THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEBK.

By

D. Tannock.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Chrysanthemums will soon be past their best, and as they are out over they can. be placed in a frame to encourage short, Sturdy growths suitable for .cuttings. The •order varieties will also be coming in, jind in addition to placing a number of the old stools in boxes, a quantity of cuttings can be put in now, and if there is no room available in the greenhouse or propagating house they can be placed in it cold frame, where they will root gradually. Cinerarias and primulas will now be growing strongly, and a little liquid inanurc once a week will help them. Continue to sow seeds of perennials, shrubs and alpine plants, and the first sowing of such bedding plants as lobelia and antirrhinums can also be made now. Antirrhinums are amongst the most attractive of our bedding plants, the colours are now 50 good, and thev will come quite true from seed, and, being quite hardy, earlyraised plants can be stood outside until their beds and borders become available. There are three kinds of bedding antirrhinums —the tall, intermediate, and the dwarf—the tall being suitable for the back rows in borders and for groups *in the mixed borders, the intermediate for filling beds either in self-colours or mixed, and dwarfs for front rows or edgings. Seeds of pentsteinons, violas, and pansies can also be sown now. THE FLOWER GARDEN. This is still a good time to plant and transplant trees, shrubs, and roses, and old beds of roses which have become Stunted will renew their vigour if lifted and replanted, after the beds or borders have been trenched and liberally manured. If the soil is light, sandy, or gravelly, it will be much improved if a layer of clay be placed in the bottom of the trench, and the manure put on top of it When planting out roses now, it is better to mark out the beds or borders with sticks. _ For ordinary and mediumgrowing varieties 24in to 27in is a reasonable distance to allow between the plants and the rows, but strong growers will require 30in to 36in. When the plants arrive in their bundles, unwrap them carefully, removing the hay, moss, or other materials which have been placed round the roots to prevent them from drying, and wrap them in a moist sack, or heel in if they are not to be planted at once. Open a hole with the spade about a foot deep and 9in square, place the plant against the back of the hole with its roots spread out in front, taking care to have the onion of the stock and scion (where it was budded) at' least 2in below the surface level. Throw in some fine soil, shake a little, then put in more soil, tramping it firmly, and finish off the surface, leaving it level but rough. If carnations are to be planted (and they are . very effective among newly-planted roses) _ they can be put in now. The following are some of the varieties of roses which have been selected to fill beds: Caroline Testout, Bettv Uprichard. Golden Emblem, K. of K., Mme E. Herriot, Mrs Wemyss Quinn,’ General M'Arthnr. Shot. Silk, Mme Abel Chatehay, Hugh Dickson, Lady Inchiquin, Mrs Herbert Stevens, Mme Butterfly, Covent Garden, Red-letter Day, Margaret Dickson Hamil, Lady Ashtown, Sunny South. Therose, Souvenir de Georges Pernet, America, Lyon Rose, and Laurent Carle. Sweet William and Canterbury Bell plants can be transferred from the nursery rows to the mixed borders, or special borders for massing. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. Continue to prune and spray fruit trees, to prune bushes, and to make fresh plantations, trench and dig all vacant ground, vheel in manure, and turn over the compost heap, adding a little more lime if necessary. Should carrots, parsnips, or beetroot be in the way cf the digging or trenching they can be lifted and stored in sand or moist soil. ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT Inquirer.—Name of plant is Melianthus major (honey flower).

CELMISIAS, OR MOUNTAIN DAISIES. Celmisias are among the most beautiful and most plentiful of our mountain plants, and a hillside studded with them when in flower is a sight not to be forgotten. Though a few very common kinds are found at a low elevation, the best are found at about 3000 ft and over, where they are a feature of sub-alpine meadows. Though they are very interesting from a botanical point o’f view, I propose to deal with them only as garden plants, and fortunately they are very amenable to cultivation and thrive well if they get the conditions they . like. Fortunately these are not difficult tp provide, and many will grow in an ordinary well-drained border. In their native haunts they are usually found growing in peat or organic matter, often with a considerable quantity of shingle mixed with it. Though they are very suitable plants for a rock garden, a rock garden is not essential, and very satisfactory results can be obtained by planti’te them on a raised border, in a position where the subsoil never becomes dry. Like all alpincs they like drainage and moisture at the same time, and stagnant water will not take the place of that which is constantly passing through the soil. One of the finest collections of celmisias I know is growing on a clay bank in a soil which many would give up as hopeless. Still with cultivation and frequent replanting many of the most rare and difficult species are very much at home. Contrary to one’s expectations celmisias seem to like handling, and frequent lifting and replanting seems to suit them. In fact whenever a plant begins to look sick, the best treatment is to-- lift it, pull away the old dead foliage and replant it m a new position. Those _ with spreading rootstocks such as holosericea soon grow up - out of the ground, and, unless replanted, they perish in dry weather, but if. lifted and pulled to pieces, every bit with the least semblance of a root will grow and soon develop into a flowering plant. In fact, for .most kinds I would recommend a biennial replanting. The leaves of many kinds are covered with silvery, tomentum, which renders them very attractive at all seasons. Others have buff or rusty tomentum, some leaves up

to 24 inches in length, and others, like laricifolia, are very small. The leaves of the last-named are from £in to lin in length. •

Of the 58 ■ species and many varieties, the following are th o most useful for garden decoration: —C. ramulosa is not like a clemisia at all. It has procumbent woody stems, with one or two flower stems at the ends. C. densiflora is another of the spreading kinds with slender stalks and heads one'to. two inches across. It is a very decorative species, forming large patches. C. discolor has also branches and stems often forming broad, flat-topped cushions. . The flower heads are §in to one inch in diameter. C. Lindsayi is also a branching, spreading kind, forming huge masses on the face of sea-cliffs. It is a good kind for covering a bank. The flower heads are numerous, the stalks being from two to eight inches long and the heads from one to two inches across. This is one of the species which seem to like frequent dividing up and replanting. C. prorepens is also a much-branched spreading species forming large patches, with green leaves. The flo-wer stalks are from three' to eight inches in length, and the heads one to two inches across. This is a very good species, and one of the easiest to grow. . C. Dallii is a very distinct species, with numerous radical spreading leaves, four to eight inches long, smooth and green above, but clothed with palebuff tomentum beneath. The stalks are rather stout, and the flower heads are 1J to 2g inches in diameter. G. holosericea is one .of the best of all the species for making a display, and a bank covered with it or a long row provides a very pretty effect. It is one of the easiest to grow; it likes a little shade, though it can stand full sun, and the only thing which it seems to demand is frequent transplanting. It is rather remarkable that a plant with such a limited distribution in Nature should take so kindly to cultivation, and thrive under varied conditions. The leaves are green, and the flower stalks, which are siender and smooth, are from one to two feet long, and the flower heads from two to three inches across. This is the most useful species to grow for a display in the garden or for cut flowers, and by frequent dividing up the stock soon increases. C. Traversii is more remarkable for its leaves than its flowers. These are covered with bright ferruginous tomentum on the under-surface, and the nidrib is purple. C. Lyallii has tufts of narrow spiky leaves more like a speargrass than a celmisia. The flower stalks are nine to 18 inches long and the heads_ are one to two inches across. C. Hooke ri is a strong growing species with long broad leaves, found growing at a low elevation. Flower stems are stout and densely woody. They are from eight to 20 inches long, and the heads are up to four inches across. It is a ve,y easy plant to grow and very beautiful when in flower. C. Mackaui is a good grower, but a rather disappointing species. The .flower heads are one to two inches in diameter and often tinged with pink. They are easily divided up. C., coriacea is the handsomest and most noble of all the clemisias, and if I had ro«n for only one plant it would be coriacea. Its leaves, which are from 12in to 24in in length, and one-third of an inch across, are clothed with white, silvery tomentum. It is a noble plant whether in flower or not. The flower stalks are stout and woolly, from 15in to 3ft in length, and the heads are to 3in across. Though it is not so easy to increase this species by division, it is easily raised from seed provided it is sown as -soon as ripe, and the seedlings protected from the wet during tho winter. C. Hectori jias prostrate branch stems with numerous crowded leaves covered with silvery tomentum. The flowers are not striking, but the plant is worth growing for its silvery foliage; is a good spreader, and easily increased by division. C. argentea is a handsome little plant forming dense cushions of silvery foliage. The heads are jin to Hn across, and deeply sunk among the leaves. C. vernicosa, from the Auckland and Gampbell Islands, has oreen, polished shining leaves, flower stalks from lin to 9in high, and heads lin to Ilin across, the ray florets being white and the disc florets purple. In this it differs from the other species described.

. Though celmisias remain fairly constant in taeir native habitats, some of the species seem -q hybridise readily when grown together tn the garden, and if it were possible to get some of the colours of the gerberas into them they would no doubt become more popular. They are worthy of a place in any garden, the three best being C. holosericea, C. coriacea .and C. Hector!