THE GARDEN AND ORCHARD

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1680, 11 May 1904, Page 71 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN AND ORCHARD

HELIOTROPES No green house should he without a -few pots of this very easily grown and! fragrant plant, for they av'e ■ always welcome, and nice dwarf, bushy plants covered with their beautiful trustees of flowers are very useful for conservatory and greenhouse decoration. They are very easily propagated in early spring, when there will- be found no difficulty in getting lup a stock. Plants raised from- cuttings the same season null flower with more freedom than, those that are of older growth. A mice, lot of cuttings can soon he obtained if a few old plants are placed in a waum growing temperature and frequently syringed. As soon as the shoots are two or three inchete long they should be taken off and inserted in pans filled with equal parts of loam, leaf-mould, and sand. Place the pan in a box and cover with a pane of glass, afterwardsplacing the box over or near -the hot water pipes, which will he found a capital place for- them to strike. It- is very necessary that they are shaded from all sun—this is easily don© by placing newspapers over the glass, taking care to remove them directly the awn goes off, as plenty of light will greatly assist in the rooting process. Directly the cuttings are nicely rooted they must he potted off* into well-drained three-inch pots and placed in the warmest part of

the house until established. A fief--ward's they can be removed to a lighten* and cooler position near the glass. Asp soon as the pots beoorne well filled with! mots they should bo shifted on into? larger pots. The most suitable compcGte for all pottings is about four parts loanv one part leai-mauld, and one part well decayed manure, and one part sand.* Care must be taken that the soil is in* the right condition as to moisture, be-' ing neither too wet nor too day. Whenv the plants are growing freely it will bet found necessany to stop all shoots o<v> ca'sionally so as to obtain nice bushy/-' specimens.

Never allow the plants to suffer froant want; of water at the.roots; in no stage? of their growth should they be allowed!* to become dry, for if they are to get into a dry state the. wood become*} firm, the result being that they fail to? make satisfactory progress. On the*' other hand* if properly attended toy. very beautiful plants can be obtained by the time they are placed in six-iuch-pots, and will be found most useful for: placing with other plants in the conservatory, or in rooms where their per- ■ f;ime will he very welcome. As theses' pohs become filled with roots weak liquid manure may be given them every time they require water, and “as a change a little, Guano about- once a fortnight.

Giveenfly does an immense amount of damage t.o the plants, and must be c&reftully watched for, and steps taken for its immediate eradication; if this 1 -is not done the foliage • will be so crippled: by the fly that it will be found a diffi-L culifc matter to get them to make a vig-> orciute start again.

On the first signs of -the pest’, vapour* ising must be ; resorted to ; bu t care mustbe taken that too ssttrcugf a dose is no# given, for few plants.-are* more easilyinjured in tins, way than. the helio*tr’ope. The best varieties for pots are* \vlmte Lady, Duchess of Edinburgh, Swanley Giant, and President Garfield-