The Garden.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 430, 21 December 1889, Page 3

The Garden.

Bv HOR IS.)

Kitchen Garden. The moist-, genial weather experienced last week will have had a marked effect on aU vegetable crops, and those which were above ground will now be growing strongly. See that they are kept free from weeds. All planting of vegetables should come to an end for the season, as the hot and dry weather will soon set in, and the soil will soon be in such a state that it will be impossible to sow or plant with success without having an unlimited supply of water at command. Make the usual successional sowings of French and running beans for between the rows of the early sown crop, and earth up. Stake the running varieties. Late potatoes for between the rows, and earth up. Celery : As the- eaily potatoes come off the ground, clear away the debris and prepare trenches for the main crop of celery, which should be planted out during this month. As the celery plants are planted out in the trench give plenty of water. The early planted trench should now be growing ; give the plants a Htt'e liquid manure occasionally. JGeeks : The main crop should be put out at "once, if not already done. They like deep, rich, moist soil, and should be planted in trenches or drills, well manured, so that they may be earthed up as they grow. Prepare a large break of ground for planting out broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc., some time during this month. These will come in for cutting for use during the early winter. Tomatoes : As they grow tie upancl pinch outsuperfluous shoots. Lettuce: Tieup advanced plants for blanching, prick out a few more plants in a cool, shady place, and give plenty of water. Mustard, cress, and radishes : The successional sowings must be made in a cool place and watered frequently. Peas : Earth up such crops as are advancing ; stake all tall-growing varities, in fact it is not profitable to grow tallgrowing varities of peas unless they are staked. Cucumbers, melons, marrows, pumpkins, etc., are now beginning to make some growth. Regulate shoots by pinching back occasionally ; give liquid manure to cause them to grow quickly. Marrows : As they become fit for use, cut at once, a3 this will assist the later fruit to mature quicker. Continue thinning out advancing as they attain sufficient size ; earth . up those that require the hill system of -cropping. Those which require the flat system should have the spjl between tho rows frequently broken up;3Ls;tbff access of air to, the loose soil will greatly assist the growth of the crop. Onions : The late spring. sown crop should be thinned out. It is' s not too late yet to dibble in the thinning if the\roots are placed in a thick puddle of clay jlnd water before being planted. Keep all weeds under with the hoe. A well-kept kitchen garden, in my estimation, will almost give a cultivator as much pleasure as a flower garden, as you not only have the pleasure of looking at the healthy foliage of the crops, b.ut they will also give some substantial satisfaction when they come to maturity.

Flower Garden. , During the last ten days there has been a marked improvement in many of the ordinary" (lowering plants, through the copious 'rainfall which took place during the? fas 6 week. Where advantage was not "taken of the I '•weather to get all the plantingout of* bedding and tender annual?, they should be put out at once, so that they may get established as soon as possible. Dahlias: Finish • planting out and give each plantplenty of manure when planting ; after planting, thoroughly soak the soil about each, plant with; water. Tender annuals such as balsams and portulacag, etc., sown late out in the border, will now require to be thinned. The thinnings will do excellently for transplanting to other places, so as, to 'fill up blanks, etc. In dealing with ' these annnals I always prefer to only* allow one plant of each to stand by- itself, as it is not always that you are able to tell what colours may be produced, and 'often they do not blend well together. .-Another consideration is that one. plant left by itself, and plenty of room allowed, will always grow a better specimen and produce better flowers than those which are left in a crowded state. The bedding plants put out early in the season will now be growing freely, and attention must now be given to the pinching back, and pegging down of those which may be of a straggling habit. In pinching and pegging, regulate each plant so that it may eventually occupy such space asitmayhavebeenintended to fill when planted out. In the mixed borders all tall-growing plants should be firmly staked, so as to prevent them being injured by strong winds. Gladiolus, especially, should be staked, as they show their flower spikes. Climber : Give attention to tieing up and regulating shoots a8 they grow. Roses : Continue picking off dead blooms as they get spent and don't allow seed-pods to form. All early spring flowering bulbs and tubers,properly ripened off,should be lifted and stored past in dry sand or soil for the summer. Stir the surface soil on the beds and borders frequently,and where possible use mulching materials. The broken soil by the hoe forms a loose mulch in itself when mulching materials are not to hand. All shrubs, etc., should now receive a thorough overhaul, cutting out or pinching back all strong, rank growing shoots that might be showing, causing them to assume a nice well-balanced natural shape. Lawns : The late rain has started the grass growing again. Mowing will need to be resorted to again ; also roll heavily while moist, so as to compress any swelling that may have taken place duiing the late moist weather.

Greenhouse. Use liquid manure to all free-errowinE plants. Re-pot advancing plants, as theY require more pot room,and see that no plant is allowed to suffer for the want of water. So as to give more room for the summer foliage plants, etc., take all hardy plants which will stand exposure during the summer and plunge their pots in the soil in some cool, shady place in the garden. The pots being underneath the soil, there will be less evaporation and they will nob require half the attention in the way of watering that they would when standing on the stage.

How to Manage Cut Flowers. Those who may use cut flowers in the house in quantities should every morning take them out of the vases or glasses and fill up with fre3h,clean water again. When replacing the flowers in the vases, the dead buds and leaves should be taken away and the ends of the stalks re-cut. All leaves should also be removed from that part of the stalk that is in the water. To keep flowers fresh for a long6r period than ordinary, when they begin to hang their heads, and 3how a general langour, cut off the ends of the stalks and put } them about two inches deep in warm water. The water should just be warm enough for you to be able to keep the hand in it without feeling any pain. Keep in the warm water for a few minutes, then place immediately in cold water. The llowers will revive and live for a, few hours 61' maybe days longer, according to the

variety. Another , plan to keep flowers fresh is, to clean sand add a liberal admixture of powdered charcoal, fill the vase with this, and insert the stems of the flowers iti the mixture ; then keep moist. The charcoal retains moisture, and prevents docay, and flowers can be kept for many days fresh in it. Above all, keep the flowers from the rays of the sun during the day, and from strong gaslight or heated rooms in the evening, as either will cause speedy decay.