Gardening Notes

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7101, 31 August 1949, Page 10

Gardening Notes

WORK FOR THE WEEK Flower Garden Visitors remark on the beauty of certain early flowering trees, and they have plenty of cause for their favourable comments. Two of' these trees certainly live up to their reputation. Flowering on bare branches before winter’s storms have quite departed, the two beauties concerned are the single-flowered floweringalmond, Amygdalus pollardi, and the smaller double pink plum, Prunus I nose ri. These and handsome garden beautifiers can be planted now, and should in a couple of years be making quits an effective show. There are others to prolong the season, for the flowering apples and cherties will furnish an equally charming dispiay into October, and as display subjects for the front, garden few specimens are more satisfactory. All kinds of ornamental shrubs can be planted, with plenty of choice for the planter. Azalea mollis and indica, boronias, ericas, kalmia, and clethra are excellent dwarf growers, and for the shrubbery such favourites as magnolia, Rhus cotinus (smoke bush), scented verbena, Beaufortia sparsa, Telopea orcades (Waratah), Embothrium coccineum, ceratosigma, and some of the newer ceanothus and flowering brooms. These are only seme of the choicer things worth including in any garden scheme. Attention should be given to herbacicus perennials, the class indispensable not only to garden display but for the production of cut flowers for the house. Think of the display made by these perennials. Delphiniums, kniphofia or red hot poker, chrysanthemums, peonies, dahlias, pyrethrums, rudbeckia, helenium, phlox, poppies, campanulas, arums, Michaelmas daisy, scabious, and many ethers. Most of these can now be divided, and where old clumps have been built up, such division is advisable. They can be divided by the spade or sharp knife. When filling in spaces, give a thought to the inclusion of distinctive conifers, especially the ornamental section which grow from six to 15 feet in height. They are excellent as a foil in the shrubbery or planting out in the lawn.

Gladioli can be planted- With so much likelihood of mould disease about after winter, any corms badly spotted should be soaked in an aretan liquid before planting. Gladioli will furnish blooms throughout the summer if planted in batches a month apart, so there is no need to get all in right away. Carnation layers can also be planted and old plants cleaned up by removing old stems and lower matted leaves. Fewer growths and better flowers should be the motto. It will be noticed that small birds are now playing havoc with primrose flowers and the young tip shoots of carnations. While spraying these with lime sulphur is a repellant, the. most effective shield is a few small sticks around the plants festooned with black thread or very thin wire.

Prepare ground for sweet pea sowing. While they must have plenty of deep cultivation, it is possible to give too much farm manure. Tlore see that such is well distributed throughout the digging. On the other hand, compost should be put near the surface.

The lawn will soon need regular attention. If top-dressing is needed to fill hollows or form a medium to convey a much-needed many rial dressing, now is a good time to do it. Such soil should be screened for stones or lumps, and to each barrowful of prepared soil add 4 or 51b of superphosphate or bone manure. Broad-leaved weeds can be eradicated later, and a poison liquid used to control next summer’s crop of grass grub. Both of these are best treated in hot weather.

suitable include Epicure, Arran Pilot, Jersey Bennes, Early Rose, Robin Adair, and Arran Banner. With these, as when sowing small seed, a little superphosphate mixed under the row or in the hole for the tuber will prove useful.

Shallots are another crop worth planting, for while 'the ripened Crop is an excellent pickle medium, the tops are useful in the summer. the same can be said for sage, thyme, mint, and other herbs which can now be planted. The asparagus bed may be renovated by stirring- the surface soil to break up a possible crugt. Suitable surface manure to apply would include fish manure at 2oz a yard, and salt at even a higher rate. Any form of cheap coarse salt is New asparagus beds can be planted. The site should be deeply, dug and heavily manured with sheep or cow manure. Plants are put in at about 18 inches apart, and not more than three rows abteast, or the bed will be difficult to work or keep clean. Onion plants can be put out and do surprisingly w,ell. The roots should be placed just under the surface. If buried too deep the bulbs are likely to develop thick necks. Also plant lettuce’and early cabbage, and if wise, sow a patch of both for successional plants. Fruit Garden Once the necessary pruning and spraying of fruit trees have been completed, make a good job of things by forking over the ground under the trees. If at all possible add a spread of good manure or compost. Finish pruning fruit trees and carry on with spraying. Both these important jobs should be hastened. Red oil can still be applied to apple trees at the full winter strength in 1 in 10, but on loganberries, gooseberry and currants should be weakened to 1 in 20. This latter strength will be in order for all stone fruit trees up to the appearance of blossom. It should then be discontinued until after blossom fall, spraying can be continued.

Planting of all kinds of fruit trees can be made. Preparations will include deep digging of the holes with attention to drainage by burying brick rubbish, if available. In wet positions it would be wise to plant on slight elevations with the idea of building upto these at a future time. Make a point of spraying the walnut trees with lime Sulphur or Bordeaux for the control of the serious mildew disease.

Vegetable Garden

It will be as well now to lift the remains of root crops—carrots, parsnip and beet. If left longer they will start rooting again, and besides, the ground should get dug over for following spring work. All indications point to an early season, and one feeis safe in recommending sowing of most vegetables—early peas for instance. Choose a good dwarf variety such as English Wonder, Blue Bantam, Kelvedon or Massey. These all grow about 18 inches, which means they should be staked when large enough. Onions, Spanish and Pukekohe types, carrots, parsnip, red and silver beet should also be. sown, to be followed with turnip, parsley, spinnach, radish and lettuce. Lettuce and cabbage plants will prove very profitable. Potatoes can be planted in fairly dry positions, especially if the tubers had been sprouted. Early varieties