ANEMONES AND RANUNCULI

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22030, 9 February 1935, Page 8 (Supplement)

ANEMONES AND RANUNCULI

ATTRACTIVE PLANTS FOR SPRING FLOWERING

Anemones and ranunculi rank among the most showy and beautiful flowering plants which brighten the garden in late winter and early spring. In grden treatment, both are commonly classed with the various species of bulbous plants, and treated as such. With narcissi, tulips and other true bulbs, plumpness and good size m the bulb is desirable. Most gardeners know that a well-filled bulb is almost sure to flower, whereas smaller, thin-necked ones will, for the first year, at least, produce leaves only. With anemones and ranunculi tubers, there has been a similar demand for uize, the wisdom of which is not borne out in practice. During the last few years small, locally-grown tubers have been offered for sale, and in many cases passed over by the purchasers, who considered they were obtaining better value in the large imported corms. yet

best remits are obtained from these young tubers, and the plants will Quickly regain that pride of place which they juiitly deserve. The foremost growers recommend early planting for early flowers. A light, friable soil is the best, and the plants nhould be exposed to the full sunlight, A light dressing of blood and bone nmaure, about two ounces to the square yard, may be incorporated with the soil' when preparing the beds. Too much fertiliser is inclined, to make the plants sluggish.

A com mon experience among growers is that at a certain stage the p]ant appears to come to a standstill. When this condition is noticed, water the plants with a solution of sulphate of ammonia, about half an ounce to a gallon of water. This is best applied as a spring dressing about August. In any casu, to excite the anemones to

it has' been the common experience among growers to find that the majority of these large tubers fail to grow, while the minority produce a few anaemic blooms the first year, after which the tubers disappear. Failures have been so common that many gardeners have thought of giving up the growing of these beautiful plants.

fresh activity, the tonic should be applied before the characteristic blue colour shows in the foliage, which is one of the first apparent signs of stagnation. It is best applied in liquid form, as the solid salt will rest on the leaves aad bum them.

The .ranunculus may also require a special fltimulant. Nitrate of soda has been found the best for this plant, in the proportions given to anemones. The foliage in this , case turns yellow when the plants reach a thriftless state. Later it browria and powders off. There is no remedy when these conditions :reach such an advanced atage, and the object should be to prevent their occurrence. The earlier-planted corms are more likely to suffer from this losiii of vigour, but, strangelv enough, when the two species of plants are mixed, they invariably remain virile and strong.

Ranunculus asiaticus. of the giant French type, were originally imported from England many years ago. The flowers were mostly single, small and of poor colours. They have now been improved by a steady process of selection and elimination. Anemones have been treated in the same way, until strains of plants have been evolved which will produce plants of wonderful vigour, carrying numbers of flowers of great size and rich colouring.

Unlike the bulbous plants, which do not deteriorate with age, the corms of the anemone and ranunculus are at their best, during the first and second year of flowering. The first stage in the cultivation of anemones and ranunculi is to obtain vigorous, young tubers of a good selected strain. It remains only for,growers to recognise that the

Good drainage is essential to success, and the tubers may either be started in boxes and transplanted as sqdn as the leaves appear, or, if the ground is reasonably free from weeds, the cornris may be planted at once where they aro to flower.