GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 146, 15 March 1919, Page 12

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Ivowhai.") 6PRING-FLOWERIXG PLANTS.

Wallflowers that ivere sown in the spring are now ready to be planted out. Have the soil not too rich, and if possible add to it a little old mortar (powdered). Out the tap roots oft the seedlings to encourage them to malie fibrous roots. Plants tlijis treated make bushy growth. «ater the plants wel in, and keen them 6haded from the sun for a few days. LIJINANTIIES. Ijimnanthes is a hardy annual with flowers very much like, a buttercup, the colours are yellow, ana white.. It ; makes a. vcrv sliowy edging tor a. spims boulei. and is charming when used as n «up<!t niant for wallflowers. By the time all danger of frost ia over, tlio iimnanthes plants may- be pulled' out to make loom tor -lobelia seedlings, , DOTtONICOII.

One ot tho earließt ot the spring-flower-ine plants iB the doroniciiiu. a plant with pretty yellow daisy-like flowers.. It maj bo crown either in the sun or in partial shade. It blooms freely under any circumstances. but if the old plants are lifted carlv each autumn; broken up, anrt replanted in soil to which a little sand and bonedust have- been added it fairlj surpasses itself for the number and tho quality of the blooms it produces. PRIMROSES AND POLYANTHUS ■ PRIMROSES. Primroses are begiining to wake up after tlieir lons summer sleep. AH old or faded leaves should be removed, ork.a little bonedust into the sou about the plants, and spread a light mulch .of thoroughly decayed vegetable rubbish or .leaf mould about them. Plants that are' about, three years old should lie lifted, broken up, and the pieces replanted in well-dug soil to which some thoroughly decayed vegetable rubbish or cow manijrp & little sand have been If the soil is deeply worked before primroses are planted, the plants will seiul their roots down atvery long way. this is a Rreat help to them wlieu they havo to face a hot, dry summer.

AURICULAS. The auricula, known to the children as tho "dusty miller," seems to be relegated to the old cottage garden. Yet it should And a place in every garden, for nowlicre is there a more fragrant cr charming spring flower. The alpino auricula is a delightful plant, early flowering, sweet Eccntcd, and of beautiful colours.New plantß may be purchasei-from nurserymen, and the old ones may now bo broken up and roplanted. Auriculas prow best on the shady side *)f a house, or under tho shade of deciduous trees. In tho latter position they, get the sun during winter, and shade during summer, and that is what they. like. ISefore planting auriculas, mix with the soil plenty of leaf-mould, river sand, and wellrotted, sifted cow manure. Each year after the flowering is over, the top inch or soil should be removed from around auriculas. and should be replaced w-ith a mixture/of loam, ieaf mould, sand, and broken-up cow manure. This will give the plants new rooting ground, and will help to build up strong plants for tho next season's flowering. FORGET-ME-NOT. •

Seeds of this delightful spring-flowering plant may still be sown. Forget-me-not will grow ivell in any soil una in any position, and the dainty bright blue flowers are produced in such profusion as to ■ give gay patches of colour ill the spring garden. Ab a carpet plant for daffodils, aquilegias, -wallflowers, or Ileauty of Nice stocks, it is splendid. A charming bed may be made by mixing palo blue forset-nie-not atfd purple pansies, or forget-me-not and muscari. Heavenly Blue.

ANEMONES. As soon as the foliage of anemones appears above ground, the soil about tho plants must be kept moist and well worked. From the starting of growth, until flowering is over, anemones should never be allowed' to suffer from drought. Failure to keep the plants moist, especially during the early Btages of their growth, results in flowers ot poor quality and possibly in no flowers at all. Anemones like a light rich. soil. Hoavv Boils should be deeply dug, and should have plenty of well-decaycd horse manure or vegetable rubbish, road grit, a'nd rjver sand added to the subsoil. . A good supply of -well-decayed vegetable rubbish and some river sand may also be added to. the top soil. Light sandy soils should have plenty of well-decayed vegetable rubbish added. to them. , A lit.tle bonedust may bo worked in when new roots are being planted. • . As soon as planting-is finished, a- mulch of sifted, well-rotted cow manure, or welldccayc'd vegetable rubbish may be spread over the bedß, and a thorough watering given. Old-established beds will appreciate Die same treatment. '

• IIAN'UNOULAfi. The ranunculus is, one of the' most popular of the spring bulbous plants, and oue scarcely wonders at it, for its dainty long-stemmed flowers, itß valutas a cut. (lower, and its extreme Jiardiiifss all on-, ititle it to a foremost place iu our spring borders. A light sandy, soil that liaß been enriched with oow manure or well-decayed vegetable rubbish is the one most suited to ranunculi. The plants like an open, sunny position, and. although they lovo root, moisture, they very much resent being planted in soil that holds stagnant water during winter, so much so, indeed, thai failure is almost inevitable. Provided the soil has been deeply dug, and that it is well drained, and contains a-fair amount of humus, ranunculi' will nlin'ost always bo suc'cessful. The lilanls are often attacked h>\wireWornis, but if they are planted in ground where a crop of mustard has been grown and turned in for green manure, this pest can generally be avoided. The roots should ho plained, claws downwards, about two inches deep and six inches apart. Plenty of water should bo supplied during the growing season. • ' SWEET PEAS.

Many growers prefer to sow sweet, peas In pots, and transplant the seedlings as soon us'they have three or lour pairs of leaves. This plan has several advantages, one being that the seedlings can he more easily protected from 'sparrows,' slugs, etc. Where expensive seeds are being sown, this, is, of course, n consideration. But besides this sowing, ,1 always risk one in the garden, for it seems lo me that the seedlings are stronger when bowii in the garden, and grown straight on, and that they flower earlier. Threads of black cotton should he stretched .across the seed hed as soon aa-tlie seeds are sown, -Soot that has been -well exposed to -the air Bliould be Bprinkloil about to ward vilf siiigß. As soon as the first green shoot appears, the seed bod must be carefully guarded. It is advisable that large stakes should be driven into (lie ground before the peas are sown.

Before sowing the seeds, chip off, with a sharp pocket knife, a little of the outer skin, taking care to make the chip well away from the germ of the seed. Draw a shallow drill, and sow the seeds about four inches apart. Should every seed germinate, the seedlings may he thinned out to six inches apart. The seedlings so removed may bo transplanted to another part of the garden, or may be iiEcd for forming dumps of sweet peas in a shrubbery. ..

GEUM. Geum is a late spring-flowering plant. Its double scarlet flowers are freely produced over a long period, and it makes a brilliant, patch of colour in'the garden if several plains are placed near together, to form a cluster. "Mrs. Bradsliaw" is the finest variety to grow. VEGETABLES. SPRING CABBAGES. Now- that winter greens are growing well, and need only eonstnnt hoeing, frequent syringing with clear water, and occasional earthing up to Keep ihem satisfactory, our thoughts leap ahea'i to the most important following crop-spring cabbages. Seeds of an variety should at once bo sown in seed pant, in readiness for the fi,'ie when tho soil will have been thoroughly saturated with miich-noedcd rain. ■

The part of tlie garden where potatoes hnve just been grown is most suitable for iliein, bccatise it was well manured last spring, and has just been deeply dug during the potato-digging process. Rake it level, tread it firm, and it is then ready for the cabbage seedlings. Rcforc planting them make a thick porridge-like mixture of cow manure and water, and puddle the roots of the seedlings in this. A good coating of the mixture wilt adhere to the rootß, and will give the seedlings a good start. One important point is Id cut oil' the long tap root when transplanting cabbage seedlings. Do this before puddling tho roots. Make tile soil very firm round the seedlings when transplanting and Rive them a good watering. See that they are watered daily till the roots "tako hold" of their new quarters, it is a great advantage to have the rows of cabbageß wide apart, so that you can constantly dig deeply between tlicui without injuring tho roots. If manure (an be dug into these intervening spnees, the soil there will become -very rich Later, when earthing up is necessary, this well-worked, well-enriched soil will be drawn up about the cabbage plants with really amazing but wholly satisfying results. Garden Notes next week will contain seasonable notes about;— Spring-flowering plants (continued), sowing seeds of perennials and vegetables.