GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2652, 24 December 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.").

DAHLIAS. : Cactus and other dahlias 'have reached the stage when't'hey require quantities of water. If you havo a hose, turn it on, and let the water run over tlio roots of tho dahlias lor an hour at a time. The plants will appreciate lacing sprayed with clean water in. the evening after a hot , or dusty May. If the plants Were .put into rich; well-worked ground they will not need liquid manure yet. An abundance of water will satisfy them for the present. I don't 'mean that you should bo constantly watering them. The groiuid should be thoroughly saturated at one watering, and the plants should receive no further watering, with the exception of the overhead sprinkling, until the ground begins to get dry again. • The plants should then liave another liberal supply of water. Those who are obliged to water with, a'watering can should take the plants in turn, seeing that each plant receives about threo cans full at each, watering. Dahlias dislike firm soil about them. Tho ground should therefore be kept quite loose with the hop. A good mulch of well-rotted stable manure may be placed Tound dahlias after they iliavc been thoroughly watered. All side shoots should be rubbed out as soon as they appear, and a littlo disbudding should bo practiced. Tho main branches should be tied to stakes as they grow, as dahlias are very brittle and are easily broken down. Cactus dahlias nro very beautiful, and nro splendid for tlie house if, as soon as the flowers aro cut, tho ends of the stems are nllowed to stand in hot water for a few minutes before tlio flowers are arranged in the vases. If the plants arc well treated with regard to' food and war ter, the stalks aro long, and the flowers well formed and pure in colour. The single and collarette dahlias are also good for cutting. All dahlias are very showy in the garden, and are well ,worth the trouble spent on them; ROUTINE WORK. ' ' X very accessary but very pleasant part of garden' work at present is keeping the flowers picked to prevent the plants forming seed pods. In a well-filled garden this is quite a business, but during the war, when out flowers can be--turned into money to help our soldiers, one feels that the time is only too well spent in growing plenty of -flowers for cutting and giving to those who. sell them for patriotic purposes. . . As soon as a plant has finished flowering it should be'eut back or, in the caso of annuals, rooted up, and its place taken by something that will flo\ver later on. Such, things as French and African marigolds, phlox drummondi, and annual gypsophiln may bo sown at intervals till the end of January. Mignonette may be sown at'any time. One cannot havo too •• much of it in the garden. ' All of these will give a good display of flowers when the spring-sown annuals are over. , Violets should be carefully watched for . red spider. During 'dry weather, if the. leaves are not kept clean and free from dust, this pest soon attacks' them. As a watched for, it is not noticedtill it has a. good hold-of the plants. Violet plants should be kept .well syringed with! clean water, care being iaken to keep the underside of the leaves well washed. Not moro than threo or four-runners, should be allowed to each , plant. - These should be pegged down to make roots for themselves.. The soil. about the plants should be kept well • stirred. . To secure early flowering it is neoessary to see that our plants are making good growth now. Princess of Wales, the large purple violet, needs very careful watching, as it Beems to be more susceptible to attacks of red spider than others-. Small green caterpillars aro already at work on many plants. They aro easily detected because they fold a leaf over where they aro at work. Just squcezo the leaf with the fingers ■ quickly." Greenfly comes again, and again.'' Tho trouble is that so many weeds and wild things are .attacked by it, and the insects are left there unnoticed to multiply and spread into our gardens. Spraying with Sunlight soap wash. regularly.' will 'keep the plants clean'.' Flowering',shrubs Such as lilac, early, ' rhododendrons, t mock orange, etc.,-should have shoots that have borne 'flowers cut back a little. In'the case of rhododendrons the dead flower .heads should be gently screwed off, Attending to the cutting back of these flowering shrubs helps to secure a plentiful supply of flowers next season. Daphnes'growing in" hot, dry. situations should be well watered, and should then have a mulch of : somo old .litter spread round them. It is. most important that daphiies. should havo a cool rtfot run nt all times. '. Rhododendrons' .and azaleas should also receive this attention. Rhododendrons are splendid flowering shrubs to grow.. One .of their . greatest charms is. that they are evergreen,, and so are always beautiful. There are such numbers of varieties, both early and late, that one can have rhododendrons 'in flower over quite an extended period."'. VEGETABLES. As soon as tho first three bunches of flowers havo set and formed fruit, tomato plants should be stopped by nipping off the top of the shoot. By restricting the number pf bunches of fruit each plant is to bear, we get larger and finer fruit than if the plants, are allowed to go on' bearing. Keep all" lateral shoots pinched out, but don t cut oft' any leaves yet. Keep the ground well cultivated. Liquid manure may bo given, vory'weak at first, as soon as tho fruit has set. Tie tho plants to their stakes as they grow. ONIONS. Keen- onions well weeded, and the soil between the rows well hoed. Old soot may'with advantage bo frequently hoed in. Onions for salads may bo sown for succession. Thin out the seedlings to about an inch apart, and keep them well 'hoed. - — SALADS. Lettuces and radishes should be sown at rogitlar intervals to keep up tho supply of 6alads that aro so acceptable during the summer. These crops must be grown quickly to be nice. In sowing seed in dry weather certain precautions must be taken or the resultant orops will run:' to seed- instead of- developing into edible vegetables. Tlie seed ; should if possible be sown in the shade, and the ground must be thoroughly drenched with water ~some hours before the sowing takes place. If sand can bo mixed with the soil . so much the better. The seeds should bo iust covered With fine soil, awl should then bo covered vritli some', light litter- .such as the dry haulm of . peas, or a scattering of dry grass stalks, till the seedlings aro up. The soil must bo kept uiiiformly moist from the -timo the seeds are sown till the seedlings are ready to bo put out. Even then the seedlings should bo kept well watered till they are established and begin to grow.' Then the hoo comes into use, aud daily hoeing makes tho crops grow quickly. . RUNNER BEANS. One of the disadvantages of this delicious and useful' vegetable is that, if it is well grown, it grows too high for tho beans to bo easily picked.- To prevent this the tops of the vines should be pinched off as soon as they are two or "threo feet high. Laterals will then be produced, and these will also have to bo pinched if they show signs of growing too high. Runner beans soon, cover a wiro netting fence, and make a nice screon for shading any -vegetables that require shade during a portion of the day. ' Pumpkins, marrows, melons, .-and cu.cumbers' that are growing freely only 'need an occasional good watering. Tho plants sOon show when they need water. Too frequent watering is apt to make tho soil sour. The big leaves like to be syringed isith clear water at the end of a hot, dry day. This washes all tho dust oil', and allows tho' leaves to take full advantage of any,dew or moisture in tho atmosphere during : the night. Melons want all tlio sun and. heat they, can get to develop and ripen the fruit. If they aro growing in an exposed place, a litlie fence of-manuka brush, about eighteen inches high, placed round tho plants ' protects them - wonderfully. , ■ Gurden.'. notes next week .will contain seasonable notes about:— I Tritomns or Torch lilies, Hydrangeas, and vegetables.