IN THE GARDEN.

Shannon News, 4 February 1927, Page 3

IN THE GARDEN.

Routine Work in tin: Flower Garden. Every effort should be made during the dry weather to keep the beds and borders well stirred wih the hoe, every .weed takes nourishment from the ffo'C .ng plains. Keep the spent blooms gathered; this is very important during the hot weather. Layer carnations, cuttings are also easily struck if kept moist in sandy soil. Aslo pelargoninums and geraniums. For those who have an ordinary green house a sowing of streptocarpus is advisable. These beautiful Cape cowslips flower so freely that they should be in every amateur’s greenhousa. The seed germinates readily and the young plants may be kept growing throughout the winter when they will bloom freely the following summer. Canterbury Bells. To obtain good strong plants for setting out in autumn the sowing of seed should not be delayed. Sow thinly in fine sandy soil covering the seed lightly. There are no more useful and charming varieties than tlie cup-and-eaucer type which can be obtained in various colours. Pinks. Pinks of whatever kind, are always a useful asset in the flovve r garden, anf if it be necessary to increase the stock, the present is a good time to do so. They are very little trouble if the boxes are placed in a shady cor- j ner. Clematis. It is not generally known how easily these plants may be increased by means of layering done at any time now. A good strong shoot should be brought down to the ground, and after removing six inches of the old soil and replacing this with a sandy compost, the shoot should be slightly slit through a joint and pegged firmly into the compost and kept moist. The Vegetable Garden.

Make sowings of lettuce, mustard and cress. Extra care is necessary during the hot weather. The sunny plots should be abandoned, as not only i s the salad grown in such a position inferior in quality, but it no sooner arrives, at the cutting stage than »f comences to run to seed. A north border is the best position, and to give the seedlings a good start, water the ground well with liquid manure before sowing and the young plants will grow more rapidly. Clear off all crops as soon as they are finished with. Spare ground will be needed in a few weeks time for a few autumn sown onions, carrots, etc. French and butter beans may still be sown; water the drills well beforesowing, also a few peas of a dwarf variety such as Richard Seddon, American Wonder, etc., soaking the seed and the trench before sowing. Successional sowings of the turniprooted beet prove a very useful commodity in the garden. Make a sowing of parsley seed for a winter supply when parsley is always in demand Draiv the soil up around peas, beans, tomatoes, etc. whilst hoeing around them. Celery and leeks must not suffer from lack of moisture and one real good soaking once a week is far better than a sprinkling each day. Very few amateur gardeners realize the value of mulching the crop during the dry summer months; the roots of the plants are kept preserved, their growing and feeding powers are retained, and the evaporation of soil moisture i s largely prevented. Where green. fly has made its appearance among tlie cabbage family spray with Kerosene Emulsion. Sometimes a dusting with wood ashes wili effectly check this trouble. At this time of the year do not rob the rhubarb bed too heavily,’ or the crowns will suffer and the early spring crop will not be so fine. Catmint (Nepeta Mussini).

This dainty little perennial so suitable for edgings and the rock garden is not generally known. It has the advantage of always looking ornamental with it s pretty fern-like greyish foliage. It is of spreading habit and grows into quite large clumps, which may be subdivided in order to obtain a large supply of plants. Catmint blooms very early in the spring, and continues through a long period, the plants being smothered with dainty sprays of a pretty lavende r blue shade, beautiful for mixing with other flowers of the same shades, lending a dainty effect to the whole. As a rule much better success i s obtained when the cuttings are struck in the autumn, and it is not very long before they commence flowflowering. As a border plant it is to be strongly recommended on account of its high ornamental value, combined witii ease of culture and graceful habit of growth. Knipliofia’s

Specie s of these, beautiful garden subjects are in full bloom, and one is reminded of the fact, that they are not so widely grown as they should be. Most lovers of flowers know them better under the name of ‘Red Hot Pokers.’ Where bold and effective masse s of bloom are required these are very suitable, as they are truly noble plants well deserving the name of Nobilis which is often applied to them. The colourings are striking, in mostly scarlet, vivid red, and orange shadings with a few yellows for variety. They are really handsome plants for many places and it should be bom in mind by those thinking or planting bold, showy, and effective perennials. When wellgrown, the spike s attain a large size, while the graceful arching, grass-like foliage is an added attraction. The effect should be good if they were associated with some of the showy

cannas. Watering Hints for dry Weather. There are very few summers that

■SL «i»t£ do not have spells of weather so dry as to cause a certain amount of apprehension and alarm to the gardener especially the amateur. The subject really is an acutely scientific one, the facts of which should be understood by alb growers of flowers, fruit and vegetables in the first place, it must be reaL ised that plants do not seek their supply of moisture from near the surface. Many plants, when well es-

tablished, will go down to any reasonable depth for water. It is the young and immature things that fail in doing this and perish accordingly. Often the shrubs which were planted last spring will perish during a dry spell if not looked after, in cases where the .roots have not obtained sufficient growth to provide the necessary nourishment to the plant. Not only is water necessary for plant life, but air for the roots, which latter is regulated by the water in the soli. The higher the water rises in the ground, the less air there is. It is expelled by the moisture and only returns as the water level in the soij sinks lower. For thi s reason many plants perish in water-logged soil, as it is not the water that is so much at fault as the. absence of air.

Rain water as it falls from the clouds- contains much free ammonia, the amount varyuig according tb the purity of the air, but in any case it i s always of a higher percentage than can be found in as ordinary water supply. This ammonia is very necessary for plant file and so rain is the most desirable means of watering a garden. This fact teaches the lessen that watering is always a regretable necessity and should never be done until absolutely necessary to save plant life. Water supplied from the top tends to cause the fibres of the roots to turn upwards to meet the moisture. It will perhaps be said that all water is supplied from the top, naturally and otherwise, but it must not be forgotten, as shown before, that in normally moist ground the fibres of the roots always seek it below. Only when the surface is made wetter than the ground beneath do the fibres turn up, and suffer the risk of being parched up when the top soil is allowed to become dry later.

In order to delay watering for as long a period as possible always keep the top soil loosely hoed. A mulch of old litter, lawn grass clippings, etc. saves the necessity of watering by kteping the. ground shaded from the sun, leaving them there until such time as rain falls freely when they may be raked up or dug into the soil. If however, unable to stave off the evil any longer,- the next lesson the above fact teaches us is to water thoroughly Having loosened the top soil somewhat, let the watering be liberal. After the first watering has soaked well in give another after a few hours interval equally pentiful, and add half an ounce of sulphate of ammonia to every four gallons of water. This only applies to the second watering, or soot may be used instead, mixed with the water some time before applying. Do no more watering for a week, when repeat if necessity. This scientific method leaves no bad after effects. The Best Rose.

The rose borders have been gloriously prolific during the last few weeks, but are beginning to flag with the continued heat. It will be a help if all seed pods and spent blooms are kept plucked off. A discussion often arises amongst gardeners as to which is the best, rose, but in the writer’s opinion the best rose is the rose which the man or woman who cared for it and watched it grow with anxiety and pride, loves for a reason of his or her own above every other variety. Lovers of flowers viewing the garden may be struck with the bed of ophelia always bright and wonderously prolific; then there is the bed of Hugh Dickson’s whose vivid red tones dominate. but General McArthur in the other bed runs him very close, and the Golden Emblem in front; could anything surpass the wonderful colouring in the heart of this rose together with its exquisite shape. Madame Herriot for perfection of colouring is always striking and has many admirers, and so we might go on, yet deep in the heart of most rose lovers there is a soft corner for one particular rose out of the numerous varieties listed to-day. . Soot.—lts Value for Pot-Plants. Soot is recognised by many gardeners as indispensable where onions, peas, and other vegetables are grown, but its virtue fo r plants in pots is not always realized. Especially is it useful for plants that have been neglected in the matter of potting, and which indicate by the yellowing of the leaves that the soil in which they are growing ig worn out. Then it is that soot which has been allowed to stand for awhile in the open, can be placed in a coarse bag and dropped .into the water barrel. A few waterings generally effect an improvement. Besides acting as a pick-me-up for plants showing a declining tendency in health, soot adds brilliance.to the foliage of such as primulas, cinerarias, chrysanthemums etc.