HOME GARDENS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 72, 5 December 1949, Page 7

HOME GARDENS

(By J. S. Yeates, Massey AgricuD tural College)

The flower of. the month is undoubtedly the rose, and advantage is taken of this opportunity to give a few hints on the management of these plants. First of all. anyone who intends to grow a few—or many—roses should try to see as many named varieties as possible while they are in bloom. Descriptions in catalogues are too vague, and the person who intends growing them is the right one to choose them. Any of the rose trial grounds—such as that at Massey College—is an excellent place to visit just now even if you do not intend to choose new varieties. Failing a trial ground, a rose nursery is the best place to browse around and decide what you would like to grow. y

The ordering of roses is best done from a nursery at about this time, because orders accumulate . when people see the plants in flower; if you leave ordering until the autumn you may not be able to get some of the varieties of your choice. The soil for roses is preferably a fairly heavy silt or clay. It needs to have moderately good drainage, though actually the heavier types drain only slowly even where mole cr tile drains are provided underneath. To help in drainage a good supply of manure or turf, buried down to a depth of about a foot is a great help. The organic matter not only helps drainage, but in addition it holds water in the summers. Roses are gross feeds which remain in place for a number of years; so it is well worth while burying plenty of stock manure When preparing a new bed. Light soils will grow roses, but need rich manuring for best results. Roses do better on an acid soil. Do not lime the beds unless you are very sure of the wisdom of such a step. For fertiliser, as safe thing is to use a complete one including phosphate, potash, and some form of nitrogen such as blood and bone or ammonium sulphate. Trials at Massey College have shown that the number of flowers is closely related to the amount of nitrogenous fertiliser given the plants. Routine in the Flower Garden There is a good deal of routine work to be done in the flower garden at this season. The fine sunny week-ends should be used if possible for weeding because when soil and air are dry is the best chance to kill weeds completely. So keep the hoe going wherever there are weeds to be seen.

Any summer bedding plants should be planted at the first opportunity—but do not do the job during a spell of hot dry weather if you can possibly postpone it. The young plants which are set out are usually all the better for having the tips pinched out. If plants are the least bit leggy or running to flower on a single stem as my moxes of antirrhinums were, a lazy way is trim all the tops off in the box with the hedge clippers.

Carnation plants in particular are usually much better for this sort of pinching back.

The, spring flowering bulbs —tulips, hyacinths and daffodils can be lifted as soon as their tops turn colour and dry off. Tulips are usually lifted every year. Cut the tops off and store the tulip bulbs in a cool place (under 65’F. if possible) as soon as they have been dried off on the surface of the bulbs. Under an iron roof is a hot . place. Under a shady tree is better. Daffodils are better not lifted every year but every two or three years it is usually necessary. They can be stored like tulips but are better planted fairly soon if you have the situation ready. They should be planted with about four inches of soil above the bulb.

Hyacinths need more care in handling. Do not lift until the foliage dies right back. Then dig all roots if possible, and place without bruising in a single layer in a seed tray. Cover them with sand and leave in a cool dry place for about a month. They can then be taken out of the sand, the roots rubbed off, and stored in boxes in a cool spot until planting. Vegetable Garden Asparagus cutting should now stop for the year, and any further shoots allowed to grow to ensure future crops. The sowing of seed for winter crops should be done at once —parsnip, carrot, Brussels sprouts, silver beet, cauliflower and broccoli.

Beetle Attacks Small Apples Many small apples just beginning to ripen have been damaged by a small brown beetle, which has made its appearance in the Bay of Plenty in the last couple of years. They have not been identified all over the district but have been more prevalent in the eastern part of the Bay. No treatment is known but apple trees sprayed with a mixture of arsenate of lead and black leaf 40 and DD.T. solutions have been found. to be effective.