GARDENING NOTES.

Shannon News, 11 September 1928, Page 4

GARDENING NOTES.

Routine Work.

Plant iceland poppies freely as these is nothing to equal themfor blooming. Plant cannas, and “divide any clumps needing attention. Top-dress permanent beds as cannas love rich soil. Those are among our most decorative plants and should be used wherovqr space is available. Assist spring growth by frequent hccings. This will help to sweeten and warm the soil.

Pill up all gaps in the perennial borders and plant out aU available hardy annuals.

Delay the sowing of asters, zinnia®, petunias and other half-hardy annuals a few weeks longer. These need warmth and will not make any headway until they get it. protect choice bulbs, which are going to be exhibited, from rain and wind or they will be spoilt. Complete the general tidying up of the borders. ■

All perennial plants such as .Michaelmas daisies, delphiniums, heleniums, which throw up shoots from the base, may be divided where an increase ip stock is desired.

Plant freely of perennial phlox in the damp borders. Slugs arc often troublesome when these 7 are starting into growth and it is therefore advisable to give them some protection. Sow carnation seed, and make further sowings of hardy annuals. A sowing of sweet peas now will provide ultra late : blooms.

Loosen the soil around anemones and ranuneulus and assist them in thehr growth with liquid manuTe. Plant out\border chrysanthemums in firm rich soil. .

Prepare the soil in a sheltered spot for dahlia planting. These love a deep, rich root run. Plant out violets, pansies, and vior las. Look over the roek garden, and fil? m any blanks where plants have been killed off by the frosts. The Vegetable Garden. Eapid growth is not as yet noticeable among the spring vegetables, and it is only in thoso favoured spots where there is shelter and good drainage that any extensive sowings of seeds should be made.

Plant out all plants available, whethf er onion, lettuce, cabbage or cauliflowr

The weather is too changeable for the planting of tomatoes, pumpkins, and there is nothing to be gained by planting them early. Prepare all soil in readiness for the rush of work which will inevitably accompany warmer days. Sow tomatoes, melons, pumpkins, CBpe gooseberries, etc., under glass or in hot-beds. '• Sow onions in the beds prepared for them last month. Look over potatoes required for the main crop, rubbing off the lengthy shoots and placing the tubers in a warm spot to make strong, fresh growths. Dig up and pit celery, parsnips, carrots, and beetroot to make room for other necessary crops, adding manure < to th'e soil as the digging progresses. Colour Schemes Tfcith Annuals. For obtaining brilliant colour effects it is doubtful if annua is, when proper; .ly arranged, can Ce surpassed. For example, a border composed entirely of eschseholtzias in all the wonderful modern shades is a revelation in colour, the brilliant satin-hued flowers being especially attractive in full while their long blooming period is a great asset. In our mild climate they are more than annuals and will last for several seasons, producing plenty of fresh young growths from the base which will bloom early each spring and summer.

pecially attractive in full while their long blooming period is a great asset. In our mild climate they are more than annuals and will last for several seasons, producing plenty of fresh young growths from the base which will bloom early each spring and summer. A border of Godetias in varying shades also produces a gorgeous effect. A long border, with the pretty variety/ Apple Blossom in the. back row or cem tre, whichever position the border is in ; Duchess of Albany (white) 'in the secpnd row, .with Dwarf Fink and Aft terglow (scarlet crimson) for the outside rows, produdes a charming effect. Even in a mixed border, with the godetias planted haphazard, regardless of colour, the effect is always good as no two colours actually dash. In the soft evening light a bed of Tosy scarlet larkspurs, surrounded with’ yellow ten week stocks is vory fine. Antirrhinums, al though not strictly annuals, are generally treated as such} and their adaptability to colour blending is well known, their wide range of tints giving the colour gardener great scope. In planting siqall beds, only one variety should be used, but in large circular, or loag shaped beds brilliant effects may be achieved by planting a crimson variety in the centre, then a belti of yellow, followed by orange shades, finally edging with a dwarf yellow variety. Pretty as these colour beds are, they are still further enhanced if there is a wall in the background. A slightly raised border backed with a wall covered with Virginian creepers and filled with pale yellow antirrhinums in the back tows, followed apricot, and then a ribbon of ; orange, finishing with coral red in the row next to a dwarf yellow edging, is a revelation of the possibilities of colour combinations. Where there is no wall, clumps, of sweet peas and rambler roses show to advantage in colours that blend with the-whole. For the -gardener who has little time to spare among the flower borders, too many annuals are not to be recommended and a study should be made of perepnial-subjects which, if hardy sorts are chosen, do not need the care and attention which must yearly be given b to annual?. Beds of antirrhinums n will last for, several years if they are r <

kept from seeding and are given a little judicious pruning. The dimorphothcca is another showy and really useful -annual. The Japanese Quince (Clydonia Japonica.) One of the prettiest sights in. the garden is the shrubby, spiky, bushes of japonica, which are at present a mass of bright bloom in various shades of crimsons, light pinks, and deep pinks, ranging to salmon shades. Then there are bushes of pure white and others with the outer side of the petals tinted piDk with pretty, pink buds. After the flowers have faded, the bushes cover themselves with glossy green leaves, the tips of each branch being tinted with warm reddish colours. The large quince-shaped fruits which adorn the bushes throughout the autumn months are most ornamental and are accompanied by a delightful spicy fragrance.. The japonica is very easy to cultivate, growing well in any ordinary soil, only needing a little pruning to keep the bushes from getting too sprawly in growth. As a wall plant, they are most successful, as they ' are attractive at all seasons of the year. But most of all are they prized for filling large vases and for indoor decoration. If the branches are cut with a few flowers out and plenty of buds, the sprays will last for weeks, fresh buds unfolding as the days go. by» These open out much lighter in colour than the full blown blooms which were first gathered. . The japonicas are very useful and pretty hedge plantß, a yearly pruning being all that is necessary to give them a trim appearance. Another. ideal setting for them is among tail growing prunus trees, where their low growing habit helps to block out any bare spaces close to the ground. Thalictrum (Meadow Rue). These are attractive foliage plants and noble-flowering subjects for the hardy herbaceous border. They are useful also for the margins of shrubberies and for the wild garden in sun or light, shade, while the variety T. ah pinum, is useful in the rock garden. The tall sorts are splendid' for the back rows of borders, and the fern-like foliage of most, of them is often used as a filling where asparagus fern is not available.

They grow best in ordinary, light, and in rich, cool, sandy, garden soil, similar to what is known as river-bed silt. Leaf mould or decayed vegetable matter is better for them than decayed animal manure. They are not hard to propagate by root division either in the autumn or spring. The varieties with yellow flowers are not so popular as the mauveflowered, although there is a very at? tractive one in cream, with flowers composed of smallspikes. This is also seen in mauve shades, the foliage being much coarser, more like the aquilegia in texture. There are some twenty varieties in cultivation. - A good place to plant them is among the azaleas and rhododendrons, for these latter sflso love leaf mould and decayed vegetable matter, and clumps of thalictrum help to fill in the blanks between" the bushes. Moreover, the pale colouring of the thalictrums does not elash with that of their brighter neighbours. Groups of liliums in white or pink shades also find a suitable home in such a border

Seed Sowing. This is a most important gardening operation, because on the proper method of sowing your seeds to a large extent depends whether you will have a good erop or a bad one. Moisture, heat, and air, are the three things ne: cessary for the germination of seedsMoisture softens the skin of the seed making it porous and some passes through and softens the hard substance in the colls of tho seed leaves and also the cells themselves. The neeessary heat ensures that the food substances within the cell are changed into the suitable form of food for the little baby plant. And all growing plants re: quire a sufficient supply of air to en-. able them to breathe while they also extract part of their food from it (carbon dioxide). It is important that seeds be sown at the. proper depth. Calceolaria seed is like dust and should only be scattered over the surface and pressed down to make it firm. Poppy seed is also small and should be just covered. Such sized seeds as carrot, onion, etc., may be covered with one inch of soil. Very hard seeds such as cannas, palms and some of the sweet peas are best with a piece of the outer skin peeled off. Holly and hawthorn seeds require two years to germinate. Hard seeds are also best steeped in water for twentyfour hours before’ sowing. Seed boxes must not be allowed to get dry on the surface. Place brown paper over the boxes until the seed shows signs of pushing through the soil. Increasing Aubrietia*. Although it is quite easy to raise numbers of this cheerful little plant; from seeds, many gardeners prefe* to strike cuttings and this work can be done at the present time. Many of the aubrietias are already blooming and nothing could be prettier and more spring-like than broad bands of this delightful edging plant. There are many different shades of mauve and purple the newer varieties showing' reddish and rosy pink tints with larger flowers. The pretty grey foliage of) these plants makes a perfect carpet and forms an ideal edging for, the rose orders. They are ideal plants ' for )ck walls and for wide drifts in the )ck garden.