GARDENING NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 118, 14 November 1925, Page 17

GARDENING NOTES

BEAUTIFUL DAHLIAS

FOR AUTUMN BLOOMS

FLIES ON ROSE TREES.

Two readers have written on the subject of "Flies on Rose Trees," one giving the following recipe for getting rid of them. Make a mixture of one teaspoonful of treacle or golden syrup, one teaspoonful of vinegar, and boiling water sufficient to nearly fill an ordinary pickle bottle. The bottles may be suspended by wire or string tied round the neck and hung on the branches of trees or shrubs. affected. The bottles may be left until full of flies, when they must be emptied and replenished with the mixture. Bees are not attracted by the mixture, but other insects, such as wetas, cockroaches, and moths haye v been caught in the bottles by the correspondent. The other writer takes a different view of the flies. He says: "I have two Dorothy Perkins roses, the flics —bluebottles—that visit them from now onwards clean all blight, greenfly, etc., from them. If 'Anxious' will look, he will, like me, know they are of great benefit." This;view was corroborated by a professional gardener of whom "Practical" inquired;

Dahlia Culture.

The season for planting these late summer and autumn blooming flowers is here. Of late years great strides have been made in the improvement of gorgeous flowers. One of the great difficulties with them , was that they were weak in the stalk' and consequently inclined to hang their heads. In this way much of their beauty was lost for garden purposes, whilst for house • de: coration they were not much use unless wired. Propagators have been busy trying to overcome this difficulty by raising a strain with good, stiff, wiry stems which hold the flowers erect. New varieties of dahlias have also been evolved /which for ordinary garden purposes, or for cutting, have distinct advantages. The well-known cactus dahlias, with their pointed tubular petals and great range of brilliant colours, are always popular; but the habit before mentioned of hanging their heads is against them. There is, however, a class known as Garden Cactus, in distinction to the show cactus, some of which have good stiff stems. The patony flowered dahlias have immense blooms of all colours. The decorative section is of much the same form, but, having more compact blooms, - are a more useful lot to grow either for house or garden decoration. It is impossible to give any comprehensive list of all the different colours or to say which are, the best, as each season new varieties nro being introduced. However, of the decorative class, any of the following are excellent:—Amber Queen, pure amber; Dream, salmon; Delice, clear pink; Triumph, pure white; Insuline, deep orange; Porthos, violet blue; Salutation, velvety red; Vesuvius, brilliant scarlet; and Remembrance, lilac mauve. •Of the Paeony flowered any of the following are good:—Alpenglow, salmon, mauve reflex,; Creation, cherry red shaded with golden bronze; Holman Hunt, dark crimson maroon, shaded scarlet; John Green, clear yellow, which changes to fiery scarlet; Liberty, large salmon scarlet; Mrs. W. P. Chalmers, light pink; and Rubens, peach blossom pink of fine form and habit. The, Collarette section contains many very handsome varieties, and these have become Very popular of late years. The flowers are single, .with a collar of smaller petals of a different shade surrounding the centre, giving a very striking effect. The Star dahlias have smaller flowers and the range of colours is not «o wide as in the other sections, but ' for general purposes these flowers are distinctly useful, and as the section becomes enlarged will certainly gain popularity... „ ,

Cultivation of the Dahlia.

Plants should be got in this month. The' ground should have been deeply dug and well manured during the winter. Fowl manure is particularly good for dahlias, but this should never be applied in a fresh state. When planting, supply good strong stakes,of sufficient length for the/particular variety, and the growth as it progresses. The stems are; hollow, and consequently easily broken unless kept supported. During hot, dry weather the roots should be covered with a mulch of some kind, and when watering is necessary it should be done thoroughly, giving sufficient to get well down among the tubers. Lateral growths are, better thinned out if growth is very rank, and also some of the largest leaves may be cut. out to allow the sunlight to ripen the stems. Liquid manure may be given when the plants commence to bloom, but this should be done while the ground is wet. Disbudding jwill have to be attended to if large blooms are desired, and watch must be kept for earwigs, which do much' damage in some localities. As these pests do their destruction at night, they are often overlooked, but the damage cannot be missed.. Small flower pots filled with dry 'grass or hay and inverted on top of the stake will act as traps. These may be shaken out into the fire or a bucket of boiling water each morning.

Useful Salvias.

There are quite a number and variety of plants in this group, some of which are annuals, some biennials, while others are herbaceous perennials. The best known and possibly the most generally useful are Salvia splendens (Bonfire), the brilliant scarlet annual so much grown for summer display. Azurea, an herbaceous variety, of a pretty pale blue, the blooms, although small individually, growing on long waridy sprays, and Salvia Patens, acknowledged to be the finest blue in existence. This is also an herbaceous perennial variety. All varieites require sunny positions in well-drained, fairly rich soil, and should be liberally supplied with water during ciry weather. • The present' month is tho best time to plant salvias.

"Bonfire" is too well known to need any description. It does best when treated as'an annual, although in some cases the plants survive for r.wo or more seasons. "Patens," being a perennial, throws up new growth from the ground each summer, and when left for a few years makes splendid clumps. When too large, the clumps may bo lifted and carefully divided, doing as little injury as possible to the fleshy tuberous roots. This plant floes best in a cool climate, 1ml; gives quite a good display around 'Wellington. Another good perennial variety is, the Purple Sage, the long sprays'of velvety flowers, being very effective.

Zinnias and Other Plants.

Zinnias may also be planted now for summer display. These plants stand as much heat as they can get, and thrive better than most during drought, hence they are particularly suited for dry positions. The race has been so greatly improved in re- ; cent years that the present varieties can hardly bo recognised ns related lo the old-i'sshioiied, stiff, crudecoloured ones.

Didiscus (Blue lace flower) has come into favour the last year or so, and may also be planted at the present time. The flowers somewhat resemble the blue scabions "Azure Fairy," and are good for garden display. Another good garden plant which might with advantage be more widely grown is the Salpiglossis. These plants require rich soil, find a warm unshaded position. When well grown few summer flowers can surpass them for brilliance of colour and beauty of veining, each petal being delicately marked with golden veins. Plant in rich, well-drained soil, in full sun, allowing a foot between the plants.

Work Among the Vegetables.

Work in the vegetable garden ■will consist of sowing, as required, any of the salads, such a 3. lettuce, radish, etc., peas, French beans, and runners. Celery should also be sown if not already in. This crop requires plenty of manure, and watering must be attended to in dry weather. When the young plants are put out into the trench they should be watered in and shaded for a few days, till they have got over the move. Earthing up must be attended to as the plants grow, doing this work gradually, and not attempting it while the ground is wet.

Leeks may be planted as soon as the young plcnts are rvailable. These are sometimes treated in the same way as celery, but a simpler method and one which gives as good results is to drop the young plants into a hole made with a dibbler. Mnke the hole deep enough so that only an inch or two of the top of the plant protrudes. Do not attempt to fill, in the hole. Water the plants, and this will wash sufficient soil in to cover the roots. Grown in this 'way bleaching will occur naturally, and very little, if any, earthing up will be required.

Spraying and earthing up potatoes should be done as the plants grow, and among all growing crops weeds should be suppressed by constant hoeing.

Stake peas and beans as soon as possible after/they show through the ground,, first drawing. some soil against the plants to keep them firm. Thin . out carrots., parsnips, and other crops as soon as they are large enough to handle.

Spraying Potatoes.

'Spraying of potatoes will have to be attended to as a check to blight, which causes such damage especially during warm humid weather. The first spraying should be done before earthing up, and from then fortnightly ' applications should be made. Bordeaux mixture is the recognised spray for potato blight. Slugs, snails, and other insect pests are much in evidence at this season of the year, and unless checked can do irreparable damage to crops. All rubbish should be cleared up and either burnt or buried as it is in accumulations of weeds and such-like that these pests harbour and breed.

Sowings of leeks may be made now in beds of good soil into which some soot has been worked. Scatter the. seed thinly and keep down weeds. .When largo enough to plant out they may bo planted in rows about 18 inches, apart^ and one foot from plant to plant. The simplest method and one which gives good results is to drop the leek into a hole made with a dibbler, and water in without pushing any soil in. The water.washes. enough soil down to cover the roots and the holes may be filled in later if. necessary. This. method gives the same results asgrowing in, trenches and produces good, long,' well-bleached plants.