GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 263, 31 July 1920, Page 12

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.") DOUBLE PINK GODETIA. This is one of the most charming of our annuals. The large double flowers arc a delightful Bhado of pink and are well spaced on upright stems. If the plantß aro pinched back in the seedling stage, they grow idto quite largo busheß, and mako a, great show when in bloom. Where thero is room they should always be grown in groups, the plants being six or eight inches apart each way, for annals are much more effective when massed than when grown aB single specimens. Seeds of double pink .godetia may bo Sown now in seed pans, or, in sheltered sunny corners, in the open. The nlants are quite hardy and do not mind severe frosts' in the least. Autumn-sown plants that wcro pinched, when a few inches high, have now brancned nicely and should be carefully staked with twiggy sticks. These plants will flower towards Ui£ end of spring. By making another sowing in November, in ground that contains plenty of humps, plants may bo brought on to flower during autumn. Ab cut flowers, double pink godetias are delightful, for they last well in water ■ and aro easily arranged in bowls. Any well-dug i?a.rdcn Boil is suitable for the plants, especially if it contains a Bupply of decayed vegetation, and some bonedust. HERBAOEOUB PHLOX. The annual phlox, phloi drummondii is always popular and largely grown, but the majority of cottage gardeners do not seem to realise how wonderfully beautiful herbaceous or perennial phlox is. Provided It is put into well-prepared ground, it is one of the most satisfactory plants for every clasß of garden— lnrge or small. Occasionally oho sees clumps of the.pure white, which is lovely, but the Bcarlet Ooquillicot, and some of the.pinks and lavenders are glorious. Herbaceous phlox must bo well fed; so often the plants are just stuck in tho ground and left to struggle along as best they can. When one sees the poor stunted flowers that are the result, one is apt to take a dislike to the-whole tribe. Why will some people scratch up a. niece of ground, and then stick in a few poor unfortunate plants that can only bo an eyesore to all beholders? If it is worth while growing flowers at all. it iB worth while doing il well: Plants that are carefully planted in deeply-dug, well-manured ground cannot go far wrong, and they are a great pleasuro to all who see them. Tho first trouble is the- chief trouble. Phloxes, although such hardy subjects, will, not flourish in ground that has not been deeply dug. They like a sunny position, and they like to be left undisturbed for several years. Also, they like to be fairly well treated with regard to food. If well-rotted animal manure cannot be obtained and worked into the soil while digging iB going on, well-decayed Vegetable rubbish should be ÜBed. Then a littlebonedust worked in nt planting timo will keep the plants going, especially if they receive one or two soakin?s with weak liquid manure during the fiowerimr Beason; After they ha»ve finished flowerjus, cut the plants back to within a few inches of the'ground, fork a little-bone-duet into the soil round them, and cover them with well-rotted manure, or with decayed vegetable rubbish. The lollowing are beautiful varieties:--Coquillicot, scarlet; Escla-rmonde, lavender with whito eye; Devonia, soft reddlßh-salmon; Esperanco, clear heliotrope with white eye; Mrs. Kerslake, pink with red eye; Superb, rich cerißO with crimson eye.

LEONOTTJB LEONORA. Leonotus Leonora is splendid for the herbaceous border, for it has a long flowering eeaßon, and is eiceedinaiv showy when in flower. The plant throws up a nuniber of tall slender stems from tfio root, much after the stylo of salvia patens, and the small green leaves and rich orange flowers aro well spaced up their entire length. LeonotUß is especially attractive during the autumn and early winter, for its graceful flower-laden Btoms are as much at home among cosmos dahlias, and Michaelmas daisies aa they arc among masses of chrysanthemums, and the late aiitunrn roses. For Beveral weeks now I have watched one bush reigning in lovely state, and just as a young acacia Baileyana, deciding to be neighbourly, burst into bloom to Keep it company, the poor leonotus, after a valiant struggle, was forced to surrender to tho spell .of hard frosts. GERANIUMS. Geraniums (Zonal pelargoniums) ■ enjoy well-earned popularity, and it is hard to imagine a gnrden without ono or more plants. They will grow anywhere, and in any soil, and there is scarcely a time, except when froßt cuts them, that they do not display their beautiful flowers. The geranium is an unfailing friend to tho gardener with a stiff clay soil, and for seaside gardens It is ideal. Tho soil\ for geraniums should ■ not be too rich, and although it ahonld bo deeply dug it should be made firm again before the plants are put in. Cuttings root most easily provided they are kept fairly dry and are given a sunny position. Although old-faßhioned varieties aro still grown, and are still worth growing, many of the new ones are so lovely that one or more should be secured.. Tho following tire a few good ones:—Contrast, single, scarlet with a white eye; Hatfield, single, pink; Lady Curzou, single, pink; liev. F. Atkinson, single, deep crimson j Lord Avebury, ceriEe, with a white eye.

VEGETABLES; Whenever the chance offers, hoe between the rows uf vegetables that, are already in the garden. Earth' should be drawn well up about young peas until it forms ridges along both sides of the row. Examine broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower plants to see if- frost has loosened them. Draw soil over any potatoes that are already through the ground. Defer planting any more until tho. soil is warmer. In tho meantime have them sprouting nicely- in their boxes. Provided they are in a strong light, tho shoots will remain ' sturdy. ' Dig and manure all vacant plots, and where insect pests hare been troublesome, dug in some soil fumigant. Parsnips that have been in the ground all the winter should now.be dug out and stored. The ground they have been occupying should be deeply dug find manured for a crop of greens, .French beans, or peas. Silver beet should bo kept growing vigorously by constant cutting of the leaves that are ready, by hoeing when possible, and by feeding with nitrate of soda (loz. to 1 gallon of water). Plant put young cabbage and cauliflower plants that wero sown at the end of the autumn. The ground Bhonld be trenched and well manured, for tho ground that is manured for greens, peas, etc., this season, will be the place for a following root crop of carrots, parsnips, etc. The one manuring supplies tho two crops. Mix a. little bonedust with the earth in each hole, and cut the long tap roots off tho seedlings to encourage the growth of fibrous ones. Plant very firmly. PAHSNIPB. ' Parsnips like a deeply-dug and finely-broken-up soil. Ground that was manured for greenß laat spring will now bo used for parsnips. If 'possible, mix wood-a-Bhei with tho soil, and blacken the surface with soot. Parsnip seed mny' now bo mixed with damp sand in shallow trays, and set on a warm shelf to sprout. Garden Notes ,next week will .contain seasonable notes about: Sowing sweet peas, routine work, and .vegetables. 1 " ii i i im