GARDEN NOTES.

Shannon News, 10 December 1929, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

Colour , in the Borders. December is a month of many competitive flowers, when Nature, in prodigal mood, showers its treasures into the arms ,of the gardener. The garden is aglow , with many a brilliant hue, the air is heavy with a powerful fragrance emanating’ from rows and clumps of sweet peas, masses •of stocks, combined with' the - subtle perfume from the roses, and the lover of" beauty and ’form is filled with delight at the profusion with which he is surrounded. Stately spikes/of delphinium, in various shades of blue, 'mauve, and'purple, tower well above their neighbours, seeming to demand the attention'they deserve, with nearby spikes of white, and pink wateonias blending. ’ Fronting these are to_be seen clumps of the beautiful (Perry’s pink).oriental poppy, the blue background ‘ of „ delphiniums providing a delightful setting- 'for the handsome salmon -pink blooms. ! Then, there are masses-and masses of lupins, with lovely spikes of all shades of blue, • soft pinks/ and intermingling shades, with a background- of- pale • pink and mauve sweet peas-adding fragrance and beauty. A dazzling array of scarlet marksthe spot where the red shades of oriental poppies-grow and through the trees comes a -glint 'of fiery gold that eould only’be'produced by tlio old favourite liliuin croCOuim, or cottage lily, the earliest of all to bloom. In moist places the Japanese iris delights the eye, its tali flower-stems, finished with a . lovely flat : clematis-like bloom in varying shades - of -blue, - mauve, purple, white, , cream, etc. These • are a wonderful sight, especially when growing near the water-side, where they enhance the effect of the .handsome outspread leaves of the water-lilies, where here and there a beautiful flower rests on the surface of the water. For perfection of-shape and form, nothing can surpass the water lily, the spotless purity of the blooms is' striking. Water gardening is truly' a-* fascinating' hobby. In' the borders devoted to smallergrowing things, many of the autumn sown, plants are ablaze with colour. Orange, and. yellow strike a dominant note .where calendula, Iceland poppies, nemcsoia,- dim'orpho theca, and eschscholtziaA grow. Routine Work in the Garden. With the holiday time near at hand, an effort 3 should be made to generally tidy up / the garden. While showery weather is with us a good opportunity is provided for the planting of all va-cant-plots with good autumn blooming plants . It is not too late to plant 'zinnias, asters, cosmea-s, French, and African marigolds, ne-mesia, dimorphotheca/ amaranthus for foliage, celosias, the feathered variety is one. of the most brilliant of all bedding plants. Petunias and salvias both enjoy the warmth of the, summer days.

There is still/ time to plant out a few more chrysanthemums, which if too tail can bo easily cut back to the desired height. A few more dahlias can also be’ added to the list for later blooming. Existing annuals which arc past their best should be discarded for so.ne which will bloom throughout the autumn.

Replant edgings of forgot-me n<ds, with lobelia.

Plant out portulacca in sunny, tvell drained spots. ,

If. t. Cut down ademones and ranunculi, dib in annual plants, among them such as nemesia or any similar lowgrowing plant. §/ . Pluck Off all spent blooms from sweet - , peas in order ib prolong their blooming period. The present is a good time for choosing the varieties and shades need-, cd for the early autumn planting. WhOre time permits, it is a good plan to prepare the trench in readiness for this. sowing which may be done as early as the latter end of February. If plenty of manure is mixed in, and the trench spaded oyer at intervals, the soil will bo in splendid condition for the sowing of the seed. 1 Stake dahlias and chrysanthemums. ; Choose roses for next season's .planting while they are blooming, when habit of growth'can be noticed as well. If watering is out of the question during the summer-months, shve all lawn clippings and mulch dahlias and cannaa at-the close of the present showery weather. This will also help keep down woods as well as conserve the • moisture. i/I- ; I 0 The Vegetable Garden. Showery weather has favoured the \ gardener at a most opportune time, \ when all available space should be get---v ting filled-with winter vegetables. I Where plants of savoy, broccoli, etc., ; { are ready to set out sow a further batch * )of seed for a'succession. ' \ Sow more leek and celery seed for k.\ la ter suppli es. i’ Make further-sowings of peas, beans, j carrots, swede turnips, and all salad

/ plant. s ). Th< re is still time to sow mangolds, fieid carrots, and peas, while a further planting of potatoes may be made •j Stake tomato plants, I which are now making rapid headway. Spray them fortnightly with bordeaux mixture. Do not-wait-until blight appears—proven- - ' tion is’better thah’cure. Gladiolus. Few bulbous plants have such a wide Tange of colour, or are : so stately in habit,-or so 'important’fot garden deooratioa as the gladiolus. As cuit flow

era, gladioli are especially valuable for house /decoration as, if cut with one or two blboms open,' the remainder will open indoors. The conns may be planted in almost any soil or situation, always providing there is sufficient moisture and depth of soil to permit of a good root action. Groups of six, twelve or more, according to space, of one variety are very effective and may be planted among the rhododendrons and azaleas. Endless places may be found at-the present time in the borders for. the placing of clumps of gladioli corms. Among the lupins, oriental poppies, aquilegias, delphiniums, etc., where their presence will be welcomed during the late autumn. Place a handful of Superphosphate under eaen conn, well mixed with the soil, and the spikes will be satisfactory for garden display, even when planted in the near vicinity df-other things. In this way space can be found for quite a large number of dorms. Another place where they are seen to advantage is when grouped near a lake or stream. When cutting flowers for house decoration always leave at least four leaves of foliage to mature the growth of the bulb for the following season. It is perfectly obvious-the gladiolus responds to good cultivation, and where wanted for show purposes, should be given more space and plenty of liquid manure supplied when in the bud stage. The Grey Border. No garden, large or small, can claim to bo complete without the added beauty of the grey border. It has a charm and fascination all its own, due in a large degree to the atmosphere of quiet restfulness which hovers over and around it. During the long winter months this type of border still retains its charms, and this in itself should commend it to every plant lover. Whefi making a border for grey foliaged. plants, some stone drippings and sand should be well mixed with the soil, a spade depth at the least, together with a top-dressing of lime forked in two , inches or so. If lime is buried too deeply it loses much of its good qualities as it has a tendency to work its way diown into the soil.

. All plants with grey foliage are lime or chalk lovers. Should the border be very heavy and retentive of moisture, broken bricks or metal should be placed at the bottom of the trench when digging in order to provide drainage. When finished, a few boulders of pieces of rock-stone placed here and there add greatly to. its charms.. Plants for Shrub Edges.

..Where there are spaces next to a path or a lawn at the edges of clumps of shrubs it has a good effect to have one thing at a time in a bold group rather than to have a filling of maiiy kinds. For large spaces there are some very .fine things to choose from. For instance, groups of tritomas (red hot pokers) arc very striking, and where grey is liked, the globe artichoke, and giant thistle are most effective. The handsome foliage is good at all times, and does not easily damage in rough weather. Acanthus, with its large, deeply-cut, glossy green leaves is to be recommended. The tall, bearded flag irises are good when massed, also perennial lupins, oriental poppies and paconies. Another thing is nordmannia corclifclia. The flowers which come early are of no importance, but they are followed by the bold cordate leaves, bright green at first, but as soon a* summer advances, sobering to a full, deep colour. The leaves, perhaps because they, are thickly set with strong bristly hairs, seem to be proof against all injury by insects. Echinops (globe thistle) is always admired. They are handsome plants with ornamental foliage, and tall spikes of globular flower heads' in a lovely bluo shade, als-o a white variety .is obtainable. The tallgrowing cann’as are seen at their best against a/background of evergreen shrubs wh'ere their brilliantly-hued a source of admiration. < Durable Garden Paths.

' Garden paths in wet. weather are apt to be an eyesore and a nuisance, not to mention the constant weeding uecessary to keep them in order. By the ai< of a bag or two of cement, a few barrow loads of gravel and sand a path can be provided which will be neat, clean and durable.

The method is simplicity itself. Take four parts (by volume) of clean sand and gravel, and mix,, thoroughly with one part cement on a non-absorbent floor or other surface. Afterwards add water gently and gradually, making a hole in'thc/eentre of the. heap, mix until a stiff paste is obtained. By.the use of a little" pigment you can colour the concrete any shade desired.

For a plain concrete path fix down toc-h side a strip of wood about 1} inches thick and three inches deep, and All in with the wet mixture, levelling off with a float (a slab of wood with a handle). Should slabs bo preferred, make a few rectangular boxes without top or bottom, and hinged so that thjy come apart easily. Lay these on 'a base board, fill with concrete, and leive for a couple of days. There nrs you; slabs; during bad weather they can be made in an outhouse and stored for break the slabs into irregular pieces and lay in' a bed of cement mortar. Just one caution: Do not mix more concrete at one time than you can use within an hour, because about that time it begins to set, after which it must not be disturbed, -The-secret of success in concrete work is thoroughness.