GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19759, 14 December 1935, Page 20 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

SEASONABLE WORK

SPECIALLY WRITTEN AND COMPILED TO SUIT WAIKATO CLIMATE

(By “Nikau.”)

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Stake peas and early runners, and try to give the plants a soaking every week. Plant Tomatoes, allowing them plenty of room—perhaps two feet between plants, and four feet between the rows. Stake them, and train them on the single-stem system by removing the sideshoots. It is wise to spray the'plants with Bordeaux mixture as a preventive of various fungal diseases, but especially the so-called “potato” bliglit. If Broad Beans are infested with black aphis, spray with Black Leaf 40 or Katakllla. s Sow Peas, Radish, Lettuce and Turnip for succession. Make sowings of Carrot, Beetroot, Parsnip, etc., for winter vegetables. Plant early Leeks in an open situation and allow them plenty of room. Plant Passion Vines from pots, and keep the soil moist for a week or so; shade the plants a little if necessary. Newly-planted fruit trees should have at least, a bucketful of water a piece every week for a while. FLOWERS. / \ ' Plant bedding plants such as Salvia, French and African Marigolds, Dwarf Nasturtium-, Aster, Antirrhinum, Phlox and Zinnia. Stake and train Dahlias and Chrysanthemums. Save seed of Freesias, as it is now ripe; seedlings will flower within six months of sowing the seed, if given a fair chance. Take up bulbs and store them in a dry place,. Make a sowing of Sweet Peas now for autumn blooms. Plant Mina Lobata beside a trellis, where it may climb and yet will not have to compete with too vigorous climbers.

BROAD BEANS AGAIN. The writer inspected more crops of broad beans last week. One crop Illustrated an experiment. Most of the (tips of the plants had been pinched lout, and not one of these plants showed signs of aphis. Besides, most of the plants were setting a fair crop. The plants left untipped were almost without exception infested with aphis, and few were bearing a crop, though, for control purposes, they were growing amongst the tipped plants. iLast week in our correspondence ’’column a note appeared on the subject of broad beans growing in Hamilton (East. The writer inspected the plants ind found they had borne a heavy crop. In this case the seed had been sold by a well-known local firm, but the plants (were not of the Multiple Longpod type described in this column last week. A factor contributing to the success of this crop was that the plants were (growing in an enclosure which had (formerly been a fowl-run. LILIES IN FLOWER. ■Last week saw two species, come Into flower In local gardens. The first is the Madonna Lily (Lilium >candldum), known in the South as the ■Christmas Lily. In this island, however, the Christmas Lily is L. longillorum, sometimes nailed L. Harrisii, but still more often the Trumpet Lily. Two points to be noted in connecUton wrlth the Madonna. Lily are early planting and shallow planting: February and March for time, and one to two inches for depth. As mentioned below, this lily is susceptible to disThe other lily in flower last week was perhaps Lilium L. davurlcum, but a great English authority says that most lilies sold under this name aro mot that but really L. They have reddish-orange flowers 1 borne in great heads rather than spikes, and opening upwards to the sky. They resemble the Orange Lily Bn colour and In hardiness and aro (Often sold instead of that lily. There Hre many varietles-,of davurlcum, differing in shade, size, eto. LILY DISEASE. This week the writer has seen some Miles suffering from disease, so a note 'ion the subject may be helpful. Of all the foes which the lily grower has to combat, the fungus named Botrytls cinerea Is the worst. It Is an insidious disease, coming into the garden like a thief Iri the night, and, If not Immediately taken in hand, It makes short work of our treasured lilies. Though liable to make its appearance at any time In the growing season, the disease often comes when spring Is giving place to summer: it ta&es the form of srqall, whitish-grey patches which form on the foliage and quickly spread till the leaves hang limply; .while the 1 stems, buds and flowers take infection and collapse in due course. Here is a case where prevention is certainly better than cure, ,and the spraying of all liltos with Bordeaux is advisable, being a means of ( wardlng off the evil. A strange thing 'is that there are seasons when the disease is hardly seen at all, unless the garden lias been very badly infected. At flrst sign ol' the malady, the plants should be sprayed with a solution of 1 ounce of sulphide of potassium to gallons of water, I lie dose being repeated daily, and all uninfected lilies near should be sprayed .with Bordeaux (loz to 1 gallon). In bad cases, the whole lily plant should he taken up and burnt. In the case of a rare lily, something less heroic may he done—simply cut off the stem, and then lift and dust the bulb with sulphur. This BotrvtJs disease is often referred to as (tic "white lily disease,” as if it were peculiar to that species (Lilium candidum), the reason being twofold—this lily is very susceptible to the disease, and is also a common Illy. Tlic wide leaves of this lily expose more surfaco than the leaves of some other lilies do, and they are borne for so great a part of tho year. Experts declare, however, ' that this ■Botrytis attacks all kinds of lilies, and Is a disease rather of foliage than of bulbs. If the infected top growth is not removed, the disease may find its iiway down to tho bulb and destroy it Tho Martagon types, including I.iljlum Hansoni are somewhat prone lo •tliis disease, and need •careful watching. The writer believes in growing •the different species in different parts of the garden, so Unit one susceptible disease will not Infect other species. 'Besides, tho requirements of lilies differ with regard tq soil and aspect. RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS. Last week several kinds of rhododendrons were in full bloom. First and foremost was the snow-white,

scented Virginalis. At all seasons It is easily because of its dark, leatherly foliage, and at this season it has characteristic white, trum-pet-shaped blooms. Besides this variety, there are varieties bearing huge trusses of light blue flowers. Three weeks ago the writer had tho privilege of 'examining a collection of deciduous azaleas, Most of the flowers had fallen, but there were sufficient to show what the collection was like. Some of the varieties were: Norma, double apricot, wonderfully beautiful: Aida, double rose pink; Fanny, single rose pink; Matilda, single apricot-bronze: Bronze Unique, a single bronze; Fama, single reddish bronze; Speclosum cocolncum, single flame-coloured, wonderfully beautiful. All these were of the Ghent division of azaleas; several varieties of this speoles have a sweet scent to commend them. MAGNOLIA TIME. “ Lilao Time” and “ Blossom Time” have oome and gone, but this Hi “Magnolia Time." In some large prlvkte gardens and In certain streets of Hamilton the large-flow eyed Magnolia grandiflora Is in full bloom. The immense; white, saucer-like flowers have a lemon .scent that is refreshingly sweet. For. public planting this evergreen is one of the most suitable of trees. It is a native of North America,. A distant relative is the tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), concerning which a paragraph appeared this week in our news columns. There are In Hamilton a good many trees of this •species that have reached the flowering' age—about fifteen years. For beauty of trunk, this tree is hard to •surpass, and it has also quaint, but attractive leaves and flowers. In Washington, D.C., and in other parts of America there are great avenues of this species. If busy and practical America can find space in her cities for beautiful avenues, surely we can in our little towns. A year or two ago the writer was •delighted to discover a number of Magnolia seedlings coming up under a largo tree of that species in a local garden. It Is quite unusual to see Magnolias so truly,.acclimatised. CAN- YOU BEAT THIS? !0n a previous occasion we wrote about a giant oyolamen 'seen at Tauranga. It was at least ten years old, and was ten inches In diameter. Here Is an account of a veteran in England: “I read with milch interest (and much amusement) about ‘an ancient ovclamen no less than thirteen years old,’ and I felt constrained to write ami tell you that I have a cyclamen plant which is, I believe, fifty years old. I am aged 58, and this corm (then a seedling) was given to my mother when I was a tiny girl. With very few exceptions, it has blossomed freely every year; last year It carried one hundred blooms, and this year about forty. The first flowers were out at Christmas, and the last have only recently faded (in March). It has helped in the Easter decorations of our church more times than I can sav; it is, in fact, my most valued plant, and it was my mother’s, too. Having no glass, it has only window treatment, and Hie following is my method of cultivation. When the flowers fade, I withhold water gradually and set aside indoors to die completely ' down—about the middle of June. I place the pot in the garden on a piece of slalc, where it has no water, except the rain. When signs of new life appear about the end of July, I repot it in as good soil as my garden affords, and bring it Into the window, watering as it requires. The bulb or corm is now very large; colour of flowers white, with cerise at bottom. Needless to say, it has been greatly admired very many times. I shall be much interested lo seo if you and your readers consider this a record as regards length of life.” In reply, the editor supposed it was a record, and wanted to know the size of corm, and of the pot ft was growing in. WIRELESS TALK. The subject of to-night's garden talk to be broadcast from IYA is “ Raising and Growing Perennials from Seed.” Tlie talk begins, as usual, at 7.30. On Wednesday evenings there are garden talks regularly from and 4YA, in each case at 7.30. The talks from 3YA are more occasional, and are given on .Monday evenings.