GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 29 July 1927, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

SEASONABIdS ROUTINE WORK.

Fast approaching the gardener's busiest part of the yeaV, when planting is undertaken in real earnest, and nightly raids are made on slugs, and cotton stretched across rows of precious seeds, which sometimes acts and sometimes does not, in keeping busy sparrows away,■. or scarecrows erected which " birdie " fights shy of the first day or so, and then quietly settles on the next. These all help to make the spring months the busiest of all. Tinsowing of all hardy annuals should bt speedily got on with. The sooner these are sown, the sooner the border will be gay with their blooms. Th« au.umn-sown plants are commencing to make good growth, if any of them show signs of growing spindly, pinch off the leading growths: this • ill make the plants nice and bushy Godetia's and Clarkia's often need treating in this way. If the planting of herbaceous perennial subjects has been delayed this should be one ol the first to complete, as all thest things will soon be: making great head way.

Protect the crowns of delphiniunn from the slugs. Plant liliums, rose.' and shrubs, as soil permits. Prun< hydrangeas, cutting them back tc within a few inches of the ground; they will then make a very bushy growth. Edgings of violas, primroses, aubretia, silene, etc., may be planted. It is rather too early for the populai lobelia winch is a little frost tender. Sow mignonette where it is to bloom Scarcely any hardy annual is mortwelcome in the garden, owing to it> sweetly fragrant spikes. The plants need plenty of space to develop, thi stray seed about a flower border, which develops into a big plant branching out into spikes of bloom, is an example of the value of space. The Vegetable Garden.

In most gardens there are plots dry enough to sow the first early peas, but these must be watched at the time they are pushing tiny green shootp above ground. Sparrows and yellow hammers take a keen delight in plucking off the little bits of green. A poisoned grain scattered among some chaff is one of the best methods.

When confident of a few fine days sow some early white turnips. If rain follows immediately this crop is sown the seed bursts too quickly, rendering it valueless. The sowing of carrot seed is best delayed for a time, unless your plot is fairly free from slugs. Where these are plentiful the tiny seedlings have a habit of disappearing befqro they are hardly visible to the naked eye. Plant potatoes, shallots, artichokes, lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower, and sow, seeds of the last-mentioned three, for a rotation crop.

sow cress and mustard. These are invaluable for the very early salads. Sow tomato, cucumber, pumpkins, etc., in hot bed.

Top-dress rhubarb and asparagus beds.

Finish all pruning work, and spray-

ing. As soon as soil conditions permit, clean up the strawberry bed, being careful to keep away from the roots as much as possible. Wistarias.

Many gardeners complain of their wistarias not blooming profusely Often this defect is due to the plants making a lot of long spindly growths, and sometimes, to the border being in poor condition when a good mulch of farmyard manure should be applied. To induce such plants to flower, reduce your plants back three feet, cut, or thin out crowded growths, and shorten all the season's shoots back to within six or eight buds of their base. Repeat this with any Other growths that may be made as the season advances, the idea being to obtain short, spurry wood. The wistaria is so much admired that it is worth an effort to get the plants to bloom freely.

Perennial Asters (Michaelmas Daisies).

These useful and hardy perennials are now throwing out numerous young growth.* from the base, and now is a good time to divide and thin out into plots for permanent flowering. These are among the few perennials which will thrive in partial shade, in fact experience has proved that the colours are a deeper tone in the shade than when grown in full sunshine. Many varieties take on a rather washed-out appearance, and it is difficult to realize that the variety is the same, when one plant is grown in partial shade and another plant off the same parent is grown in sunshine, so striking is the difference in the depth of colouring. When grown well, and staked well, the Michaelmas daisies are among our most valued border subjects for autumn blooming; The whole effect of a border may be easily spoilt by a wrong method of staking, they need very little support if they are properly thinned out. The new shoots should be thinned out to fyur or Ave, these will grow with very rigid stems and will need very little support. It is an excellent plan to save all the old wood and store for staking purposes, if these are placed at intervals round the plant to be supported as it grows up they will be found to be all that is

necessary, no ties should be needed unless they are grown in a very exposed position subject to heavy galea. Staked in this way, the asters are always neat, but not too neat. Stakes ar« not always easily obtainable, and this hint is well worth remembering for future use.

When planting a border of Michaelmas daisies a much better effect is obtained if those near the front are pinched back when about ten Inches high, this causes them to branch instead of growing straight up, so that the inside stems are covered by a mass of flowers from the ground up. The same thing applies to clumps or borders of heleniums or golden rod. The worst method of staking any of the above-mentioned ia, to tie them round the middle like a sheaf of wheat. The thinning out .and looser planting enables the daisies to show their natural way of growth to the best advantage, and when they have attained their full heights every bit of stick that shows should be cut away. Many of the new dwarf varieties are fine for the rock garden ,and many of the newest varieties have extra large flowers. These are very useful grown as pot plants for in-door decoration.

Weeds. During the coming spring and sum mer months a question of Importance is the efficient disposal of weeds. This matter demands careful thought, for on it may depend the future success or failure of the garden. The need for producing manure Is great and this should be realized, but if the manure is merely a mass of weed seeds and live roots, it will do more harm than good, but in most gardens there is a fair supply of weeds which are in every way suitable for the compost heap and these should be made the most of. Decorative Hedges. * Where a purely decorative hedge is required, which may, or may not be permanent, there is nothing better than a combination of japonica's and roses. The bright-coloured japonica's".are the best, while the roses may be dwarf varieties, such as red letter day, or any gay, free flowering, hardy variety. Or some of the wichuraiana roses which are extremely hardy, may be used with equal success. The japonica will provide the necessary support for the roses and will, moreover, brighten up the hedge for a long period before the roses commence to bloom. Another asset' is that the bright-tinted leaves which appear on all the young growths, an ideal combination for the pinks and reds of the roses. Beyond a little pruning such a hedge 1 requires very little attention.

For a higher and more permanent hedge, a combination of rambler roses, flowering currant, and prunus pissardii is good, particularly good for such a hedge is the American pillar rose, both on account of its beautiful trusses of bloom and lovely metallic foliage, which hangs on well into the winter months, acquiring warm autumn tints.

Unless required for good shelter from heavy winds, hedges such as described above give more satisfaction as they are interesting and beautiful for the greater part of the year. Where a restful, quiet hedge is needed as a slight screen for any part of the ga den, lavender is very useful. Choose the variety with foliage of. a fern-like appearance. This is very hardy, and blooms practically, all the season. The old-fashioned rosemary is also good, and.when lightly pruned forms quite an attractive hedge, as also does the white broom. Cranberries are also much favoured for a low hedge, the foliage is good, the pretty pink pendant flowers attractive, the fruit, both ornamental and useful. Another ornamental hedge for those who are partial to berries can be had by planting solanum (Jerusalem cherry). This evergreen shrub always attractive, with bright-green* foliage, small white flowers, followed by a profusion of bright, coral-red berries, which hang on the trees a long time. These grow very bushy when kept pruned from infancy, and are easily and quickly grown from seed.