THE HOME GARDEN

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3783, 17 July 1936, Page 10

THE HOME GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. . I.’ . • • I Prune roses now. Shrubs which flower in spring should be planted at the first opportu nity. Sow seed of hardy annuals and perennials. '* Plant all herbaceous subjects and divide old clumps. Roses should be planted out at the first opportunity. Plant water lilies this month and divide those Whichhave outgrown their quartets. Lift and replant Japanese irises. AH deciduous frees and shrubs can be safely planted now. Plant out polyanthuses, cinerarias, Iceland poppies, hemesias, stocks, antirrhinums, pansies, violas and anemones. ■" THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Sow broad beans, onions, peas. Dig all vacant plots and leave them exposed to the sweetening action of frosts. " ! Make another sowing of onions for pulling as greens in early summer. Plant out cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet, asparagus, rhubarb and garlic. 3 Sow lettuce under glass and transplant when big enough to handle.Root cuttings of gooseberries and black currants by inserting them in moist soil mixed with sharp sand. Plant fruit trees and prune. Stone fruits come into bearing earlier than pip fruits and therefore need earlier attention. Weed all seedling crops and keep thinning them’wit as growth increases, ' ; - TIMELY TOPICS. WORK FOiFtHHAVEEK-END. Spread animal manure over those - sections of the garden that are not likely to be worked for some little time... It will aid in maintaining the fertility of the soil. Apply liquid fertiliser only to plants that are making rapid and vigorous growth. By giving such a stimutent to a weak plant you may cause it to droop and die. A good fertiliser for potted bulbs is made by ftgU .teaspoonful of ammonia to two gallons of water. It also helps to keep the earth from becoming sour. ■ House plants,,’tq healthy, must have a good circulation of air and the . leaves kept free from dust and soot, sq they can breathe in a sufficient supply of air for their needs. Take a look at the outdoor beds of hyacinths and other spring blooming bulbs. If the earth shows signs of undue heaving and cracks, due to alternate freezing and thawing, it will be wise to spread a .thin coat of litter over the surface of the bed after the ground has frozen. Remove gradually as weather improves.

WORK IN JULY. PUSH ON WITH DIGGING. Every month brings its tasks and its opportunities, and July no less than other months. There may be legitimate reasons for delay, but when the conditions are satisfactory there should be no shirking of the immediate work that calls for completion. There should be little of the autumn work outstanding, for seldom has there been a more kindly season for planting, and those gardeners who took advantage of the good weather in March and April will find themselves well ahead with their routine duties. But where, for some reason or other, arrears pf work have accumulated, these should receive first consideration, so that the tasks that lie ahead can be completed according to calendar if the conditions are suitable. All digging and manuring of vacant ground, for example, should be pushed ahead with, so that as great a surface of soil as possible is left exposed to the sweetening influence of frost and rain. If the soil is in a fit state for planting, the weather suitable and the work done carefully, such things as fruit trees, leaf losing shrubs and roses will come to no harm by being planted this month, although it is not exactly the best time for carrying out the work.

Any alterations in the arrangement of beds and borders that were contemplated should be put in hand without delay, and paths, especially of the gravel variety, should receive attention, while turfing can be done if the ground is not frost bound. The chief duty of every gardener i his month is the consulting of the new season’s seed catalogues that have been arriving during the past week or two. It is always better to make out a list of your requirements promptly, and send the order early to ensure that you receive the heeds in time for sowing at the correct daU. PLANT FRUIT TREES. IN YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN. "... In every nursery in the country thousands of young fruit trees are standing in the rows where the expert placed them, ready with limb and leaf to begin life wherever a place can be found for them. Every young tree is capable of doing good work for someone. For the present they just stand and wait. Too many of the splendid and vigorous company stand a chance of being cast on the fire pile. The end of the tree planting season is tn sight. Most of the fruit trees that are not sold before the planting season ends are dug up and thrown away. Last year thousands of young stone fruit trees missed the chance of doing good service for someone, and were burned to make room for the new crop which lias to be worked up in readiness for the following season's sale.

Thousands of amateur workers can fnd room for an early peach or an early plum tree, which within four years would be carrying something

worth placing -upon the home table. The cost of the trees is hardly worth mentioning. By this time next year every holder who makes good use of his opportunities will be richer by having done the right thing. Food and fruit can and should be grown on every home holding where there is room to place a few trees. Old and worn stock should be cut out for firewood, and young, early varieties suitable for our own districts planted in their place. PAEONIES. PREPARING FOR THEM. Paeonies are hearty feeders, and they also like to be left in the same position undisturbed for many years. This means that the initial preparation must be generous and thorough. The site must be mock trenched two spits deep, and half rotted farmyard manure should be freely dug into both spits. The manuring must be really generous—a layer of sin is not a bit too much —in fact, this measure should be looked upon as the minimum. Where it is intended to mass the plants in a bed or border by themselves, mock trench the whole site. On the other hand, if you are going to plant the paeonies as sincle specimens in the herbaceous border, allow a circle a full 3ft in diameter for each plant. VEGETABLE NOTES. WHAT TO DO NOW. Broad beans should be planted before the end of July. This is a matter of ordinary routine, and provides the early crop. In all mild places lettuces may be planted all the ' year round, during the winter months selecting the warmest position for them and usually planting on raised beds. Endive, being hardier than the lettuce, often gives better results. Winter rhubarb may still be planted. Though, of course, the produce cannot be great, this coming winter, it is worth while to plant, as stalks can be taken as soon as they grow, in which respect the plant differs materially from the summer variety. Except in places where the winters are severe, it is not now necessary to force rhubarb for winter use. The winter variety is now freely coming into the market. Seakale may be forced at any time from now until the plants start growing in spring.