THE GARDEN

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16227, 24 March 1917, Page 3

THE GARDEN

.NOTES AMi QUERIES. ] .[The intention- of these contributions [lis to "neip. ana - Jpin South aaa fao so most userufly Dy Jjtidns. Questions sllbuid be as Brier as lucid as possible ,aiul be sent f addresea to"''Bo;meurEure. c/oTfimaru [Herald".," uy noon oi Wednesday each , ween. J !._ ' - So long as -Rre grow shrubs' and trees from, every temperate region of the earth, tlie pruning of same will from time to time be neqesary, to counteract thes local inliuejices that produce irregularities in hab'it. Study it, it is interesting. ' A few trees. and shrubs for seaside positions are—Prunus, Pyrus, Labur|num, Cerasus, Quercus (varieties), Picea, _Auracaria,. Cupressus, Olearia Hastii, Aeuba, Arbutus, Taxus, Andiromeda Syringa,- Viburnum Opulus, Cornus, Philadelphus, Ipiraea, Buddlea. These all do well in Timaru near f the. sea front.. !' Anyone'has a fine opportunity who ;has a natural pond. By all means 'plant all varieties.of■-. willows, alders, i American oaks, aeers, weeping ash, hazel, and in-vaiiety, pampas and even bamboos., The-local nursery- . men can supply, in the main. I Autumn is undoubtedly the best . I time to ' sow lawns in this district. j Clean your, ground thoroughly during 'the hot dry weather. Salsify.can be grown successfully in Timaru. -Sow on drills thinly. * lu ■ j i-equires a 'rich, free soil which was manured the previous season. Sow in October and November. Water well in dry weather.. "When about 3 inches high tHn out to. 8 inches apart. In April and May the roots may be taken up and stored for winter use. The stalks are sometimes used, dressed: as asparagus. Cut when four or five } inches long. j Club' root.—Pull up the affected cafcibage, etc., and burn them. To prevent this destructive disease apply lime to the ground- intended for cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli planting. It is ah effective preventative if _used constantly. The use of artificial manure'containing acids, phosphates, etc., favours the spread of the disease. Vines under Glass.—Say the greenhouse is IS feet wide. The vine border should be 3ft deep and ultimately the width of the house. Drainage is the great esential. A good plan is to use jtwo or three grades, i.e., rough, medium, and so on. Brickbats, sandstone, and the like are good, but whatever is used must be clean and durable. Place the first rough layer in by hand. -A rich soil is necessary, turfy and fibrous. If soil procurable is on the poor side, fortify by adding wood ashes, road sweepings, and a good covering o5 bones. If the soil is ' too heavy add lime. A good compost is: Turves chopped into rough-sized pieces, add a percentage of charcoai. or wooa asiies, andHSurnt soflTTluie rub- ' ble, 1 cwt Vincb. bones, and th'e same quantity of "bone manure, say to each ton of' soil. Thoroughly mis and leave in "heap for" lonie Says. Avoid too much rain on the heap. Spring is preferable lor planting, tnough some people plant iu. the autumn. Open a 1 lioie to allow roots being spread outward from stem; see that the roots are washed before planting, and carefully spread out in the hole; avoid planting too deep. This is a very common mistake aud the cause of lots of failures. If you intend growing on one stem and .adopting "spur pruning," plant sft ij apart; if two rods are intended, 10ft is not too wide. It is a good plan jj in making your border to prepare about | three or four feet width each season. :If you divide the border equally, say 9 feet inside house and 9 feet outside, then work it 4 feet each season, taking three or four seasons to complete the whole. The advantage of this is to annually provide a compost for the roots to feed upon.