THE GARDEN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16922, 22 December 1922, Page 11

THE GARDEN

SEEDS TO SOW. Beans. cabbage. endive, lettuce, melon., onions (for salad), peas, spinach. WHAT Tt) PLANT. Broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, celery, cauliflower, lettuce, savoys, vegetable marrow, tomatoes, winter greens. We have had another good soaking j rain, which has gone down to the subi soil, and growing crops will not want j for moisture for some weeks. ; Cucvumbers and marrows may product too many big leaves, and become | overcrowded with foliage. If they do, remove some of th© leaves, so that sunshine and air can reach every part of the shoots to ripen them as they develop . Push oft with setting cut all winter stuff, while the ground is damp and cool.

Thin seedling crops of turnips and spinach as soon as possible. Potatoes are growing very fast, and ehould be moulded up as soon as possible. If this work is neglected for a few days it may be difficult io do it without breaking some of the shoots. Early crops of beetroot will soon get over big unless the growth is checked. Very large roots are not as serviceable a a medium sample. Take a garden ferk and carefully raise the roots. This will give them a check and they can be- left in the ground to keep them fresh. Make another sowing now to provide fresh, tender roots for the winter. HARDY FRUITS. Black currants.—When the fruits are all gathered prune the bushes. Give them a severe thinning for plants usually have far too many shoots. This condition means a lot of small fruit, which do not sell readily in the market. Now is the time to examine- the plants. Those that have been allowed to become crowded with shoots will have sir.all leaves, and small fruits, while the hushes that have only a few shoots will have much larger leaves and fruits twice as big as those on the bushes that are overcrowded with wood. Keep a sharp look out for codlin troth. This pest is very persistent, and unless kept under destroys much good fruit. Some people think that ii their trees are sprayed once the pest is destroyed, hut this is not correct. One spraying will destroy all the- insects that the spray fluid covers, but the larvae that have been laid in out of the way crevices will in time come to life, and if left alone long enough they will enter the fruits and render them unfit for sale. As long ns you can find a live grub spraying should be continued.

There are a lot of caterpillars on loganberries, black and other berries. A, these insects are about the same shade of green as the leaves of the

Help and Hint* for Amateur*

plants, they are rather difficult to de- \ tect. and only by careful search is it possible* to discover them. If they are j left to develop they soon become num- ; eious and difficult to eradicate. The j plants might be sprayed with « solution j of Katakillar. but this should be done seme time before the fruits turn colour, j Hand picking is the surest method of ; dealing w>yth this pest. Select the 1 necessary shoots for next season’s crop i and promptly cut away the others. i i FLOWER GARDEN. Gardeners should lose no time in j taking up what bulbs they intend to ; lift. The damp condition of the ■ ground will induce the bulbs to make new roots, and if they are taken up after they have begun to grow they j must suffer more or less. While it. . is not necessary to lift the bulbs every season, those that are to be lifted should receive attention as soon « s their foliage is brown. Banksian Roses.—These delightful climbers rarely receive the attention j they need in the matter of pruning. Sometimes this work is done in the autumn, the winter or the spring, when pruning consists of cutting away much of the wood that would give the crop of flowers in the early summer. This family of roses should be pruned immediately the blossoms fade. Do not wait several weeks, but prune them at once. Cut out all weak wood, and if the growths are very crowded some of the strong shoots also, to give the plants room to make a lot of new growth during the summer and autumn. Banksian roses flower or new wood only, and the stronger this is the larger the blossoms an 1 the longer the punnicles of flowers, and the longer the growing season, the finer the crop of flowers. Promptly remove all spent blossoms. These look untidy and afford a breeding place for many insect pests.

As ten week stocks are nearly over pull them up and burn them. The cool damp weather has suited these* plants, and where the strain was good they have made a fine display. Give bedding plants every assistance you can. Regulate the growths as much as possible to avoid over crowding. Most plants are growing fast and give promise of a fine display. Keep the lawns cut regularly am the edges trimmed neatly. These items of routine work mean a lot in every garden and should never btneglected,

Spring flowering plants need frequent attention at this season.

Seedling wallflowers should be transplanted. Give them an open suntiv position. Dwarf sturdy plants are the best and most useful. Put then six inches apart in the rows, which should be twelve inches apart.