THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEKFLOWER GARDEN.— Where planting has been decayed on account of the damp etxt» of the ground it should be resumed as coon •s the soil is dry enough. As far as is possible all plan-ting should be completed during the month of August,- although many thingq^may b& safely planted 'much later; bui it "entails -a "considerable _ amount of «xtra * labour in watering, etc., during a, dry season, especially among specimen tree?/ or clumps plashed foT shelter lr open paddocks, as in most cases only .moderate-sis&ed holes- ~*r e dug, "aWthese. unlike trenched lend, "sopn di\ v.p. Vuiess the precaution " is taken to mulch^ before. dry weafEer "sets in the failures are*" much greater than~"wKen they sre plar.Ud earlier.. Those growers who favour the very tsrly pruning of roses, particularly file tea-scented sections, alwaya run more or less of a risk of losing many of the early buds by "late fiesta, which sometimes damage many of the more tender kinds, 'Where the half-hardy annuals are being grown in bcxes tl.ey should be kept growing on under a slight protection for some tune longer, or until the weather beomes milder, before miiftg them in the open border. The nisnuring and digging of all teds and borders should be pushed on with. Beda devoted to carnations (and 1 these should be found in every garden) should have a dressing of. well-decayed Manure lightly dug in- between .he plants, as in ordei to produce large quantities of well-form* d blooms thp plants should be well" fed and receive good culture j KITCHEX GAHDEN.-The various winter p anted crops should now be in good order although they are by no means iorward The. \arious quartprs which have been sown or planted should be -well hoed frequently co as to keep down the growth of weeds and maintain the. soil in a healthy condition, such as will favour the production of roots Cabbage and cauliflower plants will require wai^hinp-, or they will grow smaller instead of larger; fresh slacked lime should' be thinly dusted over them late at night also a handful of coot about each plant will help the:n at this season. Carrot and tuimp seed should be ' sown now more freely than has been advised during the wmler months. Unless the, soil is in- good order and comparatively free from slugs only a, small sowing should be made until the . weather is wanner, or the seed will have to be re sov.n ag^in and again. Early . turnips grown in the open are apt to run to seed Most delicious little bulbs can be grown in fiamef. Make a gentle hotbed I now. Put n. quantitj ol gcod soil on, troad i severely, then bow early turnip seed thinly. ' Sov«r slightix, and growth will soon occur j Avoid -srowdiu*. and thin t< 2in apart as : early as they can be handled. It is quite surprising whni a lot can be gathered from one or two light frames. The planting of potatoes should be pushed" on with on all fairly dry soils, but care must be observed fin planting; and onlj such land as! hat? a good natural draiuasy should be selected for the early crops. If .the ground lies low or inclined *o be damp, it will be better to plant the potatoes in " laxybeds "— i c.. mark off the plots 6ft wide with a 2ft alley between. Plant 'he sets across the beds" and ccver from the alley. In this way the ee,ta can be set fairly deep, and the beds kept clean with a hoe. and only earthed up with ■what comes from the alleys. The seed of . tomatoes should be 1 sown in a warm frame *nd kept at a regular tfmpera<ture, as then* ', are very tender while in the earlier stages, j and if allowed to go down to a low tempera- { iura tßey will decay just below the soil. 'Where only a small number of these plants j is required it will be found cheaper to pur- I chase them irt the proper season for planting out, as but little labour is" then entailed fcoTond the_ covering: up at night for a time' ■WheTe it is intended to sow onions for a > main crop they should at onoe be sown, ' or upon dry soils the crop will be light, i Those sown in autumn for furnishing plants ' for transplanting shonld -be again gone ore* ■ and hand-weed3d. Another email ecwir.g of seed should be made in case of a possible short supply. ,

FfetJlT GARDEN\-<3*afting should now be proceeded with. In the early part of this month cherries, plums, and some of

the early varieties' of pears should be begun ' with first — these wiU be easily recognised 1 by their , earlier vegetation, it is presumed that the scions were all taken off and laid in a month ago, but if not they should be gathered from those shoots which, are least developed, and on which the bucts are least swollen. This season, is very eaxly, and even the grafting of apples should no longer be d^ayed. GREENHOUSE AND FRAMES.—Cinelarias and calceolarias, unless well protected from the weather., will have their tender foliage cut. The frames containing these should, upon all frofity nights, have a gcod covering as a safeguard. If by neglect the plants become frozen the frames should be opened very early, before the sun is up, and well watered overhead with cold water, and closed up again to allow "them to thawgradually. Plants apparently ruined may thus be saved if attended to in good timeCamellias and azalea* should now be allowed to come on into flower, as if placed in a sunny position the buds will soon 'respond, and flowers being scarce, they should be pushed forward. A few plants of Deut%ia gracilis, placed in a good warm place, will furnish light and useful flowers very early. Many kinds of annuals may now be- sewn under glass and grown on. The potting of young plants will also need attention; . SWEET' PEAS.— An English authority gives the "following as the cream of the sweet peas, 'white dopiecating the tendency so prominent of sending out sweet peas -aa new' when 'they are frequently duplicates or rubbish:— Novelties of 1903: Dodwell F. Browne, "a giant-waved King Edward; Mrs Charles Masse>*3, bright rose salmon standard, -aream wings; and Mrs --Henry Bell, rich apricot. Novelties of 1908: James Grieve, the nearest approach to an yellow sw«et pea ; Mary Perrett,— 'ivory, tinted with buff; and Hannah Dale, rich maroon". NoveKios of 1907: Queen of Spain, delicate rose pink, exceedingly dainty; Agnes Eckford, bright pink, fine form, giant size,,. long stems; and Mrs Collier, light primrose, an improved Queen Victoria. Novelties of 1906: Henry Eckford, a lovely flower — indead, unique — a worthy namesake of .the greatest expert in sweet peas, perfect in form ""and size, colour intense bright orange, superb for table decorations, buttonholes, and sprays; Queen Alexandra, intense scarlet, beautifully formed flowers,, making a most brilliant display. General Varieties: Rontolo Piazeani, viclet blue , Countess Cadogan, sky blue? Duke of Westminster, rose maroon; Jeannio Gordon, bright rose, shaded cream; King Edward, a specialty, lovely intense brigh-t crimscn self, slightly hooded, giant flowers, immensely attractive, stands second to Henry Eckford in the writer's estimation; David R. Williamson, indigo blue;. Lady Grisel Hamilton, pale lavender, excellent; Lady Nina Balfour, dove grey; Black Nightf deep maroon; Black Michael, red maroon; Ofhello, dark brown or chocolate red; Dorothy Tennant, puce violet; Countess Spencer, magnificent pink, real)? grand, bcld, massive flowera. wavy wings; Gladys Unwin, another charming pink; Mrs Hardcastle Sykes, giant pink/ beautifully waved ; . Countess Lathom, delicate pink; Lord Rosebery ' lovely "rose; Mrs Dugd«le, standard rose, wings primrose, a charming . flower ; Helen Lewis, orange "pink; Miss Wilmot, superb d«ep orange pink, large «md free; Coun<t- . ess of Powis, orange and purple^ exquisitely beautiful, with,- a satin polish; Triumph, the largest of all sweet peas, bright orange pink; Scarlet Gem, dazzling scarlet; Mrs Joseph Chamberlain, white, striped with bright rose; Dorothy Eokford, the premier white sweet pea; and The Honourable Mrs E. Kenyon, the giant primrose sweet pea. Sowing the Sweet Peaa: Those sown in the autumn generally go ahead all right in the spring, and they may be safely sown in all parts of September. A succession of bloom is easily attainable wtth lrttle labour and no great expense. Before putting a 6eed in be quite sure the ground has been well prepared. 1 This is of all things the most helpful and unfailing, ir to be sown in rows, difr the site down to v depth of 2ft or more, and work a lot of manure in. If sown in groups do the same. It is in deep soil that the plants find the most genial quarters in all weathers. Luxuriant plants and a. , lasting profusion of flowers invariabl> result 1 from deep culture. The first sown seeds requiro this as much as anj. The position phould no* be a windy one, but it should be fully exposed to light and. air. Positions exposed to the morning and afternoon sunshine, but shaded in midday, are charming, as the shade from ihe noonday sun assists materially in retaining both tiheir best colours and fullest fragrance. When the soil has been dug over, open a drill the width of a spade and 2in deep. Tread along the bottom of this very firmly; then plant tire seed singly and regularly 2in apart. Making thf» soil very firnr is more healthful for the young *plants than when it ;g loose, and robust plants are most desirable. A sprinkling of gritty soil may be ' put next the seeds; tfhen fill up with the soil that came out of the drill. Cover firmly.