GARDENING NOTES.

Shannon News, 7 August 1928, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

Tree and shrub planting is now in full avfinlg, and Vhave. wreathe* conditions been so favourable for_ th}s. operation. Tree pianiiilgr ia of national importance, and "if ' behoves all "those who have, space for a few trees to plant them. On farms, animals love the shelter afforded by plantations of trees, and whatever else, goes, an effort should bo. made to plant * some each, season until,the paddocks are all well protected against bleak, cold winds. Seasonable Routine Work.

This includes the pruning of roses, striking of • rose cuttings, and planting of rose trees. Plant deciduous and evergreen shrubs and hedge plants. „Plant out hardy" annuals, and loosen the soil around all growing thing*. Get all borders' in ' readiness for the spring plants. Sow seeds if shelter from frost and bleak winds is available! All varieties may be sown if glass is, available. Where tulips, anemones, and ranunculus have not been lifted, work iu a little topdresaing. Plant Japanese- Sibirica irises. Fill up the gaps in the rock garden and order water lilies for ponds. Augustus the best month to plant these. Vegetable Garden.

Pay. particular attention to anything in.the salad line. Old boxes,*tubs, etc., may be filled with.a nice loam, and sown with mustard and cress. These -,will grow quickly if the- boxes a are placed in a sunny nook.' '■ Pjanl potatoes, eschallots, artichokes and. potato onions, - Sow peas-, broadbcans, lettuce and' any of the cabbage family. Plant out lettuce,' cabbage, cauliflower, . etc. Sow tomato seed in warmth.' Sow Carrot, turnip, onion, spinach," "'red-beet, etc.

In the orchard, spray fruit trees. Those orchards troubled "with black spot sh6ttld.be sprayed now with Bordeaux mixture to the strength of one pound to eight gallons' of water, repeating the dose when the first leaves are out on the ends of the branches and are. about the size..of a shilling. At this stage use the mixture weaker, one pound in sixteen gallons of water. Later use the spray again, if any spots Are seen forming 09 the fruit. Black spot is very prevalent among, neglected orchards, and as- soon as the fruit acquires the size' .of a marble the effects of the disease aro often seen. Black spots appear and gradually grow larger, with the result thai most of the fruit drops, wh\le that which remains on the trees cracks badly or grows unshapely. The disease is easily controlled by spraying. Take the precaution of painting! the inside of benzine tins used for spraying mixtures or a quantity of the most bencfieial part cl the solution is absorbed by the tin.

Children and Gardens.

"Let's go and play in the garden." Happy are the children who can do this, and their elders, too, who are thus relieved for awhile of the business of providing them with indoor occupations. There is abundant entertainment for children * in even the smallest of gardens, while" in a largo one joys -aro endless. Children are first attracted to a . garden by its flowers, the bright colours and - sweet smells, and the soft' green "grass so lovely to run over and , , roll over, proving irresistible to them. Instinctively their desire is to pick the pretty flowers, not for any purpose, but just for: the sake of .gathering.them, easting .them carelessly aside when other interests appear. Children must, and can, b&- taught tbat some flowers may bj picked and others not,

and that no; one yshoulxi: pick flowers ' unless with the object of putting teem itt water and keeping them, alive and fresh. Children «re easily taughi the names of flowers,* and this Knowledge deepens their intfresi in the beauties of the garden. | The essential |quality 'of a well thought out garden is to arouse a ./'■■ sense of surprise '£wd mystery, and 1 * the gardener who flails a-garden without considering thist duality has failed to understand true art. It is this, senso which compels a to explore—perhaps in the evening,* fairies may be about, or pixies ih the shrubbery. be it a',, pond, a stream, especially if there |re fish in it, or even - a water top, is Always irresistible to chifdren. This been a cause for anxiety ' amo&g the grown ups, though promising", infinite adventures to the young. ' Out in the garden aie trees to cJimb and mao>' kinds &t games to play, including that old favourite, hide andseek. There are gay 1 butterflies to chase: and ..birds nests tcL-flnd. Think, too, of cycling along paths, where a mistake . might', involvo the possible destruction of flower beds or'ahrubs, and the con-, sequent wrath of the gardener. Yet, the child who learns to- lovo flowers will not wantonly, destroy them. Perfection, from a ebild's point of view, includes a very liberal access to the fruit-garden,,where .summer months are enhanced by the ' joys •of eating ■ one's fill of all the fruits available.

To the grown ups responsible for its care children in a garden are both .-. a 3°y &B & a despair. Their' moving forms contribute jbright patches of colour to its 'brillianee, and their gay voices and bubbling laughter bring a gladness, akin to the thrilling oxotes of the birds. But it is-sot to be denied , that children add to the anxieties of the gardener, "for they aie naturally though not "purposely destructive and thoughtless. They cannot resist jumping over flower-beds, and simply >revel in making messes with'water whenever an opportunity occurs. They worry , over those plots which are* - consecrated to- their, use- and designated "the children's gardens." Over these they ery continually for< advice,; ate' toe lmpftfcl«at to earyy aitd then

lament loudly and bitterly at their ill success*

c Truly, even to the most child loving I gardener children- are. a mixed bless- ! lag. Yet when one remembers that the beautiful..' peacocks; stately turkeys, and serene,geese, are all enemies to the garden,' and cannot be taught otherwise, children, who give animation and vitality to their surroundings of beauty and colour, can be taught to love and appreciate these, so that the gardener can,'after all, find it in his heart to forgive their carefree carelessness.- After all there is nothing so ; refining to human nature as the ability ;to love and appreciate all things I beautiful. The Nemesia. ! This lovely hardy annual ranks 4 among the finest of dwarf varieties, ,and although the newer, large-flowered >types may be w more brilliantly hu'ed, "ijeij they are somewhat straggly in igrowtb, and to the writer's mind, lose .much of their value on that account. lAs a filling for small beds, or bordering large ones, the old bushy type lias imuch to recommend it.

| Xemesias bloom oyer such a. lengthy period, a fact which so enhances their {value, that they should be included in all gardens. This plant, to; be most successful, must have a fresh site each season, in a sunny position and given ifairly rich soil. ; . ■"""* 1 HardyHerbaceous*. Paeonies. ', Those •cfihtenrplating planting these gorgeous flowers should not delay any !|onger> for'they are already throwing out strong'underground.'shoots. These jiandsome : flowers "unay now be had in a much greater, variety of colouring, and both the double and single forms sre worthy of extensive cultivation j'hey possess'an; exquisite perfume similar tothat of tea roses, and the single tjypes wonderful centres which ire a mass.of decorative stamtns. : The first point in favour of paeonies lis their perfect hardiness.-. They are 'free from all insect posts and are of Rigorous habit and healthy growth paeonies need-never be shifted; they dislike any' disturbance, and each sue- | seeding year adds to their size and Beauty. The foliage is such a beautieul deep green with its glbsa of perfect health that the plants are ■'eraarfioutal even when out of flower, and during early spring the reddish hues on #ic young leaves are'most effective.

1 Their Position. ; The herbaceous paeony ranks among tjie best of-hardy border and shrubbery .giants. There are generally to be fpund, even in-gardens of limited size, spots so mush .shaded that scarcely, any flower will thrive in them. In such places. paeonies grow luxuriantly, the colour of their blossoms, in many easos bjeing even more intense, and they last niuch longer than flowers fully exposed to the sun. A good place for them is i$ the inside portion of a rose pergola. When this is made sufficiently roomy, & strip some two feet wide may be dug, wjell manured, and planted with paeonies. Here they get a little shade, and f both roses and paeonies are given an annual top-dressing of manure their success, is assured. Paeonies thrive on cow manure, and they must not bo planted closer than • four feet apart. Don't bes disappointed if thoy do not flower well during the'first two years. They are capital subjects for fronting the fthrnbbeiy and similfr positions. Tf placed inside a lengthy pergola, the edge of the, border may, be planted with early flowering, daffodils, as these bloom before the paeonies are leafy enough to smother them, and the roses having lost their leaves, the pergola is not too. shaded for the successful blooming, of the bulbs. Evolution ©f the Snapdragon.

'Less than a eentury ago the suapwas an obscure, hai-dy porennihl> limited in variety and colour, and griwh by comparatively few. Its most enthusiastic admirers could scarcely h'ajyo conceived that a time would come wnen, known as the antinihinum, and grjpwn by countless thousands it would bet raised as an annual from seed and broom a few months afterwards, rewarding the cultivator with a range ofji plants of varying heights and delightful colours. This is all due to the unjtiring and painstaking work of the hyjbridiscr along the years. To-day it w<|uld not be an easy matter to point to| a subject more popular in the gardeb for general bedding purposes, or to i one which has made such rapid strides in public favour thnn that now generally known as the antirrihiuum Whether it be a poor soil or a rich one, dry or moist, in rock walls, dry banks, or beneath the £ caves of modern dwellings, the antirri binum never:fails, and if kept from seeding will'bloom the greater part of the year. ""■