GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21194, 17 August 1940, Page 14 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

SEASONABLE WORK

(By “Nikau”)

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Plant cabbage, rhubarb, asparagus, herbs, cauliflower, lettuce, shallots, onion, silver beet, and a few early potatoes. Sow peas, lettuce, radish, turnip, mustard and cress, silver beet and perpetual spinach. Divide and replant chives; these are as useful as spring onions and have a less objectionable smell. Turn in all the crops grown for green manure: because of the gases liberated from the rotting material, do not sow or replant the bed for six weeks. Work some napthalene into the soil in which carrots are to be sown, and wait three weeks before sowing. Some should also be dusted on and around the plants in October and November. Continue to plant fruit-trees of all kinds. This month is the best time for planting lemon, orange and mandarin trees. See that the drainage is perfect, and set the trees no deeper than they were in the nursery. This is more important for citrus than for other trees. Put scions for grafting in a damp place (like cuttings) until next month, when they should be prepared and then inserted in the proper stocks. Finish pruning fruit-trees; the main thing with young trees is to give them a good, open shape; in the case of established trees, the main thing is to cut out dead, unhealthy, and crowding shoots (especially in the centre). The long new growths should be shortened to about half. FLOWERS Finish the pruning of roses this week. It may be done as severely as three weeks ago, and yet no harm is likely to result. Weed the beds and borders; bum such weeds as docks, couch-grass (twitch), convolvulus, ordinary sorrel and wood-sorrel (Oxalis), and bury the other kinds of grass and weeds. Sprinkle a little superphosphate or general fertiliser around beddingplants of all kinds, and hoe it in lightly. Plant nemesia, stock, antirrhinum, pansy, dianthus, viola, Iceland poppy and polyanthus and other primroses and calendula (hardy marigold). Plant ornamental trees and shrubs, also hedge plants. See that each is firmly staked and tied. Plant some gladioli now, to flower In 100 days; those planted later will flower in about 90 days. Under glass or in boxes protected from rain, sow petunia, lobelia and other choice seeds. Sow sweet peas in the open; they grow best when the soil on both sides of the row can be worked and weeded. Peas look well in the border of a large garden. Put in cuttings of chrysanthemums; these give better plants than rooted suckers do.

A RADIO TALK On Monday next, the 3YA (Christchurch) expert will speak on the pruning of fruit trees. AN IMPORTANT SPRAYING J'ust when the buds are swelling Is the best time in the whole year for spraying all deciduous trees and ■hrubs. To guard against all fungal diseases, the best sprays are lime•ulphur (1 in 15 now) and Bordeaux (lib to 6 or 10 gallons). One or other of these two should certainly be used to check leaf-curl (on peaches and nectarines), and black spot (on auinces, pears, apples, roses, etc.) to mention only two of the many fungal diseases. As pointed out last week, spraying ■hould be done very thoroughly. HYDRANGEAS An enquiry about the pruning of hydrangeas has been received. The following are the chief points of the answer: (1) The pruning can be done at any time after the leaves have fallen. For the sake of neatness, it is usually dene in June and July, but August and even September are perfectly suitable. (2) To revive an old bush cut out from the base two out of every three main growths, and shorten the remainder to about two feet. As a result, strong new shoots will come from the base. Next year the best of these should be shortened only slightly; the weak new ones and the old growths can be cut back to the base. (3) For healthy young plants, follow this plan: Cut out the thin shoots, and shorten the others by about six inches, thus leaving two or three pairs of fat buds on each shoot. From every bud should develop a flowering shoot. Immediately after flowering some of these shoots may be cut out to leave room for this season’s young shoots. | DWARF TREES AND SHRUBS Once more the winter season has Been the removal of many trees and 6hrubs which had outgrown their 6pace. And also once more the overplanting has proceeded in other gardens ! The following list of “not bo tall” plants should help our readers: Adenandra (starry white flowers, borne singly on short growths, keeping up a succession for most of the year); various Bank-

CORRESPONDENCE “Te Rore.”—(l) The pink-flowered tree that was in bloom all July was Prunus mume. The pink-flowered tree in bloom now is Prunus Moserii, and the white-flowered (single) is Prunus Pissardii. Both the latter have purple foliage. (2) A good Japanese maple is Acer palmatum dissectum, reaching a height of as much as 20ft. (3) A list of shrubs suitable for your purpose will be posted to you. “Roses,” Hamilton.—For pegging down, the long shoots made last summer are suitable. Cut off the soft tip (about nine inches), and carefully peg down the end of the remaining shoot. It may touch the ground, or come only within a foot of the ground, depending on the stiffness of the wood. As a result of the bending, from six to fifteen flowering shoots will come from the pegged rod. A shapely bush may have as many as five such rods, radiating like the spokes of a wheel. After flowering for one or two years, they may be cut out clean from the base to make room for the new rods. sias; various barberries, especially Berberis Thunbergii (with purple foliage); Callicarpa purpurea (purple berries, but somewhat tender); various heath or Ericas, especially melanthera, Wilmoreana, baccans (with rattly, pink berry-like flowers), Cavendishiana (yellow tubes), hybrida (red tubes), and cruenta (red tubes); Daphne odora rubra (the favourite); Boronia (especially the chocolate and yellow species, megastigma); Andromeda or Pieris (white flowers, like those of lily-of-the-valley); dwarf rhododendrons and also Countess of Haddington; various azaleas, especially the forms of azalea mollis, which bear their orange, yellow and red flowers before the leaves come; Diosma ericoides (Breath of Heaven); Enkianthus japonicus (white flowers, and leaves which become a wonderful red in autumn); certain Japanese maples (forms of Acer palmatum dissectum); various conifers (dwarf forms of cypresses, juniper, Biota, etc.); dozens of species of native veronicas or Hebes; and somewhat dwarf hydrangeas such as Domotoi (double-flowers), Matador, Parzival, Helge, Lancelot, Paris, Dresden, etc. Many of these hydrangeas reach a height of six feet if grown in a shady, damp soil, but otherwise only three feet.