Planning the Flower Garden for Colour WORK IN The FLOWER GARDEN

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 76, Issue 6, 15 June 1948, Page 607

Planning the Flower Garden for Colour

WORK IN The FLOWER GARDEN

A RE New Zealanders afraid of colour in their ARE New Zealanders afraid of colour in their homes and' gardens? The main theme of this article by J. P. Hudson, Horticulturist, Wellington, is that too few home gardeners plan and plant their gardens for colour effects. . , .

AN observant New Zealander, recently, returned from extended visits to countries in Europe, and America, said he thought the most beautiful countryside in the world was still to be found in rural England and Scotland, while the villages of Switzerland had a particular charm because they were so colourful. He added: “We seem to be afraid of colour in New Zealand.” •

That is at once a reproach and a challenge that should be taken up by everyone interested in the amenities to be enjoyed in the Dominion by this and the next generation.

Largely Man-made Beauty

. What makes the, British countryside so attractive and the Swiss villages so colourful? Is it the shape of the earth — bare bones and skeleton on which the landscape scene has been built up? Or is it the buildings, many so ancient that they seem now to have become a part of the very fabric of the land? ■

Neither of these is the main attraction. Analysis of almost any British scene will show that the picture is framed in ancient and beautiful trees, while buildings and landscape are knitted together by more trees, shrubs, and flowering plants, growing together in perfect harmony. In Switzerland the riot of colour in summer stems as much from flowering plants as from the paint pot, and the villages look so trim because someone, at some time, has done something about tidying up every corner, planting it with a shrub or tree, and leaving it with a finished look, though few Swiss houses have gardens as the term is understood in New Zealand.

In other words, the beauty of the scene is largely man made, but that is often overlooked because it has been made for so long that it now looks natural. - New Zealand has equal or greater natural advantages. The plains are just as fertile, there are as many hills or more, the mountains are as grand and beautiful as any overseas, and the climate is more equable, enabling a greater range of plants to be grown outdoors than in either Britain or Central Europe. Yet few people will deny that much of the New Zealand rural scene, with its eternal evergreens, lacks variety and colour, and in the towns far too many gardens are drab and colourless when they should be a blaze of flowers. ■ ■. , .

Planting for Posterity

The background against which the next generation and their children will live their lives depends on what is planted in the next few years. Those fortunate enough to live in districts where pioneers planted wisely 50 years ago will appreciate the full meaning of this, the first lesson to be learned from a study of the European scene. Beautifying societies, amenities societies, and, of course, the superintendents of parks and reserves in the cities have all been fully aware of this responsibility to posterity and in many districts have already planted what will become the backcloth of the future scene.

Town belts, street trees, and other major plantings are outside the scope of an article on home gardening, but the home gardener has his own particular responsibility in this matter, and should not let the planting season pass, especially in a new garden, without considering whether to plant a tree for posterity. Such trees must be chosen with the greatest care. In small gardens it is a mistake to plant a tree that some day will become too big, overshadowing or endangering the house and requiring hideous mutilation if it is to remain in bounds at all. Moreover, some trees can be very troublesome by suckering all over the.garden or shedding limbs in a gale. For instance, elms are among the . most beautiful trees in the English countryside, but the man who plants an elm in

his small section in New Zealand will only store up trouble for himself and his neighbours.

Before planting a tree, home gardeners are recommended to read “Trees for Town and Country” (published for the Association for Planning and Regional Reconstruction, by Lund Humphries, London, 1947, price 375. 6d in New Zealand). This book has exquisite drawings and beautiful photographs of 60 trees selected by the association as making the most worth-while contribution to the landscape’ picture and useful notes on the - selection and cultivation of these trees in a variety of different situations. It is, perhaps, too expensive for most home gardeners to- buy, but is no doubt obtainable through the library services and should be on the bookshelf of all societies interested in the beautification of towns and country. ; The. book is written for English readers and, of course, refers to growing trees under British conditions, and that should be borne in mind when it is read.

Colourful Border Plants

Important though they are as features of the landscape, trees cannot be widely planted in the small home garden, but there are many colourful, easily-grown shrubs , and border flowers that may be “common” but should be much more .widely grown to provide the continuous display of colour that is possible in gardens in the milder districts. A much wider use of these reliable plants would soon result in gardens looking brighter and town streets less drab. '■■

Some time ago the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture proposed to institute an “Award of New Zealand Garden Merit” to be given to plants easy to establish, reliable in growth, regular in flowering, and making a prolonged display of colour in the garden each year. This move was welcomed by horticulturists everywhere, and as a first step toward its fulfilment it is understood that district councils of the institute have prepared lists of plants which they consider are most “garden-worthy” in their own districts. It is hoped next month to publish

one or two of/ these lists, which are of great interest to home gardeners, especially those now making new gardens. :

Meanwhile a new standard for 'gardening books written and published in New Zealand has been set recently." “Garden Treasures,” by J. W. Matthews, editor ' of “The New - Zealand Gardener” (A. H. and A. W. Reed, Wellington, 1947, price 12s. 6d), is most welcome as the first book of its kind to be published in the country and is worth a place on every home gardener’s bookshelf. /

Home gardening, as it is known today, is a comparatively new development. Only recently has the “man-in-the-street” expected a garden as a right and a necessity of life, and never before have so many householders had gardens of their own. A sound garden literature, written locally for New Zealand conditions, will be needed to ensure 'that the most is made of these new opportunities for leisure, and it. is to be hoped that Mr. Matthews and others will publish more books of this type.

Garden Work for July

Chrysanthemums of the latest varieties should be put in a frame as soon as flowering is over and the stalks have; been cut down, to • await the growth of new shoots for cuttings, but August or September will be early enough to take cuttings of the border i and earlier-flowering varieties. Where roots ' were hot water treated to kill eelworm, as described in the April 'issue, the stools should now have recovered < from their check and new shoots, suitable for cuttings, should be growing. These must be struck in sterilised soil or soil in which chrysanthemums have not been grown before, as it is a waste of time to hot 'water treat the stools and > then set out cuttings in a soil swarming with eelworms. • •t‘

Composts for seed sowing or potting should be made up with the greatest care, using only the proper ingredients mixed in the correct proportions. Suitable composts are half the battle in growing good plants in pots and boxes.

In the past a certain amount of mystery ; has been , attached, to composts, most professional gardeners- having their own “pet” recipes, but extensive scientific research work has shown that so many different mixtures are not needed. To . simplify the whole business of raising plants and make sure they grow well, home gardeners are advised to use the John Innes seedcompost ■ whenever’ sowing seeds ■ in pots or. boxes and the John Innes potting compost for all plants grown in pots. Full details of the recipes for these composts and the method of mixing and using them were given in the July and August, 1947, issues.

Manurial compost made last summer from dead flower heads, garden rubbish, lawn mowings, and housenold scraps should now be maturing and ready for ’ use. It is best roughly screened to remove large pieces of unrotted material, which should be put back on to another heap. The fine, rotted compost can then either be spread over the' garden and dug in or, left as a surface mulch where flower beds and borders are full of plants > and cannot be dug over. Efficient use of compost heaps should enable the home gardener to make enough compost from his own garden and household resources to apply a liberal dressing' each year to every part of the garden except the lawn. This annual dressing of well-rotted organic matter is probably the most important single item in the management of the home garden and the one that pays the best dividend in keeping the garden really fertile and productive. However, the possible need to use some additional fertiliser, as described in the April issue, should not ,be overlooked. Drainage of the soil is another of the important factors which decide whether a garden is mediocre or first class. A soil may be poorly drained because water cannot, run through it quickly (as, in the case of stiff clay soils), because there is nowhere for the water to go (where there is a layer of impervious clay or rock below the topsoil), or because the subsoil is already full of water (that is, it has a high water .table, as in low-lying swampy land). In any of these cases heavy rain may add water to. the soil

more quickly than it can drain away, in which case the soil may become waterlogged and the water table will . rise. (The water table is the level to which the soil is waterlogged. If a ; hole is dug, it will fill with water up to the : water table level). The effect of waterlogging is to drive , all the air from between the particles of soil, .' which has a disastrous effect on most garden plants. .Most animals take in air at one point and distribute it from there all through their bodies, but each part of a plant has to do its , own. breathing. Of course, stems and leaves grow in air and can get plenty of it to. breathe, but the roots of most plants have to get their oxygen from the small amount of air, present in the soil. Consequently, the roots of most plants die if they are deprived ,of their sup-> ply of oxygen by a rising water table. Some garden plants are much more sensitive to waterlogging than others (aquatic and bog plants make special , arrangements to meet the situation and are quite content in an airless soil), and some can readily make a new root - system if a, set of roots is killed by temporary waterlogging. Others again can stand a certain amount of waterlogging in winter when they are dormant but not in summer , when in full growth,. while in most cases the youngest roots die first as a result, of \ drowning, often leaving undamaged a framework of older roots. In all cases, however, gardens will be much easier to maintain in a thrifty, satisfactory condition if the soils are well drained, and winter is a good time ,of year to think about this question. Places where water lies in a pool for hours or days after a heavy rain obviously need draining, but even though water never lies on the surface the soil may still be poorly drained. A water table that rises to within an inch or two of the surface in winter will kill plant roots just, as surely as one which comes above the surface and forms a temporary pond, yet the gardener may not realise that the soil is badly drained. In new gardens after heavy rain it is a good plan, to dig a few holes at this time of year and leave them open until spring to see whether the soil ever becomes waterlogged and, if so, how high the water table rises and for how long it stays dangerously high. Plans for proper drainage can then be made. Frost makes soil loose and puffy, because freezing causes the water in the - ground to expand slightly, pushing apart the crumbs and particles of soil, which are left loose when the water thaws. Alternate freezing and thawing are very advantageous on heavy clay soils, which should be dug over, roughly in autumn and the clods left exposed to the weather until spring, by which time, in cold districts, the frost 1 will have broken the soil down to a fine, friable tilth. However, the puffing up of soil is a disadvantage where hard wood cuttings of shrubs and small fruits were lined out in April to root. Cuttings will root only if firmly held by the soil to prevent ■ their rocking in the wind.. If a senes of frosts loosens the soil,' it should be trodden firm again ; along the rows of cuttings. Similarly, the soil should' be refirmed round newly-planted shrubs and trees if it has been loosened by frost.

Gladioli may be planted out now in the mildest northern districts to flower by Christmas. Thrips are not usually troublesome on these earliest plants, though the pest may do serious damage to later gladioli in hot districts, especially if the summer is dry. In other parts of the Dominion it is still too early to plant flowering-sized corms, but in all but the coldest districts cormlets can be planted this- month or next, as soon as the soil is dry enough and in suitable condition for working, to 7 give them the longest possible growing season. Cormlets should be sown lin. apart in drills 1 to 2in. deep.

Hydrangeas do best in partial shade, as ,the flowers are likely to fade and scorch if exposed to the full sun. The newer, brightly-coloured types are far more showy than the old, insipid, white or pale blue varieties, which are not worth planting. A position providing some shelter from z the wind and a certain amount of shade should be chosen for hydrangeas.

Lawn grasses grow throughout the winter in many districts and it is important to mow regularly if the grass is growing. The finer grasses thrive only if ' light reaches their crowns. If grass is allowed to grow long in winter, the coarse grasses will overshadow the finer ones,. which will suffer from this competition. To preserve a fine grass lawn it is necessary to mow regularly, through the winter, but the blades should be raised slightly and the machine kept well oiled and in good cutting condition to avoid pulling the grass or making unsightly. skid marks if the ground is wet. Frequent light topping is much better for the lawn than occasional drastic cutting. Many . gardeners believe that lawns should be limed, especially if they contain moss, but nothing could be further from the truth. The most , useful grasses' will grow under acid conditions that discourage . moss, certain weeds, and worms, and the manuring of lawns should be designed to maintain the soil in an acid ' condition. Lime, of course, has the opposite effect, and should be used on lawns only under exceptional circumstances and with expert advice. Advice is given regularly in these notes about lawn manuring at the proper times of the year.

Planting, of shrubs, trees, and herbaceous plants can be continued if the soil is in good condition and not too wet. A hole should be dug for each plant large enough to enable all the roots to be spread out fully and not bunched up, and the plants should always be set in their new positions at about the same depth as they were growing . before—“nursery depth,” as indicated by the soil marks on their stems. When planting in heavy soil it is best to dig the whole area over and not just excavate pockets into which the new. plants are put. Such pockets tend to become waterlogged sumps into which surface water drains from the surrounding area. If the soil is very poor, it pays to plant each shrub or tree in a barrow-load of good soil. brought in from elsewhere. In any case, the establishment of each new plant will be greatly helped by the application of a handful of blood

and bone (or the complete flower border fertiliser often referred to in these notes) to each hole, mixing part of it into the bottom 'of the hole and the rest with the soil as it is returned, but preventing the fertiliser from coming into contact with the roots. Firm planting is most important and the soil must always be trodden firmly as it is replaced. If the soil is too wet to permit this to .be done without churning it into mud, the plants should be heeled in and the work of planting postponed until conditions are more suitable. - A Rose pruning ; should be completed this month except in very cold districts, where severe frosts might kill back the ends of rose branches and

thus, in effect, prune them back still further. In . those districts it is best' not to prune roses until 'the end of August. Rose prunings and any of last year’s leaves that can be raked together should be collected and burnt, as several troublesome rose diseases are spread by leaving them lying about. For ordinary garden work bush roses should not be pruned too hard, each main young shoot being left 6 to 12in. long. Old, dead, and weakly growths and all side shoots should be cut out altogether. Rose bushes required to produce exhibition blooms should be pruned much harder, but that results in fewer flowers and the bushes do not make nearly such a good display in the garden. ' ’

REAP hooks are often ruined by incorrect sharpening, which results: in a thick . edge that will not cut properly. To make sure that the edge is sharpened at the' correct angle - the sharpening stone should move in constant contact with the shoulder of the blade as well as its edge. The user soon becomes adept at this with a little practice. The stone should not be put on the- flat side of the blade at all except to remove any metal that has ■ been burred over, and while this is being done the stone should be held perfectly flat on'the blade.

until October in the north or November in the; south. Seeds of hardy annuals can: be sown in the open borders in mild northern districts, provided the soil is in suitable condition, but elsewhere it is still far too early to sow flower seeds outdoors. Alyssum Lilac Queen, pot marigolds, clarkias, godetias, cornflowers, sweet sultans, love-in-a-mist, larkspurs, and viscaria are all reliable hardy annuals that will flower well and for a long period if dead. heads ,or fading flower spikes are cut off regularly, as described in the December issue.

Soil is the gardener’s raw material, from which he - hopes to produce a bright, colourful setting to his home and background to his life. Geology is therefore a subject which should appeal to - the serious-minded gardener, whose study of the soil and its management will be helped by an understanding of how the soil was formed from the rocks which compose the crust of the earth. Many of the textbooks on geology are rather forbidding tomes,. but home gardeners will enjoy reading “Earth Beneath,” by Professor C. A. Cotton (published in Christchurch; by Whitcombe and Tombs, 1945,. price Bs. 6d.). The book, well illustrated with examples taken from familiar districts, shows what a happy hunting ground New Zealand can .be to the amateur geologist, and helps to explain just how and why the New Zealand countryside has developed its present character. Sow seeds of the > slower-growing bedding = plants in boxes under glass, but only in the warmer districts. These seedlings should be ready to be pricked out in August or .September, planted out in ; October, and be in flower by Christmas. Lobelias, Begonia semper flor ens, petunias,.. antirrhinums, gaillardias, verbenas, and pansies take longer to grow, and should be sown several weeks earlier, than varieties like stocks, asters, and nemesias, and it is best to delay sowing warmth-loving plants like zinnias because it is too cold to plant them , out

Sweet pea seeds can still be sown in boxes'in cold frames 1 for planting out in spring, and plants can now be set out in mild districts — 6in. apart for garden display or 12 to 15in. apart in the row if they are to be trained as cordons -and grown for exhibition. Plants from the early sowings of sweet peas should now- be growing strongly in warm districts and should be given ! short, bushy twigs as temporary supports or clipped with wire rings to canes where the tendrils have been removed ’ from plants to be trained as cordons.

Thinning out is a most necessary part of garden routine -work, as no plant can be expected to grow to perfection unless it has enough room. An overcrowded plant cannot display its full beauty, . often has relativelyfew flowers which soon fade, and is unduly prone to the ravages of diseases and pests. Most home gardeners practise proper thinning of vegetable seedlings, having learnt by experience that an overcrowded row produces

little for.’ the table, but flower seedlings, especially . annuals, are commonly left growing far too , thickly. Reminders ■ to thin out flower seedlings and herbaceous plants have been given in these notes at the proper seasons of the year. , It is suggested that the winter is a good time to consider the thinning of shrubs and trees which -grow, ugly and j leggy and lose their lower branches if . they are overcrowded. Home gardeners usually plant shrubs and trees far too thickly, often with the .. good intention of removing some later, but the years soon slip by and the slowly-growing plants become such familiar figures in the garden that the thinning out of Overgrown specimens is often left until it is* too late and the permanent plants have been spoilt. Some winter day it is ' a good plan* to look afresh - at each shrub and tree growing in the garden, consider carefully whether it is still making a worth-while contribution to the general effect, and, if not, dig it out forthwith. It is astonishing how quickly its neighbours will refill the gap and how much better the remaining plants will look when they have ample room in which to develop.

Wet soil is in a particularly vulnerable condition. If it is trodden on or cultivated, it either goes into mud or kneads into a putty-like consistency, depending on its texture and degree of wetness. In both cases it loses the granulated, crumby structure which it is important to maintain if plants are to grow well. The crumb structure of the soil is strongest when it is in good “potting condition”that is, if when a handful is squeezed and the hand opened again, the ball of soil does not fall to pieces or leave the hand wet, but just retains the impression of the fingers and cracks across in two or three places. In this condition the soil has the “optimum water content” for plant growth and can be cultivated or trodden on with least damaging effect to its crumb structure. It pays all gardeners (and, for that matter, commercial growers) to recognise this condition and as far as possible avoid disturbing the soil when it is wetter than good “potting condition.” Similarly, when the soil is drier than “potting condition” the use of mechanical tillage equipment can be equally damaging, as the crumbs may then be pulverised and the soil poach badly when next rain falls. /

Reminders About Common Troubles

Subterranean grass caterpillar: Last July the Horticulture Division received many inquiries from home gardeners whose lawns were showing bare places in which could be seen a number of holes about the size of a pencil. This damage is caused by the long, greasy, subterranean grass caterpillars (porina), which live in the holes and come to the surface at night to feed on the grass. The pest is most easily controlled by using a poison bait, made up of loz. of Paris green or 2oz. of arsenate of lead, mixed with about IJlb. of bran or porridge oats, moistened to a crumbly consistency with sweetened water, and scattered evenly over the lawn in fine warm weather. This quantity is sufficient to treat 1500 to 1800 square feet of surface.

The most effective time to use the bait is from January to March, when the caterpillars are still quite small and before they have had time to do any serious damage. The bait is much less • effective if used now, because the caterpillars may become dormant and cease to feed, and in any case poisoning the . caterpillars after they have ruined the lawn is rather like locking the stable door after the horse is gone. Paris green and lead arsenate are both very poisonous and must be handled with care. Slaters or woodlice are not insects but crustaceans, belonging to the same group : of animals as the crayfish. They have grey, oval, armoured bodies and can roll into a ball when disturbed. Woodlice normally do not eat growing plants, but may be forced to do so if they become too numerous to be supported on the natural supply of decaying rubbish. They are not easy to control, but one fairly successful way., is to use the Paris green bait described for subterranean * grass caterpillars sprinkled thinly about in places which they frequent., Equally important is keeping the garden tidy, destroying old rubbish in which woodlice love to congregate and where they multiply. D.D.T. powder, scattered in places where woodlice may shelter, has also been stated to control the pest. / .

Violet leaf spot (caused by the'fun-

gus Phyllosticta violae) is a common complaint of violets, which can be seriously affected in spells of mild, damp weather., Spotted leaves should be removed when noticed and badlyaffected plants dug out and burnt. Several applications of Bordeaux mixture (3:4:50) at intervals of 10 to 14 days will control the disease, but normally spraying is not necessary in home gardens if - the precautions suggested are taken promptly. Other Tasks for the Month Make a final thinning, to 8 to 9iri. apart, of annuals - sown in the borders in autumn. Continue setting out bedding plants when the soil is suitable in mild districts. Water bowls of bulbs sparingly until the flower buds can be seen. Cuttings of perpetual-flowering carnations can be taken under glass. Aerate lawns by digging a garden fork into the surface every few inches and withdrawing it without tearing the turf. Remove old dead leaves from tree ferns and put a layer of compost over their hills of . roots. Continue pulling weeds by hand or. digging them in. Few will die if left lying on the surface in winter.

Neat Vases Made from Old Shell-cases

TO display the natural beauty of floral exhibits as attractively as possible the blooms need to be arranged in

vases which are ,neat and pleasing in design. ’ Well-balanced, . durable vases admirably suited to the purpose are being made by members of the Auckland Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society from discarded 40mm. shell-cases.. The

vases are simply made, and in many societies this work ~ could be done

voluntarily by members. < One of ■ the finished vases is shown

alongside . an old shell-case in the accompanying .illustration. . The vase is 9ip,'.' high and was cut down from a shell-case , a little more than 12in. long. 7 Heating 'was necessary to ‘ permit slight flaring of the upper, rim, but with stronger equipment it is possible that the moulding might be accomplished without heat. Some of the vases leaked

around the loosened percussion cap and [Sparrow Industrial Pictures Ltd. photo. required soldering. Cleaning and polishing the finished vases are the most tedious work, but are less , difficult than would be ; imagined. Fine emery paper will clean and smooth the metal to a surface condition which will take a brilliant polish. -

' In. addition to their strength, durability, and fine. appearance, the vases are given stability by their shape, and weight. Polishing will ’be ' necessary each time the vases . are used, but members of the society who will have to do this i work will be fully compensated by the enhanced beauty of the exhibits displayed. —I. L. NOTT AGE, ' ' . Orchard Instructor, Auckland.

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