GARDENING NOTES.

Shannon News, 10 July 1928, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

Seasonable Routine Wort. Loosen the surface soil amongst bulbs to give them a chance to make rapid growth. Re-write or renew all weather garden labels. , , , Make>*out = the -flower; seed order and get. it despatched as carly-as possible. ' Make >ont tlie; order for now herbaceous early in the month. Make plana for new bedding schemes in the garden. The longv evenings inJuly are. just the timo for this work. Lay in a stock of turf; leaf mould, and manure- for further work, and es-. peclally for top-dressing the rock garden;

Prepare trenches for sweet peas without further delay. Dust carnations* and other choice plants in special'borders of the garden with lime or soot; remove dead leaves, and any straggling growths also weeds Plant hardy bulbs left over from winter. The sooner this is done the better. Plant hardy perennials and shrubs of all kinds, making .them very firm. Trench all land intended for new flower borders. Cut over and .remove chrysanthemum plants when sufficient cuttings have been obtained from them. The Vegetable aiid Triilt Garden. Select seed tubers: of* early,'varieties of potatoes, setting the eyes upward in shallow boxes* out of the range of frost. . Get all ground operations* completed as early in the month as possible. Use soil fumigants for pest-ridden soils. Sow early dwarf pens in well drain ed plots. Prepare broad- beans on a warm border. Mustard and .cress are useful foi early i salads if sown in boxes and matured in a warm corner: Where* the-garden plot is well drained -and 1 dries quickly after heavy rains, plant lettuce, radish;’ cauliflower and cabbage* plants: Proceed with: planting operations of all kinds in the fruit gardens.. Prepare cuttings of bush fruits and insert during,unild Weather. Carry out draining operations. This is particularly necessary in heavy retentive soils for the choicer fruits, such as nectarines; peaches, apricots and cherries; Grub out useless; worn-out, trees. Spray fruit trees after pruning. Stake,- and * securely tie, : all newly planted fruit trees, if they are exposed to winds:' Prune yearling black; currant trees to within a bud or two of - the ground, thus securing strong -fruiting wood for another season. V Use lime freely when planting any stone-fruits. Clean all rubbish from strawberry beds, and; lightly fork between the rows. Shorten the * stronger canes of raspberries to about five feet. Clear the beds of all weeds, and lightly fork the soil. Apply a mulch of manure late in the month., Newly Planted; Trees and Shrubs. Heavy* gales’ have loosened recently planted: trees:' Attend to these; pressing the <soil down firmly ■ round the stemsy-for a tree can not root satisfact-orily-if lit "has-any • play, and frosts also are - able' to penetrate well below' the surface.

Roms*? for all Purposes; - - * '

It is safe to say‘ that no plant is so capable of, varied application in the garden‘as is the'rose, rightly termed "the Queen of Flowers. ’’ The hybrid perpetuals, . are among the best of all for bedding schemes as they bloom over a long-period. This class includes sueh gems as Shot Silk, Sunsfar, Madame Butterfly, Mrs. E. Willis, Mabel Morse, Ophelia and many more; The single types are all fairly continuously bloomers, among w hieh are found Mrs. Oakley, Fisher, Irish Elegance, For arbours, arches, and pergolas, the-wichuriana or cluster roses are greatly favoured, as they give, when ■ in bloom, a glorious mass of colour This class has the drawback of only flowering once during the season. They do not bloom all at the same time, however, and by planting early, midseason, and late varieties, a much longer period of blooming can be av sureft. Early bloomers may be had in such varieties as American Beauty, Paul Transon, and Shower of Gold, together , with the well- known white and yellow bankaia roses. Flying Colours is also one of the very best of early climbers. Hiawatha, Lady Gay, Dorothy Perkins, White Dorothy, and the American Pillar all bloom at a later period. Climbing pillar roses are splendid for walls and for inter-planting with cluster roses for lengthy pergolas* There are now climbing types to be had from many of our .best , roses; including, climbing Sunstar, climbing, Irish Eleganee, climbing Ophelia, climbing Madame Butterfly; climbing, Caroline Testout and many, other favourites. Standard roses may also be obtained in all favourite;, varieties; Briar roses' Include those with fine briar-like foliage. There’are some very striking colours among these, e.nd thoy are not out- of place in suitable spots in the-rock garden, as-they are inclined to a trailing habit and may be pegged down ■ here and there. Several of the briar species ■ have most beautiful berries and arc- worth, growing, for these alone. 1 The.dwarf polyantfia roses-are gain-, ing in popularity as bedding subjects, •they"are so very hardy and bloom for - ■ a very' long period. The plants, are also beautiful when covered with their small red and - orange berries. Their - dwarf .compact-habit makes them invaluable ' for massing. This type includes such- varieties'as- Orange King,

Miss Edith Cavell,. and others. Lupinus Polyphyllus from Seed. So many excellent strains of the perennial herbaceous- lupins have been exhibited at various shows during the last three years, and have been so greatly admired, that it might be of interest to readers to know that these showy border plants are quite easily raised from seed. A mixed packet of seed will furnish plants in a wide range of colourings, including buffi, pink, flesh, blue, and many intermediate shades of these colours, all of which are charming. The cost of raising is a mere trifle, and the delight in watching each plant come into bloom adds interest to thoir'eui turn. When well grown the large spikes ol these flowers are among the most con spieuous sights of the garden. Seed ling plants flow r er according to the time of sowing. Established plant.* flower during the months of November and December. One of their chief as sets is their great hardiijess. Stocks from Seed. When raising these fragrant favour ites from seed, do not discard the weakest plants, as these are the most likely to produce double flowers. Hollies. anything more beautiful in the winter season gthan a holly tree some*ten to fifteen feet high, covered with deep green lustrous foliage and thickly studded with bright red berries? I think not. : Both from an ornamental and useful point of view, the holly will always be a great favourite. It is, also, one of our finest hedge plants, being at all seasons- fair to look upon, and when well formed, and well cared for, is perfectly impervious to the passage of cattle or human beings. A holly hedge some ' ten feet high is a joy for ever; Some gardeners ol) jOct to planting holly hedges because they are under the impression that growth is very slow, but with liberal treatment this drawback is easily overcome. The ground must be trenched two feet deep, the top spit being well manured. The first-year there will be little growth, but the roots will be busy working in the enriched ground The second year growth will be fairly free, but the third season there will be a big push of strong shoots some two feet in length. Cleanliness is, of course,, imperative. All weeds must be kept down during that time and if top-dressing of manure is given the third season, the future of-the hedge is assured. Readers have probably noted that some holly trees bear berries more or less every year, some bear occasionally while- some arc barren. This does not depend on soil or situation, but •is simply * a matter of sex, some plants bearing male, and other female blooms only, while some bear both mate and female. These latter are the plants that chn be relied on to carry a crop with some certainty. Specimens have been known to stand for years -sterile, and then comes a year when-they are covered withnberries. This is undoubtedly . caused by pollen from a male tree being transferred by the wind. Hollies raised from seed will always have sterile plants among them. But the difficulty can ! be easily overcome by budding, taking the eyes' from prolific trees. Trade growers should make a speciality of producing guaranteed berry producing plants, as uncertainty often acts as a deterrent to extensive * planting. It is 'most disappointing to watch a tree for years, and never see it produce berries. Planting .Hairdy . Heaths or Ericas. Many gardeners find these - lovely ,winter blooming subjects unsatisfactory. Often they will grow and bloom well for a few seasons and then fade away. When planting, it should not be lost tight of that heaths are plants of the mountain and moor, where they are exposed to all the elements, especially scorching sunshine. To flow’d* as they should do, very few of them will tolerate wet places and none of them shade. To treneh beds, and add manure, combined w r ith other unsuitable conditions, is *to court disaster. They will thrive and bloom amazingly4n quite ordinary soils, sandy, hilly slopes "often growing them to advantage. One of the secrets of their successful culture is not to disturb the soil around them to any extent. The fibrous roots resent disturbance. For this reason, they are often a great success when grown as isolated specimens on tlife lawn where the grass is cut quite cldse around them. Heaths grow much too rampantly or manured soils, and in a few years seem to have spent themselves.

Members of the erica family are so lovely, that a little with them seems well worth while. On heavy soils a lack of good drainage is often the main cause of their dying oui.