GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 26 April 1929, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

Humid weather conditions have tended towards a rapid growth of weeds. An effort should be made to eradicate all such from the borders in''order to commence winter with a clean slate. These weeds ere all s'ofit and succulent and should be placed on the compost heap. The decayed refuse is invaluable for ,a great many purposes later oh.

Anemones and ranunculi, alsofreesias are rapidly pushing their, way through. Stir the soil occasionally around them and keep free from weeds. Where the beds have not been re-made a little blood and bone manure forked lightly in, ,will help them along considerably. • The early potted bulbs for indoor decoration should be brought, forward to the light, not necessarily to the window, as they will grow on nicely placed in some suitable npok out of. doors, bringing them in, when colder weather sets in. ,

-• Pot up cinerarias for future indoor decoration. Primula nialacoides also makes an ideal indoor pot or verandah piant, flowering for months. Push on with plantings of primroses and violets.

Plant all available space with hardy annuals and perennials. Sow annual pbppies broadcast for early summer blooming.

Raise" as many.plants as possible and keep a reserve supply for filling up gaps. Plant generously of orange and yellow calendulas, Iceland poppies, violas, eschscholtzias, forget-me-nots, linarias, aneii'.jnes, ranunculi, primula nialacoides, and all bulbous subjects, if you would have the garden gay during the duller months of the year. Make use of all available , manure. This is the best month also to apply lime. Keep lime away from ericas (heaths), boronias, azaleas, kalmias, and rhododendrons. Strike cuttings, and layer shrubs. Wat'Ch for caterpillars on dahlias and chrysanthemums. ,

The Vegetable G.arden. Full advantage should bo taken of the favourable weather conditions: Seeds germinate rapidly, and will get a good start before frosts appear. Make good use of all available ground, lifting all matured crops in order to make room for further sowings and plantings. 1 A vegetable plot, is much too valuable to be left idle. With our comparatively mild winters, it is possible to maintain a supply all the year round. Dig in a row of eschallots and potato onions for the early salads. Sow lettuce ,endive, radish and anything else liked for these. Humid moist conditions have had the effect of spreading blight among the tomatoes. AVherc this is present gather up the refuse and burn, also any potato haulms affected. Lift all main potato crops as soon as possible. Sow a row of silver beet and spinach. Gather pumpkins and marrows, and remove runners from the ground. In the case of late planted crops, there will still bo time for them to produce a few more specimens fit for table use. In order to keep them over a longer period suspend .from the roof of an airy shed. Apply basic slag at this season.

For early strawberries select a sunny yet'sheltered plot, well manured and well drained, planting as quickly as possible in order to give them an early start., A small plot, well manurod and cared for, will produce a larger amount oi: fruit than a large patch practically loft to find for itself. Plant an early fruiting variety. Collect all available manure, fallen leaves, etc., also a supply of sharp sand; A supply of rotted turf is always handy. The*New Shrubbery.

As soon as the ground is in' good working order for digging, ground for the new shrubbery should be put in order. All evergreens'have a much better chance if planted in the late autumn.

A well arranged and carefully tended shrubbery is one of the finest features or a well-managed garden, and no part of the garden demands more careful thought.

' In laying out a shrubbery it is essential that the habits, of the various plants be understood together with their suitableness for exposed or sheltered positions. A shrill) which demands shelter will never be anything but an eyesore when planted and exposed to every chill wind that "blows. The temptation is great to procure those shrubs which make a special appeal. 'Nevertheless,''they should be ruthlessly omitted from our list, unless we are. able t". provide them with their needs. In a few years' time, when hardier subjects have provided a little shelter, such things may bo added gradually. When first laying out a shrubbery, the. tendency is to plant much too closely together, for the sake of immediate effect .and although most of iid have this weakness, it cannot be too strongly condemned. Overcrowding spoils the natural symmetry of the shrubs, and while the trees are small, there arc so many beautiful perennial plants available for filling bare spaces, that there should be no necessity for planting shrubs close for effect only. Cannas, lupins, delphiniums, and many other tall growing things are useful for the purpose, but care should be taken not to plant them too close. Sunlight and air, as well as root room arc neo'ded for each shrub or tree's development. If planting for effect, clumps of half a dozen or so of each kind chosen will . wive better results than an indiserim- ] ante mixture of a large number of species. For instance, there are many varieties of flowering cherries, cotoncasters, etc., and to have a mass of one kind does not necessarily mean that one species only should be planted, but

merely a collection of one particular kind which will-add more variety.

In the case of azaleas, ericas, kalmias, rhododendrons, and other peat- j loving subjects, a special corner should be selected for them, thus making it easy to exclude bine from their eulti- v vation. Shelter is at all times necessary for them and on heavy soil it is advisable to dig in plenty of leaf soil and any peaty, fibrous material, as well as providiag good drainage. In piepanng the ground for shrubs of all kinds, it is advisable first to trench or double-dig it, working in some rough manure or decayed vegetable matter if the soil is at all poor. After a period of years, it not infrequently hardens'that shrubs of various kinds begin to show signs of exhaustion. These can be brought back to health and vigour by- a generous application of wel-rottod farmyard manure. Signs of exhaustion will be noticed at a shorter period where the habit of all fade:i leaves is practised. Prevention is, however, better than cure, and shrubs should be given a top dressing of manure, lightly dug in at intervals.

Where it is desired to plant shrubs in shade, care must be taken in the selection, as only a few kinds can be got to thrive under trees. Pruning. The question of pruning is one of the great stumbling blocks in connection with the culture of shrubs to many amateurs, and not infrequently all are allowed to grow as they choose, and so very often get o'ut of shape. AH the commons: kinds that are grown for t/ieir foliage alone may generally speaking be' pruned during the winter montiis, but flowering kinds are best treated just after the flowers fade. In the case of most of them, pruning merely consists in the shortening biick of a straggly growth here and there. In the case of deutzias, lilacs, syringas and others of this nature, some of the old wood should be cut clean out, to encourage the growth of strong young shoots for future blooming. Remove annually all dead branches and all suckers from grafted bushes. Value of Garden Refuse.

It is not often that the amateur realises the value of the garden rubbish heap, and so much valuable plant food is lost to him. If a little care be exercised in the way of collecting such refuse, much trouble will be saved later.. All rubbish should not be flung together. • Two separate heaps should be made, one for hard, woodea refuse, together with noxious things such as dock or dandelion roots, to be eventually burnt, and one for soft matter that will rot quickly. Decay sets in quicker -if lime is sprinkled among the weeds, or the ashes from the other heap may be mixed in. This will provide a valuable substitute for manure that will greatly improve all garden soils. Mignonette. Always popular, the mignonette is in some cases also capricious, refusing to grow on certain soils. It is also a difficult plant to transplant successfully. The autumn sowings are usually the most successful, making .the sowing where the plants are to remain. Sometimes the plants disappear as soon as they appear above ground. Sparrows and other seed-eating birds have sharp eyes and often these are the cause of the disappearance. The only remedy for these is to cover the seed bed with a fine mesh or to red lead the seed before sowing. In other eases, slugs are responsible, and the seed bed must be dusted with fresh soot occasionally until the plants are able to fend for themselves. A third cause of failure, when neither birds nor slubs can be blamed, is sometimes traced to the fact that the seeds have been sown in loose, or newly dug ground.

Mignonette ' delights in a firm run for its roots, and those who have soil of a light description, or who must sow seeds in a freshly dug soil, ought to beat it with the back of -the spade, or tread it firmly, before sowing. Such treatment will very often turn failure to success. Plants for a Town Garden. Too often, the town gardener, exasperated, disappointed, and almost despairingly exclaims: "What is the use of growing things? They only die!" But there are some things sufficiently stput-hearted to live and flourish, even when covered with smuts, deprived of their proper food by greedy tree roots, harassed and damaged by- marauding dogs and cats, and cut "off from the sun for at least part of each day by house, wall, or foliage. The following arc a few whieh will put up a good fight in such spots. The common dark blue Monkshood will survive where delphinium, lupin, and larkspur would die. Doronicums, primroses, snowdrops, ferns, grape hyacinths, woodruff, lilies of the valley, German and Spanish irises also do well, so do many of the campanula family. ' •

The willow-leaved gentian is good, and various kinds of fuschia, together with a few veronicas.

The true St. John's wort grows rapidly and is covered with golden blossoms in late summer.

Montbretias, everlasting pea, catmint, antirrhinums, and the old-fasUilon-ed pink valerian grow well, the lastnamed bringing the added pleasure of crowds of butterflies and moths.

The hop makes a very satisfactory climber for such* places. The foliage' is beautiful, and the clusters of hops most ornamental.