IN THE GARDEN.

Shannon News, 1 April 1926, Page 3

IN THE GARDEN.

With the approach of colder weather all seasonable work should be attended to as soon as possible. Where new hedges are to be planted, prepare the ground now, as all evergreens transplant successfully during the early autumn months, take pains when preparing the soil,, a much more rapid growth will repay the labour expended, even the slow growing holly will make a good yearly growth, if it is \, eil planted. it is much pleasanter to prepare and plant as much as possible during the autumn months. Spring is more orteh than not, accompanied by heavy rains and the enthusiastic gardener is often forced to discard some well thought out plan which would add beauty to the garden on this account. Finish the sowing of hardy annuals. Japanese irises may be planted, carnations and in fact ail perennial border plants. The Vegetable Garden. Seasonable seeds to sow in the vegetable garden include onion for Spring transplanting, winter spinach, parsley, cauliflower, cabbage, shorthorn carrot, white turnip, lettuce, en*diye and radish. Clear away exhausted crops of all kinds, burn all rubbish and tidy up generally. Plant Strawberries, leeks and celery; and lay down lawns. Priming Black and Bed Currants Many owners of a- few Currant bushes are at a loss to k’Aj.-w just how to prune them. Bit :k Currants bear their fruits on t’r : .wood made the proceeding year, the most'a'.vantageous method in pruning, is to cut out. some of the older growths, each year, preserving the strongest of the younger growths, but shortening them back a little when they are unduly long or project much beyond the other shoots.. It is the suckers from the bqttom of the bushes that one wants ,to encourage, and if they are too crowded it ar easy matter to thin ’them.

Red Currants grown us bushes on a short clean stem should have the centre kept quite open, the main branches being about one foot apart. To have the branches well finished with fruiting spurs, the leading shoots on each should- be shortened to about, one third its .length, and if there is room for another branch, reserve a well placed shoot, which shorten to about one third its length so as to gradually build up a strong bush. All the side shoots should be spurred back to about half inch of tell old wood, the fruit being generally borne in clusters round these spurs. Paeonies for Shady Borders. The herbaceous Paeonies .rank among the best of hardy border or shrubbery plants. There are generally to be found, even in gardens of limit-, ed size, spots so much shaded that scarcely any flower will thrive in them In such, places the Paeonies grow luxuriantly, the colour of their blooms in many cases, being more intense, with the added advantage of -the. blooms lasting much than when exposed to the sum Ike large handsomely formed flowers ranging from white to deepest crimson are invaluable for lighting up these sombre hooks. Another point m their favom Is their perfect hardiness, in the severest climatis the, plants require no protection, and each succeeding year adds to their size and beauty. _ The foliage is beautiful at all times, m the Spring with their bright colourings which gradually changes to largo glossy leaves of a beautiful deep & reen Sundering the Ptatas mental even when out of bloom. The> Ho not like being disturbed and when MaMino this fact should be borne in planting uu= manmind, an annual top Arc. -ino ure proves very beneficial. The^ tree, and a great c anawon or is to be found among th- . Ivery gardener who satisfactory shady border i should MV , lh " M ‘‘ dy Sd°S kS: ; Standard roses are becoming more popular each year, and la b Surr ke pro&bl° y Z J t successful varieties are Frail Kare, Druscliki. CaroUne Tes - out and Hugh Dickson. The vd _ known white, first-named is - i repre seated by fine examples. The second in pink, seems to be always m bloom, and the latter in crimson, seen . put on a better habit of srowth on a stem than on that m dwaif busk form There are also many kinds equally as good. Superb,’ for example, is Betty free branching style ot this P - carmine sort ‘lending wondeiiu > well to this form of culture. General McArthur also makes a mm standard, while Golden Emblem ijust beginning to show itself mtcij nice samples. Cany (j 1 }' 0 ' ~ Hillingdon and Cany ob ‘\ r * ‘ u thrice that do exceptionally wel, providing charming colourings. Ma garet Dickson Hamill is a comparatively recent gain. A taking nrd is Mme: Abel Chatenay. It * so free in providing the lovely salmon pink flowers for which the_'* llfct ’ is famed. 'So, too, is Mme. k don aid Herriot. Indeed the terracotta blooms are richer ,or appear to be, when well up in the ana -1 , wonderfully effective with its pinky flesh-coloured blooms, and makes one of the best in standard roses. The free growing Wichwaianas < popular and pretty as san a ’ which include Dorothy Perkins, -x----celsia, I-laiawatha, Minnehake and Sanders White. These are all 't 3 showy and of graceful habit. 1 seems to be a dilferenec ol °P m as to the most, suitable stoc \. which to grow Cm standard rose. The common briar and rngosa ha their followers among the axper producers ot the trees for sale. The latter is certainly a ■ free-rooting f os-(fer-parent which seems to do web in any soil, but there is about the briar which- seems to make It more natural.