THE GARDEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16514, 26 August 1921, Page 2

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow—Broad Beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum (in heat), carrot, lettuce, mustard, parsley, peas, parsnip, spinach, tomato. "What to Plant.—Cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, lettuce, potatoes, rhubarb, sea kale. Potatoes.-—Alany will bo tempted to put in a few rows of earlv potatoes, but it is risky unless in very sheltered positions. It would bo well to keep the seed tubers iu boxes for a few weeks, exposing them t-o as much light and air as possible during the day and making them safe from frost at night. An early crop could be secured with the aid of a few rough boards and some moans of covering at night. Glass lights arc the best cover, as these can bo left over the potatoes during heavy rains as well as at night. The next beet is thatched hurdles; these keep out more frost than sacks or hessian, and rain will run off the thatch, but will soak through the can- j vao or sacking. When this material is saturated it- will keep out very little frost. HARDY FRUITS. The flower buds on peaches and nectarines are swelling fast aud in warm situations some flowers are open. Spray tho trees with Bordeaux solution to check leaf curl. If many flowers arc open make the solution weak or the blossoms may get burned. If there is a 113* pruning or other winter work riot completed get this finished at once. The tree,®, will soon begin to open seme flower buds and spraying and pruning should be completed before this month is out. VINERY. Vines that were started early have made good progress during this month. Keep th© shoots well away from the glass. We shall have frosts when they are little expected, and ail leaves and shoots that arc pressing against the glass will run a big risk of being frosted. Vines in unheated houses are anxious to burst into leaf. This should be encouraged in Well sheltered districts, but in the open parts of Canterbury, where late fkosts are regular every spring, it is well t-o check 'growth by opening all the ventilators and doors. Where the vines are planted inside, tbo borders should, bo examined and if the soil is dry give it a good soaking. Apply tbo water in a steady stream, so that it can soak into tho dry soil. If the water is put on with much force it cannot ,soak into the dry soil ; it just runs off at the most suitable point, leaving the soil quite dry about the roots of the vines. A liberal dressing of some good fertiliser—basic slag, if available—should be applied after the border has been thoroughly soaked. FLOWER GARDEN. Trees aud shrubs are fast waking into active growth. Fortunately th© frosts have held them in check during the past two weeks, but now the buds are swelling so fast that many will soon be in flower aud leaf. Try growing on buildings or fences should now have the annual trimming. Gut it hard, and remove all dead find decaying ‘leaves, and other rubbish. Don’t bo afraid to clip the plants bare. They will soon send out a new batch of leaves. These will be a lovely emerald green, and with no old, halfdead leaves about th© plants, the fresh cTop will bo most beautiful. Evergreen honeysuckle needs just tho same attention. This plant grows very fast, and is usually left to make a big mass of shoots, one above another, with all the smaller growths decaying, for want of light and air. The plants cannot flower satisfactorily in this condition, but they do afford good shelter for many creeping insects, and other garden posts. Honeysuckle should be treated the same as the ivy. Cut back hard, right to the main shoots, which will soon form and scud out new, strong growths. These will flower freely during the season, and each plant will become an ornament to the flower garden. The purple plum (primus pissardi) has flowered well this season, but its blossoms aro nearly over. Plants that have become over big for the positions they are in, may be cut back. They will soon make new shoots, and these young growths give better blossoms than the old ones. The blossoms of bulbous plants are opening fast, and give . promise of a great display. This is the time, for those who are building, and will have a garden to furnish later on, to tako notes of tbo varieties that would be most suitable for their new garden. In most new gardens, wo find many varieties that flower at one season, and are soon over, but with a., careful selection of early, mid-season and late va--1 rieties, one can have a supply of flowers during throe or four mouths. GREENHOUSE. Examino all blinds-, and if any need repairing or renewing, get this attended to as soon as possible. The days are getting longer, the sun will noon have more power, and tender plants will need shading. Moveable blinds aro the best and most suitable, but many bouses have to be shaded with a fixed material. Where this is used, put a light quantity on early in the season, and later on, when tho sqn is more powerful, increase the quantity.