GARDENING NOTES.

Shannon News, 7 April 1925, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

Frosts are setting in early, and the night air is quite keen, seeming- to herald an early winter. Push ahead with all garden work, finish sowing all hardy annuals and perennials. Also plant any bulbs, anemones, iris, etc., that have been delayed. Pot up young plants of cineraria and primula for winter blooming in greenhouse or sunny windows, also any border plants required for stock. Top-dress the lawns and gardens with basic slag. The sowing down or renovations of lawns should not be delayed longer. In the vegetable garden cut down asparagus tops, and clear away exhausted crops of all kinds, burning the refuse, manure and roughly dig all unoccupied plots. The manure heap should be put in order, and materials for future compost ought to be collected and stored, including some turf from the roadside and fallen leaves. Earth up celery and leeks store all ripe marrows and pumpkins. Plant strawberries, herbs, celery, cabbage and leeks. Sow onions, winter spinach, salads, cabbage, cauliflower, and parsley. Single Chrysanthemums.

Single chrysanthemums are certainly growing in popularity, and they assuredly have much .to recommend them. The large Japanese double blooms are remarkable for their great size, which, however, cannot be obtained without a great amount of care and attention in their cultivation. The improved singles with their many attractive colours and large blooms are claiming the greater share of public favour. The single forms do not require such great skill, although it cannot be said that they grow to perfection of themselves, for no flower can be obtained In first-rate form without some care and attention. In the shop windows of florists the single varieties may be referred to as contributing the greater part to increasing esteem, and will eventually predominate from a purely commercial view. All shades that are wanted, are not yet with us, but every year tends towards their improvement, providing new shades of colour, and, in the near future, the singles will take a more prominent place on exhibition tables, than has hitherto been the case ’ Some of the newer varieties attain a great size with skilful cultivation. Others again are very suitable for market purposes and are chosen more for colour than any other quality. The new singles, are, white model, annette, yellow with red suffusions, laddie, a good yellow, hon. Edith Smith, a charming pink, ennismore, crimson with old gold reverse, sheila, also crimson, Mrs l . J. Barrell, an extra good bronzy crimson. Gorgeous, envoy, Eleanor, and challenger are all classed as good market varieties, while the new sportsman is said to be the largest yet introduced, with orange red shadings. Strawberries and their culture.

When strawberry time comes round we are all ap,t to long for a bed of our own, where wholesome luxious fruit could be gathered daily. The strawberry bed, like most other things, requires some attention, with periodical weedings, but when the fruiting season commences, all is for- | gotten in the joy of possession. Give ! up a small plot in the garden to their \ cultivation, and if a prolific variety is I chosen for planting, and a frame covered with fine wire netting provided for the fruiting season, success is ( assured. Any good garden soil will grow strawberries, if good drainage is provided. If the soil is of a heavy nature give the ground a coat of six inches of well rotted stable manure, then trench this in two feet deep j working the manure in as the work proceeds. Let the plot settle for at J least a week, .then tread firmly, raking the surface to get a crumb of fine soil Plant our your strawberries in rows two feet apart, with the plants one foot apart in the rows. Plant carefully Avith trowel, spreading the, fibrous roots well out and make the , soil firm round the crowns, which must not by any chance be covered, hoe the ground over when planting is completed, and if possible give a light dressing of stable manure with plenty of long straw in it to act as a mulch, this will give the plants a good start. Where stable manure is unobtainable a little artificial manure is used as a top-dressing both in tke fall and when the buds are forming, when the soil is usually hoed, and a good strawing down, given the plants, which conserves moisture and keeps the fruit clean and free from grit, some times pine needles are used if straw is not available and laid carefully (rushes too are often used) round each plant. Deep trenching of the ground enables the plants to withstand drought in dry seasons, plenty of moisture is

needed to mature .the fruit. It is a good plan to make a fresh bed each year and as you go on destroy the oldest, as beds over two years of age, do not produce large fruits. Where size is of no consequence beds may be left for five years. If beds are planted from runners, always choose those nearest the parent plant. There are many good varieties on the market comprising early and midseason, and also we are promised some new fall

' fruiting varieties, which commence to | bear when other strawberries have | finished continuing- until frosts appear, | these should prove a great acquisition. I Most enthusiastic reports have been i, received from growers of these newer varieties, which comprise champion everbearing, lucky boy, and progressive. The former is described as be-

j ing very prolific; while lucky boy is i claimed to be the biggest, sweetest, and most productive ever-bearing strawberry yet produced. Progressive is said to be very reslstent to heat with sweet fruit of a deep red colour and good medium size. One of the very best mid-season varieties is John H. Cook, one of the wonderful van fleet hybrids (of American origin). -The delicious flavour closely approaches the wild strawberry, witli berries blood red in colour arid very firm. In England a new mid-season

named bushel basket is creating quite a sensation, described as an immense plant, with unusually large fruit of first-class quality combined with heavy cropping qualities. Some reliable older varieties include, admiral malakoff, madam melba, marguerite, duke of edinburgh, and illawarra. Strawberry beds may be planted from now on, the earlier planting usually giving the best i-esults. A warm, sunshiny spot sheltered from cold winds will produce the earliest strawberries and how we appreciate the first dish of this delicious fruit especially if gathered from th e garden plot.