YOUR GARDEN AND MINE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 76, 6 December 1940, Page 49

YOUR GARDEN AND MINE

By

Ann Earncliff

Brown

(No. 52)

"Not oaks alone are trees, nor roses flowers; Much humble wealth makes rich this world of ours," -Leigh Hunt. N this "humble wealth" my present garden is peculiarly blessed. The, tall yellow iris (Iochroleuca) fringe the margin of the lily pond, and flood waters have carried them further afield and set them down delightfully where at present their gold glints among flax and raupo or glorifies a dark old nigger head in the swamp. Indoors these tall-growing iris look very happy set in an old cream and blue patterned jug with the light from the window enhancing the beauty of the deep-shaded green leaves. Largesse of the wind, foxgloves gleam from odd nooks and corners. No landscape artist could have improved on their chance-sown distribution. Pale, tall and ghostly, a perfect spire of white rises against the dark trunk of an old, old willow. Bold; glowing and wine-shaded, another had found shelter amongst the sombre native broad leaves. Bending and nodding amongst the tall, uncut grass of the wild wood, they range from white through every shade of pink to a deep wine — truly "the rich red wine of their mirth" gushing from each quaintly spotted throat! Cool Solomon’s Seal, lupins wandering from the garden border — all these are part of the humble wealth, but perversely I sigh because this is the month of the rose — and only the ramblers are truly happy in this clayless, loose, sandy soil. While the roses bloom, my heart is often playing truant among the roses in your gardens. Heavy winds and long dry spells do not encourage good blooms, but, as I have previously recommended, copious watering preceding the application of liquid manure not only helps the

present flowers, but ‘does much to provide vigour for the second crop — often these enjoy better weather conditions than the first summer ones. Where liquid manure is not convenient, Tonk’s mixture is very useful. Applied at the rate of 40zs, to the square yard after pruning and in the same proportion when flower buds are showing, the dressing should be carefully dusted on the. soil, but not allowed to collect on the foliage, and hoed lightly in. Green fly, particularly bad in dry weather, can be controlled by black leaf 40 spray, and in small gardens the grower who goes over his bushes daily can remove many green fly between his finger and thumb. Lady-birds and their funny fuzzy black babies in either rose or vegetable gardens destroy. many. green fly and deserve every protection. Not so welcome in among your tomato, pumpkin and marrow plants are the recent frosts. Some gardeners have had severe damage with frost, but even where plants are not completely destroyed, it is often wiser to replace rather than nurse a sickly subject. Where, however, the recovery seems very quick and a vigorous young foliage growth is established, the check is not very serious. Keep busy with successional sowings for kitchen supply of salad greens, and be. sure to thin out your carrots, beet, turnips and parsnips as early as possible. Crops on trees with too heavy settings of fruit should be thinned. Raspberry canes need careful tying up and where rainfall is light an irrigation ditch should be opened between rows, and the ground given a thorough soaking. Strawberries should enjoy moisture, but have a clean mulch to protect the fruit from the soil.