BEAUTIFUL ZINNIAS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 60, 3 December 1937, Page 16

BEAUTIFUL ZINNIAS

Zinnias you cannot be without, for these ape one of the greatest stand-bys of every garden, be it big or emall. Sow a paclcet now of a really good strain; make another couple of good sowings for succession later on in the seasou — one about November and the other about January — and your garden will never be short of flowers until the approach of the next year's cool weather. Zinnias may be had in flower from September to March. Light, rich soil, a plentif ul and regular supply of water, as sunny a situation as posible, and a three-inch mulch of old leaves and manure as soon as they are a foot high, are their main requirements. There are severai good strains of zinnias on the market, but you will find those sold as the dahlia-flowered types among the very choicest. Don't negleet to apply the mulch to your zinnia beds as soon as the warmer ' weather arrives — particularly during a dry spell. If artificial watering is not practiced assiduously as it should, it will be noticed that the roots display a tendency to make themselves visible above the surface; and the presence of the mulch proteets them from the damage by the sun's fierce rays. Plant zinnias about two feet part, and prevent them from prematurely blooming by nipping out the first buds as they form. Zinnias should never be allowed to flower until they are at least 15 1 inches in height.