GARDENING NOTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 April 1938, Page 3

GARDENING NOTES

(By “Wellwisher”t PROTECTION FROM l-'ROSTS Seeing winter is upon us our efforts during the next few months will include the protecting of half hardy plants from the severe frosts. .A good plan is to remove any of these plants from tiie garden and place them in a cold frame, we haven’t’ all got hothouses so we must fall back on the next best. Many people buy and rear quite a lot of plants in the open ground I hat are really termed "half hardy" or ‘’greenhouse” and later on have them cut down by frost never Io grow again, whereas* a little care and trouble would bring them through the winter enabling them to put them in the garden once more. Do not wait until the damage is done but act now, housing any worth-while varieties that need protection. .Many bulbs can still be planted for the. spring display, but only plant when the soil is workable; to plant, when it is wet and sticky spells failure as the soil will on drying set hard excluding light and warmth which are so necessary to the health and growth of all plant life. If any planting has been neglected for the spring display hurry it on. Sweet. William, Cornflower. Penstemon. Wallflower, Iceland Poppy, Canterbury Bell. Polyanthus and Primroses can still be put out. Cut away all spent blooms from dahlias and other plants; if black spot has been noticeable on the dahlia leaves be sure and burn all the tops after the flowering period and so eliminate the disease as much as possible. Do not dig dahlia bulbs as soon as they have been cut. down by frost, but leave them for a month allowing the bulbs to ripen and mature. Of course any bulbs showing on the surface should be covered before frosts appear.

Now is the time to divide up all herbaceous paeonies and replant. These plants that rival the rose for beauty resent root disturbance at any time but it becomes necessary at times to divide up big clumps and replant. If allowed to grow continuously in the same place without dividing up the leaves grow smaller, the shoots and crowns becojne very thin and spindly showing deterioration and the only wise course to adopt is to dig up and divide either into new ground ot else trench and manure the previoii

plot before replanting. These plants take a long tini ' to become esrabj lished and this is the reason that they often fail to flower after removal; so j do not get impatient and be tempted to shift them io another spot because of this. In planting remember that they like plenty of room so put them three feet, apart each way. planting i them very firmly in the soil. Paeonies tire one of the most satisfactory perennials for bridging the gap between spring and summer when I >;i show is desired in the garden and when flowers are scarce. Of recent ' years hybridists have made great strides in improving on the old strains i-essiiltiiiH in /some of the older kinds being eliminated that were shy in flowering and newer varieties taking their place that are sweetly scented, more gorgeous in colouring, .just as hardy in constitution and in many pleasing and newer shades; so it is no wonder that the paeony to-day is coming into its own by gaining a place in every garden. WAR ON SLUGS Gladioli that have ripened can be. now lifted, dried and stored. Be sure they are stored in a dry place and that newer and expensive varieties arej kept separate and labelled. See that j all plants in irames have plenty oi j ventilation on mild sunny days, water sparingly from now on. water is only needed as the soil becomes very dry. Keep up the war against slugs by putting a shovelful of ashes around the crowns of delphiniums and other herbaceous plants that have been cut down; it also helps to protect them from severe frosts. As the summer bedding plants finish their cycle of growth, clear up all beds and dig over all spare plots, this helps to create a tidy and pleasant atmosphere amj will also let. the elements do the sweetening and purifying for you. In dealing with the herbaceous border, remember it is a wiser plan to lift and replant the whole border if it has been undisturbed for three or four years than to deal with individual plants and clumps. By doing this the whole plot can be rearranged and altered according to taste; plan to keep the tallest growers in the back row and so arrange that the colours will he blended. Tie up carnations and any straggly plants so as to keep them off the soil during the cold and wet ) weather as this has a detrimental r effect upon their growth. ' .5 Erect a covering over all outside;

grown chrysanthemums, this Queen of ihe Autumn is well worth paying particular attention to, for she provides us with flowers in autumn and early winter when floral nature falls into its yearly sleep. Feeding with liquid manure from now on will stimulate the flowering system helping to build up those big buds that will open into mammoth blooms for the show bench. Care must be taken to eradicate disI ease at. its first appearance. Mildew is perhaps one of the worst diseases i which attacks the plants especially in wet. districts. Dusting with flowers of sulphur or spraying with lime-sulphur will soon overcome this disease. Chrysanthemums are also subject to rust and this can be easily distinguished by the brown spots appearing on the underneath side of the leaves, where they appear first, later if not checked thev spread over the whole plant. For this disease spray with Sulphide of j Potassium using half an ounce to a gallon of water; two or three light sprayings will be more effective than one heavy one. Then of course there is the green grub and plants should be looked over; i daily for these pests because they eat | at the heart of the plant and also make for the best bud and ruin it beI fore one is aware of their presence, i Well, arsenate of lead was really inI t rod need to combat this pest and a. spray of this will do the job thorough-; ly. Strictly speaking, the hygiene of "Mum” culture can lie summarised as follows: Use clean soil and healthy stock, burn any badly infected plants or leaves to prevent contamination, i spray weekly to prevent, disease, give perfect ventilation and avoid over-1 crowding. Do these things and the battle will be “won.”