GARDEN NOTES

Chronicle (Levin), 12 July 1946, Page 8

GARDEN NOTES

"Ngaio.")

(By

, The flrst weelc of the new gardening year came in badly in many parts of the country with cold winds and wet weather, but now that the shortest dav is well behind us we will soon see that the garden realises that fact and growth will become obvious. The so-called "slack-time" is very short and never seerns long enough to do all the routine tidying up jobs, but these must be iinished off now as soon as x^ossible or the gardener will get badly "eaught" with the new season's taslcs piling up on top of him. Hedges should be trimmed at once if not already attended to. Most hedges in small gardens should be clipped twice a year to keep them in good order. Lonicera Nitida, wKicli is now so popular, is an example. The young growth of this plant is so soft and easy to eut that it is no trouble at all to shorten it in the early summer after the rush of spring growth and again in the autumn or winter. ICept well in order lonicera makes a most satisfactory hedge and provides a dense wall of shelter in a very pleasing shade of green. Another advantage of lonicera is that it is not a "robber" in the way that privet is, and flower borders near it do not suffer undulv from its ots. In country districts oue often sees macroearpa hedges ruined by too drastlc a#cutting. Often pressure of farm work causes hedge-cutting to be postponed and tlien someone comes along and gives the hedge a hard cut back, removing all the green growth. This is fatal to its appearance as it ■ will not shoot again from the wood and will look very gly indeed — always leave some green on when trinuning macroearpa. Flanting time for this hedge i.s later than usual and if a new oue is being planued October will be soon enougli. Pruning hydrangeas should be done this month and then they will be iinished with and out of the way before it is time to taekle the roses. Take some of the old wood right out from the base of the plant each year to let sun and air in and eneourage the growth of new shoots. Remove any weak, spindly, green growths which often appear but are not of any consequenee. In dealing with the remaining stems, chose which have . -flowered during the jjast season should be cut back fcwo-thirds of their length, The ones which have not flowered will have a bud on the end wliicli. will produce oue bloom next seas'on. If these shoots are cut back one-tkird of their length they will branch out and produce two blooms. If a good- succession of blooms is wanted, it is a good plan to cut some of tliese shoots and leave the terminal bud on otliers — this bud will flovver first and the ones which have been cut will come on later. In districts subjeet to heavy frosts or in exposed jilaces, it is advisable not to leave any of these terminal buds as they ma}^ become damaged by weather and then your bloom is. lost for the season; the check given when cutting back is done dejays the' growth until danger is past. As soon as hydrangeas are pruned they should be fed and treated for colour in the coiiiing season. Anv mulching material given them last summer should be fovVed in and then a good dressing of liine given to pink and red shades and sulphate of iron to eneourage the blues and purples, but this should not be applied as lieavily as the lime. Both the lime and the iron can be left on the prieked up surface where the rain will wash it in by degrees.