GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 64, 8 December 1917, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

(By "Kowhai.")

SWEET SCABIOUS. Tho flowers o£ tho sweet • scabious, (pincushion flower) are now in tho firet Ilußh of their beauty. They will brighten our gardens for many months to come, and provide us with a wealth of long-stommcd' dainty flowers. Tho colours of tho improved varieties are very beautiful, one of tlio beet being Azure Fairy, a very dainty palo blue flower. . Then there are pure white, primrose yellow, cherry red, dark red, and pink. AU the varieties are well worth growing. They do equally well in all climates, they flower over a louf period, and their colours are bright and attraotive. Theirs is not a scent'that pervades the garden; it cornea to you delicately as you wander along the pardon paths. As tho plants flowor bo generously they must be treated well. A mulch of well-rotted manure and "a' good watering: now and asaln are what thoy enjoy, but failing this a; little boncdust nuv- be pricked into tho soil round tho plants. A 1 good -watering should then be giy6n, and a mulch 'of grass or some eu«h material placed about the plants.' ■.'.During the flowering season dend flewors should '■ bo promptly removed lt&t they' form seed, po'del Staking and tying up must also be attended to. Thq'branches of-, the plants are very, brittle, and are eaeily" broken down by wind. . ■. . ROUTINE WORK. •- . Narcissi, hyacinth, and tulip bulba that are to bo lifted this year should now be attended to. Spread thorn out 'on shelves or a shed floor for a fow <Jaye to dry, and then store them away in boxes, teatine, or any available receptacles. Tako oare that tho label bearing tho name is •put in with each variety,- 'As soon: as the biilb'e 'are' lifted,'- tho, ground- ehonld bo deeply dug, and a quantity ■ of decayed vegetation and a dressing of boneduet worked in. There are many beautiful bedding plants that may bo used to fill the eirpty spaces in the bordor. Salvia, heliotrope, pelarganiume, pentstemons, antirrhinums, calceolarias, verbenas, ten-week stocks, asters, salpiglossis, French or African mangoldß, corfmos, etc., may all be planted, and young plants may be:obtained now from manynurseryyman. Another plan js to make a bowing of asters, to follow thoso that are already planted out from seed-pans. The plants .from this late sowing are often more successful than thOßo planted out earlier in the Benson. For ono thing the sodl and the air are' so warm that the Beedllngß grow on without cheok. Tho ground should be doely dug, and should have some welldco'ayod vegetation or animal mantire worked into it. It should then ,bo made quite firm, and should be thoroughly watered. Aβ "Boon ae the soil is in good working condition again, sow the seed very thinly, wo'rking in at the same- time a dreseing of bonedust. Just cover the seed with sandy soil and epread somo light litter, euch as dead pea haulm, over each patoh. Aβ the ecedlings grow they should be thinned out to the required distance apart. As asters are surface rooters, they must" not be* allowed to eufler from drought. Also, as they are hardy little subjectß, they must not bo coddled. 'A good variety to sow juet now is Sutton s Southcote Beauty. The plants branch well, and the large single flowers contain many beautiful shades. Empty spaces, especially in a sunny garden, may be eßectively filled by sowing mignonette and phlox drummondii in them. The eamo preparation of tho soil 6hould be made: as for asters. , , In a shady border a sowing of pansy seed may be made. The little plants will flower in the autumn, and if cut back early in the winter . will make a groat show in the spring. Dig in beforehand, if possible, plenty of thoroughly rotted animal manure. • . Michaelmas daisies are,growing so fast , that they already need staking. Pull the outside branches well out, and train each bush into a natural and graceful shape. ' If chrysanthemums hava not already been pinched, they should be attended to now. As soon as the new growths are about six inches long they, too, shoulff be pinched, and the plants ehould then make a good display of flowers in tho autumn garden. . , Hoeing must be done every, day, if possible. The subsoil has 'had a enlondid soaking this.!.winter,- and it is now our business to keep the moisture there for tho roots of plants to use, arid' not to allow it to ovaporatc. If tho surface soil is allowed to cake and crack, evaporation quickly takes place. It Is by keeping a surface soil mulch/always in good order that wo help to keep tho. moisture. in.This can only be done 1 by constant ' hoeing. Onco the subsoil is thoroughly moist, a soil-mulch made by conetant hoeins is better tnan any artificial mulch. For with the latter we cannot stir 'the CBofl, and it is apt to become hard under the/mulch. Where hoeing oannot be regularly done, however, the artificial mulch is a great help to plants. • At all costs keep the soil from becoming hard and cracked, and endeavour to allow your plants to reap tho benefit of the thorough wlntor soaking the Boil has had....... ~ ~.,. .. . ~ .; " Pick dead flowers off geraniums, nanslcs, 'viblais, sweet: "peas;"etc.- Give ; weak liquid manure to plants that arc flowering, alwaya applying it after a good watering. Carnation plants should not bo given animal manure. The best manure for them is a prepared oarnation fertiliser. Lillums and dahlias like a dressing of half-rotted manure. Keep the soil loose about dahlias, but do not fork round those liliums that make a aet of flowering rooi» just below the surface of tho 8011. The following varieties make these roots:—Auratum, Batemanii, Brownii, Oroclum, Elegans, Hansoni, Henryi, Krameri, .Loiig , '- forum, Speciosum, and Tierinum. Aβ -soon as. the first crop of roses is over, the plants may be given a dressing of superphosphate'/of lime— 4oz. to square yard—either before a shower of rain, or before a good watering. Afterwards,. Btir the soil with. 5 a- hoe as soon as it is dry enough. . Established plants of climbing roses, such as Dorothy Perkins, etc., should .be fed with litjuid manure made from cow manure and soot.

SINGLE. CHRYSANTHEMUMS. When planting out rooted, outtines or chrysanthemums I flhd it a good plan to save tho surplus ones, especially of sirgle varieties, and kocp them growing on in the cutting bed. When the bulbs are lifted in December, these rooted cuttings may be transferred', to many empty spaces. If lifted -with a good ,ball of soil, and ulanted at once in prepared holes, the plants will not feel the move at all. In fact, they are imprpvod by it, for their roots Boon penetrate into the newly-prepared soil. They should bo given a good watering as soon as they are moved, and some grass should b,e spread round "them to keen the soil moist till vit is' safe to hoe it. Single chrysanthemums.make such a show in tho autumn' garden that I like to crowd thorn in wherever space affords.- If the plants are carefully staked and sparingly disbudded, they are Wonderfully effective when in flower. ~v ■ .' ' • ..

VEGETABLES. ■ ":' : PLANTING OUT- CELERY. The .trenches should be. dug out to a depth of,ono foot.'Some well-rotted manure should be dug into the bottom of the 'trench. About six inches of earth should then" bo returned, and some bonedust (about 4oz. to the running' yard) should be thoroughly, mixed with it. If the treuches are made only a' short time before transplanting takes place, the soil should be inade firm by being trampled upou. Celery does better when grown in firm soil. Before transplanting the seedlings, add to thc'trench two inches of very fine soil. A slight dressing of soot may also be added.. Plant the seedlings about six or eight inphes apart. Shade from the hot sun for a''few days, and sprinkle the plants with water morning and evening. As soon as'growth has well started, liquid manure should bo supplied. .

" SALADS. ' ' ' . ■ Lettuces and radishes should be sown at regular intervals to keep up the supply of salads that are so acceptable during summer. These, crops." must be grown quickly to be nice. In sowing seed in dry weather, certain precautions must bt. , taken, or the resultant cr'6pn will run to seed instead , of developing into edible vegetables. The seed should if possible be sown in the shade, aud the ground must be thoroughly drenched with water some hours before the sowing takes place. If «aml can )je mixed with the soil so n'uoh the better. The seeds should be just covered with fine soil; and should then be covered with aoihe light litter, such as tse dry- haulm of. peae, till the scedliugs are up. Thin out .as soon as the seedlings aru big enough to handle. Then the hoe cornea into use, and daily hoeing, together with watering and feeding, makes .the crops grow quickly. Garden Notes next week , will contaiu seasonable notes about plants for shady borders, routine work, and vegetables. The attention of frnrdeuers and horticulturists is directed to our advertising colnmne, announcing that large quantities of raanuro are for Bale nt Newtown Park al 4s. per load, purchasers to arrange their own cartage. ThiH manure is wejl retted and highly desirable for garden purposes.