IN THE GARDEN

Shannon News, 16 March 1926, Page 4

IN THE GARDEN

The recent spell of quiet sunshiny days free from rough "winds largely benefited the summer annuals. Borders are gay with colour,, particularly those containing asters, which arrest the eye with their charming shades of mauve, purple and various shades of pink, red and : salmon. Marigolds, zinnias and salvias are blooming freely, with the dahlias a host in themselves with their bold, outstanding blooms of every colour imaginable. Raising aDhlias from Seed. Now that the dahlias are with us note the choicer varieties and save some seed from them. Probably few amateurs realise with what ease dahlias may be raised from seed. A sowing made in September will produce sturdy plants that will bloom the following autumn. There are two distinct advantages gained by treating dahlias as annuals. There is a chance of raising some, charming novelty, and where space is limited the trouble of storing the tubers through the winter dispensed with. When growing seedlings do not discard the weakly-looking plants; these are worth a little extra trouble, as they are the ones which usually produce the most striking blooms. If you should have more seedlings than you have room for, discard the strongest-looking ones.

Seasonable Work for the Week. Special attention at this time should be given to the sowing of various hardy annuals and perennals. Annuals are not employed in gardens as freely as they should be and for those whose meeans are lim- ' ited it is the least expensive. Firstly} turn your attention to sweet peas and sow wherever you can find, suitable spots for them; nothing ‘ blooms so freely during the late spring. Sow largely qf Shirley poppies. There are such lovely varieties to be obtained at little costand they are withal so easily grown. Sow mignonette, calendula, mari-' golds, godetias, eschscholtzias, nemesia, stocks, cornflowers, linaria and candytuft. Among the perennials sow antirrhinums, which latter is largely treated as an annual, long-spurred aquilegias, wallflowers, geums, gypsophila, violas and pansies, Iceland noppics, the large Oriental poppy, scabious and forget-me-nots. The above will all withstand the frosts and fill the garden with colour at a much earlier period than if the seeds were sown during spring, with, the further advantage that more time is gained in the early spring for other necessary work. Plant anemones and ranunculus, and all bulbous subjects. In the Vegetable ‘Garden. Fill all spare ground with something for winter or early spring use. There can be no question as to the value of winter vegetables from a health standpoint; they are scarcer and consequently dearer at these periods, and the purchaser is apt to cut down supplies at a time when they are most needed. With a plot of well-drained ground it is not difficult to keep a supply going. Spinach is an important winter vegetable which is less grown by amateurs than it i deserves. It , is easy of culture if d little trouble is taken in preparing a rather rich compost. The long-standing or prickly is a hardy variety to grow. Stump-root-ed carrots may be sown and white turnips, lettuce and radish. . Plants of both green and purple kale, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage may be let in; also plants, of leek and celery. Sow some seed of an early 1

maturing onion for spring use. New Asters. An aster which caused some comment and much” admiration was shown in horticultural circles at Home during the season and will soon be \ included in every catalogue. It has been named the Sunshine Aster, on account of their golden centres. The blooms are all quilled with many striking colours. The quilled centres are golden in colour, and are immediately surrounded by small florets which merge into white at the outer edges. The outer petals form a loosely curled making the flowers extremely pleasing to the eye. Thg plant is of the favourite branching habit, throwing long stems, which makes it more Valuaable for all cut flower work, with blooms which measure from four to six inches in diameter. Asters are at all times great favourites, and this new variety will , undoubtedly gain great popularity. Bulbs For Indoor Culture. The most favoured bulb for this purpose is probably the hyacinth. They are beautiful, fragrant and long lasting. They may be successfully grown in soil, a peaty, fibrous mixture, or water. When grown in soil the compost should be composed of a good loam, leaf mould,, sharp sand and a little well-decayed corn manure. In potting, barely cover the bulb, and then place the pots : outdoors on a bed of ashes, and put a covering of old sacking material about four inches above the pots. Leave them exposed to all weathers and allow them to make an inch of top growth before removing indoors. First into a subdued light until the blanched foliage has attained its full green colour, and then into the sunniest situation at command, whether conservatory or window. A too frequent fault made in forcing hyacinths is that they are subjected to heat before the bulbs are fully rooted. For growing iii water, pure clean rain water j for preference should be used, with a piece of two of charcoal in it. In some places a mixture of peat fibre, shell and charcoal is obtainable for the purpose. When grown solely in water the bulb may be kept securely in position with the aid, of a little netting. Its base should at all times just touch the water. Place the glasses in a cool dark place to encourage root growth, keeping them , supplied with water as required. I When nearly full of roots ' (not before), and an inch or two of top growth made, gradually admit them to the light, and from thence to the sunniest place you can find. Avoid a too dry or frosty atmosphere or a draughty situation, as such conditions will often cause the flower buds to shrivel up." For bowls the early white Roman hyacinths are much used, while the small white, blue and mauve hyacinth candican are very pretty and of easy culture. Among narcissi, the variety (golden spur )is very suitable and early, doing well in • moss, but the earliest for this purpose is Cervates narcissi, which for some reason does not figure in many catalogues. Many interesting experiments may be made with various varieties of the narcissi family. As a general rule tulips do not take kindly to early forcing, with the exception of the little Due Van Thol iearly spring single tulip. These are recommend-