Pendulous Plants for the Flower Garden

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 87, Issue 6, 15 December 1953, Page 585

Pendulous Plants for the Flower Garden

FOR adding grace and beauty to the garden, greenhouse, or porch no better way can be found than in the use of pendulous plants. With their drooping flowers or stems they give an attractive and unusual display to suit all positions. In this article R. R. White, Horticultural Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin, discusses the ways in which these plants can be used. Flower garden work for January is dealt with by H. P. Thomas, formerly Horticultural Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Wanganui.

THERE is available a wide range of plants of drooping habit. In some cases the stems or boughs droop' and in others the flowers form catkins which hang down gracefully. Making use of this habit, the gardener can easily add variety to his garden, and in a greenhouse or porch overhead bareness can be eliminated. ,

Outside, pendulous plants can be used in a number of ways to beautify the landscape. In lawns and large grassy areas trees which have a drooping habit are excellent for specimen planting. Of these perhaps the best known are the weeping elm and weep- 1 ing ash. These fine trees give beauty all the year round: they have green foliage during spring and summer, highly coloured foliage in autumn, and . silvery branches in winter. Also, many flowering prunus species are used widely as ornamental pendulous shrubs planted in lawns. . For country districts the weeping willow is very popular for background cover or for planting alongside small streams. The long trailing branches are usually first to show green in early spring, and in autumn with their leaves turning yellow they have added beauty. The planting of these trees and shrubs does not vary in practice from that of any other type except perhaps for the need for some support in the early years of establishment. As with all planting the soil should be well worked up to a good tilth and the hole to accommodate the roots should be large enough to allow the whole rooting system to be spread out. Depth of planting can usually be. gauged from the soil mark on the tree as it was planted in the nursery and

the tree should be replanted to the same depth. After the hole is dug it is best to fill the centre portion of the : bottom slightly to form a low mound so that the root system is on a firm base. After the plant is placed in position the soil is then replaced round the roots and firmly tramped to consolidate it. Should the tree require support, a stake about ljin. square should be driven in before the tree is planted. This is placed as near to the centre as possible. After the. tree is planted the standard on which the tree is growing should be tied to the stake. 1 Various types of material are used for tying. Strips of old cycle tyre are very good. The tie is made by placing the strip round the trunk and then crossing it over to form a figure 8 by tying it round the stake. Two or three such ties up the trunk will hold it steady and prevent damage by rubbing. A fertiliser such as superphosphate may be added during planting to stimulate root growth. Any broken root or branch tips should be trimmed with secateurs. If the soil is dry, a good soaking with water after planting should be beneficial. Of the catkin bearing trees perhaps the best known is Garrya elliptica, though there are numerous others such as the birches, poplars, and willows. Some roses are used as weeping standards and these can be planted either in a rose bed ( or in a lawn. Their treatment is the same as for standard roses. Some shrubs with catkin-like flowers can be used for training over pergolas or along veranda edges. Of these, wistaria is outstanding and is easily trained. Cantua bicolor var. pendula is another semi-shrub that can be easily trained over pergolas and the Japanese honeysuckle, Leycesteria formosa, which has catkin-like flowers, is best grown in the border. Trees suitable for outside planting in lawns or open spaces as pendulous plants are:

Approx, height Acer dasycarpum pendula . . 18 to 25ft. Betula pendula .. .. .. 45 to 60ft. Fagus sylvatica var. pendula . . 65 to 80ft. Fraxinus excelsior var. pendula 65 to 80ft. Prunus serrulata .. .. 15ft. Prunus persica x var. pendula 15 to 20ft. Prunus subhirtella var. pendula 15 to 20ft. Pyrus salicifolia var. pendula . . 15 to 25ft. Salix caprea pendula . . . . 10 to 20ft. Salix vitellina var. pendula . . 40 to 50ft. Sophora japonica var. pendula 15 to 25ft. TJlmus glabra pendula . . . . 15 to 25ft.

Catkin bearing trees for specimen planting:—

Alnus glutinosa . . . . . . 18 to 25ft. Betula maximowiczi . . . . 60 to 90ft. Betula nigra . . . . . . 50 to 90ft. Betula pubescens . . . . 50 to 60ft. Carpinus betulus . . . . 50 to 80ft. Carpinus caroliniana . . . . 30 to 40ft. Castanea sativa . . . . 80 to 100 ft. Garry a elliptiea . . . . 6 to 12ft. Populus tremula '■ . . . . 50 to 60ft. Populus tremula var. p'endula . . 30 to 40ft. Salix bocki .. . . . . 8 to 10ft. Salix caprea . . . . . . 10 to 25ft. Salix gracilistyla . . ■ . . 6ft.

Weeping shrubs on standards: — Oytisus scoparius ' Prunus subhirtella - pendula , Roses Forsythia suspensa Ulmus glabra Prunus serrulata Wistaria . ' Shrubs with catkin-like flowers: — ' Tieyeesteria formgsa Wistaria (climber) Pendulous plants can also be used for providing cover on banks and walls. These can be very useful, especially where a bank is steep and perhaps unsightly. The plants are set out at the top and allowed to grow downward. Many of these types are perennials, some are of a succulent nature commonly known as ice plants, and others are small shrubs. The soil should be enriched to maintain good growth. Some plants such as aubrietia can be cut back each year to encourage new growth the next season. Plants to provide cover for low walls, tree stumps, and rockeries are:— Alyssum saxatile Dianthus Arabis vars. S elianthemum var. Aubrietia vars. Hutchinsia spp. Armeria laucheana Phlox subulata Campanula carpatica Saxifraga spp. Campanula Sedum spp. J . portenschlagiana Tropaeolum Ceratium var. . . Plants to cover banks are: — Cotoneaster Uesembryanthemum horizontalis spp. Rosmarinus

For inside use in greenhouses and porches ’ pendulous plants are best grown in baskets or bowls. These plants can be raised from seed or from cuttings. When large enough they can be either potted up or planted in a hanging basket. Wire baskets are probably best and these can be lined with wet moss, sphagnum being the best, and then filled with soil. A good soil mixture is one consisting of 7 parts of loam, 3 ’ parts of leaf-mould or peat, and 2 parts of sand. To this mixture is added l|oz. of superphosphate, ljoz. of dried blood, foz. of sulphate of potash, and foz. of carbonate of lime to every bushel of mixture. Plants should be placed around the basket edge about 4in. apart and given a good watering. The baskets can then be hung up. It is necessary to have a good form of suspension, as the baskets become very heavy when watered. Frequent watering is necessary, as the baskets with greater air circulation around them dry out fairly quickly. - Plants suitable for hanging baskets are:— Aeschynanthus Geranium (ivy leaf) Begonia . Lobelia Coleus picta Tropaeolum Columnea _ Zygocactus Fuchsia

Garden Work for January

A few weeks of hot, sunny weather will make the flower garden look weary and untidy if care is not taken to attend to such details as the

removal of- dead flower heads and spent annuals. Other work to be done as it becomes necessary is staking, watering, mulching, weeding, and spraying.

Bedding out There should be no delay in planting out some of the following plants for a late display:— French and African marigolds, petunias, Phlox drummondi, salvias, portulaca, calendulas, verbena, antirrhinum, kochia, and celosia. Many of these varieties stand dry weather and will flower through until the winter. If the soil is dry, it will be necessary to water the plants before and after setting out, preferably during late afternoon, to give them a reasonable start. Bulbs Most spring flowering bulbs may now be lifted, dead leaves removed, and the bulbs left to dry thoroughly, but care must be taken to see that they are not left too long in direct sun. After they have been dried out and cleaned they should be placed in single layers on shelves or thinly in wooden trays in a dry, airy, cool place. The bulb planting season will soon be round again; therefore it is now time for gardeners to consider requirements and place orders for new bulbs before the best ones have been sold. The bulbs on receipt should be unwrapped and stored as advised, until they are needed for planting at the end of February or during March. Cuffings 1 Cuttings of many shrubs and garden plants may be taken at this time of the year from semi-matured wood of the current season’s growth. These are known as half-ripe cuttings and they may be inserted in a cold frame. Small improvised frames may be made by the home gardener by using boxes with or without bottoms and covering

these with a sheet of' glass for several weeks at least. The main object of the frame covering is to provide shade and maintain a moist atmosphere which prevents’ the leafy cuttings from flagging and the soil from drying out. The rooting medium may be composed of clean sharp sand, or perhaps a better medium for the home gardener to use would be equal parts of sand, loam, and leaf-mould thoroughly mixed. Good drainage should be provided. If pure sand is used, the cuttings would need to be removed into pots or boxes of a mixed compost as soon as roots were formed. Among the plants from which ' cuttings may be taken are aubrietia, pentstemons, hybrid wallflowers, dianthus (pinks), carnations, fuchsias, and catmint, and also shrubs such as Lonicera nitida, Azalea indica, buddleias, salvias, cytisus, mock orange, z hydrangeas, lavender, and many ornamental conifers.

Rock Gardens

Care of rock gardens at this time of the year includes removing spent flowers not required for seed and ensuring that vigorously growing plants do not smother less vigorous ones. A rockery should be kept free from weeds as its full beauty cannot be appreciated if it is not kept tidy.

Layering Carnations

After flowering, border carnations may be increased by layering in January. The soil round the plants should be made free of weeds and well broken up with a hand fork. The addition <of further soil comprised of fibrous loam, leaf-mould, and sand round the plants to be layered would possibly improve the layering bed and assist rooting. A number of the lower shoots which have , not flowered should be selected, and some lower leaves removed from these. The cut should be started about Jin. below a joint and carried on up the centre of the stem through the joint until about Jin. above it. The shoot should be bent down into position, the tongue being kept open and the stem just below the surface of the soil. It should be fixed securely in this position with a wire peg or forked stick. A little more soil should be placed over it and if the layer is kept moist and left undisturbed until early April, it should have formed roots. To obtain the finest individual blooms carnations should be layered every year, but to have them in greater abundance the plants may be left undisturbed for 2 or 3 years.

Viola, Pansy, Aubrietia

By January viola and pansy may have become overgrown and exhausted by continuous flowering and when this happens the top growth should be cut to within an inch or two of the ground to encourage it to send up new shoots which would provide suitable cuttings for raising new stock, or for a second flowering in the autumn. Aubrietia plants may also be propagated by layers or by division after flowering.

Seed Sowing

Seeds of the following plants may now be sown: —

Cinerarias, Primula malacoides, calceolarias, schizanthus, violas, Bromp - ton and Beauty of Nice stocks, Iceland poppy, Meconopsis betonicifolia

(Himalayan blue poppy), anemone, and ranunculus. Biennial plants such as wallflower, sweet . william, and myosotis if not sown earlier may still be raised from seed during January, but no time should be lost. Budding and Summer Pruning of Roses Budding of roses may be carried out when the bark lifts freely from the wood, normally during late January and February. Roses will be at their best at this time of year and doses of liquid manure, a little at a time and applied often, will promote a longer period of flowering. This stimulant should be applied when the soil is wet. Rose blooms should always be cut with stems as long as possible to prevent the. bushes from becoming ungainly and to encourage flowering from strong new shoots below. For the same reason faded roses should be removed by cutting the stem back to the next flower bud or strong shoot instead of removing the flower only.

Lawns New lawns are best sown in March on soil which has become' consolidated; therefore attention to the area set aside for the new lawn must be given now if sowing is contemplated. Levelling and firming are very necessary, but at the same time light hoeings must be frequently carried out to destroy weed growth while it is still young. Where grass-grub is causing damage to established lawns the following measures may be taken:— To ljlb. of 50 per cent, wettable D.D.T. mix 611 b. of dry sand or soil or 611 b. of the standard lawn topdressing (3 parts of sulphate of ammonia to 1 part of superphosphate) and apply the mixture at loz. per square yard (sufficient for 1000 sq. yds.

of lawn). Alternatively the l|lb. of 50 per cent, wettable D.D.T. could be applied in water, using 100 gallons for each 1000 sq. yds. of lawn. At this time of the year lawns which can be watered should be given a good soaking before they begin to go brown. An occasional thorough soaking does more good than frequent light sprinklings, which only moisten the surface without wetting the lower levels where the roots need it most. This applies equally well or perhaps more so to flower borders.

Gladiolus Gladiolus are now in full bloom and care should be taken with the staking, as the latest varieties are so large and heavy that they are easily damaged by wind. Plants may be fed when the flower bud can be felt inside the sheath of leaves. A light topdressing of superphosphate . and . sulphate of ammonia at Joz. per square yard well watered in or an application of liquid animal manure diluted with water to the colour of weak tea may be used. One or two applications should, be sufficient to ensure a good garden display. Faded ' flowers should be removed as they become past their best to keep the others in tidy surroundings. When the flower spikes are being cut as many leaves should be left on as possible to help feed the developing corms. Work under Glass Under glass plenty of ventilation is essential both day and night, and during very warm weather floors may need damping down. Pot on where required cyclamen, cinerarias, begonias, calceolarias, primulas, balsams, and perpetual flowering carnations for a display during the coming winter. Many of these plants will benefit by light applications of weak liquid manure at this period of their growth.