THE GARDEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 21, 16 April 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN

BY

“Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air.” —(uray.) INQUIRIES FROM PUZZLED GARDENERS. Any inquiries by our readers on the subject of gardening will be answered in our “Puzzled Gardeners’ Column” in the following Saturday’s issue. All letters must be addressed to the Garden Editor and forwarded to the SUN Office on or before every Wednesday. Any specimen to be named must be packed securely in a strong box to prevent crushing in transit.

EASTER DECORATIONS Easter time is one ot the periods that lends itself to artistic floral decoration. At this time of the year the housewives are at a loss for suitable flowers for this occasion. Michaelmus Daisy is now at its best and makes a saintly altar decoration for Sunday services. The dahlia season is now in full swing and many charming effects can be derived by using these handsome flowers combined with asparagus fern. Zinnias are rather stiff for table decorations, but they make a solid background with other flowers. Late asters, gaillardias and early chrysanthemums may be had at any of the florists during April month. The following hints on making cut flowers last prove of great assistance to all lovers of flowers: Dahlias, especially the single varieties, are splendid for house decoration. but they often prove very disappointing, because they last such a short time. Cut the blooms as soon as fully expanded, and scrape the covering of the stalks for about three inches upwards from the bottom of the stem. Then plunge into hot water and put flowers into a dark place for two or three hours. The flowers should keep for a long time in good condition. Sweet peas are exquisite for table decoration, but do not keep well and often lose their colour indoors. If you gather them in the early morning while they are still wet with dew you will get better results. Gladioli are best picked late in the afternoon, choosing those spikes with four to five blooms open. If the spikes are allowed to lie for about 15 minutes in the sun they last better when Anally put into water. This seems strange, but is practised with success by the writer. Poppies have always been a source of annoyance to floral decorators. Try the following plan and you will be able to keep poppies for a much longer period:—Gather the newly-opening blooms in the morning *and hold the ends of the stalks in a candle or gas flame. Make sure the stems are well charred and do not be satisfied by mere singeing.

LEONARD A. GRIFFITHS, F.R.H.S., F.N.Z. Inst.

VALUE OF SOOT AS A MANURE This common substance should be made full use of by gardeners, for it is of considerable value. It contains from 6 to 12 per cent, of sulphate of ammonia and thus acts as a stimulant to the growth of plant life. Soot should be kept dry until used and when applied hoed in at once. MULCHING One of the most important operations in garden culture is that of mulching, which is by no means carried out to the extent M should be, especially- in the warmer parts of New Zealand. This is done by covering the surface of the soil with well-decayed cow, sheep or horse manure, in order to prevent the heat of the sun’s days frotn striking down to the roots. Subsequently every shower of rain or watering will carry the fertilising properties of the mulch down to the roots of the plants. The mulching may be applied about an inch deep, and is best given when the plants are young. Most vegetable crops as well as flowers will immediately respond to a good mulching during the hot weather. DISBUDDING CHRYSANTHEMUMS Chrysanthemums are becoming increasingly popular every year and rightly so as they come in at a time when flowers are scarce and readily lend themselves for: decorative purposes. A pinch of nitrate of soda in each vase will help to prolong the durance of the flower and occasionally cut an inch off the end of the flower stem. It is always better for the amateur to produce six good blooms than 50 ordinary, especially if his garden is small. This is obtained by disbudding; that is to say, by cutting off the side buds and leaving the terminal or crown bud. (See diagram.)

The above sketch shows a chrysanthemum with the terminal bud at the top and the smaller buds on the same stem which have to be cut off as marked. This is done to produce a large and handsome flower; When the buds begin to swell and become large enough, an occasional watering with liquid manure, soz sulphate of ammonia to the gallon, will improve the blooms. When the flowers begin to appear they should be protected if the blooms are for show purposes. PREPARE ASPARAGUS BEDS May, June and July are the best months to plant asparagus. The bed should be made ready at least two months before planting. A deep and sandy soil is the best for these beds. All soils, whatever their character, must be trenched three feet ajid between each spit of soil a layer of manure must be spread. Cow and pig manures are best for light soils, while horse and poultry manure are preferable for heavy soil. For the top nine inches of soil, sand and bonedust and soot should be added and well mixed in. A bed raised five feet wide will accommodate three rows of plants, the outer ones being kept about 12 inches in from the sides of the bed. Occasional dressings of salt are necessary for this crop, and when the foliage turns yellowish in the autumn, it should be cut oft close to the ground and a good dressing of manure applied. Cultivation and History of Carrots Carrots are a biennial native of Asia, Africa and Europe, where they are commonly found wild by the roadsides and on dry banks near the sea. The varieties grown in New Zealand and Australia are chiefly red, although on the continent white, purple and lemoncoloured carrots are used. Carrots form one of the most important kitchen garden crops, as they are available for daily use throughout the year. Among the best varieties to grow are: Oxheart, Early Horn. James Intermediate, Manchester Table and Althringham. A sandy alluvial soil, well drained, will suit Intermediate Carrot, as it allows the tap root to descend perpendicularly. In shallow soils the short varieties are most reliable. These can be sown almost at any time of the year and crop very quickly. The best of the short varieties is Early Horn. Lime, potash or soda might be applied with advantage as manures. Farmyard manure laid on the surface and dug in is apt to make the roots fork. The best way of applying it is to trench the ground and in so doing make sure the manure is about 18 inches deep. In this way even fresh stable manure may be used.

The ground should be well dug and thoroughly raked before sowing. For early short varieties the seed can be sown in drills 12 inches apart and thinned out to six inches apart in the rows. Longer varieties should be inches between the rows and eight inches apart. SOME SIMPLE GARDEN HINTS Turnips for Slugs.—A good method for catching slugs is to place slices of turnip half an inch thick dipped in a solution of Paris green round the plants you wish to protect. The slugs gather round the turnip and are quickly poisoned by the Paris green. To Get Rid of Ants. —Cover a sponge with treacle and lay at the entrance to ant-hill. The ants will congregate on the sponge, which should be plunged into hot water, the process being repeated until the colony is exterminated. Asparagus Tip.—A dressing of nitrate of soda, 2oz to the square, yard, given to asparagus once a week during the cutting season and well watered in, makes the foliage grow quickly and every part can be eaten. Storing Onions. —The storage of onions must always be made in a dry frost-proof place. In quarters that are damp or unduly warm either rotting will take place, or else premature sprouting will commence. For ordinary bulbs roping and suspending in a cool place is a splendid method for keeping the yearly supply of onions. Some explanation of the roping method may be helpful. A rope of onions has a foundation of cord or straw. The onions are tied to the foundation by the dried foliage and in four rows, each onion being separately tied. Commence at the top by tying four onions of largest size. Immediately below tie four onions slightly smaller and so on until the string is complete. HANDSOME LAWN SPECIMEN The black tree fern is easily the king of New Zealand ferns and makes a splendid specimen for. lawns. It is a very rapid grower and thrives in places where there are no severe frosts. Plenty of water is required during the warmer months of the year. Good soil is not essential for this plant, as they are often to be found growing among rocks with no great depth of soil. The stems when bruised or broken issue a sticky, slimy pith and is very sweet to the taste. Any time during May and June are good months to obtain this specimen.

Hydrangeas are deciduous shrubs that can easily be propagated by cuttings in sandy soil. They flourish freely in moist situations, although they thrive in almost any position. Plants should be shifted in June and July and will flower the following summer. After flowering the old heads should be cut off and the bush trimmed neatly to produce even growth. The colour of hydranges are ruled by the iron properties in the soil. Very often a tree yields masses of blue blossoms for two or three years and the following year the flowers come to a lovely shade of pink. This invariably happens to cuttings from blue plants. To keep the beautiful blue shade an application of alum or sulphate of iron scattered round the trees and watered in will produce the required colour. VIOLAS FOR BEDDING In more recent years no bedding plant has been found to equal the viola. It is of the pansy species, and its blooms are so profuse that often there are more flowers than leaves. The best effects are produced when they are used as a bordering or under trees. The viola is also a fine window-garden plant, especially when the runners hang over the side of the boxes. Before the plants are set out the ground must be thoroughly enriched with cow manure, and if the ground is heavy, a plentiful supply of sand should be 'added. Colour massing in design is very attractive. Once the plants are established, no further care except watering is necessary. The viola must not be planted later than July to get the full benefit of flowering during the summer. Nothing looks more charming in the home garden than well laid out flower beds. They are a source of delight to the passers by, the housewife and the tired husband returning from work. Effectively arranged they increase the value of your property 50 per cent. No matter how humble the house,' a beautifully laid out garden spells “Home.” Flower beds should be built up rising one inch in every 12 toward the centre.

An effective edging round the beds is Echeveria, rosette-like ice plants. They thrive well under any conditions. For present planting an edging of lobelia with semi-dwarf antirrhinums, tango shades, planted in the centre should produce a wealth of bloom through July and August. An edging of pansies or violas with a double row of nemesia aYid a cluster of early flowering stock in the centre of the bed should give a display that would be hard to beat.

ANSWERS FOR PUZZLED GARDENERS “J.R.C.,” Grey Lynn.—l have examined the dahlia blooms forwarded by you, but as they are all raised from seed none of these are named varieties. The selection is very good and you are to be commended for them, but if every gardener raised a quantity of dahlias from seed and named each different kind, the market would be flooded with hundreds of different dahlias from different growers with probably half a dozen of the same kind with different names. Extra special ones are therefore cultivated and reproduced by cuttings or division of bulbs. I would recommend you to weed out some of the poorer specimens and give special attention to the following numbers: No. 5, No. 1, No. 3, No. 16, No. 4 and No. 10. “M.J.,” Epsom.—Eel Worm (Tylenchus Devastatrix). Many garden crops suffer from the attacks of eel worm. Phlox, sweet peas, carnations, onions and various bulbs are rendered useless every year from the ravages of this pest. In your particular case I would advise soaking bulbs in water for two hours at a temperature of 120 deg. F. The ground to be used could be thoroughly sterilised before using. Infested ground needs plenty of lime in the autumn and any very bad bulbs burnt. “K.M.,” Ponsonby.—We thank you for your appreciative remarks about our garden page and are at all times willing to help in any way possible. We have written to you privately re your enquiry and trust the matter is satisfactory.