GARDEN FIELD

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 237, 7 October 1936, Page 12

GARDEN FIELD

The Late Spring Garden

Despite muck unseasonable weather gardens are gradually . gaining in colour. Foremost among flowering shrubs are tho flowering cherries which are now gracing the garden with beautiful white, pale, and deep pink, and an unusual green shade of blossoms. Lovely sprays of bloom are to bo found on the pyrus (flowering apples) trees, while the blue of ccariotbus veitehanii fronting tho bright background forms a charming picture. Tho early brooms give touches of bronze and yellow while clianthus or kaka-beak, is a blaze of red. Bright rhododendrons are gay and camellias are still flowering. Over pergolas and arches, tho beautiful pink of clematis montana iubens is with us, and nestling at its feet, early blue irises complete the picture. Here and there an early rose is to be found and wisterias arc full of plump grey buds, giving promiso of much beauty to follow. Festoons of the beautiful white and starry native clematis enhance the garden scene, while tho fragrance of early stocks fills the air. Where the garden soil is light ranunculus blooms are to be found and gay anemones. Iceland poppies and calendulas lend touches of orange.

In tho rock garden one finds the lovely velvety blue trumpet shaped blooms of gentian acaulis rising from their low mat of dark green foliage. Aubrietia is lending much colour and the pink of the thrifts is welcome. Helianthemums will soon be massed with colour and bright gazanias and mesembryanthemums are giving vivid splashes of colour. Routine Work in the Borders.

The surface soil badly needs loosen i.ng after the heavy rains in order to let in air for sweetening purposes. Fibrous rooted shrubs may stiff be planted, giving them a bucket of water and a good mulching of partly decayed lawn grass clippngs. Plant gladioli at fortnightly intervals. Continue to plant hardy seedlings and all perennial things. Get ground ready for dahlias, Tvell manuring the plot. Sow seed of all half hardy annuals. Plant a few tuberous begonias for early blooms. Plant carnations, and divide polyanthus primroses where these have growu too large. Sow more hardy annuals for later display. The Vegetable Garden Plant more potatoes and prepare ground for the main crop. Plant onions lettuce, cabbage and early cauliflower plants. Complete plantings of rhubarb and strawberries. Sow more peas and a few French beans in well drained soil. Sow seeds of all kinds. Plant out tomato plants where warm situations are available. Plant artichokes. Hoe among all growing things and slightly mould tho first early peas and potatoes. Sow mustard and cress for salads. Plant all kinds of herbs. Sow parsley seed where it is to remain. Sow seed of celery and leeks. Fragrant Thymes

There is nothing more sweet or desirable for covering and carpeting hot. sunny slopes and ledges as these hardy plants. Once- they have taken hold of the soil these little plants quickly spread and make dense small leaved, fragrant cushions which, neat enough in themselves, are most charming when thickly studded With clusters of white, pink or purple flowers. Not all varieties make theso soil hugging mats of foliage. Some develop neat little Ousnes like that Of thymes nitidUs, a well developed specimen of which will attain a height of a foot with a spread of eighteen inches or more. The habit is compact and nicely rounded, and the small grey green leaves are pleasing at all times. It is a splendid bloomer, too, so profuse, indeed, tiiat the plant is entirely smothered with rosy-like white flowers throughout the spring months. Add to this au unquestionable hardiness and ease of culture, and its value for covering dry, sunny slopes of poor soil is quickly realised. Thymus herba-barona, a prostrate variety famed for its odour of earraway seeds throws out procumbent stems set with clusters of small oval leaves and whose tips are adorned with clusters of lovely little pink flowers. The variety lanuginosus is a densely woolly leaved thyme, eventually growing into springy mats which j are rather shyly adorned with pinky flowers. Thymus serpyllum is a char- j ming and useful plant with grey green foliage smothered with mauve flowers. Thymus coccineus, oil the contrary is to be growu for the brilliance of its myriad crimson blooms. The variety albus is rather smaller than the type and its mats are a deep glossy green with larger flowers of white. Aside from the rm?k garden proper, these delightful little plants are ideal for step fissures, old walls, border edging, etc., and as they can be readily multiplied from cuttings, their free use in the situations indicated is most desirable. They are useful too, for carpeting tubs where hydrangeas or other shrubs grow. Tuberous-rooted Begonias for Bedding It is not generally recognised that all tuberous-rooted begonias are suitable for bedding purposes. They give such a good display of blooms and the colours are feo striking that they leave nothing to be desifed. Rain has no terrors for this begonia, whije it thrives quite well in full sunshine when in the open, although it demands shade while growing under glass. It also thrives and blooms well in a shady spot and even under trees if the soil is good, and gives a good account of itself. Double flowered plants do fairly well, but the singles are decidedly prefer-j able. They, as a rule, bloom more freely than the doubles, and also hold I

Delphiniums

(Specially written for tho “Manawatu Daily Times” by "Lorna”)

their flowers more erect. They ire very effective if grown in masses of ono colour and are also excellent when mixed. One should not be in too great a hurry to lift the tubers in autumn, allow the foliage to be blackened by frost, as this seems to ripen the bulbs and they keep better.

Delphiniums arc among the stateliest of border plants and modern varieties occupy a foremost, if not the foremost, position among herbaceous perennials of to-day. No colour is so valuable in the mixed border, the blues aro in such wonderful tones, together with the pale and mauve blendings which are exquisite. When arranging the positions for del phiniums in the border, one should do so with the full knowledge of tho best plants with which to associate them. It must be renfembered that delphiniums are at their best for only a month at the most, the remaining period being ono of mildew and decay. In order to avoid gaps, it is an excellent plan to plant michaelmas daisies before each group of delphiniums, so that their foliage may develop and prevent an eyesore. The dwarf varieties of michaelmas daisies could bo chosen and then if any of the delphiniums produced a second crop of blooms during autumn, the spikes would be noticeable among the daisies. Two main conditions are demanded by the delphinium if it is to give of its best. These are rich feeding and protection from gales. Dig in plenty of decayed manure and sulphate of potash has proved very useful as a top dressing when growth is well established. When once established, the plants may be allowed to '•emain undisturbed until they show signs of degeneration, when they should be lifted in the spring, and all live growths cut out, each with a little root, and planted out for fresh stock.

In the rim., garden neliantkemums are commencing to bloom. What a wide range of alluring colourings there are in these useful plants, some with single and some with double -flowers.

No plant is better adapted for growing on dry, sunny banks, ifhere the majority of hardy plants languish and suffer from lack of moisture, but under such conditions the helianthemums seem to revel and flower with lavish profusion. With the wide range Of intriguing and fascinating colours, the most fastidious Can find something to satisfy. Plants are obtainaDle, or, from a packet of seed, many varied shades can bo had.

After flowering is past, the correct treatment is to cut the slender branches hard back, which will encourage many young shoots to issue from the central crown. This keeps the plants from becoming too straggly and at the same time provides abundaneo of fresh, healthy growth for the future. A pretty combination is obtained where a white One aud a pink one are planted side by side. They intermingle wff#i each other, thus creating a dainty picture. The perennial tinums are also very hardy and suitable for dry places. Their colourings aro not so showy, mainly embracing varihd shades of blue, yellow and white, but they flower over a very long period. Propagation of Gypsopnila Bristol Fairy This gypsophila is a plant which does not readily lend itself to increase by division of the roots, and, further, being double flowered, it does not produce seeds, therefore some other method must necessarily be adopted. There arc two ways; both of which have met with success. The. first is by cuttings of the young shoots when about three inches in length. These are taken off with a sharp knife, cut square across beneath a joint inserted in a sandy compost, and kept shaded in a cool "house or frame until they are rooted. There is little difficulty in raising a stock of young plants in this way, as a very small percentage will fail to root. The one great drawback to this method is that the plants so propagated are said by those experienced in their culture to be comparatively short-lived.

The other method is by root grafting, which gives plants of much longer duration. Roots of the ordinary singlo variety or of seedlings grown for the purpose of supplying roots are used, on which the young shoots are grafted. Shoots similar to those recommended for cuttings are employed, but instead of cutting the base square across, a slice about a third of an inch or so in length is taken off either side of the shoot, which leaves a wedge shaped base. The root is then split down for about half an inch and into this slit tho wedge shaped point of the shoot is inserted. It is well to try and havo at least one side where tho outer barks come into contact, as they unite more readily when this is’ done: ‘ Once in position, bind them firmly with a flat piece of raffia previously moistened in water. Some cover this with a thin smearing of grafting wax to exclude air, but this is not a vital point. When completed, plant the roots in pots or boxes of light sandy soil. Afterwards treat similarly as for cuttings, and if tho work is carefully .-carried out tho majority will unite and eventually develop into strong healthy plants, which will require to be potted ofl singly as they increase in size.