THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 277, 20 November 1907, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

CBY HORTTJfU

[Hortns Iβ -n-Hling to answer any queries. Correspondents must give their real names Mid addresses, though not lor publication.]

HINTS. j Let the hydrangeas have all the water | they will take, borne of the older plants ! are already showing iic-wer-buds. Where j e.-rtra good blooms are looked for, mulch ! tbe beds with new stable litter and give j an occasional liquid manuring. C'oleus seedlings will , need pricking out. A glass-house is the best place for raising these showy-leaved plants. In the bushhouse achimines will hs starting. Keep the stock moving. By midsummer the plants will be covered,, with pretty blossoms. Flower seeds for the month :---Ainaranthus, asters, balsams, calliopsis, cockscombs, cosmos, dahlia, dianthus, escholt- j zia, marigold, phlox, portulacca, salpig- j lossis, sunflower, verbena, and zinnia. Gladiolus that have done flowering must be taken out of the ground quickly to prevent the new growth, which comes very quickly at this season. A short rest does the bulbs a lot of good. Peach and nectarine trees continue to divest gradually of their superfluous shoots and fruit, to give the trees every opportunity to form suitable young wood for next year's fruiting, and insure large fruit of superior quality. Fig trees growing must not be permitted to form and develop young shoots from the root or base above, excepting in instances where they are necessary to j furnish vacancies. Cut such back to their base and encourage the growth and fruiting of strong, short-jointed wood only. Let the large-flowered zinnias find a place among your seed orders. For big, blazy beds and borders this hardy annual is equal to anything known. Sow the seedd in a nursery bed, and transplant into flowering quarters when the seedlings are three inches nigh. Ivy clipped about this date quickly recuperates, or makes now leaves, more uniform in size, so as to produce neater facings, than if done at other seasons; besides, if cuppe- thus late, walls, etc., remain bare but a short time, and the old leaves, which fall about during the summer months, are removed, once for all. with the clippings. Hill up the bean rows. Where the climbing varieties are well forward get the stakes in position. Pole beans should always be sown in straight lines, so as to allow two stakes to be caught together and tied at the top. Run a light horizontal batten for extra. Let this rest in the fork made by the stakes at the point where they cross. Privet hedges neatly clip before the young shoots become too long, and in such manner a3 generally to cut the same-back to within two or three leaves of their base. Clematis growing against walls neatly train, and tack the young shoots now growing so freely securely to the same before they become entangled one in the other. Dwarf nasturtiums in various colours —-some with dark leaves— make showy beds or edgings in town districts. They may now be freely sown, and also succeed well when transplanted from store boxes into positions where they are intended to bloom. The Use of Lime. —Applications of lime must not be used alone. It proves highly beneficial when farmyard manure, green crops, or chemical fertilisers are also applied. Lime is not in itself a fertiliser, though it is a substance found in the structure of all plants, but it serves to hasten the chemical action of other organic and inorganic materials existing in soils, and thereby prepares the plant foods for better assimilation by plants, thus being a useful and indispensible assistant on nearly all soils. Conservatories containing flowering plants require constant supervision in the matter of shading, air-giving, and watering. It Bhould be borne in mind that besides maintaining plants in health, everything possible must be done to prolong the bloom display of such as are in flower. It is sheer folly to expend so much in bringing them to that stage, then by indifference to airing and shading them betimes in tha morning, maintaining a medium temperature, or permitting them to flag, owing to insufficient water at the root, hasten the dropping off or decay oi the blooms. It must not, moreover, be forgotten that by damping the floors, etc.. of such structures the excellence of the blooms and their lasting capability are materially assisted. TREE FERNS. It is not necessary to repot these every year; in fact, they will make considerable less stem growth—a decided advantage if the bush-house is not a very high one — and more compact fronds if repotting is of rare occurrence, but the drainage of the receptacles must be free. There will be no difficulty in ascertaining the exact condition of this if the pots are turned on their sides and the apertures at the base are cleared of soil. The plants may then be placed upright, and if water is given them, and it passes freely away, nothing further will be needed. It is good for tree ferns to have the entire length of stem thoroughly wetted several times during each day, and if time can be spared to do this the plant will repay you for the trouble involved. Begonias of the Rex type, and the usual run of small " stuff" grown here may now be advanced a stage by repotting if so desired, a free and open compost being used for the purpose. Don't run it through the sieve; the more vegetable matter, decayed and decaying, the better will it serve, and the more freely will it absorb and retain moisture once this has been supplied.