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GARDENING NOTES.

The New Year Garden.

Seldom have our flower beds bees so gay as at the present time, the delayed blooming period of most of tha early summer flowers having culminated in a wealth of display. The beautiful lilium candidum often call* ed the Christmas or Madonna lily, is

at its best, its long spikes of lovely

white blooms showing to advantage ' against a background of greenery. , Another handsome lily, whose long, trumpet-shaped flowers are now gracing the borders, is the lilium regale. , One of the great charms of this lily

is its fragrance which is indescrib ' ably sweet. When the plant is grown in partial shade it grows fully as tall as the Madonna lily, while its narrow leaves growing closely up the stem, give it an air of distinction. Then there is also the long, trumpet longiflorum, which does not grow to such a great height. Its blooms are .just beginning to unfold. The rambler roses, whose zenith of glory, is usually past at holiday time, are this season a ..Mzailiig blaze of colour, and hedges, walls, and pergolas are literally covered with a riot of lovely sprays Of bloom, and though the first beauty Of the bedding roses is now over, row’s and clumps - of peas are becoming fragrant masses of flowers. The recent showers have done much to improve the duality of the blossoms. , Early planted gladioli are throwing up flowering spikes, and dahlias are rapidly forcing their Way along. In many cases they are already budding freely promising a wealth of display in the near future. The handsome ’cannas, whose growth has been somewhat retarded, are now trying to make up .for lost time. These stately plauts, . with their gorgeous colourings, are al- - ways a feature of the summer and autumn gardens, and they do not come and go in a week or two but. are a source of beauty for months. •

Routine Work. At holiday time interest in planting and sowing operations is apt to flag. Nevertheless the backward season just experienced has left many unfinished tasks on hand. Bare spaces left in borders should be quickly filled with plants. Do not hesitate to put in plants with the idea that it is too latO; Water them until they are well rooted and keep the hoe working freely among theip. They will repay .with a wealth of bloom later on which will last until frosts appear. Any seeds sown of hardy annuals should .be sown where the plants are intended to bloom. Seeds in boxes or pans must be given a shady situation to germinate. Next month is one of the best times to raise anemone and ranunculus from seed, but the Seed boxes must be kept very moist, and in the case Of anemones the seed should only be just covered’ with fine soil. They are fairly slow in germinating. Cuttings of carnations .pinks, and allwoodil carnations may be stuck in a ffhady spot and inserted in a uice sandy loam. Many of the hardy pinks with their attractive grey foil age are ideal for bprdering and they root ’easily from cuttings.

keep the dahlias and chrysanthemums securely staked. This is a most important time fo the cultivation of chrysanthemums for exhibition, for the plants should now be making the first break and showing a bud. This should be taken out and side growths springing aut around it should be limited to three. Re move all othfer growths as they develop, for this operation concentrates the whole energy of the plants into the stems retained. Limit the dahlias also to three or four side shoots where large blooms are required. Make a sowing of sweet peas and if they are watered occasionally and cared for, they will, produce a good autumn display. • , ' The Vegetable Garden. Fill all the available spaces with winter vegetables, such as savoy, brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, celery and leeks.

Make a further sowing of peas and French beans. A sowing Of. carrot seed may also be made, and'where space allows a plot of swedes will prove a valuable addition to the winter supply. Sow sweet corn and salad plants In shade, keeping them well watered as growth advances.

When planting out cabbage, cauliflower, etc., it is as well to provide them- with a little shatle. This can be done by sowing a row of maize or broad beans at intervals of each five or six rows of the cabbage or cauliflower. 4

Sow or plant pumpkins and mar rows in rich soil.

Stake tomatoes and limit the side shoots. Some gardeners prefer to grow the fruit on one maiq stem, while others like to retain three of the leading side growths. The latter method provides most fruit, although it will not bo quite so large. • '

In the field garden thin out mangolds, carrots, etc. Potatoes may still bo planted, but the ground should be deeply vrerked

to a fine tilth. Sow maize and field peas. A New Garden Fertiliser. In Germany a new development ha* arisen in horticulture, and various experiments have been made with a new fertiliser called aurea. In that country there has been an immense ■advance in the manufacture of synthetic fertilisers, that is, fertilisers made from the air. The chief one is the familiar sulphate of ammonia, but at the present time the most interesting is urea, the active principle of animal excreta. This is, in one sense, not an “artificial'' manure at all as it is claimed to be identical with, the substance which gives to dung its fertilising value, one pound of it being equivalent to one cwt., of <3kdlnar<y stable manure. Growers of trait, vegetables ,and flowers, are finding it a most valuable fertiliser and claim that it increases the yield and improves the flavour and keeping quality. Flower borders treated with urea, are a marked success with a vivid deepening in the colourings. The newest fertilisers which are believed to contain urea, phosphate of ammonia, and nitrate of potassium, the most complete and available collection . of manures that can be . imagined, should find favour with those gardeners who seem to have a constitutional dislike to using anything in the way of artificial manure, and who prefer to pin their faith to plenty of i good farm-yard manure.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SNEWS19280106.2.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Shannon News, 6 January 1928, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,047

GARDENING NOTES. Shannon News, 6 January 1928, Page 3

GARDENING NOTES. Shannon News, 6 January 1928, Page 3

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