THE HOME GARDEN

Waipa Post, Volume 51, Issue 3694, 6 December 1935, Page 10

THE HOME GARDEN

WORK,FOR THE WEEK. ... THE FLOWER GARDEN. ' Plaint out dahlias at the first favourable opportunity. Continue the- planting of gladioli. 1 If the soil is inclined to be over moist: plant each eorm in a nest of sand. Pyrethrums caii now be divided and’ replanted. Remember that they are vigorous feeders. Hydrangeas are now moving ahead rapidly and will benefit by occasional, applications of liquid manure. Japanese irises, paoenies arid cannas require ample supplies of moist: are just now. When cutting paoenies. be careful not to remove the foliage. Watch roses, delphiniums and otlier plants subject to mildew. As the weather improves, they can be sprayed with lime sulphur. Greenfly is becoming troublesome on roses and lilies. Spray with black leaf forty. Plant out all annuals. Chrysanthemums can now be planted out. THE- VEGETABLE GARDEN. "Continue to plant out tomatoes. Marrows, pumpkins, melons and cucumbers can-now be planted. Cape gooseberries planted now will provide fruit in the autumn. Make fresh'sowings of radishes arid lettuce. Sow French and runner beans. Another row or two of peas can now be sown v Sow carrots, parsnips and beetroot. A further planting of potatoes can still -be made. Hoe up previous plantings'arid spray with Bordeaux mixture. TIMELY TOPICS.. NOTES AND NEWS. Where the growths on dahlia plants are at all crowded, these should be ■well thinned. In this way finer blooms are ensured. From now onward roses produce far too many buds, which must be drastically thinned. Insert cuttings of viola, pansy and pink. , Select these from strong flowerless shoots. Propagate border carnations by layers, in preference to cuttings, wherever possible.

Davidia involuerata is one of the most interesting of the numerous trees and shrubs which have been introduced from China during the present century. Its atractiveness lies in the-large white, leaf-1 ike-hract;&-4Tv-pairs. One bract is much larger than the other. When at its best the tree; looks as though it were covered with white butterflies. This tree is hardy,.

though it is still uncommon in gardens. ASPIDISTRA. SOMETIMES FLOWERS. : Strictly speaking, the aspidistra is a lily* though its are inconspicuous. They are born on the rhizomes, or creeping stems, and are as much like small, pinkish-red urns as anything we" can think of. These blooms are not worth saving. They have no charm and only rob the foliage, which is important, of food. For this reason the blooms should be. removed as soon as you see them. They rub off easily with the finger and thumb. Incidentally, when an aspidistra blooms, it is usually a sign that the plant needs more food. It will pay you to scrape off as much of the surface soil, as you can and top dress with a good peaty compost. This will keep the plant going until next spring, when it should be repotted in freshly, prepared good compost. HINTS FOR THE WEEK. When the weather is dry do not fail to keep the hoe working. Weed seedlings are appearing, and this is the best way to keep them down, and at the same time assist growing crops. Do not wait until snails and slugs . damage plants before you do something to eradicate them. Soot and lime are both effective, but the dustings should be replaced after rain or watering. Roses require good cultivation and good drainage. Plenty of space between bushes will result in the production of healthy plants free from disease. Carefully watch all newlyplanted roses the first year, so that insects or fungus do not get a hold. As soon as the weather becomes hot mulch the ground in which carnations are growing. A lot of watering will be saved by so doing, and the flowers will be larger and better. If green fly appears spray with nicotine. To obtain large blooms apply liquid manure when the buds show colour, always after watering. Over-manur-ing must be avoided. -The present is a good time to increase your stock by layering. ' » Wood lice are very destructive to the young foliage of ferns. They are difficult to eradicate and cannot be killed in the ordinary way by spraying. Numbers can be killed by using boiling Avater where they are known : tb ha:rbour-,' :V '-and- a mixture of bran, arsenic and treacle mixed into a paste and made into balls can be put put into the pots or baskets. This will get rid of most of them. The pests

feed on the paste Avhen fresh. Ranunculus that were planted early are beginning to go off, and must not be Avatered. They must be allowed Lo ripen, and Avhen the foliage has turned yeIIOAV it should be loosened and alloAved to gradually dry. When quite dry store in a cool, dry place, Avith the Avithered foliage and stalks still attached. BROCCOLI. SOW NOW. All varieties of broccoli that have not already been soAvn should be got in during the first half of November. Plants should be ready to set out from the last week in December to the middle of January; if planted after that time only partial success may be expected. PASSION FRUIT. Passion vines planted out this season Avill require frequent, cultivation to keep doAvn A\ r eeds and induce vigorous groAvth. Stop all laterals and concentrate groAvth in the main leaders. Older plants are often pruned toward the end of the month, the fruiting laterals being cut back, thus sacrificing the summer crops and augmenting the more valuable late crop. PARSNIPS AND CARROTS. THEIR REQUIREMENTS. The main crop of parsnips and carrots may iioav be put in. It has been explained before yhy these roots should not be soAvn on land freshly manured Avith animal manure. A patch that Avas Avell manured last season Avill suit them admirably, and nq further manure Avill be required; but if the quantity of manure applied Avas not A'ery great, some addition is advisable. Similarly, if soAvn on land recently under grass, some fertiliser may be required. Where the tilth is good and there is no danger of the surface binding, soav as thinly as possible. The roots Avill require to stand about 4in apart, so the seed should be distributed evenly. The fewer superfluous plants there are the less Avill be the danger in neglecting to thin in time. If the soil is unkind in character it is best to sow thickly. It is beyond doubt that seed soAvn thickly Avill come perfectly in unkind soil, Avhile if sown thinly it might not come at all. The united efforts of a number of young plants Avill break a crust that Avould stifle a feAV plants. This I have proved repeatedly. The depth to soav seed is a matter of greater importance than frequently is attached to it. The importance of nor sowing too deep his been pointed out before. Briefly, the reason is that if too far from the surface the seedling is exhausted before it begins to absorb food from the soil.- It cannot do this until its leaves are exposed to the atmosphere, but. it may easily be not deep enough. They should be covered.

POLYANTHA ROSES. SPLENDID FOR BEDDING. A type of rose which deserves to be given a prominent place in every garden is the dwarf, baby, or cluster' polyantlia. It differs from the ordinary bush rose in that it makes a neat little bus]i not more than about 18 inches high, on which the miniature blooms form in dainty clusters after the manner of a- rambling rose. Polyanthus are known as perpetualflowering because they remain in bloom continuously throughout the summer for beds, either occupying these by themselves or in company with bigger roses, while they are equally valuable as edges to borders and path sides, keeping tidy and requiring very little pruning. Bushes are not the polyantha’s only form. Standard dwarf polyanthus are also obtainable, and while they are miniatures of ordinary standards they produce blossoms in the same attractive clusters as the bush plants, giving an effect which is unique among roses. Excellent varieties to obtain are gloria mundi, intense geranium scarlet; Ellen Poulsen, sweetly scented cherry rose with cream base; orange king, orange yellow; Kirsten Poulsen, light scarlet with golden anthers. Given a good start in soil well dug, but only fairly well manured, they can be depended upon to produce abundant blooms for many years. Planted in beds or in a border line the bushes should be from 18 to 21 inches apart at least. FLOWERING BROOMS. FOR DRY SITUATIONS.

Brooms are particularly adapted for growing in dry, stony or sandy soil, as they develop long, thong-like roots which penetrate deeply into the ground and obtain sufficient moisture in dry weather. The most popular are the garden varieties of the common wild broom. Cytssus scoparius, These are Andreanus, brown and yellcw; Donard seedling, garnet and yellow; and Dorothy Walpole, crimson.

These varieties form large bushes up to five feet high. Another tall, free flowering kind is C. Dallimorei, which has beautiful ruby rose blooms. C. Praecox is a charming shrub with cream coloured flowers in spring; C. albus has White All these kinds are obtainable from nurserymen.

GAILLARDIAS. SOW SEED NOW. The blanket fioAver, or gaillardia, is a hardy perennial which provides blooms of gay colours continuously from October to March. The plants require deeply dug soil Avhich has been Avell enriched with manure. They are easily raised from seeds sown noAv. The young plants should be planted out where they are to groAv during October. A good percentage Avill floAver this summer, and it is better to purchase roots, Avliicli should be planted out this month, setting them nine inches apart. Gaillardias are rather sloav in starting growth in spring, so do not think they are dead if they do not appear as soon as other plants. As slugs are partial to the tender young shoots, cover the croAvns Avith old coal ashes as a protection. To liaA 7 e an unusual and dazzling display for summer bedding, I advise the planting of ttvo or more beds with a different coloured vaiiety in each bed. For this purpose the plants are set 15 inches apart, and as groAvth proceeds the long stems are pegged doAvn Avith Avire pins. It is advisable to Avater the plants freely during long dry periods, particularly during the flOAvering season. From a dozen or so plants it is possible to cut armfuls of long stemmed flowers, which x’etain their colour and freshness for a Aveek or more in Avater. There are many lovely varieties available; some daintily fringed, while most produce floAvers often measuring six inches across. COLOURFUL TIGRIDIAS. FOR VIVID SPLASHES. Tigridias are fairly Avell described by their popular names of tiger Aoavers, or tiger irises, since the magnificent blooms, 6in and more across, are thickly speckled Avith spots in crimson, orange, chocolate and otlier eoolurs. These lovely blooms are bcrne on forked stems carrying plaited leaA'es. Tigridia pavonia, the true tiger floAver, is scarlet and orange yellow; alba, a Avhite form, is crimson spotted. The variety concliiflora is yelloAv spotted with scarlet. Tigridias like a place in the garden Avhere the sun shines most and, consequently, the soil is on the dry side. Wet and shady conditions they cannot stand.Ordinary garden soil is suitable for them, and all you need to do is to dig this up thoroughly. See that there is plenty of sandy or gritty material in the soil so that it is Avell drained. E'ven Avhere the soil is heavy they can be grown, if you dig out the present stuff and replace Avith leaf mould and sand. Plant the tiger floAvers in groups of say, five bulbs. The best Avay to plant the bulbs is to take out a"Avide hole to a depth of 4in. and spread a jin. layer of dry sand on the bottom. Then stand the Fulbs upright on the sand at 5 or Gin apart, and fill in, pressing the soil firm round each bulb.

A point to note is that the blooms last for about a day only, but there is a constant succession of them. The blooms should be removed immediately they have faded, of course, to prevent the bulbs wasting their energies. DELPHINIUM,S. Don’t make the mistake of trying to sell delphiniums with short stalks. The charm of this flower is the length of stem, and it is this th,at makes it so popular for decoration. Delphiniums will grow in practically any soil, providing they are well cultivated and manured. Deep cultivation, either by bastard trenching or by ploughing and sub-soiling, and well-rotted farmyard manure added at the rate of 25 tons to the acre, will be necessary. This flower doesn’t prefer a sunny situation, and as it grows very tall there is likely to be a good deal of damage to both stem and bloom if the situation is too exposed.

lOnce the delphiniums are dug in, hoeing must be done regularly. In addition, give a good watering before mulching, and on the lighter soils liquid manure is used. To raise plants seed may be sown during the month of January in wellprepared, sandy beds. It is not a bad plan to raise your plants in this way and to make a selection of the best plants when they are flowering. These can be propagated by division of root cuttings, and so good types are reproduced in large numbers. Flowers can be cut during the months of December and January.

'Planting is usually done in rows 2 feet apart and 18 inches apart in the rows.