GARDEN NOTES SEASONABLE WORK

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21417, 10 May 1941, Page 14

GARDEN NOTES SEASONABLE WORK

(By “ Nikau.”)

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Plant winter rhubarb, cauliflower, shallots, cabbage, silver beet, herbs (thyme, mint, sage, chives ; garlic end perpetual onions), and a hardy lettuce such as All the Year Round. Sow broad beans, yellow turnips, parsley and silver beet. If the soil is well drained and the position somewhat sheltered, sow onion, stump-rooted carrot and peas. Clear away spent crops such as marrow, pumpkin, melon, squash, maize, cucumber, tomato, lettuce and beans. If the ground thus cleared and freed is not needed for the sowing and planting mentioned above, sow either lupins or oats for green manure. Weed and thin the autumn-sown carrots, turnips and silver beet. Weed and loosen the soil slightly around young onions. Cut down asparagus tops and sweep away the seeds. Top-dressing with farmyard manure and compost is better left until July and even August, otherwise much of the manure will be washed out by the winter rains before the plants can use it. ,Vhen cutting down runner beans, remember that in this province they are perennials, and a good strain can be kept for ten years and more. On the other hand, if the strain is a poor one, root the plants out no\y and burn them. iave seed of various kinds of beans, both dwarf and climbing. Take care to keep the two types separate, though there is no harm in mixing together a number of dwarf kinds. A'hen properly dried, pumpkin, cucumber, tomato and other seeds will need to be kept in mouse-proof holders. Tins with little airholes pierced in them are ideal for the purpose. Examine onions, potatoes, marrows, pie melons, pumpkins and other vegetables in store. Lift kumaras; they must be thoroughly dried for a week in a frostproof shed before being stored in any way, otherwise they will “ sweat ” and rot in a few days. Plant strawberries, also various kinds of fruit-trees. Lists of good kinds will be given later. FLOWERS Weed the various bedding-plants such as anemone, ranunculus, stock, calendula, pansy, viola, primula and Iceland poppy. Also dust a little blood-and-bone or superphosphate around them. Sow lawns, if the soil has been properly prepared, otherwise wait until August. Put in cuttings of hard-wooded plants, especially roses and deciduous shrubs such as Diervilla (Weigela), Forsythia and flowering currant. Plant more of the bedding-plants mentioned above, unless the garden is very exposed. Save seed of salvia and of the best French and African marigolds. The autumn leaves raked up should be kept for manure, but, because of disease, the leaves of apple and other fruit trees should be burnt. Plant hedges; the best for town gardens is Abelia, but other good ones are Escallonia pendula and E. macrantha. Before it is too late, plant tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, lachenalias and other bulbs* Cut down dahlias to within a foot of the ground. They can be lifted in a fortnight and replanted in a dry part of the vegetable garden while their bed is dug, manured with fertiliser and sowq with lupins or oats.

AUTUMN TINTS We have not space to deal fully with the many trees and shrubs showing fine autumn tints, but mention must be made of a few. Perha*?s the finest of the golden type is the maiden-hair tree (ginkgo biloba or salisburia adiantifoila). There is a wonderful specimen of it in a garden in Piako Street, Claudelands. As for scarlets and reds, the showiest plant at present is phus succedanea. Unfortunately several of the rhus family give rise to skin disorders, and it is wise to treat them all with suspicion. The only species that seems safe is the smoke-tree (rhus cotinus). The worst of the family is the poison-ivy (rhus toxicodendron), but fortunately it is rarely planted in New Zealand. Indeed, the time will probably come when it will be an offence to plant this species. The Chinese Lacquer Tree (rhus vernicifera; is also dangerous, and has caused at least one serious case of skin-poisoning in the last few weeks in Hamilton. Some of the finest autumn-tinted trees are the scarlet oak (quercus coccinea) and various red oaks, especially quercus palustris, known as the American pin-oak. There are tine specimens of these oaks in River Road x in Memorial Park, in the High School grounds, and in many private gardens of Hamilton. There is another red oak (quercus rubra), but it often has a seared look, as if the red leaves had been scorched. The liquidambers are very beautiful, too, with shades of yellow, red and deep purple. Unfortunately they are like the oak trees in being too \ igorous for ordinary town gardens. A tribute must be paid to the various poplars and birches for their wealth of autumn gold, but this is scattered all too soon by the winds. OATS AND BIRDS Birds have played havoc with the oats sown lately for green manure, though they seemed to leave the early sewings alone. Stretching strands of black cotton across the

OUT OF SEASON Many anomalies have been noticed i lately in local gardens. For example, the early yellow narcissi are opening their flowers, while French and African marigolds, dahlias and even annual asters are still in bloom. ; Daphne, iris stylosa, purple violets, ! . polyanthus and other primroses are j also in bloom. Still more out of season, however, are bushes of 1 azalea mollis and a spring-flowering j ; rhododendron now showing a good deal of bloom. Apple trees, too, have had flowers in the last month, but this often happens if a dry autumn spell is followed by rain. GARDEN PEAS ; In ordinary gardens with good drainage it is advisable now to sow : peas for an early crop. The usual advice is to sow a drarf variety, such • | as William Hurst, Richard Seddon, American Wonder, English Wonder. ; Great success is often attained with : Green Feast, however, and some gardeners even plant the giant [ varieties such as Gladstone and Duke ; of Albany, though these are more , suitable for summer culture. Even i if the wdarf varieties are grown, they : ! should be staked early, as this will • j keep them healthy. , The danger from birds is great, ? I because food for them is getting ; | scarce again. Black cotton stretched . j along the rows will protect tjie : plants, but small-meshed netting is | even better. A good plan to protect the seeds is to damp them slightly [ and then dust them with red lead. As the plants have to stand the » severity of winter, the sowing should be fairly thick, and two rows should ; be planted about a foot apart, thus • affording protection for each other. plot is hardly practicable, because of cats and dogs. It is therefore necessary to damp the seed and : sprinkle it with powdered red lead , just before sowing. An alternative ; is to moisten the seed with turpen- ; tine or kerosene in order to make it : unpalatable to birds.