GARDENING NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, 17 June 1915, Page 49

GARDENING NOTES

(By Mb. J. Joyce, Landscape Gardener, Christchurch.)

THE FLOWER GARDEN. With the setting in of the month of June the busy time in the garden should commence. . The leaves are now off; the trees, all annuals have finished for the year, and herbaceous plants have gone to rest, so as to make ready for the next season's display. Advantage should now be taken to remove all old, dead, and decayed vegetation from borders, and beds. The leaves should be collected from the walks and lawns, and carefully dug under in the beds and borders. Nothing is better for borders than the dead leaves with a little stable manure added. When digging the borders clumps of herbaceous plants, which are getting too big, ought to be divided, and portions planted where space offers. Among the plants.which generally require to be divided are phlox, Michaelmas daisies, delphiniums, montbretias, sunflowers, and others too numerous to name. Dahlias ought to be lifted and separated, leaving about one or two tubers in the clump for the next season. Those taken out can be planted*in fresh parts of the border. Stray or straggling shoots, which look unsightly on the trees and shrubs, should be pruned back, and the same may be done to roses, so that the border "might look tidy as the work proceeds, leaving the pruning proper to be performed later on in the spring time. This is a good time now to make rose beds with plenty of good new soil and a generous supply of well-rotted farmyard manure. Good rotten cow manure is considered the best for roses. In making the bed, trench about three feet deep, adding plenty of manure, but keeping it away. from the roots. They will find it out in good time.- Planting of any other trees and shrubs can now be advantageously proceeded with, as the ground is getting into fair order." Most of the bulbs should be planted, by now, but if they are not—it is not too late yet. Lawns ought to be well rolled, and top-dressed if needed. If the grass is of a poor nature a good sprinkling of a fertiliser, mixed with the topdressing, will benefit it very much. Hedges should be trimmed and cut well in. All walks, which need screening or gravel ought to have a dressing before the bad weather sets in. It is a great, advantage to have clean, dry paths to walk, on during the wet days of winter.

IN THE ORCHARD. Now that all the fruit is picked and stored away, work can commence in the orchard. The trees will need pruning, and any bad kinds taken out and replaced by good varieties. The pruuings should be made into a heap and burned, as they often harbor blight if left on the ground. The fruit trees will require to be treated with some of the insecticides recommended for the purpose, such as sulphur, lime and salt, red oil, etc. Most people who grow fruit in any quantity have their own standard recipes. lam not writing for that class. They know their business well enough, so Ido not pretend to be able to enlighten them on this matter. I write only for those who happen to know less than I do. THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

All spare ground must now be thoroughly dug, and enriched with plenty of good rotten manure. Deep digging and generous manuring will result in good, healthy crops next season. If this is done now, the manure will have time to part with its fertilising qualities throughout the ground before the seed is sown, or the crop put in next spring, when the young rootlets will be able to revel in a soil suitable to their requirements. All old and decayed vegetation should be dug in, as it is so much manure for the next crop. Plenty green weeds may also be dug in, there being no need to clear them away, as they enrich the soil by

supplying it with ■•>: considerable proportion of ', readily available plant ' food, s and by adding humus they improve the soil’s texture. The ground should be left very 'rough, as the winter frosts will do the breaking down. In nice sunny corners in the garden a little early cabbage and lettuce may be planted out. These will come in some time in the spring, month's when vegetables are scarce. All young spring crops must be kept nice and -clean by running a Dutch hoe through them in fine weather. - ■JT