Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 26, 21 November 1929, Page 9

Gardening Notes

FLOWER GARDEN AND

SHRUBBERY

November is always a busy jtiud most important xnonth in this department. Vigilance must be the motto, as. the. first- stress jf hot weather will quickly shbw t-he weak places, and after the favourable Spring the growths of plants, trees and shrubs ■necessarily somevyhat >so£ t, -will suflPer. Lawns also will go "off .colour', 7 and if. the hoe has been allowed to rust the wee Is will exhaust t-iic soil, and leave a fine crop of seed for future trouble.

Do not, ovev-watev when" these effects appear; apply just enough to 'prevent injury. Let there be a "hardening up." Have 'mind ivpon your, water bills. Don't let thefn mount up too soon in the season. Keep the surface soil well stirred on beds and borders and mulch, with short stable manure wherever■•■ possible. :_ Many objects t-> mulching borders and beds .'• near the dwelling as attracting the flies^ in this

case miulch-lightly and eover*tlie mulch. manure), w.ifrh a layer of soil again. This extra trouble will well repay itself., especially on wamn • dry aspects. .Lawns will -demana regular mowing. Do not collect the flipping unless for croquet. The short clippings fallingsoon wither and settling in the growing grass help and protect the sward, Roses, have been very line, generally this Spring/ and ''should thp^ atmosphere continue" moist 'ami-.not"-be-come' so arid as to induce the thrip, this, ought to be a delightful Rose season. Standard Hoses upon, lawns usually benefit by the watering necessary for the grass. If the past blooms arc kept' regularly cut, taking a good piece of stem, they will contiue flowering ] throughout the Summer. Ladies should procure small neat secateurs,• "obtain-, able now with iw-hieh, to cut the de-. eorative blooms. The. same applies to. the larger Kose garden, before, tShe prodigal is past. Use the secateurs freely,- cutting* all spent and useless flowers well back; give a good, watering to the roots, and a fine show, of blooms will follow fronv about Xmas and with eooi. spells of weather fra-■ quent in January,- some of the finest flowers are /produced. - :. I

Dahlias must now have: attention-^— timers. t&e .^senq^o^suc^gss^vit;a,, these. Most ffequdtftly they .are plaat-. Ed too early. Tubers that have been stored will probably Ti&ve -sprouted, possibly made .a lot of' grow;t3i. ) Cut it all back, and divide th© tubers, selecting for preference just one tuber j

with a growth; these- are- the best- fqr planting in .mixed, borders. For" .Show purposes tic.''green plants. or those struck from cuttings, £lre best, and thd new varieties can only be obtained in this way. Prepare -tite gi'ouml. i'pr those by forking in the manuTe, and turning the' soil over .. two or 7 three times, and don't pianf till the- end of October,; ov iirst part of No^einaboiy Chrysanthemums vie wit-h the Dahlia' for Autumn display^ but continue bloom ing much iater> almost to Tnid-TOinter, they can be planted throughout this month, though for Show purposes it is a little late* for the large varieties, but. our readers are strongly urged to plant thj improved Single sorts. They are .n great esteem for cut flower display and last a .long time. . vT

Perennial Phlox, Delphiniums^'Gai^ nations may. still be "planted.

Tiie Autumn display depends upon the planting- done during November, all carpet. b'odding or design work. Iresines, Alternantheras^, in their": separate colours must be planted as soon as possible. ' Salvia; Bonfire has, in; many places, stodd the. date raild winter, and will bloom early. The young plants are best put out now.

Petunias make glorious beds, -standing .the' mid-sumnieT sun. _ Planterl now .they will bloom., tjill nearly mid-.winter. Seedlinigs are obtainable now. '

Colosis, the plunic varieties,, also Amarantims trleolpur/ New (riant Marigold, Mammoth Cosmos, Miniarture Sunflower, are all tall growing, and are most suitable and effective -planired in the back ground^ or. aniongst shrubs.

Balsams Took -weir when massed," also the Cockscombs :. (Cejosea . cristata). 'ITretfcH "-and ''■ Xf riean- M'arigoldsv ' the indispensable Phlox Drummoridi,' Zinnias, Dianthus, ■i- especially, tie single. vktiety, all these Trill give a Tvesilili of colour. - *>, ■'" - '....■■ .-.--■• ..." '•

Spring Bulbs tiiat itr& now maturing will look untidy. - Do not cut away fhe foliage,,or the bulbs will be weak-, ©riedv '■ it -may be neatly knotted or

tied up

Tuberous Begonias.—We recommend our renders to try them in the open, especially wiicre a partially shaded or sheltered bed or border is available The tubers should first be (sprouted) started before putting out, ordinary garden treatment will .suit them. Japanese Iris. —Another beautiful gonus, long misunderstood, as requiring artificial running water courses or ponds. They will do amazingly .well in a deeply trenched, enriched, bed, with plenty of water applied, in the same way as for. Dahlias. . Some fine displays will soon bo scon in the public gardens and our readers sorould note- ■ thorn foB next season.

Keep the seed pods 'gathered off Sweet Peas and hose the foliage freely to' prolong flowering. Liquir manure applied weekly will also improve them. HINTS OiN" TOMATO CULTURE.

Tomatoes do extremely well on good loamy soily but the soil, does npttftequire to be tod rich as thQ plants .will make too much vine, and. the 'production of fi-iiit will be" small." -T&mato.es should not bo planted less than- -t feet apart. It is - npt advisable to plant, out too early/- as there is a danger of them -being destroyed by frost. In -the early spring it/pays-the'grower to only plant a few each clay, so that they can be covered wit'li small bushes and be protected from, the . frost, whereas if a larger number are ptt out in one clay the possibilities are that they cannot alj be covered at night, and a-frost may cause serious loss. The majority of; growers prepare for planting by drawing in to the furrow, at desirable distances, a portion \o£ the -eai'tit thrown out when making the drill. This is accomplished by means of a hoe. .If the -plants are large this method, makes it more difficult to protect . them from the, .-frosts.. A., very good method is to sot the plants at the bottom of the 'drill, which js done by just pulling £t handful of soil in w-hen planting. No manure is used at the time of planting. The plants will not"' be- on solid soil if the ground has been ploughed deeply beforehand, and drilled say 5 or. 6 inches, and the roots will -have plenty of loose soil to feed .-in.; This method saves times in mak.ing holes 'with the hoe or fork, and the' plants are more easily protected from rbst, arid they 'grow equally as well as if planted by the 'former method. Those planted in the way suggested should be manured before the soil is ■forked, by sprinkling about a.dessertspoon to a -tablespoonful of fertiliser around each plant. In the other ease the ground-is manured before planting. Like every otiier crop', tomatoes will not produce a; good return if cultivation is neglected. It pays.to qultiyate while there is. room ; to- get the horse and cultivator between the rews of plants without .-damaging, them,, it keeps the soil A from - going hard, and thelps it to retain moisture.. ' c It is a bad practice to let too many of, the frjiit get: ripe on the vine, as there is- always, a, large percentage of waste, and it also does harm to the vine. TPhefruit should generally be marketed on the green side, but on the other'hand, if there is, a demand for ripe"•..fruit, a good plan is to pull .the fruit when green, place it in a shed on a-bed of. straw ,and cover it with a heavy:.-layer of eoTnsacks; .jthis will cause the fruit to heat, -and they will ripen very quickly. Tiie diseases, that Tomatoes are most subjected, to are ''Cauliflower Disease" or "Rosette," and Black Spot." Both, are destructive at certain times of the year. The only cure lot the foi'mer. disease is to pull I iip and destroy the plant, as soon as it, makes its appearance, ■as nt son spreads through the bed, and !once it/^geiisr :a/ hold -the plants will ■ bear - nS^iiiqrc 'f ruLt,* iakid. w.ftat f ruit\Js oxie the : vine goes, hard. arid; becomes of novaluel /> ■ . ."* ' .- v-v. .•- f'Bla^k;Sot^';;c^us(?is far more loss to the gioyver and spre/ads more" i-apidr ly ihrb'ugH .'-the bed.; There are several' tihings .that may influence the occurrence of this /disease, such-- as -seed being .'saved from infected bedss, top much." manure being used (this is the most common cause), and probably the season. The cutworm is also, a grea"t enemy ot-^the tohiato-gfoweTl Jii some seasons ■it ..is' very destructive, but most so in dry seasons. One method of destroying it is to lay bails,. made of pollard and Paris green;, /abound t&e ■ plants/" ■' "■■-■' " ■■'.'. ■■■■,-■'.. V:. : 'c;--i^:-. ; --v •: A' pest that is very destructive to tomato bloom, especfally 'in early beds, is the thrips, This., little insect hides itself inside ,the bloom where tho gfruit, f develop, But before tie fruit has time to form it; sucks:aU the substance out-^pf the/ bloom ,apdji,pauses it to clrot) oft.', " -■' , ■