GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2450, 1 May 1915, Page 11

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowkai.")

These noies are written solely for tie i- l J T CM'ilftncr, for tho busy olty man who Jiki-e to sn«nd an hour or two in. his garden after being shut up all day, for tho woman who derives groat pleasure from growing a fow plants to brighten hor home, but to whom it would be a weariness to. study garden books, and for all those who are endeavouring to keep a small gaTdon bright and attractive all the vear round. To these I soy do not attempt to grow too much. Ohoose what plants you want for you<r garden and for supplying the house with cut flowers, and whatever you decide upon., grow tho beat 01 itß kind that is to be obtained. Roadere arc invited to a-sk Questions. FLOWERING VERBENAS. Verbenas flower so freely and over such vu v P°" o< ? thnfc they must be given liberal mipplies of liquid manure and j r during the summer and autumn. I)eaa flower# Must •bo _ regularly picked oft, because they so quickly run to seed, and in doing so exhaust the plant very much. Now is a good time -to increase one a stock of these, beautiful bedding plants. Those who have been pegging down the runners during the summer will have plenty of nicely-rooted pieces which they can now lift, separate from the main Toot, and transplant into permanent flowering quarters. Those who have not these runners may now take cuttings, and insert them in a soil and sand to Btrike. Give the cuttings a good watering, and stand tho box m the shade. The cuttings will root very quickly. •■fr. 0 roots may be cut right back to. within a -few inches of the ground. The ground should be Ttell forked round this plants, and a little bonedust "worked in. rvew shoots will 6oon appear, and the plants will begin blooming again early in the spring. Those who can get animal manure should spread a thick: layer of well-rotted manure round the plants. This is much appreciated by them, and will ensure a never-ending succession of good blooms from spring till the following winter. Verbenas are easily raised from eeed. Seeds sown in the autumn will produce mt enn £ in following spring. L 1 0 to sow seed now had 'better make sure of germination by using de0 P hoxes for, the seeds. Half fill these with fresh animal manure, and rem ainclor* of the box with earth and sand. The manure will give bottom heat, and the use of it is safer ,? n Ousting seeds to ordinary soil at this time of the year. Keep the box shaded from the sua till v the seedlings appear above-the soil. Bracken fern laid across the box, or oven trailers of periwinkle, make a good shade for seeds. Don't use anything that would press on, the surface of the soil. Guano can be bought at seed merchants, and makes a gOod liquid manure for those who cannot otherwise get animal manure. Use $oz. of guano to 1 gallon of water. Soot also makes a good manure, and is obtainable in. most 'households. _ LOBELIA. Cut'back one or two lobelia plants, and, us soon as the new growth begins, lift the roots and plant them in boxes, or in a part of the garden where frost cannot reach them. One or two fair-sizod Toots jtill supply a long border' in the spring. Even ui gardens that are free from tho taisohief caused by Jack Frost it is better to lift and divide clumps of lobelia, mating a new border each spring, . ' ■ MLIUMS. Before planting liliums the ground should; be well prepared. Tho top soil should be removed, and the subsoil broken up and enriched with well-rotted cow manure, leaf-mould (peat-mould is better, and to obtainable from some nurserymen), and little bonedust. The top soil may then be replaced. Once in the ground liliums should not be disturbed again for several years. Hence the importance of prepare mg the ground thoroughly, and of giving the bull® thfe 6urroundingß they like in tho first instance.

• When planting the bulbs fork a little ; bonodsust into the earth in the bottom of . the hole, place a good layer of sand for s the bulbs to rest on, and, if possible, ; cover the bulbs with, sand before covering , with earth. This is a precaution againrt insects, especially wooalice, which may get among the scaly parts of the bulbs. Liliunm are quite hardy, and will make a brilliant ehow in our gardens from November -until the efid of April. Liliurn Candidum, commonly called tne Christmas Lily, is the first to bloom, and the season closes with the beautiful Belladonna, and Guernsey lilies. Liliums have twoi ways of rooting. Some make their roots at the base of the bulb, others make roots not only at the base of the bulb, but also on the stem at the top of the bulb. ■ The bulbs of the latter should be planted ■ with the apex about sis inches below the • surface of the soil to allow room for the i 6tem roots. The following liliums have this system of double Tooting:—Auratum, ( Batemanii, Brownii, Croceum, Elegans, ! Hansoni, Henryi, Icrameri,. Longifloium, Speciosum, and Tigrinum, Liliums may be planted during this month and next, ; or in the spring. Should clumps of liliums need breaking up the work should be done now, and tho bulbs planted back into the ground again as quickly as possible. During the winter liliums should have a good mulch of cow manure. They are greedy feeders, but certainly repay one for the quality of the food tney receive. During the summer thoy should be given plenty of water, and weak liquid manure, and the roots should be protected from the hot sun by a mulch of lawnclippings or some other suitable material. The Auratum is perhaps the most handsome of the liliums, and when in flower it fills the gaiden with perfume. It flowers about December and January. The Speciosum group is a most useful as well as a very' beautiful one.' The lilies flower during February and March, at a time when out flowers are rather scarce. Speoiosum Album is pure white, Speciosum Rubrum is white with pink spots. These two are the most common ol the Speciosum croup, but there are others that are well worth growing. Nurserymen give long lists of liliums with full descriptions of eaoh kind in their bulb oatalogues. No garden is perfect without one or two varieties of liliums, and fortunate indeed aro those gardeners who are able to bave a full collection to enhance the beauty of thier gardens. HERBACEOUS PLANTS. Herbaceous flowers as they go. out of bloom should have their flowering stem cut down. Wherever possible clear away plants that have finished flowering to ijiake | room for spring flowering plants, CHRYSANTHEMUMS. It is surprising how quiokly the buds are developing. One needs to look over the chrysanthemum plants once or twice a week to make suro that superfluous buds ore not allowed to flourish, and so deprive the flowering buds of strength. Caterpillars must also be looked for. This means that the ground round the plants IB constantly being trampled on, so tho hoe or the hand-fork must be in confitant use, keeping the surface stirred. Peed plants once a woek with weak liquid manure, or soot water. During very chy weather spray with clean water to get . rid of tho dust.

.VEGETABLES, CARROTS.

Thill out young carrots as they grow, pulling out the biggest oach time. By pulling out the biggest, the thinnings can be used, up in the kitchen for soups. Where dry weather still prevails the young vegetables coming on will need an occasional good watering. The hoe must be used to loosen the soil as soon as it is dry enough to be worked, or all the good ot the watering will be undone. PEAS 'AND FRENCH BEANS. Cut down peas and French and runner beans as soon as they have finished hearing. Burn tho haului and save the ash, but the roots may bo left in the ground to enrich it, and will be dug in later on. ENDIVE. Endive makes a good winter 6alad. Seed may be sown broadcast now and thinned out as soon as the plants aro big enough. Endive grows very easily, and is a splen- 1 did vegetable for adding to soups, or to vegetable stews. If the plants are to be used for sjilads tho leaves are generally blanched by being tied up. ' ' LEEKS. K«ap, (adlHjf with Hifcf&fca of SSdl M b4?ms4 ffi JJXfIrWM ftfitftj, ■ Bspa.'&t