FLOWER SEEDLINGS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 30 September 1942, Page 4

FLOWER SEEDLINGS

NELSON NURSERYMEN BUSY ORDERS FROM BLENHEIM AND WEST COAST ItfcCOKD SEASON FOR VEGETABLES ! More flower and vegetable plants j are being sold in Nelson than ever before. This is the general experi— Nelson nurseries will soon lie brightening gardens from Blenheim to Hokitika. In addition to local ; sales large quantities arc trucked away each week, and for some nur--1 serymen Mondays are mainly devoted to sending away West Coast | orders. "It seems as though people want \ [something to help them forget their j porter this morning. Though the cold uncertain weather has delayed the ‘ planting season the busy period is now { under way. From the middle of Sep- : r tember to the end of October is the J •' time when plants are in most demand. | 1 though some find that there is a good j 1 enquiry lor plants all the year round, j ' One grower anticipated that with the j < number of men in camp and the many j calls on the purse, the sale of plants 1 ! would fall off this season, but this view t | was not supported at other gardens. 1 KEEN DEMAND The sale of flower and vegetable I 1 plants has been abnormal.” said an- | 1 other nurserymen. “We have sold more j vegetable plants than ever before. I ' Onion plants are all sold out. and I ! 1 could not get enough. It has been a record season.” ! “We can hardly keep up with the de--1 mand." was the reply of anotl er grower. “Flowers are wanted more than ever. We have a big country order . and send plants as far as Blenheim and > Reefton.” “We pricked out double the number of plants that we did last year in certain lines and still we were short.” said - i still another, who added that there ap■j j peared to be a growing demand for _ j flower plants. Westport. Brunner. . ' Greymouth and Hokitika were towns . I mentioned to which loads of plants are . sent regularly. It was pointed out. that s the sales last month, on account of the cold conditions were not as large as in j August last year, but this month was more than making up for it. f FASHIONS IN FLOWERS i There are fashions in f\ f vers as in v clothes, and to carry the comparison further old favourites are sometimes - reintroduced in new colours. Wallflowe ers and sweet williams are coming t back to popularity. s Most popular line'- now are antirf rhinum. stocks, phlox. Livingstone r daisy and nemesia. while Iceland - I poppies are also in keen demand--"and >. j soon we won’t be able to cope with the s j demand for petunias.” added one e j grower. FLOWERS FOR SEED r The growing of flowers for see ! for e seed companies is an additional job ’ for some nurserymen. One grower j l has 24,000 plants covering five varieties j * which he is raising for seed. 1 TOBACCO PLAN! S Thousands of tiny tobacco plants ready for pricking out are now being sent to tobacco growers. Of two main contractors one is supplying between ° seven and thousand boxes, each n containing 1500 plants. This, he stated. was more than was required last year. p On the other hand the other chief grow- ' er said that he had orders for fewer tobacco plants this year than last year, and he attributed this to some growers. through shortage of labour, having to reduce their contracts.