THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16487, 28 February 1914, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow.—Cabbage, carrot, endive, lettuce, parsley, radish, savoy, spinach, turnip. What to Plant.—Cabbage, cauliflower, celery, endive, lettuce, savoy, winter greens. Weather conditions are seasonable, although garden crops would welcome another good shower of rain. Failing this some crops should have a good watering. Peas are among the first to suffer from drought, but once we begin to water this crop we must keep on watering. That is tho reason why gardeners do not water peas until they are compelled to. It is useless to give peas just a little, as they need a good soaking once a week. Runner beans should have water to keep up the supply of tender pods. The late planted batch of cauliflowers will need special attention to keep them in a satisfactory _ grpwing condition. The cabbage fly is very troublesome now, after the recent spell of hot'-wea-ther, and' unless the plants are freed from this pest they cannot do well. The result of a check will be that the plants will come in long before tneir proper season. Keep the hoe and cultivator busy. Collect and destroy all potato haulm, cauliflower and cabbage Btumps. in short all remains of any crop. These, if left on the ground, look untidy and harbour garden pests by the million, affording them good shelter to breed and multiply. Burn the rubbish and destroy these pests. HARDY FRUITS. In small gardens where only a few strawberry plants are grown there is a tendency to give them too much manure. The result is more or less a failure. Too much stable or farmyard manure encourages a great growth of loaves, with very few blossoms. The plants present a fine appearance, but they do not produce fruit. Where the soil is fairly good very little stable manure is required, but once the plants get a good hold of the soil, liberal dressings of bone manure are much better. Sprinkle this around the plants, then run the hoe through the bed to mix the manure with the soil. Old plants that are to fruit another season should have a liberal application now to stimulate the formation of fresh roots and good strong crowns. If the f round has been trodden down very ard, fork it up to let the air and water in. Do this before the bone manure is put around' the plants. Red spider is rather bad on many young apple and plum trees.. Vigorous spraying is necessary (at once) to check the ravages of this pest. _____ FLOWER GARDEN.

Beds and borders are brilliant with blossoms just now, and with ordinary autumn weather there will be a good display for a long time. Doubtless tho rain we had during Deoember and January has helped, the plants to make such good growth this season. This is the time to make notes on the general effect of the season’s bedding arrangements and to form the scheme for next season’s display. In this note-making the distribution of colour should have due attention. In'many gardens there is the mistake of putting most of the bright colours quite near the house and the quiet tones in the far-off border, where there is a dark green background. Yellow and bright crimson shades should be mixed with this green in the borders a long wav from the house, keeping the more natural shades near the windows.

Producing flowers for cutting should have more attention. As a rule one depends on obtaining the flowers from the beds and borders, and unless the garden is fairly big this constant cutting quite spoils the general effect of beds and borders. A better plan is to arrange a part of the kitchen garden for plants that are to supply blossoms for cutting. Here rows ot carnations, coreopsis, "delphiniums and scabiosa could be planted, and would give a big supply. Marguerite carnations are one of the best class of plants to grow for cut flowers. They thrive in any open situation and are not particular as to the soil, if it is fairly open and good. By making two sowings each season a supply of flowers can be had from November until June, and in mild seasons until August. Seeds sown now will make nice plants to set out in May. These will begin to flower in November and give good supplies till the end of February. A batch of plants raised in August will begin to flower in January and bloom until a severe frost checks them. By covering the plants with scrim at night flowers could be secured during the greater part of the winter. Although this strain of carnations are

treated as annuals, they are really biannual, and some plants will.give just as good blossoms in the second season as during the first- They make good| pot plants for the amateur’s cool'nouse and the verandah. A little frost does them no harm, and they are not very subject to insect pests. ’ . j ROSES FROM CUTTINGS.

The end of February or the first baif of March is a good time to put in a batch of rose cuttings. Just now the current season’s growth is fairly. matured, and, although not too hard ttf emit roots, its firmness will keep fresh until roots are formed. Select shoots about ten inches long, and if j these are broken from the stem at a joint with a “ heel,” they make better plants. An ordinary.cutting will root,; and do fairly well, but there are more j eyes and greater strength in ' the 1 “heel,” which ensures . greater success j in propagation. The »utting3 need f shelter from sun and wind. The south.! side of a fence or building is good, but 1 a cold frame without the glass light.is better, because here the cuttings are protected -from every - wind, ahd will give much better results.. Any garden soil will do, hut a pinch of sand should be put at the base of each cutting. Roots form much faster in sand/ and there is less risk of decomposition.! Put each cutting in firmly and settle! the soil about each by giving them a good watering. 'v A. , i There is a mistaken notion with many that any rose will succeed from cuttings. Only those with robust con-/ stitutions are suitable for this method of .propagation. Varieties such as Dorothy Perkins, Crimson Rambler/ Frau Karl Drusihki, Mrs John Laing,: Hugh Dickson, Marie van Houtto, Mdme Edme Metz, Joseph Hill/Betty, Lady Ashtown and Clara Watson are a success when raised from cuttings. Where people have failed is when they have taken cuttings of some weakly growing varieties that need the help of a vigorous stock to enable them to make good plants and give a moderate! crop of flowers. These weaklings are ever troubled with mildew and other plant pests. GREENHOUSE. I With shorter days watering should be done earlier in the day to enable the surplus moisture to dry up before the daylight ends. Many of the summer flowering; plants have nearly finished their season’s growth, and will need less water.' This means that discrimination should be exercised, because too much water at this season is more harmful than too little. "This applies to both soft and. liard-wooded plants of every description, whether they are in the glasshouse or standing. outside for the summer.. Many, chrysanthemum buds are spoilt from over-' watering after all the surplus (or not wanted) buds have been removed. Another reason for careful watering is the presence of night moisture. . The 1 plants absorb a lot of this through their" leaves. / .¥• I Those who want large fuchsia plants! for next season should put in a batch, j of cuttings now, selecting shoots free from flower buds and fairly soft. They) will root in a- close cold frame or in ai greenhouse. Pot them, off when they! are well furnished with toots, and keep them growing in a cool house,; quite near the glass, all through, the' .winter. In August put them larger pots, and give them ,more heat: and moisture. With this treatment they will soon make large plants, for any kind of decoration in the conservatory or verandah or for plunging in the flower garden in sheltered positions. Fuchsias are coming into some; of thoif old-time favour, and must ho grown Well. 4 .'