THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16032, 25 September 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

Hardy , annuals and other seedlings that have been raised and pricked out and established in boxes may now be transplanted into their places •in the . flower beds and borders. Annuals and some of | the biennials are indispensable for the decoration of, the .garden almost throughout the year, and,as plants of the different sorts limy be obtained at a trifling cost 'they are within the reach of everyone. ' Those who' have small gardens and only require a few plants of a kind can purchase them and save the trouble of sowing seeds' and' devoting the cai'o necessary to the successful raising of seedlings. Thosb who possess larger gardens and grow annuals in quantities' should now sow the hardier vaiicties in properly prepared soils. Planting Seedlings. Varieties for present planting include asters,' stocks, larkspurs, antirrhinums, nemesias, dianthus, gaillardias, mimulus, phlox, poppies, wallflowers, viscaria, calliopsis, dimorphothecas, cornflowers, lobelias, Iceland poppies, sphenogyne, a new species from Africa, penstemons, miniature sunflowers, and others. Seeds of other hardy kinds that will not readily transplant should be sown at once where they are intended to grow and flower. These include candytufts, lupins, collinsea, nemophila, acroclinium, lin urns, clarkeas, mignonette, poppies, gilia, linaria, sweet sultan, and a few others. In both sow. ing and planting special care must be taken to preserve the newly planted subjects and the seedlings, as they germinate and come up, from the ravages of slugs, which are specially destructive at this season of the year. Perennials, etc., lor Present Planting. Any of the following are suitable :— Fuchsias, pelargoniums, bouvardias, pansies and violas, heliotropes, petunias, penstemons, carnations and picotees, spiraeas, cannas, delphiniums, sweet-williams, marguerite, chrysanthemums, agathea ccelestis, verbenas, statices, salvias, perennial phlox, Michaelmas daisies, pyrethrums, campanulas, gazanias, calceolarias, and others. Climbing Plants. The spring is the best time for planting some of the more tender and choicer varieties of climbers that are liable to fail when planted during the depth of the winter. Bougainvilleas, several of the bignonias and solanums, clematis, cobseas,

maurandyas, tacsonias, passion fruits, kennedyas, jasminum grandiflora, phasteolus, or snail flower, ficus stipulate, all do better when planted in September, when the weather is drier and warmer and the plants are beginning to start their new growth. About the middle of October plants of mina lobata should be planted. This is a .most attractive climber, producing a profusion of orange and red flowers throughout the autumn and early winter. Lathyras pubesceus, the blue perennial pea, is now in full ; flower ■ and a special favourite with everyone and most useful for cutting. Propagating .Chrysanthemums. Cuttings that were put in towards the end of August should be rooted and ready for boxing off or. putting singly into small pot*. In dealing with chrysanthemums the best plan is always to lift the old plants after they have done flowering and replant them in some dry position to winter. By doing this it is much easier '• to preserve-them,, whereas when left in their original positions they suffer from the", and slugs are to .control. Those that aye grown in pots should' be placed in the greenhouse or in a glass frame early in August. They break into growth and supply an abundance of good cuttings for taking off and putting in towards the end of the month. The plot intended for chrysanthemums should be well manured and deeply dug. They always succeed best in new ground a piece that has been .in grass provides humus for the roots. In old worked soils dig out a trench and add some fibrous loam with a little well rotted manure.

3 General Work in the Garden. I j After heavy rains, such as experienced ) at intervals during this month, the surface , soil invariably becomes beaten down and ] forms a crust, excluding the air. When i sufficiently dry the beds and borders should be gone over and have the surface [ stirred; this not only improves the api pearance but is of great benefit to the ■ plants. Where the plants are too close ! together to admit hoeing a pointed stick ; will answer the purpose. Attention to Lawns. The growth of the grass is exceedingly . active at this season, necessitating running the mower over at least once and sometimes twice a week in order to maintain a close sward. Roll about once a week; the tendency is often to roll too often; this operation in excess crushes out some of the finer grass. * Liquid Manure for Plants. At this season, when most plants are starting into active growth, a few hints upon the subject of manure and way and time to apply may be of assistance to growers, particularly to amateurs. In the cultivation of all plants and flowers manure forms no inconsiderable element to either success or failure in plant-growing. Most persons engaged in the cultivation, of plants, whether in the open ground or under glass, soon learn that in order to grow them successfully- that the roots must be sufficiently supplied with food in some form or oUier. Although no hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to its use, the application of stimulants is of so much importance that a few hints upon its use, as well as its abuse, may prove useful. One thing is generally recognised, that the quicker and more robust growth a plant makes the more food in the shape of manure it requires. Effects of Manure on Plants. Plants that attain their full size during the summer, practically growing onlv a few months, whether they are flowering plants or vegetables, arc not only capable of bearing, but require an amount of manure that slow-growing plants would be injured by. It is the injudicious use of liquid manure, applying strong solutions at regular intervals, regardless of the condition of the plants, that causes trouble and disappointment. 'When this is done one either gives water when not needed, or else giv-es kss supply than the plants need A hot day, or a cold, drying wind, will have a considerable influence upon plant life, and at such time twice the amount of moisture is needed in comparison to dull, moist weather. When water is given at stated times, the two extremes, so often fatal to plant life, is reached.

The Art of Watering. The art of knowing how and when to water is ore of the most important matters in plant culture, and if this is so with ordinary water it becomes much more important when dealing with liquid manure. In applying this there are two points tint must not be lost sight of, that is not to give strong stimulants except 'when the plants are in full growth. Unless the roots of a plant are in such condition that they can assimilate this form of food quickly it is liable to have an injurious? instead of a beneficial effect. A mistake is often made in supplying solutions of too strong a nature; it is far better to supply the same strength in two or three doses. Pot plants that have been repotted into fresh soil should never be watered with liquid manure until thoroughly established, and until the food contained in the new soil has become exhausted, and the whole well permeated with roots. No stimulants are required while the soil contains sufficient manurial properties to produce healthy growth; it is when these are absent that assistance is required.

.. Manuring .'Hints. ; The exact strength of the liquid depends so much upon the manure used as well as upon the objects treated, that no definite guide can be given. For instance, all strong, quick-growing plants will benefit from much stronger and more frequent applications than would be safe to apply to slow, fine-rooting kinds. The best rule always to follow is to apply liquid manure when the plants can no longer obtain the necessary amount of food from the soil to sustain healthy, vigorous growth. Some plants are mort partial to one kind of manure than another, but if a little care is taken in applying them weak until the roots are in a proper condition, almost any liquid manure can be applied with advantage. There must, however, be the necessity for extra food, viz., healthy growth, with its attendant hungry roots, otherwise this form of stimulant is decidedly injurious instead of helpful.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. F.C., Remuera : Tecoma capensis— popular hedge plant—may he propagated from cuttings put in during the autumn nr in the spring. In the autumn select the young tops, nuking the cuttings about siu long, insert them in a fairly sheltered, warm [wsition, and shade and protect from frost. In the. spring select the riper wood, making the cutting about 6in long, and plant in the open. 0.P.W., Epsom : Re propagation of chrysanthemums. The best plants are obtained from cuttings taken off towards the end of August, selecting the young tops, and inserting the cuttings in pots or in boxes, and placing them iu a cool frame to strike root. After they have drawn roots transplant them into boxes about 3in apart or into single pots to harden off, in readiness for planting out permanently about the middle of October, when further instructions will be given re planting and cultivation for show purposes.

"Cacti," Epsom: The soil for potting cactus should consist of one-half of fibrous loam, the other half of sand, broken bricks, and lime rubbish, in equal parts, the whole to be well mixed together, and used when moderately dry. Thorough drainage is absolutely necessary. Place a good-sized crock over the hole at the bottom of the pot, with smaller pieces on top, filling about a-third of the pot with drainage material. Shake the old soil from the roots, and in repotting press the soil moderately firm around the roots. Do not water for a few dap after potting, but give a slight syringing every evening overhead. Many of the varieties succeed admirably n tho outdoor rockery, planting them in pockets prepared for the purpose, with lose gravel or broken-up brick rubbish for drainage, with the same compost as used for potting in which to plant them. Cereus, epiphyllums, echinocactus, mammillarias, echinopsis, opuntias, and pilocereus, also melo-cactUß and pereskia. with their varieties, are all interesting subjects belonging to the extensive cactus tribe.

E.W.S. : The lest celery to grow without earthing up is the self-bleaching variety; the stalks of these when well grown are almost as light in colour as the earthed plants. It is by no means a novelty, as a very large number of the heads that supply the Auckland market is composed of this variety. The stalks are crisp, of good flavour, and being practically grown on the surface less liable to decay than plants that require a foot of earth to properly bleach. The best method of cultivation is to form narrow beds, say, 3ft wide. These should be thoroughly manured, an important matter in the cultivation of any kind of celery. Plant is rows not more than about 9in apart; the fact of planting fairly close helps to secure better bleached heads. A Sin board placed around the margin of the bed, a few inches from the outside row of.plants, will assist the ; bleaching. This variety and method of culture would no doubt meet your requirements, as you are limited to space. We would, however, in no way disparage the growing of varieties that can only be bleached by earthing, for when healthy, we" -grown, and wellbleached heads of these are produced they are unsurpassed. . • ; . \ '.'.'".'' Kepos. • ■ ; » v. -. ■; .■ „ ■—^ tm ill an i HINTS TO GARDENERS. It may be pointed out that among the most successful rosarians • there is one golden rule to waich .they practically all subscribe, and that is, "Prune all weakgrowing roses much harder than those which make plenty of growth." • As a broad principle that can be followed with every degree of confidence. The idea in rigidly reducing the canes of the thin, spindley growers, is to secure strong wood! Therefore, the nearer to the .crown vou can get the buds to break the better. After having selected a suitable framework cut the shoots of the strong growers back to within two or three buds of where you pruned on the former occasion.

In gardens that lie low, water is liable to accumulate on the- surface in winter. This is very injurious, causing it to become sour, and it should be got rid of by some means or other. 'The most effective way is to put a drain or drains through it sufficiently deep to - be beyond reach of the spade when trenching. Burnt clay pipes of 2in bore arc generally sufficient to drain away all surface water, unless a strong spring exists at the foot of higher, ground. Stones, pebbles, and brickbats may be laid over the pipes to conduct the water away from the soil. The increased productiveness of the latter, and the greater facilities for working it' will be sufficient recompense' for the cost of the drainage.

Advancing crops should be profusely thinned, for when the plants are crowded the result will be most unsatisfactory. Weeds have a most damaging effect upon all young seedlings, and must bo kept under at all cost. On fine, sunny, or windy days the Dutch hoe may be used between the rows of plants, and in the hands of an expert workman a large amount of ground can be covered in a day. In showery weather hoeing is not much good, the slower and more laborious method of pointing '' the weeds in with the spade is the only way to kill them. It is not too late to sow seeds of asparagus, rhubarb, or globe artichoke; the manner of sowing these seeds has recently been given in our columns. Neither is it too late to plant roots of these things; we have known asparagus plants removed and they have succeeded, when the tops were many inches in height.

It is not generally known that sweet peas may bo grown Irom cuttings, but the operation is a most simple one, and a stock >f any choice variety may be increased at least four or .five fold. New varieties are expensive, and the seed of some kinds is occasionally a little capricious. A writer in the Gardeners' Chronicle gives his experience on this subject. He says:-" From the first, the original plants must be encouraged to grow as sturdily and short-jointed as possible for cuttings from drawn or weakly plants are never likely to prove satisfactory, even u they form roots, which is doubtful, i ut-

tings should bo taken from the parent plants when the latter are about 4in hi 'h by which time they should have made five or six joints. A sharp pair 0 f scissors is much better than a knife for taking of? the tips of the plants, for the sweet pea is tough, and, if force has to be used in the operation the roots are likely to be injured. A clean cut should be made below a joint, care being taken to leave three joints on the parent plant. After the leaves; except the two uppermost have been removed from the cuttings thev should be dibbled in around the sides of small pots filled with sand only it j s better to water the sand first to" make it firm, and to repeat the operation after the cuttings have been inserted. The pots should then be stood in a box deep enough to allow a piece of glass to be placed over the top without touching the tins of the cuttings, and the box should then be placed in an ordinary cold frame or on a very gentle hotbed. The cuttings will root in two or three weeks Shading must be provided. Very little watering will be required until the cuttings are rooted. When this stage is reached remove the glass, and .a week later the'eut tings may be potted separately into sma'l pots, and treated as if they were seedlings. The plants raised from cuttings will bloom just as well as seedlings and almost as soon. * ■ "