THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16205, 15 April 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

Layers of carnations, pinks, and picotees that were put down,: as recommended j during last January and February should* now be well enough rooted for taking off the old stools and-replanting in a separate bed, and; there allowed to grow and establish until the end of the winter, when they should;- be retaken'up and transplanted' into 'the places in the beds and borders where they are intended to flower. Carnations are amonst the most esteemed Of all florists' flowers. . They are general favourites and on that account.are extensively grown' in all gardens. ..After having bloomed for two. or .three years the old, plants become sjraggley and exhausted; hence the necessity of putting down a' few. layers- of each variety annually to provide a good supply of healthy young stock to take their places.

. The Soil' for Carnations. .■ - ' . \. • ■ '* ~ Carnations succeed best in a, moderately rich, loamy soil that is fairly well drained. Land that has been in grass and recently .dug up provides fibre and is generally free from wire worms that are often so destructive to the plants in old soil. To meet these requirements new beds may be formed out of the grass plots. When planting in the old beds and borders some fresh,' turfy loam should' be. mixed with the soil. A'; top-dressing of lime, with a little, soot added is beneficial and also for spreading on the surface around the old plants and lightly forking in.

Dahlia Culture.

':. Dahlias have greatly benefited.-by recent rains and the longer and more dewy nights, the plants having made vigorous growth and are a great profusion of blossoms. Now is the time to take note of the best varieties to retain for next year's planting. The number of new kinds of superior merit to some of the older sorts necessitates an annual revision of the lists.

The Cactus Dahlia.

~ The Cactus section is still the. most, largely grown, although the : peony-flowered are the most popular, with many growers, as they flower so abundantly and carry the .; blossoms/ well ' above the ■ foliage and are most • useful ' for . cutting and decorating. - The collarettes are 'the < latest addition ;to the dahlia family. The varieties .comprising this section are exceedingly , quaint and very showy. Pompom ' or- croquet dahlias • being of-' much more compact' habit are ('useful • for planting near the edges of the beds. Their exceedingly neat little double flowers are very distinct. •'.--.

' Chrysanthemum the Autumn Flower. .'Chrysanthemums are the ..queen of'all autumn flowers. This year they are. much later than .usual in coming- into;bloom.. Consequently the show, now ' being., held at the Town Hall is too early' to see all the varieties of,these popular favourites at their best. Still, no description can ,conVey an adequate idea "of the'splendid effects and pleasing impression produced' by the grand display of blooms, remarkable for their diversity of* colour 'and variety of form and-size" and exquisite finish, 'the Japanese, sections being-re-presented by .blooms of the, largest-size.; some with loose, broad' petals gracefully recurving,' others ' regularly' and evenly .incurved,... forming' •'. a'-' perfect;, globe ; others-' again*' ' curled' ' and. • twisted, . the petals interlacing in fantastic forms.

Single-Flowered Chrysanthemums. Single-flowered chrysanthemums have come greatly into favour,, and wonderful .improvements have-been, effected in the more recent creations—the flowers being beautifully formed, of the largest sizes and most striking colours, ranging from the purest of whites to most . brilliant crimsons. They are greatly, prized for cutting aid'for garden decoration. Dry v weather conditions have favoured the growth of chrysanthemums, the foliage being remarkably free from rust and other fungoid diseases, thai' are so difficult to control during hot, moist weather. .

The' Cosmcea Season. Cosmcea— glory of' the autumn garden," are now at their best; producing a floral effect that is marvellously beautiful. For cutting during the season this is one of the first of flowers. The long stems, feathery foliage, and lovely colours" of their broad petalled flowers lend themselves to graceful arrangements. The new double-flowered forms are most distinct and exceedingly showy and last * well when cut.

Planting Bulbs. Planting a further batch of hardy springflowering bulbs is necessary to keep up a prolonged- succession. Those that are through the soil should have have any weeds removed and the surface around them lightly stirred. The planting of pausies, cinerarias, nemesias, dimorphotheeaa, and other hardy seedlings may be proceeded with. Also" the sowing of sweet peas, Virginian stock for borders, calendulas, lupins, clarkia, gilia, nemophila, acroclinums, rhodanthe, ; candytufts, and other hardy annuals should be done for winter and early spring flowers.

Cyclamens « Cyclamens arc amongst the most useful and most esteemed of dwarf growing, free flowering plants for planting in separate beds and along near the edges of the borders. They arc hardy and succeed admirably in localities where frosts are not very severe. They produce an abundance of bloom during the late winter and early spring months, and are greatly prized for cutting, coming in'when other flowers are scarce. They are useful plants in the rockery, making a display with their bright coloured flowers and prettily marked foliage. Now. is the best time to plant cyclamens; a little coarse sand mixed with dry powdered cow dung may be added to the soil when planting.

General Work. Weeds have come up in abundant crops since the recent rains, and should be got rid of by hoeing or lightly turning them tinder by digging. Now is the bast.time to give the beds and borders an overhaul to have the surface in good order and quite free from weeds before the weather breaks. A thorough clean up'now keeps the garden tidy and saves labour later when conditions are less favourable fo» working the soil.

THE GREENHOUSE, } The splendid weather experienced' throughout the summer and up to the end i of last week has been all that could be wished for growing all classes of indoor plants. The sudden t change, however, that has tako place during the last week, with the rapidly-decreasing temperature, will soon be felt by many of the more tender subjects, and more special care will be needed in watering, shading, and ventilating the house. During the hot dry weather frequent watering and a nice moist atmosphere has been necessary to ensure healthy growth. With the change in temperature, however, evaporation is not so rapid and water must be more sparingly applied. But while this applies to all classes of plants it particularly [applies to plants that have completed j their season of growth.

Too Hoist Atmosphere. In order to avoid too moist conditions during the night the watering should be done in the morning. Shading, too, should be carefully regulated. Where blinds are used this can be easily done, as they can bo removed every evening and in dull weather, so that the plants can have the full benefit of light when they most need it. The display of flowers that have been so plentiful and kept the house gay throughout the summer and autumn ate now showing signs of decay. Such profuse flowering plants as the tuberous begonias, gloxinias, streptocarpus, and others are not easy to ; replace at this season. ' - • •

'"" Keeping up.; Blooms. ■'/'">.. ' At this stage flowers requir* careful Bering until the ; tops fell away naturally from the 1 tubers or .bulbs, when watering must cease, as the bulbs are 'then ripe and dormant. To keep plants that are at all tender 'through the wintor months they should ,bo f placed in n J" warmest and dryest part of the bouse and sparingly watered, giving only sufficient to prevent the plants/from wiling. The more hardy free-growing plants will naturally,require more liberal treatment, but even these only require watering when the soil shows signs of dryness, and in no case. should be watered when the soil is already saturated.

Avoiding Excess of Moisture. To avoid excess of moisture the- safest plan, particularly with (he amateur, is to place plenty of - drainage at the bottom of the pots when repotting, so as to provide a free..outlet for surplus moisture. Ferns are still growing rapidly and make a -splendid display. .Slugs, however, are very troublesome, and play hnvoc with many of the young undeveloped fronds of the adiantum or maiden-hair varieties. These" pests are often very small and difficult to detect, particularly when the specimens of ferns are large. Dusting with tobacco dust or slugine will do much I to keep the plants from attacks.

■ Repotting Plants. In repotting any plants at this season care should be taken not to give too great a shift. The safest plan is only to shift from one size to the next, and so on as the plants need increased root space. _ To provide a succession of flowers for winter decoration every available flowering plant should be brought into use. Primulas, cinerarias, cyclamen, shrubby begonias, bouvadias, pensternon, in fact any hardy easily grown plants that flower during the winter or early spring will be' appreciated when flowers are scarce.

Planting Cuttings. The present is -a good time to put in' cuttings of all soft-wooded plants. > Most of these, in fact, can be stuck in the open providing a nice bed is made up in a sheltered shady situation. The soil should be well broken up and made fine with -a good sprinkling of sand incorporated in the soil. Such plants as pelargoniums, fuchsias, calceolarias, verbenas, salvias, and a host of- other varieties will strike freely if taken off at a-heel or just below- a joint and made firm in the soil. Verbenas,-however, ; will very rarely strike at a joint. In making cuttings of these they should always be cut about midway, between the joints. If this is done .'there will be _ little, or no difficulty in striking the cuttings. Ezbos.

HINTS TO GARDENERS. • It must be borne in mind that both the apple and pear in • most cases bear their fruit on short spurs or side growths of stunted appearance. One object in pruning is to convert the ordinary side branches into . fruit-spurs,, and' this is accomplished by cutting back the side shoots to within two or three buds of the'main branch.

. The many methods of growing large heads of .asparagus are not altogether darived from the extra cultivation, but more often from sex selection, the flower of the asparagus being unisexual and existing on separate plants; therefore the selection of the male plants is more likely to produce heavy growths. '....When boxes are used for seed-growing .they. may. be of. any'sufficient length and width, but should not bo deeper that about four inches. They aro prepared for the seeds by placing in the bottom of each a one inch layer of crocks for drainage, and covering this material with two. or-three inches of light, sandy soil, minus any form of manure.

Unlike apples and pears, plum trees resent severe pruning, and they are often best left alone. Except* in very young trees, which require hard pruning, a simple thinning of overcrowded wood is all that is necessary; and there is a wide differenceof opinion as to whether pruning is best done in the summer or winter. Wljere trees are subject to the disease known as gumming, winter pruning should certainly be avoided.

If one observes a wild briar in bloom in; the hedgerow, some growths will be found bent' over almost rainbow fashion and smothered with flowers. This is exactly what the rosarian tries to imitate when the cultivated roso is pegged down. In place of a lot of tall growths that never bloom, bend them over, some horizontally, others in the shape of a half moon, the sap being checked as it flies to the buds, or " eyes" as they are called; shoots then start out and are usually crowned with flower-buds. It follows that by such an arrangement as this, economy is practised, for fewer plants are required in a bed, and one may be certain of an even growth with an abundance of flowers.

Seakale needs darkness to blanch the stem, and this applies also, of course, to the outside crop. Good stout crowns, about l£in to 2in in diameter, are chosen, the roots are cut off for making a fresh plantation, and these crowns are put into large pots. Six or eight may be put into a 9in pot. Soil is packed round so as to nearly cover them, and, after being watered, another large pot is inverted over them; They may then be forced beneath the staging of a warm greenhouseDeep boxes* may also be used for these, if desired, instead of pots. After cutting the main growths wo often get other pieces, though they scarcely remunerate us tor tho room they occupy. It would be better to maintain the succession with fresh roots brought in every two or three weeks.

Of the many good qualities which the perpetual-flowering carnation possesses, durability of the cut flowers is of no small importance; yet many fail to secure this all-important feature, and deplore the shortness of life and lack of size and finish in their blooms. Sleepiness, or wilting, may be traced to several causes, the most prevalent being overdevelopment, heavy feeding or unwise use of chemical fertilisers, improper treatment, and rough handling. The recipes often given for the preservation of cut flowers, such as additions of salt, sugar, camphor, and other ingredients to «the water, are not able to add five minutes to the life of a fully-de-veloped carnation bloom. Every flower** whether on the plant or cut off in a vase needs a certain time for its full development. Whilst some flowers, such as tigridia and hemerocallis, will fade in a day, others, such as amaryllis, orchids, and the perpetual carnation, will continue in good condition for days and weeks, provided the correct system is carried out in the cutting and finishing of the bloom.

Celeriac, or the "turnip-rooted celery," is easily grown, provided it gets the right kind of treatment. It is cultivated in England to a small extent, but largely (or it used to be) in France and Germany, and good prices have been realised. Like celery, it pays for liberal cultivation, for, unless fair-sized roots are produced, the crop will be of little value. An open piece of ground should be chosen, and this should be deeply cultivated and well manured. The seed should be sown in early spring in a gentle heat, 'pricked off, treated as young celery, and planted out whenof a fair size. Plant in rows about 20in apart, and 15in apart in the row. Make very firm, and well water. The crop should be frequently hoed, and at no time must the plants be allowed to suffer from want of water. If the drainage be' perfect, during a long spell of day weather too much water can hardly be given. Liquid manure should be given occasionally. Beyond keeping down the ■weeds very little further trouble is needed until the time of lifting, which ehould be done immediately the growth is complete. It can then be taken up and trimmed, and may be stored if necessary in sand or j ashes in a shed, where it will keep in per[feet condition all through the winter