GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2426, 3 April 1915, Page 9

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.") Seeds of iceland poppies may now bo 60wn. Mix the seeds with a little fine ; sand before sowing, so that they may bo well distributed over the seed-pan. As soon as the seedlings are big: enough to handle plant them out in their flowering quarters. A little sand sprinkled round the roots when transplanting will bo much appreciated by tho plants. , In gardens where tho soil is heavy and not too well drained, it would be as well to leave the seedlings in the seed-pan . until early in the spring, when plenty of sand should bo added to tho §oil before the seedlings are planted ourit. PENTSTEMONS. ■ Pentstemons may now be propagated from cuttings taken from nicely-ripened but not old wood, or seed may be sown in ft seed-pan. Take the cittings from stems that have flowered. Cut off the dead flower, and cut a piece of stem about four to six inches long. Make the cut just under a, joint. Remove tne leaves from the two lower joints, and insert the cutting in a shady part of , the garden in soil that is composed . chiefly of sand. Don't be sparing with ' the sand when you are striking cuttings. As soon as the cuttings have taken root : they may be planted out in the gardens, and the old pentstemon bushes rooted i out and burnt. It is the young plants that produce the finest flowers, therefore ' new stock should be raised each. year. ; Pentstemons are grand plants to grow; , they are exceedingly showy.' most itccom- : modating about s and they. are still : flowering gaily when there. is rather a scarcity'of flowers. That is just at this time of the year, when the annuals are about ovier and the chrysanthemums : scarcely, out. The pentstemons make a valuable addition" to' the michaelmas daisies and liliums. Anyone who visited the 'Wellington Botanical Gardens during February will know what a, brilliant'display these flowers make, and in this instance their effectiveness was greatly increased by the blue ageratum that was growing all among them in undulating lines, while the dwarf blue ageratum made a charming border. MICHAELMAS DAISIES. One sees them in every garden just now'flowering bravely through all the changeable and boisterous weather. * But eo seldom is full advantage taken of the exquisite lightness and grace of these beautiful autumn flowers. Flowering as they do during the stormy 'equinoctial gales even the dwarf-growing kinds need f taking. This so often of one ptake driven into the ground as near tho plant as possible, and to this one stake all the beautiful flower-laden stems are securely tied in a tight bunch. To obtain the full beauty of michaelmas daisies several stakes varying in length must be used, and the tranches' tied away from, and iiot to, the centre of the plant, Som» of the branches at the back may be tied up to high. stakes, others pulled out sideways and fastened to short stakes, and those in front bent right over till they nearly' touch the'ground. At first this manner of staking leave's' an alarming gay in the middle of the bush,,but' m no time the little flowering side branches "stretch oiit and -£11 it. and by the time the daities are fully out in flower no gaps are to be seen, nothing but a billowy .mass of star-like flowers in white, or mauve, or pink. Michaelmas daisies are.great.water-loving plants, and can do with copious supplies.' ' '' CHRYSANTHEMUMS. ■ As soon as the buds are large enough to handle, rub out some of them, leaving only one to eaph 6hoot. Examine the cluster of buds carefully to see which is the best-shaped bud. As a rule this is the central one of .the pjuster, but sometimes where caterpillars' have' been at work this one has become and the next best one must be left. At time?, when the caterpillars' work ,hns been pretty, thorough, it may bp advisable to nip out the whole cluster; and then one of the lateral buds must be encouraged as the flowering bud. Rub out all other lateral buds on each stem. TBTs will give you. nicely-formed flowers* on long stems, instead of an unsightly cluster of half-formed flowers. Give weak liquid manure once a week—guano or cow manure one week, root water on the alternate week. Search for caterpillars regularly and systematically.' BULBS. .Plant bulbs of crocus, narcissi, enow flaker ranunculus, -scilla, sparaxis, wood hyacinth, and chionodoxa (glory of the snow) in ground that has fen prepared for them. .Keep all animal manure well away from bulbs and give them, a layer of sand to rest on. I mentioned . last week the earliest flowering gladiolus, tristis. This gladiolus' is closely followed by the ; Bride. Then comes the Blushing Bride, and all the rest of the Colvillei group! These early flowering gladioli are splendid for "cutting, and help to keep, the garden bnglit till tho larger flowered Gladioli CHildsii come out. As they flower so early the gladioli colvillei should be planted at once. The larger flowering sorts,' childsii, lemoinei, etc., may be left tilt May. : • SHADY GARDENS. v People living in towns are often puzzled to know what to'plant under the shade of trees. In small itown sections land is scarce, and one feels that some use must be made of every inch that there is. In this climate some plants do better in the shade than they do in the sun, but there "is one tree that all plants object to, and that is the pinus insignis. EVen bulbs, the most accommodating of plants, look sickly wh«n grown under pinus insignis. The following plantsi;vcill do well in a shady garden":-rJapanese anemones, autumn crocuses.. monthr'etias, Michaelmas daisies, Christnias ro?es, fprget-me-nots, foxgloves, sparaxis, scilla, primroses, narcissi, ' doronicums,- '$nd' hydrangeas. AinongElt sweet' peas the scarlet, salmdn, end orange shades "need practical shade. A garden 6tocked with these plants will haw something in bloom all the year round. " VEGETABLES. "Whenever the ground is dry enough keep "hoeing among the growing crops. As soon as 6eedlipg carrot, turnip, onion, etc.,'.'appear above' the ground keep the surface between the rows well hoed. Dust ithe seedling vegetables with soot that has been exposed to the air. The turnip fly is very fond' of the first ismboth leaves that appear above-the ground, and scoth helps to keep it off. When hoeing along the lines of onions b? careful not to cover the bulbs with soil. Onions do so inuch better when the bulbs are above ground. TOMATOES. Tomatoes ■ have been ripening very slowly of late. Don't allow any ruoro flowers to set unless Bmall green tomatoes are wanted for pickle. " All the strength of the plants should now be concentrated in the ripening fruit. Cover the plants at night if a frost seems imminent. Keep side shoots severely | pinched out. CARROTS AND BEET. Carrots and beot that are matured should be lifted and stored in dry 6and. Great care is necessary in lifting beot, because if the skin is at all broken tho beet bleeds. Cut the tops off the carrots, but beet is better with ithe tops left on till it is wanted for use. I PARSNIPS. , ■ Leave parsnips in the ground as their ftviur is much improved after a frost. Parsnips may be left whore tlioy nro till the end if July, unless tho ground is wanted. BEANS. Make the most of French and runner beans, as fronts will soon cut lliom. Keep tho pods well picked, even if there are niore than von can use. Once the pods are allowed to mature the plants are of little further life. Stimulate with dopes of nitrate of soda (to/., to 1 gall, of water). ' ■' Garden Notes next week will contain seasonable. notes about, spring flowering perennial l ., carnations, bulbs, seedling turnips, leaves.