Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 27, 27 November 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

FLORIST FLOWERS.

in the midst of the beautiful flowe> iwg plants and slrrubs that adorn out gardens month, by month during the year, it is well for us to turn our attention to a. class of flowers that out fathers loved and admired, and which many of us still cherish, an affection for known as "Florist Flowers."

These are flowers that have been produced by the concrete intelligence of many minds directed into certain channels, whieli have so altered their form. and character as to entitle thorn to spe«i&J distinction. To retain this distinction they must be able to *be perpetuated and multiplied by means, of euittings, layers slips, offsets^ grafts, buds, and suckers. What our grandfathers knew as "Florist Flowers," wea'e aurieulao, carnations, pieotees, pinks, pansues, ranunculus, tulips and cyclamens. Then the later florist took up the rose, geranium, rhododendron, azalea, dahlia, verbena, fuesia, hollyhock, chrysanthemum and camellia, and worked wonders "with them. ,

These, early veterans in the production, of florist flowers, worked to eertfcin rules and standards, always strivt»g to improve the coarse ■gaudy kinds, and bring t-hem up to superior models. Of their success we" of to-day have ample evidence in the beautiful production they have loft behind .them. Our ideas of beauty may not be "exactly"like thews-—for fashion and taste ekange like other things in this transitory world —but Avhile having a deep sense of the value of "modern varieties^ we can't help admiring the patience and skill they have displayed in the marvellous changes they effected from; time to time in producing from seed* the fine specimens of flowers that adorn <mr gardens to-day. :

fancy, zonal and ivy leaf, ar? the out■came of well directed zeal of florists. In "Show" or florist geraniums the leaves are crisp and more or leas deeply cut). Also included are primula, ranunculus, rose, tulip, violet, penstemons, phlox, polyantha and pTimroses. Daffodils.—^Amon'g the oldest and most favourite of our spring flowera ia the daffodil. It has always held a place of high esteem, and as they progressed under the care of the different enthusiasts, much surprise was express i

Ed at their beauty and variety.

They

have come, and are coming/ in evernumbers, into our homes and gardens, and make them sweeter for it. The most striking characteristic of t>he daffodil is the wonderful way the flower lends itself to the hybridist. It-is often asked where do all these lovely and exquisite forms of beauty seen at snows, in garden, and shops come from? They are the patient toil and skill of the -hybridist.

It needs great care and watchfulness to keep up the qualities of many of these flowers. For a constant struggle is continually going on between the raiser of new things and nature, for nature is always striving to maintain her sway. One great point sought after in florist flowers, is substance. 'To grow them is often more a labour of love than of profit, but they are always worth the labour expended on them. As in other walks of life, it is not always ibe man who raises a good thing that profits by it, but the one who ptrtsr it on the market.

Florist flowers are subject to the caprice of fashion, and vary from year to year. Oft-times good plants are pushed aside by the rush for novelties. •As with the carnation of to-day, so it was with the camellia in the past. With or without fringe was a soto point with our forefathers. One writer sums the matter up thus: —'' Put them both together, and judge 'then which is best? Bot-h you say, then we must have a «asting vote, your sister shall decide, she will say the fringed one 19 the best, for ladies generally are the best judges of form and beauty in flowers."

Among the florist flowers of. to-day, are the hippeastruras, anemones, antirrhinum (once florist flowers), begonia, (T.R)., calceolarias, chrysanthemums' (a necessity of life in our flower garden), delphiniums. Gladiolus, gloxinias, hollyhocks, hyacinths, irises, paeonies, pelargoniums (LaTge show, decorative, Cyclamen persicum.—This beautiful variety so showy in our gardens in spring, originally came from CypSrus, in 1731. The wonderful advance made

by the well-directed efforts of florists during the last 20 years has resulted in

splendid foliage and blooms. Cinerarias originated from C. Cru enta, a tall growing- flowering perennial species, introduced from th.c Oanary Island, in 1777. The improvement effected in this'plant is remarkable. Instead of the .tall loose habit we have now sturdy plants with, massive heads of blooms in numerous colours. Moi-eh admired when well grown, especially when planted out an a toed where the first rays of the morning sun can reflect their dazzling colours. The Pansy must not be overloked, for, .the rich tinted velvqty flowers of the pansy have few rivals. The pansy is an old florist flower,'having been raised in the last century by hybridising the wild Viola tricolour of tho British corn fields with the Tartarian Vj o ia altiaea, and others; result, a useful race of freeflowenng,- perpetual blooming sOTts 3 well adapted for flowering during our winter and spring months. Grleiiny'a standard for a pansy was a perfect circle, a smooth edge, petals thick velvety texture, markings uniform, top (petals alike, side petals alike, the | ground.' colour on the tiree lower petals the same, and the; eye must not break through'th6 margin.- -' ' *' • The garden Canna of to-day is far removed from "that of ten: or fifteen years } ago. In the old; varieties we had small infloresenees made up of poor shaped blossoms, with, narrow segments and no great range of colour. Nowwe have- robust growin^plaiita, possessing •handsome foliage and stout flower scopes, terminated by-fine heads of large shapely, wide petalled blooms of exquisite shaded of colour. In the old plant they flowered and were done in a feiw wceksj now 'we can have them in flower all the summer. it is *a good plan to dig.out a hole a foot or so wide and two feet six inches, deep, illlin tie same in with, a foot of dry eakey cow-dung, the xemaindeT to be filled up with some fresh soil. When the plants are received from the nurseryman, they should be planted carefully, and mulched with some gras3 or short straw, but not with cow or horse manure, as at tihat stage, if the yoimg plants received a strong .stimulant, they are likely to go blind or sickly. During the summer months they should receive plenty of water, and! at a later stage require both shoots and buds thinning out (especially if the object be to secure exhibition blooms); the former to six or eight shoots on each plant and one bud on each shoot. When taking the buds be sure and take them at different periods, as it is impossible to be able to time all the flowers for any particular date. To improve the size of the blooms the plants require two or three waterings v of weak liquid manure, the best and safest being made of cow dung and soot water. Bed spider, slugs and snails, are about the most troublesome pests dahlias are subject to The former can be held in check "bysprinkling the plants overhead freely with water morning and evening during hot weather. With regard ty snails and slugs, plant a few 'lettuces between

the xows, wiiich will cause the pests to turn their attention to them. The three most popular plants of the present day are the Rose, Carnation, and Dahlia/ because of their continuous blooming, fragrance and gracefulness. Of these, the rose stands first; no flower holds so high a place in the affection of the people. It is the people's flower. The poet has often voiced the feeling of the people that love it in their song:— "How Sweet my love to walk with you Beneath a sky of summer blue. And all the air about me sweet Wit-h scent of. new blown rosea." The rose is an emhlem of brightness, purity and love; a plant of light and air. How beautiful in spring, how varied in colour, carrying all the shades in their leaves, from dark copper to the palest and most delicate of greens. Though many others have aspired to dethrone the rose as queen of flower, It still retains place:-— "Within the garden's peaceful scene Appeared two lovely foes, Aspiring to the rank of queen The lily and the rose. The lily soon Tedden'd into rage And swelling with disdain, v. Appealed to many a poet's page To prove her right to reign." Modern gardening has made euch

rapid strides, that tie number of varieties of roses are now almost innumerable. They include principally, hybrid perpetuals, Bourbon, Noisettes, Chinas, Tea-scented, and Hybrid Tea-scented. Varieties esteemed at the early part of the Victorian era are scarcely known at the present, showing how great enterprise and taste on the part of the cultivator and hybridist haa1 been rewarded. This has been brought about by crossing the hybrid China with the Bourbon, China and Tea-scented rose, so that we already have Tea blood in t-he H.P. A further infusion of Tea blood has of late years taken place, and it is this that has created the hybrid Teas so much in evidence at the present day.

What Tosarians desire most in a plant is a strong grower, a tnve perpetual, with flowers up to exhibition standard. Elegance of habit, contrast of colour, abundance of blooms, form of outline of individual flowers, and sweetness.