GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20887, 19 August 1939, Page 20 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

SEASONABLE WORK

(By " Nikau.”)

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Do not work the ground while it is sticky. In the case of sandy soils, both sowing and planting can be done now with fair prospects of success. Lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower and a row or two of early potatoes can be planted, and early peas sown. - ■ n tin next week or two, because they will soon begin to sprout and send up shoots. As soon as the soil is workable, turn in the crops of lupins and oats as green manure. No sowing or planting should be done for about six - s ul g ises resulting . >m tle decomposition will have time to escape. , drj da> to gi\ d ciduous fruit-tree a spraying with • : 5 or 6 gallons of water before the buds burst. If this spraying is properly done, it will check and even prevent leaf-curl on peaches. Finish pruning deciduous fruit-trees, and then, as a principle of garden hygiene, burn the twigs, branches and mummified fruits cut off. Continue planting fruit-trees; order lemon and orange-trees, and ask lor delivery at the end of August or early in September. FLOWERS Give the rose-beds a dressing of bone-flour and basic slag; if possible, dig in a good deal of farmyard manure. Plant hedges, roses, ornamental trees and shrubs and climbers. A list of climbers will appear shortly in these notes. Finish the pruning of roses, and continue that of hydrangeas. Instead of cutting back nearly all the hydrangeas hard, try the effect of removing every second shoot, and cutting back the remainder slightly, just above a strong pair of buds. Instead of making long, flowerless growths, most of the shoots will then bear from two to six heads of bloom.

ROSE CULTURE Last week Mr 11. 11. Bennett's talk ahout ros'fcs was thoroughly enjoyed jy members of the Hamilton Horticultural Society and a small attendance of the general public. The following are some of the points made by Mr Bennett in his talk. He had read plenty of books about rose culture, but he did not agree with all, or nearly all, of their teachings. For one thing, he believed in ligiiter pruning than is recommended in books. Again, he thought that the base of the bush (or crown) should be level with the surface, and not buried one or two inches, as recommended by some authorities. He cheered up some of his listeners by saying that lie had a medium or even a sandy soil, and did not consider a clay soil at all necessary for the production of champion roses. Thorough drainage was indispensable. So was deep cultivation. Mi Bennett recommended trenching and digging in plenty of stable manure, to supply food and also the humus that is generally lacking in our Waikato j soils. He had often put as much as ; four kerosene tins of rotted manure under a rose-bush. Before the plants were put in, they should be examined carefully. Any bruised or broken roots should be cut across cleanly, and the long roots shortened to about nine inches. As for pruning, newly planted roses should be cut back hard, but the climbing sport of such roses as Mme. Butterfly and Shot Silk should not be cut hard, otherwise they might refuse to make the strong growths whi-ch gave them the right to be called climbers. It was better to dig all the ground than to make merely a hole, as this would act as a sump in heavy soil and become water-logged. The holes should be large enough to take the roots when spread out; it was a good thing to have a little hill in the hole, so that the roots would point slightly downwards all round the plant. They should certainly not turn up theii toes 1 Pruning Five rose-bushes of different types were pruned by Mr Bennett in the course of the talk. He explained the removal of dead and diseased wood, sappy growths, crowded shoots, etc., and the pruning of the remainder. He pointed out that the chief object of pruning is to keep the busli young. Manures A mixture recommended by Mr Bennett was as follows: Sulphate of iron, one part: nitrate of potash, 10 [•arts; superphosphate, 12 parts; sulphate of magnesia, one part. He also mentioned Tonks’ manure,” the formula for which is almost the same* us that already given, except that it contains two parts of sulphate of magnesia (instead of one), and eight parts of sulphate of lime. Tonks’ manure, consisting of the five ingredients, is applied at the beginning of August, at the rate of about four ounces to the square yard (says another authority). The rose-beds should be limed every two years; Mr Bennett preferred shell lime to the ordinary rock lime for this purpose. Another point about manuring rosebeds was that lawn-mowings to the depth of an inch or two helped the roses wonderfully by adding humus and keeping the soil cool. Other points were: Firm planting necessary: making of cuttings from healthy wood with a ' heel” attached; lists of roses the same as supplied

for this column some time ago); ordering bushes early (as early as January, ; spraying with red oil for white scale, and with Black Leaf iO for aphis ' green fly"; ; the best time to prune is the last week in July and the flrst week in August; keeping seed.heads removed; stirring the soil often with the hoc: putting in cuttings in April or May and planting out 12 to la months later: points of exhibition , loses; diseases of roses. DWARF TREES AND SHRUBS Every year we see suburban gardens which have become overgrown with trees and shrubs. To avoid this danger, it is well that people planting new gardens should consider the usefulness of small-growing trees and shrubs. The following list may be helpful in this connection: Adenandra uniflora, starry white flowers and scented foliage; various Banksias: various barberries; Acacia Drummondii, a dwarf and beautiful species ol' wattle; Callicarpa; Geratostigma; Cupliea; various heaths, such as Erica melanthera, E. cavendishiana (long yellow tubular flowers), E. liybrida. E. cruenta, and E. wilmoreana; Boronia inegastigma, a favourite scented 1 plant; Daphne rubra, a universal favourite, but needing a moist, welldrained soil; Andromeda or Pieris, flowers like those of a heath or lily-of-the-valley; various dwarf rhododendrons, very suitable for rockeries and the front of a shrubbery; deciduous azaleas such as A. mollis, and also some of the Japanese varieties; . Bouvardia, needs protection from frost; Diosina ericoides ("Breath of Heaven") ; Eriostemon, with starry, white flowers and scented foliage; ! Enkianlhus, with little white flowers (like those of lily-of-the-valley) and | foliage which turns a wonderful red . in autumn; various brooms; hydrangeas, such as Parzival, Lancelot, ; Helge, Elmar, Domotoi (double) and Coquelicot; various cotoneasters; certain Japanese maples; Spiraeas such as Anthony Waterer. Various dwarf conifers must also be considered. Many types occur, such as dwarf forms of Lawson’s , cypress, juniper, Retinospora, and i Thuya. An alpine totara (Podocar- ; pus nivalis) is a dwarf shrub suitable , for a rockery. , Our dwarf veronicas must be rei membered; most of them look best on a rockery, but they are also suitable for planting beside the paths in a formal garden. The gaultherias arc also dwarf; they are well worth growing on rockeries because of their . berries. The rama-rama is another ( line native shrub of moderate growth. The leaves are wonderfully beautiful, ( being shiny and crimped. Various olearias and senecios are also dwarf; two of the best are Olearia Haastii ' and Senecio Greyii. VARIEGATED FOLIAGE The claims of trees with variegated leaves should be remembered at planting time —that is now. Different native trees and shrubs have wonderfully beautiful foliage. ' Examples are: Various species of j Coprosnia. one species of broadleaf ; (Griselinia), one of karaka, different ; forms of flax and cabbage-tree, Vero- ; niea, Hoheria (ribbon-wood), kawa- ’ kawa (Macropiper), and various pittosporums. Many of these native > plants are more beautiful than the 1 variegated plants from other lands. * Some of the latter plants are: Aucuba, hydrangea, abutilon. various . cypresses and other conifers, Euonymus, holly 'both silvery and golden), ; elder, yew, Canadian maple, negundo. Japanese maple, alder, aralia. cornus dogwood), boxwood, Spiraea. Osmanthus, myrtle, ash and privet. Most of these prefer a sunny position, but boxwood, aucuba and hydrangeas thrive in partial shade. Perhaps the best of all the variegated trees is our native broadleaf.