In the Garden

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 3, 5 January 1939, Page 15

In the Garden

By "Practical."

SUMMER TREATMENT OF PLANTS

Ranking in importance with hoeing in the summer care of the garden is the regular removal of faded blossoms and seed pods and the cutting down of old flowering stems. This not only adds to the tidiness of the beds, but has a definite effect in prolonging the flowering season of many • plants, sometimes keeping- them ornamental throughout the whole summer.

For example, antirrhinums quickly become a mass of seed pods if left to their own devices. Naturally the labour of perfecting so many thousands of seeds will cripple the plants or at least keep them so busythat they will have no time to think of producing further flowers.

Cut all those seed-podded stems away, leaving as much foliage below as possible, however, and the reward will be another show of flowers almost as as the first, and that in a very short time. , Canterbury bells furnish another striking example of what can be done by simply picking off dead flowers and seed pods. Such must be plucked singly leaving all the stems which will then produce new flowers, the second display being probably as good as the first. Earlyflowering herbacious plants, such as * oichusa, Delphinium, and Lupin are also much better for having their old flower stems cut away. These should not be cut right to the ground, leaving gaps in the borders; only the parts of the. stems having borne flowers need to be removed. The result, given a fairly moist season, is to cause the plants to bloom again during the late summer and autumn months.

The necessity for removing all dead flowers, and the accompanying, seed vessels from roses is so. well known as scarcely to need mention. It cann.;'. be too strongly emphasised, however, that the autumn crop of roses is greatly improved if this little task is duly performed.

Another simple but important task is that of mulching, especially where the soil is light and driej out quickly or where the garden -on the sea coast, with a very sandy soil probably on a shingly subsoil. Plants can only absorb their 'food supplies in liquid form and wfifen moisture is lacking the plants either die outright or at best become very miserable. If the beds are lightly forked over so as to break up the crust then given a mulch of light material to a depth of,two or three inches the moisture in the

inn toiumn •» intenaeo prmeipaio «»« aaroenan witA «malt plou, ano (to tlm l» to maka It M prattloal and useful at oosiible. inquiries en any matter* «t gardening Interest will be weUomed. The rule foi- eorretpondenee l> that all •ommunloations must be aeeompanlefl o> the name ano address of the writer, oot for publication, but at a ouarantee at oood faith. This rule will bt strictly adhered to This is your ■olumn—mafcr use of M.

ground will not evaporate so readily and the roots will be kept cooler to some extent. Another advantage of the mulch is that watering may be done with the hose or watering-can without causing the ground to cake.

Liquid manuring is very valuable to plants during their second flowering, by which time they have naturally used up a big percentage of the food supplies. Give a good watering i before applying liquid manure or apply it after rain while the soil is still moist. Mulching is also of great benefit to many shrubs and trees especially to rhododendrons and other surface rooting subjects which suffer badly during hot wdather unless some protection is afforded their roots. CINERARIAS. Among "the jobs which may be car- j ried out during the present time is thej planting out of seedling cinerarias for I next season's flowering. The best time for sowing is really from the beginning of November till j the end of December, and it is wiser to make two sowings so as to secure two periods of flowering. The November sowing should come into flower about midwinter, or earlier, while the later sowing should continue right into the period of warm weather. .

Cinerarias like a cool and- moist atmosphere throughout the summer months and they do remarkably well tinder trees or in some shady corner.

Cinerarias are not successful when grown in a room as they should be grown as hardy as possible, this being really the only successful method. If it is desired to have them in the house the best thing to do is to grow them outside and when they commence to bloom.take them inside for decorative purposes. They require plenty of air and light, but. the sun s should not be allowed to strike them directly through a window. Keep the soil moist but not wet opl they will damp off at the collar and die.

Cinerarias are subject to rust spots and fungus, especially if they ■ are being grown soft and with too.much coddling, but they are seldom attacked with this disease if they are grown hardy with plenty of fresh air, especially in the summer. Black caterpillars often cause trouble to these plants. If arsenate of lead is sprayed over them at a strength of one teaspoonful to the gallon the pests will be discouraged.