WALLFLOWERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 236, 5 October 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

WALLFLOWERS.

FRAGRANCE UNSURPASSED. Old-fashioned though the wallflower may be, it is still one of the most popular of our spring flowers, due, of course, to its delicious fragrance and rich shades of colour. This year’s display is Just commencing, but it is essential if it is desired to raise plants for flowering next year to sow the seed as soon as possible. Late sowing is often followed by disappointment, the plants not flowering until the third year. The seeds can be sown in a box in a cold frame or on a window ledge. Better than either is to sow thinly in a sunny border where the soil has been well dug, the drills 6in or 9in apart. As soon as the seedlings are up thin them out if they are in the least crowded; later, when they can be handled easily, transplant them into another position, setting them 2in or 3in apart. Make the soil very firm, the aim being to produce sturdy, stocky plants that will stand the winter; not soft, spindly growth that will flop about and be ruined by the first frost. As soon as the leaves touch again give another shift, this time setting them 6in apart, ramming the soil very firmly. Keep down the weeds and give an occasional watering in dry weather. By March or the beginning of April the plants can go into their permanent quarters. Lift each carefully with a trowel and preserve the ball of soil around the roots. Thus they will suffer no check and become well established before frost sets in. One tiring to remember with the wallflower is that lime and also a well-drained position are necessary. Many people think that this is one of the flowers that Auckland has to do without, but it is not so if you sow early, spray the plants occasionally through the summer with arsenate of lead and plant in firm soil, using plenty of lime or, better still, add lime rubble to the soil. It is the moist, warm climate in conjunction with a right light soil to which the collapse of the plants is largely due.