GARDENING CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 23372, 15 September 1939, Page 13

GARDENING CLUB

CULTIVATION OF NARCISSI Tho Dunedin Gardening Club met on Tuesday, when Mr C. H. E. Yates gave an address on tho ‘ Cultivation of the Narcissi ’ from an amateur exhibitor’s point of view. In choosing a site, the speaker said, a sunny, sheltered, free-drained soil was best, and a fresh site should be chosen every few years. _ The soil should be cultivated from 18in to 20in deep, and reduced to a fine open tilth. Putting it through a half-inch netting screen was effective. Tho beds should bo sft wide to allow the weeding and cultivation of the soil to be done from the path. One should begin preparing the bed with a layer of well-rotted cow manure, then Sin of soil, followed by a dusting of basic slag and bone dust, then another layer of soil and another dusting of basic slag and bone dust. More soil should then be added, covering the bulb four to six inches deep, and giving it a slight dusting of the same manure. The bulbs should be planted in rows 9in apart and 7in apart in the rows. Good, well-shaped bulbs should be chosen, and tire remainder planted in the garden for cut flowers. When the plants had grown to the visible bud stage a dressing of manure consisting of two parts super, one part sulphate of potash, and one part kainit should be given, and the only cultivation required was to keep_ the weeds down and the top soil stirred. To grow and mature good flowering bulbs tor next year tho leaves should not be removed. To obtain bulbs for competing in the amateur show classes it was not necessary to grow expensive varieties. Tho following could be obtained' at reasonable prices;—Yellow trumpets —Honey Boy, Lord Roberts, Hallmark, Dawson City, Terrica; white —Beersheba, White Emperor, Kantara; bicolours—Cora, Honor; Incompo—Yellow Poppy, Manaia, Pilgrimage, Osiro Nissa, Brightling, Scarlet Queen, Flash Lighting; Barri—Queen of Hearts, Lady Emperor, Mrs Barlay; Leedsii— Kingdom, Honesty, White Nile, Mitylena; doubles—lnglescombe, Apricot, Royal Sovereign, Golden Rose, Silver Rose; Poetaz—Jauno a’ _ Merveille, Scarlet Fern, Harbour Lights; cut flowers—Win. Beattie, Hebron, Volunteer, His Excellency, Kenaok, Orange Glow, Militant. Silver Plane, Helios, Bath Flame, Silver Dawn, Barbaric. Mr H. J. Trevena, moving a vote of thanks to Mr Yates, remarked on his experiences with the narcissi. Some fine examples of spring flowers were exhibited. Several narcissi were also on show, including Fortune. After the meeting Mr Yates was the guest of the president, Mr J. Passmore, and met some of the growers.