THE GARDEN.

Shannon News, 27 January 1925, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

At the present time the garden is I arrayed in all its glory, when, at every turn fresh groupings of colour burst I into view, and we experience that soul 1 satisfying contentment that few but l the gardener know. In the early i morning hours, while the flowers are fresh with Hew, or an the cool of the l evening, when the garden is at it best, time stands still when . viewing nature’s beauties which have been cultivated and tended by our hands, until we have learned to love every plot in the garden, with the work for- I gotten in the glory of the display, and j Flora’s summing up appeals: ■ j I, in all this numerous throng', must J own, ‘ j I see no head but what deserves a I crown; On what one flower can 1 bestow my voice. j Where equal merits so distract my i choice. Comfort and repose are to be found after the day's work, with a walk round the garden, when the day’s worries recede into insignificance. Lucky is the man or woman who *is able to see and appreciate the decorations of life, when flowers and all nature’s beauties appeal as bright spots of colour, in a. world of doubt. While side by side others see nothing 1 but the brute force of nature, the harshness of poverty with the eternal [ struggle for existence. Truly gardens are worthy of the labour expended on them.

Bright masses of free blooming dwarf nasturtiums, side by side with

wonderful tropical-looking cannas are to be seen. Bright groupings of mari-

golds and gaillardias blend in perfect harmony. Clumps of scabious, with quaint pincushion heads nod with the breezes. Splashes of gay godetias, clarkias and jacobea adorn the borders, while rows and massed effects of sweet peas are once again gaily blooming (the effect of recent rains.) Hollyhocks and gladioli are blooming in the background, adding a note of stateliness to the herbaceous border, together with liliums, whose stems are full of swelling buds, promisiu - •great beauty to follow. Masses of the graceful pink fairy bells, whose light flowers appear to oe always dancing, are adding their quota of beauty to the garden. Together with the rarer magenta-col-oured species which is extremely beau tiful, and must be seen to be fully appreciated. ‘Many attractive varieties of both double and single fuchsias are densely packed with flcvyers. These shrubs are wonderfully attractive, the beautiful closed buds daintily, suspended from the branches appeal, together with the perfect form and colouring of the fully expanded flower. Geraniums, which seem to revel in the heat of th e summer days, are smothered with trusses of bright blossoms, and beds and borderings of pansies and violas, with undaunted friendly faces, endeavour to grow taller as the season advances. Truly might it be said, the value of the work accomplished by our enthusiastic horticulturists is never fully appreciated, who gives his time to the I raising of numerous new and beautiful flowers, and in the general improvement in colon 1 ' and form' of the many species we already have I New Gladiolus.'

A variety of new hybrids, known as gladioli primulinus is now making its way into our gardens. A great feature with this new section is that the flower stems are branching and a few stems ouiy are lequired to make an effective- vase. A-. cut flowers they are most valuable, the blooms being well carried on long, thin, yet wiry stems, which effectively does away with the stiffness usually associated with the gladioli. They wil: rank £igh in gar_ den adornment, especially if planted in groups or colonies of one variety. These new hybrids originated from a species found growing wild near the Victoria falls, on the river Zambesi, the colour of which was a beautiful self yellow, At the present time, with continued successful hybridizing, the colours range through all the shades of salmon, orange, rose, pink, scarlet and vermillion, which'will tend t« make them most popular In the near future, combined with their graceful habit of growth. Tlic O'liipoSt Heap.

A great deal is wasted yearly from most gardens, which should go into the feta post neap. Soil obtained from a wei! rotted compost heap is of great value, for all seneral potting purposes, and seed boxes being rich in humus. Care, however, must be taken as to the nature of the material that goes to form the compost heap. All clean weeds, lawn grass clippings and leaves f o.n trees, oak leaves being spcpo.aily valuable, may be utilised. Avoid using any weeds that are at the seeding stage, and all hard wooded rubbish such as hollyhock stems, foxglove, and others of a like description. Burn potato tops, as these have no value, also cabbage stumps, which not only emit an offensive odour while in the rotting stage, but provide an ideal place for the breeding of flies. The compost heap should have a place out in the open, where rains can penetrate, and not under the shelter of trees, and is best left for a period of two -years, before use is made of the soil. This is one of the most important times of the year to keep the hoe going in the dower and vegetable garden. Always remember that atmospheric moisture, which is present even in our hottest months, is more readily absorbed and retained by soil which lias been rendered more friable by constant hoeing. Choose a shady position for the sowing of any flower seeds.

Biennials and perennials such as, Gaillardia, Aquiiegia, Penstemons, Pansies, Crompton and Beauty of Nice Slocks, Anemone, Ranunuclus, Iceland Poppy, Campanula, Antirrhinum, and Wallflower, may be sown now and if watered and cared for during the hot weather will make sturdy plants for late autumn planting. Also propagate Carnations by slips und layers, and take up bulbs, if wanted for regrouping, or bedding schemes. VEGETABLES.

In the vegetable garden dwarf beans

dwarf peas, turnip, swede. spinach and lettuce may be sown. . Pumpkins and marrows will be making rapid growth, Cut the pom s off the long vines to encourage side shoots which bear the most fru . Clear away all exhausted crops, and if the ground is not immediately required, dig up roughly and expose to

sun. , Keep the side shoots down on the tomato plants, and cut out any leaves that are keeping the sunlight off the £iu it Attend well to stirring the surface of the soil, and give regular supplies of water and liquid manure, it available,

New Annuals. Among the new annuals, worthy of special mention is Rudbekia (bicolour), a shoot from Rudbekia (golden glow). Rudbekia (golden glow) has been in cultivation for a number of .years, and as the name indicates is a rich glowing yellow, of tall growing habit and very showy. Rudbekia (bicolour) is more attractive in every way, the growth and leaves of the plant are somewhat similar to the miniature sunflower. The flowers are carried on long, stiff, upright stems, well above the foliage, and last for some weeks when cut and placed m water. The most attractive feature of this new annual is its handsome raised embossed centre, somewhat after the style of the anemone, extremely velvety, and of nigger brown I colouring. Dainty little stamens surround the centre disc, each tipped W ith old gold,, while the nigger brown colouring extends half way along the outside petals, commencing from the centre, the latter half being a glowing orange. The flowers have an extemely velvety appearance, the buds also proving an attractive feature of the plant. The individual fiow'ers measure from three to four inches across, and are composed of numerous rows of petals, giving the blooms a double appearance. The plant grows to a height of two feet. Its compact bushy habit of growth makes it a valuable bedding annual, especially if used in mass effect. Its extra good lasting qualities, long stems, and beautiful colouring should make it an ideal florist’s fiqwer. It is a decided acquisition to oik numerous garden annuals.

The Cultivation, of Wallflowers. The common wallflower (Cheiranthus Cheiri) is one of the oldest cultivated plants, the date of its introduction from Southern \Burope being given as 1573. Yet it never grows old nor loses its fascination among flower lovers generally. Its delicious fragrance and the old time sentiment associated with it, account for its popularity, but of late years, the general improvement in the size of the blooms, coupled with the beautiful orange, scarlet and old gold shades, has tended to make it even more popular. It is usually grown as a biennial, and doubtless the finest flowers .and the greatest quantity, are obtained from it when so treated. Nevertheless it is a true perennial and could even be called shrubby where it is allowed to grow undisturbed for years, especially when growing near walls, a position the wallflower especially delights in, while it never looks more natural than when so growing and being sheltered from the severest frosts, it naturally blooms much earliej-. Its early spring blooming is another factor which largely tends to its popularity. For spring bedding and general garden adornment, the biennial system of treatment is best, for the reason that the largest quantity of blooms and the largest flowers can be obtained in a given space of time, and on dwarf and bushy plants. As the plans advance, they tend to become more straggly in growth, especially if grown in rich damp soils, which further tends to make and entourage rampant-and soft growth.

II: the plants are wanted for bedding purposes, an open situation is to be prepared,'which encourages a more bushy compact style of growth. Wallflowers take kindly to a good deal of hard usage, which tends to make people careless of their culture. The original colour of the wallflower was pale yellow, but‘now the shades of colour are more numerous than the average cultivator imagines, while improvement still continues. They are not made enough use of as an early spring bedding flower. Most beautiful beds of colour may be obtained by using wall flowers with yellow daffodils planted among them. The latter hold their heads above the wallflowers, and 'give & delightful effect, or they may be mixed effeci tively With forget-me.nots, polyanthus or the lovely little golden linaria; also beds entirely of wallflowers are very attractive in the early day s of spring, especially a bed of yellow shades, Which are the most conspicuous of all at a distance, and are the last to disappear in the gloaming. The old Parisian early wallflower was a variety that commenced to bloom in four months from seed, and kept on for some months. In the hands of British nurserymen it has been developed into a considerable number of coloured forms of dwarf habit, hut not all equally as early as the original. The first double wallflower bore one tall single spike, then came the improved double, and now a newer strain named double dwarf branching has come into existence, of the bushy habit, and many short spikes of double flowers. Although in every way handsome, the doubles do not seem to have the same attraction as the single varieties, No doubt the old time sentiment, already ponted out, largely accounts for this. It is well not to lose sight of these plants, with all their association of the long-ago and as we compare the old-time favourites,, it serves to make us appreciate all the more fclie trend of our modern plants and gardens. Wallflower seed sown at o’nce, thinly in rows, thinning to twelve inches apart in a reserve part of the garden, will produce sturdy plants for spring blooming. Daffodils may be lifted and stored for mixing pur-poses. The plants and bulbs could then be planted in the beds which at present contain bright annuals which will have finished flowering by late autumn,