DAHLIAS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 253, 20 September 1930, Page 11

DAHLIAS.

“Dahlia Grower” says: “I want to grow some good dahlias and have room for about thirty plants. The soil is very heavy, but can be drained, and : there is plenty of cow manure to be got for the carting away. I have , grown dahlias before, but mostly in Australia and as I think I know something of the climatic conditions here I would like to try my hand at them and would be grateful for any hints on soil preparation and so on. I am sending you two lists, one of which is a cutting from a paper which a friend sent me and the other is a list that was sent out over the air from Sydney recently. I wonder if you could tell one which is the best. You will notice that there are only two or three the same in each list and yet both compilers say that they are absolutely, 'the last thing in dahlias.” These lists may interest our readers, so we will give them: —Marmion, F. Pelicano, Queen of the Garden, Miss E. Martin, City of Trenton, Doris Canney, May Tower, Koongara Beauty, Barbara Wear, Faith Garibaldi, Seals Californian, Valentino, M. W. Wilson, Mrs R. T, Edwards, Croydon Perfection, City of Lawrence and Hathor, comprising the printed list. The list given oyer the air is: Robert Treat, Trentonia It. Vandever, Ider Warner, Faith Garibaldi, Don Bradman, Strawberry Jim, Dorothy Hood, Jersey Be-acon, Hera, Thos. Hav, Jersey Beauty, Grace Girling, Allie Stapleton, Pride Nallor and Valentino. Tire lists do not agree except in two particular varieties, Faith Garibaldi and Valentino, and the Don Bradman is noted as the best dahlia grown. If it scores like the redoubtable Don it should hold some records also. We have shown these lists to several growers who know most of the varieties and they say that as far as they know the varieties are all good, but they also say that they could pick another dozen or twenty equally worth growing, without encroaching on either, so there you have it. In our modest opinion the whole thing is really -a matter of soil, manure and the capacity for a certain amount of hard work when the growing season is on, and given that and water when required good dahlias can be grown almost anywheie. Choice of colours is what is most important io the enthusiast. To return to the question, we would advise you to drain the piece of land you have selected with field tiles, placing the drains at least two feet under the soil, deeper if it is possible, and then to trench the whole bed, allowing five or six feet for each plant to be grown. A well grown plant will easily take up two feet six inches on either side and a certain amount of room must be allowed for moving round -amongst tli6m to attond to tlic necessary work of disbudding and tying. As the work of trenching goes on give the subsoil or clay a good dressing of cow manure. If you can get plenty, use it with an unsparing hand and work it well into the subsoil. When the bed is finished leave it for a month to settle and at the same time coat it well with slaked lime, which can be forked into the surface as the work goes on. Never work the soil when it is at all wet, but leave this work for a fine day. When the bed has been worked and prepared for some time mark out the places the plants are to occupy by getting the hole ready to plant them in and in the centre drive a good strong stake that will last. If the stakes are of sawn timber coat the bottom two feet at least with tar and they will last for years. Never be in a hurry to get the plants out. Any time in November or the beginning of December will do so long as the soil is right and there are no slugs about. When the plants begin to grow they must be tied to the stakes and some of the lower shoots pinched out to leave the ground clear. One main stalk to each plant is all that is wanted. POLYANTHA ROSES. Our English correspondent says: “I had very little to say about polyantha roses last time I wrote to you, but since then I have seen them used as cut flowers and also growing in beds by the thousands. At one place where .1 was staying both sides of the drive, which was about a quarter of a mile long, was edged with them three rows deep, and you cannot imagine a finer sight than that was. There were twenty-eight varieties, so I was told, that were used in these beds. Orange King seemed to be the favourite, but I was much taken with one called Superba, a. rich crimson ■ scarlet, with large heads of bloom. Orleans Rose was another favourite for massing, but it does not grow as strongly here as it does with us. I must admit that my views on these roses have changed considerably since I came here and I can now see that they are roses with a considerable future. One of the largest inursery growers of roses told me that he thought that it was only a matter of time before scent would be found in these roses. In fact there were two or three seedlings which he had seen that were scented. The scent was rather that of a musk rose, but it was there. Several noted hybridists . are paying special attention to scent, but so far nothing has been raised that is good enough to send out. D.oro-

thy Hawor.th is a new one I have just seen. The colour is a beautiful coral pink, and the clusters are the largest I know of. Sunshine seems to be a great favourite here but I cannot see much in it. The trusses are not large and the flowers do not open together as some of the others do. It is something like a small W. A. Richardson, which, I believe, was one of its parents. The weather has been simply glorious, and the countryside of England is the most glorious in the world in fine weather. _ Travelling about as we have been doing without any thought of the morrow has given us an opportunity to pry into unexplored corners and we have come across many gems far from the beaten track. Next week,i or maybe the week after, we are going to Scotland and hope to visit one or two rose gardens there, but one thing I am sure about is we are going to see what sort of grass grows on St. Andrew’s golf course. There are some shows that we are going to see in our travelers and if there is anything of note to be chronicled I will write of it later. There are gardens all over the country that are open to the public on special days and we shall see one or two later on.”