GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2976, 13 January 1917, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

V — (By "Kov.-iiai,") Correspondents are nnliliod tlisil. .110 replies to queries rim lip furuiHlicd until February 3rd. i SWOT WILLI A.MS. When visiting tlio IJuuediii Botanical Gardens recently, I saw ;i very pood bed of sweet willinms. Tl'.o pl.nit.s woro vol I grown, and boro great; trusses of 111 ryesized flowers. The bed was a blaze of brilliant colour, and the scout from (lie flavors was, in the warm sunshine, intensely fragrant. Pink, salmon, scarlet, crimson, otc., shades wero growing in Ijold groups, and wero made to harmonizo by frequent largo groups of pure white. ■Ono of tho greatest drawbacks to 010 popularity of sweet Williams is tho common practice of buying a packet of mixed seed containing purple and magenta shades that refuse to Wend with tho other shades in tho packet. It is so much, better to buy a few good shades in separate packets—shades that will blond and make 11 beautiful bed. Xll sweet Williams there aro such lovely colours to choose from—beautiful shades of salmon, palo pink, rose, scarlet, rich, velvety red, and pure white. Then there are what are called tho auricula-eyed sweet .Williams. Theso all havo a clearly defined whito eye. Sweet Williams look very fino when they aro grown in big clumps of only one shade. A solitary plant is rather insignificant, but a bold group arrests the attention of everj'ono. As the plants aro rather, low-growing, they aro suitable for placing in the front of a mixed herbaceous 'border. The plants in tho group should be given plenty of room, and if they 'have a sunny position, and wellprepared soil, to which <1 little bonedust and road jjril; Lave l)een added, they will send lip thick strong flowering stems crowned with hugo trusses of showy and sweet-scented flowers. Tho perfume of sweet willinms is one' of tho most delightful in the garden. The plants will come up faithfully year after year, and yield a plentiful supply of blooms without exacting any very special attention from the gardener. When tho plants become too crowded, they should bo lifted, and strong young pieces should bo roplanted, leaving tho old plants to bo turned into ashes in tho rubbish fire. If-seeds are sown now, the plants will havo a chance to become fairly largo bofore the flowering season—next spring— or se«s may lie 60wn in tho autumn. In the house, too, sweet williums look best when massed. A fairly large bowl filled with the floweTS of Sutton's Pink Beauty or Sutton's Sria.rlet Beauty is ,1 gorgeous sight. ■ The' salmon shades too, blend splendidly, and make a delightful bowl of flowers. Sweet williams have not the popularity they deserve. Their easy cultivation, their beautiful colours, and their delightful fragrance, entitle them to a placo in every garden. GIPSOPHILA. When cutting gypsophila for drying, tho flowers should be fully opon and tho sterna rather wiry. Remove tho leaves, tio tho flowers into bunches, and suspend them, head downwards, from the coiling of a, cool room. Statice (sea lavender) and everlasting daisies should bo cut when the flowers aro half open, and dried in tho same .way as gypsophila. SWINGING. The present-day craze for motoring is the despair of tho amateur gardoiicr who lives on a main road or in a street. Given a few fine days, ovory car or cycle that passes raises a cloud of dust wiieh falls and settles 011 one's cherished plants, covering leaves and flowers with a fino white powder. TJndor suoh conditions, it becomes necessary to syringo or liosethe plants with clear water on tho evening of every hot, dry day. Plants cannot be healthy if they are covered with dust, and tho growth must bo slow and stunted. Plants derive much of their nourishment from tho gases present in tho atmosphere, and if their pores aro choked withl dust they aro forced into tho position of depending almost entirely ,on their roots for nourishment. For cleaning plants I really prefer a syringo to a. hose, but it. must bo used-,, correctly..... Pill the syringe with clear water from a bucket, but do not empty the barrel at one push. It should be emptied by a series of short sharp pushes. Cleanse both sides of the leaves, but do not use such force i as to bruise them. TJIO short, sharp push clcansesr without bruising. The plants soon freshen up after tho dust has been-washed off them, and are'able to absorb nourishment from the atmosphere until the next day's procession of I vehicles again rodnces them to a state of dust and discomfort. ROUTINE WORK. . Tie plants to neat, uno.btrusiv© stakes as they grow. Don't wait till they grow and fall to tho ground : before tying thorn up. The mischief is done by that time and tho true beauty of tho plant spoilt. One so ofton sees unhappy plants that have been allowed to, sprawl on the ground, and are then tied up with string or rope to an uglj stake.. The top of the plant is generally tied very tightly to tho stako, while tho bottom of it bulges out in a very ungraceful manner. Tho flowers, needless to say, aro scarcely seen, for they are crowded together against the stake. One needs to use a little thought iii ckoosipg' the stakes for _ different plants. A carnation, for instance, does not require a long, thick stake that would be more suitable for sweet peas, Yet unfortunate plants aro often forced to grow beside stakes whose ugliness they can never hope to hide.' How unhappy they must bo! And what a blot in a garden a cumbersome eta]» can. be! .Hoeing must be strictly attended to in dry .weather. ■ A loose, powdery surface is a great protection to the roots of plants. If sufficient water cannot bo given to plants, it is better to rely upon . almost daily booing. Insufficient watering does' more harm than good. Keep faded flowers picked oIT plants. Tlio new flowers soon beco.mo small and poor unless the faded ones are removed. VEGETABLES. SAVING SEED TOTATOES. The best time to select tubors for seed is just before tho naulm begins to turn, colour. Tlio tubers Bliould bo taken from those Toots, that liavo the greatest number of largo well-sSiiapcd potatoes. Nevor choose for seed' potatoes those that aro badly shaped, those. that como from a weak root (that is, a root that bears very few and vory small potatoes), or those from roots that have 6hown any signs of disease. Tho selected tubers should bo sproad out in a cool, dry placo to "green." Tho skin then boconies hard, and tho potatoes so treated aro less liable to be attacked by disease. Storo tho seed tubers in shallow boxes in a cool, dry slicd, wliero they will bo exposed to a fair amount of light. MARROWS AND PUMPKINS. Tho vines of marrows and pumpkins are now spreadiug over tho ground very quickly: very necessary to keep them'free from all weeds to allow the sun and tlio air freo access to them. After a liot, dry. day tho leaves should bo syringed with clear water during tho ovening. Water that lias been exposed to the sun for a fow liours is tho best to use for washing plants. Water that is drawn straight from a well is generally very cokl, and, if used straight away, gives tho plants such a shock thaiit is apt to cause a check. Those who aro obliged to uso pump.water should draw it in tho morning, and allow it to stand all day in tubs, buckets, keroseno tins, etc., in the sunshine. Vines tlwt are making rank growth and vory little fruit should have their tips pinched off to cause them to throw out laterals. The laterals will generally bear fruit freely. CABBAGES. Keep a sharp lookout for tho eggs of the cabbage butterfly during dry, warm weather. Look especially 011 the undorsides of tho leaves. Wash tho leaves thoroughly by frequently syringing with clear water. It destroys the eggs before they can hatch out. CELERY. Celery seedlings' may still bo planted out. Tho young plants need to be kept shaded from tlio hot sun for a fow days. They must bo watered very evening, and should have ■ their leaves sprayed .with

water bolli morning and evening. Plants that arn already established need plenty of waler also, and as soon a.s they b<v gin to grow, very weak liq 11 id iminuro should be applied once a week. Tim Mreiiglh ot' I.he manure may bo increased as (lie plants grow. I Quarter of an ounce of nitrate of soda in one gallon of water, and soot, water may be used for celery alternately ouco a week. d Garden Notes next week will contain I peaponablo uotofi about: Dahlias, routino 1- worli, and vegelahles.