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GARDENING NOTES.

Seasonable Routine Work.

Herbaceous borders: Too much cannot be said on the advisability of thinning tho growths of plants, as they flower much more freely when thinned to five or six shoots. This applies particularly to delphiniums, phlox, michaelinas daisies, helcniums, and others of a like nature. Soot-water is an excellent stimulant at this season for any pot plants which are not up to standard. Ferns, too, benefit from- its use, and it keeps the fronds a pleasing dark green colour..

Bedding out: Now is the time to plan and complete the programme for the filling of the various beds and it is upon the way in which this work is carried out, that will depend to a great extent; success or failure during the summer and autumn.

All flowers and prominent flower buds should be removed from any plants before they are set in the ground, as the flowers help to exhaust the specimens and hinder the growth of the young shoots which are to bear the summer display.

Put all plants just far enough apart ■ so that they will, when at their best, completely fill the beds without any undue crowding. A narrow band of something lowgrowing is best for an edging to a small bed, and a broad bold band for a large one. Dahlias, gladioli, chrysanthemums, hollyhocks, cannas, and michaelmas daisies look extremely effective in newly planted shrubberies. Prepare tho ground by deep digging . and manuring well for the planting out of dahlias, chrysanthemums, and gladioli. The plots should receive special attention if the blooms are wanted for exhibition purposes. Loosen the soil and top-dress die pansy and viola beds. Large blooms may be obtained from pansies if cuttings are struck and the one stem trained to a small stake. Keep the . buds plucked off until the plants are making good growth. Hasten 'with any shrub planting as late plantings are often successful if care i 3 taken to water the plants when a long spell of dry weather sets in later on. ' The Vegetable Garden. A little nitrate of soda, .judiciously used, will hurry along the early cabbages and lettuce. Use the hoe as often as possible, and prepare . all plots for tomatoes, pumpkins, and others of the melon family. Continue sowings of all salad plants, peas, and other garden vegetables. Transplant onions as soon as they arc large enough to handle, and, if X>ossiblc, give the soil a dressing of soot and ashes. Strawberries will soon be throwing out trusses of bloom. Weed the bed' and stir the surface soil before bedding down with clean wheat straw. A small handful of soot scattered round each plant will prevent slugs spoiling the fruit later on, while it is also beneficial to the plants. It is also a good plan to sow' a few early runner beans in pots or .cardboard cartons, placing one seed, in each. These can then be put in a warm sheltered spot, where they w T iil grow quickly and may be transplanted to permanent quarters when the weather is warmer; If the plants are carefully turned out of the pots there will be no check in getting a fresh start. Manure'Scarcity. In town gardens the scarcity of manure is becoming a problem which has to be faced by every gardener sooner or later. Wo have artificial manures of every description, which used with discretion, produce excellent results, but at the same time they are costly where a large area is under cultivation. For improving a growing crop or assisting a catch crop on ground already in fairly good heart, artificial manures are good and act quickly, but ter depend on them year after year would spell failure, as the retention of moisture and aeration of tfie soil Dy some bulky substance absolutely necessary. Artificial manures clo not aerate the soil, and therefore can never act in the same way as farmyard manure, or the manure from decayed weeds, etc. Decayed garden rubbish should ue used more. At the present time weeds are very plentiful and should be stacked for this purpose. Grass mowings, cabbage leaves, weeds and vvaste of every description should be mixed together, adding a good liming every eighteen inches or so. This helps the process of decaying and also helps to keep any smell dow r n. At the same time it is advisable to have the rubbish pit in some out-of-the-way corner. Pits are often dug for this purpose. Another plan is to gather turf to form a square the desired size which can be built up to any height required as the work proceeds. This will soon rot down and form a valuable manure, containing a large percentage of humus and other organic matter of the greatest value. If farmyard manure is obtainable and used half and half with the above, the results are excellent. Other'waste material such as pruning? from fruit trees, shrubs, and rose bushes, also noxious weeds, should ue brought together and burnt. The ashes are .then invalqable on heavy soil and there is not an atom of waste. Sometimes it is possible to grow a quick-growing crop, such as cress, etc., •which can be dug in, for these green crops, when dug in, help to absorb and retain moisture, aerate the soil, and materially add to the supply of humus, thus bringing the soil into good condi- '■ tion. But, to provide vegetables all the year round on a small plot, operations on this scale are limited. Hardy Plants from Seed. A, lew packets of seed should be

sow'n every season. There is always a feeling of "glorious uncertainty" in this propagation from seeds. Delightful new shades are often procured- and there is the daily joy of watching for the first bloom on each plant. It is well known that seeds of, say, light blue delphiniums may not produce plants bearing flowers of that colour; and, again, tho form ot the blooms may vary from that of the parent plant. This is mainly-due to the visits of insects whose purpose is to gather honey and, incidentally, to fertilise the flowers with pollen from a. neighbouring plant. Of course, this reversion from type does not always occur, but the possibility is there and adds to the interest. Assuming that the seedlings do come true, greater pleasure, and a pardonable amount of pride is experienced on the part of the gardener tvhen really good specimens have been raised by his own efforts. This seed raising should not be confined to annuals. Dahlias, chrysanthemums, gladioli, and irises arc all easily raised. Tho gladioli and iris usually bloom the second year from sowing, and dahlias in the following autumn. Seed of these plants may be sown now. Freesia seedlings will bloom- earlier than the bulbs themselves if the seed is sown as soon as it has ripened sufficiently. Where the gardener has a few bulbs of the coloured hybrids theTe are great possibilities of gaining still more new shades by annual sowings of the seed. Alyssum Montauum. A plant of special interest is alyssum montauum, especially when it is used for edgings and roek garden tvork. This plant forms neat, greyish tufts three inches high, and in early summer is studded tvith wallflower-like blooms of a good yellow shade. These are w-ell set off on the spreading tufts of glaucous foliage. In addition to the golden yellow of the flowers the plant is characterised -by a dwarf spreading habit, and by much neatness in the arrangement of its hairy leaves. The flowers also emit a pleasant fra'granec, particularly in the.evening. It is an invaluable plant, and particularly useful in that it comes into bloom at a time when most other edg ings are fading away. The plant wilJ succeed in any spot, provided the sob is well drained and it never fails to flower. Rocks, stony places and wails will suit it well, and no pi. .it- is mor-es-aily established on such places. It quickly clothes them with vegetation, but like all its relations, it shou .. be exposed to the full sun rather than shaded to obtain the best results. Tin plant may be increased by cuttings or seed. Single Asters. When filling the beds and borders, reserve a plot for the modern single asters. r Single asters are being more largely grown each season, as the new types become bettor known. They are invaluable for cutting and present a beautiful display in the garden. Tho variety Southcote Beauty, may be described as a giant single ostrich plume aster, and it has become very popular. These have long, perfectlyformed petals, with small golden yellow centres. The flowers are carried on long stiff stems from twelve to twenty inches in length with a good range of colours. A Blue and Orange-scarlet Comer. For those who like a combination ot blue and orange-scarlet colours, a very effective corner may be arranged by'placing a few bushes of the hardy, small-flowered coanothus in the background, the number being in accordance to the size of tl plot. The eeanothus blooms over a long period, and is already' commencing to unfold its panicles of tiny wedgewood blue flowers. Being of a low-growing and spreading habit it is most suitable for forming a background and limy be kept in bounds by pruning. .Next month, when the Oriental poppies commence to bloom, groups of these placed fronting the eeanothus form a very decorative and pleasing contrast. Arrange clumps of pale blue delphiniums in the foreground and tho setting is complete. Year after year the corner will gain in beauty as the shrubs grow and the clumps of perennials increase. A few gay- annuals planted in close proximity to the Oriental poppies as their foliage dies away, will help brighten the border during the autumn, and for early spring a few clumps of the polyanthus narcissi may be added here and there. The growth of other occupants hide up the leaves of these as the season advances. Beauty in Wall Coverings.

A fairly high sunny wall is a great asset to the garden, for no matter what time of the year it is built, it is always possible to furnish it with plants. Many plants are grown in pots for this purpose and if these are carefully turned out and planted in the prepared soil it matters not what particular time of the year it is. In the clematis family alone, one may select specimens that are extremely beautiful and may be relied upon to bloom well, grown under the right conditions. Among those of the Jackmanii group there are some which will give a blaze of colour for weeks. These are the large flowered types and may be had in purple, -various shades of blue, mauve, w'hite and reddish tints. ! nail flowered types arc know-n under the heading of lanuginosa and many of these are well worth growing, especially the white montana and montana rubens. Clematis loves a sunny situation, a soil liberally manured and something in the way of perennials planted near to keep their root run cool.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SNEWS19281016.2.20

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Shannon News, 16 October 1928, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,847

GARDENING NOTES. Shannon News, 16 October 1928, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES. Shannon News, 16 October 1928, Page 4

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