A METHOD OF GROWING MECONOPSIS

Evening Star, Issue 21518, 16 September 1933, Page 18

A METHOD OF GROWING MECONOPSIS

Many gardeners are familiar with the difficulties which attend the growing of the genus meconopsis, and many amateus have given up the attempts in despair (writes “ Lorna,” in the ‘ Manawatu Daily Times’). The arrival of the lovely bine perennial meconopsis Baileyii induced many to once again try their luck. Said to love shade, the mistake many made was to grow them in shade among shrubs. The plant it said to love shade, but it also loves plenty of moisture at the root, and this is necessarily restricted among the shrubs. For those desirous of growing this lovely plant a spot should be selected where cold, cutting winds are not felt. In their native home thev get full sunshine, hut plenty of moisture and a deep root run of cool soil. To give them the required moisture bury ordinary porous drain pipes about Gin below ground, furnished at one end with an upcast, by which the whole system can be filled with water as required, the plants being set in just above them. The pipes must lie cemented at the joins and at the end which runs along under the roots. The effect of this device is that moisture keeps diffusing out as required. ‘lf the soil becomes saturated with rain diffusion ceases and waterlogging is avoided. In a drought the diffusion is very rapid, but even so, one filling weekly is sufficient. One line of 4in pipes will serve about 3ft broad of border space, so where more than one or two plants are grown extra piping is not necessary. There should be no leakage other than that due to diffusion through the walls of the piping.