GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2647, 18 December 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

4 .(Br "KOwKai.") LILIUMS. The first of the liliums, the Madonna Lily, is already a tiling- of the past. It is perhaps the commonest of the liliums. One sees it 111 nearly every cottage gardon, and this fact has earned .for it the popular name of tho "cottage lily." As the first of the long procession of liliums that extend from now until tho end of the autumn, -one greets its appearance with delight, but scarcely notices its departure, as tlio beautiful trumpet lily, lilium Harrisii, follows it in such, quclc succession. The flowers of tho Harrisii have scarcely passed their best when ono is watching the maturing and unfolding of tile (lower buds,of tho beautiful lily of Japan—the lilium auratum. The early flowering liliums are stately, showy, and heavily scented, but for daintiness and delicate fragrance we look to tho later flowering lilies—the. speciosa lilies. It must be borne in mind that for liliums to'be grown successfully the : r roots must bo kept cool and moist during the period of growth. Prom tho time the first , shoot appears above the gjround until the foliage ripens and dies down, the bulbs 'must be kept cool Now that tliey are in some cases forming their flowering buds, in others throwing up strong stalks preparatory to doing so, liliums should be given plenty of water, and should have their roofs covered with a good mulch. Those that are forming buds should bo given plenty of very weak liquid manure. The long stems should be securely, fastened to stakes as they grow, and the leaves kept' clean by frequent syringing with clean water: An ideal place to grow liliums is among dwflTf shrubs. They like tho shade the shrubs 'afford their roots, and they also like being left undisturbed to come up, flower,' ami dia -down again year after year. Liliuins hate disturbance almost as much as they dislike dryness 6 at the roots. ' i Certain 'liliums have two sets of roots, ono set below the bulb, the other above the bulb, arid just below the surface of the 'ground. . The following liliums aro among those that-have the system of double Tooting -.—Auratum, Batea»anii, Brownii, Croceum, Elegans, Hansoni, Henry! Krameri, . Longiflorum, Speciosum and Tigrinuni. One sees,' therefore, the importance of a mulch being plaoed round these varieties. As the topmost loots arc so very near the surface they soon become parched and burnt if allowed, to suffer from : drought s and heat., .There is. the danger, too,'.of. damaging these ,'rotffe if an'attempt is made to loosen the soil-above'them with, the hoe or hand-fork. A good watering and a mulch is;.much the safest and most tornfortable covering for l thg roots. i .SWEET SCABIOUS. TheO flowers of the sweet scabious (pincushion flower) are now" in the first flush of their beauty. They will brighten our gardens now for many months to come, and provide us. with a wealth of long; stemmed dainty flowers. The colours of the improved varieties are very beautiful. One of the best is Azure Fairy, a very dainty pale blue flower. Then., there are pure,white, primrose yellow, cherry red, dark red, arid- ; pink. All the varieties are well worth growing. They do equally well in all climates, they flower over a long period, and their colours are bright: aid attractive. Theirs is not a. scent.;that pervades the garden; it comes to you delicately as you wander 'along, the garden paths. ' .- As the plants flower so generously,, they must be treated well. A mulch of ,wellrotted manure and a good watering now and again is what'they enjoy; but'failing this a little bonedust may be pricked into 'the soil round, the plants, and after a good watering a mulch of grass or some such material may be placed about the plants.': The flowers must be kopt picked, or at least tho dead flowers 'must'be removed before they form seed pods. Staking and tying up also be attended to. The branches of the plants are very brittle, and are easily, broken ..down " by Wind! . ■ MULCHING. I cannot speak too strongly of the importance of mulching in our sunny climate. For' certain plants a summer mulch is absolutely indispensable. These are roses, chrysanthemums, liliums, dahlias, and moisture-loving shrubs such as azaleas "and rhododendrons. It is very important, too, that young fruit trees and newly-planted shTubs (that is thoso that were planted last winter) should have a mulch placed round them, as their roots have not had time to penetrate far into the earth. If only gardeners would pay more atten-tion-to the roots! All their thoughts and attention seem to be centred on the visisble part of the plants, • and it is really the roots that are doing. the main part, of the work. They are snch sensitive, delicate little things some' of these Toots. They creep along (jhrough the soil searching for food and moisture for the plants, always working so willingly, but so often receiving''so little encouragement. One of the worst things that can happen to them is a careless and insufficient watering when merely the surface of'the soil is moistened. -The tiny Toots go up in sealch of this moisture, and are then exposed to .the heat that follows the insufficient watering." The sensitive little things are burnt and" very, often wither, and. the poor plants receive a severe check. Sometimes they die outright, at others they are obliged to expend, in making new fibrous roots, energy that might be diverted into producing perhaps leaves and flowers. A mulch properly applied is a wonderful protection for the roots of plants.lt keeps tho ground cool and moist, keeps out hot, drying winds and burning sunshine, admits moisture, but refuses to allow/ it to evaporate. Before a mulch is applied the ground should therefore- be thoroughly saturated. It is wonderful how quickly plants will respond once they begin to feel the effects of the mulch. ■ Pansies. love a mulch of wellrotted manure, arid in return for it produce such' a qauntity of long-stemmed flowers of good substance and colour. Violets, too, love a -mulch in. summer;, It should be worked well, into the crowns of the plants, and the leaves.should'then be: syringed to keep, theni clean. Another great advantage of a mulch is that wo can syringe the leaves of .plants on the evening of a hot, du3ty day, comfortable in the, knowledge that it will 'hot be necessary to rush but with the .hoe early in tho. morning to loosen the soil. lest it cakes.' Occasional showers, too,.cease to become a, nuisance. They are instead a blessing, because they wash and refresh tho. leaves without being able to cake the'soil. In a umall garden I should advise' mulching the whole of it. ... Those gardeners who go away for a few, weeks' summer holiday, .. leaving their plants to care for themselves, will find the mulch, well applied, a great boon. In districts subject to drought it is.a good plan to mulch vegetable marrows, pump., kins, cucumbers, French beans, peas, and winter greens. Most gardeners oan procure a-mulch of some sort. K ln town it is not possible to store animal manure until it. is fit for use. A3 a mulch, but there are always the grass clippings, weeds, vegetable rubbish, and dead, flowers, etc. In gardening not a thing need be wasted. Even in tho smallest garden, weeds and vegetable rubbish can be rotted down in.a hole in some corner. A little fence covered with a creeper will always hide the hole. Those things that will not rot down, such as docks, cabbage and cauliflower leaves and stumps, and potato haulms, may be burnt ■ and the ashes used. Weeds that have not gone to seed can be pulled up and placed round plants as a mulch.

I VEGETABLES. ]

Cauliflower and cabbage plants that havo been put out recently must bo kept well watered. If they are allowed to suffer from drought they are liable to bolt. Thoso that aj'e beginning to flower need plenty of water and .weak liquid manure to iiiako tho heads big. Half an ounce of nitrate of soda in one gallon of water may be applied freely. Never apply liquid manure strong, and unless it is very, very weak it should not, be applied to ground that is dry. Cabbages must bo watched fo,- the cabbage aphis. Constant syringing of the leaves with clean water help 3 to keep it away. Quick growth attained by means of the frequent use of tho hoe and by weekly applications of the above liquid manure also help? to keep away this blight. Garden Notes next week will contain seasonable notes about dahlias, routine work, and 1 vegetables.