GARDEN NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1932, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

THE WEEK’S WORK. THE FLOWER GARDEN. A late planting of- dahlias can-be made. Dahlia .cuttings, root readily ,now. and will: produce good autumn flowers. Plant criosias, salvias, zinnias. Stake tali ' herbacepus plants. r Mulch the beds arid borders. Pick off the seed pods pt azaleas: and rhododendrons. < . Those who.purpose. to save gladiolus seed should.select the 'blooms at once. Any hybridising should be done now or as soon as flowers are ready. Keep a record of all cross fertilisation. The Holiday season demands a clean-up of the garden, so that a slackening off of work can be allowed for. If the garden is to be left for a period, mulch all plants that are likely to suffer. Dahlias, gladioli, perennial phlox, delphinium, roses, paeonies benefit by mulching. / ' Hoe between the rows of violets. Disbud carnations to get large- blooms. When dahlias are a foot high, cut out. the tops; this will induce three or four growths from near the base. Herbaceous phlox should .be mulched. Watering is also necessary if weather is dry. ' ■ • < THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.Make frequent sowings of beans. A sowing of dwarf peas can-be made; deeply worked soil is necessary for . success at this time of the year. Plant Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, savoys. • - ■ /./'//v/'; •. Sow lettuce and-radish for succession. Well manured soil, plenty of moisture and half shaded position is best at this .season. ‘ } ; Make a sowing of swedes,, also ,kohl rabi. . Transplant celery, shade for a. few days.- - after planting. /. / Disbud tomatoes, tie to supports, spray regularly. . A sowing of tomatoes made now will ’ / give a late crop. t

/■ PERGOLAS. are not often seen In our gar Hong, unless .the rustic or wire arch with rfinibing roses over the front gate, or midway between the gate and- the front steps, can be termed such. A pergola is a path or walk with climbing plants on each side, and trained on supports, so as, to cover the path, and turn it into a ’shady walk. . Pergolas are hardly suitable . for small gardens, as they need to be of a sufficient length to be effective. Where there is room, however, a well-kept pergola, when the plants are in flower, is a gorgeous sight, especially if care is taken with the selection of plants which are to cover it We have, at the present time a large selection'offoses of vigorous growth to choose from, and perhaps no section is better fitted for ‘this purpose than the Wichuriana -section. On the- -other hand, a pergola can be of utility, for it can be planted with pears or apples,, in which case, as soon as the trees on either side meet.at the top, they should be grafted, and in this way be self-supporting. It is advisable .to•• plant the same variety each other; in this way the ■- growth/" and . the ? habit is of the same nature on each side. Roses can be planted at: a . distance of 3ft between the plants, but-, cordon apples and pears should only be 18ih apart The uprights used in. the formation-can be ordinary galvanised piping, set into small concrete blocks at; the .base; and along each side light chains. It wilkbe obvious that very, much different material can be Used in constructing a pergola, but there are a few. important points to remember in‘ <! its construction, and these are: The svpgprts. should be strong and firmly set,- for when'covered with plants the fereat power, and if the support isUot /yery, firm it is soon put out of shape,, would spoil-the .whole effecL is used, it shotild be of a gooji-fdurable kind, and treated with creosot&rj-otherwise, before the plants have covered the arch the posts will have rotted jin#’ the work will have to be done all over again. Timber is not so good as iron for this reason, and also . for the fact that it is liable to form a harbour-for insects. HERBACEOUS calceolarias. It is now time to sow seed of herbaceous calceolarias to bloom next summer. 'They require a little care in the early stages on account of the tiny character of the seeds and the seedlings. They are “miffy” and rather difficult to grow, but do not require heat; indeed, they must be grown , cool all the time, so long as frost is just excluded.' Sift some loam and leaf mould finely, adding sand and using all three in equal proportions. A pot or pan will hold a large batch of plants, even when thinly sown, as they should be. Whatever is used, it should be clean and well drained, and the compost pressed firmly into it. Stand the pots half their depth in water and leave it there till the moisture rises to the top. When pots have drained the seeds should be sown thinly and equally all over the surface. No soil is necessary to cover the seeds. ..Place a pan of glass over the top to retain moisture and stand the pot in a greenhouse or frame, where it will get plenty of light, but no direct sunshine. Remove the glass as soon as the seedlings appear, and, when fit to handle, transplant them Into boxes of sandy soil. The plants must have cool conditions and be shaded the whole time. ONION MILDEW. This fungus, named Peronospora scheideni, is present in more or less quantity wherever onions are grown. The first indication of the disease is the presence of small white patches of mildew on the leaves, which change in a day or two to a greyish-lilac colour and have a velvety appearance. The side of the leaves opposite to the patch of mildew changes to a. sickly yellow colour. The; disease spreads very rapidly if atmospheric conditions are favourable. A few days after the attack the leaves drop and die. The bulbs are not attacked, but if the disease appears early and the foliage is destroyed, the growth of the crops is checked and the bulbs puffer. Onions grown on land that has previously carried a crop which was attacked is almost sure to suffer, and in these cases the disease will appear almost simultaneously over the crop. If the disease should only appear in one or two places, the plants should be pulled and burnt, and the surrounding onions •well, sprayed with a fungicide such as Bordeaux , mixture, or lime sulphur. Ground which has carried a crop which was diseased should not be planted with ©nions for several years. the CABBAGGE ROOT FLY. Cabbages and similar plants, such as broccoli and other members of'the cabbage tribe, are very liable to be attacked X* and destroyed by the maggot of the cabbage root fly. When plants are attacked the roots ahd lower end of the stem are damaged and destroyed. The fly lays its eg gffTflgse’'to-the- plant-fin- the cracks of the soil) just’below the surface. The

eggs hatch, and the maggots gnaw their way into-the root.

Plants may be protected from attack by fixing around the stem a small disc of tarred felt, which acts as a barrier, and prevents the fly from laying its eggs too near the plant, and as a consequence, the legless maggots, when they hatch out, are not able to reach the plant. It- is important that the tarred. discs . should be placed in position when the seedlings are pricked out, and in any case before the flies are first on the wing. The timely application of the tarred discs is all-important, for if the eggs arg laid very near the plants before the dies are placed in position, the discs do not .prevent the maggots from reaching and damaging the plants. The discs are a preventive, not a cure. The discs should be flush -with the surface of the soil.’

BEANS. There is no vegetable which is so useful for sowing during summer than the dwarf bean. They should, however, be sown frequently, because during the‘hot weather the : pods- soon get stringy. A few seeds -sown every week is .much better than a large sowing once a month.. The soil for the beans should be well worked, and a good sprinkling of super given before the seed is sown. If the ground is very dry, watering! the soil , before, sowing' the seeds' is ah advantage,, but usually better results are obtained by. sowing without the watering. Place the seeds about 4in apart, and the : rows Tsin. When the -beans are through, the soil should be occasionally worked alongside the rows. Pick the podsas. soon 1 as .large enough for use;-better to use them when small enough, so that they, can be . cooked whole, than to let them get stringy and useless. . . BEET. , .Beet is :a vegetable which should be very extensively grown. Sowings can be made at almost any time throughout, the spring* and summer. One thing about beet it transplants readily; and seldom, fails. More, often than not/.beet is . allowed to get too old-before using." Young,' quickly, grown roots »e/much preferable to the large roots, Which are often seen. An occasional dose of salt is one of the best manures for beet.. It can either-be scattered along the row or a couple of ounces dissolved - in -water and applied as a liquid manure. PROTECTING CELERY FROM SLUGS. Mix together in equal parts a quantity of soot and lime, and give a good dressing, shaking it well into the hearts in the early morning, while the celery is moist. Should rain follow before earthing can be done, a second dressing may be given without fear of injury to the plants. Earthing up should be done as soon as the plants are dry. TO KEEP “FLY” OFF TURNIPS. As soon as the turnips appear above ground, get some short grass/that has been cut off your lawn the day before, and shake it around and through the young turnips, but- do not-- smother them. Repeat this sprinkling of grass every third day for a couple of weeks, as it brings the turnips on quickly and checks the beetles. A dusting of naphthalene with an old pepper canister, with specially enlarged holes, will kill the “flea.” but this must be-used, sparingly on young seedlings. WHEN POT PLANTS ARE DRY. If you wish to know whether a . pot plant is dry, tap the pot with the knuckles, or if there is a number to be gone over, an old nut. fixed on-to-tfee end of a light stick" will, make a'good pot rapper. A hollow,, bell-like sound indicates a want of Water, while a. > dull, leaden thud indicates a wet,.sodden; soil. This method is much " more reliable- than feeling the top surface with the fingers, which may not be a , true indication of what . the. lower soil <is like../ ■ LIMA BEANS.' This is the best time to sow Lima beans. These require a ■Very warm position and a rich, well-drained* soil. Sow the. seeds about 6in apart-. - There are dwarf and climbing varieties; the climbing sorts need tall. supports similar to the scarlet runner. Although it is possible to grow the dwarf varieties without supports, there is no doubt -it is-an advantage to put a few sticks round the plants to hold them up. TOMATO WILT OR SLEEPY DISEASE. According to observation and experiment at the Chestnut Experimental and Research Station, Herts, the loss through the disease amounts to anything from £lO,OOO to £15,000 a year .in the Lee Valley alone. To-day, as a resillt of the improved methods adopted by progressive growers, particularly in regard to soil sterilisation, the disease is much less prevalent. The enemy is a fungus parasite, and may either cause the plant to become limp and to wilt until it withers from the base upwards " and eventually dies, or to have a slower effect upon it by which.the leaves become covered with yellow blotches, and the plant dries up. The best means to be taken to control the disease as soon as it is by pulling up and destroying the plant. This is really only a temporary expedient, however, and no known measures are really curative. Sterilisation of the soil, either by steam, or some chemical fungicide during the winter, is the step which will go to the cause of the trouble. The * disease is caused by. a fungus (Fusarium Lycopersici) that flourishes in the soil and enters the plant by the root, as a rule, by that part known as the radical. "It grows by its mycelium, popularly known as “spawn,” within the stem of the plant. The disease can always be identified by a brownish ring just within the bark at. the base of the stem when this is cut. through. There is no remedy when the fungus once becomes firmly established. All diseased plants, therefore, should be uprooted and burnt. The soil in which the plants grew should. be mixed with, a liberal allowance of nanthalene, two ounces per square yard, spread it evenly over the surface and after lying there 24 hours mix well with the soil. NEW ZEALAND SPINACH. New Zealand sninach is one of the best vegetables produced in the vegetable garden. It resembles mesembryanthemum at a distance, and its thick, succulent leaves and tender stems make a most , acceptable dish. It is well adapted for resisting drought, but will yield a. better crop of leaves if well watered in the summer. One of the plants will easily cover a square yard of ground, and it will live for years in the poorest soil if given a little moisture. . Few plants are more profitable, and it is a wonder it is not more generally grown, being quite equal to the best spinach. HOLLYHOCKS. Some people are disappointed in their .experience with hollyhocks, and mainly because they regard them in the light of permanent herbaceous subjects, . instead of from the point of view of biennials. • To grow hollyhocks to- perfection _ one ’ should clearly understand that they are

gross -ieedters and need a "soil well; enriched with manure; but it must be said then even when this has been attended to that few plants take it put of the soil more than these. There is another reason why young plants are to be preferred to old, and that is the old plants are more subject to attacks -of disease, or rust, as it is called, /than seedlings or young plants. There, is ho real cure for this, but young plants that are sprayed with a fungicide will usually carry , safely through until after , the flowering season, when those that .are showing signs of being severely attacked by the disease should be rooted out and burned. Seed should be sown during the next few weeks. The seed can be sown in drills in the open; the seeds are a fair size and they should be planted singly, allowing about two inches between them. When the seedlings are large enough to handle they must be transplanted into a bed of good soil; allow them at least six inches from plant to plant and a foot between the rows. If treated well as regards hoeing and watering" they should make good plants for planting out about April into their permanent positions. ’ . EVERY GARDEN MEANS A HOME. Nowhere does beauty wait so eagerly to reveal itself and so eagerly to instruct and educate as in a. garden. Here anyone who seeks may find, whether the scene of their efforts covers a mountain and a valley in extent, or is confined to the little square of a town backyard. Moreover, each one who has found has something to offer all the rest, regardless of their field of search; for the beauty that lies in any garden always has something to suggest to another gardener. It is high time that we change our point of view about gardening and consider it from what it will do for us, instead of what we may or must do for it. For embraced as an opportunity to create 1 a beautiful thing, apart from the natural beauty of flowers and shrubs which go to make up its adornment, .a. garden becomes altogether different in its effect upon its friends from the rather grim utilitarian plot which the word signifies to too many of us. There are indeed no limits to the possibilities of a garden, even though its actual area is limited. For even as a miniature painted by a master captures as much of beauty arid true heart as the broadest canvas, so is it possible to embody in a scrap of backyard supreme loveliness. Gardening indeed is every man’s medium; let every man: employ himself; and if the /.times are out of joint for him, then let him acquire a garden and turn himself loose in it. ‘ 7*