GARDENING NOTES

Kaikoura Star, Volume LVII, Issue 48, 17 June 1937, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

(By ‘

"Spring Bloom.”)

CAN NATIONS. There are several kinds of carnations, the one found in most gardens being the welliknown Marguerita carnation. This is really the best class for cut flower purposes, as they posses that rigidity and length of stem which are so desirable. They attain large size, are beautiful and varied in colour, while the plants are exceptionally easy to raise from seed. However, their failing is that the plant does not lend appearance to the garden after the first year and looks untidy. The Chaubaud carnation is an improvement on the Marguerita variety and is well worth a position in the garden. Both of these varieties produce flowers very freely and should be disbudded, leaving only the top bud; the petals arc toothed, but that is no disfigurement for decorative work. The main class of carnation is the 11 border*’ variety, this being a smooth edged flower with some wonderful shadings and deserves to become more popular amongst our perennial plants. With a little care the plants can be kept a nice shape and splendid results will be obtained. Another variety of great merit, but one usually let grow unshapely, is the Perpetual carnation. This class generally grows taller than the border carnation and has flowers with a slightly toothed edge, it also requiring more care to obtain a nice shaped plant. The remaining class belonging to the

carnation family is only rarely seen now in any garden, but it appears to be coming back into favour and deservedly so. This is the Picotee. The growth and habit is identical to the carnation, the difference being in colour only. A good Picotee is a lovely flower and one must marvel how the delicate colouring comes so true in all flowers. Picotees are flowers with either a yellow or white ground colour, all the petals of which carry a well-defined, clear-cut edging of some darker colour, such as red, rose, pink, or purple. The border and perpetual carnations belong to four classes, these being selfs, flakes, fancies, and bizarre. The self is clear and of one self colour only; the flakes are- carnations with a white ground with a darker colour running through the petals; the bizarre is extremely beautiful and each collection should contain one or two. Master Fred is a grand bizarre and has a white ground with pink and purple stripes, this showing a bizarro must have a white ground with two colour stripes on the petals. All the other mixed coloured carnations go in the fancy section and may be either striped, edged, spotted, or flushed. They all have a good constitution and for this and their beautiful t intings are greatly appreciated. To obtain a good shape for perpetual* carnations it is necessary to stop your plant from running spindly and some [amateurs find it difficult to know just I which is tin* correct condition to have I plant for stopping and when to stop them. It is necessary to have the plants in a healthy, vigorous condition, and this is obtained by having a good root system. The best plants are those struck from late winter or early springcut tings and take only .strong healthy cut tings. If the plant receives a check during the early stages it is inclined to make the growth too woody and when stopped instead of making six or more breaks, they only make one or two at the top of the young plant. A plant that has received due attention and grown on without a check will, when stopped, make a break at every eye. The best plant is a, bushy one with all breaks close to the ground. The shoots taken for cuttings are produced about the middle of a branch. When this begins to grow you can usually pick if it will, be a long grower by its vigorous growth and it should then be stopped about two inches from the. ground, but if it be a slow growth the plant is best stopped about four inches from the ground. The stopping should be broken with a sideward bend, not pinched.

Border carnations usually form a shapely plant fairly easy, only the growths likely to "run” ahead of the others should be watched until the plant is ready to flower. They are increased best by layering the shoots. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Avoid working heavy soils when they are wet. Walking on such land causes it to cake and does more harm than good. Where it is necessary to get on to the beds for weeding or other reasons less damage will be done if a board is put down between the rows to walk on. Dig over and manure or lime all vacant plots in readiness for spring sowing and planting. Sow a few turnips for early use, also winter spinach ami a pinch of lettuce. Al. this season choose the warmest spot for any seed sowing and for preference ridge up the ground : nd sow on top of the ridge. Plant cabbages and cauliflowers, also silver beet. Clean up strawberry beds. As the plants are surface rooting, b.and-weed-ing should be resorted to. Remove all runners which may have been left on