THE WEEK’S WORK AT A GLANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 974, 17 May 1930, Page 32

THE WEEK’S WORK AT A GLANCE

AMONG THE FLOWERS LAST MONTH OF AUTUMN.—May is the last month of autumn and gardeners should hurry along with those important jobs such as bulb planting, lawn sowing, etc. With many subjects autumn plantings are more important than spring so, 'while the warmth is in the ground, gardeners, get busy. SEEDLINGS.—AII the usual lines of spring flowering seedlings can be planted out as soon as possible, selecting warm beds so they may make all possible headway through the winter months. The following are now available: Pansy, lobelia, cineraria, stocks poppies, sweet william, dianthus, wallflower and primulas. SNAILS AND SLUGS.—Snails and slugs are resting now and their hiding places should be sought, so that they may be destroyed. Loose bark, old boards, crevices in brick or stonework, the lower rails of wood fences—all are popular resting places, and can be profitably examined. Tobacco dust or allum sprinkled on their haunts will be effective. SEEDS TO SOW.—Gardeners possessing glass-houses or frames may continue sowing seed to produce plants for bedding out later. Sow. the following in sandy soil and keep warm and sheltered: Canterbury bells, lobelia, viola, stocks, poppies, phlox, aquilegia, penstemon, larkspur, etc. HERBACEOUS PLANTS.—TaII-growing perennials that have finished flowering should now be cut well back to allow the young shoots to spring away from the bottom. Clumus that have been in the one position for years should be lifted, divided, the ground heavily manured and the young side-pieces replanted. Plants that should be treated in this way are helenium, Michaelmas Daisy, golden glow, golden rod, doronicum, etc. URGENT WORK. —Remove all the faded flowers from chrysanthemums to allow the-late buds to mature. In places where heavy frosts are likely, lift and store dahlia tubers. Sow the last of the lawn grass in bare patches this month, otherwise leave till spring. Prepare beds for planting gladioli, Christmas lilies, and all summer flowering bulbs. THE KITCHEN GARDEN STRAWBERRY BEDS.—Gardeners wishing to grow a few strawberries in the kitchen garden should start now. Captain Cook or Marguerite are two worthy varieties. Where beds are already in existence, discard the old plants; they never pay. Use only last year’s young shoots. ASPARAGUS.—Prepare beds for this tasty delicacy, digging in rotted manure, leaves and bonedust. If possible obtain three-vear-old roots—they bear quicker. Established beds should be' topdressed with manure and salt, and any old foliage cut well back. ONION FAMILY.—Sow the seed now of this important crop thinly in drills in beds manured with potash. Brown Spanish, Giant Kocca and Straw Spanish are three good kitchen garden varieties. Bulbs of shallots, potato and tree onions may be planted SEEDS TO SOW.—Small sowings of carrot, short; spinach, beet, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, may be made in warm beds. Broad beans should be sown now for early crops. When the plants are 12 inches high nip out the tops to make the plants branch. VACANT GROUND.—On vacant land weeds can be dug in, or, better still, if the land is trenched, and we cannot stress too much the importance of good trenching, they may be buried in the bottom of the trench. This is an excellent way of disposing of weed growth, if the trench is fairly deep, say two feet or more, and the ground is not to be used for some months. In a sandy soil such a layer of weeds will surprise you by the way in which it helps to retain \the moisture in the ground. MANURING.—PIenty of manure must be used in the vegetable garden if the best results are to be obtained, and no time is better for applying it than during the winter months. This is generally a slack period of the year in the garden generally, and so plenty of time may be devoted to bringing the soil to a proper state of fertility for the next season.