The Week In The Garden

Southland Times, Issue 23408, 15 January 1938, Page 18

The Week In The Garden

(By

J. A. McPHERSON)

THE GREENHOUSE The various species of spring flowering primulas will be advanced far enough to enable their being potted into three-inch pots. Keep the plants in a cool house and stand the pots on a bed of cinders which should be damped down lightly at least once a and petunias required for winter work under glass should. be sown this month. Give the seedlings plenty of light and avoid high temperatures. Begonias are now at their best and should be assisted with a little liquid manure. , If fuchsias are attacked by red spiders and thrips the best remedy is to spray the under-sides of the leaves with lime-sulphur in a very weak solution. If this is done regularly once a week the pests will soon disappear. THE FLOWER GARDEN I cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity for removing all spent blooms from garden plants, especially sweet peas, for nothing is more exhausting to plant growth as the setting and producing of seeds. Work in the flower garden for this week is mainly of a routine nature, plus the work of pricking out seedlings of perennials into boxes or small sheltered beds. Do not overlook the work of sowing forget-me-nots. It is not too late if they are sown immediately. The upright pink variety is myosotis stricta var. rosea and many people use it in planning their colour schemes for the spring. Like wallflower, the myosotis must not be coddled, and locally saved seed always gives better germination than that which is imported. ROSES This is an opportune time to discuss rose varieties as the orders for new plants must be in the hands of the nurserymen at an early date. The varieties about to be discussed represent those varieties whether old or new introductions that have appealed very strongly .to the writer during this present season* . . First and foremost I admire that rich velvety crimson William Orr, a splendid dwarf grower and the blooms keep coming the whole season. Another crimson with even deeper shadings is Gipsy Lass. This rose has a delightful scent. Daily Mail Scented is another deep crimson variety of good shape. Now picture a mediuriP-sized rose of of a rich rose pink, a colour it holds till the last petal falls; it should prove a splendid variety for floral work. When looking for an orange-coloured rose I choose Comtesse de Castillega, a splendid bedding variety with orange coloured flowers flushed golden red. Then we come to Sir Basil McFarlane, a wonderful bedding rose with flowers of an orange-pink shade flushed yellow. The buds are beautifully shaped and it is a rose I would include among the six best for general garden purposes. Let me now introduce you to a rose having the outside of the petals amber yellow and the inside a sparkling rose shade. It is well named, Delightful, and should please every grower. Another good rose with dual colouring to the petals is Portadown Sally, a vigorous grower having the outside of the petals yellow and the inside crimson carmine, a striking contrast. Night is a very dark rose. In fact it is the darkest rose of all. It is a vigorous grower and in this respect is an improvement on Chateau de Clos Vougeot. A pleasing variety is Clovelly, with its wellshaped buds opening to a carmine-rose shaded salmon, quite a superior variety. I have ho hesitation in presenting Dorina Neave, a very full rose of a delightful silver-pink colouring. This variety will oust old Caroline Testout from the garden. Duchess of Athol is a vivid ruddy orange rose, but be careful. It is not a good grower in some districts and has a nasty habit of dying back. A deep golden yellow rose is Frau E. Weigand and one that keeps free of disease. A smaller shaped rose of the same colour is Golden Gleam. Such a happy grower and such an early one should be planted in every 'garden. For a rich apricot-yellow I still like the old favourite Lady Hillingdon. It has a charm all of its own. A good semi-double variety and an excellent bedding rose is Lord Castlereagh, one of the darkest crimsons in commerce. Mabel Morse and its sister variety, Golden Emblem, are still to be included in a list of the 20 best garden roses. Mme. Butterfly I shall always like with its rich shell-pink blooms shaded salmon-yellow towards the base. It is one of our best varieties for cutting. Another splendid bedding rose is Mrs G. A. Van Rossem, the colour of which is a flaming orange shaded with apricot, very free flowering. Mrs Herbert Stevens, that favourite old tea rose, cannot be done away with, for it is the best pure white bedding variety we have. Other white roses have been introduced, but they are mainly of exhibition size and will not stand up to rough weather. Portadown is a splendid variety, rich crimson in colour and every petal folding open to form the perfect rose. Portadown Bedder is an ideal bedding rose of medium size, very floriferous and in colour presenting an orange-yellow heavily flushed with cerise. Still another of this group is Portadown Glory, a pure lemon-coloured variety of perfect form with petals that curl backwards at the edges as they unfold. Include this variety in the 20 best roses. Now for the most brilliant self coloured rose yet raised. It is Scarlet Glory, flowers of medium size, long pointed buds and the colour is a wonderful vermilionscarlet. Still the best seller is Shot-Silk of cherry-cerise-shaded-salmon colouring. It is an ideal bedding rose. Sir David Davis should be included among the best of the crimson varieties. It has a nice habit of unfolding its buds correctly. Betty Sutor is a deep pink with a salmon base, but liable to mildew. In dry districts it fades badly. Always a good grower and providing scented blooms for cutting, is the deep red variety Etoile de Holland. For an ivory-white of large size choose McGready’s Ivory, a good exhibition variety. Norman Lambert, a rich yellowapricot flushed buff, is a really worthwhile rose for bedding purposes. Queen Alexandra is still hard to beat, but a more brilliant variety and better contrasting of the two colours which make up the bloom, is Condessa de Sastago. It is not quite so full in the flower as the former variety. This year I have tried the following with great success: Frederico Casas, a good rose, the colour being bright orange, shaded copper; Ville de Paris, sunflower yellow; Elizabeth of York, lovely cerise shaded with orange, a free and good rose; President Hoover, the outer petals of which are claret red, flushed crimson, the inner petals salmon flesh. E. J. Hill, a very good 'bloom of a dazzling scarlet shading to deep pure red. CARE OF BULBS All bulbs that have been lifted should be given a thorough drying before being placed in storage. Examine all hyacinth bulbs at their base and look for signs of bulb-mite. This can be seen by the aid of a hand-lens and is semi-transparent with a reddish tingeto body and legs. It eats.the base

of the bulbs, causes the foliage to turn yellow and the bulbs eventually rot. Soaking the bulbs for 20 minutes in soapy water at a temperature of 125 degrees F. will rid them of this troublesome pest. Bear in mind, however, that the bulbs should be well ripened and dormant. If carried out too late in the season when the bulbs have started to prepare for their growth damage will result. Another pest and one that attacks narcissi is eelworm, three types of which occur in New Zealand. Infested bulbs should be treated by immersing them in hot water for three hours at a constant temperature of 110 degrees F.. As with hyacinths •the bulbs should be well ripened and thoroughly dormant. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Just as soon as early potatoes have been lifted, fork over a portion of the ground and sow a row of silver beet. This is a really splendid vegetable and can be grown where many other crops fail. The outer portion of the leaves can be used as a substitute for spinach and the broad white midribs steamed and served in a manner similar to celery or leeks. Though, as already stated, it will grow where other vegetables fail, the best results are obtained, especially in the development of the broad white midrib, when the plants are grown in good ground and well fed with nitrogenous manures. Where broad beans have set plenty of pods, pinch the tops out in order to assist the beans in swelling. The tops, if free from rust, make a good substitute for spinach. Talking of spinach reminds us that seeds of the New Zealand spinach be sown this month. This plant will thrive on very dry soils and for mat reason is most welcome in many distr January is a good growing month in the vegetable garden and all crops should be encouraged by constantly working the soil with the hoe, hoeing up plants that require protection from winds, thinning crops where necessary, cleanliness in the removal of dead leaves and any Utter liable to harbour diseases and ground insects. Continue with the planting of leeks and celery and see that arrangements are well in hand for the planting out of broccoU, sprouts, savoys, and other winter green crops. < Carrots may have to be sprayed if there is any sign of fly, by using warm water to which has been added some nicotine at the rate of a teaspoonful to the gallon. Mildew, if not checked will also attack young carrot leaves and this is best destroyed by spraying with lime-sulphur in its summer strength. • Failing lime-sulphur, the rows can be dusted with ordinary flowers of sulphur, but it is not,, because of the large size of the particles, quite as effective.

FLOWERS FOR SPRING GARDEN

As soon as summer, bedding is over it will be necessary to turn. attention to making preparation for spring or early summer display. The class of plants best suited for this purpose are the biennials, such as wallflowers, sweet williams, Canterbury bells, stocks, and several others. These require the second year to come in bloom and. are sown now, and must be grown into large plants before the winter. If several kinds are to be sown make up a small bed of rich and open soil, sow in rows, and when plants are large enough plant out in rows, allowing plenty of room for the plants to develop. They are grown on in these rows until the front beds can be dug and replanted in April or May. If the roots are cut some weeks before lifting they will transplant with much more success. It is very necessary to have large, well-branched plants before they are finally planted into their flowering quarters; hence the reason for growing on in nursery beds. Sweet williams and Canterbury bells transplant safely even if very large plants. WALLFLOWERS Where good, bushy plants are desired for autumn planting seeds may now be sown in shallow drills one foot apart. Varieties are numerous, but two which are always worth growing are orange bedder and scarlet emperor, both of which are dwarf and compact in habit.. The double-flowered varieties are useful for pot culture in the cool greenhouse, and when well grown produce massive spikes. Cutting the tap roots when transplanting from the nursery bed will induce bushy growth. Seeds of the Siberian and alpine varieties of wallflower should not be sown until the end of December, for if raised earlier they often flower in late autumn. The most popular kind of wallflowers are Cloth of Gold (yellow), Blood-Red (dark red), Fire King (dark brown), and the two mentioned above. The secret of having very dwarf plants is more in the cultivation than in the variety. A row of plants may be set out in the back garden and there grown into large plants before being transplanted to the front beds.— The Wanganui Herald.

THE KAFFIR LILY

Schizostylis coccinea, a South African irid, is one of the most valuable of garden plants for it flowers throughout the later summer and autumn—often up to Christmas. It has the habit of a gladiolus, but the grassy leaves are thin and narrow and the plant “runs,” soon making a Congested mass of roots. The flowering spikes rise to 18in or 2ft and bear a long succession of large bowl-shaped blossoms in a rich reddish-crimson. The colour goes remarkably well with autumn leaf tints and the spikes are excellent for cutting. A beautiful variety with even larger flowers of a lovely shade of al-mond-blossom pink with a satiny gloss was raised a few years ago and called Mrs Hegarty. This is in its own way as charming as the type. It was followed by yet another pink, Viscountess Byng, but I do not find this any improvement on Mrs Hagerty, nor has it, any marked distinction. These Kaffir lilies need a fairly light soil, but plenty of moisture is desirable from early summer on to flowering time. In winter the drier they are the better as open ground plants. They have a reputation for tenderness, but I have seen them come through 30 degrees of frost without injury. Spring is the best time to plant and at that season the clumps should be lifted and divided, the best pieces being set out singly about four inches apart in groups.