THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Northern Advocate, 23 August 1924, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

SOWING SEEDS. A start may be made with the sowing of seeds for summer and autumn bloom. A few of trie hardier kinds should be tried first. Shallow boxes from three to four inches deep ana with a few holes in the bottom should be used. Place a loyer of gravel or small stones iu the bottom, and fill up with loamy soil, preferably on the sandy side. Make the soil fairly firm and water. Most seeds are just covered with soil; a rough guide is to sow at a depth equal to about twice the diameter of the seed. Kerosene tins cut longitudinally to the right height make very good seed trays; they wiil require a few holes in the bottom few drainage. The seed boxes should, ir possible, be placed on a hot bed and covered with glass or paper, or preferably both in that order. If a hot is not. available, the boxes should placed under cover. Within reasonable limits, the warmer and more uniform the temperature, the more certain will be germination. When the seedlings appear, the covers sho.uld be removed from the boxes, which should be placed outside in the daytime and taken in at nights. If one is not familiar with the appearance of the seedlings, a good plan is to sow the seeds in straight lines; in this way the seedlings may be readily differentiated from weed seedlings.

Seeds of the following may be put in now: —Antirrhinum, Dahlia, Delphinium, Dianthus, Phlox Drummondi, ■ Salpiglossis, Scabiosa, Verbena, Larkspur, and Candy Tuft. GENERAL OPERATIONS. Give the soil about anemones a dusting of superphosphate, and keep all wilting blooms well picked off so as to prolong the flowering season as much as possible. Stocks should be commencing to bloom any time now. If in ~s an exposed position, they may require S staking, as the flower stalks are heavy. They will also benefit by a dressing of super. Stocks that are backward might have a little nitrate of soda added; just a few grains sprinkled about each plant. If the weather becomes dry, Iceland poppies will need water. They should not be allowed to go to seed. If Nemcsias are not making satisfactory headway, a light dressing of. super should be tried. Delphiniums should be commencing to grow now; a dressing of super about the plants will assist growth; and thus act as a measure against slugs. Pansies that are backwrd may benefit by a sprinkling of nitrate of soda. All pansies will benefit by having a little super worked in about them. All faded blooms should be picked oft.

Cyclamens are now in bloom. Every -# effort should be made to keep slugs snails away from these charming plants. A good plan is to cut oranges in halves, remove the pulp, and place the shells, opening downwards on the soil. Insect pests, slaters, wireworms, slugs, etc., collect under these, when they may be easily destroyed with boiling water. PERPETUAL FLOWERING CARNATIONS. The spring is a good time to plant slips of these useful flowering plants. Young plants are always needed to produce good blooms, and also to produce the blooms when these are most useful —in late autumn, winter and early spring. The carnation is one of the favourite flowers for picking for house decoration and for floTal -work of all kinds. Most of the perpetual carnations are hardy, and given a good deep, fairly rich soil and a sunny open situation they cause very little trouble. As with all carnations they need an occasional sprinkling of lime to keep \ them healthy. Small side pieees are the best for slips; they should have all the leaves except a few top ones taken off. If the slip can be in the soil on the hotbed they will root more quickly. They may be put into boxes, small pots, or in the open garden, but in all cases it is well to have the bottom of the slip resting on a little clean sand. . Plant firmly, cover with glass and shade if possible, at least until the slip shows signs of awakening. PERENNIAL PHLOX. The perennial phlox is a most useful plant for making bold clumps in the mixed border. Its recent improvement has made it a favourite, the newer ■varieties being more dwarf and havirig larger heads and flowers. The feolours are good, particularly the rose and salmon, shade, and the all white or {.white with a coloured eye. They like fo be firmly planted, and they do well on clay eoil if loosened with wood ashes. They are from two to three feet high, and send tip straight stalks ynth large flower-heads at fee top.

i These should be removed as they fade, j so as to allow new growth and blooms jto come up. They will flower in, a with slight shade, and they require water during dry weather, in their flowering season, which is .summer. Old plants may be divided or new ones purchased now. DIPLACUS GLUTINOSUS. This is a smallish shrubby plant of rather straggling growth, but it is a very serviceable subject, as it is quite ( hardy and flowers over a long period. [ It is common in several ot our local I gardens. The singular merit of Diplacus as a cut flower is worthy of note, for not only do the branches I possess to the full that elegance of . form combined with a sufficient rigid- • ity of habit which is so valuable a I quality in table decorations, but both 1 flower and foliage are very beautiful I and remarkably durable. It is said to last cut for four or more weeks. The blossoms open in succession from the base, and even the smallest terminal i buds will develop in their turn into full sized flowers, the only noticeable i difference between them and the earlier ones being a slight failing in depth of colour. Further, as the spent blooms pass off, they shrivel up and become almost invisible instead of falling.

BORONIAS. These are delightful compact little shrubs about two feet high. Boronia metastiqma is perhaps the favourite. It has bell-shaped, choeolate-colouTed flowers and it is very fragrant. B. aurea is a yellow-flowered form. B. datior is more bushy and a stronger grower with rosy carmine flowers. B. pinnata has large bright pink blooms. Boronias may be planted out now. They are fastidious in regard to soil, requiring treatment similar to ericas (heaths), a planty soil deficient in lime; and they are rather shortlived with us; but they are too attractive to be overlooked, and they are well worth a trial.