THE HOME GARDEN

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4422, 7 May 1941, Page 7

THE HOME GARDEN

WORK~FOR MAY. FLOWER GARDEN. Slugs, snails and woodlice "are already looking for cosy corners in which to spend the winter. Therefore remove all refuse, weeds and decaying vegetation which might afford them shelter. Plant all spring-flowering bulbs not already atjgpded to. Sow seed of hardy annuals arid per<ennials. Plant out gaillardias,' delphiniums, sweet williams, aquilegias, geums, pansies and antirrhinums. Rose cuttings usually strike well if attended to now. Plant out carnations. Lift gladioli, as foliage turns yellow. Ix you can obtain fresh lily seed, it should be sown now. Most herbaceous plants can now be lifted, divided and replanted. Roses can be planted soon. Thoroughly prepare the beds. Divide and replant polyanthus and primroses. VEGETABLE GARDEN. Sow cabbage, cauliflower and winter spinach. Plant out leeks, celery, herbs, silver beet and cauliflower. Earth up celery as growth demands. Plant out sturdy strawberry runners in well-prepared and fairly rich . soil.

Give the asparagus bed a dressing of well-decayed manure mixed with a

little salt. Plant out rhubarb, shallots and garlic. Endich established rhubarb beds with old cow manure. Lime all plots that were manured for previous crops. SWEET LAVENDER. PROPAGATE CUTTINGS NOW. To increase the stock of lavender, insert cuttings this month while the soil is warm and moist. These can be obtained from the worn-out bushes. Where the cuttings are intended subsequently to form a hedge, select straight shoots of this’ year’s growth, about one foot long, and remove the foliage from the bottom six inches of stem by pulling it off. Sever the growths with a pair of sharp secateurs or an old razor blade, making the cut just below a joint. Lavender cuttings of this type root easily if inserted with the lower six inches below the soil. Where only a few bushes are needed, they can be dibbled into a piece of well-drained soil in a sunny situation, the holes being made with a blunt dibber. Drop about 1-inch of sand in the bottom of the holes before inserting the cuttings. The base ■of each shoot should be pressed into the sand. Deep planting is essential, for it is from the dormant buds that the roots form, and later basal growfhs will spring.

When a large number of plants are required and their shape is of no importance, almost any portion of an

old bush can be pulled off with a “heel” to form a cutting. Cuttings of this type will make big bushes more rapidly than single shoots.

FREESIA BURTONI. This is a distinct improvement on the type (F. refracta alba). The flowers are bigger and the marking is much less marked. It does show variation, some bulbs producing almost pure white flowers. It can only be increased by bulb offsets as it is a mule, i.e., it does not set seed. VIRGINIA CREEPER. INTENSIFY AUTUMN TINTS. Ampelopsis (or to give it is new name Vitis) Veitchii, the Virginia creeper, holds a pre-eminent position for the beauty of its autumn tints. These are now being revealed on many a wall and fence. If you wish to intensify the colours —to make them glow like fire—all you have to do is to water in a good dressing of weathered soot. Starting at the main stem, blacken the soil Ift away from the wall or fence as far as the branches stretch. Follow with a hoeing and finish up by watering the dressing well down. BEDDING PLANTS. TAKE CUTTINGS NOW. Some bedding plant cuttings take longer to root than others. Some are more liable to damp off, while others need hardening after they are rooted. For these very good reasons it is advisable to form a rota, and work to it. Start now and put in your cuttings, in the following order: Pentstemons, geraniums, heliotrope, verbenas, petunias, violas and pansies. The ideal way is to go round the plants in the order given, stock up with each as far as you can, and then, if you find you are short, have another look round for late cuttings just before dismantling the beds. Use a sharp knife. Don’t take too many cuttings at once, or some of them will shrivel before you can get them in. Cut them off approximately lin longer than the final length. When preparing, find the joint nearest the correct length and cut across the stem immediately beneath the joint. Then remove two or three of the bottom leaves, clearing enough stem to enable you to plant the cuttings and make them firm. If there are flowers or flower buds, remove them, as they would hinder rooting. Finally, dip the cuttings in weak nicotine insecticide.

With the exception of geraniums, which should lie on the bench for an hour to two to evacuate superflous sap, all cuttings must be planted promptly.

ERADICATING CONVOLVULUS. It is not possible to poison the roots of this pest without rendering the soil toxic and destroying the other plants in it. The only safe method is to keep on eradicating each shoot as it appears. No weed can persist if its leaves are not permitted to function. SOIL FOR JAPANESE MAPLE. This shrub is not particular as to soil, and does not object to a small amount of lime. A medium loam, well-drained and sheltered from strong winds, gives best results, though I have seen splendid specimens growing in peaty soil. SHRUBS. Late summer flowering shrubs are few and consequently those that make their effect from now on have special garden value. Erythrinas come within this class of plants. At present they are at their full beauty. Their large, pea-shaped crimson flowers are produced on stalks fully two yards long, and when as many as 10 oi' 12 of these are in bloom they make a most spectacular display. Erythrinas should be given a sheltered position in full sun. Each spring prune them to the ground. They will then develop long, new growths on which will be borne the flowers. 1