GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 11 August 1925, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

With the return oi' Spring ev ory tine sunshiny day should be taken advantage ot\ At this period a great deal oi necessary work awaits the lover of a garden, and providing the very uecessary energy be iortheoxning to i-.upi- with its heavy demands, the gardener will know no idle moments. The roses are perhaps w ailing to be pruned, the weeds have flourished during the wet spells, slugs have come and the delayed planting of roses, shrubs and shelter trees must be rapidly pushed on with. These should receive the first consideration, for if loft, it. is a long time io wait, until planting time coo.es again. Success usually attends the August plantings of Maorocarpa, i’inus Insignia and Lawnvsoniana, also the native Matipo. Plants all deciduous shrubs such as Magnolias, Frumiy flowering Cherries acers, etc. as iflaiokly as possible, the majority of these are already budding. The early varieties of Primus and the Almond croc are .showing' a. few stray blooms, in sheltered localities. Sowing Seeds.

Choose a warn] sheltered nook nem the house or outbuildings for the seed boxes, and arrange to have them, a little distance off the ground, t." avoid damage by slugs. Half fill the boxes with fresh stable manure aim press down firmly. If this is not available use some grass or fresh leaves, filling the remainder of Unbox with fine loamy soil free non. lumps. Very fine seeds simply require pressing into tlic soil, larger, seeds cover in proportion to size. Tinmost necessary item of all is, to keep the surface moist. Place sheets of /glass over the, boxes, if' they are not to be had, us e brown paper or sacking, removing as soon as germination commences to take place. Most varieties may be sownu in this way with th e exception of a few specially tender .varieties, such as asters, and Zinnias.

The Vegetable Garden. In this section a great deal may also be accomplished. Early vegeare needed which means early planting and sowing. Never put oft for tomorrow, what you can put in today. Potatoes, peas, broad beans, cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce, may all he planted and sown, also onions, carrots and turnips. If not provided with a hot bed, cucumbers and tomato seed may be sown in boxes following the directions already given for the sowing of seeds. Old Fashioned, Flowers. It is of interest, to consider what were the flowers of gardens in the days of oar great grandmothers, or of about a hundred years ago, and to think how charming those gardens must have been, although many of the .plants we now' consider indispensable were then unknown. From historical notes the middle to the end. of the eighteenth century involved a great change in the treament of pleasure grounds, with the inclusion of much larger spaces. Although in some ways a wholesome innovation, giving a wider outlook, it hal some regrettable consequences. Gardens that had ro,i. .!..•■! unchanged since Jacobean and 'even Tudor times, were ruthlessly swept, away in obedience to the new .asiumi of landscape gardening. But a lew gardens remained faithful to lire old flowers, and to this day these remain and retain a. special degree 01 owing appreciation such as we do nor . \teud to the many newcomers now-

I- gorgeous they may be. There .vere then, as now, special fancies for TT a.na ut slower but they were confined to very few sorts Auriculas, carnations, laced polyanthus and tulips wore about all that was taken up for special cultivation.. Pansies came next t.'hen about the. middle of the nineteenth century came the use of tender annuals fur summer bedding. This proved a ,„ruel blow to the old fashioned flowers, for in many gardens i hoy were abolished. Happily nothing was lost, and we have now made up, by restoring- then to use for the neg-iecf of those thirty or forty years when the bedding system was almost exclusively in vogue. We sometimes wonder. Is it the force of old association, or is it that our ancestors had the sense to get hold of ' the most delightful flowers. Whichever way it is, we feel and.know that what we look upon as old-fashioned flowers arc full of a lovable charm, that is lacking in recent introductions. We realise this when we think of honeysuckle, jasmine, red and moss roses.ln a review the earliest were snowdrops, then crocuses, in lines or patches in flower borders, on one had then thought of the better way we have lately learnt of having them in grass..' Dadoffils also were few, the most general in gardens being the old double yellow (N. Telamonius). Here and there one might And an early Incomparabilis. and the good Queen Anne Daffodil and the White Moschatus, but they were in special collections only. There were the sweet scented Jonquils, also the single and double Poeticus. There were three good early flowering shrubs. La.urustinus yellow Jasmine and Daphne mezerium. Later there was blueeyed Mary of creeping habit, leaves of vivid green, and blue flowers much like Fdrget-me-not, one of the best spring flowers which is too much neglected. Then came double and single Daisies and small Violets. There was also a. double purple Violet that was more fully double than the kinds now grofrn. the bloom being almost globular that has now become rare in , cultivation. Rosemary was in every

garden and the common dog-tootli Violet, with Its dull pink flowers, and beautifully marbled leaves, and the purple Fumewort also of a "sad” pinkish colouring. White, yellow and Lilac Primroses were always favourites, with much attention paid to the polyanthus. Wallflowers were always welcomed, although there were none but the brown. A double yellow perennial Wallflower, which is little known now, was a delightful favourite, followed by Sweet Briars, Anemones, a.nd Tulips, which have lately been restored to favour hinder

tin; name of Cottage Tulips. Columbines, Lily of the Valley and Solomon’s Seal were in every garden. Of irises the 'old blue and the greyish white were the only ones known. Thrift, London Pride and the good old white pink were prized as edging plants. Of shrubs for J later blooming, Brooms Duetzia, Guelder Rose, Lilac ! ,a burnem and Syringas were in common use. The aromatic Southernwood Artemisia abrotanum) should not be forgotten for it wts much prized in cottage gardens, when it was commonly the custom for a spray to accompany the prayer hook to church, both being wrapped'in a handkerchief. Next came Day Lilies, Lupins, Pinks and all the Roses. The white, pink and red .Scotch Briars, pink China Roses, Cabbage, Damask and Moss Roses. These were followed by Canterbury Bells, Sweet. Williams, Everlasting Pea, Monkshood, Stocks, Carnations, of the latter the one most generally know as the old Crimson Clove, then there was the old kind called the painted lady with scarlet backed petals, this has become rare. ine white 1-ilv L Candidum was one of the glories of the old garden and still holds its own to-day. Tiger Lilies and L Croceum, followed by lavender with its precious ffowers, which were so much in demand for potpourri, the same season brought the White Jasmine and Phloxes. There was also a few Snapdragons, which vve should row’ consider wretched quality, some Dahlias of the old show kind, and some China Asters. French and African Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Convolvulus, Love-in-a-inist, Cornflowers. Mignonette and Virginian Stock were among the annuals. Sweet Peas were in four rarities only, "white, pink and light and dark purple, splashed mixtures, but they were deliciously sweet. This is by no means an exhaustive description, but it serves in giving an idea of the flowers commonly in use , a hundred years ago. | The Orchard. Orcjhavdists are advised by the Department to keep a bright look out on all apple trees for the eggs of the red mite, which are reported to be more than usually abundant this season. The present is the time to spray for this pest so that it can be cleared before the leaves are fully out. A one-in-ten to one-in-twelve solution of red oil is perhaps the most effective remedy, If the eggs, however, have reached the “tight-cluster” stage a close watch should be kept for any hatched and a strong application of lime-sulphur solution (about one-in-twenty-flve) made.