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Gardening for Amateurs 



Notes of Practical Interest 



HOLLYHOCK Fungus. In some 

 gardens Hollyhocks are so damaged 

 each year by the Hollyhock disease 

 that owners have been forced to discard 

 these beautiful old-fashioned flowers. Even 

 if it is not possible to rid one's garden 

 of the fungus altogether, it can by precau- 

 tionary measures be kept in check until 

 after the flowering season. Plants raised 

 from seeds are less susceptible to disease, 

 and for this reason this method of propaga- 

 tion should be preferred to that of increasing 

 the plants by division or cuttings. Three or 

 four evenings a week from May onwards 

 until the plants are in full bloom the foliage 

 should be sprayed with a weak solution of 

 Condy's Fluid or Permanganate of Potash. 

 Do not wait until the leaves are attacked, as 

 it is far easier to prevent the attack of this 

 fungus than to check its spreading when 

 once in evidence. 



Nemesia. The best strains of this lovely 

 half-hardy annual are very showy, and 

 brilliant beds can be obtained with them. 

 Seed may be sown in warmth in March, but 

 better results are obtained by making sow- 

 ings later in the spring in cold frames or 

 out of doors in a sheltered spot. It is im- 

 portant not to force the plants at any period. 

 In May seed may be sown where the plants 

 are required to bloom, and if thinning is 

 properly carried out the result will be satis- 

 factory. Nemesias are very attractive if 

 grown in pots in the cool greenhouse. 



Plants in Room. When flower pots con- 

 taining plants are kept in ornamental vases 

 it is advisable to raise them a little distance 

 from the bottom in case water stagnates there 

 and induces sourness in the soil. A little fine 

 gravel such as is sold for bulb growing is 

 excellent, but an inverted saucer or clean 

 cinders may be employed. For thirsty 

 plants, like some of the Spiraeas and ferns, 

 or those grown in a dry atmosphere, the 

 space between the flower pot and the vase 

 may be packed loosely with moss or fibre ; 

 if this is kept continuously moist, the soil in 

 the pot does not dry up so readily and plants 

 are more satisfactory. Plants crowded to- 



gether in a corner suffer from lack of ven- 

 tilation, and every room gardener should try 

 to give his plants as much space as possible. 

 Stand the plants outside on a showery day, 

 but never in cold weather ; the foliage of 

 most room plants is much refreshed by this 

 or by water sprinkled over it every week in 

 summer and occasionally in winter. 



Lime in the Garden. While farmyard 

 manure is unequalled for general application 

 in the garden, it is possible to use too much 

 year after year on the soil, thus, to apply a 

 common expression, " sickening the ground." 

 In such cases an application of fresh lime in 

 autumn, withholding farmyard manure for a 

 year, proves beneficial. It is unnecessary 

 here to go into details regarding the chemical 

 action caused in the soil by applying the 

 lime, but certain plant foods are rendered 

 available and the soil is " sweetened." Lime 

 is especially beneficial on heavy clay ground. 

 Apply half to three-quarters of a bushel of 

 lime to a rod of ground ; place in heaps, and 

 cover with soil for a week until the lime is 

 slaked, then spread over the ground and 

 fork in. 



Chrysanthemum Cuttings. Most people 

 who grow Chrysanthemums are eager to 

 insert cuttings at the earliest possible date 

 after the plants have ceased flowering, in 

 order that the old roots may be destroyed, 

 but it is not an advantage altogether to have 

 the cuttings rooted too early, for in the dull 

 dark days of winter the young plants are 

 liable to become weak. When large bush 

 plants are wanted, cuttings may be inserted 

 as late as the end of March or early April. 

 Pot off the rooted cuttings without delay 

 and subsequently remove the points of the 

 shoots frequently. By early May they are 

 ready for 6-inch pots. About the end of May 

 harden the plants off and plant out. Plants 

 grown in this manner form bushy specimens 

 of medium height and carry a large number 

 of useful-sized decorative blooms. If the 

 points of the shoots, taken out at the last 

 stopping, in June, are inserted as cuttings 

 they form nice little table plants 1| to 2 

 feet high. 



