HOME GARDENS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 29, 3 May 1950, Page 3

HOME GARDENS

(By J. S. Yeates, Massey Agricultural College)

THE NEW GARDEN A certain small percentage of people at any one time are concerned with starting a garden on new ground, usually around a new house. These gardeners may be small as a percentage,, but they are very keenly interested in the problems involved. A few hints are given today.

First of all, it is a good thing to seek the advice of a competent landscape gardener who will look over the area and draw a plan for you. Like employing an architect when building a house, the assistance of a good landscape gardener can not only give you a much better result, but in the long run is likely to save your money. The experienced who has planned the layout for a number of houses, has long ago found most of the pitfalls which the beginner is likely to fall into. Armed with bis plan, the owner can usually go ahead, doing most of the work himself, but backed by skilled advice.

Pitfails For Amateurs

If you decide to do the whole job without specialist advice, there are many mistakes you can make, but a few of them are particularly common and annoying. For instance concrete paths or drives can be a terrible nuisahce in mowing a lawn, unless they are practically level! with the lawn. That is. particularly true when using a wheel type of mower,but if the concrete is higher than the lawn, then difficulty will be experienced with any type of mower. Concrete or brick walls or steps are often used between two levels of a garden. Lawn-mowing around their bases can be very difficult Sunless they have a brick or concrete base, at lawn level and extending out four or five inches. This is about the closest you can safely cut up to a wall, because the blades of a mower do not extend right to its outside edges. Preparation For Planting Shrubs The gpeat planting season is almost on us. Not only those who are planting new gardens, but everyone who to put out shrubs, trees or even perennial flowering plants, should see that the soil is prepared as soon as possible. It may be that you have ground that is good, deep, rich and already cultivated. If so, you are very lucky. To all others I would say dig the ground, put in plenty of rotted organic matter, like compost, mix some fertiliser thoroughly in, and level the ground over in readiness for planting.

Eradicate Perennial Weeds

It is a very great mistake to plant any trees, shrubs or perennial plants in ground which is already infested with perennial weeds such as couch grass, convolvulus, oxalis (shamrock), or sorrel. Once these weeds are established in a planted bed it is almost impossible to eradicate them thoroughly, because you must not fork them out from the roots of your plants. You will be faced with years of trouble, and as soon as you ease up for a few weeks will be as bad as ever. It is much better to wait for a year before planting, and in the meantime to clear out the weeds thoroughly. It is time to give a thought to planting of all sorts of annual's, perennials, and shrubs. By planning a 4 few weeks ahead you can usually do better than by making a sudden decision. So look over your ground and decide What £o plant and where. The summer and autumn bedding plants will be due for removal very shortly and this will have quite a bit of room. Most gardeners have dug their potatoes, and any still in the ground should be taken up for storage. Any old crops should be cleared away if they are finished with, sweet corn, tomatoes, peas, and the like. Cabbages and cauliflowers for spring use may be planted out. They must be in good fertile soil and well fed with nitrogenous manure to keep them growing in the colder weather ahead. A row of broad beans may be planted. Thin out any late sown crops like turnips and carrots. Some people advise sowing more carrots now, but a good rich warm soil and a warm autumn and winter are necessary, or they do not reach any good size before they run to seed jn the spring.