DELPHINIUMS.

Otaki Mail, 8 January 1923, Page 4

DELPHINIUMS.

At the present time there are no showier plants in the gardens than the- stately delphinium. They are sending, up their flowering- spikes very rapidly, and to prevent them being broken off it is necessary io oevise some means of staking them. The most general place for them to break off is close to the ground, but if-the tall spikes are provided with a stake about four feet above the ground it will be enough for them, as they rarely break off about that height. When a large clump has to be staked it is better to put about four stakes around it and to fie the stalk to some binder twine woven between the flakes. As soon as the (lowers fade and begin io die the seed pods should be removed, and when the flowering

spike is about over it is a good plan to remove the dower stalk altogether to allow the plant to send up more flowering stalks, which they will

quickly do. Although these secondary blooms are not'as good as the first lot, they will be better for decorative purposes than the first, it Is not generally known that the delphinium.) is a hungry kind of animal and wants plenty of good and nourishing food. When the first lot of flower spikes lias been cut off. give the plants a good dressing oi manure and -water it in well, and then the manure can be turned into the soil when yon think it is time to clean up the bed. Any kind of manure will do, but if it is necessary to stick to artificial manure, superphosphate gives very good results, but no nitrogen should be used, or the spikes become too soft,

and do not stand the wind or weather. I These plants are very easy to pio- { pagate from seed, but care should he j taken only to keep the seed from the J very best varieties. If the clumps are i growing singly the seed may he relied upon lo come fairly true from seed, and this is why il is important lo save seed from only the best of them. . .--'i\y tiii- seed as soon as M is ripe, and I ii you lake care of the yotfng plants von will have lliem flowering' next I spring and sui er. The seed can be" I sown either in Hie open ground or in I seed boxes. The open ground plan is the best, as the plants *.re nol likely J to suffer from n mile nSglecl in the 'vay of Wittering, and there is more ; j-fiiitii for their roots; but the ques- , liun always arises about the necessity fur thinning lliem out, and the amaj feiir lias nol been born who can find il in his heart to pull up ad destroy plants (hat he has raised. If they are sown in boxes and pricked out into others iio plants are wasted, but they have eventually io go into beds in the open ground io he selected from.— .Standard.