The Week In The Garden

Southland Times, Issue 23389, 22 December 1937, Page 12

The Week In The Garden

(By J. A. McPHERSON)

THE GREENHOUSE .

Make sure that ample shading is provided on the glasshouse roof during hot days. A very good shading and one that is not too thick and will gradually work off before mid-winter, is made by mixing white lead and turnips' into a thin paste and brushing it on. Give plenty of water to growing plants and ventilate the houses freely. It is safest to look over the watering twice a day from now on.. Geraniums and pelargoniums are fast coming into bloom. Give them plenty of light and keep away greenfly by spraying regularly with, any nicotine compound dissolved in a soft soap solution. Begonias, fuchsias and lilies are the principal plants in bloom under glass at present. As soon as the lilies have finished blooming, stand the pots outside and give the plants plenty of water. Sow seeds of cinerarias and primulas for next season’s display. THE FLOWER GARDEN

Go carefully through all seedling beds and have them thoroughly weeded before the holidays. Bulbs that have been heeled in so that they may ripen off their foliage will now be ready for lifting. Place them in well ventilated boxes and store in a dry place. Never let tulip bulbs lie on the surface of the ground for any length of time. They are more delicate than most other bulbs and will quickly suffer from sun scorch. Wallflowers in the seedling beds will soon be large enough to handle and can then be lined out in neat nursery rows. Space the plants six inches apart with a spacing of one foot between the rows. Give them a good watering as soon as they have been planted; but unless the weather is exceptionally dry they will require no more. When , autumn comes round a splendid supply of plants will then be available for the next spring display. Sweet William may be treated similarly and forget-me-nots pricked off into boxes, giving the plants plenty of

room to develop. All large blooming chrysanthemums should be in their final pots by the enc of this week. See that the plants arc securely staked for at this stage growtl is exceedingly brittle. Stand the pots in full sunshine and on very hot days spray the foliage with clear water. II will not hurt these plants if they are sprayed during the brightest sunshine Train cascade varieties to fairly firm wires bent over the sides of the pots. Border chrysanthemums should be • gone over and pinched hard back. This will make them break freely and prevent them growing too high. Good weather has enabled routine work to be brought well up to time and most gardens are looking particularly tidy. A thorough run through all beds and borders with the hoe will keep things in order till after the holidays. Winds are troublesome, so see to it that all plants are securely staked. Sweet peas will require plenty of water during dry weather and an occasional application of liquid manure. When once the plants commence to bloom make sure that no seed pods form otherwise the flowering period will be greatly shortened. Cut over Oriental poppies, delphiniums and pyrethrum as soon as they have finished blooming. Tie in all creepers to walls and arches while the growth is young and pliable. The last of the annuals should be planted out by the end of the month. Stake lilies as they grow; but do not have the stakes higher than the bloom heads otherwise damage through rubbing of the flower buds will result. Lilium regale will be in bloom at Christmas time and will require mulching during dry weather. Pentstemons are good border plants when well grown,- and should be treated as biennials to do best. Young plants produce far larger blooms than old woody and worn out ones. Keep a supply up by sowing some seed each year about this time. LILIUM REGALE

The regal lily in bloom at the present time is one' of the easiest of a very difficult family to cultivate. While they like moisture at the roots and cool conditions, they resent a sour soil and absolutely refuse to move in it. As a pot plant they are most useful and seedlings will bloom the second year from seed. Leaf mould should if possible be liberally applied to the soil and sand added to open up heavy ground. They look well associated with dwarf rhododendrons and have been known to grow into large clumps when given such surroundings. Sow the seed in boxes as soon as it is ripe and plant out the young seedlings for the first year into beds of prepared soil. Another hardy lily also in full flower this month is L. Hansoni, a native of Japan, with its golden-yellow blooms dotted on the petals with deep crimson spots. Both L. candidum (Madonna lily), and L. testaceum (apricot coloured) will carry the display over the holiday season. SHELTER BELTS Readers wishing to grow their own shelter must order the seeds and sow them immediately. Any reliable seed merchant or the State Forest Service will supply seed at a very reasonable rate.

Choose a sheltered spot in the vegetable garden or in any area that is well attended and open out shallow drills the width of the spade and one and a half inches deep. Sow the seeds evenly but not thickly and cover with sflil. Firm this soil covering slightly by patting with the back of the spade. Birds are fond of young germinating pines and if wire netting is not available cover the drills with branches of manuka, taking care to place an upright stick here and,there to prevent the manuka from shifting in high winds.

Pinus insignus is a good all round shelter tree and the wood is becoming more valuable every day. Cupressus macrocarpa is also a good shelter and timber tree; but C. Lawsoniana is more tender and though standing all frosts experienced throughout the South Island it does not stand up to heavy winds, especially near the coast. It makes a perfect inner row if shelter on the outside is given by a row or two of the previously mentioned trees. Eucalyptus do well inland but have a nasty habit of leaning over with the prevailing winds in coastal districts. Both pinus pinaster and P. muricata, though not large growing like insignus are valuable for coastal regions; the former will grow right down near the sea. The cheapest farm shelter is that raised on the property and when one realizes the tremendous lack of shelter on many areas in the South Island it becomes increasingly necessary to start right away and commence to make things right by sowing the first batch of seeds.

Good shelter means early grass in spring when most needed, besides keeping the cattle warm and preventing paddocks from being dried out with the hot winds in summer. Shelter therefore assists with a definite increase of returns from both crops and stock and can be looked upon as a good paying and permanent investment.

THE TOMATO HOUSE Up to the present the season has been splendid for all indoor tomatoes, fruit is setting well and good trusses predominate with most growers. Keep removing all side shoots and keep the plants supported. Towards the end of the month and as the lower trusses begin to ripen, the tips of the lower foliage may be removed to let in the light. Wholesale defoliaging of the plants is to be condemned as it interferes with the rise of sap and may even help to scorch the fruit. Dust a little flowers of sulphur about the plants, it helps to keep down mildew. Backward plants may be fed with liquid manure and if sulphate of potash has not been added to the soil, water with one ounce of sulphate to the gallon. This manure tells on the quality of the fruit mc+e than on the quantity and helps with its early ripening. Keep an even, airy temperature, and do not over-water. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Plant out celery and leeks to provide the main crop. Do not let them suffer from want of water, especially the former plants. . Main crops of potatoes, if a little backward can be given a dressing of mixed manures prior to the final hoeing up. Mix equal quantites of sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of potash, and superphosphate together and apply at the rate of one and a-half ounces to the running yard. Swede turnips may be sown this month. If the brown beetle is in evidence, spray the young plants with arsenate of lead. Greenfly will trouble them during very dry weather and must be kept in check by spraying with any good nicotine compound. Commence to plant out savoys and winter cabbages. Planting several batches at weekly intervals will give a continued supply during the depth of the winter. Do not neglect to plant broccoli; the plants take a long time to mature and if given good ground- will well repay any trouble spent on them.

HEATH CUTTINGS

To propagate heaths from cuttings, special treatment is necessary to ensure success. Being slow to make roots, atmospheric and soil conditions must be entirely favourable to preserving the delicate stems and leaves in a state of suspended animation. Cuttings ar.e taken from the small side-shoots borne on terminal branches. It is best to select branches bearing a number of side-shoots and remove these branches to the potting shed or other shady place where the cuttings will be prepared. An. extremely sharp small-bladed knife is essential for the operation. Only medium sized shoots are chosen and' these will vary from about an inch in length to about three inches, according to the species. Before removing the cuttings from the branch their lower leaves should first be shaved off, taking care not to damage the stems. Next, holding the branch so that the butt end is pointing away from the operator, insert the knife just below the base of the cutting and remove with a small “heel” of the older wood. To prevent the cuttings from drying, each one as soon as it is removed should immediately be placed in wet spagnum moss. A five or six-inch pot is provided with drainage material and then filled to about three-quarters of an inch from the rim with a mixture of finelyseived peat three parts and clean sharp sand one part; silver sand is best. After firming the-soil in the pot give it a good soaking with water. When drained but still wet, again firm the soil by pressing hard on it with a round flatbottomed tin. With a dibber resembling the pointed end of a thick knitting needle, prick out the cuttings about half an inch apart over the whole surface, or if a smaller number is required, round the edge of the pot. Next, sprinkle a quarter-inch layer of dry coarse silver sand among the cuttings and again give a good watering with a fine rose can.

To preyent rapid changes in atmospheric and soil conditions, place inside a large pot or biscuit tin and pack round nearly to the rim of the cutting pot with fine sand, then cover the large pot with a sheet of glass. A cool position in a frame is most suitable. The cuttings must never be allowed to become dry. A NOBLE EVERGREEN TREE

Arbutus Menziesi, a member of the heath family (Ericacaea) is one of the noblest of broad-leaved evergreen trees. It is a native of western North America, where in sheltered valleys it •attains a height of 80 feet. A specimen in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens has almost reached this height and every year, in October when it is in flower, compels the admiration of thousands' of visitors. The massive trunk and branches are of a reddish hue. Panicled inflorescences with white flowers resembling lily-of-the-valley are produced in abundance, standing out boldly against the alrge dark green leaves, but the tree seems never so proud when the leaves in partnership with the galaxy of flowers are swayed to a dance by the wind. It is a tree that should be more widely represented in the Dominion.

CHARACTERISTIC NATIVE PLANTS The following is a list of plants characteristic of New Zealand’s native flora which, planted in association, would, in the opinion of the writer, be peculiarly attractive and ornamental— Grass Tree (Dracophyllum longifolium), Lancewood, Rangiora, Palm Lily, Toetoe, Flax, Rimu, Tree Fern, Astelia nervosa, Kowhai with Clematis indivisa entangled in its branches, Rock' Lilac (Hebe Hulkeana), Whipcord Hebe, Kaka Beak, Pachystegia insignis, and Senecio Greyi. An association such as this would not give a “bush” effect but the suggestion is that an open shrubbery made up by a judicious planting of the above specimens would be rather unusual. PLANTING DURING DRY WEATHER When planting cabbage and cauliflowers during hot weather when the top soil is dry it is a good practice to draw drills three inches deep and plant in the moist soil at the bottom. Besides sheltering them from drying winds it will be found that by adopting this method the plants can be very effectively watered by flooding the drill. The roots being deep in the soil, less earthing up will be required later. MARGYRICARPUS SETOSUS This evergreen creeping shrub, commonly called the Pearl Berry is suitable for draping over a ledge in an open situation in the rock garden. The flowers are inconspicuous, but its snowwhite berries make a pleasing contrast against the small, narrow dark green leaves. It is a native of Chile. FORGET-ME-NOTS It is a mistake to sow forget-me-nots too early, the middle of January being early enough. At that time and later when the seedlings are up, there is not so much danger from the ravages of

greenfly. Rich soil is not essential for the seed bed but the surface will be improved if lightened with finely sifted leaf-mould and grit. A partially shaded position is most suitable. The seeds are sown in shallow drills and kept moist. When large enough the seedlings can be transplanted into rows nine inches apart and six inches between them in the rows.