THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 20328, 9 November 1929, Page 28

THE GARDEN

SEASONABLE WfISK

mixture would be suitable. Aphis wash is procurable from seedsmen; or a really good home-made remedy consists of 3oz of soft, soap (black, soft soap preferred), thoroughly dissolved in boiling water (one gallon), then add a dessert spoonful of nicoticide. and spray on hot —hot as you can bear your hand in. Use a fine spray. (2) New Guinea butter beans should have wellmanured ground, especially in your warm and dry district, “ Lilac.”—l am afraid the cause of some of the limbs or branches of your lilac dying is that the roots are into a cold, wet clay bottom; in other words, bad drainage. In any case, cut out all dead limbs. I know the locality, therefore I feel siire that is the main cause* of limbs dying in the way described. ...

THE VEGETABLE GARDES The welcome showers of late have afforded splendid opportunities for making good any failures which may have occurred. Should anything have gone wrong there is still time to make amends. , '' ■ Broad beans may be sown for late crops, French beans may be sown in quantities or as requirements demand. Make main sowing of beet. Sow peas for succession, also lettuce, radish, and other saladings. Plant out cabbage and cauliflower, also first the division of broccoli as soon as they are sufficiently forward Do not allow broccoli to remain too long in the seed bed. Prepare celery trenches in readiness to receive plants as they bcome fit to put out. Celery trenches are best prepared some time before planting. vegetable marrows and pumpkins may he planted, out, giving them rich soil and warm, sunny situations. Earth up potatoes before they become too tall, and so avoid injuring the stalks. Hoe and stir the ground among growing crops and water newly-planted cabbages, cauliflowers, etc. Stake peas and runner beaus. Thin out vegetable crops such as carrots, turnips, onions, and others, THE FLOWER GARDEN Continue' the work of bedding out plants. Tender annuals and all general bedding out plants may be planted now There should' be no danger of tender plants suffering now from cold weather. . Take advantage of all cool and moist weather to get bedding out work completed. Should the weather continue very dry after bedding out, give the plants a few good waterings until they become established, after which they will take care of themselves, providing the ground is kept stirred and clean and free from weeds. Stake and tie carnations, and watei the whole bed in preference to the area around the roots of individual plants. Dahlias and chrysanthemums nv<vj be planted in well prepared ground. Pick off faded flowers and seed heads from pansies, polyanthus, violas, _ and moat others unless the seed is required. Pansies and violas in particular flower very much longer and better when all the faded flowers and seed heads are kept removed. ■ Hoe and rake flower beds. Mow lawns regularly to prevent daisies, cape weed! and other lawn posts from seeding. Clip verges of grass walks and flower beds. No garden looks tidy or finished if the verges are left undipped.. . THE ROSE GARDEH Insect pests are generally very troublesome during the spring and early summer months, especially green and black aphis. Of recent years the roller moth or leaf grub has not been so bad as formerly. With this pest there is nothing like hand picking. Spraying is -of no use unless the grub can be got at. which is difficult, it being encased in the leaves, and so that sprays cannot reach it; therefore hand picking has to -be resorted to. Green aphis can easily be destroyed. The bushes should be sprayed as soon as the fly is seen with an aphis -wash applied as directed on the. tin, or soft soap in hot water, thoroughly stirred with a teaspoonful of nicoticide to a gallon of the hot soapy water will destroy this nest.. Spray it on hot —just about as hot as the hand will stand without burning. , . Hoe and stir the soil to keep down weeds, disbud by pinching out surplus buds. When first-class blooms are desired one bud only must be left, nnd that the editre or crown bud. Whore quantity irrespective of quality is desired, then-more buds may be left. Some roses give one hud only on the end of each shoot, and others in clusters. The latter should be reduced to at most three on each shoot to give fair sized blooms for decoration. Suckers •should bo pulled out or rubbed off as soon as seen. Now is an excellent time to apply liquid manure, especially to those in hud or showing flower buds. This will greatly, assist the blooming. After heavy rain, stir the surface well with the hoe. this will admit air and tend to retain moisture in the ground. The plants will thrive and give finer bloom when treated in this way. THE VINERY

“Subscriber.” —You may still divide and replant your chrysanthemums. Pick a cool day. Water well two hours before lifting and dividing, and again after planting to settle the soil about them. The sooner done the better. (2)'You wish to send to Holland for tulips. You ask if it is too late. If you send at once you should be in time.

“ S.B.”—The broccoli plants forwarded are blind; that is the cause of shoots or growth forming. A bad strain of seed is often the cause of blindness in plants, or unfavourable ground condition in the seed bed. Blindness is nearly always visible in plants when young. Needless to say care should be taken in selecting or pulling young plants before planting out. H.C.

SOME DELIGHTFUL ROSES

“Redgum,” discussing new and other roses in the 1 Sydney Morning Herald, 5 says: “I shall take the pink roses first, and afterwards the reds, the yellows,' and anything else that comes along. THE BEST OF THE PINKS.

“ Beginning with Dorina Neave, a flesh or silvery pink with a warmer tone in the centre of the flower, I name the best and most beautiful of all the pink roses seen this season. Anyone who plants a paddock full of Dorina will have difficulty in getting a peep at the soil surface; No other rose is like this delightful newcomer. In a few' years she will lead everything. “ Damp Edith Helen, a soft rose pink with a big shapely body, plenty of stem growth, lots of foliage, enough perfume to make you come back to the flower again, is my next _ choice. Numerous amateurs are doubting the ability of this rose to do what she came to Australia to put through. Plants seen on a rose farm near Seven Hills surprised and delighted me. Dame Edith is a triumph. She demands only the best. Back yards conditions wifi not do. “ Charles P. Kilhain, a rich cherry salmon with a heart of bright gold, and a growth that will please you, and a fruity perfume which almost everyone will enjoy, ranks high among the roses which have given me a Jot of pleasure. Keep this name before you. Kilhain is a gem. * “ Countess of Stradbroke, a new ruby red climbing rose from the garden workshop of Mr Alister Clark, Australia 5 s champion rose maker, is easily the best of the new ramblers seen to date. It is as good a grower as Marion Manifold, and carries a flower which to my eye is more pleasing than Black Boy, which is holding its own everywhere round the suburbs whore climbers are grown. YELLOWS AND REDS. “ I must place the remaining beauties in groups on account of space. • “Four yellows of quality, Golden Gleam, Golden Emblem; Sovereign, and Lady Love. The first two are delightful, while the last -pair are almost as good. Claudius Per net, also, is making a name for itself. There is nothing better, provided you treat the plant liberally. “Mrs Dunlop Best, SouvenirdeH, A. Yerschuron, Roselandin, Mme BonlJet, and Richard West are splendid roses to have handy at home. Yellows are more popular than ever. “ Lady Hillingdon has done better this season than any of the other yellow climbers. “The best new red roses seen lately are Lord Cbarlemont, Sensation, Earl Haig, and Lady Maureen Stewart. Charlemout is giving most growers great pleasure. Sensation is big and beautiful; Earl Haig is like George Dickson in its habit, but a shade lighter in colour. The last of the four produces an attractive flower, but is somewhat shv in growth. A little humouring might help it do better. “Templar and Royal Red arc likely to do better later on.

Carry on the work of stopping or -.pinching hack- all laterals as advised in my previous notes. On no account should this work he neglected or the rapidity of the growth -will soon cause a mass of confusion, and give lots_ of trouble later on. Attend to watering or damping down in the early evening of warm days- to create a soft, humid, and warm atmosphere. THE TOMATO HOUSE Tomatoes under glass will require lots of attention now, particularly those brought on by artificial heat. Pinch out all side shoots as they appear to keep them setting their fruit freely. Give the stems an occasional sharp shake or sharp rap to distribute the pollen. This is a good practice "to follow in every ease, whether with plants under artificial heat or in the cold house. Remember to do this on warm dry days when the pollen is dry. It is more easily distributed and more likely to set the fruit better. It is well to take precautions at this season of the year against the appearance of mildew. .Some fresh, newlyslaked lime dusted along the surface between the rows so that the fine lime may rise up to the underside of the leaves will tend to keep this dreaded pest under control. Attoxn-All dust is also good applied according to directions. Be moderate in the use of water. When a good crop of fruit is set give a .liberal top dressing with artificial manure to keep the fruit swelling. Remove all yellow leaves and reduce by cutting half of each of the lower loaves to admit more air and light. This reduction of leafage should be done with care—not too drastic at first. Some growers denude their plants of leafage. But this, I believe, is a mistake. The fruit would ripen all right, but at the expense of quality and weight of crop. Give plenty of ventilation on hot, sunny days, hut avoid cold draughts. ANSWERS "Central Otago.”—(1) You lost your crop of broad beans last year with black aphis;' and would like to know in time for this season what you could spray with. You ash if Bordeaux

“So many good new and moderately new pinks have worked into prominence this season that I am wondering which should be taken first. “Imperial Potentate, Scott 5 s Columbia, Mrs Bryce Allen, Gladys Holland, George Arends, Killarney Queen, Rose Marie, and Empire Queen have enhanced their reputations with splendid buds and blossoms during the flush of the last fortnight. Turn to an up-to-date catalogue for a description of any of these roses. “ Among the whit© and light cream class Milo Boncho .and Lady Lamplough are out on their own. Lamplough is a giant. She just dominates everything. Bouche is a beauty, willing at all times to give out her best. Louise Cretto has come to the front during the last year or two. She is heavier than Druschki, but not quite so free. , “White Ensign and Molly Sharman Crawford should be grown everywhere. Crawford carries the colour of bid Niphetosj but is a much better grower. “Padre, Cuba. Angele Pernct, Shot Silk, and Betty Uprichard are four of the newer tango shade flowers. Try them all. 55

FLOWERING BROOMS

Flowering blooms are brightening many a hillside garden at present (writes “Kowhai” in the ‘Dominion 5 )., One sees graceful brushes of the snow-white genista _ alba everywhere, ; and the sight is _ arrestingly beautiful. Bushes of _ genista Andreana, too, with their rich crimson and gold flowers, are making a great show, while golden-flowered blooms such as Gracilis ’ and Gacea are exceedingly gay. Jn more sheltered gardens flowering brooms have a better chance to show their beauty, for in exposed hillsidegardens they are often distorted

WOTK FCMR THE WBBK.-.Mi

f ; ill- ~ w wrUlhirmr gaadeawg, jurat H xfxaaoA noTte On Tnesday «* ow* week. I aant «rfßra betas® 2. pan. on

or squat, but even so they are beautiful when in full flower. And what treasures they are for owners of exposed gardens. One cannot help wondering why more use is not made of them. A collection of flowering brooms with a clump of two of copper flax and a few barberries, especially benberis purpurea with rich purple foliage, would transform many a bare garden patch. The new broom, Dorothy Walpole, with rich crimson flowers, is absolutely lovely, and will no doubt become very popular. Genista praccox, too, with cream flowers, is very pleasing and flowers early. There is a dwarf one, Rosy Moonlight, with cream flowers tinged with pink. Genista Aethnesis grows into a tree twenty feet in height. It is charming where there is no room, for it is a weeping broom, and when in flower the whole tree becomes a mass of lemon-coloured flowers. Another little-known one is G. Stenopetala. This grows into a magnificent shrub with long spikes of bright yellow flowers.

The Spanish broom, Fragrans, is a familiar sight, especially early in the autumn, when the long spikes of bright, yellow flowers make gay splashes of colour in the garden. It flowers with the agapanthuses, and the slender spikes of yellow broom and massive heads of blue agapanthus make an attractive picture -when the plants are grouped. Flowering brooms will grow anywhere and in any soil. They are equally successful in the sand of a seaside garden, on a clay bank, and, when left to sow themselves, even on a steep, rocky bank. If the plants are clipped fairly hard when they are young, they grow into nice bushy shrubs, and need little further attention beyond clipping into shape a little after the flowering is over.

SWEET LAVENDER

Sweet' lavender grows freely and. makes an excellent border, bearing a wealth of spikes of blue fragrant bloom. It is surprising it is not more generally grown and cultivated seeing it is easily raised from seed and from cuttings. Isaac Walton gave a pleasant picture, which a whiff of lavender may. sometimes recall, of “an honest alehouse, where we shall find a cleanly room, lavender in the windows, and twenty ballads stuck against the wall; and my hostess, I may tell you, is both cleanly and handsome.” Lavender is ever associated with all things clean and fragrant, and of good repute, for its name is from lavare, to wash, sinoo the Romans perfumed their baths with the herb, the fragrant herb came to England in the sixteenth century, and must have been rare in Elizabethan days, though mentioned by Shakespeare as “the lavender still grey.” Oliver Wendell Holmes’ happy name was the Quaker flower. The expression “ laid up in lavender,” is a reminder of the pleasant custom of using the spikes of flower bloom to scent linen The poet Shenstone hymned the schoolmistress whose azure lavender spikes were bound together: They lurk amidst .the labour of her loom And crown her kerchiefs clean with mickle rare perfume. And Keats’s Madeline slept “in blanched linen, smooth and lavendered.” —Marcus Woodward, in T.P.’s Weekly,

BOARDS USED !H PLANTING OUT

When the border hae been brought into a nice tilth and properly prepared for plants it is bad practice to tread over it and leave footmarks, while if the soil is not just in the best _ of condition or easily consolidated, it is the height of folly to tramp on the ground unless it is *to he forked up afterwards. When the gardener wishes to do any work in the border he should get a few long boards, some 4in to 6in broad, and lay these in any direction suitable for his purpose. He can walk on these and carry out his transplanting without leaving deep footmarks. When the board is being laid down it should he arranged so that the soil into which the plants will be placed may receive the pressure for most kinds are quick to settle in a znedium made firm’in such a way.

THE CAUCASIAN SCABIOUS

Since its introduction, the Caucasian scabious has been a favourite among the hardy border plants .It is a good improvement on the old type of scabious or pin cushion. Its beautiful fine heads of pal© blue to lavender and mauve coloured flowers produced on long,, graceful stems, characterise it as one of the most ornamental subjects for indoor decoration (wz-ites “ Lorna,” dn the ‘Manawatu Daily , Times 5 ). Where large quantities of flowers are in great demand for decorations, these scabiosas supply the need over a long season, blooming profusely from early summer to late autumn. In such cases it' pays to cultivate beds of plants specially for this purpose. Well-grown plants will produce flowers with stems from two to three feet in length, and flower heads from three to four inches in diameter. These scabiosas appreciate a good deep, -well-drained soil, plenty of lime, _ and should be given an open situation. On cold, heavy clay soils they are not long-lived plants. Plants may bo divided in autumn or spring, the latter for preference as they enntinuo to bloom until frost comes. They are also easily raised from, seed.

A MUSICIAN'S TRIBUTE TO THE ROSE

In the book ‘Samuel Langford, Musical Criticisms,’ Mr Neville Cardus, the editor, includes a paper on ‘Roses,’ which shows that the devotee of music was also a lover of flowers. There are few writers who would care to attempt to describe that simple tiling—the rose; but Langford tried. Here is what he wrote: “The rose is the national flower of England, and supreme t as it is among flowers it feeds our pride in our country, aijd, in our selves, as no other flower. Flowers quicken the sens© 1 of beauty so greatly that the right love of them is almost one with the sense of romance, and for the romance that lies in the extravagance of beauty no flower will bear comparison with the rose. Few types of women even will sustain that comparison, although there are many types of roses. • “ The rose hursts upon us in the full pride of the summer, and is on© with it, and is almost the essence of it. After it the summer has nothing further to reveal, for the gold of autumn is hut decay, and even the carnation that might hold its own with any other flower, though it challenges the rose and vies with in every feature of scent and colour, equals it in none, and is by every single on© of its charms sealed the rose’s vassal. The rose, too, is among flowers the only fit emblem of life. “Its blood is rich as our own, and anyone who will put his cheek to the cheek of the rose under the summer sun will find that it takes a warmth literally comparable to that of life. To the lover of the rose is the lip, the breath, and the heart of his mistress in one, and the poets have given it this meed of praise times and in ways without number. “Nor does the rose ever shame thenextravagance. What other flower would sustain such comparison for an instant? And the rose runs the whole scale of beauty, from the blushing simplicity of the brier in which the dew finds a lucky cradle, to the crimson of the rose that vaunts herself the paramour of tho midday sun. “The rose cannot only be a spendthrift of its charms, but is the on© miser whose hoard can give intoxication. Who docs not know the rose deeper than all others, that cups its rich folds and compact scents until a box of spikenard would scarce vie with its rioh colour? Again, by what marvellous power does the rich, moss rose extract its sweets from its heart, and distil them on its rough coat, or the sweetbriar rose excel the swetest of herbs ? How did. the tea rose filch its odours of the East and retain them amid all the waters of the West, which use their powers in vain to wash them out? “And the rose is not merely the most exquisitely scented and compact of flowers when it is not tho most profuse and open-hearted, hut it can be also the boldest and noblest of horned flowers, folding its petals to a spike of great nobility. In its climbing form it has a grace that would make it independent of flower, and a. plant for poets to sing of if it never had a bud. “But in this- form it becomes the most generous of all, and gives forth its blossoms by thousands until they overwhelm the dwelling over which they grow. The rose, not only in its beauty but in its thorns and its canker and in its death, is the theme of sentiment. When in its splendour it suddenly falls, it dies the most generous death, and after death it does not cease to be cherished, nor do its sweets become extinguished. “ Rose leaves, when tho rose is dead, Are heap’d on the beloved’s bed, sings Shelley. But we. had vowed not to quote the poets, as their beautiful references to , the rose run to many anthologies.’’

CLEMATIS MONTANA RUBRA

(Pink Clematis.)

Many gardeners are shy of this beautiful climber, but given the conditions that it likes it grows quickly and soon helps to beautify an ugly fence or shed. One important point in its culture is that any pruning should be done directly the flowering is over. It likes a rich, deeply-worked loamy soil, and, although it likes to have its roots in shade, it likes the vines to run up into the sun. When the plant is being put in, a good handful of old mortar rubble > or lime should be worked into the soil. The rose-coloured flowers are very attractive, and as the foliage and young stems are fairly dark they are well shown up on the plants.