GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2606, 30 October 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(Br "Kowkai.")

■ANSWERS TO. CORRESPONDENTS. Miss Bennett, Komako.—"Would you kindly let mo know if there is a blight rollick'attacks sweet peas? I have liad a number of sweet peas, about three inphes high, which suddenly go a little brown ou one or two leaves, and then gradually die off. Inclosed please find sample. , The roots of tho-sweet pea enclosed had been eaten away by grubs. If you look a little below the. roots of the plants that die off you will probably find a short, fat, white grub with a brownish head. Kill every one that you find. '• A young duck kept inNtho garden, or a. tame seagull, is tho best means of getting rid of the pest. You might try saturating the ground with permanganate of potash (ioz. in 1 gallon of water). . • INSECTS ON HOSE. BUSHES. It has been brought" under my notico by a reader of 'garden notes that X have been advising amateur gardeners to be on the-look out for aphides without telling beginners how to recognise tlicm. They are very , small reddish green insccts which attack the buds, stems, and young shoots _of rose-bushes and other plants early, in,-spring. . If not promptly dealt with, they very soon inorease till there aro myriads of them crowded together on the young growth. Apparently they are motionless, but in reality they aTe steadily sucking from the plant the juices which-nourish them. Somo of the aphides have wings. Each aphis produces an incrediblo number of young ones, and in never" pauses'from her constant sucking of tho juices to. look at tho offspring sho is responsible for. It will bo seen, ■ therefore, that" prompt' measures must be taken, to cheek tho pest. Cut up one cake of sunlight soap and dissolve it in.two-gallons of boiling water..' Syringe tho bushes thoroughly with'this solution, usinjj it while it is still quito hot. Ono application ; wall not rid tho plants for over. Aphides will return again and again, ■but they -must.be watched for, and'dealt with on their, first appearance, ' : " ' " SWEET SULTAN. Sweet Sultan is not often 6een in the email garden, and yet it is one of tho most easily grown of plants, and one that makes' a great display all through the summer and autumn. The plants aro .quite ihardy, and seedlings sown in the autumn' come through the winter well and flower early in the summer. • Seed may'also bo sowix now. The flowers are beautiful—something , like a glorified thistle—and the colours are white, yellow, pink, silvery lilac, and purple. A group of plants gives a light dainty effect in a mixed border. The floweT6 of tho sweet sultan are among the most valuable in the cut-flower class. They last for quite a fortnight in water, and tho dainty ilo\yers aro borne on very long stems, which make them easy to arranga in vases and bowls. ROUTINE WORK. Pull out wallflower plants as 600n as the flowering season is over, and fill in the empty spaces< with groups of tonweek stocks, «isnios, seedling dahlias, etc. Should you. wish to save some of tho wallflowers to flower again next year, cut them back now to within a fe\v' inches of the soil. Fork a little bonedust into the soil round these decapitated bushes, and give them a good watering. Strong joining shoots will soon appear, and grow up into fine bushes for flowering next winter. When cutting back wallflowers the bushes must be cut well back to encourage new growth' from as near the ground as possible, -otherwise the growth is old, woody, and unsightly. Seeds of wallflower may be sown now to provide new plants for next spring. As aoon as the seedlings are big enough to handle they should be transplanted into firm soil in a spare part of tho garden. "Tho long tap root should be out off at this transplanting. These seedlings will have developed into sturdy young bushes by tho end ot tho summer, and can bo used to fill up spaces in the border made vacant by tho removal of early-flowering annuala. The time has arrived when roses should bo mulched. This is one of tho most important operations, in . rose-growing, and on it depends tho quality of the blooms borno during summer. Roses are surface rooters, and tho fine feeding roots soon become parched with heat unless a mulch is spread round the bushes to protect them. Well-rotted manure, decayed vegetation, or grass clippings all form suitable mulches. First prick a little bonedust into the ground round well-estab-lished roses, and then thoroughly saturate tho ground with water. Roses planted this year should be merely watered before being mulched. Any stimulant would bo harmful to them. Tho mulch should then be applied while the ground is still wet. It is useless t6 apply a mulch to dry ground. - Wihere. ,water ..is scarce, dahlias may be mulched in the' same way as roses. The roots will then have the moisture that is so'essential to them.

It is possible that mildew may- make its appearance ..on rose bushes after the recent cold weather following such warm weather. A tin of sulphur should be kept handy, and any busies showing the. least 6ign of mildew, should' be well sprinkled with sulphur early in, the morning while they are still wet with dew. Mildew may quickly be recognised by the delicate white powdery-looking substance that appears on the leaves. The leaves soon curl up and fall off when attacked.

The blue everlasting pea' is peTsistont in lis efforts to form seed pods, but by dint of much clipping with the scissors and n-anv applications of water and an'occasional stimulant, the vines' are kept growing, and producing good-sized trusses , of flowers. Blue is sucli a glorious colour to have in the garden that it .is. worth some trouble to keep it as long as possible. Blue anemones aTe still floVrering, and now great clumips of blue English irises are out, while larkspurs, varying in shade from pale blue to -deep purple, are making splashes of rich colouring in several parts of the gaTden. Writers say that Nature has been tparing with blue flowers because; she made the, heavens blue, but she has given us enough to have something blue in flower nearly all the year round. Certainly a few ' good clumps of blue flowers lend tone and richness of colouring to the most' Ordinary garden^ The lilac is, alas, over, and bushes that have flowered need some attention. As fsr as possible all dead flowers should be cut off; now, and long shoots may be shortened a little. Lilacs begin to form their next year's flowering shoots now, 60 that any pruning or cutting back that is to be done should take place at once. If the dead flowers are left on, and the

buses allowed to form seed, they will be using- up strength that should bo devoted to forming next year's flowering shoots. VEGETABLES. Cabbages, cauliflowers, etc., must be kept growing vigorously, and should be syringed frequently with clean wator to keep away blights. Tho lioo should be in constant use to keep down weeds, and to keep the soil loosened and the vegetables thus surrounded with a fine soil mulch. Green peas are filling out their pods very quickly now, aud will feel the benefit of a. good watering now and then, and the constant use of the hob. Earth up potatoes as they grow, choosing a -warm day for the operation. French and runner beans may b© sown as soon as all danger of frost is over. Canadian Wonder is a splendid cropper and a fine flavoured tonder variety. Dust a little bonedust in tho drills at the timo of sowing the seeds. It pays the grower to allow at least six inches from plant to plant, because the yield from a few welldeveloped plants is greater than that from double the number of plants grown in an overcrowded row. ICeej hoeing between tho rows of beans, and draw tho earth up to tho plants as they grow. Silver beet quickly runs to seed unless the loaves are kept well picked. As soon as the plants are stripped of their 'eaves givo them a good watering with nitrato of soda (Joz. in 1 gallon of water), aim new leaves will quickly appear. Attend to tho thinning out of beetroot, carrots, parsnips, etc., as the crops are soon spout if this operation is neglected.

Garden. Notes next week will contain seasonable notes about "heliotrope, pelargoniums, larkspur, and vegetables.

Tho warm rains of last week have startod gross lawns into growth ana the mower will bo cnllcd into requisition. For those who don't wish to- cut littlo and often, tho low-cutting, ball bearing Now Mystic Mower does 9VJ" ta* work, and is a moderate pnee, light, handy machine. These aro leading features in an interesting window exhibit of horticultural implements by Messrs. 11. C. Gibbons and Co., Ltd., seed merchants, 180 Lambton Quay.. M'Kinnon hoe, that works all tho timo, "whether pushing or fulling, with a minimum or effort; is tho favourite hoe for tho seasou, and exports aro ready to demon-Btr-ato their efficiency.