GARDENING NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, 26 June 1919, Page 43

GARDENING NOTES

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

; : :'; WORK FOR THE MONTH OF JULY. The n Kitchenr= Garden. The work this month should be a continuation of that suggested for June, preparatory to early spring sowing of vegetables. The ground requires to be deeply dug, and well supplied with stable manure, as it is useless to attempt a successful growing of vegetables, generally, unless the soil is well prepared. Thoroughly manured soil is j essen- . tial for the profitable growth of all vegetables of the cabbage species; those grown on stiff, poor soil never become crisp and tender, and consequently,: being unfit for use,.the labor expended upon them is wasted. A few rows of early potatoes may now be planted in a dry, sunny situation, the sheltered side of a fence, where they are unlikely to be affected by frosts, for preference. Cabbage and cauliflower may also be planted out, under like conditions. The hoe should be used frequently among the weeds on fine days and when the ground is dry. ; •;.'. .;•;, ■■ ■ . The Fruit Garden.—lt is desirable now to continue pruning as much as possible, and to carry out the required spraying. Carefully gather up and burn all prunings; this is a necessary precaution against the spread of pests. . To produce fruit successfully the ground between the trees should be cultivated, and kept cleangg Keep the centre well open when pruning gooseberry and currant bushes. Amateur gardeners, as a rule, do not sufficiently prune gooseberry bushes; too many branches are usually left on, which in turn send out a multitude of shoots, with the result that

when the fruit-gathering time comes there is considerable difficulty (which could have been avoided were the bushes properly pruned) in reaching the berries. Red currants, too, require to be well‘cut back at the proper season. Raspberries should have all the canes pruned away, except from four to six of the strongest ones; these, then, should be tied together and the tops cut off above the strong buds. Well dig , the ground among the bushes, cutting away and destroying all the suckers. Give strawberries a top dressing of welldecayed stable manure. - -•' r ' ' The Flower Garden.— the digging of all beds and .borders, giving a dressing of suitable manure' where needed. Chop arid separate clumps of herbaceous plants which have grown too large. Do not cut back flowering shrubs, the time being past for this work; any cutting back now would destroy the shoots which later on produce the blooms. This is a good time for shifting trees and shrubs from one position to another. Fences that are being clipped at this time of the year ought to be cut in very- close. Many cuttings of shrubs, roses, "etc., will strike readily at this time of the year if properly prepared and planted. The lawns should be well rolled now, and a sprinkling of fertiliser will greatly benefit 'them. Keep the Weeds down by running the Dutch-hoe over the ground on fine sunny days.