Two Addresses To Gardening Club

Northern Advocate, 17 August 1949, Page 8

Two Addresses To Gardening Club

Mrs A. L. Anderson and Mrs D. M. Corbett were speakers at the fortnightly meeting of the Whangarei Ladies' Gardening Club.

Mrs Anderson chose the cultivation of water lilies for her subject, and with the help of photographs, detailed the few simple requirements necessary for the handy man or woman about to make suitable accommodation for one of the most popular additions to the garden. In association with the rock garden, some very pleasing and unusual effects could be achieved with little expense, she said.. The site should be in full sun, and puddled clay to a thickness of 9in. was a good substitute for cement. FEW SIMPLE POINTS For simplification, the sides of the pond should be made first, the shape to be determined by suitability of garden lay-out. Water lilies were quite easy lo«grow, provided a few simple points were observed.

All were hardy, except stellata, which should be lifted during winter. They/were gross feeders and thrived in well rotted animal manure. They were best planted in tins, boxes, or wire baskets, and then lowered to the desired position; 15in. to 2ft was the best depth. Some stronger varieties could be planted deeper. Grass sods placed around would also help to keep the roots anchored. When purchasing a ready-made concrete container, it would be necessary first to fill with water and add permanganate of potash and leave for a few days, to counteract any harmful gases to plants.and fish. Mrs Corbett gave a talk on Tanganyika. East Africa. This country is to be her home in the near future. She touched briefly on the size and virtually untapped riches of Tanganyika and East Africa as a -whole. Mrs Corbett intends when settled in her now home, to create a garden, in which, if water is available she will grow geraniums, cannas, gerberas, arctotis, delphiniums and many of the berbacious plrnts known here. Flowering shrubs, plumbago, jacaranda etc, can also be cultivated. KEEP LAWNS SHORT Lawns may surround the house if kept close cut, she said, but no long grass should be allowed or even walked through as snakes, mostly poisonous. were numerous. Plants in Tanganyika grew to an enormous size, she said. Parsley 9ft high. Scotch heather 50ft and lobelia 20ft were examples quoted. * Mrs Corbett promised to write of some of-her experiences in establishing her garden. Mrs Corbett, as a retiring member, was presented with a box of flowers. Prize winners in the decorative competition were; Mrs W. M. Fraser 1, Mrs S. Crawford 2, Miss Z. Crawford 3.