Amateur Gardener.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 85, 16 May 1914, Page 5

Amateur Gardener.

(By AOTEA.) PREPARING FOR SPRING SOWING. - It is at this .season of the year that the foundation is laid, for "what will lie 'the superstructure of crops, whether of vegetables, fruit or flowers for the coming seasons Ground should now be prepared for spring onion sowing. If good crops are wanted the preparation must be gootl too. If-not already done .'the ground should be "dug two spades deep, incorporating plenty of well rotted manure with the soil as it is turned over. Q'r.ound should also be prepared, choosing a AVarm position, for a sowing of early peas and broad beans which may be- made about the end of the month. A very good plan for those who like to have green peas carfy, is to sow some seed of a dwarf early variety in boxes, about the end of the month, placing the .seed about -an inch apart, planting out into prepared' ground in August. If carefully done they transplant readily, and will soon grow away having escaped the slugs and the winter's damp and frosts. ■'• ~.-." Do not. in any way force the plants :,a,long. After the,,sped is. sown place in a house Avithoutuheat, or in a cold •frame, close-to .the glass, and attend to '.-them with a sufficiency of water —not 'to.o, much-—and vcnti!nilcm.' v until they art! fit for planting out. ' Train up a,"plant from the.firsi, the ,;T,-ay:it.shoultl*rgo / If a. plant gels leggy and (Irawu iwhefi, yjoung it will largely retain that-character all through. Ail legutninousVplants, of. winch-the garden ;pe,a, is one; are said to be quite; iiidepcn-'xlt'-rit' of nitrogen, in the soil, as a bacterial agent.rtjiat makes and lives in. the nodules that, are found on their Proofs nutnitf aetures ithis necessary,.commodity for them, from the atmosphere, possibly as rent for nodule accommodation, and some other few trifles. But in winter and spring when the ground is cold, this manufactory is not hrworking or-

.tier. Therefore, as nitrogen is necessary for a thriving plant, a sufficiency must be in the soil, or supplied by manures containing that ingredient. Stable manure that has not had the ammonia driven out through overheating, or leached out by rain will do excellently. PRUNING. Apples, pears, plums and cherries, bear their fruit on much the same plan, that is, chiefly on spurs, and their pruning is of a very similar character. Young trees for about the first five years require pruning so as to form a strong and open frame, so that when the tree bears a heavy crop of fruit it will be strong enough to support it. Young trees, if planted in rich, moist ground, often make very strong, sappy growth. Where this occurs I do not advocate early pruning. It is better to leave the pruning until the beginning of ■ August, when the wood and pith has got harder. The wounds will heal quicker when the sap is rising and the buds start stronger. With older trees and more moderate growth, the wood is riper and harder, with less pith, and pruning may be carried on during suitable''weather at any time during the winter. The general rules for pruning are to cut out all cross branches, shortening laterals to two or three buds, and the leading branches about a third of their length. But there are exceptions, as Irish Peach, which fruits at the points of young lateral fruiting spurs, which should not be cut back. The Morello cherry fruits almost entirely on the young wood of the preceding season, and some of the sweet cherries also, as Heine Hortense, have long fruiting wood which, if shortened back, will fill the tree with dead stubs and lessen the crop considerably. With varieties having this habit.} stopping the .shoots in the summer is an excellent practice, but, speaking generally, good pruning in winter is quite sufficient in keeping fruit trees in good fruiting habit. SOME CLIMBING PLANTS. Passing oyer roses, and what may be called the florist's clematis, there arestill a goodly number of plants of considerable merit for training up a wall, or over an arch or pergola," or even rambling oyer tree,s.

Wistaria chinensis is well known. In spring time its purple blossoms are very noticeable in many gardens. The white variety, called alba, besides being white, has? a distinct advantage over the type, in that it is sweetly fragrant. It is equally free in growth and flowering. When planting these strong growing permanent climbers, especially if they are wanted to cover a large space, good provision should be made by deep digging and manuring the site, so that they will grow strongly from the start. W. Brachybotrys, as the specific name implies—short-clustered—has not such long racemes as generally obtains in the genus. The flowers are ivory white and slightly scented. It is of strong, free growth, ami a very desirable plant. W. Multijuga has extremely long racemes of pale purple flowers, often over two feet long. It is a very striking plant ,when trained so that the racemes can hang down freely. There is also a white variety, but I think this type is the most handsome.

Clematis montana is deciduous white flowered, and very vigorous, covering a large space quickly. The flowers are very similar in appearance to a white anemone. There is a red variety called rubens; it is not at all common yet, but should be looked out for when obtainable.

Vitis henryi belongs to the ampelopsis section of the genus vitis. It is rather a new' introduction from China. The leaves are dark velvety-green, with white veins and mid-rib, changing to crimson and white in the autumn. It is of fast growth, clinging firmly to supports, and is of distinct appearance. V. vinifera purpurea —the claret vine—the common name does not refer to its value for wine making, but to the intense claret-purple colour of the foliage at the autumn season. The colour is very rich, especially when trained over an arch or pergola, so that the sun shines through the leaves. It grows readily from cuttings, and soon makes a large, plant, when generously treated. To the merits of V. coignetiae and V. thunbergii I have drawn attention in a previous note. LEESTON CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW. The Leeston Chrysanthemum Society, held their annual show on Wednesday. Though the number of exhibits was con-

siderably less than was staged at their last year's show, the quality was very good!! The two chief competitors in the large bloom classes were Mr Purser, of Leeston, and Mr J. B. Brown, of Brookside. Mr Purser is well known among'chrysanthemum growers for his ability in annexing prizes with splendid blooms at the Christchurch shows of a few vears back. His stand of sixJapanese, one variety, were magnificent blooms of Mrs Gilbert Drabble. If these flowers had had five or six days longer to develop they would have run the six William Turners that were the cvnosure of all eyes at the late Christchurch show very' hard for pride of place. They showed, too, that though Mr Purser has not been growing chrysanthemums for several years now, his'hand has not lost its cunning. This exhibit also won the cup presented by the Hon. E. Heaton Rhodes. Mr Purser also took the second prize in this class with six William Turners that were only a few points behind, Mr Brown being third with six fine Lady Talbots that were just a few days past their best. The premier blooms were: —Incurved Japanese, William Turner, Mr Purser; Japanese, Lady Talbot, Mr J. B. Brown; Incurved, Clara Wells, Mr J. B. Brown.

Other varieties worthy of note were: —Melinda Borrett, Pockett 's Crimson, Hon Mrs Lopes, and Mdme. Rivol. There were some very fair exhibits of single varieties. The prize for the table decoration was gained by Mrs Boag, with a very pleasing design of white chrysanthemums and ferns relieved with berried sprays of the spindle tree —Enonymus europeaus.

Decorative exhibits, "baskets and vases, were generally well set up and good chrysanthemum growers should make a note of the variety Mrs Gilbert Drabble, as it promises to be the coming white champion. It does not come so readily from any bud as William Turner. *lt is also a little more difficult to get good, as it takes longer to develop, but as this is only its second year since introduction to the Dominion, the treatment so far has been mostly experimental. -

An exhibit of chrysanthemum sprays and autumn foliage was sent by the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes. The hall was tastefully arranged, and the exhibits well set up, reflecting credit on the secretary and steward.