GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 25 March 1927, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

.1 New iWt stljce iautomn showers have commenced there is much to be done in the garden. New lawn s should be grassed down as soon as possible. • Those-gardeners - desirous of planting evergreen hedges should prepare the -ground- at ’th© present time. All evergreens are .more successfully rooted ■ during the . late autumn months than,those planted during spring. New Shrubberies should be prepared and planted- during the next few weeks Spring is always a busy time in the garden and it is a great help to complete as many tasks as possible before the wet weather commences in earnest. Any plots requiring drainage may be got on with, which is a most .important work both in the vegetable and flower garden. Dalhias are blooming freely and if care ls -‘takeni to keep all dead flowers plucked off, will continue blooming Until the early frosts appear.. Most -erysanthemums have set their buds. Remove all but the centre on each branch where larger blooms are required and commence feeding twice .weekly with soot manure, about a quart to each plant. Where soot is not obtainable use sheep manure or Clay’s fertiliser and use a a per instructions on tin, bearing in mind that All plants like a change of stimulant. From the time the buds 9how colour hp to the time the" blooms are fully developed, they should be protected from strong winds and rain, so as t .prevent the blooms from being knocked -about and the petals damaged. Strike cuttings of pansies and violas. Sow hardy annuals for spring flowering such as nemesia, -poppies, godetia, stocks, larkspurs and eschscholtzias. The present is also a good timfe to sow antirrhinums am other hardy perennial subjects. Transplant violets and primroses. Plant freely of all bulbous things which help to brighten the border in early spring. Sow sweet peas. Die Vegetable Garden.

*,■ Much necessary work awaits the gardener here whose aim is to keep thb table supplied with vegetables all the year round. Spare plots should be quickly worked up and plots sown with shorthorn carrots, white turnips, 'beetroot spinach, silver beet, onions, preferably an early maturing variety fdr early use. Sow seeds of cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce. Prepare new . strawberry beds and plant as quickly as possible. Lift onions as soon as ripe, Earth up celery and leeks. ; Dig over all spare ground, burn refuse and apply the ashes as a top dressing. Gather all the manure available and wheel into the garden. Lawns are often too sodden during winter and spring to allow of the free use of tho wheelbarrow over the lawns. Get in supplies of lime. 'Basic slag is also a useful stimulant for both vegetables, fruit and flowers, and as Its action is rather slow, better results are obtained where It is applied during autumn. The Japanese Iris. Iris Laevigata, better known in gardens as I Kaempfere is a remarkable species obtained from Siberia and Japan. It has the largest flowers in the "genus and seeds freely. The latter are easily raised and the seed should be sown as soon as ripened. Amongst a batch of seedlings will be found an endless variety Of colour‘d from white to richest plum, the deep blues being very fine. The mottled typeg are the least pleasing, .and a good many such are usually found amongst them. They are poor in effect and nothing like as •handsome as the self-coloured seedlings. which always remind one of the blooms of the large flowered clematis. Nor do we care for the double ones, in these, the natural grace and fine outline of the flower is lost. When transplanted, this moisturo loving Flag , does . not bloom well until the second season after planting. They can also be propagated by division either during the spring or autumn months.

Cultivation.

Anyone proposing planting this Iris

i Should trench the ground deeply, mix- - ing with the soil, turf and also some , Wbll rotted manure, and leaf soil, the. idea being to get as good a depth as possible of loose, pliable soil into which the' roots can work freely. What thiß Iris needs most is moisture and a fully open position away rom the shade Of trees or shrubs. It is always seen to the best advantage- by the side of a stream or pond, • and should be planted close to the edge of the water; The plants must be well establihsed before they will bloom freely. Beds away from the side.; of a pond should :be sunk three or four inches below the surface of the' surrounding soil, so as to allow of liberal supplies of moisture finding rits way to the plants. The foliage is always fresh, green and attractivelooking and during their blooming season ■ when covered with blooms, which measure from six to eight . inches in diameter, always present an'attractive picture. \ prepare for Rose Planting. The abnormal rainfall °f wintor and -t/ earlyfspring .often .sadly hinders rose ' It is a good plan to prethe beds during the autumn, so S/tiuillthei; aotu&rplanttng may be un-

dertaken during. the late - autumn. This prevents having to work the ground when it is in a wet statewhich is so detrimental to both soil and plants. Deep working, with liberal opplications of rich farmyard manure are the chief essentials for successful rose culture. Newly prepared beds should be left for a period of six weeks in order to allow the soil to settle firmly. Winter Violets. Nothing is appreciated quite so much as the first violets. When well-grown they are of the greatest value during the dullest months of the year. To get the earliest blooms they should be planted in a nice loamy soil, in a well-drained and sunny position, and last but not least, they should be planted early to giye them a chance to get well rooted before winter sets in. Colour in the Garden. How far one may carry the rearrangement of the garden, using a definite colour scheme, is a matter of taste. To some, any such limiting of colour: conveys no corresponding satisfaction and to these, nothing amis a is ever seen in the close proximity of vivid shades of orange, scarlet and strong pinks. The loss of colour sense is. frequently met with. In nature discordant shades may grow close together, but largely you will notice that their background is densely green, which mitigates the effect.

The present day fashion mostly tends for strong colourings. A study of flower arrangement reveals a change of taste and great daring, for who would combine an orange coloured bowl with a flower of strong mauve colour and complete the arrangement by adding a pink blossom carrying a suggestion of orange, and not wonder half the time if it was ;a satisfactory effort or an unfortunate jazz nightmare. In the garden itself there are practically only two colours that are dominant enough to need careful placing, they are the strong yellow, bordering on orange, and the true shade of scarlet. Some of the most lovely colour arrangements come about quite withou forethought, one, which pleased the writer very much was obtained by accident, the back ground being a group of purple-leaved trfees fronted by bold groups of blue delphiniums and tail white foxgloves. The combination of purple leaves , royal blue and pure white looked perfect, and in this way many of our best conscious designs are obtained. For a-strong colour scheme for those who desire vivid shades, the Dorothy Perkins rambler rose grown with clematis Jackmanui will make a most wonderful pergola, always remembering that both the-e plants require, and are better for, severe pruning. The last year’s flowering wood of the Dorothy Perkins being cut out to within six inches of the ground a few weeks after blooming will result in those large terminal branches of flowers the following year for colouring effect and cutting. • Delphiniums Seedlings. The early sown delphiniums will by this time have grown into sturdy little plants, ready for transplanting to the open border. Of all the plants which adorn the herbaceous borders of our gardens none catches the eye so prominently or is more admired than clumps of well grown delphiniums. Thas is, those which are really blue. Some varieties catalogued as white, are at the best a dingy cream colour. As to cultivation, the best course to , adopt is to dig the space designed for delphiniums as soon as possible, digging not less than 2 feet deep, breaking up the bottom and leaving it loose, and then adding a reaonable quantity of half rotted manure (cow or pig for choice,) giving the site a -few weeks to f.ettle down. There should be an average space of throe feet or so between the plants. In spring loosen the soil which will have been beaten down by heavy rains. Avoid planting near big trees at the roots will rob the plants of food. An open border is the best position, sheltered from the roughest winds by wall. A month or so after the main stems have finished flowering they should be cut down to the ground level, unless seeds are required for sowing, in which case leave one stem. Although many growers encourage tHe plants to flower a second time It Is not to be generally recommended, as prolonging the flowering season tends to weaken the plant for the next season, and these second flower spikes are seldom worth seeing. They are worth going to a little trouble over, as their tall, stately spikes of bloom are a never failing source of delight in the garden.