GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 24 January 1928, Page 3

GARDEN NOTES.

Seasonable Routine W'ovk. Tl.v present long spell of dry weather -demands.' that more than usual care should bo taken of all c-ho.eu planus and recently planted tree.-i and shrubs. When watering:, see that a thorough soaking is given, and not merely enough to wet the surface of the :,oii. Also keep the flat hov goiny v.li.. I her there are weeds or not.

Remove'all faded flowers. This is of great asxstancis to the plants during hot weather.

Dahlia p.'ants are now making headway, and main stakes should be got into position without delay. Where growth is very thick it is desirable to remove all thw weaker shoots. Stir the soil with the hoe and at the same time lightly hoe in a top dressing of decayed or artificial manure. Where time is not available for watering and hoeing, furnish the plants with a mulching of half rotted straw or la-vvn grass clippings. The bed may then be safely left during the hot months without further attention. Where winter llowering carnations are desired, cuttings should now be struck. Insert these in boxes or pans in a mixture of good soil, leaf mould, and sharp sand. All beds and borders ought by this time to be well furnished with late summer and autumn plants. Boxes in which such things are. grown, ought to be emptied, dried, and stored repairing those which need attention. Stocks. Seeds of all winter and early spring flowering varieties should be sown in boxes and placed in a shady place. Sow thinly, or it will be necessary to transplant to other boxes and this is best avoided at this time of the year.

Wistarias. Where these have covered their allotted space, all long newly-made growths should be cut back to within five or six buds of their base. This will induce the formation of flower buds instead of unwanted streamers.

Climbing Roses. When the trusses have finished blooming it is advisable not only to cut away the flower truss but to reduce the growths also back to within six or eight inches of their base. This applies specially to those varieties which make plenty of strong growth. Roses stuck from cuttings should not bo permitted to flower the first year. Rose Beds. The second blooming has brightened considerably the appearance of the borders. Use the hoe frequently among them, and remove dead flowers daily in order to keep tho beds beautiful as long as possible. Roses greatly dislike dryness at their roots and, if watering cannot be resorted to, a good mulching should bo placed around each plant. If water can be applied, a little fertiliser sprinkled around each plant and hoed in previous to watering, will be found to be of great assistance.

Chrysanthemum beds will benefit from a top dressing of good, rich soil.

The Vegetable Garden

Among the vegetables, celery and salad plants suffer the most from lack of moisture and these should be supplied with water even if other things have to be left.

At this time of the year black aphis often troubles the broad beans when they arc about nine inches or so in height. It is a good plan to cut these down to ground level for they will grow again freely and supply beans at a much later period

Keep celery and onions dusted with soot to keep blight in check. A further sowing of dwarf peas and beans may be made. . Soak the seeti before sowing, also water' the trench well and they will be up in a fewdays.

Where plants of savoy cabbage cauliflower, etc.. have rooted and commenced growth, hoe some soil up close around the stems, as they will often be inclined to sway with the breezes. Stake and prune all un wanted growths from tomatoes.

Summer Pruning Fruit Trees

This is an important Item in the culture of bush trees or those grown on cordon wires, walls, etc. All leading shoots or those required for extension should only have the tops pinched out, but all side shoots should b e cut back to six leaves from the base of the new growth. Apricots suffer the most from drought as they produce an abundance of surface fibrous roots. For this reason they, should be kept free from weeds and supplied with water during a dry spell. Ferns. Ferns and all' indoor plants require extra attention, for during hot weather these plants dry rapidly. The best way to water them is to plunge each pot in a bucket of water leaving it at a depth where no bubbles arise to the surface. After let it drain for a few minutes before returning to the house. Ferns and.other foliage plants give the room a cool, restful appearance during the hot days, but they should not be exposed to direct draughts from doors or windows. Many complaints are heard about purchased

ferns which, when removed to the homo.- tail to give satisfactory results. This, I feel sure, is due to a great extent to the fact that ,in order to produce saleable plants quickly, they are frequently grown in warmer and moister atmosphere than is really necessary for their wellbeing. When che ferns are purchased this fact should be borne in mind, and care should b e taken to harden them off especially all those of the maidenhair type. In this way the amount of exposure they will eventually bear without injury is very great. ' Gardeners are often advised to plant moisture-loving plants in close proximity to ponds, streams, etc. Certainly this plan is to be strongly recommended, but the correct method of carrying it out is not always grasped. ,

For instance, the banks of a pond are frequently high and dry, and these should first' of all be gently sloped to the water's edge before any mo'.sture loving plants are introduced.

Any p'aces left high and dry for the sake of effect may be planted with such things as yuccas, any species of flalx or pampas grasses, and even rambler roses. The damp banks running down to the water’s edge are suitable for many plants. The kaempfcri or Japanese irises will grow even in nine inches of water, their largy widespread flowers being very handsome. The Siberian iris is also good (catalogued ris sibirica). These have fine, grasslike foliage and bear exquisitely dainty flowers. Primula japonica grows rampantly. Day lilies, Solomon’s seal, and globe flowers (trollius), and spireas are all suitable, and such wild flowers as the marsh marigold, yellow and purple loosestrife, and w’illow herb. For fine form "there are the gunneras, with handsome leaves up to ten feet in diameter, the giant rhubarbs,,, and many graceful reeds. The great- spearwort (ranunculus lingua) 5 s a handsome plant for growing in shallow water and produces a quantity of large yellow flowers. In planting lake or pond margins care should be taken not to overcrowd the verges with tall-growing things. Water hemmed in by a barrier of tall and thick subjects is not beautiful. Things should be naturally grouped \vith open spaces here and there which may be carpeted with any suitable ilow-growing moist-lover, such as the mimula, or buttercup. The spaces should be arranged where the best views are to b-e obtained, and to allow the water to be approached from the most effective points. Of late years considerable attention has been paid to the beautifying of watersides with plants conspicuous for their flowers or their foliage. It is a phase of gardening that is most interesting, and certainly many charming effects have beep obtained where care and taste ha\e been employed. The pond itself should never be formal in design or it will never give satisfaction. There will always be the sense of something lacking if it has not a natural look. Study nature. She is always the best of teachers. Poisonous Plants,

To identify all poisonous plants would require the trained eye and skill of the botanist, but a little knowledge, even, even if it be only of a superficial character is of importance to every gardener. There are many plants in our gardens grown for theu beauty that are generally recognised as poisonous, and while these are 1101 at, all likely to b» eaten by adults there is always the risk of children or animals sampling them. Even the common sorrel, which is in some countries cultivated for salads, often proves very injurious to children because of the oxalic acid it contain;;, though it does not affect adults un.ess taken in excess. Rhubarb, again* ( if a > perfectly safe vegetable to eat f its leaf stalks only are consumed, but if the leaves be cooked they are lecidedly poisonous. Hero, also, the poisonous element is oxalic acid. Potatoes that have been long exposed to the light and have assumed a deep green colour are likewise unsafe to eat, because of the presence of a poison technically known as solanine. With regard to fruits, the, kernels of the peach, nectarine and bitter almond all contain prussic acid; even the leaves of the sweet almond contain the same poisonous substance.

Many kinds of seeds are poisonous. Those of the laburnum are especially so, as well as those of the mulleins,the spindle tree and the thorn apple. The seeds of the monkshood are deadly poisonous as are those of its relatives, the perennial delphiniums and annual larkspurs. Seeds of the castor oil plant (recinus) are poisonous to both man and beast. The yellow tongues of the arum lilies, and bulbs of the snowdrop, nerine and narcissi. Roots of runner beans have been known to poison cattle, also rhododendron leaves, kahnias, helle- , bores, the common laurel, and all the ranunculus species. Coming to berried fruits, those of the yew, the purple berries of the privet, the black berries of the deadly nightshade (atropa belladona), the red berries of the byrony, all are deadly poisonous.

So also are the red berries of tha bitter sweet (solonum dulcamara). Children should not be permitted to eat the red berries of the cuckoo pint (arum maculatum). Some plants are skin irritants. Among these ia the primula obconica. Many* people , have been injured by the handling of ( the leaves of rhus toxicodendron, commonly known as the poisonous ivy, and those plants which exude milky fluid when cut should in most cases not be allowed to come into, . contact with cuts or sores.