Answers to Inquiries

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 130, 26 February 1937, Page 20

Answers to Inquiries

Planting Tulips: These bulbs do best in a moderately rich, well-drained soil that has been given a fairly heavy dressing of lime. Plant between February and April six inches deep.—Miss C.P., Palmerston North.

Transplanting Peonies: Take up the clumps now and divide into sections having 3 or more “eyes.” Replant in a deep-ly-dug plot that has been enriched by the addition of leaf mould, fibrous loam, decayed vegetable matter, and other humusmaking material. Plant so that the crowns are covered by about four inches of soil. —P.A.A., Lower Hutt. African Flower Seeds: Importation is permitted.—“Rinderpest,” Feilding. ■ Hydrangeas Won’t Flower: Please forward further details as to situation. Do you prune the bushes, and, if so, in what way?—Miss 0.M., Karori. Lawsoniana Hedge: The odd poor trees which are spoiling the effect of your hedge are probably weaklings, which will never do very well. This may be due to poor root system or other causes. Suggest you replace them with vigorous, healthy specimens. If, however, you prefer to persevere with them, the only thing to do is to give them as much nourishment as possible. Prepare a mixture of well-decayed cow manure, fibrous loam, and sand ip equal parts, rind place it round the weak plants to a thickness of about three inches, but before doing so scrape away about an inch of the old surface soil. This will bring a quick response if the plants have any reasonable amount of vitality in them. • —“Lawsoniana,” Carterton.