GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 1 November 1929, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

Routine Work in the Flower Garden.

The unusually long spell of dry wcather has i ncreased the labour of the planting season, a great deal of watering being necessary in order to get the plants going, and after they have become established, hoeing, and the keeping down, of weeds is doubly important.- Weeds especially, should be got under early, with no chance of seeding. • Plant more gladiolus; (use a table'in full sun. Plant out all kinds of half hardy, general, and carpet bedding plants after well hardening them oif. . Continue the staking of all manner of border plants, remembering that "a tic so soon prevents their doom." Continue gathering faded flowers from the borders regularly.

Liquid manure the pansies where especially large blooms arc wanted. Plant more gladiolus; ( usea tablespoonful Of phosphate manure to each corm, mixing it well with t.he soil. Plant the corm fully six inches deep, and more if the soil be very light. Propagate violets and primroses as quickly as possible, or the work will have to be left over until the autumn.

Flag irises may be divided and replanted as they go out of bloom. Give the. soil a liberal dressing of lime. Plant out chrysanthemums in rich soil. These plants also like an application of lime. A fresh site should be given them each season if the best results are looked for.

Plant michaelmas daisies anr heleniums for late autumn blooming. These are useful for Billing in the gaps in the shrubberies as they take, very little looking after.

The present is a good time to sow seeds of pontulaca. Keep the seed bed or box very moist. The Vegetable Garden:

Weeding is of very great importance in the vegetable garden, where every drop of moisture and nourishment is needed for maturing the crops. Hoeing should never be neglected as it stimulates the growth of crop-s enormously. The regular use of the hoe, at least once a week, between all rows of standing vegetable crops will work wonders even though the season be a dry one. Plant a few tomatoes in sheltered plots. Next' month is , quite early enough for the main crop, as cold winds and likely hailstorms take heavy toll of these plants. Prepare plots for pumpkins, marrows, etc.

( Sow Canadian Wonder and butter beans ;also a few runner beans will keep up a constant supply of this favourite vegetable. Runner beans, too, are ornamental, and may be planted over trellis, wail, or old tree stumps. Give, plenty of moisture and not one pod allowed to mature, they repay handsomely. Mulching. Mulching is of great importance in the garden and should bo made more use of, owing to the fact that they obviate the need of watering. In both town and country gardens, watering is a problem daring the dry months, -when more often than not the supply for gardens is restricted.

A mulch consists of a light layer of

material put on the surface of the soil, after rain, or after, it has been well

watered, to conserve the moisture. The chief of the materials that are used < for this purpose in both vegetable and flower garden may-bo mentioned: Lawn ' mowings in a fresh or rotted state, cow manure, in a fresh or rotted state. Decayed vegetable refuse and leaves are also often used, but are not so useful as the two first mentioned. The application of mulches early in the season is to be recommended, before the soil has become really dry underneath, as this means that less watering will be needed before the mulching. A mulch should not be more than three inches in thickness. In the vegetable garden, peas, beans, cabbages and cauliflowers benefit from a mulch, as also does the rhubarb bod. In the flower garden dahlias, cannns, zinnias, and liliums benefit enormously, and all newly planted shrubf?. After top-dressing and hoeing t.he rose beds,

water thorn thoroughly, if rain is -not forthcoming, then apply the mulch over the surface soil.

Trolliuses (the Globe Flowers)

One of the hardiest plants which will thrive in bleak, exposed gardens, the flowers of which, as they appear, ,are connecting links between spring and summer, is the trollius or globe flower. They will, grow in sun or par-

■ tiial- shade, and will give good results if planted in ordinary soil, although ■ like most things, quicker growth and larger blooms are noticeable where they -have the advantage of rich soil. The trollies is seen at its best when growing oh the margin of the bog garden and atound lily ponds. Its quick growth is another of its good points, ‘' good .sized clumps rewarding the planitf~er during the second season. Those . planted in full sunshine will naturally ' ■bloom a week or so earlier than those in shad.y quarters. Those globe flowers ■bring a warm glow of colour and are ‘ a real acquisition to any garden when . hheir showy heads appear. Among ■flower lO'Vers they are not yet too well--known, but there can b'e no hesitation in recommending them to the owner of and'moderate-sized garden. There are .various varieties, among which are Orange GHobe (light orange), Excelsior

(large yellow), Golden Queen (deep yellow), Gisboni (yellow with black zone), Fire Globe (semi-double deep orange), and Empire day, one of the earliest light or orange yellows. Tub Gardening. Very good gardening is possible in vases, tubs, boxes, or extra large pots. Such expedients are specially valuable where the garden is small, or limited to concrete yards and enclosures. Familiar examples of this gardening are seen in our window boxes and the pot grown plants of the greenhouse. In a number of the large gardens, too, plants in tubs play some part, usually that of givino’ yet greater effect to some portion qf the flower garden, perchance the terrace, or-by a pathside, or grouped around some approach.

But the great advantage of this branch of horticulture lies in the possibilities it provides in allowing those with restricted garden space to cultivate and enjoy the possession of plants otherwise impossible to have, also as being a means whereby some half-hardy ones can be used in the open air for a few months, and which, being so grown, can be easily moved to a frost proof shelter when such time arrives. Again, there are some things which do not flourish in the garden’s soil, such as, for instance, the azalea, and azalea mollis family, which do not thrive in heavy clay soil. A goodsized tub, filled with the soil this particular shrub loves <will produce a lovely specimen, which may be placed in some suitable spot. Tubs should always have a few holes bored in them for drainage. That beautiful shrub,. kalmia latofolk is also difficult to grow oi} the above named soil, but would be amendable to tub culture. Large fancy

jars are also to be had which look well when filled with appropriate- plants. Trellis Work. The mere suggestion of trellis work in a garden opens up many possibilities for we realise how very attractive th< growth of plants and flowers can be mode by such supports. Trellis work includes ornamental fixtures of metal, rustic work made with the thinnings and prunings of largo trees, pergolas, etc. Wood trellis appeals to the professional and the amateur gardener alike, for it is easily adaptable, and can be worked to any space available. Gardeners who are handy with tools can greatly enhance the beauty of a flower garden by introducing trellis divisions and arcades, a succession of arches, or pergola-like trellis covered ■with roses is a beautiful sight, and docs not occupy much room, and makes a great difference to the appearance of a garden. Such structures are useful for growing the many species of lovely clematis on, wisteria and other beautiful climbers.

Make Your Windowsills Brighter. , Have you, ever walked down a street in a busy thoroughfare tyhc.ro some of the householders take a pride In the adornment of their windowsills with flowering and foliage plants, and noticed what an air of cheerfulness there is about them in comparison to houses where no such interest has been shown? Such homes give immense pleasure to garden lovers who pass their doors. The outlay is really very tnffling, almost anyone can procure or put together a box to fit a window ledge at small cost, and fill it with loam, a little leaf mould and sand, a compost which suits most things. The furnishing Is not an expensive item, either, supposing you cannot raise the plants yourself. Geraniums, verbenas, phlox drummondii and petunias, all love sunshine, and make gay the sunny windows, while fuchsias, lobelia, cherry pie, and asparagus ferns will make a display in shady places.

Seakale. There are two plants of noble aspect whose common use is to provide for the kitchen, and whose fine qualities as garden plants have, therefore, been generally overlooked. Many a time exclamations have been made, "What is that splendid, great, silvery plant?” noit recognising it as the kitchen garden artichoke. Another equally deserving plant is the ordinary seakale. When a root of this is planted out in the open, growing untouched year after year, n’

blooming time it is a picture. TV mass of creamy bloom nrav be ns nine' as three feet across, rising from large leaves of the noblest aspect, some of them eighteen inches long by a foot . t \v;jde, with an outer edge that, is toothetT;in detail, but has grand sculpturelike ways of folding and waving, and have a quite remarkable blue glacicous colour. The flower has a .sweet scent like honey, not honey pure, but honey mixed with wax. Where such strong isolated plants as the one mentioned occur in gardens it may be worth while reminding that the quite young hud masses are a good table vegetable.

The Caucasian Scabious. Since its introduction, the Caucasian scabious has been a favourite among .the hardy border plants. It is a good improvement on the old type of scabi- j ou3 or pin cushion. Its beautiful fine ■ heads of pale blue to lavender' and mauve coloured flowers produced on long, graceful stems, characterise it as one of the most ornamental subjects for indoor decoration. Where large quantities of flowers are in great demand for decorations, these seabiosus supply the need over a long season, blooming profusely from early summer to late autumn. In such eases it pays to cultivate 1 beds pf plants specially for this purpose, Well grown Dl-ants will

produce flowers with stems from two to three feet in length, and flower heads from three to four inches in diameter. These scabiosas appreciate a good deep, well drained soil, plenty oi lime, and should be given an open situ n.tion. On cold, heavy clay soils the •ire not long-lived plants. Plants imr 'to divided in autumn or spring, tin '••.tter for preference as they eontimu n bloom until frost comes. They are ■l.-io easily raised from seed.

Incarvillea GrandifLora in tiro Reck Garden.

Incarvillea is a true alpine plant and is more at home in the rock garden than in the borders. A little discretion must; be used in placing this perennial, as its vivid magnificence in nui-

jenta colouring is liable to clash when placed against other hues. A setting of grey foliage plants, greenery or white flowered subjects should be placed near to avoid a clashing of colour. The large gloxinia-shaped flowers are wonderfully brilliant and effective.

It docs quite well in a sunny border, but on the high parts of the rock garden, its beauty is properly displayed. Annuals in the Rock Garden. The rock garden gives ample scope for annuals which can be used to change the design and blending of colours. They are useful for planting in pockets where bulbous or other plants die down early in summer. In these eases fresh compost should be added to give the plants a refreshed root medium. Seeds may *be sown directly in the pockets, or plants inserted. Portulaca, nemesia, silene, Virginian stock, phlox drummondii, ageratum lobelia and, in fact, anything low-grow-ing and bright,