WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5227, 6 April 1895, Page 1

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

TO GARDENERS.

Kitchen Garden. — The work in thia department is now limited to clearing away, exhausted crops, and trenching, digging and manuring the various plots which, if not required for. winter vegetables, should be left in the roughe&t possible condition or in ridges till requited for spring crop* ping.

Flower Gaudkn,— Any tender bedding plants which it ia desirable to save muefc not be risked out-of-door 3. any longer. The temperature has already touched the freezing point, and the fiiat sharp frosi; may be expected any time after the middle of April. Heliotropes are very tender, and these, with variegated pelargoniums, ehould be got under coyer first. Dahlias are also very susceptible o£ frost, and the first touch ■will blacken tlieln' down to the ground. Some of tlief'' dwarf varieties,- -which are very beautiful just now, may be lifted, and if carefully potted may continue to bloom £ long time undeit glaßs -wuero there is plenty of room. Cannae will stand the winter here in well-drained situations if the crowns are' protected with sand or ashes. The same may be said of the beautiful salvia patens, whose semituberous roots are rarely • injured even where unprotected. Tho eub-ttopical plants, such as castor oils, &c, may be left to their fate, aa there is eeldcin accommodation available for those larpe plants, and their propagation by seed., annually is so simple that noihing is gained by housing them. A iowot the oucculeats used in ornßmental bedding are tender and must ba placed oiib of reach o£ frost. O y f these may ha meutioEed agave dealbata, aloe tricolor and some of tao gaatetias, whose fleahy leaves are soon r frozen.- ,

Greenhouse.?— For early flowering in pota, the Roman Hyacinths are tho mosb useful, bs they may be had in bloom long before the others, and bsing smaller and looser in their spikes, they are more Buitable for cutting or working up in bouquets. They take up little room; eifijht or ten bulbs may be placed in a soven-inch pot. By putting a few at a time in heataconBtunt succession of flow^ra njay be kept üb. Tha noil baafc a/Japted fop tifom ii a rich : light Jpara. Fiji .' %a. ' ysftf very lightly, and $hen pgjj ±/?.e mim iA ait .equal dia*a P.<?s§ &»&#*> "fcis£; Wft Aepih ?<0 bury all fcti£ £H§ fe>P§.- hefr*? 4^ fl S ■«<?? -^ h advisafrte t© SOfMiha §S*Cttco with sharp Band, so that ea.gn MUk m*y carry jejown a portion w»tE &k *& prs? enfc d^ 6 vsy , st the base and' to in^i>n« tbu quick formation of roota. The sjuie remark applies tQ the potting of thekrger kinds, which should be procected in like manner. Tho general way of potting the lnrge hyac'nth in one in a pot, but three will be fon&d icuch the best, especially ;< if , wanted for windows or vwes, aB by flowering them so closely

together a grand show may be made in a small space. For effect the colours should be selected so as to give pink and white or blue and white, and bo on in each pot, or else to have each pot of one colour, when they can bo arranged according totaßte. If potted singly five- inch pots are largo enough, but where three bulbs are planted seven-inch pots will be necessary. The potting Boil should be fairly moist, as all watering should ba avoided till the bulbs are on^ the move. When potted a cold frame is the best place for them, as there they can be protected from rain, and the slower they come on, till the pots are filled with roots, the stronger and finer will the flower spikes- be. The frames should not be kept closed but tilted at the baok, and to prevent the bulb 3 pushing out of the soil p.nd to keep up a uniform Dfcate of moisture ib is necessary to'cover the pota with six inchea of fine ashes or sharp sand. This may remain till the bulbs have made about one inch of growth, ■which will be in about six weeks from the time of potting. They may then be taken out and plunged in a cold frame up near the glaos, whore for the first week they will require to be shaded uatil the leaves have resumed the natural green colour. So treated, the hyacinth can be brought into bloom in any situation protected horn the weather.