GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2552, 28 August 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(Br "Kowhai,") Those notes are written solely foi" tho lliia-.e",; r gardener, for the busy city mall who likes to spend an hour or two in the garden after being shut up ftU day, for /tko woman who derives great pleasure from gromng a few plants to brighten her Jiomc, but to whom it would, be a weariness to study garden books, and. for . all txiose who e.re . endeavouring to keep ft small garden bright and attractive all the year round. To these I say do not at* tempt to grow too much. Choose "what plants you want for your garden and for supplying the house with cut flowers, and wiiatever you decide upon • grow the best oi its kind that ia to be obtained. Readers are invited to ask Questions. /MSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. -Rapscallion/-' Master ton.—"l have a packet of scallion or buiioh onion seed. As 1 nave never grown any, or seen any growing, ivill you kindly • inform :no when, and under what conditions, the seed ought to bosown; when tho plants are fit for use; and what part of them is used? Sow tho seed now in seedpans, apd transplant as soon as tho seed~a T® hig enough to handle, into a bed that has been well dug and richly manured. Treatment is tho same as for onions. The bulbs, are used, and should <<r' I TWJ ca *ly in the autumn'. _ C.D."—"Wo have a Lady Gay climbfg oy°r an archway—a fine healthy tree, but tor tho past two seusons it has been epoilt_ by blue-bottle flies that congregate in it, and spoil the foliage. We should feel grateful if yon .could tell us what to do about it. Could you also tell us what to do with the soil when I>lants just exist but make no growth?" byrrnge the rose tree frequently with liot water. If that is not effective get a tin of mortoin and dust the powder well into the foliage of _ the tree, i With regard to the plants just existing, either your, soil is lacking in plant rood or the- soil has been wrongly prepared for the plant®. In "Garden Notes" of Saturday, May _ 22nd, full' instructions were given for making a new gardon and renovating an old one. Also seasonable cultural hints are given each Saturday. Please send name and address when asking questions. SHADY GARDEN STRIPS. (Continued from August 21.) Another very • pretty effect can be obtained by using aqiulegia : and Japanese Anemones. The pale yellow aquilegia mako splendid bushes. that -flower for quite a long time in the summer. The longspurred hybrid aquileging are a little They are very. beautiful. The colours are most delicate and varied, and tho flowea very dainty. The Japaneso anemones flower during the whole of tho aAitumn; and the foliage is beautiful-at all .times. These plants dielike being disturbed; and if left alono increase in beauty each year. When the plants beconio too big they should be lifted and. divided early in the winter. Tho .flowers are white, pink, and rose, and the flower steins grow to a height of three or four feot. Both aquilegias and Japanese anemones aro splendid for cutting. A oharming .bed can bo made with doronicums, delphiniums, ■ and 'purple pansies. The,delphiniums inay be planted at the back of tho garden, strip, and tho doronicums in front. The pansies may be planted as a border, and several plants 6hould be.placed amoDg the doronicums. The doronicums are flowering at ■ present, and the purple pansies are. just beginning to flower. The pansies will continue.flowering, with care, all.through the summer, and if some are put among; the doronicums they will, keep the front of the strip well filled with flowers even nftor tie doronicums hairi finished flowerin?- . '/ ' The yellow daisy-like flowers of tho doronicums and the purple pansies mako a.charming colour effect. Later on, the delphiniums begin to flower.' Their colours range from pale blue, through all the, Shades of blue to royal blue./ They blend splendidly with tho purplri pansies. If the flower stalks of tno delphiniums are out off as soon as flowering is . over, the plants will flower again in the' autumn; ■ The bed for all of these plants should be well dug and we'll manured. . 1 My last suggestion for a shady garden, strip is a whole bed of primroses. These w;ould be delightful during the' whole of: spring". A packet of phlox : drummondi seed could be sown now in a seed-pan, and as soon the. plants are big enough could be planted out among the primrose, roots. . As soon, as the primroses have finished flowering the leaves, should be cut right off. Tie phlox, drummondi soon giows, and covers the whole bed. If the dead flowers aro kopt picked off, N the plants should flower all through tho summer a,nd autumn, HARDY ANNUALS, . . Hardy annuals tlhat w«re sown in tho autumn will be flowering very soon now. Already larkspurs, clarlcias, and double godetias are.- forming their . , flower,-buds, while double Shirley poppies are growing into very, large plants. ! that promise to make a beautiful show by October. Mignonette and forget-me-not have been flow-

ering for somo time, and annual gypso-' phila lias opened a few tiny flowers. Seeds of ten w.eek stocks, poppies, larkspurs, asters, violas, pansies, godctia, candytuft, phlox drummondi, and mignonette 6liould bo sown in. pans as soon as possible now; Single Shirley poppies and inignonetto aro best sown where they are to grow. Tho seedlings should be thinned' out till the plants aro three or four inches apart each. way. Doublo Shirley poppies transplant splendidly. MIGNONETTE. No garden sdiould be without 1 a patch of mignonette. The flowers aro so very sweetscented, and they greet 0110 with a delightful whilf of .'fragKuice at all times of the day or night. The soil whero mignonette is to be grown should be well dug, and should nave a little leaf mould and plenty of coarse sand or 'road grit mixed with it. The roots of mignonette seem to appreciate the presenco of plenty of gritty.,matter in the soil. If the ground is dry, soak it 'thoroughly with tepid water -about an hour before sowing the seed. At tihds time of year the best time to sow tho seed is just before noon. The earth is well warmed by the sun then, and any superfluous moistturo has Lad time to evaporate, l'rick into tho surface soil a sprinkling of bonedust just before sowing the seed. Just cover the seed with a little earth and saud mixed. As soon qb the seedlings are big eno.usjh thin them out till they are threo or four inches apart each way, and nip off the tops of tho wmaining plants. The same - preparations may be mado for Shirley ifoppies, but t'ho .topa of the poppies should not bo nipped off. BROMPTON STOCK. If the 6ecds of Broinptou s,tock are Boivn now a nice display of flowers will be secured for the wliolo of next winter. Pale pink Beauty of Nice is a most satisfactory stock to grow. The colour is,-at-tractivo and the plants flower continuously. As soon as one lot of flowers is cut. the plants at once throw out fresh flowering. stalks. In my own garden a dozen or so.plants of this variety hare been flowering profusely since February last, and look as if they intend flowering for l ever. The flower stalks are long, and the large double flowers well spaced.. Occasional applications of liquid manure are necessary to keep up the quality of tho flowers. . St<;ck/seed should always be sown in a'Shallow pan. The' idea is to discourage any attempt at a tap root being produced. Plants that do produce a tap root should have it out off i\t transplanting time. ; Stocks should be grown on well-prepared qnd well-manured ground.' The.'ground should be kept well cultivated, and the gi'owth of fibrous wots encouraged.^ ' VEGETABLES. . , Continue to sow seeds as recommended for, last week. Gardenors must use their discretion in sowing' vegetable 6eeds. Should the grpund be cold and wet it is ; always I *.better to postpone the sowing to a . later date. The same applies to the planting of potatoes. Time is lost rather than gained by-planting seed potatoes in cold, wet ground. ,• Amateurs wea-e advised to get their onion beds ready-early in the winter. Full directions were given on May 29. The time has now arrived for sowing the seed. The ground should be well trampled over to make it quite! firm, and tlia surfaco soil should then be made very fine, and,.if possible, rolled. Onions like a firm bed and a loose surface. If the roots are kept near tho surface bigger bulbs are "obtained. Tho seed should be sown in drills 12 inches apart, .and the seedlings should ,afterwards be thinned out to three or four inches apart. The best keeping onions aro James's Keeping and Brown Spanish. Garden Notes next week will contain seasonable notes about poppies, pansies, violas, and vegetables. - Early spring has caused the iawns to start into fresh- growth, and a special offer is made of some slightly shop-soiled, but perfect-working, lawn mowers in our advertising column by H. C. Gibbons and Co,, Ltd,,. Seed Merchants and Growers, ISO Lambton Quay. ,