GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19899, 30 May 1936, Page 20 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

L——¥—:——-BEABONABLE wonK.;.—+__—_——_—_—-J._l OMLLV WRITTEN IND COMPILID TO SUIT WAIKATO CLIMATE

(By “Nikau.")

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT. 111. chief work at present is the winter digging of most parts of the garden. The work should be done deeply, but the subsoil should be merely loosened and left in the bottom of the trench. It is a good plan to scatter manure (compost, rotted turf, grass or farm—yard manure) over the surface before digging, so that some can be put in each trench. Plant Cabbage and Cauliflower, and slightly mould up the earlier plantings of these vegetables; this will improve the drainage, and will also strengthen the plants against wind. Mould up Leeks that have made full growth, but leave others for a good while longer. Mould up Celery, first removing decayed leaves and all side-growths from their base. Stir the soil at least once a fortnight between rows of young Carrots, Onions, Silver Beet, Turnips, and other autumn—sown crops. Make out a planting list of m-w fruit trues, and prepare the soil by digging it deeply; on a larger scale. ploughing in necessary. Complete lists of suitable fruits will be given later in this column. The following should be considered (for a small section): Three or four Apple Trees, including Grnnny Smith, Golden Delicious, Jonathan or Scarlet l’eurmnln; u. New Zeuland Grape-fruit (Poorman Orange); a Lisbon Lemon; a Plum (Burbank, Satsuma, or Purple King); a Peach (Golden Queen), but no Nectarine, on account of the great damage by ripe rot (brown rot). A Grape-vine of a hardy kind and passion vines should also be planted, preferably along a sunny fence. FLOWERS. Plant all kinds of hardy trees and shrubs, also certain kinds of climbers. Anything tender should not be planted before the end of August. Plant Stock, Iceland Poppy, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Primrose, Pansy, Viola and Wallflower. Nemesia should not be planted for weeks yet, unless a warm situation can be provided for it. Plant all kinds of hardy Lilies; when buying, ask what depth they 011 on be planted, and whether they need a sunny or a semi-shaded position. The latter suits L. auratum, L. Henryi, L. speciosum and L. testaceum. Lift and store Dahlias; the best plan is to replant them close together in a trench in a sheltered, dry part. of the garden, and leave them there until they send up shoots in late spring. Cut. down Chrysanthemums, lllllllH‘L'bli‘. Shasta and Michaelmas Daisies, Holmium, perennial Phlox, Golden Rod and similar perennials. Carefully mark tiw lmsirirm of Lilies, Paeonies, Cardinal Lohella, eto‘. before the, old foliage and stenis are gathered.

PBUNING BUSH FRUITS. 1 It is now time to prune currants. Pumice and other bush fruits. he white and tho rml curl-ants incur their fruit on short spurs growing out from the old wood, and pruning must aim at the production of these spurs. Consequently the side-shoots made during the summer are to be shortened back to an inch or less. This is usually done in winter, but a better time is the end of summer. The main growths (“loaders”) should be ohm-toned to within three or four beho- o! the previous year's wood. If flio bush seems crowded, one or two of tho wths can be cut out (from to hotmn not merely shortened). if the main growths are left about. six inch.- Ipart, with a fairly hollow centre to the bush, they will receive all the air and light that they need. Flock Currants rcquire different “fitment, as they bear their fruit on new wood. The tips must not be re- l moved, for most of the fruit buds are to be found there. Pruning will com‘ list in cutting out completely any old . rods that are dead or unhealthy. or! are crowding the centre. To renew :hu I bush, it is advisable to cut out one or . two old rods each year. In spring: i‘ i may be noticed that some of the l'iril? ‘ are not starting into growth. Tiny: should be cut back to healthy wwd. as they are probably infested \vilii‘ borer. ‘ GOOSEBERRIES. Considering how well £00.‘L“)(‘l'l'll‘ grow in the Waikato, it is six.~pri:' - -' thatmore are not planted. Th.- t-., i. requirements are a fairly rich :ui. a'id plany' of room. They may l grown in various ways, such as sunni,fii‘ll‘. buzhes, cordons and espoliru. If grown as standards, they will mail strong stakes. An easy way to gran I short standard is to put in a stout cutting about two feet long to a depth of four inches. Only two or three top buds should be allowed to form branches. Tall standards are diilicult to grow, and are not of practical im» portance. Bushes are the usual kind of gooseberry plants. They should have at least eight inches of stem below the lowest branches, so that sunlight and air may reach the soil and keep it healthy. This also allows easy cultivation of the soil, and prevents the fruit from getting splashed with sand and mud during heavy rain. The pruning o! the bush consists in thinning out some growths, and cutting most of the new ones to within about three inches of last year’s wood. Some of the fruit will be borne on old wood and some on the new. The wrong way is to trim up the bush as if it were boxwood or some other shrub. It may be taken as a kind of axiom that where the hand can pass freely, light and air will pass freely, too. Some people like to have a wide cupehaped bush. but the space in the centre seems wasted in such a case. It is a good plan to cut out an old rod every year, and to leave in i place a strong new growth, suitably placed. To sum up, the shoots that ore to be cut out are those that crowd the plant, or are of a soft, wutrry type. Side shouts are to be cut back ‘lO about three inches. but the lender.» Lmay need only the soft tips removed. THE WINTER SHOW. An account of the horticultural natures of this Show will be given next week. A brief survey previous to the opening has found the Show to be of a very high standard. GOOD OLD APPLES. The life-histories of most things are interesting. and apples are no excep—tion to the rule. Even the most up-to-date of us like Cox‘s Orange Pippin and probably think it is one of the achievements of the lust fifty years. but this is an old vnricty of apple. It was raised in 1825 by Mr Fox. a retired brewer, living near Slough. and was introduced to notice about 1850 by Chas Turner. This Variety is self—sterile, and needs to be interplanted with other frocdlowcrini: varieties such as Bramlcy's Seedling, Worcester l‘onrniain or Scurlrt l’i-nr-main. Cox's Orange l’ippin ruquiri-s heavy supplies of potash and phosphate. If given these. it will probably be far freer than at present from hitter pit and other ills that. lpple flesh suffers from. A for older apple is one that many of us enjoyed in our youth, but find almost unprocurahh- now: Dcvmu (hire Quarrenden. This is in flat. apple. covered with a brilliant vrmiN-v: nnd having crisp flesh and a .- .~. ll}: flavour. It has burn known sinci- the CM 0! the sevrn’ w‘n'h minimum but is probably much older Than that. There m perhaps two reasons for its sing no longer pt pulur: the fruit is

only about the size of a Daugherty, and the tree is not a regular crapper. The writer’s experience of it found a pronounced tendency to bear heavily one year and very lightly the next. Adams' Pearmain: an apple bearing this name might reasonably be expected to be an old variety! Lovers of the antique may be disappointed to find that this variety has been known for only a little over a hundred ‘ years. The Gravenstein is much older; it has been known since 1760, and probably it came first from the Castle of Grafenstein in Schleswig. The Irish Peach is not as old as we perhaps think; it was introduced from Ireland last century. —————.—_. STILL OLDER. Another apple that we loved in our youth is the Ribston Pippin. This apple was raised at Ribston Hall, Knaresborough, from seeds brought ' from Rouen about 1709, but was notl introduced to general notice until: ]about 1785 (readers of history will remember that other matters were beiing “brought to general notice” in . England at that period). . Sturmer Pippin is, comparatively, a in'oungster. It was raised by a. Mr lilillistone, of Stunner, Suffolk, and r ‘as introduced about 1834. A found- , T n2, literally found in a field, was the 4 . ppie named Gladstone. It was found My :1 Mr Jackson, a nurseryman of i l~.idr!m~niinster, and put into commerce 1 Li 11338. l On another occasion the history of l - :-~§n apples will be continued, and ‘ ‘iliun will be made of two for which ‘ ; nuznunts have been erected by a 1 itchil apple-loving public. The his- ! :1-y of some pears will also be re- } ,ztcd. It is perhaps good news to I we readers that an Auckland firm ‘1 includes Devonshire Quarrenden and [Libston Pippin in its list of varieties ‘ available. .__._._. BERRIED TREES AND SHRUBS. In making out a planting list we : hould remember that many trees and rhruhs have beautiful fruits as well as beautiful foliage and flowers. A considerable number of native trees have ornamental berries, drupes, cap:ules and similar fruits. Some of them are conifers, such as Kahikatea, mlro and rlmu; others are iawa, ta—ralre, various Plttosporums, Kohe— Kohe, various myrtles, passion-flower (a climber), mistletoe (yellow-fruits now at their best), Karaka, Corokia, porokaiwhiri, titoki, karamu and other species of Coprosma, supple-jack (a climber), Mahoe, mingi-mingi, puriri (too tender for most of the Waikato), tutu, and pokaka. Smaller native plants with beautiful berries are Dianella intermedia, Fuchsia procumhens and Nertera depressa—these three are suitable for rockeries. Amongst imported plants with herries are the following: rowan—tree and all the crab-apples; many kinds of hawthorn (Crataegus); many species of contoneaster and bin-berry; spindlelmri'y (I‘lrunymusl; holly (succeeds \\‘ell in the \Vuikuto); species of rose, such us Rosa rugosa; strawberry trees (Arbutus and Benthamiu); various Solanums (including the wintercherry and our native Pom-Pom); various viburnums. Besides these are various species not so well known, but specimens are to be seen at the Winter Show. if history repeats itself ‘in this respect. Such are Pernettyu mucronutu. Skimmin, jnponica, Eluoov [cm-pus cyaneus and Illcsia polycarpa. Notes on some of these will appear later. AN IX’I‘ERESTIXG FRUIT. For llxl‘ lusl (\w lll' lln'ee weeks a :mwly-inlrolluroll l'l'uit. l’cljou svllow—mm. has luu‘n ranM‘ll 10‘ some lmrti< vullux'nl piumwrs :ilnl llli‘ll‘ frlvmls. The fruit l'rscmhl.-< um- Hf jls disluul l'l'liill\l’\. the gums, Inn»! is much lur:kr: .. gynnl slu'rlznn-n :s llxrm' lnvhr‘s Inn»: :Iqu Hourly |\\.» inl'lu's~ in tliu—lni'li‘l‘_ ‘l'llu l‘~'i.lu.u 1111‘ an .u-omzilio s‘m‘ll Mill :1 [leur \\llll‘ll is lnllln-l' plunxml. 'l'llnuull :l lllll\t‘ ul' Illuxzil tow-l li'umluy, llll< slii'uln is lml'lly "'lHllKll l'nr mm! sli'llvns‘ in the \\';iiilmln. 'l‘lu'rl- ‘ll'Lf {l'll-w» of il in some 'l'illltlliuu Kil'ilv‘ns. :unl slimln spoolmn'nls lu \'.u'luu~ \\lulmlu :'-'~ll'll~'ll.\. The ‘T \\\wl\‘ ,m» \vry lunilllll‘lxl. :Ilnl clnsul)‘ I'm-mlllu ill-VS” ul‘ ulllvvr llzslunl I'o— rwl l'.\lil\ .1111 l lllv ]mllllllli l‘ m... .\\ llm ll'm' Ix‘ I'\<‘l'_-'l‘l‘\‘ll and I is .llliku‘lno- 101i..:v. it is \\‘ol'lli cumin; .14 .11l Hl'llililll‘Hl‘ll ll‘m‘ m' >lll‘llll. 'l‘lw ill-1 :lm ll luxnx useful l'i‘uil .\éwlllll nu! '1 A rv .nli'llml as a l’lls’< .ulmnllsv. l" ‘11.“ [lns .lilsni'll mistake is 1m- ml :1 maul» \\illi lvmnn pm‘sxllmwli. uflmb- .1111 l gully: ll'r‘us. llvdxlvi‘s \\'m \\ .n! lvv Hmlu‘ ll ml“ killll u! Jul!) .\llmlfll l'vll‘mly pron .l I‘li\\' lvilshl-s ul ll‘liml \\‘l lawns hm l\\ll.ll llw'w' “:11 lli‘ m'mws 11l lllllll’l; “\':llv'!' ‘lmus ‘fl-z' hull” firefly. In” _.!Elvl‘zl:e.~ might do “Lil‘s: lliau iu"Jdllu rush classes.