WORK IN THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 23737, 8 February 1939, Page 12

WORK IN THE GARDEN

By

BRENDAN P. MANSFIELD,

F, Inst. P.A.

THE COOL GLASSHOUSE Attend to staking and tying of chrysanthemums; use strong cane or light wooden stakes. Chrysanthemums may require to be watered twice or even three times each day according to weather. The pots or drums will be now full of roots and feeding is essential. If the small budlets formed on eitner side of the main bud of tuberous begonias are removed the bloom will be better. . , , Select bulbs for growing m bowls, tins or pots. As days become shorter and cooler, be more exacting about ventilation. THE FLOWER GARDEN Half an ounce of sulphate of ammonia to one gallon of water applied now to sweet peas will encourage late flowering. Early planting of bulbs is recommended. The shorter the period they are out of the ground after drying and ripening the better. The mixed flower or herbaceous border must have constant attention; staking, tying, removal of spent blooms and shoots, thinning superfluous growths and hoeing to suppress weeds and keep soil open are essential operations. Be most careful with dahlias. Spend a few minutes on them each day removing weak lateral growths, cutting over-spent blooms and disbudding. Earwigs always seem to be particularly fond of dahlias. An inverted flower pot with a wad of paper inside placed on top of the stake serves as an effective trap. Shake the paper into a bucket of boiling water each morninfn disbudding dahlias it is only the modern decorative varieties which require severe treatment. Miniature decorative and cactus varieties may pe relieved of a few buds but charms, poms and singles should be left alone. Gladioli now developing their flower spikes will benefit from regular doses of weak liquid manure. Check over roses; apply liquid manure or a light dressing of fertilizer to encourage free flowering in autumn. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Lose no time in spraying late potatoes with Bordeaux mixture to check blight. Spray thoroughly and spray twice. By far the most important operation is hoeing, which should be done at every available opportunity. Remove side growths or yellow leaves from celery and dust plants overhead with soot. Late planting of celery may be done, but select rich ground and keep the plants thoroughly watered. Leeks can still be planted. If the ground is not well nourished first give it a dressing of well-decayed manure or humus. Club root is spread 'in gardens by leaving old cabbage stumps in the ground. These should be lifted ana burned and the ashes spread. Ground that has grown a crop of cabbage should be limed thoroughly. Proceed still with planting of winter greens in any vacant ground. Sow parsley for use in spring; any old plants bolting to flower should be removed. Soot is an excellent tonic and stimulant for parsley in full growth. THE, FRUIT GARDEN The earlier new beds of Strawberries are planted the better. Give plenty of room between the plants and between the rows. It is a good plan to secure new runners of plants from another district. This policy is practised by gardeners everywhere and through it, has developed the much-used system of exchange. This is a delicate stage in vine culture. The berries must not be subjected to sudden changes in temperature; control ventilation most carefully. ' Summer pruning, if not completed, must be carried out without delay. Free ventilation day and night, reduction in bulk of foliage, removal of any lateral growths, pinching out of the growing point and gradual reduction in amount of water are present essentials for tomatoes under glass.

WHAT TO SEE IN THE GARDENS Many amateurs have observed fruits hanging in great abundance from the flowering plums this season and, because this is unusual, wonder if they are edible. The flowering plum is closely related to the cherry plum, its fruits are edible but, being somewhat bitter, are generally used for tarts, sauce, jams and and sometimes for wine. NATIVE PLANTS CHATHAM ISLAND LILY The plant commonly known as the Chatham Island lily, Myosotidium Nobile (hortensum) is not a lily at all but a forget-me-not. Its distribution is, curiously enough, confined to the Chathams though it does remarkably well under cultivation if a cool, moist, shaded position is selected. The admixture of decayed leaves or very well-rotted cow manure in the soil is an advantage. The leaves, which are very big, are of a deep rich green contrasting with the handsome trusses of clear blue flowers. Blue is a colour which is unusual among indigenous plants but in the Chatham Island lily, and some other island plants, it is well represented. Plants are easily raised by means of seed, but shade is at all times essential. WISTARIA MULTIJUGA FINE CHINESE SPECIES This fine Chinese species was introduced from Japan to Belgium by Siebold, and thence to England in 1874. It grows and flowers as freely as the better-known W. chinensis. The leaves are narrower and the leaflets smaller than in that species. W. Multijuga is noted for the length of its racemes, especially those borne by selected varieties. When hanging from the lattice-work roof of arbours in the Japanese style or drooping through the trellis of an English pergola this trait is accentuated. On one plant I have measured racemes four feet in length, but even this has been exceeded elsewhere, says a writer in The Gardeners’ Chronicle, London. The individual flowers are parti-coloured, the standard being a delicate mauve with a yellow centre, the wings and keel lavender, tipped with purple. They have a strong broad bean scent and are very attractive to the honey bee. The fruits are long, silky pods that narrow towards the footstalks, and are produced more freely in England than those of W. Chinensis. From seeds obtained from our own plants I have raised many seedlings, but none better and many inferior to the forms usually sold by reliable nurseries.

Plants of this species have been variously placed in this garden. One covers a gable and encircles an oriel window with grey stone mullions; an-

other is on the side of a cottage; a third covers a broad iron archway or tunnel, while a fourth assists in covering a pergola. In an old orchard a vigorous plant swarms over two apple trees; nearby it has been treated as a shrub and regularly pruned. In all forms it is very beautiful, but it is when hanging in the semi-shade of a pergola that the racemes attain their greatest length. Nowhere is the display of flowers finer than on the apple trees, but even here a certain amount of pruning is necessary to prevent last season’s shoots forming a confused tangle When grown on a wall the main branches should be secured firmly, but the long spurs which form may be encouraged to stand well out so that the flowers hang free from the wall, showing their length, form and great beauty. Experience has taught me that wistarias can be very disappointing about the time some individuals require befor they cover much space. They are really quick, strong-rooting plants of great vigour. Skilfully propagated plants which have never sustained a check will grow away freely enough, but they aro somewhat difficult to keep in stock, being liable to root out from the bottom of the pot into the material in which they are plunged. When the plants are lifted in autumn and the outside roots are removed a check naturally occurs. A seriously-stunted plant may be several years before it grows away freely, but however long the planter has to wait, he will be well repaid in due time. .

POINTS OF INTEREST FLOWERS, VEGETABLES AND FRUITS Work on the rock garden at present consists chiefly in weeding, but this must be attended to very carefully. Masses of such plants as helianthemums, dwarf phloxes, saxifrages, prove a perfect home for the running roots of weeds and unless very carefully watched these soon become established beyond hope of eradication. Grasses of various kinds, Veronicas or Speedwells, must not be allowed to get a footing, and because of the rather poor nature of the soil required by most alpines, annual weeds seed very quickly. The flower stems of saxifrages and other early-flowering plants should be removed. S. pyramidahs should be divided up after flowering and the side shoots planted individually or the stock will soon deteriorate. Where the ground has become hard and baked, a light fork should be used to break the surface where exposed. The present is a good time for increasing the stock of most alpines, the growth being fairly firm without being hard. Lithospermum prostratum,. a very difficult subject to root later, is fairly easily propagated at the present time. Short cuttings should be the rule and close, shaded conditions afforded, with constant spraying on hot days until roots have been formed, when they should be gradually accustomed to more air until they can withstand full exposure. Plants which are likely to root in about the same time should so far as is possible be inserted together, and more difficult subjects, such as shrubs, kept by themselves, as they take a much longer time to root, and if grown in the same frame, one or other suffers. As the early-flower-ing Primulas ripen their seeds these should be 'sown at once, as germination is never so good at a later period. Sow the seeds in boxes or pans of light soil covered with a slate, or glass ana paper, and place them in a shaded frame, or on the north side of a wall. Remove the covers as soon as a few of the seedlings appear and grow them on until they are big enough to handle, when they should be pricked out in boxes or frames. As Spanish and English irises pass out of flower and ripen off they should be lifted at once, if this is necessary because of overcrowding, as new roots soon being to push out should the ground be soaked with heavy rains. Annual lifting pays where time can be found for the work, as the full vigour of the bulbs is maintained by planting them in freshly-cultivated soil each year, rather than allowing them to struggle for years in the old bed. There is still time to make the final sowing of globe beet on a warm border. Thin the seedlings early and encourage quick growth by hoeing the bed frequently. All main-crop beet should be lifted and stored when big enough. Twist the top growth off, and take care not to damage the roots. Store them in sand. The earliest sown beet will quickly run to seed after this date and the roots will become too big and coarse. . , Asparagus growths will need a little support to keep them in an upright position. Allow plenty of air to pass through the alleys. Weeds should be hand-pulled at once and the beds kept perfectly clean. Feed the plants if at all on the weak side, liquid manure being very beneficial in this respect. The young seedlings must be kept growing all the time in order to develop the crowns. In the case of gooseberries and red and white currants grown as bushes, summer pruning at this period, as distinct from pinching, is of great service in the ultimate development and general productiveness of the trees; for not only will the amount of winter pruning be greatly reduced, but a great deal may be done to bring the bushes into the desired form. By pruning superfluous shoots back to about three inches from the main branch now, more vigour is throvfrn into the basal buds, and light is admitted to all parts of the bush, ripening both fruits and wood, besides making it an easy matter to gather the ripe fruits. With varieties of gooseberries of a pendulous habit, it may be necessary to allow a few wellplaced young shoots to extend their full length unchecked to take the place of the older branches, and to give the shape of the bush a more upright form. The shoots removed may now be made into cuttings, and if inserted in sandy soil in a somewhat shaded position, they will root quite readily and make good plants for transplanting a year hence.