THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 3864, 3 April 1928, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. Tannock.

The Greenhouse and Nursery. Continue to pot or box up bulbs for forcing, to pot on the later sown primulas and to put in cuttings of the various kinds of bedding geraniums. For those who have a warm greenhouse the winter flowering begonias, such as Gloire de Lorraine and Manicata, are most useful. The plants of Gloire de Lorraine will now be showing flowers, and these can either be grown on in pots, or two or three plants can be put into a basket, lined with moss and filled with a good light soil mixture. Give the plants in the pots a little weak liquid manure once a week and spray with nicoticide occasionally to keep away the mite. Begonia manicata is a much more robust plant than Gloire de Lorraine, and I consider it a more decorative plant. It is also much hardier, and will grow in an ordinary greenhouse, though it thrives with a little heat. It has glossy leaves and branching cymes of small pink flowers. Those who grow gloxinias and streptocarpus for the summer will find the Winter flowering begonias and the two Euphorbias, E. fulgens, and E. pulcherrima (Poinsettia) most useful for providing a display in the winter. The Flower Garden. Continue to pick the seed pods off the sweet peas and the old flowers off the dahlias and roses, to cut over the herbaceous perennnials which are past their best, and to pull out the old annuals. Plant out spring flowering bulbs, and prepare tb e rock garden for top-dressing. Ornamental Grasses. In addition to the many grasses used for forming lawns, there are a number Which are,quite useful in the flower garden, either when planted in groups in the herbaceous borders or grouped beside ponds or streams, where they form a fine feature in the landscape. Several are also useful for mixing with flowers for house decoration. In addition to the many beautiful tussock grasses, there are'two native grasses of great horticultural value, one being the New Zealand wind grass (stipa arundinacea) and the plumed tussac grass (Arundo comspicua). Stipa arundinacea has long, graceful plumes, which are very useful for cutting, and, as it will grow anywhere, it is a useful plant for an odd corner or grouping in th e shrubbery Arundo comspicua is very effective when planted in groups beside a pond or stream, and When it is associated with flax and cabbage trees it forms a char actenstic New Zealand effect. It is also useful for cutting for winter decorations. The pampas grass (gynerium argenteum), a native of South America, is a noble plant for positions on the lawn or beside water or for grouping in the shrubbery border, and, when well treated and supplied with manure and water, it will grow fo a height of from 6ft to 9ft. Dac hs glome rat a is the common cocksfoot, usually a weed in gardens, but the variegated form, is quite handsome and is. often used in bedding-out schemes. Ribbon grass (phalaris arundinacea variegata) is also a very ornamental grass useful for grouping in the herbaceous or shrubbery borders and for arranging with eut flowers. " Eulalia gracillima is a very ornamental Japanese grass quite hardy, though less vigorous in growth than E. japonica. The narrow leaves are gracefully curved, and are bright green, with a stripe of white down the centre of each. E. japoniea is a very robust, hardy grass growing to a height of 7ft when planted in a suitable position in the herbaceous border, shrubbery borders, or beside water. There are two variegated forms, one with longtitudinal stripes of white and green, and another with distinct cross bars of yellow on the leaves. . All the grasses already described are perennials, and can be increased quite easily by division, but there are also a number of .annual kinds which are raised from seed every year.. The Quaking grasses, Briza maxima and B. minima, are extremely graceful plants suitable for the herbaceous or mixed flower border and for cutting for arranging .with flowers. They thrive well with a good ordinary loam, and the \ Seeds should be sown in spring as recommended for ordinary hardy annuals. B. maxima grows to a height of 18in, and minor to about Sin. When these grasses are .required for winter decorations they should be cut as soon as full grown. Bromus brizmformis is an elegant biennial grass of easy culture in ordinary . garden soil, growing to a height of 2ft. Seed can be sown in late summer, and the flower stems will appear the following year. Hairs-tail grass, Lagurus ovatus, is a hardy-annual which will thrive anywhere, and is very useful# for cutting for winter decorations, or arranging among cut .flowers. All the annual and biennial grasses can be sown in boxes and transplanted like ordinary half-hardy annuals, or they can be sown in spring or autumn. In every case when sown In the borders they should be thinned out like ordinary flowering annuals.

.Cannas (Indian Shot). Cannas have received the name of Indian shot on account of their round hard' seeds. They are noble plants, perhaps a little tender in some districts, but with U 3 they grow and flower as freely as in many places in the noyth. They are extremely hungry and thirsty plants, -and the beds in which they are to be planted Should be deeply dug and liberally

manured to secure satisfactory results. Applications of liquid manure during the growing season will also be appreciated, and they should receive a mulching of well-rotted manure when growing in poor, sandy, or gravelly soils. The common Canna indiea is quite good for planting beside ponds or streams, or grouping in the shrubbery border, where it w'ill live through the winter quite safely if mulched with strawy manure, grass, oi pine needles, but the named varieties are equally good as foliage plants, and they have large beautiful and very bright flowers. When used in bedding schemes it is better to underplant them with some low-growing plants, such as tuberous be gonias, fibrous rooted begonias, verbenas, or Phlox drummondi. They last on into autumn, but as soon as the first frosts come they jan be lifted and stored away in boxes of moist soil under the stage ir. the greenhouse, or in a frame which will exclude the frost. In early spring they can be divided up, the old foliage being cut off, and then potted up, or put into tins, c good rich soil mixture being used. After potting stand them in the warm greenhouse to start growth, but gradually harden them off in preparation for planting out in December. By growing them in tins or large pots well-grown plants are obtained, and tlfey soon begin -fe- flower.

Plants with Ornamental Foliage. In addition to the grasses there are quite a number of plants with ornamental foliage which are quite hardy and very effective when grouped in a dell or odd corner, or planted beside a stream or -ond. These can be planted as individual specimens or in groups of six or more, and if attention is paid to the arrangement so that the distinctive characteristics of each is brought out, a very fine effect can be obtained. Tlie aralias are stout shrubs or herbaceous plants of the ivy family, some of which are often grown as pot plants for greenhouse and house decoration. Aralia papyrifera (Chinese rice-paper plant) has large handsome leaves, and though it may be cut down somewhat in the winter it soon sends up strong shoots in the spring, and these grow very rapidly. Aralia spinosa (Angelica tree) has large, angelic-like leaves and great panicles of small white flowers which appear in the autumn. It sends up suckers, and from these young plants can be obtained. ■ A. chinensis is also quite hardy, and it has large much divided leaves resembling those of the Angelica tree. Aralia Sieboldi is an evergreen species with. fine green glossy leaves suitable for grouping with other shrubs or for a lawn specimen. This plant is often grown as a pot plant for house. decoration. It is not very hardy, but will thrive near the sea. Chamaerops Fortunei is a perfectly hardy palm growing to a height of 12ft or more with a spreading head of fanlike leaves. Chamaerops hunflulis is also hardy, but Fortunei is the better of the two. Melianthus major (Gape Honey Flower) has large fine-cut glaucous leaves which contrast effectively with the other fine-leaved plants already mentioned. It is a little tender, but though the stems

may be cut down in the winter the roots survive, and it sends up strong stems again in the spring. Acanthus (Bearsbreech) are handsome leaved herbaceous plants suitable for planting near the front of the fine-leaved group. A. mollis is the most common. Abutilons are hardly hardy in most places, but they survive the winter on the hills or nea*’ the sea. A. vitifolium is a handsome, hardy species, and where the ordinary kinds are tender they can be wintered in the greenhouse and planted out in early summer. There are quite a number of named varieties, which are usually grown as greenhouse plants-. Mus. Ensete, the Abyssinian banana, is almost hardy, and where it will not survive the winter it can be taken in and put out again after the hardest frosts are over. Musa Basjoo is a graceful Japanese species,' which will survive most winters and produce large beautiful leaves in the summer. Yuccas, agavas, and FurcraeSs are all plants specially suitable for dry districts, Funkias (plantain lilies) do well in the shade, and they can be,used for carpeting the taller kinds or edging the shady side of the group. To fill up the gaps and provide additional variety such tender plants as maize and castor oil plants can be grown. Tlie last two are easily raised from seed in the spring, and when planted out in early summer soon develop their pleasing and characteristic foliave. Where space is available bamboos, flax, cabbage trees, and astelias can also be introduced with advantage. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. IL W., Kaikorai.—You can transplant fruit trees and bushes from May onwards. Black currant bushes can be pruned as soon the the leaves drop. “ Fungus,” Manuka Creek.—You should not remove the straw from your mushroom bed, and a watering with warm liquid manure will extend the season. “ Gardener,’’ Dunedin.—As your gladioli corms have started to grow you should plant them at once.