PRATICAL GARDENING

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 46, 23 February 1929, Page 6

PRATICAL GARDENING

Rractical Gardening

Correspondents will greatly oblige by observing tbe following rules in sending questions for publication in these columns:—

I—Letters1—Letters should be In not later than Tuesday to be answered.the same week—addressed to Garden Editor. "Star" omee. Auckland. 2.—Write on one side of the paper, and make all communications 83 concise as possible. 3 —Flowers, etc., sent for naming, must be sent separately, and, If possible, packed in a tin or wooden box—cardboard boxes are very liable to be broken In transit and the contents damaged. 4—The full name and address of the sender must always be sent, but a nora de plume or Initial .may be given for publication.

OXALIS (Stanley Bay) asks how to grow cannas, what soil they need, do they ' grow from seed, how long before they dower, and what manureV I_. piauted oxalis, but after the tops hart died down there was nothing under them. When should the tubers be planted, and what treatment should they have?—Cannas do well in any ordinary soil: the richer it is the better, of course. They grow from seeds. The see-.: are very hard, and before sowing the c.iter coat should be nicked with a file. If the seed is sowu in spring, the seedlings should flower during the late summer. Well decayed horse or cow manure suit them best, but they are not particular as to what manure is "used. The oxalis bulbs should be in the ground. Oxalis are planted about midsummer. They need no special treatment ; in fact., as a class, they are well able to take care of themselves, and some varieties are bad weeds.

ASTER (Dargaville), writes.—(l) A number of the leaves of three big Aspidistras have turned yellow during the last few days (similar to sample sent), besides the tips of the other leaves have turned yellow and the points withered off. They were repotted about two years ago. (2) Some insects, blights or other cause is stripping the flowers off the flower shoots of the runner beans. There Is plenty of bloom but few beans set? —There is no disease on the leaf and the trouble lies with the roots. I am of opinion that the plant has been let get dry, probably a month ago, the effect of which would not appear for a month or six weeks. It might also be due to bad shrinkage and the soil getting sour, but this can easily be 6een if the water given to the plant does not readily run through the soil. (2) The cause of the runner beans not setting is due to the dry weather. Ido not think that it is the work of insects; in any case there were none on the flower shoots sent. LATE PEAS. These are always appreciated, and if suitable varieties are chosen it i 3 possible to gather excellent produce in eight or nine weeks from sowing. It is useless to sow the so-called late varieties, but if early kinds, such as Little Marvel, English Wonder or William Hurst, are chosen there is no reason why the results

should not be satisfactory. Ground now cleared of early potatoes will answer the purpose admirably. A sprinkle of superphosphates in the drills, at the time of sowing will assist the plants. The drills should be well soaked previous to plantin", the distance between them being regulated by the height of the varietyfifteen to eighteen Hoe and earth up the plants as for previous crops, and, if necessary, give a good watering when the plants are coming into flower. SWEET WILLIAMS. I The Sweet William is an old-fashioned flower of which, like the wallflower, one never grows weavy. Every December sees it arraved in fresh beauty. There, are inanv colours and arrangements of colour. The auricula eyed Sweet William has a white margin, then a broad band of crimson, carmine, or other paler hue, surrounding a white eye. This arrangement is pleasing in proportion as the dark colours are rich and the outline of the hues sharply defined against the pure white eye and margin. An open or sunny position is best for Sweet Williams, though they will grotf in a fair amount of shade._ The colours may be had separately or in mixture as well as double mixed. Seeds can be sown now to bloom next year, if transplanted as soon as they have made a few leaves. The stems of undowered rosettes may be layered, or simply covered with soil in January or February, and they will be fit to transplant in autumn.

FALLEN LEAVES ARE VALUABLE.

What steps have you taken to gather ill a supply of fallen leaves? Don t let them lie about until the wind Wows them away. Collect and store them as they fall.* If there is a snug corner from where the wind cannot whisk them out, they can be stocked in a square heap, and providing they are kept wet, the leaves will decay by the time they are wanted for digging into the land. Leaves stacked dry or in a rainproof place will not rot. Stacking them in a square heap has several advantages— it looks tidy, the leaves rot better, and far more can be heaped on a small piece of ground. If there are no suitable sheltered corners some means must be provided for storing the leaves where they get wet, but are protected from the wind. An enclosure of four dieep hurdles will hold any amount of leaves and when the leaves are wanted the hurdles can be moved. Wire netting, the smaller the mesh the better, makes a good substitute. Four stout stakes can be driven in the ground and the wire drawn round these. The distance between the stakes is governed by the amount of leaves to be collected, but a cart load of dry leaves will stack in half the quantity once they have become wet. Other garden refuse that will decay readily can be thrown in with the leaves, and soot may be sprinkled liberally with the leaves. ROOT CUTTINGS OF ANCHUSA. Anchusa italica, the Italian alkanet, is a good plant, but some of its modern varieties are still better, particularly Dropmore, Pride of Dover, and Opal. All these are splendid, and with the exception of delphiniums are by far the best tall, blue-flowered plant 3 for the herbaceous border. Anyone who is in doubt which to choose should select the Dropmore variety, which has great natural vigour, grows rapidly, rises to a height of four to five feet, branches freely, and produces a succession of flowers. It is not particular as to soil provided the drainage is good, and is happy on chalk. Although normally it is a biennial, it is perennial on some soils and positions. However, it is so easily propagated by pieces of the root that a fresh stock may be raised every year. If the roots are broken up ill pieces one inch long and placed in boxes of sandy soil in a cold frame now they will start growing. Care must be taken to place them in the box the same way as they were on the plant. This is to prevent the young shoot when it appears having to turn upwards, causing a crooked growth. In spring they should •be planted out about a yard apart, where they will speedily make good, free-flowering plants,

DWARF BEANS,

These may still be sown with every prospect of success, provided care is taken to hasten their germination. This can be assured by thoroughly moistening the drills previous to sowing the seed. It is advisable to sow a little more thickly than earlier in the season, as they may be safely left at a distance of six to eight inches apart in the rows, the rows being eighteen inches apart. As soon as the "'..'.its are well up ths hoe should be o°i"o 011 eve T able occasion, drawing a little soil around the stems of the plants in the process of hoeing. While these late sowings cannot be expected to give such heavy crops as those sown earlier in the season, they will nevertheless come in at a most opportune time — just as the earliest crops are exhausted. To obtain the beat results tjiey must be given good ground, and if the weather remains dry well watered occasionally. the fragrant treesia. Were fragrance the only good quality it possessed the freesia would-be well worth growing, but there is beauty or flower as well. The flowers come into use at a very good time, if planted out in the garden, but by growing in pots and boxes the flowers can be had in flower much earlier, in fact, they can be had ill flower from onwards if the conditions are all right. The bulbs should be lifted every two years or so. It is a mistake to leave them until they become a weedy mass _ and produce only small blooms. A welldrained, sunny border suits them, and the soil should, be fairly rich. They respond to decayed cow manure and leafsoil and a good dressing should be added to the soil some little time before planting the bulbs. Plant the bulbs about two inches deep and about an inch apart. When lifting bulbs that have been in the ground for a number of years, grade them into two or three sizes. The freesia produces a large number of offsets and unless care is taken can become quite weedy. Where there are plenty of bulbs get rid of the very small fry, they are not worth troubling with. The freesia responds to applications of liquid manure. It should be applied when the flower spikes are beginning to show and must be stopped once the petals begin to show colour. An application once a week is enough. The freesia is easily raised from seed. The seed should be sown thinly -in drills in the open ground and allowed to stand till the second year before the bulbs are lifted. Another method is to sow the seeds about an inch apart in boxes of good soil. If the seed is sown early j in the year, about January, the boxes of seedlings kept in a frame, cool greenhouse or verandah, and well tended in the matter of water, etc., they will ' fl.ower the following spring or within < six or eight months of sowing. For 1 blooming early in pots or boxes the bulbs j should be. potted up about February. Only large-sized bulbs should be used. 1 The soil should be good and should consist largely of leafsoil, decayed cow L manure and a little sand. The bulbs ; can be put fairly close together, half an • inch clear space between them is suffis. cient. Put the bulbs so that there is i about an inch of soil on top of them. ■ The pots or boxes should be placed in 1 a sheltered position and the soil must r be kept moist, but not sodden. When 5 the leaves appear.more water will be i needed and once a week weak manure j water can be applied. Before the fiow--1 ers appear put some thin leafless twigs j . between the plants, this will keep thfi r plants from flopping. Even the foliage ? of those grown in boxes will flop about 3 unless supported, and it is almost ims possible to make a good-looking job by l tying them up. Small twigs will give 1 sufficient support and will be hardly '• discernible when the plants are in a flower.

DIGGING VACANT GROUND IN SUMMER. By digging vacant ground in summer and leaving it in a rough condition for the wind and sun to have full play oil it, a fine seed bed may be secured. About Auckland, where frosts are few, and, even when they do occur, only light, it will be found that the effect of the periodical hot-dry weather during summer lias a somewhat similar effect. Grouud that is dug up and allowed to lie rough during a' dry spell may bake hard, but as soon as the rain comes it will break up almost to powder. Although from the gardening point of view a dry spell may cause extra work and perhaps a few plants will succumb, yet it has its advantages. It helps to produce a firm, well-ripened plant, that later on will produce fine autumn blooms. What part did the prolonged drought of last summer have upon the crops of this season? Looking backwards the season has proved very prolific, and pests and diseases do not seem to have been so much in evidence as in other seasons. When ground is dug, it gets very dry and cracks, and air passes readily through it. Pests and diseases, although fairly immune to weather changes, either get a check or the plants harden and are more immune to their attacks. Weeds also, especially those of a perennial nature, can be collected and burnt, and the ashes scattered on the soil. Of course, it needs a fairly good dose of enthusiasm or a stout heart to do ipuch digging of ground in the middle of a hot day, but as an evening pastime or relaxation it is really a most useful and effective aid to a successful garden. CLEMATIS MONTANA, This is one Of the best climbing plants for covering a trellis or arch. It does , not compare with the jackmanni and , lanuginosa sorts for colour of bloom, , but C. Montana, is noted for its great ! freedom of bloom and rapid growth. The , flowers are white and are borne in clusteis in November. The flowers are pro- , duced on the previous season's wood, so . that any pruning necessary should be f done directly after flowering; as a rule. I however, beyond cutting out of dead } wood little pruning is required. Dig t out the soil to a depth of two or three > feet, put 111 loam and leaf soil, with a j spadeful of cow manure, then plant the t celmatis, and before long it will be r firmly established. A partly-shaded i position suits the clematis, or better still ; planted so the lower part of the stem r and roots are shaded, while the branches i are in full sun. A heavy mulching of cow manure put on during early sum- > mer is an advantage. Clematis are i grown in pots and can be supplied by i i nurserymen for planting out at almost [.any season of the year, and the best , time for putting out' the plants L late , I summer or early autumn, when the loots are active.