Shade The Blooms

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 17, 21 January 1939, Page 14 (Supplement)

Shade The Blooms

A FTER disbudding, and quite xl as important a matter,>comes the shading of the flowers. It will enrich their colourings. V-... A flower will develop much. x better in partial shade than it will in the open; sunlight. One gets an increase in size as well as-richer colours and cleaner' petals, by protecting a flower. Use conical wire frames twelve inches - high, and ten or eleven inches at the base, covered with -light cheap calico for all but-pink and scarlet dahlias, which, as a rule, do better under muslin, rather more light being required for their development. > The most effective- way of fixing-the cone is'to wire it between two light stakes.at a height to ensure the fldwer being protected from the sun's rays. £ut the shading iri position as soon as' .the big bud begins .to break and. show' colour. Drive/the stakes in firmly, or the wind • may -loosen them, and bruise and spoil your specimen flowers. Sometimes it is necessary to alter the angle of a j cone'-.to provide a' shade more light. Use. your own judgment in a matter like this. 111 dull weather- less protection is ' necessary.. During rainy days petals get soggy very fast if they are not protected, and should be handled very carefully. ■ It is not necessary to make the cover * watertight. Dahlias stand more moisture than .-.'either roses or chrysanthemums. For garden decoration no shading is necessary. It is not wise to build a canvas cover, such as is sometimes done for chrysanthemums, over the dahlia bed, as the plants will not stand continual shade. They like sunshine and air, and have no objection to dew or rain. Indeed, dahlias are at their best under alternate showers and sunlight.