GARDEN NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1932, Page 20 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Cuttings of chrysanthemums can be planted. Clean off the old tops and clear away all weeds from the chrysanthemum stools. Collect all fallen leaves; do not allow them to lie about on the lawn and flower* beds. Fallen leaves when collected can be dug into the ground or stacked in a heap to form leaf-mould. Now is the time to renovate herbaceous borders. Lift the clumps and divide them. Plant three or four pieces to form the new clump, Carefully and legibly mark the positions of bulbs or plants in the. border that die right out of sight. Many a good clump of paeony or lily has been cut to pieces with the spade because the position was not marked. It is advisable to go round the shrubs and trim any that need it. In some cases where a choice variety is getting crowded it is advisable to move one of the shrubs. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs — that is those that produce their flowers on wood made last season. Leave the pruning tiil after flowering is over. Prepare new rose beds. Do not delay putting in your order for some new roses.' THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Look over any onions and other vegetables in store. Remove for immediate -use any that show sign of growth or decay. A sowing of broad beans can be made. Heavy soil and cool districts suit these. ■Prepare ground for sowing peas. A warm, well-drained position is required, and the soil should, be thoroughly broken up. It will be necessary to protect from birds. Prepare ground for planting potatoes. These need a frost-free position and a light, loose soil. I Potato sets should be in boxes. Let them have all the light possible. ►Stand the sets with “rose’.’ end upwards and only one layer in each box. Ground that is being prepared, for peas and potatoes should have a dressing of naphthalene applied. This will help to clean up insects and disease spores. Autumn-sown onions must be ; kept weeded by hand. Also stir the soil alongside the rows. THE ORCHARD. At this time of the year, when outside work is scarce and conditions are not too good for working the soil, the fruit trees should have attention. Often everything that has to do with the fruit trees are in flower and spring work in other directions is pressing. Pruning should be considered first, and in many cases, if the dead wood, including small twigs, and crossed and interlacing branches, are removed, with the centre if the tree thinned to let in the light, very little more in the way of pruning is required. At the present time, in many gardens there are still some leaves on the trees. This will be an advantage in so much as it makes the dead portions more easily seen and shows any overcrowded portions. There is no need to fear any ill-effects from pruning before the last few leaves have fallen. Having done what pruning is required, clean up fallen leaves and fruits and dead wood and any other ■rubbish lying about under the trees. Dig over the soil around the tree, jurying all weeds, and then apply the winter spray. There are many kinds of spray solutions for winter use, and all are good so long as they are used aconr/lin rr /UrGni.inn.CL (Ml r.fm t.A.ID

caustic soda wash is easy to procure and mix, and is very efficient, but must not be used where vegetables are growing under the trees, as it is destructive to any foliage. It is made by dissolving 11b. of caustic soda in 10 gallons of water. This is made more effective if Iolb. of nitrate of soda is added, to the solution. This wash leaves the trees clean and bright, removing all moss and lichens. The nitrate of soda that falls on the soil acts as a manure, so that there is little or no loss if a heavy spraying is given. Needless to say, it should be applied on a still day, and the face and hands should be protected; also, it is advisable to wear old clothes or a sack with a hole in the bottom just large enough to pass over the head, and two holes for the arms, makes a very serviceable spraying attire. THE TIGER LILY. One of the easiest and also the cheapest lilies to cultivate is the old.lilium tigrinum. It is very showy with its orange scarlet flowers, prettily spotted and recurved in the familiar “Turk’s • cap* fashion. It will grow in practically any garden soil, and is not nearly so subject to disease as many other lilies. It is not adverse to a little shade and will grow any flower well in an ordinard border among herbaceous plants. The bulbs should be planted now or as soon as possible. Plant about six inches deep. There are also two varieties, Spjendens and Fortunei, both of which are better than the type. There is also a double flowered form, one of the few double flowered lilies in existence, it is probably more prized for its singularity than its beauty. CUTTINGS OF GOOSEBERRIES. If you have a gooseberry bush that has done exceptionally well and appears to be stronger and more vigorous than its neighbours, it is a good plan to take oil’ some cuttings. Use the current year’s shoots and make the cuttings about eight inches long after having cut off the top inch or so. Take out the lower buds, leaving, three or four at the top. Plant the cuttings so that these top buds are left out of the ground. Firm planting is essential, and after planting the cuttings the soil should be tramped. Allow six inches between the cuttings, and they can remain till next planting season.

SICK TREES. In many of our gardens there are one or two trees and shrubs that are not in good health. Bad drainage, want of water, food or some other cause, has made these trees or shrubs fall into bad health. In such cases, if there is no apparent hope of recovery, these trees should be removed and replaced by some that will give a healthy appearance to the garden. It is a pity to see these dying subjects left in the garden year after year, for they not only look wretched, but afford a good breeding place for many garden pests. ,■ Remove them as soon as possible and fill their places with some good, healthy specimens. CUTTING OFF LARGE BRANCHES. When it is necessary to cut off a large branch of a tree do the work so that little or no damage is done to the tree. In this country little trouble or notice is taken as to how a branch should bo cut, and often the axe is the tool used, with the result that a great gaping wound or a snag is left, which so offends the eye that a, year or two later the tree i& cut down to obliterate |

this memorial to bad workmanship. It is lamentable the little use and beauty the average individual sees in trees outside of firewood and building timber, and the little care that is taken when it is necessary to cut away or trim a large branch in a proper manner. When cutting off a large branch make the saw cut as close to the main stem as possible; the actual cut surface may have a greater area than if cut further away, but the healing process will be quicker and the wound be more quickly covered over. If cut so as to leave a stub of a foot or so, no means possible will cover it up; it will be a generation before it has decayed sufficiently for the j

tree to ’form bark over it. Before the branch is sawn half-way through make a saw cut underneath upwards towar.ds the top saw cut; this will prevent splintering and tearing of the lower hark when the weight of the branch begins to pull it down. After cutting paint over the wound with Stockholm or ordinary gas tar; it keeps out germs of decay and, protecting the surface from the weather, encourages the formation of the new bark. ‘'Enquirer,” Lepperton.-—A good dressing of lime will remove the fungUjs growth.