GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2558, 4 September 1915, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

.(Br "Kowhai.") These notes are written solely for tho vF « ari «ner, for tho busy city man Jifij to spend on hour or tT/o in the farden after being shut up all day, for w . oman derires creftt pleasure from ft few plants to brighten her. SS? * out to whom it would be a i. Btudy earden books,'end for all «ivwfS ende&Yourins to keep a bright' end attrACtire all tho : rfm^ r 5 these 'I' gay do not fi-t----sr°vr too much. Ohoose what! . y°u want for your garden and for the house with cut flowers, and Jrn 7?" decide upon grow the best b ® obtained.-headers fiio mrited to ask questions. ( ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS., e l o rus Sound.—"AVould yon kindly mention iu your next Garden , Proper timo to graft fruit' ~ i lo^f ' "io correct timo for grafting . iruit trees is in the spring, .when tho sap begins to circulate freely. September would be the best, time for you, HOAV, ,TQ MAKE A SMALL ROCK GARDEN. ■ : ' (By request of "M.M.," Feildirg.)' A rock garden may be either in a 6Uiiny spot or a shady 0110, but tho majority of alpines and rock' plants prefer a sunny position. First and. foremost, a-rock garden nrusfc bo made to look , as natural 33 Possible. Thero must be no formality, au<L the outline should-be irregular. A, rocky seashore, witH its irregular bays, sharp pointe, and round points, aud mosses ■ of rocks, some pointed and some aat, makes a good model for tho rock gardener to copy. But tho outline of the rock garden will bo like a miniature seashore... It is for a rock gardea to i a l ,6 - c 6o j?? .background, such as a. bank, but it this is not possible overgreen and flowering shnibs make a .pretty backpound. ' Even a v backyard fenco can - bo transformed into a suitablo l>ackground ior a rock garden. Having sketched tlie plan of the rock garden, one must next P. r<! P™ the soil that is needed. This should be a mixture of good loam, coats© river sand,, leaf mould (if possible), and nneiy broken up, bricks or crushed mortar Tubble. The bricks t and mortar rubble may oftoa - be, obtained from a bricklayer. All the ingredients for tho compost should be wJll mixed together. Now, mark out the,/site for the rock garden, and remove about a foot of tho s !P? ac ? Fill in "this space with. pieces °l te°k«i up bncks and cinders.. On top of, that spread a good layer of, decayed vegemble rubbish, or old turves, and' then begin to-heap on the prepared compost, lho next consideration is the kind of stones to be used. Large pieces of quarry' stoi\e, or big river stones, are the best to they should be as varied in size and shape as possible. Begin to work in tho outline with.'6tones, placing a tall pointed one at one corner, arid a huge eqme one at another, and so on.' Ram the earth very firmly Tound each stone ai. it js put into position. Proceed with the' building up, using more earth and stones 03 required, and always aiming at makas natural-looking a rocky bank as possible. Remember to ram the earth very fvrmly round each stono as it is put into position. Do not lefc.oue stone overhang auother. The stones should havo a slight lean inwards, so that water instead of dripping from'them, will tricklb down to the roots of tho flowers growing round the stones. Some square-shaped flat stonesshould be worked in so that • creeping plants may cover them and hang over like a curtain," "Where stones "are to be placed leaving only iiarrow crevices, the plants should be put in place-before the second stone is put into position.- Where wider spaces" are being, left planting, may be done afterwards. \ Spaces should bo arranged so that you may have single specimens of p ants, clumps, groups, spreading plants, etc. _ Plants of a spreading or mossy habit should be planted so that they can overhang high pieces of rock, representing a miniature rocky cliff. W© among our own native plants many beautiful alpine 3 suitable for a rockery. ' Some; like an open position, others a moist one, but in a well-con-structed rockery, ono lias 'all aspects, and drr 'as, well as moist spots. Celmisia (mountain daisy) and ranunculus lyallii (mountain buttercup) are hardy and easily grown. Linum monogynum (New Zealand flax), myosotidium Jiobile (giant forget-me-not 0 l? vl • ? requires a moist 6pot), libertia ixioides, and arthropodium cirrhatum Island lily) are all -The following also are suitable:— Arams Alpma, calandrina umbellata, campanula persicifolia, iris, etylosa, IceP°PP7> lithospermura prostratumi aianthu3 • (for . masses),cerastium tomnntosum (for massing), mesembryanthemum (saponaria, • a,ubretias, and saxifrages .' for .hanging , over. slop. P?, rocks), campanula , carpatica, bulbs, primroses, mignonette, wallflowers : star of the veldt (for masses), and, where* i fcallw flowers are necessary Antirrhinums, foxgloves, St. wort, spiraeas (moist i spot), heaths, and azaleas.' ' I For a rockery in the shade tie follow-1

ing plants are suitable:—Salomon's seal,. London.pride, primroses, scilla, cyclamen, snowdrops, crocuses, auriculas, foxgloves, Chatham Island forget-me-not, aqnilegias, and ferns. Plants growing, on rockeries need an abundance of water.- . A rock garden should bo made only when the soil is dry. and friable. Nover build a rock garden when the soil is damp. POPPIES. ./ Poppies are favourite llowera with! all classes. A bed of Well-grown poppies is indeed a beautiful sight, and groups and clumps of poppies, add greatly to the charm of the mixed border. . Perhaps the most, common are the. Shirley poppies, both single and double. Too much cannot be said, in favour of the double Shirley poppy. 'But it is as well for amateurs to seoure fresh, seed each year from a reliable seed merchant, as self-sown <mes. are never so double, and. if they are allo.wed.to go on seeding themselves from year to year on the same "ground they soon rovert to the original scarlet poppy of the cornfields. ... Oriental poppies grow into handsome clumps with their beautiful feathery foliage, and immense flowers borne on long sterna.' Several beautiful shades of salmon have been added to the original scarlet Oriental poppy. ~ • Iceland poppies, with' their, 'dainty, flowers, and delicato shades, aro. indispensable for-.tho garden, and for housedecoration. There are many other beautiful varieties of poppy. . Poppies like a well-drained, sandy soil, and, to. .attain their full beauty, a soil that has been well enriched with decayed inaiiure. Where animal manure cannot bo procured,' bonedust at the rate of : _2oz; to the square yard should be pricked into the surface soil just before .sowing tho seed. As a rule poppies are sown where thoy are to grbw, afterwards being thinned out-.to ono foot apart each way, to allow room for full development. Iceland poppies and double Shirley poppies liiay be- transplanted. Poppies like a sunny position.'- 1 . VEGETABLES. Sow where necessary, seeds of radish, lettuce, shorthorn carrot, turnip (early snowball), peas, broad beans, parsnips, cabbage, cauliflower, and . onions. , Sow only when .the'-' ground is friable. Conr tinue planting potatoes. Get tho whole vegetable garden in nice order, and ready for seed-sowing and planting. . Leeks may lie sown iiow, either in pans for transplanting, or in the trenches .where they are to be grown. The latter method is the easier. Dig out a shallow, but , fairly wide, trench, and fill .in with three or four inches of rich soil. ,Jnst before sowing the seed top-dress witli superphosphate' (loz. to lyd.,. run). As soon as the plants are big enough thrn out to six inches apart. Earth up tho plants as they grow. Constant loosening < of the soil with the hoe, and copious sup- ■ plies of water, and, later-on. liquid manure, are .necessary to grow leeks successfully. -.. . . ' : . . ' ' Celery may be sown now in pans ready for transplanting into trenches, later on. The pans for the' Beed should be filled with rich compost, and 6liould be. shallow —not more than four to six inches deep. • • Celery needs to be grtwn without check right from'the start, and to prevent this* j •the seed is sowii in shallow pans to. encourage the plants to make fibrous roots instead of a "tan root.' Plants with fibrous foots; suffer far less' in transplant-, ing than those with tap. roots. The trenches for celery, should be dug out to a depth of ono;. foot. Into the bottom of the trench' dig several inches of wellrotted animal manuro. Then add . about six inches of earth, , and .thoroughly mix ■it with the. manure. - .In ..place of.- the animal inariure bonedust may bo used, mixing it with the .soil in tho trench at the rate of four ounces to a running yard. Before transplanting, the seedlings add about two inches/of fine soil, and dust the surface with! superphosphate. The seedlings when planted out should from* eight inches apart. . Abundance of water and liquid manuro should be supplied as growth continues. ' Garden Notes next week will, contain seasonable notes about pansies, violas, •violets, and vegetables. S . Wrtlb Whitman,'Bret Harte, and Mark Twain all began their careers as compositors. " ~\ To'all Public Speakers and Singers "NAZOL" ,is Keeps' the throat clear of phlegm and in perfect condition. Sold everywhere. Is. 6d. buys 60 doses—Advt. —