THE GARDEN
NOTES BY “RATA” i IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Remove any seed stalks from the rhubarb bed. Prepare beds for the sowing of cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and curly kale. Sow more beans, mustard and cress, parsnips, carrots, and radishes. Plant out Cape gooseberries. IN THE FLOWER GARDEN Plant out oosmos, dahlias, eelosia, zinnias, portulaoca, asters, balsams, pentstemons, phlox, sweet sultan, and verbenas. Clip back Rill hedges which have flowered to force new summer growth. Cut off all dead flowers on the ro.se bushes, nnd water heavily in order to secure a good crop of flowers at Christmas time. Prune back all shrubs that have completed .their spring flowering. Spray with arsenate of lead, to destroy all lenf-eating insects. THE ASPARAGUS BED The asparagus bed should be producing fine stalks of this vegetable now. Young beds should bo very sparingly cut from, so that the plants may he encouraged to become strong and vigorous. Beds which havo been established for three years or more may be mo<re fully drawn upon. Towards the end of the season it is bettor to cease cutting the shoots a little too early than a little too late. The plants should he encouraged to make as strong summer growth as possible, hence the desirability of not unduly robbing thorn of their' strength by too prolonged cutting. Give the bed a thorough watering j and a little stimulant also. A liberal scattering of soot, or of sunerphos- J phate, or a light dressing of nitrate rf soda will encourage strong growth. Throughout the summer keep the bed watered. A thorough drenching once a fortnight will be sufficient. Treated in the manner indicated the plants will become strong and sturdy, and their roots will be nourished into a condition which will fit them for the supply of fine, large shoots next season. RUNNER BEANS These should be making good growth ; the ground about them should be kept open with tho hoe, and they should be freely watered. When the plants have reached the top of the supports provided for them nip off the leading shoot. This will keep them within bounds and help the setting of a good crop of beans. Further sowings of this useful' vegetable should be made. SILVER BEET Those amateurs who have not yet established a bed of this substitute for spinach should lose no time in buying plants or sowing the seed. If setting out plants, give them a thorough watering as soon as they are planted. VIOLAS FOR EDGINGS Violas in blue, purple, yellow and i white, are ideal as an edging within
| a few inches of the turf. Not new, by any means, but steadily forging ahead in general estimation. In this locality they seem to be a permanent decorative plant which are easily raised from seed. Quite distinct from the violas are the bedding pansies. Hero again, is a popular class of plants, that, for effective charming garden displays, have no equal, and it is not generally known that you can plan for a really black border by planting the variety called “Faust,” which is as near black as it possibly can be. Pansies are much used for coloured sections, or for massing in beds of one colour. Dwarf varieties should be used. The range of colour is from pure white through all the tones of yellow, and brown to indigo blue, one almost ; red, and there is even a bronzey tone, j unique in its way. The happy pos- j sessor of a sandy loain, and good ; water supply, can create pictures in his garden with these. Add cow man- ! uro in plenty; you cannot overdo it! for pansies. The novelties in violas I include “Mrs Fred Bell,’’ a lovely I primrose shade; “Whitley Beauty,” a| rich plum shade; “Maud Bell,” a i very large flower, in tones of violet | carmine, with cream centre: “Violet : Bell,” a glossy black, the lower petals being tipped with lavender; “Orange Perfection,” as its name indicates, is j a brilliant orange, with purple eye; j “Mrs Morrison,” a shade in various : pansy tones. Oilier good named varieties are Primrose Dame, Maggie Mott, King Cup, Dove, Bluo King, Snowdrift. SILENE There is no other plant in warm, rosy pink which flowers so profusely or so densely compact as silene. At a distance it appears as a coloured ribbon, and is most effective in display. NEMESIAS Nemesia, Blue Gem, is a real forget-me-not blue, and edges the lawn or path with a delightful splash of colour, every tip being crowned with flowers, which last for months. ZINNIAS Zinnias produce belter quality flowers when planted late, ns the fiowers fill out, and are perfectly double in the autumn, whereas in the summer they are often , only semi-doable in charae- , ter. A zinnia plant almost invariably : ■ .produces a flower bud on the central growth whilst the plant is comparatively young. This bud should never be allowed to develop into a flower, as it considerably weakens the young plant, which should be devoting its energies to growing plenty- of foliage ■ and side branches. After that all the i flower. buds can be left, as the plant i will be strong and vigorous, and cap- j able of producing a large number of s good flowers. Do not plant them closer than 18in apart. , Phlox, if not sown already, will < give quite as good results, as the early sown plants. Tf they are planted j out late, and the plants commence to j j throw out flower buds before they j 1 spread out, the centres of the plants s must be nipped out. j Yellow and orange African marigolds * rarely produce large double blooms until March and April, and they are suitable plants to put in now. j The first buds on the plants should be nipped out in the same wav as recommended for the zinnias. These f nlants grow to a height of about two feet, and make a brilliant show at the i back of a border. *
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New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12621, 4 December 1926, Page 19
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1,004THE GARDEN New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12621, 4 December 1926, Page 19
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