Practical Gardening

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 519, 30 July 1932, Page 23 (Supplement)

Practical Gardening

T. D. Lennie,

WHITE JASMINE. The white jasmine (Jasminum off! cinale) blooms on the wood made in summer, hence it may be pruned now. The amount of pruning done will depend on where the plant is growing, but any growths made last season can be cut back to within two or three buds of the

base. This will encourage strong basal buds to grow and produce strong shoots. Other varieties of jasmine which flower in winter and early spring should not bo pruned now, but left till after llower-

HEAVY CROPPING PEAS. A correspondent writes: “I write to tell you of my success in growing green peas. I sowed three quarts of seed, and from these I picked 40 pecks of peas, my method of growing being as follows: The ground was trenched two spits deep last autumn, some unslaked lime worked into the top spit, and the surface left rough. I dug a trench one foot wide, and worked some stable manure and soot into it, leaving the trench about three Inches deep for the seeds, which I planted one and a half inches apart. I then gave a good dressing of burnt wood ashes, and finally covered the trenches with soil. I sowed one quart at a, time, and as each batch appeared through the ground I put sticks to them and sowed another quart. I sowed one quart of William Hurst, from which I picked 12J peeks. I find that this sort throws some nice pods from the side shoots after the first crop has been picked; I picked three of the above pecks from side shoots. The other varieties were one quart of Gradus, which produced 10 pecks; one pint of Duke of Albany, which produced nine pecks; and one pint of Telephone, which gave Si pecks. The two latter sorts grew 7ft high, and the pods were filled with fine peas, nine and ten in a pod. They were a grand sight.” EARLY PEAS. Great importance is usually attached to the first gathering of peas and their value can scarcely be over-estimated. Those who wish to be amongst the first in the field should lose no time in making preparations. The soil is an important factor, and although it is not possible to make a new soil it is always possible to alter it to a certain degree. Heavy or badly drained soils are naturally late, but by draining can be made fitting for early crops. To effect this field tiles or drain pipes are best, but it can also be effected by making a flat topped ridge and sowing the peas on the top. A trench can be dug round the ground on which it is proposed to grow the peas. The idea is to get the excessive wet away from the roots as quickly as possible. The rows should run from north to south, so as to get as near as possible an equal amount of sun on both sides of the row. Plenty of manure is also of assistance, a light vegetable soil being the warmest. If all the garden cannot be heavily manured, dig out a trench about a foot wide and two feet deep, break up the bottom with a fork, and then put in a good layer of halfrotted manure or vegetable refuse. Fill in with ordinary garden soil. Sow the seed very thinly two inches deep, and if possible cover with sand or very sandy

SWEET PEAS AT CHELSEA. Amongst the new sweet peas shown were. —Bonny Lassie, a lovely warm pale pink lighted up with a salmon flush; Cavalcade, a of salmon pink and orange, with a carmine flush in the wings; Premier, a glowing cerise; Superfine, a delicate salmon cream pink, nicely frilled; Smiles, bright salmon shaded coral pink, pale in tone and very attractive; Violet Queen, deeper and brighter than amethyst; Magnolia, a cream with large blooms, but not deep in colour; Sir Walter, an improved Mrs. Searles, deeper and containing a little more orange. Varieties that also claimed attention were Red Boy, very dark crimson; Marion, a pale George Shawyer, with very large blooms; Ambition, the gold medal lavender; Welcome. Debutante, Flamingo, and last year’s white novelty Karnes; Thriller, an improved Mammoth; Elstree, warm frilled pink; Sweet Lavender, a fine exhibition lavender.

N.D.H. (N.Z.)

PRUNING GOOSEBERRIES. It is best to get the pruning of gooseberries done where many bushes' are grown. Severe pruning is quite* out of place in regard to gooseberries. The old plan of shortening nearly all growths has been proved to curtail the crop, though it may result in the production of very line berries. Merely cut away the growths which are too near the ground, and which are liable to root into the soil. Keep the bushes sufficiently open to allow of quickness and ease of gathering.

SPROUTING POTATOES. Although the value of sprouting seed potatoes has been demonstrated tim« after time yet there are many people who never think it worth while, but plant straight from the bag. The time of boxing the potatoes and waiting for them to sprout is amply repaid in enhanced crops, while the time of waiting is not lost as sprouted potatoes are three weeks to a month earlier than unsprouted. The modern, up-to-date potato grower knows it is essential that only sprouted seed should bo planted, and whether few row’s or large areas are grown, in every case it is the best method. Not only is sprouted seed quicker maturing, but any bad or weak sets can be picked out and a more even crop be obtained. T.arge seed can be cut so as to retain good eyes on each piece, which is a matter of guessw’ork before the sprouts are seen. When boxing potatoes it is not enough to just pour them into a box in a single layer, they

should be stood with the round end, that is the one with the eyes in, upwards. Potato boxes can be easily knocked together from kerosene cases, # each case making two good boxes which will hold about fourteen pounds each, the quantity depending on the size of the sets. When boxed they should be given all the light possible, as the success depends on producing short, sturdy, dark green, not long, blanched, weak shoots. The potatoes should l>e planted when the shoots are about a quarter of an inch long. If left till they get longer the risk of rubbing off the shoots is increased. Make the boxes with a cross handle so I hat the sets can be planted straight from the sprouting boxes. The transferring of sets from one receptacle to another is the cause of a lot of good shoots being knocked off. PLANTING OPERATIONS. The planting of roses, trees and shrubs should be proceeded with as soon as possible. Too often is this work put off • until the last moment, with the idea that late planting is j v ust as good as early planting. Late planting may be better than no planting at all, but when roses, etc., are planted early they make a lot of roots before the tops begin to arrow and the effect of the shortening of the roots due to transplanting is overcome to a large extent. Alterations and additions to the roses are of annual occurrence. There are always some hushes that have become too old, or have weakened and died back until they are of no use as flowering plants. Such plants should be rooted out and replaced with new varieties. The same thing applies to the shrubs, and in addition some varieties may have outgrown or are unsuitable for their position. In such cases the best thing is to rdot them out. Pruning will help to keep a shrub within bounds, but if it is unsuitable for the position, rooting it out and replacing by another more suitable variety is the only cure. BUY YOUR SPRAY MATERIAL EARLY.

The materials for spraying purposes should be procured early, as there is no advantage in waiting until later to buy. If these things arc already to hand the spraying can be done as opportunity occurs. It is not always possible to arrange for spraying, as the weather is the controlling factor, but if the materials are at hand it is not a long job to mix up a little spray and use it at once. There are several preparations that should be held in readiness for spraying purposes—lime-sulphur solution or Bordeaux mixture. The lime-sulphur :*an be purchased prepared, also the Bordeaux. The latter, however, can be easily made at home, for which purpose it is necessary to have bluestone and unslaked lime or washing soda. Arsenate of load and nicotine extract preparations can be purchased in prepared forms. Black leaf 40 is the best form of nicotine extract. It is also well to have a little Hellebore powder, tobacco dust, and flowers of sulphur at ha.*d. These latter are valuable to use in tlie powder form.

SHALLOTS. Get the ground ready for planting shallots. These are often treated very badly and do not receive the treatment they warrant. The soil should be as well prepared as for onions. Select a dry day for planting and later on when llie soil is in good condition it. may be levelled and trodden to help the forma-

tion of good bulbs that will ripen off quite hard. Plant the bulbs by pushing them half-way into the soil. Plant the bulbs about six inches apart with the rows a foot apart. PRUNING GOOSEBERRIES. In pruning, healthy bushes require at least one half of the branches removed each winter. It must be borne in mind that the fruit is produced on the young wood, so that each season, as much young wood as possible should be left to take the place of the older wood. The branches should be as evenly distributed as possible, the centre of the bushes being kept well open to allow the free access of light and air. After pruning, the soil around the plants should be

cleaned free of weeds, care being taken not to injure the roots, as these are produced near the surface if the plants are in a healthy condition. After cleaning, a good thick mulch, with fresh stable manure, placed around each plant, will not only stimulate growth but encourage the roots to come to the surface and induce fruitfulness. Few plants suffer more quickly from drought if the roots are left unprotected, and mulching not only assists growth, but helps to check evaporation and retains moisture at the roots at the time when the plants most need it. Both gooseberries and currants, if treated in this way, rarely fail to jiroduce heavy crops of fruit.

LOGANBERRIES. The loganberry Is one of the roost proliiic of small fruits, and should have a place in every garden. few plants, planted in well-cultivated soil and trained along fences or trained to stake* along the sids of paths, will produce sufficient fruit to provide for a family. It is non-sucker ing, although if the shoots are allowed to run on the ground instead of being tied to the trellis, the tips of the shoots will often take root. Amongst berried fruit it has few' equals, either for dessert, making into jam or jellies, as well as for ordinary culinary use. Being a cross between the blackberry and raspberry, it combines the flavour of both, with rather more acidity than the blackberry. Like the raspberry, the fruit is produced on the wood of the .previous season’s growth, the wood of the previous season dying back to the base. The pruning of these is a simple matter, simply cutting away the dead canes and shortening back a (small portion from the tops of the shoots left for fruiting during the coining season. The amounts removed must be regulated by the length of the shoot made. The object in cutting oft' the tops of the canes is to induce side laterals to start, as it is upon these laterals that the bunches of fruit are formed. LILIES AT CHELSEA. One of the most amazing exhibits of the Chelsea Show was a garden of lines put up by Messrs. R. Wallace and to. Probably never before have they been shown more extensively, and no. fewer than 75 specie** and varieties were shown. This garden occupied a position in the centre of the great marquee, and consisted of a large central oval mound, with beds on either side, and at the near end filled with wonderful groups of lilies, the front wed, at the far end. being devoted to freely-flowered hybrid rhododendrons. In the centre * bed

specially conspicuous were superhlx grown liliuras regali, testaeeum, ’backhouse hybrids, dalhansoni and brownii. above masses of grand form of umbel(atum, daouricum luteura, martagon willmottiae, ru bull um, monadelphum and others, and equally as beautiful sorts filled the other beds. An amazing collection.