; but—and it might be spelt in capital letters—the moralist himself cannot do that. Dahlias When you bring the dahlia roots from their store place you will probably find that some of the tubershave completely decayed. Remove these entirely. Where there is just a spot of rot, cut it out cleanly with a sharp knife and rub the cut surface with lime to prevent bleeding (says The Dominion’s gardening contributor). If there is general shrivelling plunge each root into a pail of water for 10 minutes, and it will soon plump up. You get cleaner, healthier shoots when you cure shrivelling before starting into growth. You can start growth in several ways. The roots can be placed closely together on 2in or 3in of soil on a light greenhouse stage, packing soil firmly among them and leaving just the crown or top exposed. Another method is to plant closely together in well-drained boxes; or you can plant separately in plots of convenient size. The first method provides the strongest shoots, though you have to box or pot up when all the cuttings are taken. Adopt the stage method if it is at all convenient. An ideal starting compost is loam three parts, well-rotted manure, leafmould, and sand one part each. On no account start growth in garden soil or old potting compost. It isn’t fair to expect the plants to breed good stock on their own resources. Until you see young shoots emerging keep the compost just moist only, but on favourable days spray lightly with clear, aired water morning and afternoon. After growth starts, give more moisture at the roots. , When the shoots are IJin long, de-

tach the number you want very carefully. Don’t rub, pull, or break them off, but cut out each one with a sharp . knife, bringing away with the base a small pointed piece of the parent tuber. No trimming is needed. At the base of each shoot are rudimentary leaves which you can’t take off without peeling the stem, which you mustr/t do. Plant each cutting separately in a clean thumb pot drained by placing one inverted crock over the hole at the bottom. Fill up fairly. firmly to within a -jin of the top, which should ; be covered with sand. Plant each cutting half an inch deep with a dibber, taking care to get it to ' the bottom of the hole. Water through a rosed can, and stand the pots in the propagator or a glass-covered box. To prevent the development of a moisture-laden atmosphere, wipe the glasses daily. Under these conditions young , growth at the top, which indicates the formation of roots, will be seen in , about three weeks. , Tilt the glass more and more each day for a week, then transfer the , plants to a light stage. Plant in the open ground in late October or November. Evergreen Climber BILLARDIERA LONGIFLORA. A native of Tasmania, Billardiera longiflora was introduced into commerce over one hundred years ago. . Why it has not become better known 1 and more greatly grown is hard to say. It is an excellent evergreen climber, , and is quite hardy in oui’ climate. Under favourable conditions the growth is quite rapid, but not rampant like some climbers. The flowers, which are rather insignificant, are greenish- : yellow in colour, and borne in the leaf axile about the middle of summer. It , is when fruiting, however, that the attractiveness of the plant . becomes apparent. Generally the fruits are at the height of their beauty about May ■ or June. The shape of the berries is . very unusual, being neither globular nor oblong. One writer describes the ' shape as “like a sugar bag tied rather . tightly, so that the string rests in a . shallow, roundish indentation—this reduced to one inch in length. The i colour is a beautiful dark blue, tinged with purple, and shining with the lustre of enamel. In nature Billardiera

is a bush climber, which gives us an idea of the conditions under which it will thrive best. A good loam in a slightly sheltered and shady position will satisfy its needs.