The Growing of Roses

Northland Age, Volume XVI, Issue 14, 15 November 1946, Page 1

The Growing of Roses

Whatuwhiwhi Notes

M rs. W. Flinn Addresses Kaitaia Gardening Circle “Roses really deserve their title of Queen of Flowers,” said Mrs. W. Flinn in her talk at the meeting of the Kaitaia Gardening Circle on Tuesday evening, “and although they will do fairly well in almost all soils they prefer a deep, well-drained heavy clay loam.” She continued to give an interesting and very instructive talk on the growing, for pleasure and fu. show purposes, of these beautiful flowers. Mrs. Flinn is an enthusiastic rose-lover, and had brought to the meeting a lai'ge collection of blooms which she used to illustrate her remarks, calling each rose affectionately by name. From her experience, Mrs. Flinn said roses were often very disappointing the first year ; it was not until the plant became well established and got its roots dug into the clay that the blooms achieved their true colour and splendour. Dealing with diseases of roses, Mr .. Flinn classed mildew and black spot as the chief troubles, closely followed by aphis and beetles which eat the leaves. Sulphur dusted on the plants in the early morning, when the dew was still on the leaves, appeared the •best cure for mildew, she said, while spraying with “Black Leaf No. 40” cured the black spot. Soapsuds were considered by Mrs. Flinn the most effective application for dealing with aphis—and a hen and chickens let loose in the rose garden would soon clean up the beetles. At the conclusion of her talk Mrs. Flinn was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, and members tested their knowledge of roses with a judging competition on six of the exhibits. Dahlia Planting The Rev. J. Graham gave a short talk on the planting of dahlias, demonstrating the separating of tubers on a particularly tangled clump. Good growers, said Mr. Graham, recommend fixing the stake before planting the tuber, as in this way there was no danger of damaging the roots ; most gardeners, however, adhered to the method of waiting until the dahlia was up and had been blown about by the wind before thinking of stakes. Dahlias were not difficult to grow, he continued, but preferred a sunny position sheltered from strong winds, and should not be planted in a shady position or near large trees. The Value of Compost Mr. T. J. Coulter was to have addressed the circle on Compost, but owing to the particularly wild weather, was unable to be present. However, Mr. W. S. Beckett (a member of the Auckland Compost Club) briefly outlined the aims and ideals of the Club and told of the experiments he had conducted. A compost heap, he said, is just a means of utilising all waste material from the crops grown, and enriching the soil in a natural way instead of relying on artificial fertilizers. Mr. Beckett’s talk, though brief, aroused members’ interest and Mr. Coulter is to be asked to address next month’s meeting. Circle’s President Resigns Mr. John Archibald tendered his resignation as president of the Circle, as he felt he could not devote the time the position demanded. The resignation was accepted with regret, and Mrs. R. H. Matthews (vice-presi-dent) chaired Tuesday’s meeting. The election of a successor to Mr. Archibald was held over until next meeting. The competition for next month’s gathering is to be one gladioli spike

Visit of District Nurse We are very pleased to welcome Miss Clifford-Jones as our new District Nurse. She paid her first visit to Whatuwhiwhi on Thursday and complimented the children on their healthy appearance. She also visited the young mothers and their babies. This was the first District Nurse visit here for a whole year and we hope to see much of our new nurse. Peninsula Pars Rangi Reihana had a good haul of large schnapper the other day, ar.d the terakihi are now very plump ar.d tasty. On Tokerau Beach the other day we met Mr. and Mrs. P. Virtue joyriding in their brand-new “jogger. ’ The outfit looks quite racy but not over-comfortable ; we still prefer our “iron horse.” The beach has been in good condition lately and with the fine weather only just around the corner (?) we expect to see many weekend picnic parties along our lovely bays.