GARDENING NOTES.

Shannon News, 27 March 1928, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

SEASONABLE ROUTINE WORK. Chrysanthemums. What is termed, the second crown bud on chrysanthemums has in most cases developed sufficiently for the removal of all the tiny buds which surround it. The centre bud always develops into the largest flower. All side shoots bar the three leading ones must be removed if large blooms are wanted, retaining the three main stems which will furnish three large blooms. , Chrysanthemums arc fairly gross feeders and as soon as all side buds have been discarded,' and* the plant carrying just its three buds commence feeding with soot water. Place three gallons of scot in a bag, this will be sufficient for a barrel holding 40 gallons of water, let is remain 48 hours before using, then apply twice a week, say about a quart to each plant. Use the above for two weeks and then ebango the stimulant by adding any animal manure available, making up to the required strength. All plants like a change of stimulant. If none of these things are available clay artificial fertiliser gives very good results. Dahlias. Those dahlias which bloomed early and were cut well back are now throwing out numerous side shoots, if .these are budded they will produce some fine blooms next month, especially if a little liquid manure is given twice weekly. ' Cleaning the Garden. Great efforts should be made to give the borders and shrubberies a good 'cleaning up. All bare spaces will benefit from a dressing of manure be fore refilling with "plants. If your garden commences the wet wintry weather free from weeds you will find the spring work considerably lessened. Get in a supply of lime and give the borders a good top-dressing next month, this will do much to keep 3lugs in check, as well as keeping tht soil in a more friable condition. Col leet all the manure available and dig in where it is most needed. Sow sweet peas, trench deeply, manure liberally, plant thinly. , Early Spring riowering Subjects. At this time of the year the garden er should turn his or her attention to a selection of those plants which bloom early, at the close of winter and early spring. Wallflowers are al ways welcomed for their early bloom ing qualities, as also are forget-me hots, linaria, calendula, beauty and ten week stocks, Virginia stocks, nemesia, and cornflowers. Cinerarias, and primulas for the shady spots, with foxgloves and hardy ferns. Violets, primroses and freesias should not be omitted. Then there are the lovely violas "which are so useful for edgings and flower so freely. Antirrhinums and iceland poppies flower freely if planted in the sunny warm nooks around the homestead. Then there are the lovely anemones in double and single types. The dainty type of ano mone fulgens should not be forgotten •with its vivid scarlet of both double and single blossoms. There is tht numerous family of small bulbous sub jeets, such as . scillas, crocus, and la’chenalias (cape cowslips), grape hyacinths, snowdrops, together with all types of the narcissi) family. All the above are early bloomers. A few winter blooming sweet peas should be sown in a warm favoured spot. Annuals (for Exhibition).

Probably, more . disputes arise ore] the question: "what is an annual’' than anything else contained in the shows chedule. A collection of any given number of annuals usually includes some species difficult to diagnose and this class would be much simplified tr judges and exhibitors alike i f f made tc read (annuals or biennials). In some cases the eschscholtzia, will be ad milted as an annual and even the mar gueriite, fringed carnation, and anthtkinums or mignonette, thronn out, yet the first mentioned, if cu back after flowering will last for several years in the garden, in fact equally as long as the two last men tioned. In hotter climates many of our so called biennials are merely an nuals including the ieeland poppies and cinerarias, whereas in our climatf these will last for several years.. Thr inclusion of the term biennial/ would solve a great many of these vexing little problems. Carnations and Picotees from Seed.

The above class of plants are easily raised from seed, and if sown at tin present time will bloom during the early summer months. The best "shown type" of carnation does not bloom so quickly nor yet so freely during its first season. Marguerito, picotee, and -the allwoodi types are all early bloomers. Use fine sieved soil for the seed box. Cover the seed with a thin layer of the soil, then square of board or with the palm of the hand. Place brown paper over, and then a sheet of glass, after first well moistening the soil. Do not allow the soil to get dry at any time. As soon as the seedlings are seen coming through, remove paper and glass. The plants should be kept growing in boxes or pots through the winter months, setting them out in borders in early spring. Tiny Rock Gardens.

Rock gardens may be made at any season of the year, and they can be

of a size to fit the garden of which they form a part. The smallest garden can possess one of these attractive features, for even one weii worn stone with holes and crevices in its flat surface, can have enough plants growing in, and around it, to entitle it to the name of a Bock Garden. These little gardens are full of interest if the plants grown in them are restricted to those found during holidays, or gifts from friends.

Howevor small a rock garden may be, it should represent some natural feature with accuracy. It may repre sent any part of mountain scenery or even a miniature mountain, having in it one of any of the following fea* tures, a waterfall, moraine, a ravine, a stream, scree, or lake) each one of a size in keeping with the space al lotted to the whole. Any one of these parts of mountain scenery will form a' delightful little rock garden. For‘in-, stance a scree—which is the tumbled debris of stones, gravel, sand, and soil at the end of the’ last slope of a high mountain can gradually emerge into a tiny moraine, which is the collection of small stones and soil found where a glacier ends. In a small rock garden, the scree should be formed by a gradually sloping bank on which stones of different sizes and shapes (none of them very large) are juenbled together. The soil of the bank should be well drained loam with stories buried in it. When the stones have been thrown on to this' bank, soil is worked well in between them, but the edges of those on top are not covered. Plants selected for the garden veil! depend on whether the scree is in full sunshine or shade. The moraine should be perfectly flat and entirely covered with chips and fragments of t}?e same rock or • stone as that of the scree. One or two larger stones being thrown on it haphazard. Tiny encrusted saxifragas, sandwort, alpine asters and other suitable low growing plants will And a home here, with larger plants such as dwarf rhododrendrons and azaleas could be planted at the sides, or at the back of the large stones. A tiny ravine makes an entrancing rock garden by itself. It should be begun at an elevation from which it meanders according to the life of the ground or the will of its maker. It is hollowed out of the land to a convenient depth, and its sides may be steep or sloping, or better" still, sometimes one and sometimes the other. A fow r large boulders are embedded in these banks, as naturally as possible. Dwarf shrubs, a well as all kinds of alpine flowers will grow on the sides of this ravine. Its bed, is very attractive if the edges are made to form tiny bays, or gulfs, with the soil of the bank jutting out here and there in the shape of a'cape or peninsula. If the bed is of stiff clay, & small lake is easily formed which will accomodate a few water plants. Yet again, the tiny rqck garden can be a bank with a few boulders thrown carelessly on it,, for in making rock gardens, the effect of the stones is often much mors natural thrown than if placet 1 )., their heaviest side will usually fall to the ground, and any sharp ends' will penetrate the soil instead of pointing towards the sky. If possible use only one kind of rock, a mixture is foreign to nature, and is inclined to produce an unrestful appearance. Much, however, can be done to remedy this by careful planning and planting. Little plants can be tucked away in the depressions which form the bank of a-rock garden, and can also peep out from beneath them The spaces between: can be planted with bulbs, tiny shrubs, and' alpine plants. A miniature lake at the tool of a mound, which represents a moun tain is a charming garden toy. Edelweiss, and gentians should find a place on the mound which lias rocks and stones scattered upon it. Water side plants should fringe the lake, and om or more water lilies should float, upon it:- ,-

Bocks of sandstone, stale, or any water formed roek should be chosen for making roek pardons. These' contain a reserve' of nourishment for the plants, which the excretions of the roots dissolve and so convert into available plant food. Grey moss co\ erod rocks are very natural looking and form a pleasing back ground to flowers and foliage of every hue. Lime loving plants should have lime or chalk mixed with the soil. The encrusted saxifragas like to be planteu sideways in the crevices of the rocks. The after care of tiny rock gardens consists in reneming their soil from time to time, removing dead leaves and flowers, and dividing the plants when they encroach on their neighbours.