GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 14 April 1927, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

Routine Work In the Garden. ■ •The present is a favourable time to Bernard ant the Japanese irises; also Berennial poppies, aquilegia, violets, ■rimroses, etc. Continue the planting- all' bulbous things. Finish sowing / hardy annuals, and sweet peas. Krepare'the ground for all evergreens Kcluding hedge plants; the best reKlts follow from autumn planting. greenhouse pot up young p.ants fcretoefari^s,.'. Chinese primula, etc., Bid border plants required for ■tdek. Plant, carnations and prepare Bbtw' rose beds. CoveV exhibition KtFysanthemums and supply with liquid manure. y The Vegetable Garden. K.Cut down asparagus tops, and clean Kvay exhausted crops of all sorts, Biid bum the refuse. Manure and |jlig roughly any unoccupied plots, pjow • onions, for spring transplanting. Kij-. salad subjects may be sown, such Ks '-lettuce, endine, cress, and radish. kojv shorthorn carrots, cabbage and ■parsley. The manure heap should Ibil put in order, and materials for Kjjture compost ought to be collected pud stored. Sowing down or renovapon. of lawns should be completed this Iponth. Top-dress with basic-slag Plant strawberries. It is advisable per' earth' up all plots sown now. Kchether for carrots, onions, or any Idther crop. Thig method provides fcdtter drainage, and much better results' will follow from the little extra litfouble involved. These autumn sowliHgs provide a supply for the table at la/time when vegetables are not too ■plentiful . I Friends and Enemies in the Garden. I| 'There are always a great many delatructive creatureg ever lying in wait |tp' attack our flowers, fruit and vegellables in all stages of their growth. I-Eut fortunately there are others [which range themselves on th e side |bf the cultivator. [/V One very good friend is the ladybird, that gay little beetle beloved of [opr childhood. The, curious, flat, ['dark grey, grub of this insect i s often [‘killed by gardeners Who are not aware bf'its identity, which is certainly ex'ctlsable as. they are as different as 'they well can be from the pretty little beetle we are all familiar with. Ladybirds are sluggish little creatures; [blessed with a large appetite which [they endeavour to satisfy by devouring aphides as fast as they can catch Lthem: 'The centipede, which is not

Iso commonly met with; these are ■ ptrictly carnivorous in diet, waging ■Ceaseless warfare against many soil Ipests. Spiders, frogs and toads, lizand the slow' worm, should all be l-oncouraged in the garden, the last llmentioned we could do with unllmitIjed supplies of, a s they live exclusive-l-ly on slugs. I'i All these creatures account for enpormous numbers of harmful insects in If the course of a season and thu s do pmuch to relieve the garden of troublepsome pests. The hedgehog likewise ■ performs distinguished service in this ■'.direction, althoug-h their size us.ually presuits in damage being done, to Plants which rather counteracts the pbenefits derived from their insectp eating habits. . p - Of all wild creatures met with in p|he garden, birds are at once the most P beautiful, interesting, and too many, |:the*most welcome. The gracefulness IjtOf flight, beauty of plumage and fsweetness of song possessed by many iof these feathered visitors add a spei|al charm to any garden. Unfortunately, a few species are no respectors of flowers, vegetables, or fruits, causing Smany a heart-ache by the damage jfthey do to plants which have been fraised with great care and patience. ? Of these the sparrow is the worst offender and its adaucity knows no '< bounds. Not only does it steal the 5-seeds as soon ag they are sown and :,.nip off the tender seedlings immedi- ; 'ately they push their first leaves - above the soil, but it also destroys • blossoms and buds out of sheer wantoness. The flower borders, the or- . chard and the vegetable plots all suf- ; fer, and -as if these depredations w'ere il,not enough, its habit of taking a dustrlbath in the middle of a newly pre- ■ pared seed bed may well cause the ;/distracted gardener to execrate the species in no measured terms. fEven the most ardent bird lover has \ little to say in favour of the cheeky f sparrow . Most of the Finch family, f although very pretty, are rather derjslructlve, but their numbers are not I’ large enough- to be a real danger. X Starlings are often responsible for | in the orchard, but during i/the other months of the year the food fjOf the starling consists of all kinds of ;| : grubs, beetles and other insects inkcluding the Leather jacket and wire •sworm. The thrush, with its beauty |of ; song adds a charm to the early garden, and is a great favouras its habit of eating caterpillars, Si slugs and snails, entitles it to .a claim pon;our gratitude . Like the starling, also have a “sweet tooth” and pare highly appreciative of ripe fruit. ti:The blackbird is however, far more in this direction, particufftiarJy, during a dry spell, when any flya'riety of fruit. available disappears jg&fcf an alarming rate. These greedy ffiiabits. place him among the undesir-

mers and w’hat are commonly known as silver-eyes may be counted as friends since they both devour harmful insects supplementing this type of food with the seeds of weeds. Birds of prey, like hawks and owls, are also useful, as they help to keep down the population of field mice and rats,, which, if left to multiply unchecked, might very soon become a serious menace. It is a pity that the cuckoo is not more common, as they feed largely on hairy caterpillars which most of the birds refuse to touch. Sweet Pea Culture. Those who havo never grown sweet peas, should not be frightened by reading or hearing elaborate cultural instructions.. If you can grow culinary peas or runner beang you can grow sweet peas. Once you have realised the simple needs of the flower, it likes and dislikes, success is almost sure to follow. Culture for keen competition certainly is an elaborate business, but to the ordinary flower lover requiring good blooms and plenty of them for garden and home decoration the sweet pea i s a subject that will almost take care of itself. When we sow sweet peas, we look forward with pleasant anticipation, this the key to the appeal whiclr gardening - makes an appeal which invariably waxes stronger with each successive season, the looking forward to whatever may be in store for us. •Nearly half the pleasure of garden.ng lies in the preparation and anticipation. Flowers we buy do not seem to give the joy which we have in those of our own' growing, ours may not be of such fine quality, but they are really ours, the result of our own elforts.. Sweet pea s are one of the most popular flowers in this great gardening age, when their culture is a hobby or pastime enjoyed by many, many thousands who have the necessary time and garden space. It is estimated that between 600 and 800 ton s of sweet pea seed is sold annur* ly in various part sof th« world, showing their world-wide attractiveness. All flowers are Deautiful, some more pleasing and 'valuable than others, but the sweet pea has many advantages. In the first place the seed is inexpensive, very easily grown, ’free from .blights and diseases, and will succeed in almost any soil or situation. It is remarkably free flowering, it s blooming period extending, not for weeks, but for months. Its main charm however, lies in its dainty, butterfly-like lightness, lending itself, as it does, to easy and effective indoor decoration. We call it the sweet pea, and in gpite of all that has been said and written to the contrary, our modern sweet peas are sweet peas still, possessing a rare and fragnent degree of fragrance. Wo have no other flower in which a little extra care and attention on the part of the grower is go richly rewarded. * Like many other popular flowers, the sweet pea has been greatly improved during the past decade, and this work of improvement is still going on.

For culture, success turns very largely on the correct preparation of the soil. This should be dond early, deeply and liberally. If requiring a spring sown-row, and autumn preparation of the soil is strongly recommended, especially if it. is on tho heavy side. If no preparation of the soil has been made for an autumn sowing during the summer, quite good results may be expected if you just dig the soil over, at the same time turning in a liberal 'quantity of well decayed manure, if this is not available use bonemeal and ashes from burnt rubbish heaps, and soot if obtainable. If preparing a trench for spring sowing use well decayed manure and keep it at lcaet nine inches under the surface, using bonemeal and ashes throughout the trench, about a handful of each to the yard run. Should the ground be light and spongy tread it down as the work proceeds, for sweet peas like -a firm soil. The autumn sowing is always the best, but the inexperienced, who have not yet moved, the soil should prepare for sowing as stated above making up your mind now to prepare it early, deeply, and liberally next summer for the autumn sowings. Always obtain seed of good quality, and it is also much more interesting to grow' the named varieties rather than mixtures, choosing colours to suit your own taste. During the wet spring months the. thin skinned varieties which * include the creams, whites, lavenders, and blues, rot more readily than the other varieties unless sown in pots or a well drained situation. When sowing, make drills about two inches deep, allow two inches between each seed and thin the plants out later to four or six inchs apart. Do not overlook the value of these thinnings for transplanting. . They are very useful when used as screens to ugly outhouses, walls, fences, etc. Clumps are also very artistic and are formed by planting in circles eighteen inches to two feet in diameter using six or eight plants to a clump; Allow a separate colour to each clump, which will harmonizo with the immediate surroundings. Support them

early with short twigs and place soot or lime (not both) around the plants to safeguard from slugs. Later, when rapid growth commences give them their permament support, and hoe frequently. Why Bulbs in Bloom Want Water. All bulbs store food in their underground parts for the benefit of the flowering axis developed from them. It is because of the presence of this store that such plants as hyacinths may be grown and flowered in glasses with their roots suiTOunded by water only, the foliage and flower truss drawing the nourishment they require from the reserve built up in the bulb. The effort of blooming, however, exhausts thi s reserve,, and hyacinths can only be grown in water glasses for one year, after which, unless planted in soil from which a fresh store of jiutriment can be obtained, they die.