THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 21578, 16 December 1931, Page 14

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK

(By

J. A. McPherson.)

THE GREENHOUSE. Most of the Cinerarias and 'Sc-hizanthus have finished blooming and may be discarded, for healthy plants of Fuchsias and Begonias will be ready to take their place. A point to remember with Begonias, especially as they come into bloom is to keep off attacks of greenfly. If other soft plants are about it will be noticed that greenfly rarely attack Begonias and a syringing of the foliage in the morning with clear water will generally keep the pests away. It. only requires a half dozen insects on a Begonia plant to make the buds drop off. Begonias are heavy feeders once the roots have filled the pots. Pot up seedling Coleus into small pots and shift them on as they grow. Give the plants all the heat possible, it brings out the colour in the foliage. Geraniums for winter flowering must be potted on and not allowed to starve for root room. Pinch the leading shoots to keep them within due bounds and give the plants plenty of light. Single Chrysanthemums.

This is the correct, time to split up old plants and repot them into half petrol tins. Plant only the strong growing portions of the old stools and give the soil a good ramming when carrying out the work. Young plants raised from cuttings will do quite well if three plants are set in each tin, this furnishes the tins better and yet does not overcrowd the plants. Stand the tins outside in a sheltered yard and if not already done, the plants must be pinched back to make them break into side growths. The Flower Garden. Late planted Dahlias have suffered a little with the recent high winds; but if the shoots are cut back a little they will soon come away again. Do not permit the tuber to suffer from want of water.

Do not neglect to sow Wallflower seed immediately otherwise the plants will be no size when it comes to finally set them out in late autumn. Pay attention to leaves collected and stacked last winter. Give the stack a turn over and if dry, water well and tramp down firm.

Owing to continued fine weather it has been possible to keep down weeds in most gardens, consequently’ the general appearance is much ahead of conditions prevailing this time last year. All annuals except a few tender kinds, which will be planted direct into the garden from pots, should be in the ground by now. This will leave time to attend to various minor works in other« parts of the garden. Here are a few of them. Clematis do not like dry conditions at the roots, so attend to the watering. If a Clematis could talk it would in all probability say, “My head in full sunshine, my feet in cool shade and I’m happy.” Then there is the violet bed to attend to. If the plants are a tangled mass, start another bed in a deeply worked portion of the garden with a fair amount of shade but not under large trees where the roots rob all the food from the surface soil. Take good strong well-rooted runners and plant them six inches apart with a spacing of a foot between the rows. Give them a good soaking and keep the wind off the plants to prevent flagging until they have a hold of the soil. As the crowns develop remove all runners that appear and feed later on with a weak application of liquid manure once each week. Another small but essential job is to remove the seed heads from young Rhododendron bushes. If left on, specially with bushes planted a few months back, they rob the plants of much food and often prevent new shoots from breaking away. Seed heads on Pansies and Violas must be removed before they develop far, nothing sends Pansies especially off blooming as quickly as permitting them to seed.

A glance along the shrubs will reveal several specimens in flower. The red and pink Manukas are very fine this season and it will be noticed that the pink shows up at distance more so than the red variety. Weigelias with their bunches of stumpy tubular flowers always bloom freely in Southland. The dark red variety is Eva Rathka. Still a rare plant in most gardens is the Chilean Fire Bush (Embothrium coccineum) a most remarkably small tree perfectly hardy and covered from top to bottom with scarlet tufts of bloom resembling in no small degree the Tasmanian Waratah. Our native Veroncias are not to be despised, especially the lovely lilac V. hulkeana from the Nelson district. I have seen plants of this exhibited at the big shows in London and very much admired. Choosing Roses. Many people make a big mistake by choosing roses at the wrong time. That is to say they leave the choice till the last minute and then there is a scramble round and frantic inquiry as to which are the best twelve or twenty best roses for general garden purposes. What appeals to one person does not appeal to another and that is one of the reasons why public gardens throughout New’ Zealand should keep their rose stocks up to date and when the plants are in bloom to interest all growers in them. In many cities this has lead to a “rose day” or “rose week” which is growing in popularity. A visit to any rose garden at the present time will overcome many difficulties in the way of a choice of varieties and armed with a pencil and note book the keen amateur will not regret it. Personally I am not fond of a large rose that borders on coarseness however wonderful the colour may be, rather do 1 prefer a medium-sized rose of good shape coupled with substance, and purity of tone in its colour. However, that is just a matter of personal opinion; but it leads me to suggest the following varieties as fit for Southland soil and climate, and to be of use as a guide to readers. No description, however, can take the place of seeing the varieties in bloom and that is why I so strongly recommend readers to visit gardens devoted to the cultivation of a goodly collection. Cilly Michel is of recent introduction with long pointed buds having a colour range of capucine brownish-red illuminated with orange and coral red; George Dakin, salmon pink veined with apricot; George Howarth, dazzling cerise with lemon shading at the heart; Lady Forteviot, golden yellow deepening to apricot; Talisman, scarlet, pink, copper and gold are all found in this variety; Angela Pernet, • vivid orange-apricot; Adele Corpton, cadium yellow shading to apricot; Advocate, good shaped rich red variety; Betty Uprichard, salmon pink suffused coppery orange, a splendid rose; Chas. P. Kilham, orange red shaded scarlet; Chateau de Clos Vougeot, the darkest red rose yet raised, unfortunately not a strong grower; Cuba, scarlet crimson; Dame Edith Helen, pure glowing pink; Desmond Johnson, orange scarlet, a good grower; Edith Nellie Perkins, orient red shaded cerise and orange; Etoile de Hollande, a lovely dark red; Fontanele, a sweet lemon yellow; Florence Izzard, pure buttercup yellow; General McArthur, bright red; Golden Dawn, yellow shaded old rose; Golden Emblem, the largest golden yellow rose yet raised; Golden Gleam, a sweetly shaped bloom of deep buttercup yellow, I recommend it for our climate; Hadley, crimson with dark shadings; Isobel, a single variety with rose pink petals shading to coppery 'orange at the base, the best single for Southland; James Gibson, a rich glowing crimson; Lady Hillingdon, a deep orange yellow, a rose of long standing; Lady Margaret Elizabeth, carmine

pink; Lord Charlemont, a splendid glowing crimson; Lord Lambourne, buttftcup yellow edged with carinine-scarlet; Mabel Morse, golden yellow without shading, splendid for this climate; Mdme Butterfly, a dainty pink rose suffused with apricot, a splendid grower; Mdme M. Soupert, coppery yellow globular flowers; Margaret McGredy, geranium-lake a wonderful colouring and still a sensation in the rose world; Marion Cran, buttercup yellow margined cerise and rosy scarlet a wonderful colouring; Mrs Bryce Allan, silvery rose; Mrs G. A. Van Rossem, dark golden yellow flushed orange scarlet; Mrs Henry Morse, a bright silvery-rose shade with wonderful scent; Mr? H. Stevens, still best white variety; Patience, carmine lake deepening to orange scarlet; Radiance, pink shaded salmon pink; Red Letter Day, a bright crimson semi double; Rev. Page Roberta, bug and yellow inside and carmine yellow on outside of petals; Rose Marie, soft rosy pink; Roselandia, a golden yellow sport from Ophelia; Scarlet Glory, Vermillion scarlet and all that its name implies; Sir David Davis, glowing crimson, a good rose; Shot Silk; cherry cerise shaded salmon rose; Souv de Georges Pernet, oriental red shaded carmine and yellow; Ville de Paris, orange yellow that keeps its colour; Una Wallace, cherry rose; Souv. de H. A. Verschuren, a golden yellow of Orphelia type; William Korddes, capucine red on a golden yellow ground; Zingari (Lutea hybrid), orange and scarlet, a pretty little bud; White Ensign; an addition to our white varieties.

Armed with the above lengthy list and a visit paid to any rose gardens the grower should have no difficulty in choosing really good varieties for next season. When ordering roses always order early, it saves many a disappointment. SCABIOSA CAUCASICA. Although this herbaceous perennial has gained greater popularity in recent years, it is not so extensively cultivated as it merits, and a few remarks on its requirements may prove helpful to those who contemplate making a plantation of this most beautiful and useful plant, as well as those who have not so far been successful in their efforts (Says a contributor to the Gardeners' Chronicle. London).

Gardeners, and amateurs in particular, seem very reluctant to introduce the perennial scabious into their herbaceous collections, but, although it may prove an

- acquisition thus, I think S. caucasica in - its many forms better planted in separate > beds. Given generous treatment they will ' repay the trouble, bestowed on them and ; once established will bloom profusely. For ■ cut flowers in vases there are few to equal 1 their blooms, both from a decorative and ’• lasting point of view. A deep, moist root-run seems to suit ’ their requirements best, and they appear to like a sunny situation. Shelter from strong 'winds is beneficial, but as they are stocky in growth little or no support is ■ needed. Heavy- rain when the plants are ’ carrying a lot of flowers is the only thing that mars their beauty. Plenty of well-decayed manure or leaves should be incorporated in the soil at planting time, but they resent stagnant conditions. Lime they do not object to, and dustings of dry lime about their crowns will assist in warding off attacks by slugs, which seem to be extremely fond of the young growths. April or early May (October and November in New Zealand) is the best time to make new plantations, but established clumps should only- be divided up every three of four years if large quantities of cut blooms are aimed at. I make a practice when forming new plantations not to allow the plants to bloom t hefirst season. This I find beneficial in providing good, well-furnished crowns, which in the second season amply atone for the sacrifice ofTihe first season’s bloom. It is quite easy to take off pieces from established clumps to form fresh plantations without unduly disturbing the main portion, thus leaving enough of the old plants to provide a supply- of blooms during the coming season. I know several enthusiasts who have planted scabious and lost them during the winter, and have then given up their culture. They are perfectly hardy, even in the north, and I have never experienced any difficulty in wintering my plants safely. It is not wise to cut down the foliage, as is generally done with herbaceous plants whenever they show signs of decay; merely remove the old flower stems, but leave all foliage intact, as this affords protection during the winter. Place about the crowns a layer of 2in. of fine furnace ash to which has been added a good sprinkling of dry- lime. This does much to protect the crowns against damp and tatacks of snails, and to a certain extent wards off hard frost. On old-established plants remove all dead foliage and give a good dressing of bonemeal and soot, lightly forking it in around the clumps. If the site is known to become very dry during the summer months a mulch of decayed manure or leaves will do much to conserve the moisture. During the flowering period which extends well into October if the weather remains open, keep all seed heads removed. The blooms should be cut as soon as expanded, and if this is attended to a long succession will result. The varieties of which there are now a goodly number, may be selected according to individual taste. They range from blue to light lavender and white, in many pleasing shades. The varieties Diamond and Constancy were the first two of note to be introduced, but these, although quite good, have had to make way for other varieties. GARDEN TURNIPS. The turnip may be regarded as a secondrate vegetable in the garden, but it has been cultivated from very early times, and, although in some gardens it is looked on as an autumn cropping plant only, in large establishments where successional supplies of many kinds of vegetables are grown, it is more or less in demand throughout the greater part of the year (says the Gardeners’ Chronicle, London). Probably no other garden crop is so directly influenced for good or ill by peculiarities of the season, and good management is necessary to ensure a constant supply of tender and succulent roots. The turnip will grow in any good garden soil, but the best for the purpose is a deep, rich, friable loam. The sweet, tender roots required for the table can only be obtained by growing them so quickly as circumstances w-ill allow, and a rich soil is essential to promote rapid development. The conditions which suit the turnip best are a happy combination of heat and moisture; in a wet season with insufficient heat, the roots swell, soon burst and become useless: while in a hot season with insufficient moisture, they frequently become taprooted and misshapen owing to their eager search for moisture, and although the grower cannot control these sensational vagaries he can do much to help the plants to withstand them by providing thoroughly prepared soil and a suitable position. Another point of some importance is that turnips do not remain in good condition after they have completed their growth; it is true they keep fairly well in winter, but in spring and summer they should be used so fast as they become large enough to be serviceable, or they will become fibrous and rank in flavour;

Where the early supplies are needed sowing may be made on gentle hot-beds from January (July in New Zealand) onwards, but under favourable conditions seeds may be sown outside from the beginning of

March (September) until the end of August (February). Frequent small sowings should be the rule until the main crop season in July or August, when larger breadths may be sown. By adopting this method the loss off any particular sowing through the crop being checked by unfavourable weather conditions is quickly regained by the following sowing. So soon as soil conditions are favourable in early March the first sowing may be made on a warm border, and fortnightly successional sowings should follow until about mid April, when an open position in the main ga'rden may be chosen for subsequent batches. Sow the seeds thinly in rows about a foot apart, and so soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle thin them adequately, for only plants which have ample room to develop will “bulb” quickly. Frequent stirring of the surface soil helps to accelerate growth by conserving the moisture which is so essential to the rapid development of the crop. The enemy of the crop is the turnip fly or flea-beetle, and, although only a tiny beetle, its ravages in some seasons are. so complete that it is not at all uncommon for several sowings of turnips to be destroyed by it. The control of the pest is difficult, as in dry periods • attacks are virulent and sustained, generations of beetles following each other rapidly. If the seeds are soaked in terpentine the fly is kept away from the seedlings for some time, and fine ashes or sawdust steeped in parafin and sprinkled on the drills act as a deterrent; but good cultivation which enables the seedliiigs to make rapid growth in the early stages, is the greatest safeguard. Change of soil and the rigorous supression of all cruciferous weeds which act as host plants to the pest, should be practised. GREENHOUSE PAINT. It is well known that the paint on the inside of a greenhouse does not last long. It soon perishes with the continued moisture. Now, one of the most important points in the upkeep of a greenhouse is • to keep the inside painted with good paint. According to foreign publication, the durability of paint for the inside of greenhouses may be considerably increased bymixing with it paraxin wax dissolved in kerosene. In what proportions or any further particulars is not stated, a little should be added and if it does render paint durable under continuous damp it will more than compensate for the extra cost.