GARDENING NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 March 1923, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

— * ; . (By "Waratah.") FLOWER GARDEN. Asters, Perennial (Michaelmas' Daisies).—These 'beautiful', autumnal flowers must.be securely tied up to their supports, or they will be quickly ruined by wind and heavy rains, fckime of the modern varieties are particularly beautiful, for not only can they be obtained in a large variety of colours, but the habit of the plants var.es so much as to' render them suitable for all positions in the herbaceous border; They vary in height from two to over six feet, tne dwarf varieties being literally covered with blossoms right down to the ground./ Bold groups render the garden bright and attractive until late in the autumn, /and the spikes of bloom are very useful for cutting and specially ; suitable for church decorations, being in bloom during Easter. These asters are very easy to grow and will thrive in. any ordinary garden soil. Propagation is effected by division of the roots in early spring. Only the strong new outer portions of the roots should be used and the old central portion discarded. Liliums.—Lilies', by their diversity of stature and colour, are suited for a variety of places in the garden. They can be used in mixed borders, shrubberies, or the rock garden. They range in height from a few inches, like the L. alutaceum, to ten to twelve feet in the L. giganteum. The flowering period commences in November with L. umbellatum, and a continous, unbroken succession of blooms from species of different countries may be obtained until winter sets in. Lilies snould be planted in the late autumn, from 4 to 6 inches beneath the surface of the soil (according to the size of the bulb), in a light rich lbamy::sbil, free. friom fresh "rank" manure. If peat or leafmould can be obtained, either or both should be mixed with the soil. The site where the lilies are to grow must be in partial ..shade, they must have a plentifulsvipply'of water during the growing season. They .should Tbe allowed to! remain undisturbed . for several3years; a top-dressing of wellrotted manure in the early - summer each year will improve the quality of the. flowers. Liliunr .Auratum A (the Golden-rayed Lily of Japan) is without doubt the finest of all "lilies. It is of immense size; free flowering and perfectly hardy. The flowers vary considerably in time of flowering and colour; some -are pure white with a yellow .band; others are spotted crimson, with the hand varying from pale, yellow tp deep crimson. Auraitum Platyphyilum is a variety with very large and handsome flowers; the broad white petals are spotted with crimson. There are many other very fine lilies— Browni has immense trumpet-shaped I flowers; often 10 inches in length; the interior of the flow«r is pure white, with chocolate-coloured anthers, the exterior is brownish-purple. Hansohi is bright golden yellow with crihisoil spots. Loijgiflorum (Harrisii) has long white trumpet-shaped flowers. Pandalium, bright prgarige, spotted purplebrown.' Speciosum Melpomene, large crimson-purple flowers, heavily 'spotted. ' Speeiosum ru.br.um, white, carmine spots, dark stems.;. Soeciosum roseum, rose, white towards the ed.ges. spotted crimson, green stems. Thomsonianum has. fragile, pale-pink flowers, sweet scented.' Tigrihihm (Tiger Lily), showy orange-scarlet flowers with'black spots. jFlore Pleno is a double form of the preceding variety. Wallichianu'm Superbum is & lily of recent introduction; the flowers are about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide; when first opening they are a beautiful sulphur colour, after-1 wards changing tp: white,, tinted pale; rose ; the exterior is tinted purple. Ahvj of the above-mentioned lilies succeed.' specially well if grown among shrubs; which give them partial shade from the sun and protection from strong winds. They are also very suitable for house or conservatory decoration as »ot plants. ■ x'w 7 Fuschias.—This is the best time to' trim into shape any plants that haye become "straggly" or out of hand; if done now it gives the plants time to make new growth before the winter sets m. The fuschia has great decorative possibilities; it may be grown as a standard, bush, or pyramid. Cuttings may be, takeh off at any time of the,year, but autumn gives the best results. Choose strong, young shoots, make the cuttings about three inches long with three or four joints, take off the two lower leaves and cut clear across below the lowest joint. Insert them an inch deep in very sandy soil and a few inches aoart, 'makinp- the soil very firm. Keep'moist and shaded until well rooted. As soon as , they commence to grow nlant in pots or. in; permanent quarters in the garden. A! sheltered position with partial shade' should be chosen. When ithe plants are' six or; eight inches, high they need, stopping. Some of. the strong growing varieties will need stopping two or; three times. Stop the lateral shoots when they have made two leaves. Tlie method of stopping: will depend upon what form is desired. In the r>a*e of standard plants the mairt stem must be allowed to grow.to the height re-. quired before stopping;and-so-;;pTi.'..One important point is to see that the topmost shoots or laterals do hot/outsrr™ the lower ones and give a "top fep-,Tv'! plant. A well-grown fus'hia, whether as a pot plant or in the flower warden, is a "thing of beauty" and well worth

air the care and trouble expended on ! lfc- J Chrysanthemum Rust.—This 'disease) can be easily recognised hy the "rusty I appearance of the leaves. As soon as j the disease is noticed no time should ' be lost in dealing, with jt, or the whole ot the foliage will be affected and' eventually die. The disease is present throughout the whole season, but would probably not be noticed (unless by an expert) until some of the leaves have become seriously affected, which is usually about this time of the year. 1 There is little hope of saving any foliage which is very "rusty," but the new foliage and the suckers at the base *of the plant, which will provide the plants for next season, can be saved from infection. The plants should > be sprayed at intervals of 10 days with lnne-sulphur solution, using it at the r;:te of one part to fifty parts of 'water, j or the Burgundy mixture may be iised, ; made from three-quarters of" an ounce of Milestone-and'one ounce of "washing soda to each gallon of water —use rain water if possible. One important point , m dealing with "rust is to give the ' plants plenty of sunlight and air. They nre not w_Jien so likely to become-affect-ed,, as . when they are growing in the shr.de or in a draughty.' situation; the' shoots should also be kept well spread out. Current work.—Plant anemones, crocus, freesias, grape hyacinths, ixias. hyacinths, all classes of narcissi, ranunculus, scillas, Spanish irises, sparaxis, tulips, tritonias. Sow carnations, d;anthus, delphiniums, pnnsies, stocks, violas, winter-flowering sweet pease, also lawn grass seed. VEGETABLE GARDEN. Onions.—This is a good time for making a sowing of onions, especially of the larger kinds, such as Ailsa -Craig, Giant Rocca, etc. These onions are j .earlier than the brown Spanish or j brown globe types, but they are not suitable for keeping—having a soft skin they must be used soon after they have ripened. They are very, mild ip flavour and should be grown in. every garden. Most soils, will grow onions i well if properly prepared, but they have, a preference for a deep, rich sandy; loam. The ground should be made firm before sowing the seed either with. a light roller or by treading. Sow the seed in drills 12 inches apirt, and not more than one-quarter of an inch in depth. Draw the soil very lightly over with the back of the rake and make firm by treading. It should be borne i in mind that onion seed is very slow growing, and is also apt to fail if the ' weather proves cold and wet. When the seedlings appear thin out to six] inches apart; the thinnings may bo transplanted. Care must be taken not to 'plant them too deeply, or the. j onions will be "thick; necked.'' (They will also do so if the seed is sown too deep.) Insert the roots only, leaving the plant above the surface. The top will droop for a few days, but 'will soon assume an upright habit. If very large bulbs are required, transplant into rows two/feet apart, allowing nine inches between the plants; g i V e frequent waterings in" dry weather when the plants are in full growth, and occasional applications of liquid manure. VVhen nearly full grown no further stimulants should be given, or the onions will develop "thick necks" instead of bulbing, or may go to seed. The principal points in growing oiiions are to keep them.free from weeds at all times and to keep the ground solid, so. that the bulbs' will enlarge on the Surface.: Deep .hoeing between !the rows, which is so beneficial to most garden crops, must be avoided with' onions. Potato or underground Onions are propagated from bulbs. Small bulbs are planted singly in early May in rows two feet apart and twelve inches between each bulb. They should be earthed up like potatoes when large enough. Offset bulbs are produced around the .originals. They are easily grown, of good quality, and are valuable as an .early crop. The full-grown onions are composed of several divisions ami may be separated for plaiiting7 .Onion "mildtiw" hasV been* yerv prevalent this season humid cbri^ ditions experienced having: favoured-'--its' development m^ have been affected with this disease all the old tops should be raked up and burnt and onions should not be grown on the same place for two or three seasons as the /spores of the fungus lie dormant m the ground for some time. Current work.—Trench arid manure aU vacant plots;■;" jf not required for immediate use leave the soil as rouo-h as possible to "weather.?'7lf aiiimal manure is not obtainable, sow oats or mustard and dig in when a few inches bigh. Earth up celery and leeks where necessary.. Thin out seedling crops before they become overcrowded. Draw up some; earth round young plants of cabbage, etc. ' -7 .......: \ . Sow broad "beans, cabbage; cauli flowers, carrots (early horn), cress 7 endive. lettuces, mustard,- onions; Parsley, radishes, silver beet, spinach tur-i nips.' . ;:• ■■'. -~. ;' .-.-•