August, 1913 



THE c;arden ^nd field. 



99 



short branchiiiix twiRS, whatt-vcr 

 other means may ho adopted for sub- 

 sequent training- I'liere is no d<nilit 

 tliat it adapts itself l)etter to, and looks 

 more at home on a more natural 

 support than wire nettini>:. l^nfortu- 

 nately suitable sticks are not easily 

 procurable. They are often too 

 straight and stiff and almost quite 

 without the twiggy branching growth 

 about and over which the Sweet Pea 

 loves to climb, and which give a light- 

 ness, grace, and elegance to a row 

 which is partly lost in a more arti- 

 ficial arrangement. Whatever sup- 

 port is used it must be well braced, 

 for the wind pressure will be very 

 considerable. Where full length na- 

 tural sticks ^rc used, a couple of 

 strands of fencing wire, with a sup- 

 porting stake every ten or twelve 

 feet, should be strained along the 

 rows, one at two feet and the other at 

 four feet above the ground level. 

 Even where full length sticks ara^not 

 available a very neat and suitable sup- 

 port can be made of short growths 

 laced on a foundation of fencing wire. 

 This method has the advantage that 

 it can be done as the plants grow, and 

 the bareness of the tall unclothed 

 sticks be avoided. If wire netting is 

 used, it should be of large mesh, be 

 well stretched, and if it has had a thin 

 coat of boiling tar it will be very 

 much less obtrusive in appearance 

 than the plain, galvanized article. In 

 fact, at a little distar^ee it will be al- 

 most invisible. Formal arrangemerits 

 of wire-work, such as umbrellas and 

 vases, are favoured by some people, 

 but if there is a less artistic way of 

 growing Sweet Peas we don't know 

 of it. 



- — Salvias. — 



One of the most popular of snnrr.er 

 flowering plants, amongst those wh > 

 like big blazy displays of gorgeous 



colours, is the Salvia. It is of com- 

 paratively recent introductinn in its 

 (iresent imiitoxed fmiii. but it is now 

 one of the IIdwhts which many gar- 

 deners loci tltey must have, whatever 

 else has to be passed. This is not 

 surprising, for they come into tlower 

 early and last a long while in bloom 

 The i)lue flowered Salvia is more it 

 home in the Hills than on the Ade- 

 laide plains and similar localities, but 

 the other vapieties rc\el in the sun- 

 shine, and with a reasonable amount 

 of water will stand a "hot week" 

 without turning a hair. They are 

 strong rooters and any bedmates are 

 liable to go short, so they are best in 

 a place to themselves or in generous- 

 sized clumps. Sow the seed early in 

 pan or box. Prepare a seed pan lo 

 in. in diameter; place in the bottom 

 an inch of broken potsherds for drain- 

 age. Sprinkle a little dry moss over 

 this to prexent it from clogging. 

 Make up a nice light soil of good 

 loam, leaf-mould and sand, thorough- 

 ly mixing the three ingredients to- 

 gether, and running them through a 

 fine sieve. Fill the pan to within half 

 an inch of the rim with this, and make 

 the surface firm and level by pressing 

 on it with a smalt^ board. Sow the 

 seed evenly and thinly over the sur- 

 face, and then sift some earth (leaf- 

 mould for preference) through a fine 

 sieve so as to cover the seed to the 

 thickness of a penny piece. Shade 

 the pan with a pane of glass and 

 place where it may receive the full 

 benefit of the sun. It should be look- 

 ed to every day, and water given per 

 fine-rosed can, when needed, that is 

 to say, when the surface shows signs 

 of getting dry, but not unless. 



— Carnations. — 

 Carnations which have been undis- 

 turbed for the last few months will 



now be benefited by some assistance 

 for the production of new f;rowth and 

 an abundant crop of spring bloom. A 

 successful grower recommends top- 

 dressing as the best means to this 

 end. I'repare enough comjjost to 

 cover your bed at least an inch deep 

 in the following manner: — Take an 

 ordinary garden barrow, full of the 

 sifted product of the compost heap, 

 or, if you have no compost heap, the 

 scrapings from under some old tree 

 around which the ground has not 

 been cultivated for years (this is es- 

 pecially good if cows and horses have 

 been in the habit of congregating 

 under its branches for shelter); sec- 

 ond, an equal quantity of sheep, or if 

 that be out of the question, old cow 

 manure. Mix these together thorough- 

 ly, and add a little soot and super- 

 phosphate. These ingredients must 

 be so well stirred that the different 

 parts are distributed eveniy through- 

 out the whole. When enough haS 

 been prepared to cover the beds the 

 required depth scrape all the surface 

 soil between the plants off an inch 

 deep. This must be done with great 

 care, that neither the plants them- 

 selves nor their roots may be injured. 

 This discarded soil should not be 

 wasted, but may be spread round 

 small shrubs or other perennials in 

 the open border. This done, the 

 specially prepared compost may be 

 spread evenly round the carnations, 

 and if rain is not threatening should 

 be watered to clean the foliage of the 

 plants and to settle it firmly round 

 the base. 



— Hydrangeas. — 



We do not grow enough of this 

 beautiful flowering shrub in our open 

 gardens. We cannot, perhaps, grow 

 them in our hot districts to such per- 

 fection as they do in Melbourne, 

 where they are shrubs in fact as well 

 as in name, but much more can be 

 done with it than is at present accom- 

 plished. Plants which were struck 

 from cuttings last year can be put out 

 in the open garden now, and will in 

 a comparatively short time give an 

 abundance of bloom. There are just 

 two things to remember: One is that 

 they require protection from the 

 north; the other, that they will require 

 plenty of moisture -directly the wea- 

 ther becomes hot and the atmosphere 

 dry. Plants may be procured quite 

 cheaply from the nurserymen, or cut- 

 tings may be struck, which will flower 

 this season. Make them six inches in 

 length, cut cleanly above and below a 

 bud, and set around the edge of a 



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