Gardening Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19858, 4 June 1927, Page 16 (Supplement)

Gardening Notes

(BY

ALKANET).

KITCHEN GARDEN The winter has now set in in earnest. We have had the first really heavy downpour and the vegetable garden will be very wet for a while. Do not walk on the soil among the plants any more than can be helped, as it makes drainage more difficult. The plants, of course, must be kept as free from weeds as possible. Chow.se as dry a day as possible for this work! If a suitable spot is available, lettuce should be sown. The very crisp spring varieties very often do not do very well in the winter. It is best to get advice from your seedsman, as to what sort to plant. It often helps if the seeds are sown in a box, especially if a pane of glass is placed over the top to keep too much rain coming in. Sow cabbage and cauliflower for later planting. Protect them from the birds, or they will .disappear. If plants are available, they should be piantad out. Protect them from the birds as much as possible! The first peas may be put in now. Sow on ridges and use only the first early dwarf varieties! No difficulties should be experienced, in light land. If the land is heavy, the seeds will need a lot of attention, or they may not be

a success. Broad beans may be sown any time now. Turnips may be sown, but only in suitable soil. Onions may be sown, the autumn varieties. It is rather early for the main crop yet. In favourable localities, the first early potatoes may be planted. New asparagras beds should be prepared and old ones given their annual top-dressing of manure. Strawberries should be planted now. Old beds should be planted and old plants turned over. Raspberry beds should be pruned and the soil between the plants should be dug. New plants should be planted now. Loganberries should be planted, any time now. Gooseberries and currants should be planted. Rhubarb should be attended to. Old blocks should be divided and replanted and new plants should be put in any time now. Sea kale should be planted. Old blocks should be manured for next spring’s growth. Spinach may be sown. Use the winter variety only. Sage and thyme may be planted now. Sage and thyme not'd renewing every year to keep them growing. The clumps should be lifted and sunk, so that only two or three inches show above the soil. This will induce new roots on the buried part and good strong growth will lie the result. It is best to have two clumps, one to be renewed each winter and the other to be reserved for winter use. Tn this way, a constant supply is ensured. Tf they arc left for more than two years undisturbed they usually die. the thyme especially. The sage may last longer, but usually, after the second year, it grows very little Seed potatoes should be prepared for planting later. Put them in shallow trays for sprouting! If treated in this way. they will come on very much quicker when planted. All empty spaces should be sown in oats or barley for green manuring. In these days, when manure is so hard to procure, no opportunity should be lost of enriching the land as much as possible. BERRIES AND SHRUBS (Continued). Another outstanding berrying tree is nardina domcstica. It is also noted for the vivid colours its foliage turns in the autumn. It is evergreen, a rare thing among autumn-tinted shrubs. Its chief beauty, however, is the long branches of bright scarlet berries. It has, however, one drawback. There are two different kinds of trees, male and female, and a pair must be planted together, or they will not berry. The nardina will grow almost anywhere; it is not fastidious as to soil. The only locality it docs not like is a dry sandy one. To do at all well in such a position, it must be in half shade. The cretagres are another lot of

berrying shrubs. The common haw (horn berries freely, but the berries usually fall quickly. The cretagres acerifolia has much larger berries, and is also very conspicuous for its foliage, which turns bright scarlet in the autumn. The. cretagres mexicana is another berrying shrub. It has large, yellow berries, not unlike the crab apple in appearance. These berries are not troubled by the binds and will hang on the bush all through the winter. It is of a decidedly novel appearance and well worth planting. The crab apple is another class of berrying tree. It is not grown much locally as it is inclined to attract the American blight. But as the pourse of this blight has been overcome, they should be planted more extensively in future. They may be used as avenue trees, as well as for planting in the garden. Jn the spring they will, if they have been properly pruned, be a very striking sight, being one mass of bloom. There is quite a large variety to choose from, the colours ranging through white, different shades of pink, and bright red. The fruit is about the size of cherries and it. colours very beautifully. It hangs on the trees for a long time and can be used for decorating with very good effect. If planted in a small garden, they should be grown as standard and, if possible, should be securely grafted on seedling stock. They will then send their roots down like an oak and other trees may be grown under them.

The common holly is another good berrying tree, but usually it does not berry until it is well up in years. This is more especially so on rich land. On poor land they come into berrying more quickly. The hollies are. trees suited best to cold and wet localities. If they are planted too close to the sea, the weather is generally too mild and the scale is often troublesome. Anywhere, twenty or more miles inland, they are at their best. They are not very suitable for small gardens, unless the varigated variety is planted. This berries quicker than.the green one but, on the other hand, does not grow nearly as rapidly. THE FLOWER GARDEN Rose planting time is now with us. Prune all new roses before planting them! Carnations and pinks should be planter! without delay. Rhododendrons, azalea indica and azalea mollis may be planted. Large plants of these may now be moved with perfect safety. The perennial phlox and Michaelmas daisies should be lifted and divided when the border is given its annual overhauling. Michaelmas daisies should be reduced to three sprouts to each root and the phlox to four at the most. They give far better results this way than if they are allowed to remain in large clumps. Japanese iris should be lifted and divided if they have been left undisturbed for three years. After the third year they do not flower so well. When dividing, allow three crowns to each clump. The German iris should be transplanted now if it did not bloom very well last summer. Often they will flower year after year, but if the blooms are not satisfactory, it is usually a sign that they need dividing and replanting. Among the herbaceous plants that do not need transplanting, the paeonia conies an easy first. It flowers best if left undisturbed. A little top-dress-ing is beneficial, but it should not be transplanted. Another plant that does not need dividing is the helleborous. It will flower year after year if left undisturbed.- This winter flowering plant is a very suitable subject for shady places. It does not mind if it never sees the sun, as long as it is not too dry. It revels in moisture. Delphiniums should now be lifted nnd divided. They should never be left for more than three years without dividing. The different radbecceas also should be lifted and divided to give the plants a chance to become established before next spring. Plant nemesias, pansies, wallflower, coreopsis, antirhiniums, violas, primulas, cinerarias and other handy annuals. Cuttings may be taken of all hardwood trees and shrubs. Cuttings should be taken of penstemons to secure plants for next season if fixed colours are wanted. Seedlings are not to be relied on for colours. Hedges should be planted now. Chrysanthemums should be lifted and put together to sprout for cuttings to be planted later. This is the time to discard indifferent varieties. Dahlias should be lifted and stored for the winter. Fertiliser should be procured ready for when the borders and beds are dug u,< This is the time to enrich the soil to get good results next summer., Summer fertilisation is only supplementary. This is the time to feed established borders and newly planted beds. THE ORCHARD

Shelter trees slft>uld be planted now. This applies especially to light land. Fruit trees should also be planted. Very often the choice of varieties is a problem to the amateur gardener, especially in the case of apples. Of late years there has been a movement afoot to reduce the number of varieties in the market. Only varieties that will return a profit in a reasonable time are to bo recommended for general use. Some growers, when planting an orchard containing 100 trees, plant about 50 different, varieties. This is an absurdity. Keep to about six or eight good varieties and the results

will be much better. In a smaller orchard, four varieties will be enough. Don’t forget to put iu a couple or three varieties for winter use. Winter apples are far more appreciated than summer ones, when there are plenty of other fruits about. Of early apples the Irish Peach is about the best locally for private planting. It crops quickly and very freely. The Gravenstein is another good early apple. This is undoubtedly the i best mid-summer apple. It is good for both cooking and dessert. Its one fault is that it does not crop well when it is young. It is rather unsuitable for planting in rich land, as it will grow into a large tree before it begins to crop. Cox’s Orange.—This autumn apple is the best of all for dessert and should not be missed if eating apples are required. It crops young and regularly. Of the winter apples—the main ones in the orchard—the Sturmer.is the best for small gardens. It is not very suitable for light or hungry land, as it is inclined to run into cropping too early. Care must be taken not to let it crop heavily enough to stop its growth. Apart from this, it is the best winter apple for a small orchard. The Delicious is another well-known apple that should not be missed when planting an orchard. It is a good grower, crops well, and has a beautiful flavour. It will do well in poor land where the Stunner is not suitable. Reinette du Canaria is another good apple. It is inclined to grow rather large, but it will crop early and regularly. Ballarat .Seedling is a first-rate winter apple. Lord Wolseley is another persistent cropper. These apples all may be relied upon. There are. of course, a lot more good ones, but these are about the best for local planting.