GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2842, 5 August 1916, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.")

PERENNIALS (Continued). — The ground for pansiestshould' be deeply dug and well manured. Where animal manure cannot be had, bury some well-decayed vegetable matter in the bottom spit, and to the top spit add bonedust (loz. to the square yard), and some wood or rubbish fire ash'es. , Herbaceous Phlox.—Phloxes like a deep-ly-dug soil and a- sunny position, and they dislike being disturbed. Wellrotted animal manure or decayed vegetable rubbish and bonedust must be added to the soil. _ Several. very beautiful varieties are obtainable from nurserymen. Gerbera. Jamesonii (African Daisy).— The gerbera is mib of .the most gorgeous of our perennial garden plants. ' The daisy-like flowers are vivid scarlet, in colour, and are borne on very long stems. The gerbera. hybrids include flowers of various shades of colour, such as white, yellow, orange, salmon, etc. ■ The flowers of the hybrids are not quite so fine as those of the parent plant> but the pla.nt3 are. said to be more robust. Nurserymen supply plants during the.spring months. Gerbera is apt to be out down by frost, and should therefore be/planted" where it will .be least. affeoted. The retirements, of the plant are a sunny position, and for soil a sandy loam. The flowers are produced over a . long period,. and last Splendidly in water. The initial cost of the plants is probably the reason -why one does not see this really beautiful plant growing in more gardens. When nurserymen lower the price of the plants, gerbera and its hybrids will no doubt be as 'popular as they deserve. Petunias.—Petunias -will grow -well ,in any good'garden soil. They are splendid plants for dry, sunny gardens. The fringed, varieties are the most beautiful; Oriental Poppies.—The ground for Oriental'' floppies must be very deeply dug, for the plants make such long tap roots. The plants like a rich, welldrained soil, and a sunny position. Several beautiful shades of salmon may now be had, in addition to the old scarlet and dark- Ted varieties (To continued.)

NOTE RE PLANTING EARLY POTATOES. Plant the rows of potatoes three feet apart. Open out tho trenches in the morning and- let-tho sun shine iii them all "day. " 7'laiit the tubers a little be•fore sunset. - After-the potatoes are earthed up there will be fairly wide trenches between the.rows! Fork manure into the bottom of these trenches and plant broccoli plants in two of thfcni and celery - plants and l6eks in the other two. '-. When tho potatoes are lifted later on thfe earth that was used to earth- them up will bp now used to earth up the broccoli, celery, and leeks. Minn-crop potatoes will bo planted during late September or October, iii ground that lias been used for winter greens or autuinii-Fown peas. When they ai'B lifted cauliflowers and cabbages can bo planted in their place, and a sowing of turnips (snowball) may be made. Tomatoes may be planted as soon as danger from frost i 3 over. Lcttnce could follow the crop. Myrows and piimplcins are generally grown ."by themselves. Bush marrows are the best for small gardens. Sltornhorn carrot may be sown late in f.pring, to follow autumn-sown peas, and ligain in summer, to follow shallots. 'Shallot's are already in the ground, 'l.'lip.y will l>e lifted about the middle of December. | French beans are not sown till danger of frost is over. They eonld follow autumn-sown turnips or spring-sown radishes. The soil in the vegetable garden should be deeply worked, but must be made firm again before sowing seeds or planting seedlings; Loose soil at the time, of planting or sowing is the cause of many a,failure in growing vegetables. Garden note 3 next week will contain seasonable notes about perennials, sweet siiltan, land vegetables. .7 . SHRUBS FOR SPRING BLOOM. During the winter months flowers are naturally scarce. There are many shrubs which burst forth into a wealth of bloom early iii the spring, and these should be largely planted where cut blooms are in demand. To ensure the best results, planting should be done at once, so that the roots will be well-established before the summer. The following is a list some of the most beautiful and free flowering shrubs, all of which do well in the Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki districts:-— Flowering Cherry (Cerasus) may be had both with single and double blossoms in white, pink blush, rose red, etc. Flowering peach run in shades of white, blush pink, red. Prunus Mume bear lovely sprays of double and single red and white blossoms. Cydonia or Pyrus, commonly known at .Taponica Atroccinea, vermilion. Maulci-atrosanguinea, blood-red. .Taponica, scarlet. Nivalis, finest pure white. Crataegus (Flowering Hawthorns): Tho best are Garrieri, large single white blossoms. Oxyacanthn, double crimson, double white, double pinlc. Cytisus (English Laburnum) hear pretty drooping sprays of, rich yellow blossoms in great abundance. Magnolia Couspicua blossoms cup-shaped pink at bottom, shading to white at top. Magnolia Stellata, purest white star-shaped blossoms, borne in great masses in early spring. Prunus Pissardi bears sprays of small white blossoms in early spring, followed by bronze red foliage. "Prunus Triloba produces an abundance of double pinlc blossoms at end of winter. Prunus Sinensis, an upright growing shrub, producing an abundance of double blossoms. There are two varic. ties—Alba, white, and Rosea, rose pink.