IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17017, 14 December 1920, Page 5

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (SPZCIAIXT WHiriKS FOR "THX FB^S.") (Bγ J. T. Slvclaib.) ANSWEES TO CORRESPONDENTS. Perplexed.—From your description you are keeping , the tomatoes too close. Ventilate the frame more freely, and ako leave a chink of air on all nigbi. You trill find the flowera will eet their fruit more freely when there is a air about Ihem. Whi!et tho loota should never Euffnr from lack of moiature, the surroundings of tho phvnta must be fairly dry. • VEGETABUIS. French. Beans. —Small sowings of Fronch beans should be mado every fortnight from the present time nntil the middle of January, Vat the latest sowing should be made on a border facing north where the plants can Be protected from early autumn frosts: It is a much better practice to make frequent sowings than to depend on plants which have become partially exhausted, the produce from young plants being much more tender. Sow the seed in drills drawn at two feet apart. Broad beans.—Where this vegetable is in request over a prolonged season successional sowings may still be made, belocting varieties of the Broad Windsor type. It is essential, -when sowing at tiiis season, to have the ground thoroughly prepared. The best plan is to form trenches at s a depth of about eighteen inches, placing at the bottom at least a foot of good half-decayed farmyard manure. The crop should never bo allowed to suffer for want of water, and immediately thej young growths appear above ground a good mulching should bo applied. Eettuce.—Seeds of lettuces may now be sown on. a border with an eastern aspect. The seeds should be sown thinly in order that it may not be necessary to transplant the seedlings for during hot dry weather it is difficult to keep soft, young lettuces from becoming shrivelled up when transplanted. Neapolitan, Mammoth, White Cob, All-the-Year-Itound, and Iceberg are good reliable varieties for presont sowing. Swedes. —This vegetable is not easily grown in town gardens, as it is often spoiled by aphides long before the bulbs mature. But when well grown it ie a splendid addition to the winter stock of roots. It is a i waste of time to trv and grow it on light eandy soil, as al* varieties of swedes like a # stiff, moist staple; they are all exceedingly hardy, and are not at all affected by frost. Aphides and club-roots are the worst enemies of this root, but unfortunately it suffers from hot winds and ■ dry weather. The drills should be about eighteen inches apart and the plants thinned out early. , FLOWERS. Primulas.—Seeds of the Chinese type may be sown in. December and January, and so also may the Star and Obconica sections and the newer P. malacoides. Primula seed, like that of cyclamens, is notoriously irregular in germination, and the seed pan should be taken care of even after most of the seedlings have been pricked out. Primulas like clean surroundings, and new pots or pans (soaked), or old ones scrubbed scrupulously clean, are essential. Equal parts turfy loom and leaf mould and a fourth part soil is a good seed compost. Cover lightly with soil and also, with a square of glass and place in the shaded greenhouse or frame. Transplant the seedlings, when large enough, carefully to other pans and later pot singly. During autumn they do well in frames, bnt must be housed in a frost-proof greenhouse during May. Give a light ehelf then near the glass. •, "~ Delphiniums.—There is no occupant of the flower garden that contributes a greater charm to* the rich toned hours of early December than the stately delphiniuirf, or perennial larkspur. It is a veritable king of the border, without a rival for the ease with which it can be grown, for its ready response to generous treatment, and for the splendid reward which it yields in gorgeous spikes of bloom. -It has been improved , out of all knowledge by the expert florist and hybridiser, during tho past quarter of a century. The comparatively puny larkspur of former days has jgiven place to the modern giant, whicn rivals In stature even the towering hollyhock. Not only have cubits been added to its stature, it has become many hued, so that among the many varieties from which the gardener can now make his choice, he can have gradations of colour ranging from white and the palest .blue to ultramarine and the darkest purple. But it is the blue of the delphinium which, in my view, gives it its greatest value "in the midsummer garden, since it affords a much-needed* relief from the- garishness of yellow calceolarias and tho brick reds and bright pinks of bedding geraniums. As plants for the town garden delphiniums have few rivals. They will grow vigorously in any well-cultivated soil, and they accommodate themselves I readily in any position which gives the"m ! ample room to develop. They soon form a grand group for a corner, a splendid screen for a bare or poorlyclad wall or fence, and a magnificent feature for the back row of. a broad herbaceous or mixed border. They may also be planted with excellent effect in bold groiiDs in large beds on the lawn. Here, with plenty of space to grow in, and plenty of sunlight to call forth their richest colouring, they soon form themselves into symmetrical groups of beauty. Nor need their period of blooming be confined merely to a few weeks , at midsummer. If care be taken to remove the flowering spikes immediately they begin to fade, and before they" form seed-pods, a further, crop will be produced a few weeks_ later. If the cultivator can steel his heart to be ruthless and to prune the plants hard back, the quality of the bloom which comes as a second crop will be all. the finer. Such vigorous pruning* will doubtless leave patches of bareness, but if careful attention be paid to watering in dry weather, new growths will speedily appear, and the reward will be great at a time when the garden shows signs of deterioration. An additional stimulus to tho production of vigorous new shoot 3 is to be found" in supplying each clump with, a mulch of well rotted manure mixed with leaf-jnould, This will prevent the evaporation of moisture, and will ; afford the roots very desirable food. Delphiniums are easily raised from seed, and the present is a favourable •, time for 'setting about the task. If it be delayed much longer the plants will be puny and poor when the time comes for placing them out in the border. If special and select varieties are .required, the seed may cost yon anything from a shilling to half-a-crown a packet, but if you are content to trust to mixed varieties, some of which •will be single, and some double, it is possible to purchase a packet mnch cheaper. • The seed may be'sown out of doors in a prepared bed situated in the shade. The surface soil should be sandy, and •the seed be sown in drills. But if only ( a small quantity of seed is available it would be as well to sow in boxes, and to plant the seedlings out into reserve beds when they are large enough. With, careful attention to watering, weeding, and keeping off slugs, a number of excellent specimens will be ready for ' planting out in the autumn. In any case, the cultivator must ,, not expect specimen blooms the -first season after the eeed is sown. It is generally in the second year that the plants begin to produce fine blooms. This continue for several seasons, at &e end. M whi<2i

time the clumps will have become so largo that it is necessary to dinae them.. This is best done in spring, when the now shoots begin to make their appearance above the Boil.