GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 193, 4 May 1918, Page 13

GARDEN NOTES

(Dj- "Kowlmi,") BOUTIN B WORK. May is n. busy month iu thn llower gardeu, and the day* are uow so cliort, tual, tlio amateur earduncr finds every ininuto of his spuro lime fully omipied. it only ono could go Muadily on, dotiiff a little day after day! But rain ami storm ' weather upset one's calculation.", not only oaueing delay, but also bringing oxtra work to the already sorely pressed amateur Hardener. Michaelmas dairies, chrysanthemums, dahlias, and cosmos lire still making our garden-beds glorious, «o that the work of tidying up the borders caunot, yet be thoroughly done. But very soon now, alas, dahlias and oomnos will be cut by frost, and Michaelmas daisies, • lovely as they are, cannot last for ever. Once they are over, (ho first chance should be soiled to get all borders cleared and made ready for winter. All. perennial plants, such as pentsUmons, antirrhinums, tweet scabious, montbretias, .daisies, perennial sunflowers, etc., that have finished flowering should be cut back to within a lew inches of tho ground. The soil should bo well loosened round them, and a dressing- of bonedufit worked in. Very large chimps should ho lilted, broken up, and healthy piecee from the outside planted taaclc. Already the oarlicr flowarinj; Michaelmas daisies may be lifted, and the clumps broken up and replanted! Heliotropes and geraniums should have dead leaves and well-decayed manure or vegetable rubbish 1 eaped round them to protect them from frost. Don't delay till froet comes, but be prepared for it. Cuttings of heliotrope, geraniumc and ! pelargoniums may be taken, and If they are inserted firmly in sandy eoil and Placed in a, cold frame they will root I quickly. Cuttings of roses,' antir'rhlnuma, | pentetemons, flowering verbenas, petunias, j daisies, and many < (her plants may be I treated- in the sauia way. Narcissi are I now well above ground, and should lie ! Kept well ■ weeded. Clumps of liliuma ! should be covered with well-decayed cow i manure, or a 'little bonednst may bo lightly pricked into the soil above the bulbs, and a mulch of well-decayed vegetable rubbish spread over them. Madonna lilies are-soi far advanced as to need tying to stakes. A light mulch, of well-de-cayed cow manure spread round the etaike and tuoked well in among 'them Helps tho bulbs to send up fine thick stalks to a height of five feet or more, and to crown them later" with huee h»ade of fragrant blooms. Geums, aquilegias, doronioums, wallflowers, forget-me-nots and all early spring flowering plants should bo in place now. Keep the soil well, stirred about them. Whenever it is possible work Boot Into [he soil about plants. It is a fine ferCuttings of pansies are now nicely rooted, and the little plants may be planted out as borders or in beds. Seedling panBies and violas may also bo planted out. Both like'-deeply dug soil to whlon a Plentiful _ supply of well-deoaycd manure or vegetable rubbish has been added. Welldecayed manure, or well-decayed vegc■ablo rubbish and fand, may be worked in round primrose tnd polyanthus primrose plants, first pricking a little bonedust into the soil, they aro greedy feeders, and soon - put forth new roots into so acceptable a mulch, v Roses must bo strictly watched. Mildew and greenfly quickly make their appearance, and big green locusts eat tho buds as fast. as they are formed, and take tfFi les ? ut 3 l lhe leaves - Examine lie plants after heavy wind to see if they la-vo been loosened. They aro «o topJ .'L st now , i h ,»t (he wind easily catches them and blows them about Chrysanthemums are now at their best and are absolutely lovely. Disbudding is a daily occupation, lor tho bude swell n^ 1C H y V l "">■-Plants aroseS?A«n, w C I wltho V t oraDl »>n? their growth. Work soot into the soil about flnif % n ?- ■, A 1^ ady the «"*» «« Med with.the glorious fragrance of their fast opening flowers.. Slugs are still prevalent, and must bo -harply arid severely dealt with.

f i di ?, t "cts subject to heavy frosts, a few healthy plants of lobelia should bo ifted and replanted in a safe place for tork nif; T f hey may . then be ™* M whpn n P n i ß « for W l * , "* »ew borders ft hen all danger of frost is over tfedgea should be irimmed, and the clinSIXT* , i The > aSh may «» P»t adJe in tins in a dry place, or it may bo scat, tered over the garden at once Paths need constant attention, for weeds spri al: up very qmewy a t this-time of. the year. t 5» ,1 for rose and shrub planting i: is upon us, and unless ■to make the e JSin ,mf r' ery hour °/ flne *"»"«■ we shall not have our gardens trim, tidy, and well planted beforo winter sets in. EHODODKVDEONS. B Eliould bo planted as early -in. the autumn an they can bo obtained provuled the soil is fairly damp l< and likeiy to remain so. As they are essentially moiature-loving plants, it is » Pity to pant them during, a very drv wll 'A* h ( e A trUßb : let 0 "tablish them Mil exhaust the plants, and exaspertUo he gardener. Apart from their great beauty, rhododendron are most useful ennibs. 'iuere is buch an endless variety of them,including dwarf-growing kinds, medium-sized kiwis, and' kinds that can scarcely be." called shrubs, for they are us lami as .trees. Tfco. foliage ie beautiful at all times, and the gay heads of bloom are simply magnificent. Another charm of this shrub is that by choosing various varieties, ono may have rhododendrons in bloom for the best part of the year. Kven the tiniest garden may boast at leaet ono rtwarf.growing rhododendron, and thoso who have room may procure for themselves infinite joy by planting whole beds, shrubberies, or banks of rhododendrons 'I he tallest-growing varieties should be grown at the back, medium-sized ones may come next, and in front the dwarf-grow-ing varieties. Among the divarf-groivine vanoties one may plant ericas,- aialeae and big clumpu of liliums. A sloping bank so-planted makes a very beautiful picture. Liliums will grow among rhododendroua and azaleas as they will grow nowhere else. They lovo the eanio peatyeindy soil that the shrubs love, and their roots are kept cool and moist in the shade cast by tjie shrubs that they are not forced, to suffer their dread cnemv— drought. : ■ " -.■■•■■.- .lUloslpdewlrpliß' will grow-'in α-ny good garden soil, provided it is well dug. well drained, and free from lime. But if you want to see them at thoir host mix with yoiir soil plenty of loaf-soil, poat-soil and sand. In planting, do not make the niietakc -of- planting them too deop; their topmost- roots should not ho more thein half an .inch below the surface of the soil, l'lw roots love to have warm aiv circulating .freply among them, but they must be so protected that tho sun's rays do not fall directly upon them. The warmth of the sun should reach thorn through the medium of a mulch of de- ; cnyed leaves or thoroughly rotten manure, which, while admitting warmth and nir prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil. When planting rhododendrons on a clar bank, dig out a wide hole about two feet deep, and break up the soil in the bottom of the hole • with a .pick. Kill in the hole with peat-soil, eimd, and good Mi loam. • •

VEGETABLES. Silver beet ia one of our most reliable winter vegetables. It should lie grown on grouua thai has boon well manured and dug. Plants should now be making good growth, mid should nu encouraged to make leal by weokly doeee of weak liquid msinuru (16s. of nitrate of soda In iKfll. of wntor). Jloclng must bo done regularly and thoroughly, and all weeds should bo kept away from the plants. In dry weather. give a good -waterlog with dour water beloro .applying liquid manure. Silver beet can , do with plenty of water. Greens 10 b(> nice must, be grown quickly. I.filtuctiH and radishes may still bo sown for-salads. lettuces should lie jown broadcast, nurl. then tratisplanted to a warm, sheltered par!, of the garden. As nonu as they have become established after the transplanting they should ba hurried on with doses of nitrate of soda and with frequent hooing. lladlshes need a rich, well-tilled soil. A cood ulace In which to grow them ie ground that has been well manured for .a previous crop pf greens or peaa. They flhquld be sown in drills, and then Ihinned oiit. In our climalo no ouo need be without lottuccn and radishes all tin: year round. Other.seeds that may be sown this week are:—Carrot, onion, broad beans, pcae, and lurnipfl. < " If tho.old cauen of raapberries haro not yet been cut out. the work nhnuld bo don« now without delay. Thin nut tho now runes to about half n doien of the etrongest. Clear away nil weeds, and mulrtV tho ground all, round the clumps with half-rotted manure, or decayed- rubbish from a rubbish holo. Dn not din tlin ground between the clumps of raspberries. Winter-bearing rhubarb should have Bomc> well-rotted, manure worked In among the crowne and all round tho plants. Supply water and liquid manuro as soon as growth commences freely. Keop the dead leavce cut off summer-bearing rhubarb. Leave the lenses to die natnrnlly. "Garden Notes" next week will contain seasonable notes about,:—Preparing tho ground for trees nnd shrubs, afilers, sweet peas, and vegetables. Paper as.a surgical dressing is siicmph. fully used in tbe New Yotk Orthapaedio Dieponsary and Hospital. While dread diphtheria rages, And lays its victims low; What tenso dismay from day to day Fond, anxious parents know. Yet, in its early singes, Ere eeptio germs mature, They're spared remorse by prompt recourse To Woods' Great Peppermint Cure — Advt.