Gardening Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19051, 2 July 1924, Page 3

Gardening Notes

(BI

ALKANET)

VEGETABLE GARDEN. Sow broad beans, cabbages, carrots, and lettuce. Pig parsnips, carrots artichokes, and beetroot, and store them in a dry place. Plant rhubarb, strawberries, loganberries, and herbs. The first early potatoes (if not already in) should be planted in a warm dry spot. Do not plant too deep. Lettuce can be sown for early use. Prepare beds of a light sandy nature, and do not cover seeds too much. Make the ground ready for the main crop of onions. Spring onions and early sown “Giant Rocas” should be weeded and thinned if necessary. Do not allow any weeds to grow to any size or allow any paths to get overgrown. This makes excellent shelter for slugs. Do not water any seedlings at this time of the year. Do not allow your old pea sticks to lie about on the ground.: If you arc going to use them again bundle them up and put them out of the way. If you do not intend to use them again, burn them. Do not be impatient if seeds do not come up quickly. At this time of the year seeds are very slow in germinating. Plant cabbage and cauliflower and work the ground among those already planted... Rhubarb should now be planted and divided. Give the plants plenty «,f manure. Broad beans may be sown. Strawberries can still be planted. Strong plants should be selected, as it is getting late. Artichokes should be lifted and planted back and seed reserved for sowing. Potatoes and onions should be planted without delay. Shallotts can also be planted, on light warm land. Sage and thyme are due for their annual replanting. If you intend to use stable manure for the garden it should be stacked up and left about two weeks before using. But if you intend to use an artificial fertiliser you should procure it now so as to have it ready when suitable weather comes. Tomatoes for early planting under glass should be shown without delay. The vinery should now have its annual overhaul. If there are no other except grapes in the house, the doors and ventilators should be kept open day and night. The present time is the most suitable for weeding your lawn. But if all the edges are even it will make it look much neater. Any low places should have the turf removed and be filled up with soil and then have the turf placed back again. Trim all hedges that, were not trimmed in, the autumn. Burn all refuse that will not rot and spread the ashes over the land. It makes excellent rr./aure. FLOWER GARDEN. Sow aquilegia, linaria, mignonette, stock, viola, and gaillardia seed. Plant roses, carnations, iceland poppies, verbenas, aubretias, heuchera, diesima, and daphnes. hardy border plants. Bleeding Heart.—A very pretty Old World plant, very hardy and easy to grow. It should be lifted and divided at least every three years. Erigeions.—Of this species only one or two are noteworthy. Of late years, hybrids have been cultivated which bloom all summer and often late into the winter. Tney should be divided and transplanted every year. If left they will become weedy and stop flowering. Some of the erigeions are very useful for cut flowers. Gaura Liindheimeri. —A good showy border plant well worthy of a place in any garden. It has long pink flowers borne on a slender stem. It should be cut well back each winter, and be transplanted at least once every three years. . Gerbera Jamesonii (Transvaal Daisy). —This is the best daisy grown for cut flowers. It will last two weeks iu water if the water is kept fresh and the stems shortened slightly now and then. It is suitable for planting either in borders or beds. The Gerbera dislikes wet in the winter, and if planted in very wet land will nearly always rot. When watering in dry weather give the plant a good soaking and then leave it for at least a week. When planting out a bed of gerberas take one spit of soil and lay it on one side. Then fill up the space left with manure, tramp hard and then lay the top spit of earth back on top. Rake the byl into shape anl plant the gerberas eight inches to ten inches apart. It will flower well the first year but the second year it will be at its best. They should not be kept in one place for more than three years. After thw they should be divided and transplanted. In loose well-drained land they should be shifted from May to September, but in wet, cold land the best time is between September and October. If in a suitable situation they will flower in great profusion. When they refuse to flower something is very much wrong. Gerbera Hybrids.—Of these there is now a very large range of beautiful colours, ranging from white to scarlet, and including all shades of pinks, yellows and oranges. They should be treated in the same way as the gerbera Jamesonii. Geum. —Of this species Mrs. Bradshaw is the most noteworthy. If sown about November and planted out as soon as large enough, it will flower early in spring, when its scarlet flowers are very showy indeed. Gypsophylla.—This is one of the best small flowered perennials. It is very suitable for floral work and is quite hardy. It should be left in the one place—not transplanted. The slugs are very fond of the young plants in spring, but a good spraying of arsenate c.f lead should be effective. Pamcalata and Paniculate T.L. P.L. are the best variefc.es growa.

PRUNING. PEACHES AND NECTARINES. These are probably the most easy to manage of all fruit trees grown locally. When planted they should be cut back to the fork, that is just above where the branches leave the main stem. If they are growing well (as they will do almost anywhere around Wanganui) stop the new shoots when they are about a foot long. This will cause them to branch out again. The new shoots should be allowed to grow a foot long and then stopped again. Tigs is generally about all the growth they will make in one season. The first winter cut off half of th;* main branches, and tree pruned in the summer the same way as before. The second winter, half of the preceding summers’ growth should be cut halfway back. After the second year it should not be necessary to touch the tree in the summer, but they should be pruned each winter in the same jway as the first and second years. Peaches and nectarines always carry their fruit on the preceding year’s growth; therefore they must make new growth every year, or they will cease to crop. If treated as above they will commence to bear fruit the second year after planting and continue to do so ns long as any new wood is available. In tune, of course, they will grow too big and cease to crop. They should then be cut out to make room for young trees. Apricots.—These are very poputir and grow almost anywhere, and if in a suitable position they will crop very freely. A stoney bottom is best for them when an early crop is wanted. They’ grow better in warm sandy land, but do not fruit so freely. When first planted they should be pruned well back in much the same way as peacho. Some varieties grow into very uneven shapes, but they should not be allowed to do Jfo. The second season they should be pruned like apples, but th? latterals should be left longer. This should be continued for five years, after which prune only to keep them in shape. If they grow very tall the long wood should be cut so as to keep them bushy. Peaches, nectarines and apricots will not do well in an orchard or garden unless the ground around them is well dug or ploughed each year, and kept free from weeds. If planted in a lawn or among grass they do not get a chance to crop freely.