YOUR GARDEN AND MINE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 33, 9 February 1940, Page 41

YOUR GARDEN AND MINE

By

Ann Earncliff

Brown

(No. 21)

GARDEN SURGERY N the first page of "The Way of Transgressor," Negley Farson writes: "My grandfather and Abner could get more solid contentment out of a pot of wax and a pruning knife than any two men I ever knew. They could make plums grow on a peach tree and (I’m not so sure of this), peaches on plums — half the trees were bandaged on our place." Although at present you will not be tempted to seek this "solid contentment," yet it is not too soon to realise that grafting, budding, and layering are not tasks beyond the scope of amateur gardeners, male or female. Re-Making a Tree Grafting is simply the placing of two cut surfaces of one or of different plants under conditions which cause them to unite and grow together. Personally I find it simpler to re-make an apple tree than to re-model a frock. Fingers deft with scissors and needle, or skilled in first-aid work, should be equally successful in all kinds of grafting. September and October are the chosen months for much of this garden surgery, but accidents happen just any time to our garden children. Recently I heard of a keen amateur grower of tomatoes who has successfully mended badly damaged plants, Aided by firm wrappings of wide adhesive plaster and strongly supported by sturdy stakes, the storm beaten vines have made a wonderful recovery, Tomato growths broken beyond repair can still be helped to further usefulness, Cut off all bruised’ stems and plant the: remaining branch firmly in moist, warm sandy loam. Shade from fierce sun till the cutting is established. If your cutting is fairly immature, it is as well to cut it hard back, and allow the slip to commence life as a normal rooted plant would, Should a well-fruited limb have suffered, however, it will often carry on successfully under these conditions. Water, Water All Around "The Way of a Transgressor" also leads to a house-boat on a lovely lake in British Columbia: "When we had our house-boat we even had a garden on the end of its cedar raft. We filled the interstices between the logs with brush on which we carted sacks of dirt. We grew lettuce and ‘radishes there. Always being watered this way the lettuce shot up like trees, and the radishes were as hot as pepper." I like to picture Eve Farson in her floating home made gay with checked gingham curtains, and bark-covered window boxes growing sweet peas and nasturtiums. To-day for a change this lady of the lake could substitute water for soil and pick tomatoes from a bedroom ewer. Aunt Daisy over the radio recently spoke of a water grower who is successful with hydrangeas, A pinch of this,

a dash of that, and hey presto! his blooms respond with a chameleon-like facility — and Dame Nature stands amazed. Wilting with the weeds 1 pulled from the border, I mop a heated brow behind which are long, long thoughts of a weedless, floating garden. A tiny breeze disturbs the reflection of yellow mimulus by the river’s brink, A modern version of "The Houseboat on the Styx" might have its points.