GARDENING NOTES

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 45, 19 November 1952, Page 5

GARDENING NOTES

THE BEARDED IRIS

(By

"Flora.")

For those of you who have seen your friend's lovely display of bearded iris which are at the height of their beauty just now; and feel, you too, would like to grow a few; it is time for you to send ia your order to the nursery-man, as he sends out his plants in December. If you have been growing them for some years, and your clumps have become crowded, and the leaves stuntedy, December is the month in which you attend to them. Lift the creeping rhizomes with a fork, and cut these into pieces, preferably taking those from the outside of a clump. Select for replanting only those portions which have new young growth on them. They should also each have some filrous roots. Bearded Iris are hardy, and will grow in any part of New Zealand. But here in Taupo, should we have a hard unseasonable frost, just as I the buds are opening they may be frosted; and then the blooms fail to unfurl. But this state of aifairs is not usual.

A well-drained situation in fiill sunlight; as the rhizomes require plenty of sun to ripen them; is necessary for iris growing. Sprinkle lime over the soil in which the plants are to go; but do not freshly manure the ground. Replant firm-ly; , but leaVing the rhizome at the surface level of the soil, the fibrous roots go below and should be rnade firm in the ground. Each new piece of rhizome should be | eighteen inches from the next; for by the end of the first season after replanting, they will be filling the bed. Should your soil be extremeiy poor, dig in compost before planting; but avoid over feeding, for then you will get only a large crop of leaves, and the failure of the plants to flower. During the spring growth liberally sprinkle the ground with superphosphate. Leaf blotch is sometirnes common, and can be detected by the presence of brownish yellow spots op the leaves; cut away the worst affected ones and burn them. Never leave the diseased leaves lying round the garden, otherwise the disease spores will be carried over to the foLlowing «eason. 'Spray ing with, a sulphur spray helps to check the disease. Keep the leaves free from green fly as these help to carry this disease.