GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2570, 18 September 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(Br "Kowsai."),

These notes are written solely for the "amateur gardener, for the busy eitj; man who' likes to spend an hour or two in the ffiu'den after being shut up all day, tor the woman who derives great pleasure Irom growing a few • plants to brighten Her home, but to whom it would be a weariness to study garden books, and for 0.11 thoso who are endeavouring to Ke«P » tmall garden bright and attractive all th® year round. To these I say do not attempt to grow too much. Choose what plants you want for your garden and lor supplying, tho house with out flowers, and whatever you decide upon grow the best of its kind that is to bo obtained. Headers are invited to ask questions.

ANSWEB-S TO CORRESPONDENTS, M. E.'Quarrio, Wellington S„ writes;— "Would you kindly mention the proper' treatment of the paeony? I havo several roots in my garden which havo not flowered since 1 planted them three yoars ago?" ...

Paeonies require a rich, deeply-dug soil. They will grow in poor soil, but will not flower satisfactorily. The soil should be dug to a depth of two feet, and should have plenty of well-rotted cow manure added to it. Heavy soil requires also the addition of sand. Paeonies dislike disturbance, and should therefore, after the first year, be fed from abov.e by placing round the roots a mulch. Composed, of well-rotted manure and good loam, mixed.' During summer they require an occasional soaking of water, followed by an application of weak liquid manure. As soon as the clumps become too big they should bo lifted, divided,-and replanted in now and richly-manured soil. "F.M.W.," Grant Road, writes:—"Your garden notes every week have been such a help to me that I thought J. would send you a sample of a blight which attacked iny garden about a year ago, and which I have not been able to get rid of yet. I gave a top-dressing .of lime and soot this winter. It particularly attacked rose 3, grass, violets, and azaleas, and a number of bulbs. I enclose a sample. I am now trying your recipe for spraying with sunlight soap." v

Pick off and burn all leaves that are attacked. I should dig up and burn .any plants and bulbs that are badly diseased. It is better to sacrifioe them now than to keep them and have them infecting fhe rest of the garden. You require a stronger wash than the'sunlight soap. Get some sulphide of potassium and' dissolve one ounce in-hot water. Then add cold water to make five gallons; Syringe your plants with this solution frequently during spring and summer. .1 should keep tho grass well cut. Burn the clippings, . and use the ash for top-dressing the soil. "' f '■ DAHLIAS, Dahlia tubers that have been 6tored all the winter should now be brought out, and induced to, sprout. To do this, plant them in a spare part of the garden, and keep the soil moist. They will soon throw out strong young shoots that are to make the plants for the coming summer and autumn. The shoots may be used either to form cuttings, or they may be 'taken away from the old tubers by taking a gooi slice of tuber each shoot. It is" a mistake to plant too much of the old tuber, as new roots and tubers form £0 quickly. The best plan for amateurs is to take. a shoot and a good slice of the tuber attached ; to it. Cuttings produce' the best 6how flowers, but they really Tequire a little artificial heat to make them root quiokly. The ground where' dahlias are to be grown should .be very deeply dug,' and. it cannot be too rich. Cow manure is the ideal manure for dahlias, but where this cannot be had plenty of decayed vegetable rubbish should be worked into the soil, and a good dressing of bonedust. When tho plants begin to grow, if they throw up soveral shoots, it is best to allow only two to grow, and preferably these should be outside one 9. Keep the soil loose round the plants always, as they very much- dislike firm soil about them. Once they begin flowering, dahlias require a plentiful supply of water and liquid manure. ■ The best varieties for general purposes are tho cactus, the single, and the collarette dahlias. All of these are easily raised from seed, and many beautiful colours are thus obtained. Seed should be sown how in pans.

Dahlias are such useful plants for garden and house decoration that : a place should be found for them in every garden. They flower all through the summer and autumn, and right on- till winter frosts cut them down.. They provide such a supply of beautiful flowera over a long period that they are well worth a little oultural trouble.

EYDEANGEAS. To keep tho flowers of the hydrangea, (lmt beautiful pale bluo colour thiit is so much admired, tho plants should be watered in spring with alum water. Dissolve ono tablespoonful in 0110 gallon of rain wator, and thoroughly soak the roots of the bushes onco a week witli the solution. ROUTINE WORK. Keep all iiowcr borders frco from weeds, and tho soil well stirred. ICeop a sharp look-out for green-fly. It soon makes its appearanco on the young shoots of roses. Syringo with sunlight soap solution to prevent its appearance. Prevention is tetter than cure. Hoses may now be given a little fertiliser. Guano is a good all-round ono, and is fairly quick in action. Apply at tho rato of loz to tho square yard. Manuro should on no account bo given to roses that woro planted this year. Hoses cannot absorb manure until they havo made a good supply of new fibrous rosts. This they have scarcely yet had timo to do. Nail up climbing roses and cut out old wood if .this has not already been done. Young chrysanthemums should bo planted out. In districts that are subject to summer droughts it is important to have tho young chrysanthemums . well 1 established beforo the dry weather sets in. Tho sooner they are planted out now, therefore, the better. Scabious, antirrhinums, carnations, aquilegias, ixias, Colvillei gladioli require- staking now to protect them against heavy ■ winds. Birds are very fond of tho young points of carnations. The bushes should bo protected, with black cotton.

'See that sweet peas are crowing up their supports. Koep the plants free from woods. Chickwoed is apt to be trouble-, sonio among l peas, and sooii • runs up among the vines. Give a dressing of lime to the ground round the roots. Keep the surface well stirred with the hoe. Arums should be given doses of weak soot water, and hyacinths doses of weak liquid, manure. Azaleas should be fed witn doses of . weak soot water. Perennials that have not yet been lifted and divided should be attended to "without delay. Sow seeds of dahlias (cactus and collarette), antirrhinums, stock (ten-week and Early,Brompton), aquilegjas, salvia splondens, scabious, petunias, delphiniums, cosmos, and asters in seed-pans for transplanting later on.

; VEGETABLES. . .Sow tomato seed in pans. , Push on with the solving of 6eods in the vegetable garden. Parsnips 6hould bo sown before dry weather sets m. The planting of late potatoes may now be proceeded with. Do not plant' the sets too deep' as tWy require warmth from the sun to develop them. Potato sets should be surrounded by fine'loose earth that their roots can quickly penetrate. The old plan of dropping a potato into a hole made with a stick simply meant surrounding the set with a hard wall of soil that was most uncongenial to the new roots.

Occasional showers followed.by high winds soon cake the soil. The hoe should be in daily, use, except when tho ..soil is wet. At this time of, the year the growth of vegetables is incredible when they ! are hoed daily. Liquid manure should be given to cabbages, cauliflowers, and lettuces that are coming on, after a shower of rain, or after a good watering, or nitrate,of soda may be sprinkled round their roots (loz. to the one-yard run), and left for the rain to wash in, or it may be hoed in to the surface-soil. , _ ... . Keep short horn carrots well thinned out. ". , '•..... Attend to the staking of peas -and beans, and give both a dressing of limo, afterwards hoeing it in. . ■ TOMATOES.. ' The ground for tomato plants should be thoroughly dug'now. The soil should bo drained, and a sunny position is absolutely 'essential. Early in the winter it was recommended that' a crop for green: manure should' be sown on the tomato garden.' If this were done the crop should now be turned well in.-' A little superphosphate may be sprinkled over tho ground after digging. Before putting out the young plants fork over the surface of the soil again. ThereJs nothing to be' gamed by put-tin"-'out plants too 1 , soon, wliero there is danger of frost. Provided ,j»u raisa strong seedlings thay will soon' como 011 if planted out when all danger of frost i's over.

"Garden Notes" next week will contain seasonable notes about Michaelmas daisies, gladioli, and vegetables.