GARDENING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17504, 21 December 1918, Page 3

GARDENING NOTES.

Bi D. Tannock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK HIS GItEBNHOtJSB AND NUItSEIiY.

# Cliryaantliomiums can now be potted Tt] into their final or flowering pots, which wil bo 10-inch sizo for tho strong growers ant nine-inch for tho weaker varieties. Singles seedlings, and lato struck cuttings wil flower quite satisfactory i n eight-inch pots, but they will not be ready for potting up for another week at least The potting soil should havo been mixed some time ago as recommended, and stored in a dry shed or covered with sheets of iron if left in a heap outside; but in caso some may have omitted to prepare before hand, I will mention, tho soil ingredients again. Tho basis of all potting soils is good, turfy loam, and for chrysanthemums it must bo chopped up rough. To four parts of tho loam add ono part lcafmould, one part well-decayed manuro or dry horse droppings, one part of e&nd and limo rubble in equal proportions, and to each barrowload of tho miixturo add one six-inch potful of bono meal, on© of soot, and one of charcoal or wood ashes. Thig soil should not be sifted, but used in as rough a condition as possible. . The pots should be washed clean both inside and outside and allowed to dry, a liberal crocking should be provided to secure good drainage, and some rough loam or moss should be placed over the crocks to prevent the soil from, washing down among them. Turn tho plants out' of the pots in which they have been growing and remove the crocks and a littlo of the surface soil; put some of the soil into the pots and make it firm, place the ball of the plant to be potted in the middle of tho pot and just deep enough to allow us to place half an inch of soil on top of the ball, And £vfc the s&mo time Icjivo tho sttrface at least an inch below the rim of the pot. This is necessary to hold sufficient water to saturate the soil when watering later on. Ram the soil firmly and evenly, making it at least as firm as the old ball of soil and roots, and finish off the surface firm and level.

Place one strong, temporary stake to each plant and' loop up tho branches to it; place in their summer quarters, -which should bo quite, open so that they may get plenty of 6Un, and at the same time some shelter has to Be provided to shield them from the cold south-west winds. If the stems don't show signs of a natural growth, tho tips can be. pinched out to cans© branching.

Continue to prick out seedlings of stocks, sweet williams, forget-me-nots, double daisies, and Canterbury bells into boxes, and place them in a cool part of the greenhouse or in_ a frame, where they can receive a certain amount of shelter from heavy rains and cold weather. Harden off tie annuals in preparation for planting them out in places where bulbs have ripened off in tho mixed borders and the shrubbery. THE FLOWEK GARDEN. Take advantage of all dry, sunny weather to scuffle hoe the beds and borders, to break up the surface soil, which has become caked with the heavy rains, and to destroy feeedling weeds. ' The roses, though later than last year, avo coming o& rapidly now, and given a fortnight's dry sunny weather wo should have a great show, tho plants are so healthy and the foliage so free from either insect or fungoid pests. As usual, the new varieties which are obtained from the northern nurseries come out first; and this is fortunate, for one is looking forward with expectation _to see if they are going to come anything near to tho glowing descriptions with which they are sent out. It is remarkable that most of the newer roses are what are usually called art shades, for want of a better term; they are not distinct colours, but combinations of several shades and very different from the varieties which were cultivated by tho old rosariana. These were either red, pink, white, or yellow, or some elrade of these colours. Tho most remarkable rose among this year's novelties is Lilian Moore, tho 1000 dollar rose. This is described as a rose of vigorous growth, with clean, deep foliage which is mildew proof. The blooms are Very largo and double, of imbricate form, while the buds are long and pointed, opening well in all weathers, and sweetly perfumed. Tho colour is pure yellow, shaded to cadmium yellow; it is a free, thoroughly perpetual bedding rose, and perhaps best described as a greatly improved Mrs Aron Ward. It is a hybrid tea, raised by Hugh Dickson, of Belfast, and was awarded 'the 1000 dollar prize at the Panama Pacifio Exhibition by tho unanimous vote of the International Jury. It is certainly a good rose for wet weather. Our plant, though small, produced a quite satisfactory flower when weather conditions were anything but favourable.

Another rose which has done well this season is Madam Edouard Herriot, commonly called, the Daily Mail rose. It was raised by Pernet Ducher, and is described as a coral red, shaded with rosy scarlet and prawn red. It was awarded tho Daily Mail Cup at the groat International Show and the gold! medal of tho National Rose Society. Its chief fault is that tho blooms are liable to droop when they aro fullv expanded. J .the beet six new rosos so far are Lillian Moore, Mrs C. E. Shea (colour, orange red) fcLenrictto {orange crimson, developing to coral salmon), Clarice Goodacre (ivorv v Allan (rich canning and W. E. Gaunt (bright vermillion shaded crimson maroon). Among the newer roses, but not novelties, the following are good:—Nellie Parker (pale creamy flesh), Constance (better than Rayon d Or).. Donald Macdonald (orange carmine) Mrs Maud Dawson (orange ca°r chaffing ICr (crimson, with dark rJnc° re a Jli a m ! mbor of m ost useful garden roses, mostly strong growing sorts from well known varieties. These can bo allowed considerable latitude at tho back of large borders, pegged down, trained on rustic f-v °y. tlod ' VP to strong stakes. They are climbing Richmond, Climbing Liberty limbing Caroline Testout, Florence H Yeitch, Lady Waterlow, William All™ Richardson, Hugh Dickson, GuS PflHr anA . var^ r C U pid, Lemon P Th r e fSiowin™ aro some Edith"PaSriclT 0 , don V 011 reason: deep salmon and «)pperv yellow) USl j n ° f Coey (good yellow), (good white), Mrs Arthur Munt eream), Laxly Plymouth (cr»l v J,t Mrs Ambrose Riccardo (deep honey ye low ' d-nd_ tho usual varieties which never f^l SSL." S3' . ""'I-' CW. 0M GoM, ;?&£• iiS™"* . Single roses are favourite * CTowers, both for cutting and decoration. So me of the nfw Tarietf^t" K.. of Iv. (intense scarlet). Ulster Com (primrose yellow), Ulster Standard (d oo n onmson), and the older varieties are Irish F.reflame Red Letter Dav. Maharafd Duri^ 1 t h tn T' an - d Irkh ' During the flowering season is tho timo varieties you intend to add to your collect on. Make list, a collection of growing and, if possible, send on tho ti?« nurseryman at once. 0 tho

Tiie Vegetable Garden-. lucre is plenty to do in the votretihln garden at present. The soil should be kent stirred up among growing crops : sewllinL should be thinned as soon as they aro lamo enough to handle; peas should ho <*,i j potatoes earthed up P and any v.Sanf B dug or forked in preparation for plant iner out winter greens. piancThe early potatoes are now readv f„ r digging, and as tho land is cleared it u get a liVht dressing of limT then fork' dig or level it. and plant out oahWn and broccoli for tho winter and next B])nng.

Silver beet an excellent vegetable f or the spring; it ,s very hardy, is not subject to atfacics of any blight, either insect or funtroid. and erery nart of it can be used ' V, ' v ™ shallow dnll about an inch rfron on well mannred soil (near a path, so thnt it can bo cut rfirring the winter without trampin* over the wet, soil); covor with srtruh until the spcffltnjrs when thny aro large onomrh to handle thin them oi't to nine inches to a foot apart. Tho Inst so v.-inn- of ordinary Ijpnf. aboiiM be rnit in now. nUo a sowing of Laing's garden swede turnip. They aro very useful for the winter and sspring.