THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 3862, 20 March 1928, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. Tannock.

.The Greenhouse and Nursery. Chrysanthemums are now developing (•heir buds rapidly, and any which show ipolour should be placed under cover. It is really too early to expect chrysanthemums yet, but there are usually a few flowers which appear before their time, and these will last well if put in the greenhouse. The cinerarias will now be put in the frames and growth will be rapid. It is better to shift them Occasionally, to give them more room, and to pick off or destroy caterpillar and leaf miners. They require a little phade during the sunny days to prevent excessive wilting, but at other times the sashes can be left off, unless the weather is very cold and wet. Cinerarias Ore really hardy plants, and no not need too much care. Wallflowers are now making a good growth, and to prevent them from becoming spindly and to encourage a compact root system, which will hold on to the soil when the plants are being transplanted to their flowering positions, it is desirable to cut the roots with a sharp spade. Unless the weather is very wet it is too big a check to cut them all round pt once, therefore it is advisable to cut along one side one day, in four or five days to cut the other side, and in another few days cut the roots in between. While cutting the roots the plants should be lifted slightly and then tramped down firm again. Continue to pot and box up bulbs, to sow seeds of hardy perennials and rock plants, to prick out seedlings of primulas and calceolarias, to put in cuttings of geraniums, and to topdress the various kinds of palms and foliage plants.

The Flower Garden. The planting of spring flowering bulbs should be pushed on as rapidly as possible, for they are beginning to form roots now, and spring and early summer flowering biennials can also be planted in their flowering positions. The beds and borders are still gay with the various annuals and other bedding plants, but the main display is provided by the various tvnes of dahlias. Tuberous begonias are now doing better: they felt the warm, dry weather a bit, but they should be good for several weeks yet. Beds of standard fuchsias, heliotropes. and ivy-leaved geraniums carpeted with tuberous begonias are again very attractive, the perfume of the heliotrope being a special feature. I often wonder why heliotrope is not more extensively used for bedding; cuttings root quite easily, and in 12 months these will grow into standards fit for nlantine out. If lifted early enough and potted up, I have no doubt that the old plants could be saved, but we seldom get them in time, and tho liast touch of frost will kill them.

The Vegetable and Fruit Garden. Continue to make sowings of onions, carrots, turnips, and lettuce, and plant out leeks, broccoli, and spring cabbage. Clear off all crops as soon as are past their best and trench or dig all vacant spaces. Collect and store apples and pears, thin out the growths on fruit bushes, and collect and burn all diseased fruits and blight-infested leaves.

Autumn Flowering Bulbous Plants. Ther e are quite a number of bulbous plants which flower in the autumn on stems made during the summer or directly from the bulbs which have been formed during the previous growing season. These plants are little affected by dry weather, and, if planted in specially-pre-pared beds and borders, thrive quite well during wet seasons. They can either be planted in the mixed or herbaceous borders, wher e they will be quite a success, or on specially-prepared borders in a sheltered, sunny position. Where th e soil is heavy and inclined to be wet, it is better to excavate it to a depth of about 2ft. to break up the subsoil, and after providing ah outlet for water which might collect put in 6in of brickbats, clinkers, or good rough ashes, to ensure drainage. It is often an advantage to elevate the soil above the surrounding paths, and this can be kept in position by a rocky edging or a row of bricks set on their ends. Soil for bulbs should be fairly heavy, and should consist of good, turfy loam two parts, wellrotted manure one part, half a part sand and half a part lime rubble, with a dusting of bone meal. Amaryllis Belladona is a rather remarkable and beautiful plant which sends up *.ft s flower stems in the autumn and its leaves the following spring. It is one of these plants which it is better not to disturb, and once it reaches tb e flowering stage in a suitable position it will continue to flower for years with the minimum of attention. When planting out, place the bulbs from 9in to 12in apart and about 6in deep, lat e summer and autumn being the most suitable season, and in the spring take care that the foliage is not overshadowed or overcrowded by weeds or other flowering plants, and that the roots receive plenty of water. Liquid manure will be appreciated once th e plants are well established, Colchicum (meadow saffron). —The colChicums are often called autumn crocus, and, like the belladonna lily, they send up their flowers in the autumn and their foliage the following spring. As the tiame “ meadow saffron ” indicates, they ar e best suited to a moist position at the foot of the rock garden or by a pond or a Stream, and are better grown among grass Or some other carpeting plant which will protect the flower# from being spattered

with mud. Th e individual flowers do not last long, but as they are produced in succession there is a fairly long season of bloom. The bulbs increase rapidly and soon become overcrowded when planted in an ordinary border, but like other bulbs, they do not become overcrowded so quickly when planted in grass. There are a number of varieties of C. autumnale, the chief being double purple,'' white, and striped. Colchicum speciosum from the Caucasus is a much finer and more desirable species than autumnale, its large rosy-purple flowers rising nearly a foot above the ground. There ar e several varieties, two of the best being C. rubrum and C. album.

Nerines are another family of autumn flowering bulbous plants which require similar treatment to the Amaryllis Bella- . donna. They are natives of South Africa and like other bulbs from that region they require a period of intense growth and another of complete rest to ensure that they flower well and regularly. Nerines are usually grown in pots for greenhouse decoration in England, and in some parts of New Zealand this method would secure the best results, but -by selecting a warm, sheltered border at the foot of a wall or a sunny, well-drained part of the rock garden they will thrive and flower in most parts of the Dominion. The border or pocket should be filled with good loam, with a little leafmould, charcoal, lime rubble, and sharp sand. They ar e propagated by means of offsets, and, like the Belladonna, they are better left undisturbed for years if they are doing well and given an annual top-dressing of loam and bong meal, with plenty of water and an occasional application of liquid manure during the growing season Nerine sarniensis, the “ Guernsey lily,” is the best-known species and is a very beautiful plant, with its salmon-coloured, many-flowered scapes, from 2ft to 2|ft high. N. sarniensis var corusca has brilliant orange-coloured flowers. N. undulata is soft- flesh-coloured, with the segments of a wavy or undulating outline. N. flexuosa is crimson-scarlet, and other varieties are Fothergilli and Bowdeni. Zephyranthes (Flower of the West Wind). —These are interesting little bulbous plants, some of which are quite hardy and flower in the autumn, but, unlike the three kinds already described, the foliage appears along with.the flowers. They thrive in a warm border or a welldrained place on the rock garden, and are increased by means of offsets. Z. Candida has white flowers, Z. atamasco white, and Z. cinata is pink. The Zephyranthes, with the exception of one species, are found in America, and they belong to Amaryllideae. Colchicums are natives of Asia Minor and belong to Liliaceae. Amaryllis Belladonna is a native of the West Indies, natural order, Amaryllideae, and Nerines are natives of South Africa, and also belong to .Amaryllideae. Crinums are excellent bulbous plants which flower in lat e summer and autumn. There are quite a number of species, many of which are tropical, but that of the ■South African species and a hybrid between them are hardy and can be successfully cultivated in a specially-pre-pared border in a warm, sunny position at the foot of a wall. Unlike some of the plants already described, the flowers ap pear when tbe leaves are quite fresh. To protect them from frost during the winter, it is advisable to plant them very deep, and to mulch with manure or leafmould during the winter. Though the leaves decay and the plant droops' during the winter, they soon begin to grow when the weather becomes warmer. They have to grow well to flower well, and applications of liquid manure during th e summer will asisst them.

Crinum capense has broad, glaucous leaves and flowers flushed with red on the back ;C. Powellii (a hybrid between C longifolium and C. Moorei) is a most desirable plant, there being several varieties ; and C. Moorei, which has flowers faintly flushed with red, is also worth growing. Cyclamen naepolitanum is a beautiful little autumn flowering species suitable for the bulb border or the rock garden. The flowers appear befor e the leaves, but these usually put in their appearance before the flowers wither. The root stocks are often Ift in diameter, and produce quantities of flowers.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

“ Garland,” Dunedin.—Your seedling dahlias should flower this season and form tubers for next j-ear. Your apples and pears are attacked by mildew. Spray with summer Bordeaux mixture as soon as the fruit is picked and with winter Bordeaux after pruning. ‘ Pansy,” Lovell’s Flat.—Your pansy Hower is very small, but the bees are in no way responsible for the deterioration Plant them 12in to 15in apart on wellmanured ground in a moist position, and they will recover. ‘'inquirer,”—You should gradually dry off your begonias about the end ot this month if they have been flowering all summer. Keep them in their pots, and store in a dry place where they will be safe from frost

“ Amateur.”—Francoa is the Bridal Wreath, and a very useful plant for supplying cut flowers. Gerardias are difficult plants to grow owing to their being more or less root parasites. Isatis tmctoria (Dyers wood) is an interesting plant, but it is useless for supplying cut flowers. -