GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 257, 24 July 1920, Page 12

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.") GERBERA JAMESONII. . In ffheltcred gardens gerbera plants aro already opening their lovely .flowers, -and the soil about the plants should be kept loose and free from weeds. If a little bonedust he pricked iu about the plants It will help them through their long flowering season. Those who intend planting fresh plants this season should get in their orders at oncef for nurserymen have tho plants ready now. Gerbera, or tlio African daisy as it is commonly called, is one of the most gorgeous of our peren* nial plants. The daisy-like flowers are vivid scarlet in colour, and aro borne-on very long stems. The gerbera hybrids inelude flowers of various shades of colour, such as white, yellow, orange, salmon, etc. The flowers t>f the hybrids are not quite so fine as those of the parent plant, but-the .plants arc said' to be more robust. Gerbera is apt to be cut down by frost, and should, therefore,, bo planted ffhere it will 1)0 least affected. '-The of the plant are a f sunny position,, and for soil a sandy lo'am. The flowers are pro«, duced over a long period, and last splendidly in water. THE ARGENTINE PEA. , rtr some weeks now, established plants have been sending uo strone., healthy shootß that are climbing up • tneir supports with amazing rapidity. At this •season every attention should be given to the plants, to encourage them to. Hcrvver early. Tho soil about their roots should bo kept well stirred to adnnt all. tho I warm air' there is, and a dressing 01

bonedust should be pricked in roots. See that tho shoots are trained up their supports, and not allowed to lie about on the ground. Those who havo not.yet planted one of these glorious perennial peas may get plants now o- nurseryman. Once it is established,'the Argentine pea gives very little trouble, and every year, towards tho- end of the winter, the bush, which crows to a helrjht of six feet, is pimply covered with tho pale blue (lowers. The flowerß are splendid for cutting, for, when well rirowh,' they are .lornr-stemmed, and they last a very lone time in .water. The plant flowers when tho garden is .full of low-growing spring flowers, and whert in full bloom, a. bush is most conspicuous by reason of its height and its excessive beauty. One plant will more than provide a large house with cut flowers. Being such a vigorous grower, the plant; is a eroas feeder. It lasts for many years, and Bhould therefore bo eiven a jood start. Dig out a hole three feet deen and ahontN two feet square, • and half-fill it with a mixture, of. cow manure, leaf soil, loam, and grit. Pill un tho remainder with' a mixture of. loam, wood aßhes, and leaf 1 soil,. and when the whole mass has settled down, plant the pea. Durine tho (lowering season see that the plant has plenty of water, and a weekly dose of weak liquid manure or soot water., As eoon as flowering is over, cut the bush back to within a few inchos of the ground, [and, cover the roots with a eood mulch-!of cow manure and decayed leaves. Or. ■if manure is not obtainable, work In a-good,'dressing of bonedust, and cover •the'. 1 roots' with decayed vegetable rubliieh. Have the soil thoroughly wet before,, applying the mulch. Give the plant i sunny position, and provide Btronr; stakes ;at tho atart. THE KEBD FOB HUMUS. 1 "During the week-ends, if the weather is at. all possible, amateur <*ardenerß may be seen pushing on' with tho digpihr; of their garden plots. Some there are who. made 1 ! desperate'by the number of wet week-ends, snatch an hour every morning when it is scarcely, light, and others again work during the eveningly tho aid of a powerful • acetylene light—good luck tn them.l And 'it is now, while this work is in^procress,. that I should like to impress upon gardeners .the nreent' need for humus in their bollb. Don't be satisfled- with mere turning over of the soil, make a vow that wherever you din* you will add something that will increase the 'humus in your soil. Humus is a very important part of the soil; indeed, it is far more import/ant- than many cardeners think, What is humus? It is simply the orgahio matter in the soil derived from decomposing plant and animal products, and' is not true humus till it is in an advapced state of decomposition. It is then brown in'colour, and. when present in large quantities, imparts a dark colour to the soil. As humuß is oapable of holding nearly double its weieht of moisture, one can readily Bee how vital u. part it is of a'sandy soil, for it retains in the soil moisture that would otherwise drain away' too quickly. Also, during ita decomposition valuable plant food is liberated which helps to make the soil more fertile. By the nddition of humus, a clay, soil is made more porous, so that, water passes through more readily, and .air is more freely admitted. ThUß.' by its addition, .a 'sandy soil which- is naturally too well drained, is made capable' of . holding much more moisture, and a clay Boil which is apt to be sticky and' hard to work, is made friable and capable .of.-freely, admitting air and water' without, beiusr too tenacious of the Jatter. .■ Moreover, soils rich in humus do not become hard and compact. Thi ideal soil is a fniituro. of equal partß of sand , 1 and clav,'with a fair proportion of humus. This is called a loam. When a gardener speaks of a soil as being rich he simply means that It is well stocked J'«b humus.- A poor soil is one that is deficient in' humii.s.' Havine digested these few facto, the amateur eardencr will now see that the condition of his soil depends larzely upon t himself. The ono with a stiff clay soil has the hardest problem to- face, but by persistently breaking up the sajj and working in decayed animal and vegetable matter, and coarße sand or grit, he will eventually have a soil that is hard to beat-. The gardener who begins with sani has to bury, and to keen, on : burying, quantities of vegetable and such animal manure as cow and pi<r manure, and to incorporate with his soil many loads of clay before he can hope to have a really irofltable garden. But having worked the soil to tho desired state of richness, the amateur gardener mußt not think that hiß labours are at an end. In the bush, whers leaves are constantly dropping and are left undisturbed to decay, the soil jb always rich •in humus, But j n a garden where weeds are quickly destroyed leaves are carefully raked up, and crons are, constantly gathered from the soil, the humusSn time -rots away, and tho soil'becomes p6ar. To maintain its richness, we mußt then itake steps to. replenish the necessary humus at, regular intervals, and, .this in done bv digging in animal manure or decomposed vegetable matter. • In a garden nothing should be warte'd. weeds, grass, soft hedqe clippings, leaves,' ™/}j Te / yl^lns L 'h# J" capab le of beimr rotted down should be returned to the soil to supply the organic matter that will become humus. So often ono lees actually burning leaves and vegetable matter while the Foil is crvine aloud its poverty in every' stunted plant. y , 0 ,' 1 , lv ' l : re to remonstrate with him. lie would tell you that the ash iB good for 'l, 0 ° verlook ; s this important larhll lf n a l d Bte , ms ' eto ". are composed largely of aah and organic matter. If he buries them as they are th"e soil t>etß tho benefit of the ash, plus the organio l v i! oh decomposes into the all--1%?'" hun}us; if he burns them, tho soil gets only the ash, and the Hants' liho«t n s ry IOTl 0T the plant food ' 'hat are .liberated when organic matter is beincdecomposed The "thirds that should be t?™' a F° focks, cabbage leaves -aiid go™ io seed ' and vrcwlß that have hi?m?m°L 'n? be ?f - w '\ ys ot maintaining humus in the soil is by means of green manumg. mustird, turnips,' * and manure. re all BUltabl ° for grcou N ? tea n ? xt wcok will contain scastfnable notes about herbaceous nhiox double pink godetia, and vegetables ■ '