THE QUESTION BOX

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 690, 15 June 1929, Page 30

THE QUESTION BOX

Any inquiries by our readers on the subject of gardening will be answered in our “Question Box” 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. THE BUSY MAN’S CORNER WINTER IN THE FLOWER GARDEN The flower garden is always uninteresting in June, when all growth is completely at a standstill. The autumn-planted seedlings are hardly moving, and the few items that flower at this period of the year, such as calendulas, poppies (Iceland), primulas, jonquils, are never sufficient to make the garden gay. We really need more winter flowering plants, so as to be able to carry the brightness of a summer or autumn display right into these cold, dreary days. WEEDING.—Though the flowers are growing slowly, not so the weeds, clovers and winter grass which seem to spring up over night. These must be removed carefully as they appear, taking care that none of the plants set out for spring flowering are disturbed, for if their roots are broken now they will take some time with their sluggish sap to pick up, if they pick up at all.' ICELAND POPPlES.—lceland poppies are one of the best winter workers we have, and should be kept on the move with an occasional application of hurry-up in the form of sulphate of ammonia. This will stimulate growth and leaf and flower formation. Icelands are as popular as ever, and even more so since the new pink and other shades came along. If you haven’t got any planted out buy some plants right away. They will flower right into the summer. PRUNING ROSE TREES.—When heavy rains have fallen it is preferable not to do any pruning till the ground has dried out. Too much moisture softens the wood, and if pruned the rose stem often dies back, and the buds which are expected to make the bush shapely are lost. Late pruning, o f course, will mean later flowers, but that is preferable to the loss of the roses. Moisture during the winter months invariably brings mildew, and a spraying of lime and sulphur should be made when the pruning is finished. SNAILS AND SLUGS.—Snails are not very active at this period of the year, and like their kindred pests slugs go into winter quarters, where they sleep off the effects of their autumn feast on our choicest plants and, perchance, dream of the feast to come in the springtime. Now is the time to collect them. You will find them huddled together in all sorts of sheltered spots, and close search should be made under rails on fences, in crevices in brick or stone work; in fact, anywhere where they can collect in secret, fly an attack on them right away you will find that it is quite easy to lessen very much the numbers that will gather at the spring festal table. THE KITCHEN GARDEN DIG VACANT LAND.—AII vacant soil should be dug over, and if not previously manured manure should be applied at once. There is nothing like keeping vacant land up to the mark for planting as soon as it is needed. Keep all surface of the soil stirred either with the Dutch hoe or the cultivator, so as to break up the “crust” which always forms upon unworked soil. A constant stirring in winter has the advantage of warming up the soil to some extent by allowing the sun to penetrate the surface, and this, of course, results in increased root activity. ALLOW PLENTY OF ROOM BETWEEN PLANTS.—If any seeds are to be sown this month, allow plenty of room for the plants to develop.in. This also applies to seedling plants which are set out. The more ground exposed in the early spring the more rapid the growth of the plants will be. You must never forget that the winter conditions are just the opposite to the summer, for while in summer our object is to keep the ground cool, in winter it is to keep it as warm as possible. In planting or sowing now, study the requirements of the vegetables. Choose a warm, sunny place for those which must be pushed along rapidly. PLANT TREES NOW.—Fruit and shelter trees of every description may be planted at once. Select the varieties that do well in your district and if confined for room, pick out well-known heavy croppers. Leave the fancy kinds alone as you cannot afford to experiment. Dig the ground deeply before setting, using all the rotted vegetation available. BARREN FRUIT TREES.—OId apple and pear trees which have not borne fruit for a number of years should have their main branches sawn off to within a foot of the stem. Later they can be grafted with schoots of a good variety. Ask a professional gardener to do it for you, or to show you how it is done, because a practical demonstration is worth a ton of theory in such cases as this latter. PLANTS AND ROOTS TO SET.—Rhubarb, asparagus and strawberries are important subjects for planting at once. Cabbage, caulittorrer and silver beet seedlings may be set in any available ground. Autumn-sown onions may be transplanted as soon as ready. Set the bulbs of garlic, shallots, tree onions and potato onions. Early potatoes may be laid out to sprout. In frostless districts a sowing of dwarf early peas may be made.