IN THE GARDEN.

Shannon News, 21 May 1926, Page 4

IN THE GARDEN.

A good deal of routine work may be done during- the month of May. Ally alterations in the plan of the garden should be effected now. Liliums may be planted, Solomon’s Seal, lily of the valley, tritomas, and almost all perennial subjects. It is a good plan to order any chrysanthemums needed for next season while the blooms are at their best, as a better idea can be gained as to the colour, and form of the individual varieties. Hardy annuals may still be sown, as the soil still contains sufficient heat for germination. Turn over the compost and manure heap, and add all available matter to both in anticipation of the needs of early spring. Top-dress the lawns with basic slag, where not already done. All bulbous subjects should bo in the ground; the early planted ones are already pushing their way to the surface. The Vegetable and Fruit Garden. Make an effort to get the vegetable garden in good order by tiirning over all ground that will be needed for early spring vegetables. This considerably lightens the spring work and is an aid in keeping down garden pests. Plant ' asparagus, rhubarb, pea kale, globe artichokes, potato onions, shallots, garlic, \ tree onions and horse radish. Currants, raspberries, gooseberries and strawberries may be planted. Make a sowing of broad beans, cabbage and lettuce. In early districts in shelter-: cd localities a sowing of dwarf peas may be made. Hellebores (Christinas ROses) as Cut Flowers. Coming at a time when flowers are particularly scarce, the lasting qualities of the Hellebores family is an item of special interest. One of the most charming ways to use them is io float the blooms in bowls, for which purpose they are among the best flowers I know. The blossoms floating in water have quite p, water lily effect, especially if the' kidneyshaped leaves of the caltha are used as foliage. The name Christmas Rose is one that is used at Home, when they bloom in the depth of winter. With us they are one of our most useful and ornamental winter blooming subjects, with their beautiful shades of pale to dark purple, rosy aiid crimson purple, through shades of pink to crimson and greenish white. Many of the newer hybrids are beautifully spotted. When cut young, they remain fresh for weeks, until first the stamens drop off, and -then the rest of the flower, sepal by sepal, ,goos green, and even in the green stage they are ornamental. Some varieties wither when cut. Where this is found to be the ease, the stems should be well bruised and placed in hot water for a few minutes. Wilting is usually dee to the excess of evaporation from ihe exposed surfaces over the amount of moisture absorbed from the water. by the steam. It is easy to see that the branch of a shrub with a hard bark may fail to absorb Hirough the cut end sufficient moisture to satisfy its needs. Lilac, for instance, and hydrangea, are two o 1 the shortestlived flowers,' but strip the bark off a couple of inches at the base of the stem, and your blooms will be quite long-livers. Precisely the - same thing should be don,, with branches of prunus pissardii, and any other shrubs which behave in the same way. The Hellebores, as a rule, are exceedingly easy-to grow; they like a nice light ida m and are partial to shade. A shady mar tin to the shrub border, or an easterly aspect in the herbaceous border suits them well.

They are very free flowering, and the blooms when wired are most useful for all floral work, and for those who grow flowers for market purposes. The latest acquisition oi this popular flower is the new Orientalis, Black Knight, an almost pure black,: Hellebore. The Helloborus are easily grown from seed, and are not difficult to increase by division of the roots, in spring or autumn.The moisture from the leaves, etc., is said to be poisonous, and children should be warned against touching them. Aids to Mixed Border. However beautiful the, mixed border may be, it is not well to neglect certain aids in the way of breaking up the surface, and providing a little shade and variety here and there. During the winter months, the gardener usually has a little more leisure to put into practice dormant ideas for beautifying- the garden. Ant important item which is often left out in the arrangement of mixed borders is variety of form, which cannot always come from perennial' plants, but which enhances the effect very much. Often bold tilings give us some gentle shade which is essential for the success of a fine mixed border. Border plants in full sunshine during the dry weathor, do not flower for such a long period as those which have the partial shade derived from the use of walls and trellisses, which provide shade at some period of the day. Fine mixed borders arc often made near, but not too near, a belt of evergreen trees, which cuts off the afternoon sun where flowers bloom for a much longer time. Where we are happy enough to make a mixed border against a wall, we have a fine background, and also, at certain times of the day , agreeable shade. A wall is perhaps the best background of all, covered with clematis, Virginian creeper, jasmines, or any climbers one may fancy; The next best thing is a trellis, which can be made of wire or branches of trees. These should not be more than seven feet high, and however rough the material may ,bo, creepers grow so quickly on them that the foundation is not much seen .and does not mar the good effect. Rambler roses flower well as tall bushes, or grown in pyramid style. Clematis also is splendid for this purpose, where it does well, and can be supported in the same way by oak or macrocarpa stakes set in a triangle. All things that grow freely in the way of climbers are the best for the trellised background. Native evergreens, although fine for a background, have the drawback of robbing the borders, whereas if wo use a t rellis or a wall it steals nothing in any way from us. but: gives us a rich Surface of beauty.