GARDENING NOTES

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 July 1938, Page 6

GARDENING NOTES

Eoutine Work in the Borders Trench all land intended for the making of new flower borders, whether for annuals or perennials. Make any needful alterations in the flower garden. Layer hardy shrubs. Lay in a stock of turf, leaf mould, and manure for later work.

Plant any hardy bulbs left over, as soon as possible. Loosen the surface soil amongst bulbs whenever the weather is open.

Continue to plant shrubs and roses whenever weather and soil conditions permit. Plant hardy annuals where the ground is well drained.

Make further plantings of anemones and ranunculi in the best drained parts of the garden. Plant all kinds of perennials. Make out seed lists as soon as catalogues come to hand. Stocks of the newer things quickly run out. The Vegetable Garden

Select seed tubers of early varieties of potatoes, setting these eyes upward in shallow boxes out of the frost line. Get all ground operations completed as early in the month as possible. Use soil fumigants for pest ridden soils. Sow radishes in a warm border. Sow seed of lettuce in boxes, also the first early tomatoes. Sow broad beans, and early dwarf peas. Plant shallots and potato onions. Plant cabbage, lettuce, and early cauliflower plants. Plant rhubarb in deeply dug well manured beds.

Top dress existing beds with manure. Cut down asparagus, loosen the soil, and give a heavy dressing of decayed manure.

Sow mustard and cress in boxes for early salads. Plant all kinds of fruit tiees and bushes whenever weather conditions permit. Plant strawberries as soon as possible. Rudbeckias (Cone Plowers)

The possibilities of these highly decorative plants might well be considered by those who are now engaged in planting on thinking of planting perennials. They are fine North American composites, and worthy subjects for the herbaceous borders, wild garden, or 'even a speciman plants on lawns. They are of the easiest cultivation, and respond to the treatment similar to that given to other hardy perennials. Endbeckias are not fastidious in their soil requirements, but, like most rampant growers, they do best in a deeply dug, well manured soil, when many of the varieties will attain a height of six feet. The plants are readily propagated by division of the roots in late autumn and during early spring. Care, however, should be taken to employ only the outer growths of the stool. The central growth is usually puny and weak and often refuse to grow in a satisfactory way, even when transplanted in good soil. Good pieces will produce robust plants and almndance of bloom over a period of three months. The following are beautiful cone flowers, well suited to the borders, and admirably calculated to adorn them.

Laciniata golden glow, is a robust varity producing double bright yellow flowers and a most prolific bloomer, growing to a height of six feet. Maxima, is a very imposing plant, growing about five feet high and bearing golden yellow flowe-rs.

Newmanii speciosa, is a very popular kind with yellow, black centred flowers, much used at the margins of borders as ,it grows only two feet in height and is also very suitable for including in the rock garden. Purpurea, has reddish purple flowers, growing about four feet high. Purpurea Moerheimii, is a fine plant with larger flowers than purpurea and whose petals stand out horizontally. They are all very useful for all kinds of floral work, and for cutting for vases and bowls.

Carnations From Seed Those who possess a small greenhouse and wonder what to grow in it for the winter could not do better than try some of these plants. They are not exacting as regards heat, in fact, they are all the better if they can get plenty of air. Of course, if one wants varieties to name and colour, young plants will need to be procured, but raising them from seed is very fascinating, as one never knows what is. going to appear. Procure-the seeds from a reliable source, and then during September or October sow in pans or light, friable soil, with plenty of silver sand mixed in. Just cover the seed with fine soil and place some paper then glass over the pan to conserve moisture. In about a week or ten days the young seedlings will appear and the glass should be removed. If the pans are watered after sowing the seed they will require very little more until the young plants get stronger. As soon as they are large enough to handle prick them off into boxes or small pots. A compost of two parts fibrous loam one part leaf mould, and one part sand and mortar rubble and also broken bricks will suit them well if passed through a half inch seive, and this compost in a rougher state will suit them I for the flowering pots.

Fertilisers are best used when the plants have become rooted, as then thej can assimilate food better.

From the boxes or small pots give them a shift into four inch pots, and when these are full of roots shift them again into five or six inch pots, accord ing to the strength of the plants. See that the pots are well drained in each instance, so that water passes through quickly, as stagnation in this respect is fatal to their well being. The

plants can be placed outdoors during the .summer while the house is occupied by tomatoes, begonias, or whatever the owner grows. When these are finished with, wash the house both inside and out so as to admit all the light possible during the dark days of winter and when completed the plants may be brought in, am! while the weather is open given all the air possible. Carnations resent coddling at ah times, and especially when they are just housed. Never water a plant unless the pot rings when tapped with the knuckif very dry. If green fly appears, fumigate the house carefully on two succesles, and when doing so fill it up twice sive evenings, any fumigating material will do, providing the directions are carefully carried out. If any of the plants appear to be growing too spindly nip the growths back to make them stool out, and this may also be done if the plants show signs of running up to flower too soon, as their blooms will be so much appreciated during the scarce time. Most Carnations from seed grow strongly if properly cultivated, and any side buds may be picked off, allowing one good bloom (o each stem. Any, of course, not up to standard can be discarded. But whether it be perpetual, or marguerite varieties, there is always something to look for, and the owner of the small greenhouse, instead of hi» house standing empty through the winter months which is so often the case, will get a lot of pleasure at very little expense.

Wall Gardening Dry walls may be used in a variety of ways to surround a sunk garden or tennis court, to take the place of steep banks, or, in the case of a house built on a hill, to form a terrace or series 01 terraces where cultivation on the level would otherwise be impossible. In all these positions they are both useful and beautiful. For the walls any kind of stone will do.

After the first, or foundation, line of stones is in position, soil should be rammed behind and between them, and the work should proceed layer by layer, leaving a good foot between the face of the wall and the bank behind, until completed. It is much easier to plant the wall as the work proceeds, as one is able to spread out the roots of the plants much better. The bank may slope back anything from a few inches to a foot or more, as situation and taste demand. The top may either be finished off with pieces of stone or filled in with plants.

The amount of soil left between the wall and the bank is important, so many of the plants suitable for such a situation have long, hungry roots, ever reaching out for food and moisture, that to make a wall with an insufficient backing of soil is to doom it to failure Of course, aspect will have a considerable influence on the planting scheme, Often they are open to all the winds that blow, and where this is the case there is still a good variety of plants to choose from such as aubrietia, nepeta mussini, iberis, sedums, dianthus, thymus, saponaria, stylosa irises, and these bloom freely in such a situation, ipomea mauratanicus, and the many varieties of glazanias are among the gayest of things for the purpose. Many of the mesembryanthemums are very showy and useful for the purpose, keep the kinds pruned back each . year. The hclianthemums are showy and easymanaged. A wall can be made the brightest spot in the garden if care is given in the selection of plants and at the same time is very easily kept if gone over frequently, as then, no sorrel or couch grass will have time to get too firmly established.

Such a wall, too, may be built to divide oil; a portion of the garden, needing stone for both sides, commencing fairly wide at the base and gradually narrowing as the work proceeds. These are useful where space is limited as it provides a home for many more plants. Where a wall is in partial shade, mossy saxifragas will thrive, eompanulas, ferns, London pride, heucheras, etc. Care should be taken that noining is planted that will take possession of the wall. The rock phloxes are very good for walls of all kinds as they cling so closely.

After a while, self sown {lungs will come up unexpectedly, and there ar.i such joyous surprises with these flourishing little plants, many of which art quite different from the parent plant.