Practical Gardening.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 258, 28 October 1916, Page 16

Practical Gardening.

By DIANTHUS.

Qorrmpumlemte mil greatly oblige by observing the foltowing nUm in IJfktm&mg questions for publication u> these columns: — .v J. Letter* thotdd be addressed Garden Editor "Star" Office Auefclmd - & Write one one tide of the paper, end make all communication* at ■ frmd— a* possible ' "■• * Htnoere, sent for naming must be sent separately and, if possible, "/P" B *** im a tin or wooden boa — cardboard boxes are very liable to Ye broke* «t» trmmait and the contents damaged. i. 4. The fuU name and address of the sender must alucpy* be sent, but m y pom de jAmme or initial may be gvoen for piiblicotton.

f|: THE WEEK'S WORK. M.- , - THE FLOWER GARDEN. St " Stake Carnations and Delphiniums. Jβ Prune and plant Bouvardias. '' § .'Plant Chrysanthemums.----g Prune Poinsettia , and Bouganvltlea. JjF ' Hoe the beds and borders. H ' Make new beds and plant single crowns of Violets for next season's !™ . ' ' blooming. 'Spray' Roses for mildew, Chrysanthemums for rust. Clip Box edgings. Sow annuals, such as Asters, Zinnias, Dwarf Sunflowers. Plant Phlox, Salpiglossis, Verbenas, Lobelia, Antirrhinum, Miniature Sunflowers, Gaillardias, Cornflowers, Scabious, and other summer annuals. - " Bedding out for summer display should be pushed on with haste. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. - Sow Broccoli, Bruese! Sprouts, Celery, Dwarf Beans. ■ ; Sow Peas for succession and earth up and stake those ready. More Potatoes should be planted, and any up should be sprayed and earthed. '~;," Runner Beans should be earthed up. Onions, if not all planted, should be done at once. Asparagus is now in season, and the beds should be cut over every two or three days. • When cutting over Asparagus beds take everything, little and big. Give a dressing of nitrate of soda, loz to square yard, to Asparagus beds, and to any other green crops except Peas and Beans. Cucumbers, Marrows, Pumpkins, Melons, can all be sown or planted j out now. A little protection should be given. I Tomatoes can be planted now. Seed sown outdoors now will soon J make good plants.

TO COKKESPOKDXarrS. STJSL (KpwDfl.-Aprteet tree, Ao not bear ] •wen Jn aD dietrlcU. They sequfc,. a 1' on the beavj eide, and pertUr-JeHy rich ia lime. A tony areaetag 0 - lime might be of «Bntfitiace to Jwa p yoers to hear. Xou do sot medknx nytat of pruning yon *»« glyen toe tree. Aprieota do best with "spur pruning," that is pruning back the soason/e grwwtha to three or t<rac fcada, bo as to locm ehoct f rotting spars. jChey also do not, la. maay cases, bear tm <itey ere o£ a good age, In "wMeli case yoora may froit later. We snould recfrmmend. yon to "spnr pnme," :i:rl give a good dressing of Ifene, and also , uf n-ood ashes, if posslWe to obtaia. them. .. O.W.S. (Fonsoaby)-— I am Borry HuA, bo "- f Ui V, you IULVI; -been nnßmvpqjifn 1 in «^ihftng fceodiXugs, but the season baa been so rery wet and cold that with a clayey mil siien. "* as yours it may account for the failure. J'xubiWy with the advent ol better wea- ;. ther things may improre. JTrom yoar desorlptioa of tbe method of working the soil, there Iβ no apparent reason vriij you airaold ha.ro not been successful. Your auil requires *"«""«■ Ttiii can be added •» hy (Jlgsin* in plenty oX manate, or by '- gowtng and dlirslng-lji green crops, each as S moetard. dorer, or eny green vegetable ' matter thmt wHI tot. Grass and anmiml ;. not - docks or conch grass, when

WOOLLY AFHES. A small brueh dipped in petrol' or methylated spirits and applied to any colonies of woolly aphis that may be appearing will go a long way towards checking this pest

LAWN SAJTD. is best applied in October. It turns the grass brown for a time, but this soon recovers. Removing the -weede with the aid of an old tatte-knife is one of U L ri^l 78 ,- 0 * Bettin X rid of them. need very careful handling, andg* must be worn. There is really thT wav of destroying ■weeds „„ ] awne m Z •wholesale manner except by the nse of lawn Band and cutting them out by •hand. It therefore behoves the gar-! dener -not to let the weeds get the ■upper hand, but to eradicate them when they are small and comparatively. we.

HAKOLING GLOSXHTAS.

Fig. L—A shows tow to drain a seed pan for sowing seed or pricking out seedlings; also how to water, should the coO become dry, by plunging the p&n into ■water to tVie Tim- This method is much better than orerhead watering. B shows how to crock or drain a large pot for seed sowing.

FIG. 3 Fig 2 shows how to admit air when a pane of glass liae been placed over a pan of seedlings. Either one or two strips of wood placed across so as to raise the glass half an inch is su&cient.

■Fig. 3.—A shows how to loosen the eon with a finely pointed stick. B shows how to lift the small plants with a notched stick. C ebowß how to cut the stick, make it long enough to get a good hold and keep the end where the notch ia as thin as possible. . '

GYPsorcnxA (chale plant).

The beautiful white-flowered Gypeophila, that is such a handeoine border plant, and so familiar «tnd valuable ■wren cut for vase decoration, is a perennial; there is, however, one annual variety well worth growing. It is called elegans; it ia 12 to Iβ inches high, and has white flowers. It is of value tor arranging with cat.flowcxa^

HARDY ANNUAXS TO SOW VOW. Coreopsis (Tickeeed). —Those who like to have plenty of flowers to fill their vasee with in late summer and autumn should on no account omit to grow the coreopsis. They like rich coil, and it is worth while providing them with this since they so well repay the grower's care. They may be sown where they arc ! to bloom. Two of the very best are tinctoria, with yellow and brown flowers, growing some three feet high, and Drum- | mondi, with beautiful golden yellow bios- ' eoms on IS-inch high stems. Grandiflora ie a handsome yellow-flowered border plant, remaining long in bloom. It '3 very commonly grown ac a biennial—that is to say, eeed is sown in December of one year to produce plants that will bloom the next; it may, however, be induced to flower the same year if seed is sown early in spring, the plants being , put out when ready. Delphinium (Larkspur}.—The annual 1 \ larkspurs are among tho aristocrats ol annual flowers, and none ie more worthy loi the amateur gardener's ground. Seeds may be sown out of doors where the plants are to bloom, but I find the beet results are obtained when one sows tne seed in flower-pots in spring. A* soon as the seedlings are through the soil, grow them on for planting out of doors as soon as ready. Diascia Barberae. —This pretty little annual grows some 10 to 12 inches high, and the slender eteme produce an abundance of pretty coral-pink blossoms. Seeds are sown in October, the plants being put out of doors when ready. Eechecholtzia (CaJi/omian Poppy).— This - is, abgjj-e all things, a flower of the sun. The nowere open only in a sunny spot, and the soil can scarcely be too warm and, in moderation, too dry for them. For clothing a hot, dry, sunny hank, they are unsurpassed. Mandarin (orange and crimson-coloured) is one of the finest of all. Seeds may be sown out of doors during summer where the plants I ara to flower. Gttia. —Beautiful slender-growing plante, varying in height from 6 to 18 inches, and with flowers of various colours. One of the best of the low-growing sorts is diehotoma, which grows only about 6 inches high and has white flowers. Nivalis grows IS inches high, and has white flowers aleo. Godetia. —This U one of the best of the hardy amwala, and, if massed, produces a wonderful colour display. The flowers are of many and varied colours. The only item in its management that is really worth insisting upon is the necessity of allowing each plant plenty of room. If one thine the seedlings ulti-

Now that asters "are of co many heights, a charming display may be had by devoting * long bed entirely to them. The design given showa how thds may be arranged, the following being the heiffhts, colour, and varieties used:—A, Giant Comet, dark btae, 20 inches; B, JVBgnon Aster, white, 12 inches; O, PKonz-eweuk jobs* W «*«»>. A

mately to 12 inches apart, they develop into little buehea that, ac December comes round, are emothered in blossom. Seed is sown in October where the plante are to bloom. Good varieties are Double Rose, Duchess of Albany (white)- and Lady Albemarle (crimson).

.CUTTING FLOWERS UT ROUGH WEATHER. It is a well known rule that if flowers ! are wanted to last well when cut that the best time to cut them is when they are dry. If one could always have dry weather when they wanted to cut blooms this would be all right, but ac it is impossible to regulate the weather, one is often faced with the problem of having to cut blooms when it is wet. Flowers bruise very easily when wet, hence more care is needed than when dry. Cut them carefully and give a gentle shake to throw off as much water as possible, then etand them loosely in jars or come other receptacle, in a cool airy place for a few hours so that they can dry, after which they can be packed ot used ior decoration in the usual manner. Often, heavy blooms will be beaten down by rain and get dirty, and very seldom is it of any use leaving these on the plants, as they seldom come up erect again. These should be cut, a bunch held in the hand, and the heads gently dipped two ot three times in a bucket of clean water to wash off the dirt, then, if a gentle shaking is given, the surplus water and most of the dirt will be shaken off, and if the blooms are then treated as recommended for flowers that have been cut wet, the majority will be usable. Never put dirty flowers u#der a tap, pour water on them, or try to remove the dirt with the fingers, for if you do you will almost be sure to bruise them. SEW POTS. Before using new flower pots eoak them in water for a minute or so. If this is nol done the new dry pot absorbs co much moisture from the soil that the plant suffers, and also when the time comes to turn the plant out for repotting it win be found that the soil has stuck to the pot and in consequence the ball is broken and the roots damaged. WEEDS OK TUT, lAWHL The presence of weeds on a hnro quite epoile its appearance; they are an endless source of trouble. One of the simplest ways of getting rid of such common -weeds as dandelion, daisy and plantain is to dress the grass <wrUj lawn sand. One application, although it may apparently kill them, will not prevent others reappearing; a second application will be necess&rv.

A SUGGESTED BED OF ASTERS.

Ostrich Plume, "ight Wne, 15 inches; E, Dwarf Bouquet, rose witi white centre, 9 inches. Another colour scheme could be arranged thus: —A, Aster Snowball, 1 foot; B, Aster Dwarf Bouquet, carmine, 9 inches; C, Aster Prize Quilled, lilac, 18 inches; D, Aster Pink, single, 15 inches; E, Aster Dwarf. Bowjuet* white, 9 inches.

DWABP SUNFLOWERS. Considering the usefulness and the ease with which they can be grown, it is surprising that more are not grown in our gardens. Growing about 2J to 3 feet high, they form large plants as far through, and, when covered with their blooms, are not surpassed by many of the annuals that are planted. They do well on a hot dry border, and although they show the results of good cultivation and attention to watering, at the same time they will put up with hard treament, and will make a show in a poor coil, and where watering is an impossibility. Seed sown in the open ground now will give plants that will grow vigorously and will make a good display during the coming summer. The plants should each be allowed about three feet of space, therefore when sowing only sow one or two seeds in each place and remove all but one as coon as they are up. There are several varieties offered, and all are good, and as a collection of eeed of three or four varieties can be bought very chea-p, this is the best method of buying.

MARGUERITE CARNATIONS. I The carnation in any of its forms is a flower that is always appreciated. Many, however, find it difficult to grow successfully the beautiful named bordeT varieties, and in that case the Marguerite strain is recommended. These cannot icompare with the border varieties lot form and size, but they have the following qualities: The seed is cheap and gives nip to eighty and ninety per cent of doubles. The plants are easily raised, and ■will bloom within a few months of sowing. They are very free bloomers; have a good fragrance, and are elegant and useful for cutting. The seed should be eown either in the autumn or spring , . Tie present is a good time to sow. Sown now the resulting plants will bloom in ■the autumn and continue far into the winter. The seed should be sown in a box in nice sandy soil, and as soon as the seedlings are large enough they should be transplanted to their permanent quarters. They like a rich, sandy soil, and a well-drained, sunny position. They are perennial where the weather is not severe, but as seedlings make much the best plants the beet method is to raise from seed each year. „