DELPHINIUMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 230, 28 September 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

DELPHINIUMS.

A POPULA'R FLOWER. The delphinium is a power in the. flower garden and increasing eaeli year. What is it that makes the delphinium so popular and so much admired? Surely its statcliness, its great beauty and effectiveness in the garden, and the ease with which it can be cultivated. One of its chief weaknesses is the love of slugs and snails for the young growths in the early spring, but this diflieulty being surmounted by careful watching it is at once unsurpassed by an} r other genus of plants. Some of its popularity is due to the wide range of colour and form, for in any good ilower garden a wide range of form and colour always ensures a large patronage, as so many tastes arc provided for. Certainly the main colour is blue, but in what other variety of plants can the same range of blue tones, be found as in the delphinium? There is no finer sight in the garden than a bed of delphiniums iti bloom — their tall, noble spikes, a solid mass of open flowers, some feet in height, with smaller lliteral spikes showing up all round, making a well-grown specimen a noble, impressive, pleasing and not easily forgotten sight. Delphiniums will grow in almost any soil, but there is a marked difference in the results obtained when good culture and an open situation are afforded, as compared with poor cultivation. Delphiniums repay good cultivation, B,nd this implies a thorough preparation of the soil before planting. If of a light, sandy nature a plentiful supply of rich cow manure is a great help to success, but if of a heavy clay consistency a lighter manure will be better, such as horse manure. Should this not bo obtainable, decayed leaves, hop manure or old mushroom bed manure will be helpful. The soil should be well dug, and if possible to the depth of two or three spits, well incorporating the manure as the work proceeds. It will be an advantage if this operation can be completed a mouth before planting in order to allow the soil to settle. When planting clumpa of delphiniums, in borders that are already occupied with other subjects, it will not bo so easy to prepare the places; the same principles, however, should obtain, and the soil be well worked and manured before planting. It is a very debatable matter as to whether it is best to plant in autumn or spring. It depends so much on soil, situation and conditions, and also on which is the most convenient to tho grower. Generally speaking, plant early in autumn or wait until spring. This, however, can be modilied to suit special conditions and circumstances. Should the soil be of a light nature and in a well-drained situation lato autumn planting can be practised with impunity, whereas in a wet, heavy soil it would be fatal, and possibly result in total loss of plants during the cold, wet days of mid-winter. In such a soil the first fortnight in April is late enough, and should plants arrive at a later date the safest plan will be to pot them up and winter in cold frames. They can then be planted in the border after they have commenced to grow in spring. ~ The delphinium is perfectly hardy in the sense that it will stand any amount of frost. It is our changeable winter climate that is so often fatal. The wet autumn and winter is the cause of the loss of many plants which, lia'd they been frozen up all the winter, would have come through safely. Planting in September, however, is quite safe, and can be done without loss of plants, and will flower quite well during tho summer. There is little doubt that the damage committed by slugs has been the direct cause of many lovers of delphiniums giving up their culture in despair. That being so, it is well to take all precautions to safeguard them from their depredations. One of the most efficacious means of protecting them during the winter is to remove all loose soil and small clods of earth from the crown of the plant, and then cover with sharp, gritty ashes to which has been added a little soot, rough scoria or metal chips can be used in place of the ashes. The material must be hard and gritty. If soft.it will not answer the purpose, as the slugs will crawl over it. This can remain until the young shoots have pushed their way through them in spring. Another method of •protection is to surround the plant with a galvanised metal bartd, first taking care that no slugs are in the crown of the plant. To trap and kill the slugs is perhaps the best means of protection, and this can be done by placing small portions of bran on the ground and covering with pieces of board or slate four to six inches square. Slugs are very fond of bran; they will congregate under the pieces of board and can be picked up and destroyed at any time. The traps should, of course, be examined and cleared of slugs at frequent intervals, and the bran replenished as it disappears. One of the available soil fumigants can be used, of which there are several 011 the market, the base of which is camphor or naphthalene. These can be worked into tho soil around the crowns, and the fumes will keep away insects. This must be periodically attended to, and further applications made, although it will be found that after two or three dressings at intervals of perhaps three weeks or a mouth the pests are under control. If a watch is kept it will only be necessary to occasionally make further applications.