PEONIES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 140, 10 December 1931, Page 20

PEONIES

A POPULAR FLOWER

MANY BEAUTIFUL COLOURS AVAILABLE

NOTICE TO READERS.

Tills M!umn I* Intended principally for gardener* with »mi(l plots, and the aim is ta make It v uraetltal and useful a* aosilklt. Inquiries on any matter of lardenfnt Interest will be welcomed. Tfi* rule fer correspondence is that all communication* must be accompanied by the .name and address of the writer, not for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. This rule will be strictly adhered te. This is year column—make u»e of it.

"Mrs. D.L."—lt is imposllblfl td ataiOiflSflnltely the cause AT tho spots on the lefrtes of J'otir plant. It 1« not likely; to -bo iiftuSea by its being pot-bound. Su'ch?«t coiiijltlon Is soroetltaes caused by dfdpsfV.of ittater rernaihiris on tU« Uv/ti, iM"] <Un Striking through the *U*s on to tftr water 'causing burning. The plant la a Rex Begonia. "Ainateuf."—'tour onion* are what Is called '■bolting." This Is usually caused by too firy conditions, You.can do nothing to Stop it- full them out and utilise the ground for sAttetHlA| ; el»e.. . !

Few "flowers; 'have rgainefl greater popularity during recent years than peonies. .;■ There, ''hatye biSen wonderful improvements . the., flowers until now moat beautiful colours in both double, and single • forihs may be obtained. The peony is not an. exacting subject as far as soil is concerned, but, as it is a plant, impatient of frequent ehango, it is advisable to plant in a well-prepared and well-enriched soil: a good moist loatt, suits it well. The ground for its ' reception should be deeply dug to the depth of a. couple of feet, a liberal quantity of old manure being added to the soil.' Fresh manure, should be avoided, as it • : entourages disease, but whore the-use of such is necessary it should be incorporated in the lower spit' of soil only, well below the roots, the top spit. being enriched with decayed garden refuse and a little bonedust. . " , .

it must be remembered that, as the subjects are to remain in the same place for years, they will naturally assume quite'large-' dimensions, a^d room for, this must be allowed. A distance of 4 "feet between the roots ia tobe'tecommended. Other; flowers may be. associated with them while there is still space, such as daffodils, "gladiqli, oiyif preferred; annual*, way be planted between the clumps. The plants should .be put in ■ with the crowns about 3 inches below the surface, arid in as natural a position as possible, adding some fino sandy soil as the work is being done... It ; is -. a good plan to add some gritty material, while a dressing of •■lime. to the. site ia-of much Value. "Before completing the filling in of the aoil pour about a half-bucket of water jn to wash the soil thoroughly round the roots. " After the water" has disappeared the holo lhay be filled up. The peony is a true deciduous perennial with tubeious roots, the leaf s>talks of which die down eyery autumn, •while fresh growth pushes up ovory spring. These leaf stalks should never be cut down, but allowed to decay naturally, i'oi while this piocess is going o,n, substance is being returner]. .1 o'tho root*. Whon expanding thei*'iloweVs^Ucy'thould be given fcome e»-cour-lgement,' and liquid manure will be much appicciated by them. Ii" frosts Are pievalent and the plants are in a, position where the morning sun' is likely to strike on them, it is advisable io syringo"them before the sun'gets to th?trl,' or.to protect with light material, Established plants benefit very considerably by being given an annual'dressing of well-rotted manure, and when the flowery are in budjwe must not forget tho value of*liquid manure,following a good watering. Division'of the roots and replanting may be carried out either in late autumn or early spring. As regards general treatment, a thorough soaking: with water when necessary must not'1 be neglected, and whon tho blooming period is Over the plants ought to- be given plenty of liquid manure until growth ceases in the autumn, all decayed blooms being jpmoved and no seed pods allowed to form. THE DUTCH HOE., This is one of he niost useful gaiden ■tool?,_ and with the warm dry weather Ihe time has arrived when it should bo ■frequently and systematically used. The advantages of hoeing have' been repeatedly written about, but the' average amateur still docsn 'fc fully realise them; In the first placo hoeing the-soil helps to conserve moisture. A groat per-

centage of the rainfall descends to the water-table, which occurs at varying depths in different localities. Whatever the depth may be does not matter. The point that does matter is that moisture must be.raised from' the water-table to the/toots of the plants during the season of growth. If the surfaeo of tho soil is caked thcro is an unb^okon connection by capillary attraction between tho water-tablo below and the atmosphere above, and so much water may bo lost by evaporation that crops may suffer from drought. By brfiftkfllg Up -the 'surface, this connection' 1b severed and much valuablo material is saved. In tho^ second place, tho Dutch hoo, by destroying weeds, ensures to tho planti the light, air, and food which are essential for their nutrition, and saves thern^ from becoming a prey to the many insect pests and fungoid diseases which weeds convey. Thirdly, tho Dutch hoo acts as a distributor of beneficial soil bacteria, and everyone who has absorbed tho elements of soil science knows that these minute organisms are as necc&sai^ to successful growth as salt water is ti fishes of the sea. Fourthly, this implement contributes to the aeration of the garden, and here also anyone whohas' Snatched a knowledge Of the laws of plant hygiene will know that plants v and Jiuman beings stand equally in need '6f air. Translated into practice, this- means that whenever there are^the slightest signs of soil consolidation, or of the appearance of weeds, the Dutch hoe should be brought into operation for the abolition of these conditions. The Dutch hoe is most commonly seen in use in vegetable gardens, but it is also an effective .tool {n tho flower garden if used' with due care. The soil surface iji bods add .borders' needs aerating, and weeds may also be prejscnt. A narrow hoc should be kept for working amongthe flowers, and if one with a blado with a cutting edge both front and back tho ground may bo worked close up to the plants provided adequate care is exercised. DAISIES IN LAWNS. ,'L'lio common daisy is ono of tho most prevalent and troublesome wcecja iA lawns, and -oiio that spreads rapidly1, until in some cases it takes possession of the ground^ untoss means are-jjtakon to surjprestr.it* and encourage a,satis'* factory groWth..of grass by-the .application-' of ' suitable f ertllUei's. ~ When A lawn is free from daisies and ~ qthef weeds it is sound practice to'allow all the grass mowings to remain to decay and nourish the surface' roots l|| a.s i the constant removal of tho •mcrw'injjs for many year* tends to impoverish "th 6 soil unless manures are applied. 'It i^ when tho soil gets into a poor. Condi' tion and the grass weakened, -■' thai daisies and certain other-weeds"begin to flourish most.. Clean grass-mowings will not indvee the growth of daisies. If the lawn contains daisies, leaving the mowings to decay on the surface means that a large' number of seeds ■are" distributed; ■ many of-which' may find their way into the soil, where they germinate. It is, 'therefore, advisable to rake or sweep Off the mowings con' taining daisies, and also to omplo>, something to destroy the plants and Btimulate the growth of grass. Even a badly infested lawn may be gradually improved and tho daisies e\putually eradicated, though it id often necessary to-66'ittinue-thp treafnfe:nt overt two, seasons, .to. achibvo tho desired results.

A light "dressing' with : sulphate' of ammonia may.i be: given.now, and- repeated ' nt t '. intcrvails , of,'; three weeks during the growing seaion. This must

bo (.■■i'-iiiily' applied/ and ' q(lit6. a goSfl \>}a& is' So use -a ,tiu with, a perforated ltd for 'th"6 ' purpose. Sulphato of ammonia is beßt applied -during dry weather": and either early in tho morning of Jate at night, when there is a slight moisture on the foliage, tho aim being to'r'have the ammonia lodge On the lcaves'of the daisfes and,other broadlda\;ed 'Weeds as long;as possible. Apply about loz to tho stjunre yard. Tho' grass may be turnod slightly brown, but it will recover and come away bettor afterwards. . .