GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 14 May 1929, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

The Glories of Autumn. With dahlias on the wane, the glory of the chrysanthemums is more keenly appreciated' by flower lovers, whose blooms will be with us for some weeks to come. Salvias too, give of their best well into the winter months, if growing where frosts do not penetrate. The inild days have induced antirrhinums once again to blossom freely, while the shrubbery shows glorious colour effects. Spindle trees are laden with their lovely coral pink berries, with nearby bushes of vibrunum Seiboldii. covered > with rings of tiny red berries. Many of the'barberries and eotoneaster berries are just commencing to colour, and crowning all, are handsome holly trees laden with* their beautiful and attractive berries. A bright splash of colour is to be seen where the snowball tree is growing. Gay too, are the acors (maples), the smoke bushes, the leaves of the dogwood, and many other favourites, including the bright glow of the crimson and red oaks, noted for their rich autumn tints. Among the creepers, the various species of the Virginian creeper, are the brightest of all, and we are loth to part with their lovely autumn leaves. Routine Work. Clear away all hardy annuals planted during spring and summer. Dig and manure the plots, replanting with such things as Iceland poppies, linarias, calendulas, wallflowers, forget-me-nots, anything, in fact that will brighten the garden iff early spring. There are many available spaces where a clump of freesia bulbs may be tucked away, also crocuses, scillas, grape hyacinths, and lachenalias, all of which take up little space, but yet help to keep the garden gay. Insert further cuttings of viola, pentsteinon, etc., if those of last month fallen.

Deeply dig and manure plots intended for lupins, delphiniums, ( and Oriental poppies, plahting as soon as the soil settles.

'Top-dress pockets in the rock garden with fine, rich soil, removing all dead flowers and rubbish at the same time.

Complete all. work, as early as possible. Delays are dangerous, for the weather may break at any time.

The Vegetable Garden.

Gather all well developed fruits on outdoor tomatoes, placing in a warm place to ripen. Hoe, and slightly mould the savoy cabbage, and winter cauliflowers. Give brusscl sprouts plenty of liquid manure. Harvest and store all garden roots. Plant strawberries and raspberry canes.

Tidy up the asparagus bed. * Complete the lifting of the main crop of potatoes. Sow seeds of lettuce, radish, spring cabbage and early cauliflowers. Sow large growing varieties of onions, Ailsa Craig, white Tripoli, giant rocca, etc. Mild weather has encouraged a rampant growth among weeds.

The thistles, ti*uly awful weeds, Don't speak to me of thistle seeds — Need scything down before they bloom, ' , And burning is, of course/their doom.

And there are many other weeds, Too many for the gardner’s needs. Some weeds are terrors, some are not But. all' on neatness form a blot. And evory weed, where'er it lie A robber is of blackest dye; A fact, but seldom recognised Which often makes me quite surprised The weeds with long tap roots or seed Should burn to ash, our plants to feed. All others in a hole may rot To give us humus pure and hot.

A Blue Garden. Who is there that does not love a biue garden?; and now is a good time to arrange for one. A large border will often admit a few blue flowering sLrubs to form the background. Blue varieties of ceanothus are good, plumbago, if a little shelter from heavy frost is furnished, and the old-fashion-eu rosemary is not to be desised. For spring blooming the lovely spikes of blue lupins and delphiniums should not be left out. Then think of the multitude of irises there are, from the early flowering iris stylosa to the bearded type, followed by taller growing sibirica species. Scabiosa caucasiea, planted well to the foreground, will provide a host of lovely blue, long-stemmed, blooms/while equally useful are the several blue statices, especially the variety Blue Cloud, which is as dainty in its way as the gypsophila. Blue campanulas are useful, and so, too, are the newest of the perennial asters, the well-known Michaelmas •daisies, the flowers are large, with usually c-nc bloom terminating each stem or side growth, the blues ranging from the palest dresden to the deepest indigo. Types of perennial forget-me-nots must not be- omitted. Where a climber or two dan be introduced, violet and purple shades of clematis tone in, or annual sweet peas in the colouring found in the variety Blue Boy, tone in well. Masses of.catmint (nepata) are permissable in the foreground, its soft colour effect throws other flowers in relief. There are many varieties of blue salvias. These all bloom profusely, over a long period. All the charming'blue spring bulbs should be planted. Groups of scillas are lovely, and so too are the grape and small wood hyacinths. Such a border, well dug and manured before planting, will give very little trouble for years, beyond the keeping down of woods.

Water slants. Water, or aquatic plants are among the most interesting. The numerous types and species of water lilies are

always admired and as floating s jeets are first favourites. • There , parts of a pond, however, which st to demand something of a taller-gr mg nature, and perhaps the most be tilul to be obtained is butomus uml iatus, with rush-like foliage and buj heads of pink flowers borne on st stems. Pontederia cordata, too, wonderfully attractive with blue h cinth-like flowers. Most, interest is what is known as the Arrow He so named on account of its arrow-sh ect leaves, with single white flow borne on stems two feet high.' r . above three will thrive if the crov are planted at least six inches bel the water line. The yellow wa iris is also attractive, and the Japan species will grow in up to nine t* ■of water .

Cydonia Japonica. The shrub that never fails to sb its cheery handsome ’'flowers is Japanese quince, (cydonia Japonii which is perhaps best known in scarlet form. But. there are nun; cus other shades from white to pal pink and to deep salmon and cei shades. |

One and all are lovely for cutti as each bud gradually unfolds in wa They are a pretty sight when trail on walls, or massed in the shrubbJ where their glowing colours are. s to advantage. The foliage, which pears after the plants have blosson is always attractive, and its handsJ autumn fruits are often made intJ p.quant flavoured jelly. The sd should alway bo removed beforehand

The japonicas are very suitable planting closely, to form a divid hedge in any part of the garden. Plants for Heavy Soils.

The disadvantages of a heavy < soil are so well known that it is q; unnecessary to describe them..

a heavy soil has some, even many, vantages, among thefli that of respi mg more generously to lime and hour, and leaf-mould. Many 1 soils swallow up whole cartloads of nurc and still remain poor.

When we have reduced the stiff, c ey soil to something that does not water-logged in winter, nor yet b baked in summer, we are liable to discouraged when we find how many sirablo plants seem to require that 1: and friable soil- which is beyond provision. Yet there are many g plants which actually prefer a he soil.

The English iris' enjoys a damp, he soil, as, much as the Spanish iris likes it. The flag or bearded in almost certaiffly adapted naturally heavy soil, even .where it is 5 a little; If the bed are raised and well lii it will flower freely. , More definitely at home with us heavy soil are the hellebores (or Ch mas, roses). It is strange that t; are not grown more freely, as they winter bloomers and last well as flow r ers.

The handsome paoonies are susc ible to a heavy soil, both the hellcb and the paeonies being slow to bee established and seem to resent divi or* the roots.

All the varieties of primrose, pol thus, and cowslip like a heavy soil, give us nowadays, an immense vai of form and colour. -Last, but not 1< are roses and narcissi, both of w produce blooms of a better tex when grown on heavy soil. Tu too, are among the gems for those ’ heavy soil. These merely requi: little sand and stable manure, ] worked in before planting. The al ai e just a few, but there: are nume others whiclf will thrive well.

Cyclamens,

If there he one plant more than other which succeeds under perfc cool treatment, it is cyclamen, does not imply that it ought to be posed to frost, but if it be grown q absolutely cool conditions, the fol is a revelation, while the flowers full of substance. Seedlings ■ boxes may now be potted off six and old conns repotted and brought to the light. Those who already 1 a good strain should save their seed. This is easily done, as s ripen without any trouble, and t ought to be sown as soon as they ripe. Although looked upon as plants they are yet very suitable cool nooks in the rock garden, w they bloom with little trouble, mixture of loam, peaty soil, leaf m and a little sharp sand seems to them well.

There are also what are knowi rock garden species, which have i smaller flowers and leaves, the h marbled with silver. They are an the., most useful of winter blooi subjects and the number of bloonu tained from a single conn is ama,