GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21206, 31 August 1940, Page 14 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

SEASONABLE WORK

(By “Nikau")

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Sow peas, carrot, parsnip, leek, lettuce, radish, mustard and cress, parsley, turnip, silver beet, beetroot, asparagus. Plant early potatoes (in a sheltered place), rhubarb, asparagus, silver beet, onion, herbs, potato onion, cabbage, eschalots, artichoke, cauliflower and lettuce. Take up and divide chives that have formed big clumps; a large clump may be divided into eight or ten parts, each being about an inch in diameter. During this work, a careful watch should be kept for couch-grass (“twitch”) which may have penetrated the clumps. This is also a good time to take up and divide old plants of thyme. If- “twitch” has worked its way into them, they should be taken up and washed bare of soil. Some cuttings of thyme should be planted in sandy loam to form a fresh plantation. Finish planting deciduous fruit-trees (apple, pear, peach, plum, nectarine), and grapevines. Citrus trees may be planted any time in the next four or five weeks. Finish the pruning of apple trees; the chief thing is to open up the trees by cutting out crowded growths. Put aside some scions for grafting next month; strong, healthy, young shoots are the best. Half bury them in moist soil for the next two or three weeks. The winter strength of Bordeaux (lib. to 6 or 8 gals.) can still be used on apple trees, as the buds have not yet burst their scales. At a strength of one ounce to one gallon the same kind of spray should be used on broad beans and silver beet to check rust, and on onions to check mildew. FLOWERS Hasten the planting of deciduous shrubs; the evergreens, especially those which are “balled,” can be planted for another two months. Plant hedge-plants; give them a thorough watering once a fortnight if September is a dry month. Sow hardy plants in the open; for example, linaria, Shirley poppy, viscaria, clarkia, linum, cornflower, godetia, larkspur, candytuft and “everlastings.” Plant hardy bedding plants, also nemesia and cineraria (the latter in a cool, sheltered position). Keep seed-heads picked off Iceland poppies and anemones, so that the plants will continue to bloom. Weed th# beds and borders; if the plants are not crowded, most of the weeds can be removed with the hoe. Plant hardy climbers; a fairly long list of varieties, together with their suitabilities and requirements, was given in this column last week. Put in cuttings of hydrangea, forsythia, Weigela (diervilla), flowering currant, orange-blossom (philadelphus) and other shrubs. Sow new lawns; moisten the seed slightly and dust it with red lead, as this renders it unpalatable to birds. Make a sowing of sweet peas in an open part of the garden. Sow in frames, or in boxes kept on a sunny verandah, the following : Lupin, lobelia, petunia, carnation, verbena, phlox and salpiglossis.

COLOURS OF HYDRANGEAS Though a few people consider that tie only proper colour for a hydrangea is blue, most prefer the newer reds and pinks. Fortunately a good deal can be done to control the col- | ours. A good plan is to put the pinks and reds in an open part of the garden and to scatter plenty of lime around them—two or three handfuls of burnt lime to each, and much more if crushed limestone is used. lime is only slightly soluble in ordinary water, the lime should be put on the ground in winter and early spring. The plants which are to give blue flowers should be planted in a rather damp, shady place. From time to time some powdered alum and sulphate of iron should be scattered around the plants, to intensify the colour. A solution of half an ounce of either to a gallon of water will also serve very well. A few applications may be made during the late spring and early summer. With regard to varieties, it is pointed out by some nurserymen that the plants which respond very well to one treatment will generally respond well to the other treatment. Thus the Japanese variety Ajisai (with lilac-shaped “pips”) may be grown as a pink or as a pale blue; Sensation, with its large cup-shaped “pipe,” may be grown as a beautiful pink or as a very deep blue. It should be noticed that the pure white varieties do not respond to either the lime or the iron and alum treatment. Plants grown in pots and tubs may be controlled perfectly, but they need a great deal of water. The following should be grown as reds and also as blues: Goliath, Gertrude Glahn, Marshal Foch, Sensation, Lancelot, Rubis. SEED SOWING ' September is always regarded as “seed-sowing month,” because so many kinds of vegetables and flowers are sown then to provide for summer, autumn, and even winter crops. ITle soil is to be broken down to a line tilth with fork, hoe and rake, but the rake should not be used too much. If the soil sticks to the tools, it is not in the best condition. If the work has to be done while the soil is somewhat sticky, use some broad boards for standing on, so that the soil will not be packed tightly. Another help is to make the drills a few hours before sowing, in order to let the sun and the wind dry the soil. Still another help is to have a supply of fairly dry soil In covered boxes, so that the seeds can be covered lightly with this. The ideal course, however, is to wait until the soil is crumbly, and does not stick to the fingers. Heavy soils may be lightened by the addition of sand, rotted compost, wood ashes and leaf mould. A different part of the gar-

den may be treated thus every year. The question of drawing the drills is fairly simple. One man prefers a draw hoe, another prefers the end of a rake, and so on. The common mistake is to make the drills too deep. They may be made fairly deep, so that superphosphate or a “general” fertiliser can be worked into the soil. The drills should then be partly filled in before the seed is sown. Peas and beans may be sown two or three inches deep, beet, marrow, pumpkin, cucumber, silver beet and similar seeds a little over one inch. Seeds such as carrot, parsnip, turnip, radish and lettuce will do well at one inch in sandy soil, and at half an inch in heavy soil. The line should always be used for making the drills; it needs to be lifted every now and then during the planting of cabbage, potatoes, onions, etc., as it may have been pushed out of the straight. A broad peg should be put in at one end, to mark the position of the row of seeds, and to give the name of the variety, the date of sowing, and even the name of the seedsman. Details such as these should be copied into the garden diary later, and perhaps entered in a plan, too, so that a rotation of crops can be followed. Three weeks before carrots are sown, it is advisable to scatter naphthalene over the seed-bed, as a check or. wire-worms and carrot-fly. In October and November some naphthelene should also be dusted on the foliage, especially after the thinning, because the carrot-flies are attracted by the smell of bruised foliage. Distances between rows will vary. Broad beans need three feet, runners five feet, dwarf beans two feet, broccoli and cauliflower two and a-half to three feet, cabbage two to two and a-half feet, and most other vegetables 15 to 20 inches. Peas need two to three feet if several rows are planted; if only two rows are sown, they need only one foot. Another point is: use good and fresh seed, though cucumber, marrow and pumpkin may be kept for several years. Still another point is to avoid the “feast and famine” method of sowing and planting; it is often a good plan to share a bundle of plants with a neighbour, and so avoid the danger of over-planting cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Successional sowings of lettuce, radish, carrot, peas and beetroot should be made. Even runner beans may be planted at different times. A point often forgotten by gardeners is that many crops should be timed to come in after the summer holidays, because it is annoying to even the most placid gardener to find that the peas, lettuce, dwarf beans and runners have been at their best during the holidays, and are perhaps spoilt altogether. Tomatoes, sweet com and bush marrows may also be planted to give a succession of crops from January to April.