GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20911, 16 September 1939, Page 18 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

' SEASONABLE WORK

(By "Nikau”)

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Turn in plenty of green manure (lupins, oats, grass, sow-thistle, etc.) when digging the plots. Sow peas, lettuce, leek, onion, turnip, radish, beetroot, spinach, silver beet, carrot, parsnip, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mustard and cress, asparagus, rhubarb. Plant potato (main crop as well as early varieties), cabbage, cauliflower, letbuce, rhubarb, artichoke, onion, and herbs (parsley, mint, thyme, sage, chives, garlic, etc.). Stretch black cotton above rows of peas, lettuce, radish and turnip. Stir the soil every week around growing crops such as cabbage, lettuce, peas and cauliflower. Stake peas when they are a few inches high. If the soil was not limed last year, scatter some lime over it after digging. It will work its way down to the roots in the course of the season. Continue to plant fruit-trees, especially orange and lemon trees. The most profitable orange here is the New Zealand grapefruit, and the best lemons are Lisbon and Eureka. Stake firmly all trees planted in the last few months. Grape-vines can still be planted. Before the apple-buds show pink, spray the trees with Bordeaux (1 lb. to 6 gallons) or with Bordinette (1 lb. to about twelve gallons). Until the buds swell, it is possible to use bluestone (copper sulphate) at the rate of one ounce to one gallon. FLOWERS Plant ornamental trees and shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen. The time for planting hedges is almost past. The best hedge plant for a town section is Abelia floribunda, and the best for a farm garden is Cupressus Lawsoniana. in badly drained ground, where the water level in the soil is high, Cupressus Benthamii is better than C. Lawsoniana. Label bulbs before the flowers fade or are picked; use broad labels and an indelible pencil. Put in cuttings of the young shoots of fuchsias, hydrangeas, pentstemons, wallflowers, calceolarias, delphiniums, lupins, etc. Keep the seed-heads of bedding plants removed—examples are Iceland poppy, viola, pansy, calendula and anemone. Sow in frames, if possible), aster, lobelia, petunia, carnation, delphinium, lupin, etc. It is still too early for sowing French and African marigolds, zinnias and other tender plants in the Waikato. Divide hardy perennials such as helenium, rudbeckia, Cardinal lobelia, etc. Put in cuttings of chrysanthemums, if the best flowers are wanted, otherwise divide the clumps and use rooted suckers. Plant various kinds of climbers, also the main planting of gladioli any time this month.

THE SPRING SHOW Another Spring Show has come and gone. “A good little show” will serve as a brief description of it. though a longer one may be morn useful. Three things militated against complete success—the outbreak of war, the rough weather, and the petrol restrictions which prevented many people from bringing their flowers to the exhibition. The quality of most of the exhibits was high, even if they were not nearly as numerous as usual. The most successful exhibitor of daffodils was Mr W. Danby, of Thames. In addition to securing all five championships, he won the Hamilton Daffodil Cup and the Auckland Provincial Amateur Championship. The winning twelve In the Hamilton Daffodil Cup were: Bodillv, Hallmark, St. Egwin, Rewa, Blodwen, Wellesley, Mahuta, Jean Hood, Princess Royal, Egmont Queen, St. Just, Maharajah. The winning eighteen in the Auckland Provincial Amateur Championship included: Rewa, Porthilly, Bodillv. Princess Margaret, Edwinston, Buffo, Glorious, Golden Circle, Egmont Queen, Scarlet Queen, Jean Hood, St. Just, Radolescent, Royalist, one seedling and two of the champions. The winning nine in class 3 included: Maharajah, Beersheba, Hallmark. Jean Hood, Egmont Queen, Bodilly, Radolescent, Varna, Rewa. The Champions Champion of Champions: Mr W. Danby’s Royalist. Champion Trumpet: Mr W. Danby’s Royalist. Champion Incomparabilis: Mr W. Danby’s Wellesley. Champion Leedsii: Mr W. Danby’s Grayling. Champion Barrii: Mr W. Danby’s Awahuri. Other Beautiful Bloom* *nie brightest exhibit in the show was that of the Lyceum Club, and it well deserved the Certificate of Merit which wfs awarded to it. Giant ‘Ted-hot pokers” (Kniphofias) and a red "japonica” (Cydonias) made a gay background, and about thirty other species of flowers formed the main part of the exhibit. The following list is given to show what flowers may reasonably be expected to be in bloom in September: Iceland poppy, daffodil, anemone, ranunculus, lachenalia, freesia, viola, genkiva (a species of daphne with lilac-blue flowers). Dryandra (a shrub with yellow thistle-like flowers which can be used as “everlastings”), polyanthus, venidium (like a gazania), two species of iris ("flag” and Iris tingitana), linoria, Primula malacoides. violet, red-leaved almond. winter rose (hellebore), billbergia, grape hyacinth, Berberis Darwinii, rhododendron, camellia, rangiora, red-hot poker, Japonica. Other flowers in bloom just now are: Calendula (hardy marigold), native clematis. Forsythia, flowering currant . Ribes), pansy, viola, stock, nemesia. Virginia stock, various "prunus” species, jonquil, wallflower, Doronicum, Kerrya, various acacias, Jajsminum primulfnu-m (semi-double, yellow), Argentine pea (Lathyrus tomentosus), hyacinth, Arabis, Aubrietia, mignonette, Diosma. Eriostemon. Spiraea, various ericas and azaleas, magnolias, veronicas, Podalyria, arums, etc. Special mention should be made of the following: The winning exhibits in the children’s classes of daffodils; the wonderful St. Brigid anemones in the Lyceum Club exhibit; a spike of double hyacinth; the vases of Iris tingitana; the winning exhibits of anemones and ranunculi (the same exhibitor scores every year with his ’•anuneuli); a glorious vase of Iceland poppies. Decorative Section Though not so numerous as usual, the bowls, vases and tables again reached a high standard. The winning table in one class had four shallow glass dishes holding daffodil heads, grape hyacinths, primroses, white violets, and a central dish holding red poppies, grape hyacinths and daffodils. The winning table in another class showed wonderful simplicity; the j flowers used were the true jonquil ! scented, yellow blooms) and linaria. ! A pedestal vase and a pedestal bowl ! both using the following flowers were j very effective: Purple flag-irises and I. tingitana; red-hot pokeTs, yellow Iceland poppies, “pussy willow,” and the foliage of the native rama-rama. Other attractive exhibits were: A bowl of richly coloured polyanthus primroses: a bowl of daffodils; two beautiful baskets of flowers; the boxes of flowers for posting; the children's exhibits of posies, floating bowls, and flow t rings. Miss Von Sturmer showed two beautiful floral emblems, and Mr A.

j Gibson a large and representative 1 collection of modern daffodils, with a prices of separate bulbs rising from | one or two shillings to over ten (pounds. It may be pointed out that ; a number of the prize-winning bulbs j mentioned above cost no more than | three shillings a-piece. IThe absence of collections of cut flowers and shrubs was a keen disappointment to the writer, and proi bably to other visitors. For such I exhibits we must look forward to the other shows to be held by the Society this year. CAMPBELL ROAD GARDEN While in Auckland last week the writer took the opportunity to revisit the famous "Campbell Road Garden” Many of our readers have seen It often, while others have merely seen a picture of it on the catalogues of Messrs Arthur Yates & Co. The garden was beautiful, though not up to the wonderful standard attained a few years ago. The main features this time were masses of stocks, cinerarias, and primulas, in full bloom, near the street. The bank was gay with hyacinths and cyclamens, and the middle part of the garden was bright with lachenalias, anemones, pink poppies, 'calendulas, nemesias, primroses, polyanthus, and broad edgings of aubrietia. The aspect of the garden is changing; a low hedge of dwarf polyantha roses has been planted, and the shrubs are becoming larger (and probably more numerous). The garden will be more interesting than ever, but probably less beautiful. Some of our readers may like to visit this garden. It is in Campbell Road, just to the west of the Main South Road, on the border of Remuera (near a petrol station). OTHER AUCKLAND GARDENS The Winter Gardens are as beautiful as ever. The main features of one house are the various types of primula (sinensis, stellata and obconica), calceolarias, cyclamens, azaleas, and cinerarias. Palms, ferns and other foliage plants help to make this house very interesting. A few shrubs in flower gave additional colour—in particular, a yellow broom (Genista fragrans), double white azalea (Deutsche Perle), a wonderful single red azalea (Cocarde), and an unnamed double pink azalea. The orchid house was even better than usual. One plant had ten sprays, and each spray had from seven to ten flowers. Most of the orchids in bloom were species and varieties of Cymbidium, but there were also species of Dendrobium Tillandsia and Cypripediu-m. It is worth noting that some of the orchid flowers last from ten to twelve weeks, and that a good many species thrive in a greenhouse (not a hothouse). PLANTS FOR TUBS A while ago we mentioned plants which could be grown in tubs or garden vases. The following are some of the plants thriving in tubs and vases outside the winter houses in the Auckland Domain, though they are subject to draughts. (The great difficulty for amateurs is to keep the plants properly watered, allowing for summer holidays.) Various hydrangeas such as La Marne and Domotoi; native plants such as cabbage tree, tax (Phormium), wineberry (Aristotelia), Olearia lineata, puke, varigated broadleaf (Griselinia), purple ake-ake (Dodonea), pohutukawa; conifers such as juniper, dwarf cypresses (Lawsonianas, etc.), and columnar cypresses (G. sempervirens), and other plants such as bamboo and Acmena. One thing missing was the aspidestra I PRUNING HINTS It is always interesting to see how “ the other fellow ” does his work, and so it was with the pruning of hydrangeas in pots, climbing roses, and climbing plants, such as Wistaria, Bignonia, Billardiera, and wall plants such as fuchsias. A giant wistaria had been carefully pruned to spurs (like a fruit tree), but a few long new rods had been trained in among the old ones. The hydrangeas had been cut back fairly hard (above double buds, to about two feet), and as many as thirty rods or shoots were retained. To stand this heavy strain the plants were given a good deal of fertiliser. The climbing roses were pruned in the approved way—long rods trained at intervals fanwise, vertically, etc. A climbing Lady Hillingdon had about fifteen rods in the fan, and a Lemon Pillar had about twelve stems with short spurs at intervals, as on grapevines. These roses reached a height of over twelve feet. In later notes some features of other Aucklands gardens will be given.