GARDENING NOTES

Northern Advocate, 22 January 1927, Page 9

GARDENING NOTES

PEE SENT BLOOMS. Sestrum. —The cestrums are bright ■'flowering, half hardy, shrubby plants •carrying terminal clusters of tubular 'flowers, of merit attractive shades. 'Some of them, as oestrum aurantiaeum, have .a half climbing 'habit which adds •grace and attractiveness. Indeed, oestrum aurantiaeum is an uncommonly •attractive plant -with rather bold foliage and carrying heavy clusters of ‘fiveldbed tubular flowers of a most pleasing orange-yellow shade. The •cestumes -require a sunny, frost-free •position. Generally propagated by cuttings. . THUNBEEGTA. Thuiibergia is another ’half hardy ■subject rather resembling the beauti■ful but delicate allamanda in growth"habit. A tall perennial climber, it -produces‘flowers in -great profusion. ■'Of the blue-flowered kinds, thunbergia •grandiflora is the hardiest and com•monest. It ‘has large heart-shape! leaves which overlap one another in -a -most charming manner. It flowers 'for about three months in the year, ’bearing light blue and rather dull ■flowers. T. Harfisii has -nearly sky’blue flowers Of a deeper but brighter blue than the preceding. It is also a ‘taller-growing and choicer plant, arid carries ten or more flowers in a cluster, while the flowers of T. gran diflora •are solitary. T. fragrans is a common •White-flowered kind. T. 'Alata "is among the most attractive of the genus, and one of the most 'favoured. ’The flowers range from buff and white ! to -orange with -a 'deep purplish-brown •throat, the last Torm being the most •popular. This species frequently •springs up again after being cut down "by a hard frost. It reaches a j "height -of from seven to eight feet j ■and makes a good trellis plant. "There ■are quite a number of varieties-of the ■species, aurantiaca "being particularly •attractive with bright-orange flowers ■and a ‘dark centre. The thnnbergias ■are easily raised from cuttings or "by "layering.

SOLBYA. The sdllyas are evergreen trailing or climbing sub-shrubs, not hardy but sufficiently so to succeed in North Auckland. There are 'three species in cultivation, all from Australia. Probably the 'best known species ! -s the, Australian Bluebell 'Creeper, sollya heterophylla. This is a most attractive little climber that certainly der serves to be better known. Tfc reaches a height of from six to eight "feet and lias slender twining stems, and clusters of brilliant bine flowers. Tt is very valuable for covering banks, •rock-work, and low fences, 'Showing a -preference for scrambling over other plants. It is sometimes also grown as ■an herbaceous border plant, being •kept within bounds by the shears. The -other species are B. parviflora, more slender than B. heterophylla, and B. TJrummondii. SOLANUM WENBBANDIT. This splendid climber, a consx>icuo«s object in several of our gardens, is perhaps the most showy of the cultivated solanums, and one of the showiest blue flowering shrubs. The flowers are borne in large clusters, sometimes twelve inches across, of bold pale lilac bue flowers, prominently displayed and nicely placed. Bolanum wemllandii is a summer bloomer, a half hardy plant, but a gross grower where it gets the chance. It should, if possible, be grown in full sun, though it does well anywhere. It is easily propagated from the old vine: take any kind of wood rind stick the pieces in sand or in light (soil, and the cuttings will strike frpcly.

(By “Tainui.”)

OPERATIONS FOR JANUARY THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Sow cabbage, cauliflower, dv/aif, beans, peas, lettuce and carrots during a break in the weather. Cabbages and cauliflowers will require protection against the Diamond Back Moth (the “fly”) during this and the two following months. Harvest ripened crops and leave the ground rough. Prepare vacant plots for crops to follow. Turn down onion tops as they soften. The drag hoe may conveniently used for the; purpose—it is a quick and effective method and it saves much stooping. The tops of adjacent rows should be bent inwards towards each other. The kumara rows should be kept well weeded until they have made .good growth. Crab-grass, if allowed free play among the kumara plants, might easily smother the kumara vines and seriously affect the health of the crop. Watch your cauliflower plants for the fly, and take the measures advised. THE FLOWER GARDEN Cut away old shoots from delphiniums, etc., so as to make room for new growth. Stake, tie, and thin dahlias. Watch for caterpillars, and spray with arsenate of lead. Keep perennial plants—sown in October or later—well watered . . and shaded during summer. Layer or set in slips of carnations. Pinch out the tips of asters in order to develop side Shoots. Sow seeds of primula malacoides, Iceland poppy, /-winter-flower-ing sweet peas, carnations, antirrhinums, leptosyne, Canterbury bells, Unaria. Zinnias may have the tops pinched out in order to cause them to branch near the ground, or they may he allowed to bloom at the tip so that the poor colours may be noted and pulled out. Dahlias need a stake to each shoot, if the centres have been pinched out while the plants were small. Cyclamen corms should be kept cool during hot weather. Teatree, or other suitable light covering, may Tdb used. Moist heat makes the atmosphere and ground steamy, causing the corms to rot inside or split open.

JACAEANDA. The jacarandas, of nearly 'half ;a hundred species, are natives of the American tropics. The best known species is jaßarainda aninosaef cilia, and is ranked as one of the best flowering trees or shrubs for sub-tropical regions. This tree is flowering well with us just now—better, pefhops, than usually. It reaches -a -maximum height of about fifty feet and is strikingly attractive both for its foliage and its flowers. The foliage is as finely cut as a fern, symmetrical and elegant. It bears nicely displayed clusters of blue tubular shaped flowers of fhebigroriia j build and conspicuous over long disj tanees. Jaearanda is half hardy, and deciduous late in the season. Unless I the frosts are extra severe, however, i ’ ’ it quickly recovers to clothe itself once more with ’its graceful foliage. EUSSELIA. This charming and uncommon looking little plant which is at the height of its flowering season, is a fairly tender shrubby subject in several varieties. Eussclia juneea, or the coral plant, is the type; it has smooth, rush-like branches, -nodding or pendulous towards the ends as though weighted down by graceful clusters of coral-red funnel-shaped blooms, somewhat resembling narrow cones. An uncommon and unobtrusive subject, Russelia juneea is well worth growing. The Russelias make excellent basket plants blooming over long periods. Propagation is by cuttings. j DIASCIA. j The very attractive little plant, diascia Barberae, is now in frill'bloom. It is a hardy, low and slender annual carrying racemes of double -spurred, rather quaint looking flowers of apleas- | ing rose pink tint. It reaches -a :maxi■■muni height of about eighteen inches, and is a real acquisition for the sum■mer border. It is readily propogated from seed. , GENERAL NOTES. i "To Preserve Wooden Labels.—-Thor- j oughly soak the label in a strong so- ; lution of sulphate of iron, and dry; then ’lay them in a solution of lime- I water. Chemical action takes place, | resulting in the formation of sulphate , of lime, a very insoluble salt. This ] treatment also brightens the colour of j the wood, so that a lead pencil -work j shows up more clearly. j Flowers in Water. —A disagreeable j odour frequently comes from .cirt j flowers that have stood in vases; this j is tlue to decay of leaf and stern in I fiie water. Lienee remove all the lower ; leaves before placing the stems in ] water. j 'Keeping "Flowers Fresh. —An Eng- I "ish journal Offers the following; tie- ] cure a dish, and in this spread a | layer -of damp sand about two inches ] in depth. Some kind of glass shade j will "be needed, and in the case of . fairly small flowers empty jam jars placed in an inverted position would answer fhv purpose. Now take the freshly gathered flowers, and stick them one Try one into the sand. Then | cover them with the glass shade. The j dish with the flowers and covers must ■now be removed to some cool shady i place —a cupboard -will do. Examine the flowers every three or four days, as now and again mould is apt to appear. When this is so, put a few drops of formalin on to a piece of cotton wool, and place near to where the mould has started to grow. The trouble will then rapidly disappear. Flowers treated in the manner described will keep in good condition for an astonishingly long time, oven the frailer sorts being quite nice at the end of several weeks. The more robust kinds with thick petals retain their freshness for even a jppger period.