THE AMATEUR GARDENER

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 1164, 3 November 1917, Page 3

THE AMATEUR GARDENER

GARDEN CALENDAR. NOVEMBER. Average rainfall, 1.91 in. Under Glass. Tliiu grapes, and ccp the laterals slopped. Sow primula, cineraria, and calceolaria seed. Stop and train cucumbers «ud melons as necessary. Pot on young plants. With the increasing sun power shading may he necessary on greenhouses. Watering and ventilation must be carefully attended to. Outside. All bedding plants may now be planted out. Train and tie climbing plants. Prune out any excess of shoots on fruit trees, and thin out heavy crops. Sow wallflower, intermediate and Lothian stocks, Canterbury bells, anil other biennials for planting out in the autumn. Plaid out tomatoes, vegetable marrows, pumpkins, and hardy cucumbers. Sow lettuce, radish, spinach, peas, and beans. Sow broccoli seed early in the month. FLOWERING TREES. There has been a great wealth of blossom on flowering trees and shrubs during the past month, forming almost a record—if there were any means of computing the profusion and quality of the blossoming of the various members of this great and valuable section of garden plants from season to season. It is only of late years that they have received the attention they deserve, and have been planted more freely and with a more judicious selection. Of course their use in small gardens has to be limited, as many require considerable space for natural development. Still there are many of moderate growth, and a still further number that -are amenable to careful restriction by pruning so as to preserve their value as flowering plants without ciuilc destroying their natural habit. Where space admits, as in large gardens or public gardens and parks, flowering trees and shrubs should be planted with a liberal hand and on quite a different system to what is generally adopted. A good many planters, whether of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, or annuals, like to (Tot them singly here, there, and everywhere about the garden. This is not the best way to bring out their several qualities to the greatest advantage. This can only be obtained by massing. What, for instance, would be the effect of four or five large trees of the double crimson thorn planted in isolated positions in comparison with a similar number of trees olanted so as to form a mass of colour during the flowering season, especially if there was a similar group of laburnums to bring out the contrasting colours? Some may raise the objection that their beauty is onlv of short duration. That is so, but there are so many good plants available for the purpose that will carry on a well-thought-out scheme of bold effect almost throughout the year. The combinations of colour can be used with as good effect as the various tones in music and will give just as much pleasure to the beholder if used with a master-hand, as the music of the masters will give to the hearer. And I think that the beauty of colour will live as long in the memory as the beauty of music.

At the present the most notable of these plants in flower are the Banksian roses, double white and double yellow. Where only one can be given room the yellow should have preference, although the white has a pleasant violetlike perfume while the yellow is scentless. For a warm corner there is no rose to equal Fortune's Yellew, but as it comes into bloom so early, and is a little tender, it must: be planted where frost will not reach it. The rose Anemone is one of the finest of the single varieties, the blooms being very large, like a single anemone, of a rosy carmine colour. It is a hybrid from Rosa sinica, a beautiful single white species that is too tender generally for Canterbury, but should do excellently on the Cashmere hills. Laburnum Adami is one of the most interesting of plants, being a graft hybrid between the common laburnum and the purple broom, as it bears three types of flowers. The flowers of hybrid origin are rosy purple, while branches may develop that will bear the typical laburnum flowers, and others that will bear similar racemes of flowers to that of the purple broom, Cytisus purpureus.

The common laburnum will make a noble trce„when planted with sufficient spare for development. The flowering thorns are extremely bright in their rose, crimson, and

(By "AOTEA.'M

scarlet forms, while Paul's single crimson is Excellent, its habit being more spreading than the double varieties.

Blue is not a common colour amongst trees or shrubs, which adds considerably to the value of Ceanothus dentatus. So-called blue flowers too often are spoilt by having a purple shade in their composition, but this plant is free from this objection. It makes a large shrub quite ten feet high, its chief fault being that the branches arc rather brittle, so that if in a too exposed place it is liable to get broken. The hardy azaleas, forerunners of their close kin the rhododendrons, should be planted freely wherever soil conditions are suitable. They are peat lovers, but will succeed well in a light sandy loam wherever the moisture conditions are suitable.

Pyrus coronaria is the last of "dowering apples" to bloom, and it is a most excellent and distinct small tree. The flowers are the largest in the genus and are borne in pendant bunches of from four to six semidouble, sweet-scented flowers, of a soft rose colour.

Lilac has been a favourite garden plant as far back as modern garden records go, and is not at all likely lo lose that favour, especially as there is now a much extended list of diverse varieties, the period of flowering being also extended thereby. A species, mentioned previously. Syringa giraldii, opens first. Late varieties that are in flower now are: Reaumur (very long spike of large flowers of a plum-lilac colour). Pasteur (bright rosy lilac, very large flowers and spikes) and Vulcan (medium size trusses of reddish plum colour, very free flowering). ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "T.A.S." writes: "Will you kindly advise me through your notes how to deal with silver blight in apricot trees'? I have about 250 of these trees, and quite a considerable number of them seem to be slightly touched with the silver blight. I cut the affected parts off as soon as seen, but there seems a tendency to come back again. The trees in question, which have been planted two years and were two years old when planted, have made very vigorous growth, and look quite healthy apart from the pieces of branches touched with the silver blight."

Silver Blight is caused by a fungus, Stereum purpureum, for the control of which there is no certain cure known. It is said to be caused by the soil being too rich in nitrogen. Remedial measures are to prune off all affected branches. The wounds caused by pruning should tie tarred, as should all large wounds, however caused, as infection is said to be made by spores gaining admittance where wounds occur. All tools used in pruning affected trees should be sterilised by washing in a strong solution of formaldehyde or carbolic acid. Trees that are very badly affected would be better dug up root and branch, and burnt. It is said that the fungus does not fruit, that is produce spores, only on dead wood, so in pruning care should be taken to cut out all dead wood and burn it. It has also been recommended to apply powdered sulphate of iron to the soil round the alTccted tree in the autumn, at the rate of four ounces to the square yard, over a radius of three feet from the stem of die tree. Trials of this remedy are said to have been effective in checking the disease. As you say that the trees are making a vigorous growth, probably the nitrogen content of your soil is too high., and I should be inclined to advise the sowing of an under crop, such as Italian ryegrass. This would steady the growth, and it could be ploughed or dug in dining the winter. If your soil is deficient in lime, it would benefit by a dressing of ground carbonate of lime.

"A.H.T." writes: "Will you please tell me what is the matter with my rhubarb? Last season it was beautiful, with fine long, strong stalks, but being the first year's growth I did not pull any as you advised in your notes. This year it is a great disappointment. The stalks are short and very thin, many not thicker than a lead-pencil. In the winter Pput on a good thick mulch of rotted straw manure. I have pricked off my celery 3in apart and the little plants look splendid. How long do I leave them before putting them into the trenches, which I prepared in September, according to your directions?" It is very bad practice to "put a good thick mulch of rotted straw manure in winter" on the rhubarb bed, as it keeps the ground cold, wet, and sour at a time when the roots are dormant. The proper time to mulch rhubarb is when **■ .'owns start in spring, and then a light dressing of good, strawy manure would be beneficial. No doubt the winter mulch is responsible for the condition of the rhubarb, as many of the roots would probably rot under such conditions. The celery may be planted in the trenches as soon as the plants are strong enough and will lift with a good ball of earth at the roots.

"N.T."—The appearance of the rose shoot sent.in .suggests that it has been destroyed by a had attack of aphis.