GARDEN NOTES.
.> #»., ~ L-. ’ • Seasonable Routine Work. ’ ' • Complete • the planting of ' hardy ;. .shrubs and roses if the weather last )•' month clid not admit of this being done, t. Push forward the work without cle- *’ ' lay, if rose lbeitis> and, perennial bord- ’ ors have not yet been lightly turned over and manure worked in. Do the •' work with great care so as not to in- . jure the roots. ' Thin out autumn sown annuals and hoe the ground between them. Weed them thoroughly.
Recent heavy rains have tended to , cake the surface soil; loosen the soil as quickly as possible if quick growth is ‘ desired. Sow sweet peas in prepared trenches. Autumn sown ones require training; those will also benefit from a top dressing of manure lightly forked in around the roots.
Sow seeds of ali hardy annuals out of doors. Sow half-hardy annuals in boxes, sheltered from possible frost.. * Prepare sites for chrysanthemums . - and dahlias. Top dress azalias and rhododendrons \ , with a mixture of equal parts of old ■ decayed manure, leaf mould, and turfy , loam, to encourage them to do their best in flowering. pftmt gladi- ,! t: ;\ and ’• iums. Top dress the rock garden with a mixture of light, sandy loam, leaf mouldand old manure, making,the new soil very firm. 'J* Finn'all recently'planted shrubs and ‘plants which .have become . loosened from wind and frosts. Newly planted trees will benefit from being staked,, as spring winds tend to loosen them, and prevent them getting ■a .firm root-hold. The Vegetable Garden.,
Remove all weed 3 from asparagus beds-and give a light dressing of salt. Birds are exceedingly troublesome
- during this month and all those things which they love, will need protection, saich as turnips, radishes,, peas, etc. A . little poisoned wheats mixed with chaff . will often keep them, at bay, provided there is no poultry wandering around. Another good plan is to provide a dish of scraps where they are wont to fly down. '
' Hoe the surface soil to encourage growth among .ali i aut.u-mn, sown vegatables. " . Plant out cabbage, onion and lettuce plants.
Sow onion seed, for main 'crop. Sow spinach beet, beetroot arid plant ' cscliallots and'potato onions as’quickly as possible. Prepare ground\for main crop potatoes. . The Fruit'. Garden. Complete all arrears of pruning immediately as the sap will now be on ' the move. ■Prune gooseberries severely if large fruits-are desired. Cut down to ground level newly ' planted raspberries and loganberries. Spray nectarine and., peach trees before growth commences, to prevent leaf curl. Fork the soil up lightly under fruit bushes, following this up with a mulching of half-decayed manure. Shorten the growths of maiden apri- . cot, peach or nectarine back to- four buds, i Tcp dress any trce-M which appear to be in an exhausted state. Tho Garden Beautiful.
. A walk around the -garden will reveal. many spots which with a little forethought in-planting and. a little labour expended, may he'made beautiful
throughout the summer months. With planting time at hand, there should beno idle moments, if our gardens are-to. satisfy our dream pictures. If opportunities are neglected there always comes a day of regretting when we sigh over the absence of the plants we neglected, or forgot to provide. It will be so hard to miss the roses we should have set out, the lovely annuals and handsome perennial plants. Or to miss the paeonies, and the irises, which we allowed to become choked with weeds last autumn. Tho enthusi-
asm of gardening is like the brook—it goea on for ever. Gardens come, and go in one sense, but in another arid a truer sense, they are ours for ever. Our gardens are what we make them, and are the realisation of our joys, our hopes, and very often they are the greatest recuperators for the tired and weary. *■ The joy of a walk through the .garden on a still, evening, breathing the fresh, odours, and enjoying to the full the beautiful colourings viewed in the light of a declining day, is full of rest and charm to those who appreciate and love nature in her best mood 3. •r: • Planting tam-e, with all its labours, rewards with a wonderful harvest of beatiity.
Packing Flowers.
At this, time of the year there are many people,, who wish to send their friends a box of flowers either by post or other means of transport. The packing is a simple matter if a few* small details are observed. One of the chief pleasures of having a garden is that we can send away at least some of its bloom and fragrance to others less happily situated. A box of cut flowers is certain to delight our city friends, and it is worth while to know how to pack them in .order that they may last as long as possible after being received. -“Aid, flowers should be cut in early ,9r „evening if they..are to be asns at an early, morning hour, in order to give them time-to be placed in
wa<ter in a cool place for several hours before packing, to enable them to get their stems full of moisture. The length of the box will, of course, depend on tho length of the stems. Lino with newspaper, next cover with a sheet of oiled paper. If newspapers are placed in contact with the blooms or stems, they will quickly absorb all the moisture, which must, of course, be avoided. Lightly sprinkle with water before putting the lid on, and pack the box fairly tight, not so much as to crush them, blit just tight enough to keep them from moving about. There are one or two flowers which are bes-t left unsprinkled, among these are sweet peas and sweet sultans. Roses should always be cut in the bud stage, and poppies last a considerable time if they are cut in the bud stage, but freasias, when the first bloom has opened. The balance will readily blossom out in water, and give joy for many days. Gladiolus too, if cut when the first bloom has unfolded, will gradually gain in beauty as the days go by.
Gladiolus. , Although amateur gardeners have rather neglected the culture of "glads" , for some years, there are signs that it is beginning to take its rightful place in our gardens. Many flowers drop into oblivion for a spell, and then suddenly, quite suddenly, we find them more popular than ever again. The gladioli is certainly a great asset in giving colour and brightness to tho borders in autumn, where a few conns can be placed among such things as lupins, Oriental poppies, paeonies, etc., whose beauty has faded. In these places, if the ground is manured before planting the conns, quite a brilliant display will be the result. In these places the planting of conns should be delayed until the month of December. One very useful point about the "glads" is that they may be planted at intervals from now onwards, thus ensuring a very prolonged blooming.
The greater use of these flowers for filling large vases and for grouping in the borders has given hybridists an incentive to create new forms'and colours, and certainly the'gain in size and colour has been remarkable, and larger trusses of flowers have been secured. It was generally thought that the gladioli required a light soil well enriched with manure; but there arc many who grow good flowers on heavy soil with a clayey foundation. What is wanted is any good soil cultivated to a depth of at least two feet, with plenty of manure -below. Where exhibition blooms.are wanted tho gladiolus •should be planted in a bed by. themselves and be given more room, with each plant supplied with a stake. When the plants are beginning to flower they can bo given liquid manure in almost any quantity as long as it is made fairly weak and the surface soil kept well cultivated. "Glads.” ar;;
easily raised from seed, giving good sized conns the first year, arid good results may. be looked for during the following two years. It is essential when growing from seed that, only the best types of - flowers are used as seed
parents. Kalmia Latifolia. One of the most charming shrubs grown is kalmia latifolia. -Closely allied to the rhododendron family, its glossy evergreen leaves are at all times attractive. A well, grown bush of k.olmia is a thing of singularly well-dressed appearance, with its neat, but stronglooking foliage, and lovely blooms of an entrancing shell pink shade. Not only is it a thing of fine effect in the garden, but the individual flower is one of the most interesting to closely examine. The whole cluster of bloom and bud, is perfect, the buds showing a slightly deeper shade of pink. A single flower is a little upstanding five pointed cup with a slender white central pistil. Ten stamens rise from around its base and arch over, their anthers fitting into little hollows coloured a deep rose. These stamens are sensitive. and, if touched, oven with the finest noodle, they fly back to the middle, shooting off their pollen as they g> Looking at the underside of their bloom, the hollow's where the anther- res'ou :how as p - o,c<rbig knobs. In .-be centre of the flower, where the stamens rise, is a little rirg of ziz-zag pointof rosy red, each point directed to where the stamens rested. The kab m;ia never fails to in.:crest Inters of Shrub-,, and rcquwo- much the same
treatment as..the rhm! i lendon,- icquirhig w el] -drained., p -nt.y soil, a shelter''! spot, with lime and artificial manures conspicious bv their absence. Garden Form. Gardening is an art that has developed,with the slow dignity of centuries, its beginning being almost as old a& our constitution. Each generation adds to
it it’s quotat of thought, which is perhaps severely criticised by the next. We, to : day, are almost patronising in our disapproval of the cncomfortable curves and stiff carpet bedding of the Victorians and it is difficult to believe that any coming generation will ever go back to t. But, having decided we are very superior, it would be wise to indulge in some introspection and ask ourselves what is our own contribution to this ancient art. Probably our children will answer “collections. ” In many eases to-day, we find the gardens of the well-to-do beings turned into museums of . rare plants, and if this craze were to become universal, the outlook would be somewhat depressing.
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Shannon News, 11 October 1929, Page 4
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1,741GARDEN NOTES. Shannon News, 11 October 1929, Page 4
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