BEAUTIFUL ZINNIAS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 520, 24 November 1928, Page 28

BEAUTIFUL ZINNIAS

Zinnias you cannot be without, tor j these are one o£ the greatest stand-! bys of every garden, be it big or small. Sow a packet now of a really ( good strain; make another couple of i sowings for succession later on in the season—one about November and the other about January—and your garden will never be short of flowers until j the approach of next year’s cooler weather. Zinnias may be had in flower from September to March Light, rich soil, a plentiful and regular supply of water, as sunny a situation as possible, and a three-inch mulch of old leaves and manure as soon as they are a foot in height are their main requirements. There are several good strains of Zinnias on the market, but you will find those sold as the Dahlia-flowered types among the very choicest. Don’t neglect 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 practised as assiduously as it should, it will be noticed that lie roots display a tendency to make themselves visible above the surface; and the presence of the mulch protects them from damage by the sun's fierce rays. Plant Zinnias about two feet apart, 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 inches In