GARDENING NOTES.

Shannon News, 21 August 1928, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

Colour in the Garden,

■ tiful acacia trees are showing warm, s - sunshiny tints. J’aponipa' trees, heaths, and camellias are’ adding brilliant ' touches of pink, red and rose, with groups of early flowering narcissi softer* tones into the pic- '*■ ture. ° Over the pergola ' that r,; -'-most beautiful of all spring creep-

r. ers hardenbergia is commencing * to blossom freely. Its. dainty Y'* sprays of a deep purplish-blue are always admired, though the pretty pink »-■ and white variety also claims attention. ' Something to love in the winter gardr t en is the perpetual flowering, mauve (" jV ' wallflower, which, although lacking the « . true wallflowef scent, is. a great, acquisition on account of its lovely parma violet colouring and its "wonderful tv' - .blooming qualities. Bows and clumps * of violets, with masses of winter flowering llnarias and irises give more ’ touches of violet to the borders. The ; - much loved anemones are holding up a bright flower head here and there, , and touches of orange arrest the eye ’ among the calendulas and iceland poppies. The bright, early flowering, spring barberry is another pleasing picture in orange tints. > ' Seasonable Routine Work. Push forward all work without delay if rose beds and perennial borders have ’ not yet been lightly turned over and manure worked in. Do this work with great care so as not to injure the loots. Complete garden alterations without delay; delays are dangerous. ' r Complete the planting of most hardy i - perennial plants this month, or late flowers of poor quality will result. .' Sow sweet peas thinly in prepared trenches. Sow seeds of all hardy annuals. ~ Finish the winter pruning of hardv r ' shrubs and climbers, including roses. . +. , Prepare sites for chrysanthemums and dahlias. '' Plant liliums and a few gladioli bulbs. Protect budding hyacinths, delphiniurns and pyrethrums from slugs -y rings of soot or lime. Some gardeners advocate the use of pine needles strewn ■' around’ the plants. Ashes and fine coke Continue planting trees and shrubs. »j a The Vegetable Garden. • - 1 Remove all weeds from asparagus ‘ beds and give a light dressing of salt. Sow the main ferop of spring onions as early in this month as the state of the soil will allow. Make small sowings of all early -spring vegetables, and place out all available plants. In the fruit garden-complete all arrears in pruning' immediately as the ' sap will now be on the move. Plant further supplies of early , po- : tatocs and artichokes. : , . A Useful Soil Fumigant. Vw- Now that digging Snu trenching is ' being done, a large number of insect ;’y . pests can be disposed of if a soil fiimiVi gunt is used at the time of digging. Where fresh soot is available a cheap ' and handy one can be quickly prepared . by using three parts of soot to two of lime. Scatter this in the trench as the work proceeds and it will be -found useful both as a.fumigant and ■ as a manure. The best way is to f. keep the lime and soot separate, first scattering three handfuls of soot and then two of lime. The effeqt of the ,r. 1 . lime is to liberate a large quantity of t ammonia gas, which, if the mixture is • quickly covered in, makes matters very ; i uncomfortable for any soil pests. V.-, ’ ■' Spinach Beet. j • Spinach beet has rightly earned the name of perpetual Spinach, for it is a valuable vegetable which can be made ~- . available at almost any season, of the year. Its large tap root enables it to withstand the rigours of winter better than ordinary spinach, and its delicate grass-green leaves are ready long before - ordinary spinach starts into growth. : Even during the coldest months of win-

ter occasional dishes of succulent - - leaves may be gathered without fear of injury to the plant, and in the burning heat of summer, when round spin- . '• ach rushes to seed and becomes worth- • loss, it yields abundance of serviceable ' leaves: As the object of its cultivation is i to obtain the largest supply possible of V, 1 ■ tender leaves, the seed should be sown in deeply dug and fairly rich soil. Ample space should also be given each plant. Make drills eighteen inches apart and finally thin the plants to one Jv foot apart in the rows. It is not in- *, frequently assumed that the leaves of this plant are inferior as a vegetable to those of the true spinach, but this , impression arises from the use of the older and harder leaves. Only the young and tender should be gathered for cooking, and if supplies are in excess of demand the outer leaves should be removed to promote • - . continuous growth. Where poultry is kept these outer leaves are a great help in providing the necessary daily ration of green food. : Cultivation of Helleborus. - These lovely perennial plants arc now ,• daily opening more of their pretty jjy pendulous blooms. One of their chief charms is their ability to bloojn during -I. the coldest months of the year. The f' h ' helleborus, often called the Christmas jjj' rose on account of being in full bloom £'■ at Home during the festive season, delights in being planted under i shady trees, or, if planted in a bolder, surrounded by shady plants or ferns. Among ferns the plants look particularly well, and although they will grow in any good garden soil, they prefer A'stiff 'clay loam. The ground should also be well drained mnd manured, and Q in cases whore the plants have been grown for years in succession, a mulch-

ing of manure applied during.the flowering season is of great benefit. In the summer the plants remain practically at a standstill and division of the roots is best made after the flowering season or during early autumn. Hybridists are working in the direction of providing more colours in these winter favourites. Originally, only the white variety with'its touches of palest green was available. .Now, there are various shades of pink and vieux rose, while the latest in colouring is helleborus nigeiy a colour approaching black. As a cut flower, members of this family are valued highly on account of the lasting qualities and their effectiveness for uSe in bouquets, wreaths, etc.* The ends of the flower stalks should be bruised and then placed for a few minutes in boiling water, otherwise they will present a drooped appearance.' ■ The helleborus is easily raised from seed, which should first be soaked in water. Many slight variations in colour are obtained in this way. Pictures One Can Live With. ’ How difficult it sometimes is to choose a picture, and how often one is carried away by. a first impression and buys a picture to-day which does not satisfy to-morrow. “I dont quite like that corner of it.” ‘I wish the colour was a-little less vivid, or the distance a little more vague. ’ ’ And so i* a week or two the new picture is banished from its place of honour and perhaps finds its way up to the spare bedroom. Gardens can influence one in the same way, more especially rock gardens These should not be confused with rockeries, which are merely mounds of locks with spaces, left for soil and plants. They certainly provide suitable homes for many enoico alpine plants, but the rock garden is something greater than just a mass of pieees of rock and stone. Rock gardens cannot be banished like pictures. They can only be pulled to pieces and reconstructed at much ex--1 pense of time and labour. Anyone who loves flowers and studies their requirements can build a rockery, but the roek garden, to satisfy, must be like a good picture, with everything in exquisite proportion and a restrained atmosphere of dignity. A rock garden which is not natural looking will irritate and make the owner long to see the stone overgrown with plants. The test of perfeet handling of rock is to produce a picture to satisfy before ever a plant is placed. Proportion is as important in a rock garden as in a picture, and lack'of success is often due to lack of restraint. An- , other rock is added, and yet another, and on each new group more plants arc crowded, until dignity and restfulness vanish and the result is just a mass of stone, v

It is only just recently that the gardening world has learned what to look for in a well constructed roek garden, A home for alpine plants was once' considered to be 'enough. This object, though of utmost importance, is but the canvas of the picture. Colour must be studied, and a knowledge of rock formation is essential, or false features will creep in which will fidget the owner, athough it may need an expert to tell where the’ fault lies. If, in the end, you can achieve something you can live with and love, that particular paVt of the garden will possess a lure and a charm which will never fail to please. .Nature is our master of masters, and a rock which lies flat in nature should not be placed on edge in order to give the appearance of a cliff. This is a trap which many fall, into and the result is like an inferior copy of an old master. The Blue Flax. If there is a border sheltered from cold winds where the soil is inclined to be light and well drained, and a perennial which produces pretty, slcgblue flowers is wanted, try liuum narbonense. It will give much pleasure when once it becomes established in a position where it can-get the maximum amount of sun. The plant is one of the daintiest of blue perennials, and is worthy of a place in every garden where it can be given the conditions described. The colour of the blossom reminds one of plumbago capensis, and is a great favourite wherever it is grown. • A long period of blooming is another feature in its favour, as it flowers most of the summer. Carnations. Recently planted carnations and pinks are very liable to be partly raised out of the ground and loosened. This is owing to heavy frosts with their subsequent thawing. Look over the beds and if the plants "show any surface looseness press the soil firmly around them again with the fingers. Carnations dislike any looseness at the base.