HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3029, 3 April 1912, Page 12

HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Br J. Gebbie. FREESIAS. For the amateur with a small greenhouse nothing will give a better return for a little trouble tnan the freesia. The chaste and fragrant flowers of these beautiful Cape bulbs render them the greatest mlue tor decorative purposes where cut flowers are required. They grow about 9in high, producing six to 14 ilowers on eaoh stem, the fiagrance of which is most delightful. Their natura." season of flowering is in early spring, but by potting the bulbs early and placing them in the greenhouse, they will flower much earlier. The simplest plan of growing freesias is to pot up the bulbs now, in a rich soil composed ol three parts loam, one part leaf mould or well-decayed cow manure, and some sand. Place 10 bulbs in a sin pot and cover with about lin of soil. Place the pots in a sunny place out of doors for about a month. Then bring them into the greenhouse, garden frame, or window, placing them near the glass. See that they do not suffer from want of water. Wlien the flower spikes appear about August, a little liquid manure should be given twice a week. After flowering, the faded blooms should be removed and the plants put in the sunniest place available, and kept well supplied with water until the ioliage turns yellow, then reduce the water gradually until all the leaves are dead. Tne bulbs can be shaken out arid stored in a dry place until it is time to pot them up again. Anyone carrying out these few instructions will be rewarded with plenty of flowers. Freesia leichtlini and F. refracta alba have been the best two varieties in cultivation for a long time, but during the past two years many hybrid varieties have been introduced. Last July there appeared in The Garden a coloured plate with an article on hybrid freesias, by the raiser, Tubergen, of llolland. Coming nearer home, Mr Summerlin, a Queensland nurseryman, has been working for four years hybridising freesias, with, the result that he has developed flowers of a bolder type, grander habit, and colours of every shade of heliotrope and rose through orange and yellow to pure white. Mr Graham. Harvey, a Wellington specialist in horticulture, has also raised and grown a number of beautiful hybrids of sterling merit, containing shades of lavender, mauve, bronze, deep yellow, pink, etc., and a table of these novelties was the centre of attraction at the Hutt spring show. These new varieties are now in commerce, and as they increase rapidly they should soon become popular favourites. ACER NEGUNDO VARIEGATA. The variegated maple, Acer ncgundo variegata, is one of the prettiest variegated trees for small gardens. It has beautiful green and white leaves, and shows very conspicuously if planted in front of darkleaved trees. It retains its variegation much better than jome variegated trees do. If a green shoot makes its appearance, this should be cut right out. Like most variegated trees a rather poor soil tends to make the tree retain its variegation. In rich soils, growth is apt to become luxuriant, and the leaves are more apt to revert to thcj green. The plant may be kept dwarf and bushy, and I have seen the shoots pegged into the soil, when they soon emit roots and form nice dwarf plants. MAIDENHAIR FERNS. At this cool season maidenhair ferns often begin to lose tone, especially in a cool room. Growth is nearly dormant, though they are generally in good condition if in a warm temperature, and if necessary to cut them down they soon start again from the base, but in a cool room it is better to leave the fronds on for seme time yet. If the old fronds are cut down in June, and the plants allowed to rest in a rather dry stato till August, they will grow away all the stronger for the .rest, and, when growth begins, repot. If any increase is required, the spring when the new growth is starting, is the best time to divide. THE MEDLAR. In the grounds of St. Patrick's Dominican Convent, near Oamaru, are a few solitary trees' of medlar, which were planted about 40 years ago, and are now magnificent specimens which attracted considerable attention from the numerous visitors which thronged the beautiful grounds on the opening day. As an ornamental tree the medlar is worthy of more extended cultivation, if not /or its fruit, which manyappreciate, certainly for its beautiful flowers in tho spring and the rich colouring of its foliage in the autumn. A few standard medlars planted on the margins of groups of pines and such like trees' would prove useful as well as ornamental during the spring and autumn months. The medlar is perfectly hardy, and bv no means ]*articular as to soil, provided it is neither too dry nor charged with stagnant moisture. There are several varieties, but for picturesque beauty the broad-leaved Dutch medlar bears the palm, and will repay tho planter for telling effect. The Nottingham medlar is the best to plant if grown expressly for its fruits. "When well grown the fruit measures about in diameter, and is fit for gathering about the end of April or early in May. The fruit should be gathered when quite dry, and it is important that it parts freely from the tree. The fruit when gathered should be spread thinly on bare shelves for ripening. When first gathered the fruit is hard and unfit for use, but after it has been stored for two or three weeks it begins to decay, the colour changes, and the acidity given way to a slightly astringent flavour. In this state the fruit is eaten raw, or it can be converted into a very agreeablo preserve by boiling in sugar. DIMORPHOTHECA AURANTIACA. During the last two or three years tryj Namaqualand daisy has been frequently seen in our gardens, and is fast becoming popular. This half-hardy annual has beautiful orange-coloured flowers, and was in-

troduced «. few yearj ago from South Africa by Messrs Barr and Sons. An Erfurt firm of seedsmen have now put into commerce a number of beautiful hybrids of many shades of colour, a coloured plate of which is issued in the December number of The Garden. These Diniorphotheca hybrids grow to a height of about 12in to 15in, with flowers 2Ain across. Seeds sown in spring- produce plants which commence blooming in summer, and go on flowering for a long period. As pot plants in tho jj-reenhouoe they will be much appreciated tor their elegant growth and profusion of bloom. Under glass the flowers develop to a larger size than in the open. TOO-MUCH-ALIKE POTATOES. Of the many hundred varieties of potatoes, the majority of them being of white skins, it is no matter for surprise that there should ba a considerable number so very much alike. Twenty or thirty popular varieties might be set up separately, and the names withheld, and I much doubt if anyone could rename them as before. Tho old distinctions of round and kidney are practically destroyed, as the varieties grown to-day produce round, flat, and long and kidney-shaped indiscriminately. "We often see Up-to-dates kidney-shaped from oni soil and round from another, and the same is noticed in other varieties. This similarity in varieties is said to be due to* the practice of raisers in either using Up-to-date or somo of its progeny as a parent, and thus reproducing in each direction almost, if not quite, the same varieties. LATE STRAWBERRIES. Mr I. Hurst, of Oamaru, has a small patch of strawberries, which are now yielding a crop of fine fruit. I saw a dish of about 21b weight gathered to-day, large, highly-coloured berries, equal to any gathered in the regular season. The moist season, and being in a warm, sheltered spot, is no doubt responsible for this out-of-sea-son crop.