GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19893, 23 May 1936, Page 24 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

—SEAOONABLI WORK a;

(By “Nikau,")

”lOIALLV WIIT'I'IN AND COMPILED TO SUIT WAIKATO CLIMATE

VEGI‘I’AILIB AND FRUIT. In a sheltered part. perhaps on s sunny slope, sow Dwarf Fees (or even a. medium kind such as Greeni’east), Broad Beans, Turnip, Lettuce end Parsley. in most parts of the \V'aikato it is not advisable to sow Beetroot. Carrots and Onions now. as the frost and the rain would arrest their development. Stir the .0“ around autumn-sown crops of Carrot. Onion, Broad Benn, Turnip, Lettuce and Radish, and do the necessary thinning in good time. Plant Cabbage and Cauliflower; a dressing of biood-snd-bone can be scattered around the Cabbages and Cauliflowers which are already established. Plant Shallots. but not in ground which has had mlldewed Onions or Shallots In it at any time (luring the last two years. The soil can be made suitable by the addition of well-rotted manure of various kinds. especially from the cowyard and stables. Plant Strawberries, Gooseberrles. Currants, Grape-vines am Fruit trees. Try to trench a third or a quarter oi.’ the garden every year. but do not bring much oi.’ the subsoil up near the top. PLOWIRU. Plant Calendulas in a sunny part or the garden: it they show any sign or lea! disease. spray them carefully with lime-sulphur (1 to 120) and burn the worst of the diseased foliage. Carefully loosen the soil with a handfork between Anemones, Ranuneuli. Daffodils and various bedding-plants. and sprinkle bonedust around them. Plant Lilies while they are dormant: remember that the bulbs shrlvel quickly when out of the ground, unless they are packed carefully in moss which is Just moist and not sodden. Cut down Chrysanthemums to within about three inches of the soil. Take up Dahllas and store them suitably. Plant Hedges. and mcst kinds of Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. not forgetting our Native Plants. Plant Polyanthus Primroses in rich soil; rotted cow-manure suits Ithem perfectly. Plant Iceland Poppies. Stocks, etc., in Mable soil: it the sol] is heavy, add semi and wood ashes (but not coal ashes). and have the beds raised above ihe paths or lawn. Layer Trees and Shrubs. An article on this will appear soon. Topdress lawns with good Iresh soil and a generous sprinkling of super. phosphate. Dig beds and borders, turning in rotted compost, farmyard manure and lawn trimmings. Mse the mower an inch more; this will leave enough grass to protect the roots from injury by host. -

"HST MAKE A PLAN. in View of the many new houses Milli. lately In Hamilton. the following] note from The New Zealand Smallholder should be helpful. It treats irom e diflerent angle a matter. which has been frequently discussed in this column: the planning 0! a new sudenz— | " Before commencing to plan to! make a new garden give the subject due consideration. so that you have a strong impression of the type of garden you wish to make. Then measure - the ground carefully and draw a scale ! plan of the proposed iay-out. “Do not attempt to include too‘ many features in a small garden; this only produces a muddled effect. Have‘ one main feature. such as a rose sar- i den or rock garden. and ,let the rest of the plot be in keeping. Then mark the positions of the paths by driving in wooden peas. it is a mistake to have many paths. as they cut up the garden into small sections. Avoid winding pathways. and plan the paths that they lead to some special feature. A pathway lcading to a dead end is most uninteresting. The most pleasing arransxement is in make the path so that it icads to parts or the garden containing tho features of main interest. and l'l|n\ up one side of the garden and down the othcrl This permits 0! a cir—cular tour of the garden being made. which is moi-c intrrrsting when show« in; fricntis round. “As cousiticrnliio amounts of soil will have to he \\hccictt about. Obtain sutilclrni planks to reach from onet end of the ::ardcn to the other. Gen-i craiiy manv irregularities have to bet levelled and a rockcry made. The soilt obtained when digging out the paths can be used for these purposes. ‘ "if possible. plant the ornamentall trees and shrubs hot‘orc attending to other mattera‘ as thoy will produce a‘ furnished effect. immediately; also set hedges in position. Do not be in a hurry to set. the work completed: a garden cannot. be made in a year. If space can be spared. tune a paved portion close to the house upon which meals can he enjoyed out of doors when the grass is too wet, “To create an Illusion of distance and space in a small garden, keep the centre fairly open and arrange the lines of beds and paths running away from the house. Plant the hardy flower border in such a position that the ilowers are. displayed against a dark background such as a hedge or shrubhcry. but do not plant too close to the shrubs. for they extract all the nourishment from the ground. it. is advisable to haw- a path at the back of thc border from which the plants can rrccirc attention. The front oi the border can then be bounded by a lawn upon which it will not bc newsOery to walk in wet. weather." A CAUTION. ' Adding to the above hints. “Nikau " could suggest caution in planting as wcll as in planuiim. The common mis—take is to plant too much. espccialiy of trccs and shrulns. Tho usual wish is to have the garden furnlShcd sunlricntly in ono or two years: if this aim is attained as it is almost invariably). the result is that tho garden is over—crowdcd in oizht or 10 years—not. to mention ‘2O ycors There is another reason for caution: great advances are helm: made with trccs and shrubs, and ii i< a pity to haw tho piacc so fully piantcd that nothina‘ can in‘ put in ilcl‘nrc Stilllt‘thing is pulh-d out to mnlw rooni. (tautlou should also ilc cwrciscd in laying down paths: if tin-so. are tirst. laid down with sand, no grcat harm is domby a mislako or two. it is a wry dit‘i fercnt. inattcr \\hcn concrcto paths are let down. in such a cash. mistakcs arc oilcn too costly to rcmcdy. The note quoted did not point out that the garden should lit in with tho type of house which it oncioscs. ;\ formal house should have a formal harden—open in front. with small features of the type we associatc with ltaiian gardens. Houses of tho “ .\iis. sion " type may very well have, rockerics and plants of cactus or other succulents. A well~frutted orange-tree will aid the illusion. _.______. i.il-‘Ti.\'t"i .\ND STORING- DAHLIAS. \t this season the grower of dehlids is faced with the choice between Leavins the dahliss tn the ground and taking them up. Unless the soil is

sandy and on a llope, It is well to take the plants up, in order to avoid loss by excessive wetness. Another reason for taking up the plants is that the bed can be dug deeply, and then left to fallow for a while. It can then be manured with compost. cow—manure, em. a few weeks before replanting begins.

Where shall we store the plants? Ordinary kinds can be placed under a lawsonia hedge or in an old shed where frost will not harm them. Good kinds need kinder treatment. A very suitable way Is to store the tubers 111 boxes and to pack sand or 5011 around them. A good way for very large gardens Is to re—plant the clumps In a dry, well-drained part or the garden.

Two or three points to notice are: (i) In lifting the plants we must lhe careful not to damage the tubers. The clump should be prized 'up and l-oos-ened thoroughly ibefore we lift it by the stalk. (2) Any bruised tulbers should be cut. off. (3) The tubers which are stored in boxes should the examined two or three times during the winter, for fear some or the tubers have begun to rat. (1:) Another dan~ grr is that long, thin tubers have Ibegun to shrlvel; in such a case some moist soil should be put anound them, rvplnring the sand. (5) If five inches 01' stem is left; it is quite enough. (6) lint-h rhnnp should he plainly labelled; a good way is to wire a wooden la'hel in a large tuber or to the base of a thick stalk. Since writing the above the writer has consulted a leading da-hlia ex—hibitor; the latter is a llrm believer in taking up the clumps and re-plant-i hit: them in a spare part of the gar—i tli'il. They are left there until they lit-gin to sprout. in late spring, and tire tin-u divided and re-plauted ‘ *— i UNLUCKY AGAIN. l ...... l nut-e again the tree da‘hlias have ln-on naught by frost before they have hud time to open properly. It comes in this: In the \\'aikato tree dehlias are not worth growing unless given a sheltered position under tall trees. They will flower in a sheltered corner usually. but the Spit-Ce they take up might be more profitably occupied by shrubs which would ilower for many ‘woeks. l-Ixnmplos are: Bouvardiits, l-ilb‘iilildl‘tts. asrlepias, luntana, fuscliia. and certnln climbers or semi-climbers. The tree duhlia commonly grows to ‘4: height of 10 or I'l feet in Hamilton. and most llilCllllliS to keep the plnnts tluwu are not wry successful. The writer ims trieti nipping out the shoots at :1 height of about tire feet. but the ‘llL'\\' grow lh's formed have still l‘Cklt‘ilPli 41 height of over 10 feet. There urn two common types of the tree dnhlia. the while amt the mauve pink. 'l‘lm Litter’s full name is Dahia iliipt‘l‘illiiS Leslie, and the species was introdurrd in Eul‘opc from Mexico in 1863. Road—ers who are thinking of giving up growingr tree duhiias should allow the ‘pinnls another ctinnce—‘plant them uzulor irons and nip the tips out twice »~om-o at a hoix‘tt at four feet and Lagain at. live foot. _. THE VVIN’I‘ER SHOW. For garden—lovers the \\'niknto Winter Show will provide an excel—-lt-nl opportunity in mnmuu‘ (uni pur—jvlmsv 111:1in nun-lites its \\'l‘ii its lluic~ ‘liw’lwi hillliS of [lilliilfll \\'hl‘u buying ‘ulvoliit-s. one should enquire ii’ llu-y turn sutllriouli) lmz‘tly to Stilllii the iii-lists of tho \\.(liiifliii. i “I‘Siiil‘S tho nurwrymcn‘s Stands llu‘l‘o iil‘t‘ niiuy other t'txilut'i‘s nt' inivrosl to ::urtivnvrs. First come the rolnpullliw l'illSSt‘S in ilu‘ ilortirul~ illl"til\'i'i'ii|l", and the srluml-children's \u'x'i‘liiltii‘ clashes-i 'l‘limi tin-re are tits—pittys ul’ \‘t-gvldblos in tho, produce inn-lion. ninl in tho (lislrirt rourls. lla— Mill's those. lilt‘l‘i‘ :nny he {until snliu‘ lil\[ll.il\.~' \i‘nr (\\hifliiiuu only}, \\'hii'lt lune llit‘ll-‘l‘ti nun} \‘isiiill‘s in the past. llxhilliturs should unto, ilmt the Juigvs in tht- horticulture. and root sections hnw ilt‘|‘ll invited to most ox:liiliitors at iln-ir rvspm-tivu sections hetwnn the hours of fl and 5 till tho afternoon of tho nrwnmc tin). lluitl umung‘vnwni, b-Iltl juiiws, and bolt] exhibitors! m