Gardening Notes.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 23 May 1928, Page 6

Gardening Notes.

Pansies. The autumn is the best timo for planting pansies and, although a bolder of pansies in lull bloom is vciy pretty, there arc other means of using these favourites. One of the loveliest ornaments for a lawn is a pansy mound. The best position is in half shade, just sheltered by the branches of tall trees, though not beneath them, so as to receive drip. The bed should be made up somewhat of the shape of a cushion and should be high enough to be effective. It is essential that the soil is rich and-contain plenty of humus or old manure, so as to retain the mois- ’ ture. The best way is to procure fresh soil for making up the mound, and a mixture of ecpuil quantities of good turfy loam and cow manure, with some leaf mould and wood ashes, makes a good mixture. Giant pansies of mixed colours' can be used by planting them nine inches apart all over the mound, but a better arrangement is to have them of different colours. Plant the base in one colour, the centre another, and the top another, or the four sides can show different colours from top to bottom, or different shades of one colour , can be used. On the rockeij pansies during the autumn and winter will make a splendid show. Included in pansies is the whole of the viola family. They make good hanging basket plants and look very attractive, so long as the position is not too hot, a -/ s hady verandah or porch being the . best. • * • * Oriental Poppies. Big clumps of Oriental poppies may now be lifted and divided up, though as the plants make very long tap roofs they are best left undisturbed for as long as possible. In digging up clumps, great care should be taken to damage the roots as little as possible. The ’ Oriental poppy is one of the gayest of our summer flowers. The beautiful blooms are borne on very long, straight stems, sometimes reaching" a height of 4ft. The foliage is massed at the foot of the flower stems,

Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables.

some of the leaves being like large ferns. In addition to the old red Oriental poppy, we have many beautiful hybrids comprising shades of salmon, scarlet, rose and mauve. Their beauty is greatly enhanced by large ( black blotches in the centre of the flowers. They like a rich, well-drained soil, and a sunny position. . A little bonedust should bo worked in the soil round established plants, and will be ■x great help to them now they are busy making their new growth. « » • * Antirrhinums for Beds. By a judicious selection of the various kinds of antirrhinums a grand display of blossom can be ensured dining the summer months. The resultant plants, if well treated, as they should be, afford the grower a vast amount of pleasure. All seedling antirrhinums intended for a general display of flowers in the beds should lie 'stopped when they arc .nearly 4in high. Simply remove the tip of the plant, then four, five, or even seven side shoots vill grow; and, by the tiipc the latter are 3in long, the plants will be m a fit state to transfer to the flower beds, raid the time for that operation will have come. . .. The soil should be deeply dug in i beds, and a liberal quantity of wellrotted manure added. The dvaif, or Tom Thumb section, should be p an ed closer than the plants of the medium or tall-growing sections. The dvvar s will be most suitable for small bods, and the front part of large ones; the medium ones look charming, forming whole beds, as they fill the latter so satisfactorily. In very large beds the tall-growing antirrhinums do nice y m the centre, with the medium ones planted round them. Of course, all sec {ions may bo represented in long borders, where it is possible to have distinct lines or rows of plants, the ta ones at the back, the medium in the centre, and the dwarf ones in front. Again, more than one row of each may be planted where the borders are wide enough. ,