FOR THE WOMAN GARDENER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 September 1938, Page 8

FOR THE WOMAN GARDENER

— PLEA FOR THE PICTURESQUE. SOME TIMELY HINTS. The reward of seeing your garden look like a picture can only be brought about through carefully thought-out schemes and a great deal of hard work. The end, however, generally justifies the means. Take, for instance, the flowering wall. Set at the edge of the lawn, where it joins the path, it makes a charming and unusual setting, and it provides a place for many gay and lovely flowers as well as the greenery of trailing plants. The wall is not difficult to build, and it is a delightful alternative to a rockery. Rectangular sections of stone, broken bricks, or pieces of concrete, would all suit this purpose, but the stone is the most effective. It should be made hollow in the centre, the hollow being packed with good soil. All the little nooks and crannies, where the plants are to find a home, are also filled with soil, and this provides a run for the roots into the soil that is packed in the centre hollow. Each stone should be laid with a slight tilt inwards, so that the moisture will run into the innei’ soil. Many of the hardy alpines are at their happiest on a sunny wall, but to see- them at their best they should be grown in large masses. There is no end to the wonders that can be achieved with this class of work, and to those who like the unusual and unique, the flowering wall proves a never-ending source of delight. When planting, lay the plants in the crevices, spreading their roots well out, and letting their necks lie flush with the outer edge of the stone. Paths of crazy paving have a fascination all their own,” and if tiny rock plants of prostrate habit are planted in the crevices of the path, this, in conjunction with the flowering wall, will give an old-world atmosphere to the garden. i There are many plants that thrive between the flags, a few of them being balm, festuca, sagina, and saxifrages. The last named make ideal edgings for the paths bordering lawns or flower-beds. These plants like welldrained, gritty soil containing lime, and will readily increase by division. They form compact, low-spreading tufts that, although charming to look at, still permit free use of the path. When planting, lift them slightly above the surrounding soil. If sweet-smelling plants are desired, there are several varieties of thyme which are ideal for the crazy path. These are increased by cuttings and by division. The addition of a bird bath raised on pillars of brick or stone is quaint and delightful. This can be filled with tiny alpines, which in time will climb all over the stone-work. Plants that like damp positions can be surrounded by peat moss, which will help to conserve the moisture, but most rock plants require good arainage, and should not have moisture hanging about them, indeed, it will be found advantageous to place small pieces of stone round the necks of many plants in order to save them from too much moisture, for true alpines are in their natural element in an open, exposed situation, used as they are to living on a wind-swept mountain-side.