HABIT IS IMPORTANT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23002, 3 October 1936, Page 24

HABIT IS IMPORTANT

1 FLOWERS IN QUANTITY; i PLEASING COLOUR ! It is an undoubted fact that plant- ! breeders have been guilty of sacn- ’ ficing the habit of a plant in their quest for yet more perfect flowers The . all-round value of the true bedding violas has not, however, been affected in the slightest, for, in their case, the hybridists’ work has proceeded along distinctly separate lines. A race of exhibition varieties has been evolved, and in size and quality their blooms do i credit to the raisers. Their habit, on i the other hand, condemns them at once ' as anything but a flower for the specialist and for exhibition. The uppermost aim with the bedding i varieties has been to preserve at all 1 costs the dwarf, compact, tufted habit I and free-flowering nature which have | characterised the plants from the outset, and to regard the actual flowers as an important but secondary consideration. As a result, many of the modern varieties have actually a better habit than some of the older favourites, the

colour group has been greatly enlarged, and the blooms, though hardly .comparable with the exhibition varieties, 1 are markedly improved in size and . quality. A FIRST SELECTION The popular Jersey Gem, an intro- I duction from America, which has a j good deal of cornuta blood in its make- ' up, is a totally different type, but valu- i able, nevertheless, for it is of even j more regular habit than the majority, j The plants form dense, rounded tufts E of growth, and are' ideal either for j ribbon edgings or for spacing out. as | they develop with perfect evenness. There are now several varieties ot j this charming type, including White I Yellow, and Golden Gem. All arc | perfect counterparts of the violet- j coloured Jersey Gem. with the same j daintily-waved and sweetly-scented flowers, and, planted in congenial soil, j they will bloom practically the whole I summer through. Arkwright’s Ruby { might well be classed with them, for j the flowers, though of true viola form. I are lacking in size, as compared with | most varieties. The habit of this variety is so dwarf as to come close to j justifying the descrip* : of prostrate, I while in colour it is quite unique, the j deep, rich ruby-red blooms being a J never-failing source of attraction. Yet another which can be included in this | category of super dwarfs is Elsie Easter, one of the more recent introduc- j tions, which has won high awards in trials throughout the country. In colour it is a clear violet-blue, and its blooms are produced with abundant I freedom of the race. It must not be imagined that the • segregation of these few varieties implies that the many others fall short of standard, in so far as habit is concerned. They are simply exceptions to the general run of varieties, which, j though slightly taller, are equally neat and pleasing. No fault, for instance, could be found I with the now popular Pickering Blue or Jubilee, two of the best in the blue I and purple sections. In some eyes J Jubilee is rather too sombre a shade. 1 but, when bedded with a bright yel- , low, it is a valuable contrast, and the real depth and richness of its colour- j ing is appreciated to the full. Picker- j ing Blue well merits the description of clear sky-blue, for there is not the slightest trace of mauve or purple i shading in its make-up. Moreover, its substantial flowers are produced with I even more than usual freedom. Another great favourite, though of a rather paler shade, is W. H. Wnodgate, I which is sometimes classified as a china-blue. Lavender, however, conveys a more accurate idea of its colouring, which is enhanced by the rich creamy ground. Compared with these varieties, the popular Maggie Mott is | definitely straggling and untidy in habit. It has, however, the virtues of . almost unrivalled colouring and an astonishing freedom of flowering. Planted as a groundwork to taller-growing subjects. such as roses, it is particularly attractive, its clear lavender blossoms contrasting ideally with the rich pinks, reds, and oranges of the favourite bedding varieties. Mauve Queen is prob- , ably the nearest approach to it in colour, and. where an edging in this particular shade is required this is the variety to choose. Yellow is a colour in which violas are particularly well endowed, and 1 there is no scarcity of first-class varie- . ties in every shade from sulphur to j the deepest gold. Bullion was for long a favourite as a golden-yellow, but I of late years it has rather given way to Hallidon Yellow, a really splendid variety, which is, perhaps, best de- I scribed as an improvement on the I older kind, as in shade and habit it is . practically identical. The flowers, how- I ever, are larger and more refined in j form. Primrose Dame is a snlcndid I pale yellow, while Kingcup and Klon- 1 dyke might swell the list of deeper j shades. Another novelty of real merit, but < this time in a rather more unusual shade, is Chantreyland. a lovely apri- I cot, which has the unusual but none j the less acceptable virtue of breeding I perfectly true from seeds Moseley | Perfection, a rather deeper shade of orange, is also very popular. It cer- j tainly provides a distinct break from I the usual colours, and its flowers are ! of exceptional size for a true bedder. J Many growers prefer the picotee- j edged white varieties to the seifs, and I in this section Dunbryan is still out- . standing. The heliotrope edging adds just that touch of interest which, in J many eyes, is lacking in the pure j whites, such as White Swan. Violas are numbered amongst the most accommodating of plants, for they will grow and thrive in almost any , soil and situation, and tolerate ill-ti'eat- j ment and neglect like few other plants 1 It is useless, however, to imagine that plants so treated will maintain a con- j tinuous display; they are naturally deep-rooting subjects, and, unless the land is deeply worked so that the roots can delve into cool, moist soil away from the parching influence of summer . sunshine, they will almost inevitably I collapse when really hot weather sets | in. In addition, they appreciate a j liberal diet, and on light soil in par- i ticular a generous dressing of well- ! rotted farmyard manure should be | worked in some time in advance of ' planting. The need for generous culti- . i vation is amplified if. as is so often the case, the plants are to be allowed - to remain undisturbed for some years, j and, in addition to manure, it will be ( a help to work in bonemeal at the £ rate of two or three ounces to the yard ( of row. This will serve to provide ( more lasting nourishment. , The main essential in the summer ( months is to see that spent blooms are e regularly removed. This may seem a , tedious task, but it is quite impossible * for the plants to; continue flow'ering if j once they are allowed to set seed. In dry weather they will naturally appre- ‘ ciate fairly frequent soakings with ( weak liquid manure, but it must be given in sufficient quantity to ensure ( its penetrating to the furthest roottips. Mere surface sprinklings will do * more harm than good by encouraging . the plants to root freely in the upper layers of soil.. Young plants raised from . cuttings rooted in the autumn will be , ready for planting out during the , month, and, providing they are moved with as large a body of soil as practicable around the roots, should give a splendid account of themselves throughout the summer.—D. T. M„ in Amateur Gardening. (