IN THE GARDEN

Shannon News, 16 February 1926, Page 4

IN THE GARDEN

Showery, weather has left the soil in a favourable condition for all necessary routine work. Push ahead with the trenches for sweet peas, they may be sown at any time now, and sow the best 3eed obtainable. It is always possible to get good exhibition varieties from a reliable seedsmen, whether wanted for home and garden decoration, or for the exhibition stand it pays to sow the best! Sow seeds of stocks and pansies and any other hardy perennials that are required, the weather has been very favourable for this work and the seed rapidly germinate, Plants will be needed later to take the place of the summer flowering annuals. Anemones that have been left in the ground are already starting into growth, if increased stock is wanted procure now, as the earlier they are planted the better and there is no finer thing for an early spring display of bloom. Edgings of violets and primroses may be planted and all bulbous subjects. Beds of wallflower are fine for spring display, especially if mixed and edged with the beautiful little orange cheiranthas a miniature species of wallflower, very dainty and showy and lik e th e wallflower a perennial, viewed in the hour of sunset, the colouring is extremely fine. Cut back most of the old wood from the rambler roses to make ropm for the new growths, which always bear the best flowers. Work up any plots intended for shrubs, all evergreens do better planted in the autumn. Weeds. Weeds are flourishing in the garden and are mostly of a succulent nature. Those gardeners ]who d|G not raise their own seedlings and are not needing any potting compost should bury them in vacant plots in the garden where they are converted into valuable manures. Far too much is wheeled out of the garden, which should be made use of, it there is no other space available bury them among the shrubs There is a growing tendency to rely too much on. artificial manure which although valuable in its way fails to add the necessary humus to the soil. Lawn grass clippings are often wasted, if this is trenched into the garden instead of thrown on one side there would be less need for artificial and other manures. The Vegetable Garden. Plants of ail the Cabbage family are making good growth and are so far remarkably free from insect pests. The weather is favourable for sowings of Turnip and Carrot seed, also a final sowing of dwarf peas and beans may be made.. Sow onion, lettuce, spinach, and silver beet. Early maturing potatoes may be planted, which yield a fair return in the late autumn A vegetable which is very useful is the purple sprouting broccoli, which unfortunately is not listed in many catalogues. The sprouts are beautifully tender with a on t and come again habit of growth, their chief value lies in the fact that they are ready for use after the late cauliflowers through the months of September to November when vegetables are particularly sc&rcG Cannas m& Tiitomas I have in my cnind's eye a particularly beautiful b rder of colour, which may be useful to some reader for future planting, The border was a lengthy one with a background of evergreen shrubi; immediately in front of the evrgreen, groups of Tritoma (red hot poker) were planted which were growing luxuriantly with masses of gorgeous fla) ling orange, scarlet, spikes, fronting these were some beautiful dark leaved cannas with orange, salmonv and. buff shadings, the extreme edg< of the border planted with a dwarf' specie of canna. The whole formed a charming picture of

exquisite colouring, and the border has the additional value of keeping its attractiveness for a long period. Another very effective combination would be Leonotis Leonurus (lions tail) in the background, with bold groups of Lilium Tigrinum flore-pleno the double tiger lily and Tigrinum splendens the Single type, both these are very hardy and thrive well in most situations, such a border could be fronted with gaillardias or French marigolds. Every year that passes shows the advantage of grouping border plants in masses of various blending colours, the size of the masses being in proportion to the length and width of the border, as one gains experience, it becomes clearer that in the case of an important border the simpler and larger the groups the better and more telling will be the effect. liiliuni Henryl. This elegant Lily is quite a feature of the garden at the present time with its handsome heads of lovely soft orange yellow flowers. •It is well worth cultivating as it has a most vigorous habit of growth attaining a height of eighty feet in a favourable situation. Th e flowers have reflex petals producing as many as twenty to thirty blooms on the one stem. Lilium Henrysi was originally discovered by Dr. Henry in Central China. "' Agapanthus. .In most gardens there is" a place •where nothing seems to thrive satisfactorily, i;i most cases it is a position where no shelter is available the site being exposed to every wind that blows or on the other hand it may be a shady spot where the soil is always on the dry eide. The agapanthus will fill both these positions and is sometimes known as the African Lily. Flourishing in shade, near trees, or in the most exposed spot in the garden it still thrives, throwing up its handsome spikes, surmounted with circles of pretty blue flowers there is also a white species but it lacks the showiness of the blue. Allowed to grow in clumps and left to themselves, with a yearly top dressing ot manure they are admirably fitted for difficult plots in the garden, th e foliage if always green and attractive, and when once bare straggly looking plants which were always an eyesore have vanished, to b e replaced with Agapanthus no further trouble will be encountered. Agapanthus should never be planted in the mixed border, but given a place to themselves, their numerous fibrous roots take up all the moisture that is available. They make excellent pot plants for ornamenting odd corners, if planted in barrels which have been cut in half, where they quickly thrive filling the barrel with luxuriant growth. Packing Flowers. It is often necessary to send flowers by post or rail, and some gardeners are at a loss to know the best way to go about it to ensure the flowers arriving at their destination in as fresh a condition as possible. On packing use a flat wooden bcx, cardboard unless of a very strong make gets badly damaged in transit. Spread a layer of strong yet soft paper on the bottom and sides, and well moisten the whole. Lay the flowers as flat as possible in layers, the stems and heads alternately at each end of the box. Fill/as.full as possible, making up any hollow spaces with paper to prevent the flowers shaking about, damp thoroughly once more, cover the whole with more oaper and fix the lid on firmly. On no account use cotton wool as this absorbs all the moisture from the flowers.