GARDENING NOTES

Waipa Post, Volume 45, Issue 3251, 5 November 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

GARDENING NOTES

(By M.H.W.) THE FLOWER GARDEN. The flower garden should be gay with all manner of flowering trees and shrubs, wallflowers, pansies and violas, but arrangements should be made to get the summer and autumn flowering things out. It should now be quite safe to plant all except salvias, zinnias* tuberous begonias, fuchsias, and' heliotrope. Herbaceous perennials will require thinning and staking before they fall over. Sweet peas, ' which will now be growing freely, may require some pieces of twiggy branches to help them up to their supports. The rains we have had have made planting very easy, but as soon as the weather dries up, the scuffle hoe ought to be kept busy to destroy seedling weeds and maintain a surface mulch. SOME POPULAR BEDDING PLANTS. Ageratum, Blue Cap.—This pretty blue-flowered edging plant is a great improvement on the old form of ageratum. It may be used for the same purposes as lobelia, and is in flower throughout the summer months. It can be raised very nearly true from seed*, but, if desired, a few plants may be saved in March, and wintered in a warm greenhouse to supply cuttings for next year's stock.

Antirrhinums. The intermediate class is the most useful for bedding, though the Tom Thumbs are excellent for groundwork beneath taller plants, and the tall varieties come in useful for big beds.

Asters. —For keeping the beds and borders bright toward the end of summer and in early autumn, there are few bedding plants to surpass these. The Ostrich-plumed type is one of the most useful, though the Comets and singles may also be turned to good account. All can be obtained in a variety of shades, including blue, lavender, pink and white. Begonia semperflorens.—Those who desire a change in the way of edging or carpeting plants should make a point of trying this begonia. It does best in a well-worked soil that has been lightened with leaf mould or peat. This can be had in pink, crimson or white. The habit is dwarf and compact, and ideal for bedding. Calceolarias. —The yellow calceolaria is a first class bedding plant, doing well even in shady places. It may be Used in beds by itself, or with an edging of ageratum or lobelia. The bronze variety is not so bright, and makes a pleasing contrast to the yellow. Cannas. These strikingly handsome plants make a gorgeous display in large beds, and are also useful to form a key group around which dwarfer bedding plants may be displayed. The bronzy-purple foliage of the darker varieties is itself a valuable garden adornment, and the red or yellow flowers are very brilliant. The soil should be enriched with leaf mould and well-rotted manure. Kochia.—Popularly known as the summer cypress, this is a useful dot pljant for beds of all sizes. It is grown solely for its foliage and habit, as it forms a close, neat pyramid of "bright green which changes to brilliant crimson and purple tints in the autumn. ■ It reaches a height of two or two and a-half feet.

Stocks.—These are too well known and popular to require any eulogiums,

and it need only be mentioned that the type known as beauty stocks is one of the best for summer bedding. It contains numerous delightful colours. It may be obtained separately or mixed. Verbenas.—To see these at their best the long, straggling shoots should be pegged out on the surface of the bed, in the same manner as advised for ivy-leaved geraniums. There are then few more charming subjects. The colours in a mixed strain are very brilliant. Left to themselves the plants are apt to become rather untidy. Salvia Harbinger. This almost rivals Paul Crampel geranium in the brilliance of its scarlet colouring, and has the added recommendation that it continues blooming well on into the autumn. Care should be taken to see that the plants are well hardened off before being put out, or they are liable to suffer a severe check. NEGLECTED CARNATIONS. Border carnations which are getting old and, maybe have not received much attention of late, can be given a new lease .of life now. First remove dead growths and leaves and bare stems. Then take out obviously weak shoots. With only a limited number of growths left, all the strength of the plants will go into these, and future flowering is certain to be much improved. If the remaining growths are sprawling about]., set a little stake to each. The plants will look better, they will be kept cleaner, and the buds will have a better chance to develop. Having thus cleaned up the plants, next loosen the soil around them, with hand-fork or stick, to give stunted roots an opportunity to spread. During the soil stirring work in a dressing of bone-meal, a handful around each plant clump, or guano, an ounce per plant. Should the centre of any clump be bare, the growths spreading outwards and leaving roots exposed- work in a few trowelfuls of good soil to which a dusting of lime has been added. This soil will encourage the production of more roots and shoots. While attending to the plants and surrounding soil keep an eye open for wireworm. These pests make a dead set at carnations, hampering growth and causing wilting. A simple way to trap wireworm is to bury slices of potato close to the plants. Mark the position of each slice with a stick and dig up and. destroy the slices and their catch each day, then setting fresh traps. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. Make sowings and plantings of all main crop vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beet, peas, beans, leeks, potatoes, cabbage and cauliflower. Runner beans are such an excellent and productive vegetable that a liberal sowing should be made either against a wall or fence, or in a double row in the open, where they can be provided with tall sticks. Those raised in boxes under glass and planted out are coming away well and should be earlier than those sown in the open. Where space is available and sticks difficult to obtain they can be grown without by pinching out the end of the stem when they have made a few feet of growth. Thin all seedlings and keep the hoe going among all growing crops. Spray fruit trees for codlin moth with arsenate of lead.