Warm sunshine prompts spring growth in Waimarino

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 18, 24 September 1985, Page 14

Warm sunshine prompts spring growth in Waimarino

The last few days of warm sunshine has persuaded us that spring is really around the corner, and new growth and fresh faces are to be found in the garden every day. What a joy it is while busy at the kitchen sink to look out of the window at my own little "host of golden daffodils" in the bed below. I planted two dozen hyacinths in a fibreglass container just large enough to take all the bulbs planted fairly close together. Planted in a fairly rich mixture, about half and half good garden loam, and a commercial growing soil with a liberal dressing of well-rotted manure added, I left the container in the shade of the trees until the buds began to show colour, then brought them out further into the sunshine. They have grown really well, much taller than they usually do when planted out in the garden. They make quite a lovely splash of colour on the lawn. Plant gladioli corms now to flower about Christmas time. Choose a spot in full sun where the earth is well drained. Dig out the bed or individual holes to a depth of 15cm. Add a little well-rotted cow manure or a commercial rose food to the base soil and cover this with a few centimetres of sand (not

builder's sand). Set the corms onto the sand flat side down about 15 to 20cm apart and cover with a layer of sand. Add a strong stake at the time of planting, one for each one or two corms, then replace the soil previously dug out so that each corm is buried to a depth of 10 to 15cm. Gladioli corms can be prone to diseases some of which are soil transmitted, so the layer of sand above and below the corm will help to avoid this. As the plant grows the foliage should be sprayed with a garden spray suitable for ornamentals every ten to fourteen days to keep the plants healthy. In normal weather conditions flowers should be ready for cutting in twelve to fourteen weeks.. Seedlings for Summer Blooms Seedling plants for summer flowering are now appearing on the market. There is an interesting range of single colour pansies this year. Black, white, blue, orange, yellow and cream as well as the giant mixed varieties. Schizanthus, or 'poor man's orchid', makes a lovely show. Clumps of pink and white Allysum interplanted with blue Lobelia will make a very compact and colourful edge to any flower garden and will bloom all summer long.

If your borders are not yet prepared for planting don't worry, there will be a wealth of plants available from now until after Christmas. The Vegetable Garden The vege garden which has been prepared earlier should now be ready and raring to go. Containers of seedling plants are now appearing in shops and garden centres ready to plant out once the ground has been levelled and raked over to a fine tilth. Cabbage, cauliflower and silverbeet can all be planted out now. Make sure you buy healthy growing plants. The seedling plants already growing in boxes or in the little plastic containers have been

grown by the nurseryman and already hardened off ready to plant out. These may be more expensive than the bundles of plants pulled from the ground with no earth around the already damaged rooting system, but the seedling plants carefully transplanted into the prepared soil will already have a head start and results will compensate for the extra cost. Far be it from me to tell the man of the house how to grow his cabbages but tiny seedling plants will grow into big fat cabbages provided they are given sufficient breathing space and a good supply of sunlight and air between the plants.

Bea

Barnes