THE GARDEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 50, 21 May 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN

BY

LEONARD A. GRIFFITHS, F.R.H.S., F.N.Z. Inst.

“The glory of the garden occupieth all who come.” KIPLING INQUIRIES FROM PUZZLED GARDENERS. Any inquiries by our readers on the subject of gardening will be answered in our “Puzzled Gardeners’ Column” in the following Saturday's issue. All letters must be addressed to the Garden Editor and forwarded to THE SUN Office on or before every Wednesday. /\ny specimen to be named must be packed securely in a strong box to prevent crushing in transit.

CULTURE FOR EXHIBITION One ounce of seed will sow a row of about 150 feet. For general crops sow from February to May in rows 16 to 18 inches apart, placing the seed about iin deep, and covering with some fine soil. Deep, well-cultivated land is necessary to secure a good parsnip crop, and land which was heavily manured for the previous crop is best, as freshly manured land does not produce the best-shaped roots. To grow parsnips for exhibition, a deep, rich and well-drained soil is essential. If the soil is of a clayey nature, it will be better to make up a bed of forced earth to the required depth than to attempt to grow them in clay. A trench may be made say, 30 inches deep and 18 inches wide for a single row, and a laser of well-rotted manure placed in the b<ntom and mixed with the soil. The trench should then be tilled up with good soil of a friable nature, and the seeds sown. The method, however, which is adopted by all the best growers is as follows. A large dibble is procured, and holes are made with it in the ordinary soil of the garden. These holes must be made when the ground is quite dry, and may be three feet deep and Bin in diameter at the top. To fill them a compost must be made up, and for the bottom 6in of the hole it should be very rich. The mixture may consist of fine soil, a little sand, mould and well-rotted manure, all passed through a half-inch riddle to remove stones. This may bo enriched by the addition of a little cow manure or other such ingredient, and a little soot, which will help to keep away rust. Toward the top of the holes less manure should be used. Sow six or eight seeds in the mouth of each hole. Parsnips should not be fed on the surface, as it induces growths on the roots and spoils their appearance. If feeding is done it should be done by large holes made at some distance from the plants, and liquid manure is advisable. It greatly decreases the risk of the top or crown of the parsnip being destroyed if, when half grown, a small quantity of clean sand is heaped over

DWARFED TREES AND SHRUBS Perhaps the most obviously artificial of cultivated forms are the dwarf trees so frequently seen ornamenting the rooms and grounds of our larger houses. The Japanese have from time immemorial been adept in the art of producing dwarf and bizarre forms of trees. Seeds are sown in wire or wicker baskets filled with mould, and the young plants are allowed to grow until the developing roots protrude through the wires. These are then removed and the operation repeated periodically as growth proceeds. The plants are ihus prevented from taking up the increased amount of mineral matter re-

quired to feed the new tissues of the plant, and as a result they become stunted.

Simultaneously with the treatment witli the roots, careful watch is kept on the growing stems and all lateral buds appearing in positions in which they are not desired are rubbed off, so that the plants are made to conform in shape to the wishes of the cultivator.

In the course of years the trees develop all the normal characters qf the species to which they belong, but on a very reduced scale, and instead of the giants with trunks 3ft in diameter, and 40ft high, dwarfs are produced measuring perhaps but loin to 12in high with a girth of only 3in to 4in. The raising of perfect specimens calls for great skill and patience, and although many efforts have been made by European nurserymen to grow these curiosities, to supply the demand of the public, the Japanese are still the only people who appear to thoroughly understand the art . Any of our readers interested in these plants can see a number of dwarfed Japanese specimens on the roof garden of John Court, Ltd., drapers, Queen Street, Auckland. SHOWY PELARGONIUMS Few flowering things make a more brilliant show during most of the year than pelargonium-s or the improved geranium. The plant is hardy, will grow in any part, doing as well where the weather is hot as in cooler districts. As a verandah potplant the pelargonium is excellent, because of its foliage as well as its blooms. There are three distinct kinds — single, double and fringed edge (Regal), but the best effects are had from the single. The colours are in a wide range, but the white and red are outstanding. Besides these, the variegated foliage (tricolour) is unique and the leaves make excellent floatbowl decoration. For covering a drab corner the ivy-leaved species cannot be beaten, but its flowering is not so prolific as that of the other kinds. In the ivy, however, the double-flowered varieties are very fine. Pelargoniums made a good shew against a fence or rockery and need little other attention than plenty of water. CANDYTUFT FOR FLOWER BORDERS This hardy annual thrives well in any situation and makes splendid borders or edging round garden plots

As the plants do not transplant wV.I, sow the seed thinly in rows in fine soil pressed firmly down and well watered. Candytuft flowers profusely thoughout the whole season and grows from 4in. to 6in. high, quite surpassing the popular Virginia Stock for border work. CENTAUREA IMPERIALIS These beautiful annuals, commonly called Sweet Sultan, can be grown easily from seed sown in cool places, M'here they should remain without transplanting. The Imperialis variety is easily the best for small gardens, producing on long stems flowers 3in. across and have a graceful effect in vases; when cut, they last for 10 days in water. The plants grow two or three feet high and are useful for filling up odd corners in the garden.

SIMPLE HINTS

FOR TREE PLANTERS June and July are the best months for planting fruit trees,. ornamental shrubs, roses, etc. The first point is to get good, clean, well-rooted trees. If growing for market, find out what does best in your district and stick to five or six of the best varieties only. If planting a small orchard for private use, the aim should be to plant varieties that give the most continuous supply of fruit. On arrival of any new tree, unpack at once and cover roots with fine, moist soil. You can then pull out and plant as required. Sometimes, owing to delay, plants are somewhat shrivelled on arrival. In this case it is better to lay them flat in a trench arid cover roots and branches entirely with soil and in two or three days you should find the bark recovered to it« normal appearance. In planting out, avoid dry winds. It is a good plan to have a “puddle hole” to dip the roots in, as this prevents them from becoming dry while exposed to the atmosphere. When digging the hole for planting, see that enough room is left to spread out the roots Oil no account try and double up the roots into a small hole. Tread the ground firmly round the trees and, if necessary to stake, make sure you tie the tree to the not the stake to the tree, as i= ~ften done. This is best accomplished by binding the stake tightly first, then tie loosely round the tree—this saves the bark from being bruised.

Prune all freshly-planted trees before buds commence to shoot. If the tree is one straight stem, cut down to about 18 inches. If it. is a head with several branches, cut all but three or tour clean out and shorten those left to about three or four buds. Always cut to the outside bud so as to encourage the new growth to grow outwards. Whatever else you may neglect the first season, do not neglect the pruning. Other things may he remedied, but not this. Below you will find a list of best varieties of fruit trees for private gardens: Apples.—Albany Beauty, Gravenstein, Irish Peach, Delicious, Salome, Willie Sharp. Plums.—English: Blue Gage, Green Gage, Pond's Seedling. Japanese: Burbank, Satsuma, Sultan, Purple King. Nectarines.—Goldmine and New Boy. Peaches.—Admiral Dewey, Goldeu Queen, J. H. Plale or Million Dollar. Any further information required by our readers on selecting suitable trees for their district, or pruning, or spraying for the orchard, can be had by writing to our Editor. Replies will be putflished in the following week’s issue. ANSWERS TO PUZZLED GARDENERS R.H., ONEHUNGA. —Your inquiry re number of plants per acre depends on the distance apart each plant is planted each way. Six inches apart and twelve inches between the rows would be 87,120 plants per acre; two feet apart by twelve inches would be 26,780. In regard to fruit trees, 20ft. by 20ft. would take 108 trees per acre. J.S., TE PAPAPA.—The specimen of shrub submitted is abelia floribunda. This ornamental shrub makes a splendid hedge that does not require heavy cutting; .can be planted any time during June and July. J., Devonport.—At this time of year buffalo has that yellow appearance. It thrives well during the hot weather, and is a native of tropical countries. Keep the grass cut very close and topdress with Aoz. sulphate of ammonia, loz. superphosphate, lioz. blood and bone manure (3oz. in all), per square yard. With reference to the books; if you are interested in New Zealand flora procure Laing and Blackwell’s book recently published. If you specialise in plants a good reference book is Johnson’s Garden Dictionary, which gives the origin of plants from all countries.

W.G.M., Onehunga.—Ards Rover (scarlet) and Maichiel Neil (yellow) are the two most suitable climbers for your position. Plant early in June. The 12 chrysanthemums are as follow: Edith Cavell, Irene Coleman, Wm. Turner, Miss Tuckett, Lucky Miller, Golden Champion, W. A. Reid, Rose Day, A. J. Witcher, J. H. Perry, Annie Hamilton. The plants are obtainable in November.