THE GARDEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 267, 9 October 1940, Page 4

THE GARDEN

Notes are published under this heading, and readers interested in gardening are invited to send in questions relating to matters/upon which they wish expert advice; answers will be published with the weekly notes.

THE FLOWER GARDEN

When old clumps of cannas have been growing in the same place lor several years they are liable to.become straggly and untidy, and should be taken up and divided for replanting. It may be possible to grow them in the same ground for years if the ground is liberally manured each time they are replanted. One thing about these plants is that they can be grown without staking, and make a good background to ot'ner lower-growing plants. Anyone who has been lucky enough to save a few plants of lobelia should take these up and divide them into small pieces and plant them up in boxes for rooting. Lobelias are one of the best edging plants we have, and make a good show over a long season. The double variety does not seed and has to be grown front cuttings each season. Petunias that 'have stood the winter are easily raised from cuttings struek in sand. The smaller flowered varieties make splendid bedding plants and are coming into favour everywhere. Zinnias can be raised from seed sown in boxes under glass, and are splendid bedding plants for summer and autumn displays. There are tall, medium, and dwarf varieties and when they are used lor bedding purposes the tall ones eari| be grown in the centre with the medium growers next to them and the dwarf ones on the outside. The soil lor them should l>e clean, well worked, and deeply dug. The drainage must also be free. When these plants reach the flowering stage they do not need much hoeing because their roots are nearly all on the surlace. A good watering once a week will be beneficial in dry weather. Marigolds can also he got in the same sizes and make splendid bedding plants on that account. Sow the seed now and prick them out as soon as they can be handled. Where asters can be grown successfully the seed can be sown now in boxes or, if preferred, in the open ground, and. when large enough they, can be transplanted to their permanent quarters. , Phlox Drummondi make splendid bedding plants and a' corner or bed should always be reserved for a good break of them. Next month, can be sown in the open ground. Those who practise this method say that it has a great deal to recommend it. The plants do better when they have not to be moved as they would be in transplanting, ' When t'/ie dahlia tubers begin to send out shoots they can be cut tip ready for planting out. Keep them in a box of sand . until you arc ready to put them into their permanent quarters. The soil for them should be highly manured and well worked; before planting give it a dusting of lime. ROSES. Rose plants are making "ood growth this season, but green flies are making their appearance very early and they should be got rid of as soon as possible, spraying with any of the sprays recommended.

The illustration wiJI show what the 1 green flies look like. Kerosene emulsion is another good remedy as long | as it is properly made. To make kero-1 sene emulsion, boil a gallon of water, and put in about a quarter of a pound! of soap, and when this is thoroughly | dissolved pour in half a gallon of kero- j sene and stir it up until it is ly mixed. When spraying the roses,! use one pint of the emulsion to 12 pints of water. Stir the kerosene emulsion into this and spray the plants thoroughly. The rest of the emulsion can be bottled a'hd kept until it is re-j q (tired. White oil emulsion can also he' used, hut it must be at the rate of one part of tbo oil to 120 parts of water. If there are only a few plants, the finger-and-thumb method may he quite effective. Sparrows are very fond of these insects ana should be encouraged to visit the gardeu; a few bread-crumbs sprinkled amongst the plants will help to do this.. ! QUESTION. “Rock” says : ‘‘l notice that you say ‘Give the plants in the rockery a topdressing of soil.’ 1 have done this in Limes past and 1 consider that it is a cause of trouble, as weeds always follow a top-dressing and 1 have been wondering if there is not some other method of giving the plants some help. Also, could you give a list of a dozen dahlias which would be useful for exhibition purposes, as I wish to grow some of the larger ones for showing?” Good loamy soil which has been stacked up tor some months is about the best top-dressing that you can give rock plants, but at the same time there is noming to prevent you from sterilising to kill the weed seeds in it. If this soil can be heated up with steam to about 150 degrees and kept there for about 20 minutes there will be lew weed seeds that will grow after this treatment. To every kerosene tinful of soil some leaf mould can be added, and about a pound oi pure bone meal. Mix the whole lot well together and it can he used as required. You may have some weeds come up from the soil underneath the top-dressing, but weed them carefully and we think you will tiud it well worth while to go to the trouble of sterilising soil for the purTho following list of dahlias should give you a good run ior your money. You will find the varieties in all up-to-date catalogues. Xantine, Avartes Champion, Delta, Doll Sowton, C. Jt. Collis. Albatross, Darcy Saiiisburv Brenda Cony, Tllawarra, Duke of Windsor, Clara Carder, Iris Ransome, are all varieties that grow easily. “Another Gardener” wants half a dozen of the best miniature cactus for 1 bedding purposes ; some that will not I grow too tall and at the same time are i iree blooming. He would also like the names of six good pom-poms for the I same purpose. The miniature cactus we would sug-

gest are Ivory, Piccaninny. Mia, Tip, Little Darling, Little Jenny, and Sandra. These arc all free blooming and do not grow too tall. The pom-poms Doria. lia, Burwood, Little Prince, Ted Thomas, Little Buswing and j Rhondda should give .you all you want I with these. The soil for the pom-ptmis does not need the same manuring as j for tile large growing varieties. The j object is to get plenty of bloom, but i they are not to be over-led 01 the blooms will grow 100 large. THE GLADIOLUS. “A Reader” says: “I do not altogether agree with your notes on growing gladiolus corms. In the first place I uenove that a certain amount of manure can be used, especially il : it is put well down in the soil and thorougnly. incorporated witli it. I like to put the manure in the soil in the autumn and turn it over several times. At planting time I use sand round the norms and have never seen any reason to discontinue the use of this. I am a firm believer in deep planting and always put' my corms at least six inches below the surtace. My soil is not light; in fact, it lias to be drained before it is safe to put the corms in it. Again, I earth my plants up in the same way as potatoes are treated, and when the plants require water it can be turned into the trench made by earthing up the plants. I consider that gladioli want almost as much water as they can get without becoming waterlogged. I am not going to argue about liquid manure, because 1 do not use it. The only time 1 did 1 spoilt quite a number of my best corms, but this may have been my own fault for making the liquid too strong.” LAVENDER. The botany division of the Plant Research Bureau has been enquiring as to stocks of the true lavender (Lavandula officinalis) held in New Zealand. British firms liavo very short stocks of lavender oil, and Continental sources are closed to them. If sufficient material is -available, it is stated, a small quantity could be distilled as a trial lot, and further an area could 1 be planted up for tests on a larger scale. In connection with this it might ibe just'as well to give a few bints about its cultivation. It likes-a sunny well sheltered situation, and the best soil is a well drained sandy loam, in which leaf mould and well decayed manure have been well mixed. This plant is often used as low hedges in the garden. It is easily propagated bymeans of cutting of the side shoots; these can be inserted in sandy soil and kept close for a while until they root i and then they can be potted up or planted out in necessary beds for the j rest of the season, when they can be planted out in beds or borders. There are several varieties and one must be careful to get the right variety to begin with. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

The rain has done a great deal for crops m the vegetable garden. It lias also brought on a very heavy , crop ol seedling weeds which must lie hoed up at once,*and at the same time the soil must be kept moving. As soon as the seeding plants come up where they have been sown and can lie seen they should bo thinned out to the required distances. Carrots of-the st.umprooted kinds require about two inches; the deeper rooted ones require more space. Parsnips want about four or live inches so that they can grow to their own size. Onions when grown for size only require plenty of room and like a rich, moist soil, but when they are grown for household use large ones arc not wanted. Those from two and a-half to three inches in diameter are the must economical. Because there are more seeds in a packet of peas they should not he grown close together; rather set the seeds out regularly about two inches apart and you will find that the crop will be heavier and the peas themselves will be of better flavour. Superphosphate sown along tile row and worked into the soil is an excellent manure for this crop and a little potash, will also help then). The main thing is to stake the plants with nice twiggy pieces of stick to keep the haulms from lying on the ground.

Ereneh beans can be sown now in well prepared ground that has been well limed. Here is another case where space must he allowed between the plants. If the seeds arc set out six inches apart they will give more than when the plants are sown closely together. We have repeatedly pointed this out to gardeners aiid those who have tried it say that the results they have gained have astonished them. No one thinks of allowing lettuce plants to grow _as close as they 'come up from sowing and why should other plants ho allowed to become overcrowded? Spinach when grown closely can have the congestion relieved by having some of the plants pulled up and cooked. This will allow the rest to grow, hut they must not he left too long or they will run to seed. Sueccssional cropping is the best way to tr'eat this crop, and then one can leave it over a very long period. . , , The main potato crop can be planted now, and if the ground has lmd manure dug in earlier in the season it should he in fairly good heart Some artificial potato manure sown along the trenches when the sets are put in Mill help the crop considerably. Tomato plants can he set out now m sheltered parts of the garden. A good spot can often he found against a fence and need not he heavily manured because the manure the fruit wants can he given by means of liquid manure. . Artichokes can he planted m a sumltir wiiy to potatoes. Oliuose - the smoothest tubers you can find for thispurpose. This vegetable is ready to use as soon as the leaves begin to turn yellow. There is another variety, the globe artichoke, which is I very rarely grown here, and when the soil is wanted lot something else it is ' not worth considering. | Celerias, the turnip rooted celery, is a 'splendid vegetable for soups and for cooking in the same way as turnips It is well worth a place in any garden. , ' , ■ . , Y I Salsify should also find a place, hut jit wants a sandy loam to grow in without forking. Sow the seeds this month