The Garden.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 1, 31 March 1893, Page 16

The Garden.

NOTES FOR APRIL. (By Muridied.) Vegetable Garden. —Work in the garden this month is mostly of an unimportant character. Every vacant space should be dug up and allowed to lie exposed to the action of the weather. All parts of the garden undercrop, which will allow of doing so should be gone over thoroughly with a Dutch hoe, and the weeds allowed to lie exposed to the action of the sun. Clear off all pea, and bean haulms, and store away stakes for future use. Celery will require a good deal of attention just now, both as regards watering and earthing up. This latter operation should always be done on a fine day, care being taken to keep the soil from getting into the heart of the plants. Autumn-sown onions generally succeed better than when sown in spring, and sowings not already completed should not be deferred later than the first week of this, month. Get in late sowings of lettuce, radish, mustard and cress. Lift and store all potatoes, looking over the crops in ease any are diseased. Fruit Gardes’. —The ground for new strawberry beds being in good order, planting may be proceeded with, selecting strong'well--rooted runners and planting about 2ft. Bin. between the rows and 15iu. between the sets. The old beds should be gone over, the dead leaves removed, ground stirred up and covered with a top-dressing of manure to protect during winter. Gather and store apples nnd pears as they ripen, great care being taken toavoid bruising. The best method of keeping these fruits is to store away thinly on shelves in a cool dry place. Flower Garden. —The Flower garden is. now beginning to assume a somewhat wintry appearance, the frost having marred thebeauty of such showy flowers as dahlias, marigolds, etc. Remove decayed flowers and leaves and keep the ground as neat and clean as possible. All dormant bulbs should now be planted. They thrive best in a deep sandy soil, and ground not naturally so formed should be thoroughly worked—applying at the same time a good dressing of well-rotted manure, and on clay soils adding a quantity of sharp .sand. Bulbs form a very attractive feature of the flower garden in spring, blooming as they do when other flowers arescarce, and a garden well stocked with Hyacinths, Tulips Narcissi, Crocus, Iris, etc., will amply repay for any work that may now be expended on it. Chrysanthemums should bo staked and kept neat and trim, and those for indoor decoration removed under coverat once.