Life in the Garden

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 17, 26 October 1910, Page 38

Life in the Garden

Official Organ of rhe Rev/Zealand <sv/eet Pea Society and Auckland Horticultural Society; /

By

Veronica.

All communications for “Veronica” should be addressed to “Graphic" Office, Auckland. Secretaries of Horticultural Societ es are invited to send us short reports of their proceedings, and also any items of interest to Horticulturists. Photographs of Flowers, Fruit:, or Xew Vegetables, or Garden Scenes, will be welcomed.

SHOW DATES.

Schedules may be obtained on application to the Secretaries. Rose and Carnation Club’s Show, Wellington, at Town Hall, November 16. Auckland Horticultural Society.— Summer Show, Choral Hall, November 18 and 19. W. Wallace Bruee, Secretary, Swamson-street. Hobson Horticultural and Industrial Society— Annual Show, Aratapu, N. Wairoa, Saturday, November 19th, 1910. Napier Amateur Horticultural Society— Summer Show, November 23. Chrysanthemum Show, April, 1911. Hon. Secretary. ,1. G. H. Murdoch, P.O. Box 35, Napier. Masterton Horticultural Society. —Summer Show, November 23. Autumn Show, February —. 1911. Secretary, 11. M. Boddington, P.O. Box 23, Masterton. Featherstone. — November 24. Hamilton Horticultural Society.— Summer Show, November 24, 1910. Auckland Sweet Pea and Carnation Show, Choral Hall, December 1 and 2. W. W. Bruce, Secretary. National Sweet Pea Society of New Zealand, Palmerston North, December 7 and 8. E. A. Osmond, Secretary. Stratford. Wellington Rose and Carnation Club.— The Summer Show will be held in the Town Hall, Wellington, on Wednesday, December 14. Canterbury Horticultural SocietyRose Show, December —; Chrysanthemum Show, May —, 1911. Secretary, Miss E. Sneyd-Smith, Manchester Street, Christchurch. Kaponga Horticultural Society.— Annual Show, Athenaeum Hall. February 16,1911. L. H. Baigent, Hon. Secretary. Timaru Floral and Horticultural Society— Autumn Show, Olympia Hall, Timaru, February 16 and 17, 1911. — Hon. Secretary, James K. McDonald, Beverley Road. Eketahuna. — March 3, 1911.

SEEDS TO SOW THIS MONTH.

Vegetable. — Beet, Beans (French or Kidney, Dwarf and Runners), Carrot (main crop). Cucumbers, Celery, Lettuce, Melons (of all kinds), Parsley, Parsnip. Pumpkins, Peas (main crop), Radish. Spinach, Squashes, Turnips, \ egetable Marrow. Flower. — Acroelinium. Balsam, Celosias Cockscombs, Cosmos, Coleus, t entaureas, Dahlias, Godetias, Helichrysum, Ipomoea. Larkspur. Mignonette, Nasturtium. Ornamental Grasses, Phlox Drummondii, Poppies, Portulacca, Petunias, Sunflower, Sweet Peas, Zinnias. Plant Out— Cape Gooseberries, Cucumber Cabbage. Celery. Cauliflower, Kumeras, Lettuce, Leeks, Melons. Onions. Potatoes, Passion Fruit, Rhubarb, Sugar Corn, Tomatoes. Flower Roots.— Begonias, Gladiolus, Tuberoses. Flowering Plants.— All hardy and half-hardy sorts.

GENERAL GARDEN WORK. The Vegetable Garden. October is the busiest month of the year in the garden. All growing crops demand constant attention; weeding, thinning out, earthing up, and transplanting. Late crops of potatoes should be got in as early as possible, and those above ground should have the earth drawn towards the roots and sprayed once a fortnight. If rain falls soon after spraying has been done, the crop should be gone over again. All kinds of dwarf and tall French beans can be sown at intervals of ten days, or weekly when a constant supply is required. Choose a dry, sunny position for these crops, and have the ground well worked. Main crops of peas must be sown during the month, and earlier sowings, when ready, slightly moulded up and staked where necessary. Tomatoes and Cape gooseberries can be set out in well-prepared soil, giving the plants plenty of room. Kumeras may be transplanted about the

middle or end of this month. These may be set in rows or in hills five feet apart. Seeds of melons—water, rock, and pie—can be sown, also cucumbers, squashes, and pumpkins. Water and rock melons should have six feet of space between each hill, and pie melons, pumpkins, squashes, and marrows nine to ten feet. All of these crops like plenty of wellrotted manure. Cucumbers and melons raised under glass should be planted out in genial weather after being well hardened off. A good plan of getting these well started into growth after planting out, is to procure small boxes and knock out the top and bottom, placing a sheet of glass over - them. Slugs and snails are very troublesome; use shell lime, or

Rough on Slugs for their destruction. Larks are very destructive to young peas and other seeds just pushing through the soil. Scatter a few grains of poisoned wheat, which will thin them a little. The Flower Garden. In the flower garden, bedding plants must be got in their places as soon as possible. Begonias, gladioli, and other bulbs should be got in this month. Dahlias should be propagated by cuttings from the old roots. Where this cannot be undertaken, the old tubers may be divided—using the parts showing buds or eyes—and planted in the garden. Dahlias can also be successfully grown from seeds, which should be sown with out delay. Roses will benefit by a mulch; keep down green fly by syringing with Gishurst’s Compound or Nicotine Soap. Sweet peas are now advancing in growth. These should be staked or supported by some simple contrivance, and lightly tied with raffia till the tendrils get a good

hold. Carnations require attention to keep the slug pest down. Get ready stakes for supporting the Hower stems, and tie these up as soon as ready. Seeds of annuals of many kinds can be sown, not forgetting a patch of mignonette. Ornamental grasses are very useful for decorations, and a few varieties should be sown in every garden where cut Howers are in demand. Late flowering bouvardias should be pruned close, and any vacancies filled with new plants. Lawns require frequent mowings and also rolling. Walks and edgings kept clean and trim. Narcissus, which have finished flowering, must be left to ripen, and on no account should the foliage be cut till quite ripe.