THE GARDEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16449, 10 June 1921, Page 6

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK, KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow.—Broad beans, peas, spinach. What to Plant—-Cabbage and cauliflower. The weather conditions could hardly bo more suitable for kitchen garden, worit than they have been lately. The .sunshine has kept the ground warns., and it has been possible to keep the surfaca soil hoed between all garden crops. This will prove of great benefit to the vegetables because the -surface soil has been kept open and free from weeds and insects and their larvae that were near the surface nave been destroyed. Routine work should Lie well forward, and everything that is possible should be in a forward state for next season’s operations. Potatoes in store should be examined. Some are not keeping too well, and the sooner all tubers that show- the slightet signs of disease are separated from those that are sound the better. All

that are sound should be put in one lot, and those showing signs of disease in a handy position for present use. Look over the seed tubers, and remove any that are going wrong. If new seed tubers are to be bought lose no time in securing them. Once obtained each gardener can store them as he pleases. HARDY FRUITS. Pruning should be pushed forward while the weather is suitable. The sooner this work is completed the better. Remove every bit of dead wood from the trees. Tli is is of the great-

est importance. Dead wood is injurious to the trees, and the first act

when pruning a tree should be to cut off every bit that can he found. Trees that have been pruned a number of seasons are apt to develop too many flowering buds. Many of the spurs are so crowded with blossom that the tree cannot ‘set” more than a small proportion of them, much less bring them to maturity. These over-crowd-ed flower buds should be thinned severely, removing those that are scraggy and inclined to become sear, and retaining those that are best placed and freshest. Go over every branch and thin every spur that has too many flower buds on it so that there is an equal distribution of flower buds on every branch. Tne result of this thinning will be larger blossoms and a better “ set,” and a superior sample of fruit. Once tried this method will prove much more satisfactory than thinning the fruits, a process that is too often left much too late in the season. FLOWER GARDEN. This is a good time to remove all strong weeds from lawns—dandelions, Cape weed, docks and plantains. These have large, spreading leaves, and are fatal to a good even surface or sward. The long roots can be taken out with much less trouble now, when the soil is fairly soft, than they can in the summer, when the. ground is dry and hard. Furthermore, if some of the grass plants aire disturbed now they do not suffer as much as they would in the summer.

Keep a careful eye on lawns that wore sown late this season. Generally tho seeds have come up well, but there is a risk of tho young plants being lifted by a hard frost. Tho lifting power of frost is well known to most gardeners, but one might forget that the wee grass plants have not had time to “ anchor ” themselves firmly into tho soil. Where tho surface is raised by frost the young plants should be gentlv pressed hack into the ground with a light roller, not a heavy one. A too heavy roller would do much harm on wet, heavy soil. Therefore use a very light one- If one is not available put the Excelsior mowing machine over the lawn, the roller on the machine is heavy enough to press the plants down without crushing their young crowns. Planting of trees and shrubs is now in full swing. The weather could not have been .more favourable for this work. It may have been a little too warm for some evergreen shrubs, but a can or two of water will soon restore the drooping leaves. If there are any rather tender subjects to set out it would be well to keep them in the cold frame or under the shelter of a fence, away from the sharp frosts and biting winds which we must expect at the end of this month and during the next one. GREENHOUSE. During the past week tho nights have been colder and there may be some temptation to put on lug fires, but the best practice is to keep the inside temperature down as low as possible, consistent with the health of tli© plants, until quite the end of this month. After June is over the days will soon begin to lengthen, and vegetation, both inside and out, will fcecoino active. That is the time to increase tli© inside temperature. Keep a watchful eye on all bulbs and corms that are leafless and resting for the winter. Remember that damp is dangerous to these. They should be kept on the dry side and free from insect pests. To prevent damage from mice and slugs, woodlice, etc., spray freely with a strong solution of kerol or some other insecticide. This will not harm the bulbs, but it will make them objectionable to the insects.