THE HOME GARDEN

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 52, Issue 3750, 1 May 1936, Page 10

THE HOME GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Plant cue all hardy seedlings; inidihg Iceland poppies, stocks, sweet Jliams, larkspur and wallflowers. Lift gladioli as the foliage fades, y off, and store in a cold, dry place. Hasten the planting of spring-flow-ing bulbs. Anemones should be planted at fortghtly intervals to ensure a long sriod of bloom. Remove dead foliage from the arded irises and apply a light dressgof superphosphate. Owing to the st summer, rhizome rot has been irly preTalent. Cut away the deyed porttons back to a clean, surce, and dust the cut with sulphur. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Cut away the stems of asparagus st before the berries ripen. Earth up celery and leeks at freesnt intervals. Plant out cabbage, cauliflower, silr beet, and letture. Sow onions in soil that has been irked to a fine tilth. Thin out all seedling crops and ■ed thoroughly. Slugs are now in idence, and shelter among weeds d rubbish. Prepare soil for the planting of ch small fruits as raspberries, fanberries, black currants and oseberries. These can be planted xt month. Fruit trees require carefully preced soil. Get the working-up done w before the s»il becomes cloggy. KOHL RABI. USEFUL VEGETABLE. Kohl Rabi is a good vegetable to owfor those who like turnips. It cooked with the rind on and peeled fore serving. It is especially use- ! for gardeners whose turnips sufr from turnip fly, because the fly e* net attsfck Kohl Rabf. Seeds e sown in March and the seedlings inned so that the plants are 2ft art in the rorisCHIVES. FOR SCRIPS AND SALADS. For those who like only a mild sugstkra of onion in their soups and lads, chivies pre worth growing, for ey don’t take up much room, and as ig as the clump is kept cut, wheer os; not any are needed, chives n be had throughout the year. HEDGE PLANTS. NEED FEEDING NOW. To maintain a hedge in vigorous ndition, it is necessary to enrich the il occasionally. Most hedge plants ow vigorously and extract large entities of nourishment from the il. Unless the food supply is replenled, the hedge is eventually starved d becomes stunted. A mulch of well-decayed leaf-mould, dl-rotted manure, or rich soil will ovide the required nourishment, lis mulch should be applied in auttm, as it protects the roots, and is ished into the ground by winter in. Before applying it, fork up the il lightly along each side of the dge. , ■■ CABBAGE PLANTS. TRANSPLANT NOW. Cabbage plants should be pricked f into new beds as soon as they are rge enough to-handle. The site of e beds should be in a well-drained sition and be raised above the orary levet Pick put the plants about n to sin apart. Dealing with the ants in this manner provides a oeky plant, and also accelerates eir growth, and that to such a mark- [ degree that when these are finally anted and in good growth those in ie original bed will have been so uch retarded bycrowding each other s to provide plants for a successional sd. ■■ : '• EARLY BULBS. NEED SUPERPHOSPHATE. Since bulb planting time, conditions ive been so'mild that in many disicts early tulips and daffodils are eping through. Although this growth is somewhat ecocious, there is no need to fear p the fate of the display. Bulbs e hardy and, with a little extra re, will eome through splendidly. The first essential is to stimulate t action. Do this by applying a 1 to the square yard dressing of perphosphate of lime. Sprinkle the rtaliser evenly on the surface witht touching the leaves and hoe it in. .peat this treatment at monthly inrttals uirtil early July. Attend regularly to hoeing. Soilkrng retards the progress of bulbs their early stages.

POULTRY MANURE. A VALUABLE FERTILISER. If you are lucky enough to be able to get poultry manure for your gardein, you have a plant food worth about four times as much as farmyard manure. Any poultry or pigeon manure you can get should be carefully stored in boxes or barrels in a dry shed or outhouse, for it is most essential to keep it‘ dry.

It is highly concentrated, so you will not need to apply large dressings. About a pound per square yard pricked in, in early spring, will be a fine stimulant for the herbaceous border. You should not, of course, give poultry manure, or any other strong food, to young seedlings. LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY. PREPARE BEDS NOW. No spring flowers are more welcome or more beloved than lilies-of-the-val-vtey. There is something supremely appealing about the snow-white spikes nestling ampng their rich green foliage. r. If you haven’t a lily-of-the-valley bed in your garden yet, you. would certainly like one and this is the right time to prepare and plant it. In choosing the position avoid one open to cold ground, winds and very bright sun. Both are fatal. Beneath a clump of trees is in all respects an ideal spot lilies are happy there and the situation enables you to enjoy the best of their beauty.

If you haven’t trees, but have a hedge or wall, make a bed on the shady side. Failing these, plant between shrubs, where lilies-of-the-val-ley make a delightful picture. Buy strong planting crowns of the kind known as majaiis which is the cbmmon lily-of-the-valley. 'There are varieties of the old lily, but they are more suitable for forcing than planting out. Dig the ground 2ft deep. Lilies are deep rooters, and unless you afford plunging opportunity the flowers that do open are small. Many of the top bulbs go blind altogether. With each square yard of spit mix half a pailful of a compost of equal parts littery stable manure and leaf-mould, and an ounce of bonemeal. Incorporate a similar quantity of well-rotted stable manure and leafmould with each square yard of top spit, and again an ounce of bonemeal. •Do give the roots a chance to take hold quickly, break up the soil finely, and, after treading fairly firmly, complete the planting preparations by raking the surface even. "

RASPBERRY PLANTS. Raspberry plantations may well be put in order now. There is more than likely same necessity for clearing them of weeds, and ilt is well at the same time to clear the dead canes and surplus suckers. It is useless at this season of the year to hoe weeds. They must be pointed in, or dug in, as their nature requires. After the plantation is made clean, a dressing of farmyard or stable manure should be given. If artificial manure is to be applied, it had better be delayed for a couple of months.