HORTICULTURAL NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 9

HORTICULTURAL NOTES

By J. GEBBIE. !

THE MIXED FLOWER BORDER. A mixed border of herbaceous plants, carefully selected and properly planted, will . ensure a succession of bloom for nine or ten months in the year, and by including bulbs an earlier display in the spring months wil) be secured. In the first place the soil should be deeply dug. quite two spits deep, and then made firm with the foot before the plants are put in. The hole should be considerably larger than the space required for the roots, to allow the latter to have soil freshly broken up in which to start their growth. By careless planting the plants suffer during a spell of dry weather. Hardy border plants, like all others, quickly respond to good cultivation, many of them lequiring to be lifted and replanted every other autumn. Montbretias, a beautiful and attractive group, \ useful for cutting and decorative purposes, j are greatly benefited by being broken up and replanted ' every two or three years. The finest • bloom*- are gathered from those planted two years ago. Campanulas of the perennnal section require to be reduced in like manner every autumn. If allowed to ' remain undisturbed they would soon occupy j a few square yards of the border, and the ' flower spikes would deteriorate. Perennial phlox and many others are of the same nature and habit of growth, and the same treatment holds good with them. When breaking up and replanting, always , choose the outude portion of the plants, as ] these are the strongest and best to plant ■. again. A change of position in the border has much to recommend it, protiding as it

* does fresh soil for the roots of the young plants. Towards autumn plants that have passed out ol flower present rather an untidy appearaaoe, out beyond cutting off the withered flowers nothing c/ui be done, as the foliage must be preserved until matured, when it may be cut ovef. To enumerate all the hardy plants suitable for a border would occupy too r»uch space. The nurserymen's catalogues comfein lists with descriptive notes, so that anyone wishing to plant can make a selection. Herbaceous pseomes, delphiniums, lilies, campanulas, gaillardias, helehores, primulas, perennial phlox, Michaelmas daisies, and perennial sunflowers are classes of plants that would furnish bloom £ronr> July to May, and these should find a place in every border of hardy flowers. PRIMULA OBCONICA. Of the many species of primula for greenhouse culture no more useful variety could be found than Primula obconica. During "recent years many fine varieties have been introduced, ranging in colour from pure white, light rose, light lilac, to dark rose, lilac and blue. A great improvement has also been obtained in the length of stem and size of the flowers. This has been brought about by selection and careful cultivation. Now is a good time for raising plants from seeds, and this is easily done. Fill a weil-draii9d pot with finely-sifted soil composed of loam and leaf mould in equal proportions, adding some silver sand. Make this modsrately firm. sow» the seeds thinly on the surface, aud just cover them with sand. Water very carefully through a fine rose, cover with a sheet of brown paper, and stand the* pot in a slig-ht hotbed or greenhouse. ' The paper must be removed as soon as {he seedlings appear. When the seedlings a/c large enough to handle, priok off into pots or boxes of similar soil and give tbem more air when 3stahlished. When several leaves have formed they may be potted singly into small pots. The most suitable compost" for their cultivation is one composed of two parts good loam, cne part well-decayed cow manure, and one part leaf mould, with some sand added. Shift on the plants as they require it, until they are in sin or 6in pots, 'when they will flower profusely and continue in bloom for a long time. The leaves are to be highly poisonous to some persons, and gloves should be woa % n when touching them. I have frequently handled and worked with them without the use of gloves, and never suffered any injury. However, there is nothing like exercising oars, and they should not be placed where 'children can touch them. ARTIFICIAL MANURE FOR ROSES. The question, What iranure should I give to ray roses? is often asked. The simplest artificial manure to apply is bone meal, and I have found it an excellent manure when applied during the spring months, at the rate of 6oz to the square yard, to be^ followed in November aud December with a few waterings of manure water. One ounce of guano to a gallon of water, applied about once a fortnight, will be found of great benefit to the plants. The National Rose Society's annual recommends" a good general manure for tea roses as . follows : — Best dissolved Peruvian- guano ' two parts, fine bc%e meal one part, s*sul--pha'te of potash ■ half a part, dried blood finely powdered one part, and nitrate of soda half a part. Apply in early spring, at the rate of 56z to the square yard. The above ingredients should be well Mended. KainU,- bone meal, and blood manure in equal quantities" is" another excellent manure for all roses. These should be well mixed with dry soil at the rate of a. barrow load of soil to lewt of the mixture. Keep in a dey shed, and apply a dressing to all the surface soil of the rose beds and borders in the months of October, November, and December — one dressing a month. The manure should be hoed in at the time of application. Manures and fertilisers for roses mode ujj ready for application can be obtained from the* various soedsmpn throughout the Dominion, and fov those who do not wish to have -the bothar of mixing the ingredients this is tfte best way to obtain it, A Hawera amateur gardener who began picking tomatoes (under glass) early in January last has just. picked the last of the crop-^some ripe, some green. The vines,' whioh fruited continuously throughout the year, were grown on the singlestalk system. According to Mr F. Sisson. chairman of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association, the orchardist of a few years ago was troubled with only one pest, which could be combated with lime and sulphur squirted on with a syringe. Nowadays, however, the fruitgrower had to be practically a chemist with a knowledge of insecticide preparations and an intimate acquaintance with the character of the gentlemen he had to tackle.