THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 4014, 17 February 1931, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEKS

NOTES BY

D. TANNOCK,

A.H.R.H.S

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to take the buds of the large flowering chrysanthemums as they develop and keep all the shoots which arise round and under them pinched out. The single and decorative varieties can be allowed to make another break, and the young shoots disbudded to three on each stem. As soon as the buds are set a little liquid manure can be given once a week and a sharp look out will have to be maintained to detect caterpillars and green or black fly. The tuberous begonias will soon be at their best, and a little liquid manure once a week will assist the development of the flowers. Keep the side buds pinched out and the large blooms supported by means of thin bamboo stakes or wires. Topdress or pot on palms, ferns, and other foliage plants and prepare the soil for potting on the first of the cinerarias into their flowering pots or tins. The soil is similar to that required for the chrysanthemums, and will consist of turfy loam two parts, leafmould, and well-rotted manure half a part each, with half a part of clean _.sand and old mortar rubble, and a sixinch potful of bone meal to every barrowload of the mixture. Continue to pot up the old corms of cyclamen, and also the various kinds of bulbs for forcing, and line out the stocks and Sweet William plants on a well-manured part of the nursery or reserve garden. THE FLOWER GARDEN. The dry sunny days which we have had recently have brought on the flowers quickly, and there is now a fine display of dahlias, rambler roses, stocks, and the various hardy and half hardy annuals. Nemesia is still bright and attractive, but as it is usually planted as a catch crop it should be removed to allow the tuberous begonias or other plants to come away. Canterbury Bells, Sweet William and forget-me-nots can be planted out in their flowering positions if there is room on the mixed border or in any of the beds, and spring flowering bulbs and tubers of all kinds can be put out. Keep the old flowers picked from the roses, sweet peas, and dahlias, and stake and tic up all plants securely. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Plant out leeks, broccoli, and cabbage, make another early sowing of early carrots, turnips, spinach, radish, and lettuce, thin out crops as they require it, and keep the surface soil stirred among all growing crops. As soon as the berry crops have been gathered the protecting nets which were put up to keep away the birds should be removed, and where permanent protection is provided this should be opened up to allow the birds to get in to clean up grubs, caterpillars, and other insects which would do considerable barm if left to the freedom of their own will. Birds really do a lot of good as well as some harm, and many are most effective insect destroyers. If the young wood has become overcrowded it can be thinned out a bit to admit light and air, and the old raspberry canes which have fruited can be cut over as soon as they have finished. Peach trees growing on walls or fences have had a bad time this season, and if very badly attacked by leaf curl it will be better to root them out altogether and plant new trees. GENTIANS. Though, the main display on the rock garden is provided by the spring flowers, there are a number which bloom during the summer and autumn and continue the interest, and amongst these the gentians take a verj' important part. Gentians, lithospermuins, and campanulas provide the true blues, but of these the gentains are the more intense. Some of the gentians are strong growers suitable for the herbaceous border or for planting in a semi-shaded place near water,

but most are at home on the rock garden, and they are true hardy alpines. They thrive, in any well-drained soil, and will continue to flower for years if top-dressed with some gritty soil in the autumn. Gentiana acaulis is the best-known and most popular, and in some gardens is used for edging paths and borders. It rather likes rough treatment, and if it does not flower too well, it is an advantage to walk on it occasionally. Gentiana Verna is one of the most beautiful of alpine plants, but unfortunately it» is difficult to get, and hard to cultivate. In the alps it grows in pastures, and I knew one enthusiast who tried it in this way in Dunedin, but the grass grows too strong here, and it smothered the tiny gentian. Gentiana Farreri is one of the discoveries of the lr' Reginal Fairer, and is well worthy of this enthusiastic rock gardener. It is of easy cultivation if planted in a moist half-shady spot, either on the rock garden or on a rocky border. It has grassy-like leaves, not at all like any of the other gentians, and bears quantities of large tubular flowers, a wonderful shade of sky blue with a shaded white throat. It varies a bit in colour wb.cn raised from seed, but the old plants can be divided up. Gentiana septemfida (crested gentian) is a lovely plant, much easier to cultivate than some of the other species, and one which is sure to flower. It has stems 6 inches to 12 inches high, which bear clusters of cylindrical flowers widening towards the mouth, of bright azure-blue. It is easily ra : sed from seed, and the seedlings soon reach the flowering stage. There are several varieties, one of which, procumbens, suggests a prostrate habit. Latifolia is considered the finest of the lot, and cordifolia, which has cordate leaves, grows about half the h-’ght of the type. G. Oliveri is a stronger grower with prostrate branches bending upwards at the tips, and bearing terminal spikes of bright blue flowers. G. Decumbens is said to be synonomous with Oliveri, and it certainly has the same prostrate habit, but with us the difference may be due to different conditions. G. Frevnaian is a beautiful and amiably disposed species, easy to cultivate, and a free flowerer. The flowers are borne in terminal club-like clusters on foot-high stems, and are intense indi '-blue. G. Cruciata is a strong growing species with terminal clusters of bright blue flowers. G. phlogifolia is a distinct and easily cultivated species from Transylvania. G. asclepiodea (willow gentian) is a strong grower suitable for a half-shady place on the herbaceous border. It has arching wands 2 feet high, reminding one of Solomons Seal, on which stand large blue trumpets in pairs. G. Sino-ornata is the autumn counterpart of G. acaulis; flowers brilliant blue trumpets. Kinds which thrive in leaf soil and sandy peat with broken bits of sandstone are Bigelowi, ciliata, frigida, Freyniana, Froechiehii, Kurroo, Parryii, pumila, and Walliehiana. Kinds of easy culture are brevidens, cruciata, dahurica, decumbens, Kesselringii, macrophylla, Oliveri, phlogifolia, scabra, tibetica, and Walujewi. Though theye are 20 species of native gentians they lack the colour of the alpine species, except 0. cerina of the Auckland Islands, which by some is considered one of the most beautiful plants in the flora, being white. The corolla vary in colour from pure white to white with a vertical sprig, purple, reddish purple, and violet. The mainland species are not at all difficult to cultivate either on the rock garden or on a well-drained border. G. saxosa and G. bellidifolia are flowering with us at present.

SUMMER FLOWERING BROOMS. There are two. beautiful brooms in flower at present, both with a weeping habit and suitable for large rock gardens or dry, steep banks. Genists aetensis (Mount Etna Broom) is a native of Sicily, and though in a young state the slender twigs are sparsely clothed with silky leaves these disappear altogether in the older plants, the green slender twigs performing the functions of the leaves. These slender branches are clothed with small yellow pea-like flowers, and at present well-grown plants are a fine sight. Notospartium Garmichaeliae is the native pink broom, and, like the Mount Etna broom, it is without leaves. The slender drooping branches bear small racemes of pink pea flowers, a well-grown plant having a beautiful pink fountain-like effect. Both can be raised from seed, which should be sown in small pots to avoid the dangers of transplanting. Convolvulus or bindweed will suggest to many the troublesome weed which has found its way into several gardens, and is so difficult to eradicate. There are some species, however, which are not at all troublesome, and are real good garden plants. Two suitable for the rock garden or a dry sunny bank are C. cneorum and C. mauritanicus. C. cneorum is a silvery-leaved shrubby species of high ornament and' beauty, growing from 3 feet to 5 feet high. Cuttings root readily. C. mauritanicus (blue rock bindweed) is not a weed at all, but a beautiful prostrate twining plant from North Africa with slender

stems. The blue flowers are one inch across, with a white throat and yellow anthers, and at present it is a feature on the rock garden. It can be propagated from either seed or cuttings. Senecio clivorum is a strong growing plant from China, with large heartshaped leaves of shining green a foot or more across. It has tall, muchbranched flower stems, and heads of orange-yellow, rather coarse flowers with a brown centre. Altogether, it is a striking though rather coarse plant suitable for moist situations near a pond or stream. The various coloured varieties of astilbe are also very effective by the water at present, and the red-foli-aged lobelia is preparing to send up its flower stalks which will bear brilliant scarlet flowers. Two neat little shrubs in flower at present the Potentilla fruticosa and Osteomeles Schwerinae, both members of the rose family. Potentilla fru eicosa is a deciduous shrub varying in height from two to four feet with pinnate leaves one inch to one inch and ahalf long*.downy beneath; flowers I right buttercup-yellow, one inch to one inch and three-quarters across, solitary or a few together. Osteomeles is an evergreen shrub growing eventually to a height of six to eight feet. It was introduced from China by Wilson in 1908. Its foliage suggests the pea rather than the rose family, but it is very elegant in habit and attractive in blossom. The flowers, which are white and about three-quarters of an inch across, are borne in branching corymbs, terminating lateral twigs.