264 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Round the Year in the Garden; What to do 

 late in May 



AMONG THE FLOWERS 



SOWING Polyanthus Seed. These 

 lovely spring-flowering plants can be 

 easily raised in quantity by sowing 

 seed of a good strain now. A shady, 

 moist border is the best place for such 

 a seed bed; sow in drills and cover the 

 seeds lightly. The Munstead strain is 

 unsurpassed for the lighter shades, and a 

 mixed packet obtained from a reliable 

 source will provide the darker coloured 

 varieties. 



Planting Dahlias. After the sites have 

 been thoroughly prepared by deep digging 

 and the addition of plenty of decayed manure, 

 old roots may be planted out now. Smaller 

 roots and plants raised from cuttings early 

 in the year should not be planted until the 

 month is out, as their shoots are very tender. 



Canterbury Bells. These well-known 

 hardy flowers should be raised from seed 

 sown now to obtain strong flowering plants 

 by next summer ; sow in drills on a border, 

 or in a frame. Forget-me-not for spring 

 bedding and Sweet Williams to flower in 

 early summer may be raised now in the same 

 way. The seedlings should be pricked out 

 early to produce sturdy plants. 



Bedding Out. A commencement should 

 be made with this important work now, 

 putting out only those plants that have been 

 thoroughly prepared by hardening off. If 

 warm, dry weather prevails the work is best 

 left until the afternoon is advanced, and 

 watering should always follow, to be re- 

 peated as becomes necessary. Allow the 

 plants room for future development, but 

 avoid planting so thinly as to cause the beds 

 to have a patchy appearance throughout the 

 summer. 



Mildew on Roses. Some varieties of 

 Roses are very subject to mildew, but it is 

 often due to local causes, such as the roots 

 being too dry, or perhaps too wet. A simple 

 remedy is flowers of sulphur dusted on the 

 affected parts when the leaves are damp, but 

 this is rather unsightly for a time. Sulphide 



of potassium may be used instead. On 

 tender foliage \ oz. dissolved in 1 gallon of 

 lukewarm water will be sufficient. When 

 spraying with this, keep the liquid off light 

 paintwork, for it leaves a dark stain which 

 is very difficult to erase. 



The Rose Maggot. The presence of this 

 pest is readily shown by curled leaves and 

 distorted shoots. Spraying is practically 

 useless, and in unrolling the leaves a tire- 

 some business manv of the grubs are lost. 

 The best means of destroying them is by 

 pinching the affected parts between thumb 

 and forefinger, but do not squeeze too hard. 



IN THE GREENHOUSE 

 Planting Melons. Plants may now be 

 planted in the greenhouse or frame, using 

 loam with very little manure added. These 

 do not succeed in a house of Cucumbers, as 

 they require less moisture and more air. 

 Pinch out the points of the shoots when they 

 have made a good start. 



Watering Fruit Borders. This work 

 must be regularly done now, as they dry 

 much more rapidly. Whenever it is under- 

 taken see that a thorough soaking is given, 

 mere sprinklings of the surface soil being 

 not only useless, but decidedly harmful. All 

 greenhouses should contain a tank large 

 enough to hold a supply of water sufficient 

 to meet probable demands at all times, the 

 water being thus kept at the same tempera- 

 ture as the house itself. Where such con- 

 venience does not exist, some means of taking 

 the chill off the water before using must be 

 devised. 



Thinning Grapes. This work needs time 

 and patience where a large number of bunches 

 have to be dealt with. It is best performed 

 on dull days or during evenings. Special 

 grape scissors are necessary, and a small 

 stick forked at one end to steady the bunch 

 is useful. Remove first all undersized berries, 

 and then proceed to thin the remainder so 

 that each berry will have sufficient room for 

 development and no more, having regard 



