IN THE GARDEN

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

IN THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK. . THE FLOWER GARDEN. G'hryeiantheniutns (should be planted put as soon as possible. • ■• Dahlia planting can be done from now onwards. '* Mark. the posititon and drive in the central stake, planting at the foot of the stake. Make new plantations, of violets. Choose the best and strongest offshoots for planting out. Tuberous-rooted begonias can be planted outside. Annuals sown in the open will require severe thinning to prevent them from getting drawn up slender and weakly. Lift, divide and replant iris stylosa. Sweet>pcas must be trained and disbudded. To allow the growths to fall down or get bent is to spoil the flowers. Rambler • roses are now sending out strong basal growths. Tie in sufficient of the strongest and cut or break out the others. Bedding that' has been delayed by bad weather should be finished at the earliest opportunity. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Go along the rows of cabbage and - cauliflower and any that have been swayed by the wind should be made firm. : ' • Draw up'soil to the stems of cabbages, . etc., in a similar manner to potatoes. Sow parsnips as soon as possible. These require a long season of growth and should be sown early. If early .planted tomatoes have suffered further plantings should be made. Make further sowings of beet, lettuce, radish, mustard and cress. .Alake a sowing of swedes and turnips. Sowings of pumpkins, vegetable marrow and melons can be made. Make sowings of runner beans and dwarf beans. Sow haricot beans for harvesting when mature for winter use. Thin out crops of .carrots, beet, parsnips, etc. Sow peas for successibn. Aa soon as any crops are over clear away the rubbish and get the ground ready ;for the next one. ' THE GREENHOUSE. Ventilation has needed , especial .care lately and shading will be necessary to prevent undue wilting. x ' Watering must be' carefully done,; as there is a tendency to over water a plant which appeals to be suffering from want of water when it is due to the sun after dull weather. Repotting oT plants that require it should be done as soon as possible.',/ Do not over pot; better to have to give another shift later en than to give too large a pot now; Shade as the plants require it. A hot sun after a few days’ dull, stormy : weather makes extra shading necessary- ' ' ' Tuberous begonia! must be kept growing. Pot them on as they reqnire.it. Cyclamen and' other plants as they go off should be stood outside in the. shade; t)o not withhold water suddenly. Gloxinias will need attention to potting, etc. Shade iis also essential. , ■_ Fumigation .to keep'down insect pests is advisable. If done about once every ' ten days or so it prevents the insects getting started. , FINE DELPHINIUMS. Those who are getting together a collection of delphiniums or who are groiyintr some of the better varieties, should not forget to include the Rev, E. Lascelles and King of. the Delphiniums as two of the best dark blue varieties in cultivation. The former has some small wliitiy- petals in the centre, which - enhance the beauty of the flowers con- ; siderably.' For'a light Cambridge blue, i there is little to beat belladonna and i belladonna grandiflora, the latter being : taller/with larger flowers. ■ < VINERY. ( — 1 .(

The 'berries in early houses are swelling fast. Vines need constant attention during the next few weeks to assist them .in maturing their crops. Give a little extra ventilation at night and more dpring the day, to steady the temperature. A little surface feeding arid regular supplies of water will help to improve the grapes and give them a gdod colour./'Keen a sharp look-out for red spider; high, dry temperature- is just what this pest revels in.' Grapes in' cold houses should he thinned as' soon as possible; ' With even the latest , varieties, sooner this work is finished thebetter. This is for many reasons, as the work i is easier to / do before the berries become packed. Thin thorough-’ ]y, especially the denture of the bunches! pinch the lateral growths regularly, and in the case of weak vines-allow a little extra growth, if possible, but ayoid overcrowding the i roof with lea-ves, which will interfere with a free circulation of air. Damp the floor, and walls once or twice on-hot days. ' ; -MARROWS. Vegetable marrows usually do well in any fair quality soil. In heavy, poof, or wet soils it often is advisable to give them a little extra attention'. The best.. way is to dig out a hole about two feet deep and put in .a good layer of old cow manure or any vegetable refusd 1 that may be handy. This should be well trodden in so that it is packed as tight as possible. The soil should then be put back and will form a mound, and on this the marrows should be planted. Two plants will be sufficient for each mound. Seed can be sown in place of the plants. Whether sowing seed' or putting out plants,, it is advisable to protect them for a. few days with a handlight or small frame with glass on

top, - ; as a heavy rain or a cold wind plays havoc with the young plant. PRIMROSES AND POLYANTHUS. it As the spring'flowering plants go out W of bloohi they-,should' be dug up,, divided A half-shady border suits them, as they ie need cool conditions during summer. A >f rich soil containing plenty of cow manure produces a vigorous plant that will ie flower well, from autumn till spring. >r There have been great improvements in the forms and size of the flowers dur- > iiig the last few years, and those who can and do grow these plants well e should make a note and obtain some n seed of these newer forms. It is not ’• fretting the. best for your labour, nor is the garden producing its best, when 1- obsolete and old-fashioned strains are 11 grown. Seed of the best softs may be e expensive, but a few good ‘seedlings can easily be increased by division until t in a few years, by sowing a packet of seed yearly, division of the best plants r and elimination of those that are second-rate, it is surprising how soon d a good strain can be got together. CAMPANULA PYRAMIDALIS. The value of this plant for summer decoration can scarcely be over-rated. 1 Specimens in lOin pots are now sending i up strong growths, which are expected s to reach a height of six to seven feet, and to be clothed with branches of > blue or white , flowers for nearly half '• their length. The cooler the' plants can 3 ' bo kept from now until lowering the 1 stronger they are likely to be. A; light position in a house with no artificial • heat and plenty of ventilation is the 5 place for them just now. In June they may be placed outside in a’ sheltered > position, taking them under cover again before the flowers open. If kept under glass all the time > they will 4 be extra r tall. Seeds sown during this month in a cold frame will provide plants which L may be wintered in 4in or siq pots, and transferred''in December to 6in or 7in 1 pots, and thence to.ffin or lOin pots in February for flowering the following season. The plant is a hardy perennial,- but it is well worth the trouble of greenhouse cultivation, TRAINING SWEET PEAS. Thq training of sweet peas■ and the subsequent cohiparative ease with which disbudding can be done is one of the most important parts of the production of exhibition blooms. Without proper training and disbudding it is almost impossible ,to do the'sWeet pea well. It is such a rampant grower and so floriferous, every lateral and sub-lateral producing flowers, that to try and keep the plants restricted to a jfair.quantity ’of flowers is almost impossible, and the result is a mass of. bloom for a short while, followed by a crop of seeds. To many, the' training ■ and disbudding of sweet peas, so as to put all the energies of the plant into one or two main stems, is almost like reducing the plants to mere skeletons and ruining the. , s chance of a good show of flowers. The properly trained and disbudded sweet pea, how; ever, actually gives more and better blopms and lasts over a much longer period before giving out. The .plants should stand one foot apart, and if the stem has been stopped, 'a number of shoots Win arise, arid two of these should be trained to sticks or bamboo canes, the others being removed. It iriay be necessary also to stop laterals so as to confine the energy of the plant to the two stems. Weak growers can be restricted to. one stem, while the strong growers can carry three or even four i stems. Remove the tendrils, as these are inclined to cling to one another and pull the growths away. The stems should -be gone over and loosely tied to the sticks at least twice a week. ' MONKSHOODS FROM SEED. iAconitums, or monkshoods, are effectfve border plants, some of them being specially useful ■ in autumn, when the delphiniums are over and. when tall, hardy flowers, with spike 3 of their character, 'are required for the. decoration of the border. The best of them are inexpensive to purchase in the form of plants, while see<L| sown in spring , will supply good flowering plants for the following year. The monkshoods are tall plants with handsome spikes, of , flowers, differing in outline, but generally bearing in form that resemblance, to the cowl of a monk, whence they have acquired their name. The greater' number of them afe true, hardy perennials, flourishing in any good soil, but : are more' imposing in appearance , if . in a good compost, enriched i by a plentiful addition of manure. Deep : digging, liberal manuring, and water in continued dry weather will afford ■ . plants which are finer than those grown i in the usual haphazard manner. Seeds , of most species can be obtained, and should be sown in boxes or in the open i garden. The seed beds should be ] shaded. -If the-.seed is sown in boxes ■ the seedlings should be transplanted ] early, as they have an elongated tap. 1 root, which gets stunted if allowed to , remain too long in the boxes. ] ;— ( CHRYSANTHEMUMUS IN SUMMER, i , ’ ' ] There are not a great mahy of these i plants grown- in pots, but there are 1 some, and every year sees an increase < in'this form of cultivation. For the ] enthusiast who lives in more or less ] confined conditions and where soil has- < to be procured from elsewhere, pot 1 plants can be grown and the soil and i culture is an aSvantage, because more i feeding operations are more under < control. It probably entails more work, I but it has its advantages, in so much 1 that the plants are portable; and when 1 autumn storms arrive it is often a i great advantage to be able to move the e plants to some protection. After pot- c ting it is necessary to stand the pots 1 outside. Along the edge of a path is f all right, but if the only place available i is on loose soil, the pots should be Stood f

on a board to prevent worms entering at the drainage hole. A stake should be inserted into each, pot and the top tied to a wire stretched along the line of the row with, a post at each end. This will keep the plants upright and prevent the wind blowing them over.. Watering must be carefully done, and throughout the season it will be necessary to give applications of liquid manure. ‘ ' SCENTED GERANIUMS. These plants, which at one time were' so popular that they were grown in most gardens, and were especially in demand as window plants, are now seldom seen. Not because they are difficult to grow, or that they lack attraction, for even now when a plant is seen it js usually a cause of a lot. of inquiries. We value old prints, china, etc.,, but anything old.in the plant line ig consigned to the fire heap. Fewplants give a greater return for the trouble expended on them, and the boughs of fragrant foliage ■ can be freely cut and are always a welcome addition to bunches of cut flowers! The old !‘oak-leavcd”is one of• the best of all and rapidly makes truly gigantic specimens; a cutting rooted in autumn and planted out will soon attain the size of a bush. These plants can be cut down every year and will provide huge quantities of elegantly cut foliage. Capitaturn is. strongly rose-scented, with purple flowers. Citridorum is not so well known, but the fragrance is lovely; the plant, if frequently stopped, forms close, compact little bushes. This variety produces an essential oil, largely used in hair washes, etc. Another desirable form is fragrans, very, powerfully scented with small deep green leaves. Tbmentosum —unlike most—has undivided leaves, these being of a typical geranium shape, and thickly covered with down; when pressed the leaves emit a strong perfume of peppermint. Lady Plymouth is a variegated form of the oak-leaved. Odoratissimum lobatum is another pepper-mint-scented form, while Pretty Polly ia very compact and bushy, smelling strongly of .almond. Radula is a small type, with tiny, much cut leaves, perfumed like balsam. Shotterham Pet has rosy purple flowers and leaves reminiscent of the filbert. All these respond to similar treatment accorded the ordinary geranium, cuttings rooting freely in the open ground. Do not spare the picking; every time a piece is cut it causes the lower buds to grow and keeps the plant bushy. IRIS STYLOSA. ,

This early flowering iris, which has now finished flowering, can be ■ lifted, divided, and replanted. In the majority of gardens many of these rhizomaeous iris cannot be said to be a great sucaess. Usually it is in large clumps of several years’ standing, /forming ragged looking patches, and the home of myriads of snails and other vermin. Large clumps such as these, give very few flowers, and the result is that iris stylosa is one of those/varieties which is not often considered worth growing. Iris stylosa comes from Algeria,'and likes a hot, well drained soil containing lime, and a warm, dry, sheltered position. It will thrive close up to the walls of a,house. It has a very short stem which usually does not extend much beyond the ground level. The flowers, however, have a long perianth tube which often attains the length of six' inches or even longer. This raises the blooms well out of the long, narrow sheathing spathes, leaving the ovary well down amongst the leaves, The flowers should be pulled when the buds are just unfolding and will open indoors quite readily.