GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2534, 7 August 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Koavhai.") Tlieae notes are written solely for the amateur gardener, for tho busy city man who likes to spend an hour or two in the garden after being shut up all day, for the woman who derives great pleasure from growing a few plantß to brighten her Jiome, but to whom it would be 'a weariness to study garden books, and for all those who are endeavouring to keep a small garden bright and attractive all the year round. To these I eay do not attempt to grow too much. Ohoose what plants you want for your garden and for supplying the house with cut flowers, and whatever you decide upon grow the best 01 its kind that, is to be obtained. Readers ore invited to ask questions. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "5.1.C." (Fielding).—l have a number of seedlings of gladiolus, sown in the autumn 111 a box, and now about five or six inches ,high. If you would tell me the best way to get them into early flowering I should feel grateful." 'transplant tho seedlings into another box, giving them plenty of room to develop. Bo careful in handling them that you do not damago the little roots. Tho soil in this box should have sand and leaf soil added to it. Prick into the surface of the soil a little bonedust just beforo planting the seedlings. Keep the box in a warm sheltered corner, ana when watering is necessary use tepid water. Keep the seedlings shaded from the sun for a day or two. About the middle of October plant out the young plants in wellprepared and well-manured soil. Fork into the soil decayed manure, leaf-soil, grit, and artificial manure (4oz! of boneoust and loz. sulphate of potash to the square, yard). When planting the. corner spread a little 6and for the roots to' rest on. Gladioli are lovers of sunshine, therefore they should be grown in a sunny part of the garden. Aim at securing good, strong plants before you allow them to flower much. Very early flowering sometimes weakens the plants so much that they aro some time in .pulling themselves together again. SEED-SOWING. Once more the busy timo of 6eed-soiving lias arrived. There is a great fascination in this part of tho garden work. One sows with the seeds such hopes of a brilliant display of flowers, and a garden full of tempting vegetables. Then in time the seedlings begin to appear. How lovingly one watches the growth and tho development of the tiny green specks into sturdy seedlings? How fiercely one fights their foes—slugs,, wood-lice, snails, and sparrows! The spring solving is so different from the autumn sowing of seeds. In the Autumn ono sows with , a certain amount of fear and doubt. The cold season of tho year is fast approaching, and one wonders how tjie seedlings will come through that trying tihie. ■ But in spring ,all is hope. The mild caressing air grows every day a little warmer, warm spring nelp tho seedlings to grow, and one has visions of fino tows of quicklygrowing vegetables, of garden beds becoming ever gayer with quickly-opening flower buds. For the gardener spring is the beginning of the year, and ne faces the nei): season full of hope and plans, and always a little wiser than ho .was the year before, ■SEED PANS.. The seed paris must now be overhauled and filled in preparation for the sowing of tho seeds. The pans Should not be top deep, as a great depth, of earth (holds too much moisture, and is therefore cold and apt to become sour. • Three or four inches of earth is deep enough for seedlings, and the sun-warmed air can penetrate this depth.' Have the pans thoroughly clean, attend to tho drainage, and then three-parts fill the pans with a mixture of earth* sand,'ashes from a wood or a rubbish fire, and, if yon liavo it, leaf-mould. Mix up the ingredients thoroughly with the hands before putting the mixture into the pans. Seed 6 aro always more successful when 60wn -in pans. Place tho pans in a warm, sheltered spot. An hour or two before sowing the seeds water the pans with tepid water. Cover the seed with tlie merest sprinkling of fine earth. If seeds are very small mix them; in'a saucer with d little fino earth or sand. The seeds will then be more evenly distributed over the seed pan. Never sow seeds thickly, or the seedlings will come up crowded together and run up into weak, spindly plants. Those that are well distributed over the seed pan and thinly sown have a chance to grow into sturdy plants that will make strong growth right from the start. Also one is saved the necessity of pricking out the seedlings, into another box' before planting them out in the borders. Protect the pans from tho mid-day sun until the seedlings appear. Do not allow heavy rain to wash on to the soil in which seedlings have been sown. A" piece of glass placed over the pans will protect the seeds from rain, and will also .be a help to them in germinating., Seeds that may be sown now are: Ten vjeek stock, poppies, asters, candytuft, mignonette, sweet sultan, sweet scabious, annual gypsophila, coreopsis tinctoria, primroses, verbenas, acquilegias, lobelias, pansies, and violas.

PLANTS FOR THE SUNNY AND THE ■SHADY SIDES OF STREETS. As one walks along tho streets of tho residential part of tho town, one sees many unsuccessful attempts at gardening in the tiny strips of ground that usually separate tho houses from the street. Occasionally one sees success crowning tho attempts of the gardener, and the successful strip of garden gives pleasure to many hundreds of passers-by every day. It is only natural for everyone—man, woman, or child—to feel all the better for having looked for a few moments on the beauty of well-grown flowers. How much more attractive our streets would.' bo if every householder • would make up his mind to turn his little garden strip into a thing of beauty. Too often ono sees attempts made, but want of knowledge on tho part of tho gardener as to what is suitable for liis particular strip causes failure. Let us think first of the plants that will thrive on tho sunny side of tho street. There aro so many sun-loving plants. AVhat could be more beautiful than a bed full of coreopsis? Coreopsis grandiflora with its golden yellow flowers borno on long straight stems, and coreopsis tinotoria with, its wonderful shades of yellow and brown. If tho plants wore attended to regularly and 110 seed pods allowed to form, the tiny strip would bo a mass of colour from October till May. A border of pale yellow violas would make a dainty finish. Early-flowering narcissi planted between the coreopsis roots would keep the garden bright during early. spring. In small garden strips it is always more effective to grow a mass of ono kind of flower. (To bo Continued.) .VEGETABLES. Seeds that may bo sown now are:— Radish, lettuce, shorthorn carrot, turnip, peas, broad, beans, parsnips. French. Breakfast is ono of the most delicious of the radishes. To be successful with radishes one must grow. them quickly. The ground should' be richly manured and well worked. Any lumps, even, below the surface soil,-are harmful to radishes. Fresh manure ,6hould not be used. Ground that was manured in. the autumn cither with animal manure or with decayed garden refuse is most suitable). Break np the soil now to a fino powder, and just before sowing the seed prick in a dusting of bonedust or of superphosphate. A warm spot of the garden is most suitable at this time of the year for radishes. Make only a 6mall sowing. 'Radishes generally rush to maturity all together, therefore the sowing should be made often, and it should only be a small ono each. time. . Just cover the seed with very fine earth, and shade with light litter, till the seedlings appear. Thin out as goon as the plants are big enough to handle. Lettuce may be sown either in a pan or in a spare part of the garden, and transplanted into their quartets as Boon as they aro big enough. to handle. Lettuces that were planted out at the beginning of the winter are hearting up beautifully now. Tho writer lias been enjoying sweet, tender, find crisp lettuce hearts for weeks now. Hoe between the tows on sunny mornings whenever the ground is suitable, and give fortnightly doses of weak liquid, manure (ioz. nitrate of soda in 1 gallon of water). Carrots, turnips, and parsnips all need to be sown on ground that. was manured for a previous crop of greens. The ground for carrots and parsnips (especially the latter) must be worked to a fine powder. Otherwise deformed and useless roots will l)e tlie tesiilt. AVork into the soil plenty of ash from the 'rubieh fire, and bonedust (ioz. to the square yard). As soon as the seedlings appear through the gronnd, dust' superphosphate along the rows, but don't let it come in contact with the tender leaves of the seedlings. Oats that were sown, for green majmro . should now be dug in. _ Hoo whenever the ground is suitable. Garden notes next weet will contain seasonable notes about chrysanthemums, sunny and shady gardens continued, and vegetables. FOR RHEUMATIC SUFFERERS, What glad news it is to hear that yo' can be cured of Rheumatism, Lumbago, Sciatica, or Gout—and "cured permanently. Even if you have been suffering for years and have tried all kindß of advertised cures in vain you owe it to yourself to try RHEUMO. Liniments or embrocations only deaden the pain for awhile —RHEUMO cures in the one and only way—it penetrates the blood, cleanses it of excess uric acid and thus removes the cause. • Once the cause is removed, the pain and swelling disappear.' Why use salts with, foreign names and so-called "remedies" which claim to cure Rheumatism and everything else? Try RHEUMO—a specific intended to cure Rheumatic complaints ;only. Thousands of New Zealanders have been cured quickly—permanently—and we have their letters of praise for RHEUMO. Mr. William James, of the Terminus Hotel, Christcfcurch, was cured by this powerful remedy after suffering for' 14 years. Cure your Rheumatism, Gout, or Lumbagostart it to-day. 2s. Gd, and 4s. 6d.—Advt.