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GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.")

FREESIAJ3. Freesias are ainong tho most charmins of the oarly spring rtowcrs. By planting at different times and in different ways, one may have them in bkiom for quite a long time. Coming, as they do, during the dull days of winter, they are especially Welcome. WTiero pots of freestaa are wanted for the winter for rooms and verandahs, bulbs should be planted ana started into growth dot. . Tho bulbs of tho old frceßia refracta alba are bo chcap tlia-t they aye \sithui thu reach of everyone and <in incredible amount, of pleasure may be derived from n. boxful of this old variety. . Tho hybridß are wonderfully interesting and very beautiful, oomprialng, as they do such delicate shades of pint, lavender, primrose, ete. Freesias may be grown in the opon border, in boxes or pots on a sunny verandah, and in pots bowls iu a sunny window. In tho pardon freesias like a lißht sandy soil, cnnched -with •well-rotted manure, or thoroughly decayed vegetable rubbish or leal-mould, and a little boneduat. The bnlba should be placed iu a lirra bed, and should be inif on a layer of sand. There should be one inch of soil above them when plant, iuc is'finished. Jteroßene tins' cut m half and <painted dark preen, are very suitable for growing freesias in. Make plenty of holes in the bottom of the tins and iput in a good layer of broken pieces ot pot or aomn pebbles for dramace. The soil should consist of a mixture of good garden Boil, sand, and rotted manure, or decayed vegetable rubbish. Mix these jngreients thoroughly together with the hands before filling the tins or pots. Tho bulbs should be planted fairly .deep, and they should be one inch apart each- way. Give the pots a good watering, and bury them iip to their rims in a bed of "wood ashes in a shady place. This will givo-the bulbs a chance to make good roots before top growth bej"•ins. Freesias must have a. long period of growth before tho flowering season; therefore early planting is most necessary. To ensure good-flowers plant large well-ripened bulbs. Ab soon aB growth begins jreesias require plenty of sunshine and plenty of water, especially soot water.

: I THE SOIL MULCH/. In many parts of New Zealand it is impossible to keep plants growing vigorou6ly (luring the summer months -without a- mulcii of some sort. Mulohcs take various forms. In the countiy gardeners can surround their "plants with-a jnulcn °r well-rotted animal manure-a mulch that provides not only protection for the roots, but also food for tho plants. In Hubur* ban gardens mulches tako the form of decayed vegetation, grasß clippings, or road scrapings. But city gardeners who have only a tiny piece of ground to garden in ftnd. it hard to obtain materials for ft mulch. Even a hoi© for storing and rotting down weeds, etc.. is put of tha question, for ground is far too precious to be thus used. And so. as one walks along tho streets and peeps over fcncefl, one sees, in one gnrdsn after another, plants struggling to live with their roots shut up in hard Bun-baked boii. Occasionally an clMoo-welcome shower of rain falls. Leaves and stems are refreshed and cleansed, 'but the roots, nt.rucrHb- as' thev may,, raniiot reach the life-giving- moisture. Tho Tain, instead of penetrating to them, runs off the hard surface of tho garden, and is lost down the nearest drain. What a wo3te! And yet, with the aid of one garden tool and the expenditure of little energy, every, gardener, no matter .where lie lives, has •within his reach at all times «. perfect mulch—the soil mulch; What is 0/ soil mulch? It is simply tho surface soil kept loose, powdered, and dry by persistent hoeing. When, will people learn the inestimable "value of the liocr-not as a weed destroyer, but as a means.of giving to plants life, health, and comfort? By hooping a loose-, fine 'surface to the garden soil, we .prevent undue evaporation, and the moisture that is in tho soil is kept there for the rootß of the plants to use. Also. air and warmth are admitted. and every shower that falls sends food-laden moisture right down to the vaots. During tho summer many plants require a little Btimulant from time to time. Where animal manure cannot bo had the gardener must fall back upon ar-. tiflcial manures, and the best timo to apply them is ;juat before a shower of rain. With a loose soil, mulch, the food is carried by the rain down to the feeding part of tho plants—tho roots. With a hard, caked surface, it is washed on to tho paths, and into the drain, whero it is wasted. During dry weather tho soil hcwlb hoeing only twice a week, a.nd if it is dono regularly quite a- biff garden bed can be gone over in a few minutes. Of course, every shower of ram means extra work, but when we think of the precious food" that is contained in that shower wa cannot grumble ai a little extra work. Let mc then urgo all, even those who have only half-a-dozen plants in a tiny strip of garden to keep the hoe at work, providing a loose oowdered surface. Tho garden on top may loolf ns dry as dust, but the moisture is in tho ground, and is being kept down about the roots. Plants quickly respond when their roots iß'c kent cool and comfortable, and the result is good payment for the energy spent. Thero is one thing more that I would liko to say—fifteen minutes' hoeing night and morninj brings life and health not only to the plants, but also to tho one who works the hoe. VEGETABLES, ROUTINE WORK. Give rhubarb plants liquid manure every two weeks, and remove at once any flowers that are' formed. Continue planting out cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, and savoys where necessary. Plant if possible just before a shower of rain. Never plant when the ground Is very wet. Make the earth quite firm about the roots, and see that tho young plants do not suffer from dryness at any time. The encouragement of vigorous growth front the start in winter greens is necessary to bring them safely through the summer. Thin out carrots, onions, turnips, etc., as soon as the plants arc big enough to handle. Do not thin out too drastically the first time. It is better to do tho work gradually. Make the soil firm about tho remaining seedlings as the work proceeds. Clear away at once all seedlings that have been pulled out, and also decaying cabbage and lettuce leaves. They only harbour pests if left about. Celery may be planted in prepared trenches. For gardeners with small families it is better to buy a few plants at intervals during tho summer, thus having two or three small trenches with a succession of plants. Some people use un all their space in one big planting, and "then have no room for successive crops. All lcttuccs should be tied up to ensure their centres being well blanched. Plant leeks in deeply-dug, well-enriched soil, or in shallow trcnchcs as advised for celery. The seedlings should be six iuches apart. Uudivc makes a good salad for the winter. Sow Beeds broadcast in a well-en-riched sunny part of the garden. The "thinnings" may be planted out later 011 in rows a foot, apart. The seedlings should be from nine inches to a foot apart in the rows. Endive is delicious when well blanched. Hoe frequently bctwoen the rows of all growing crops. ' Tho following seeds may be sown, where necessary French and Butter Beans.—Sow in drills two feet apart, and have the seeds six inches apart in the rows. Dust bonedust in the drills at the time of Bowing tho seed, and give a slight dressing of superphosphate as soon as the seedlings arc a couple of inches high. Carrot—Sow thinly in drills 12 inches apart. Dust superphosphate along the rows as soon as tho seedlings appear, and

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190125.2.105

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 103, 25 January 1919, Page 12

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,352

GARDEN NOTES Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 103, 25 January 1919, Page 12

GARDEN NOTES Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 103, 25 January 1919, Page 12

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