IN THE GARDEN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20587, 28 November 1936, Page 10 (Supplement)

IN THE GARDEN

SUPPORTING PLANTS PLEASING OR UGLY EFFECTS What a world of difference stakes and plant supports may make to a garden! Sometimes, alas! they utterly spoil the whole effect, either by reason of their actual ugliness or the lack of cunning with which they are used. Nobody wants to view stakes and rope or gleaming raffia in a flower border, and it would be grand if all our cultivated treasures could stand erect or spread with natural grace entirely unsupported. It is one of the penalties of our high standard of culture and of the wonderful results of the plant breeders’ art that most things that grow above two feet high need something to keep them from grovelling in the mire or snapping in the wind. Many tall, stout stems are heavy, and offer considerable resistance to gusty breezes. A stake must, therefore, be substantial in order to fulfil its mission, but every endeavour should be made to screen it from view by placing it either in the middle of a mass of leafy stems or at the back of a plant. Tying material should also be of soft subdued shades, not violently contrasting with the colour of the stems and leaves of the plant. Green twine and dyed raffia are available which will be far more inconspicuous than the usual buff colour of undyed material.

Bamboo canes also are obtainable in colour, and for durability as well as neatness they are difficult to supersede Quite a wide range of patent clips and devices for supporting plants are on the market, and for the most part these are very serviceable, but, unfortunately, sometimes they are too costly for general use. There is this much, however, to be said that supports made of enamelled metal will, if properly cared for, last many years, and the initial outlay is thus fully justified. The actual test of merit in any form of plant support is capability of securely holding the growths in a natural position, and the possibility of the,,stake being made almost or totally invisible.

Probably the chief cause of ugly effects is that the operation of staking is too long delayed. If a plant is allowed to grow until it stems, through continuously swaying in the wind, become bent or thrown out of natural direction of growth, it is practically impossible to restore them to a pleasing posture. Start early is the golden rule, for it is better to endure the sight of uncovered stakes for a week or two in order that the growths may be secured as they progress than to spoil the effect of the garden for a whole summer and autumn by delaying attention until nothing can be properly tied up. Good use should be made of twiggy hazel boughs and birch wood to hold up slender, graceful growths of loosehabited plants. The fact that this material is itself natural wood is something in its favour, and it is better that fragile plants shall simply rest and lean upon these light supports than that they should be tied with a strangle-hold to stiff stakes, destroying entirely their natural elegance. In the case of very tall subjects, such as hollyhocks, delphiniums, eremuri, and verbascums, damage is sometimes done by tying the middle of a tall, stiff stem to a rigid rod, which will not yield an atom to pressure of the wind. If a sudden gale arises, and forceful gusts strike the tops of these weighty subjects, there is always a danger that the stems will snap at the point of their restraint. An infinitely better method is to use long, tapering bamboos, the slender ends of which will bend and regain their erect position when pressure is relaxed.

There are a few unorthodox methods of supporting plants that might well be commended. Instead of invariably tying clematis to the face of a wall or the poles of a pergola, some grand effects can be produced by putting two or three plants in the open ground, stretching a sheet of wire netting ovei some short stakes, two or three feet above the ground level, tying the small branches of the clematis lightly to the wires, and allowing the plants to ramble with a fair degree of freedom over this foundation. The result will be a blanket of pleasing foliage, bespangled in due season with the upturned blooms of the clematisSTRAWBERRY CULTURE In order to obtain clean fruit of good shape, strawberry plants must be bedded with straw or other litter (short barley straw is the best of all) to prevent soil and grit from splashing on to the berries during showers. Before this is done, however, the hoe should be run between the rows to create a loose tilth on the surface and to make sure that the bed is perfectly free from weeds, foi’ it mst be remembered that no further cultivation can be undertaken until the crop has been gathered. In gardens where slugs are prevalent any that are found should be immediately destroyed, and a dusting of soot or one of the various slug-kill-ers is advisable.

At this stage also one must give a thought to the question of feeding, for the production of both fruit and runners during the next two months is bound to be a severe strain on the plants. An application of a quickacting artificial fertiliser can be given now to help them over the flowering and fruiting period. Showery weather at the time of application is a great advantage in ensuring that the fertiliser will be quickly dissolved and made available for the plants. The straw should then be tucked close in round the necks of the plants by hand, and also spread generously between the rows, so that the whole bed is well covered. This mulching serves another purpose besides keeping the fruit clean, in that it conserves moisture at a time when the plants particularly need it. From now until the fruit is ripe, they should never be allowed to become too dry at the roots, or the crop will suffer considerably. In a light soil it may be necessary, if there is a long period without rain, to give one or two thorough soakings to the bed, taking care, however, to direct the water at the base of the plants, and to avoid wetting the foliage during hot sunshine. The need for outdoor watering must be left to the discretion of the grower; hard-and-fast rules can never be laid down in such a variable climate as ours. If, for instance, heavy rain storms occur, such as were experienced in some parts of the country in November and December last year, strawberries may suffer from excess of moisture rather ‘Contiuw«d la tlvLii cnjumxu