GARDEN NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14809, 12 October 1911, Page 3

GARDEN NOTES.

OLD COLEUS PLANTS. ; Old plants of colens kept over tho wintef should be thoroughly cleansed of mealybug, repotted, and started into ■ fresh' ; .\ • : V:- : growth to furnish a supply of cuttings for summer use. They must not, however, be» • •watered' too heavily at first. Cuttings root beet in sand under glass. - . MARIGOLDS. The African marigold (calendula) is a hardy or half hardy annual, and may be ; ; sown in boxes. under cover. The flowers are very showy," generally orange in colour, ' and will grow in any free garden soil, and do well in a dry, sunny situation. PITTOSPORUM. ' Pittosporam undulatum has very sweet cream-coloured, blossoms. p. tobira, a apanese species, is a slow-growing shrub, but its -perfumed flowers are produced in great profusion. P. fiavuin (now - called hym-fisnospennum) is a tall, fastgrowing sbmb. . with ahowv, sweet-scented ' • yellow flov/iers. There are other plants of this family with sweet-smelling blossoms. ' PERFUMED MAGNOLIAS. Delicto usly perfumed are many of tho magnolia, both evergreen and deciduous kinds, M. grandiflora, with its enormous " pure Tffhite, lemon-scented flowers is really hand;seme. M. fuscata is called the " port wine . plant, because of its delightful fra- V grance ; its dull-coloured flowers are not snoATy, and are of no use for cutting, but \ they retain their exquisite odour - for many : w»jel:s. Nearly all the deciduous magnolias 01 V. • tulip trees" are finely scented. " ; . THE JASMINES. The jasmines have nearly all fragrant flowers. ■ J. grandiflorum is well-known as one of our best shrubs, suitable for train- - ing up a pillar or grown as a bush. Its pure white flowers are particularly sweet. J. officinale is a hardier species, having smaller white flowers, but • very fragrant., J. suavissifnum is a neat-growing climber, : ■tproducing bunches: of very sweetly-scented blossoms. J. gracillimum is very similar, . but is not so hardy. J. revolutum has fine evergreen foliage, and showy, yellow, sweet-scented flowers, v. All the jasmines , do in ordinary garden soils. :■ '■■■■x-.iii WATERING PEAS. . Few vegetable . crops pay better for watering in dry weather than peas, and from the time of flowering until ready for picking they may be watered twice a week with liquid manure. Peas well fed at the ..v; ; roots are more juicy and sweet than those which suffer from want of abundance oi moisture or nourishment. It also makes a , great difference •to the length of time during which they can be gathered. Starved rows are quickly over, but those which are well supplied with liquid manure; will go on bearing for a considerable period. - The' ; varieties are numerous, and. evei^ 1 grower has his own , favourite variety. ' MIGNONETTES. Mignonette (Reseda Odorata) is an annual as grown,-but • really la, j perennial shrub. It comes from Barßary and Algiers, where it grows as a shrub. By succefsional sowing mignonette can. be had in flower all the year. Soil, sandy loam. If potted good loam and a little leaf mould ' or dry cow dung and sand, and a handful ' , of old mortar to the pot is needed. 'If • any strong plant is - chosen, 1 and not allowed to form seeds, it can be kept for several years -if sheltered from severs frosts. > "A tree" can be formed of any shape by : potting half-a-dozen seeds in f a pot, letting them grow, and choose the strongest 'plant," suppressing. - the others. Stake this, and tic as it grows, and pinch, off every flower bud as it comes.. It can be grown-either as a. pyramid or like a "" standard rose in minature, or umbrella or cap shaped, according to how the side shoots are pinched. , KEEPING UP PLANT VIGOUR. 'V The only way to keep, the plants up 1 to, a, state of perfection is to propagate continuously to provide and maintain a sue- ' r.: ; cession of young plants." It ; is better in all cases to have small, vigorous plants with good flowers, even if few, than large, stunted plants with indifferent flowers. The general idea "among amateurs, is that profagatiori is an art only known and success-, ully carried out by "the professional gardener. There are some plants difficult to . propagate, requiring particular treatment, . but these form the exception. J Most plants ' are easily propagated by cuttings with rea-' "V; - sonable treatment. For „ instance the family of geraniums strike readily now, and plants raised from cuttings this season will flower during autumn. When grown in pots for autumn flowering they should have the growths pinched out to induce busliiness and give a better crop of flowers ttan if left to . grow* unchecked. For the summer flower garden decoration, left to their own habit, they come sooner * , , into bloom. Cuttings of geraniums and ,•" ' i all other plants root readily in sandy soil, and if in boxes or pots and placed on a slight hotbed roots will soon be emitted. GRAFTING TIME. July is the month for grafting apple, pear, plum, cherry, etc. Unfruitful trees .' may be converted , into ; fruitful, ones by ; "grafting "another variety on to them. lin regrafting apple, or, pear trees it is not necessary to cut down to • the ground the tree that is to be grafted. Merely shorten, back a number of' strong branches and put on a number of fresh scions. By this method a' large fruit-bearing head will be obtained in a short time. The sap movement should '. be - more advanced in . ■" the stock than the scion. This is why scions are 'cut early in July and put in a cool " i place .to keep them as ! quiescent as possible . until required for use. The ! cuts should be as clean as possible. _ Only ; keen edged "tools should be' used. Tie . each J scion securely, and cover the point of union with grafting wax. This is -better than the 'old compost of clay, etc. • - FLOWERS . AND SOIL- ' : " ; Flowers, like other plants, love to have - plenty of root room, both lateral and vertical, hence shallow digging and thick , planting are, two things to avoid. Small ;■ beds cut out of the grass: should be peri- . odically emptied of the soil to a depth of : a foot, and a fresh supply put in. A ; couple of crops of annuals will just about ; exhaust the supply of available plant food from a circumscribed bed. ? In large beds . or wide borders the soil can be kept in . • - fair order for years, but tho small lawn bed is only'like a big overgrown flowerpot ; the unbroken soil surrounding it being like walls, while'the loose earth is annually choke full of the roots' of the plants that are grown in y it. - Tickling the surface of , these beds is • only a waste of time. Get a spade, and if not convenient, to remove the soil turn it upside-down, which is the next best thing to do. Jest cultivate your flower garden as you would the land you plant peas, beans, cabbage, , etc., in ; good honest- digging is best for . - every kind of plant, be it a florist's flower or a market gardener's vegetable. But 1 digging alone won't do. Youmust add a little stimulant to the soil. Well decomposed animal manures are just about as ■" complete a fertiliser as you can possibly ise, and most plants will respond readily to a free application of it. Artificial fertilisers have of > late | years come promin- j s|S ently into use. This class of manure is, - | however, only a stimulant, is in many instances . exceedingly volatile , and _ when its first energy, is expended the soil is just as hungry,as ever.- Most of the,so-called | artificial r fertilisers should, therefore, be used in conjunction with the good oldfashioned manures that have, stood the . te»t of centuries. They may be used mixed, --<2-/..;,. but the better plan is to. give a dressing of the artificial article after the plants, or | | | crop, is well established. My advice ia to keep on with the old-fashioned manure - * as a basis, and add the newer manures as occasion requires. Concentrated manures, like concentrated foods, must bo, used mi moderation,, • . m PI I'' ' \\