GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 114, 7 February 1920, Page 12

GARDEN NOTES

CTly "Kmvhai.")

SPRING-FLOWKUIXG BULBS. It seems no time Bince we dug up our bulbs and tucked them awav in paper bugs on iiico tool shelves for the summer, and yet here we :ira ap:iui round to the lime when we must bring them viit :uiu liPW.ro make itur preparations lor tlio spring borders. 'I here ia a fascination about theee preparations for the. spring thai, thrills one with delight. Whethor it is rhn tlw spring Howera aro exceptionally dainty and alluring, or that when our expectations are mil inert the worst period of the year-win ti-r----will lio behind us, or whether it is that v.-o ure makiUE a fresh start lr.r the con.ins I'ear, there ia a- .distinct charm about puttinc in dumps of damiy narcissi, fragrant hyacinths, flaming tulips, rich blue scilla and inuso.iri, and chaste but daintv snowllakes. Then, too, there ure rove of violets and primroses to bo thought of, patches of. fragrant,, richtoned wallflowers, anemones, auriculas forget-me-nots. "Nice" stocks, and r-11 tlio «arly Bpriug flowers, while a sowing must ho made almost immediately for tlunw nnd rows of early flowering sweet peas. And in addition to all rhis work there U the season of propagating upon lis, and seed sowing, layering, and the taking of cuttings must bo attended to. Truly, the next two months are busy ones for the amateur gardener, but mies fraught with the keenest interest m spite of tha fact that one job jostles another In, were one to stop and think, a seemingly hopeless rush Every second or third year it becomes necessary to lift narcissi bulbs, ll left iu the ground too long bulbs become overcrowded, and unless they have room for full development cannot be i spotted to flower satisfactorily. As a rule bulbs are lifted as soon as the foliage ripens, nnd are slorcd in a coal, dry place till planting time comes round again. But very often the busy amateur gardener has jiot time to lift his bulbs iust then, and ihev are left in tho ground during summer. At the approach of bulb planting time, however, his thoughts turn (r.cti more to the bulbs which ar- s'.ill i waiting it little uccessary attention. the time has now arrived when it is fatal to longer postpone work .imong them, for it ia a well-known fact that the Iti ger j bulbs are in the ground before flower-ing-time the better. They have then time to make strong and plentiful loots which will later be a great support to the flowers to be produced. I Bulbs which haw. been undisturbed Tor two or three years should now be lifted with as little delay as possible. Those that have already started to make roots should be replanted at once. Those thai, arc still dormant and dry way bo exposed to full sunlight 1.0 be warmed through before being replanted. Thorough ripening of the bulbs is necessary for successful flower production. The bulbs that aro being sun-baked should be covered at night, and then replanted next day. , , In the meantime, the ground they are to occupy should be forked oyer, and a supply of leaf-mould or decayed vegetable, rubbish should be thoroughly niixod wi|ji it. Iloncdust at the rate cf fin. to the square yard may he pricked into to the top soil. When planting the l.ulbs on the following day, spread some river sand or fine road grit :.t the lot torn of each hole for the bulbs to rest on, and, if possible*, surround the bulbs with sand heforo covering with earth. Press the earth firmly about the bulbs. Always avoid imixiug- fresh manure with t.ho noil in which bulbs are to be planted. If it is 'used at all it should he dug in well below the bulbs, or a mulch ,of wcllmtlcd manure may ho spread over the surfaco of the soil after the planting is finished. In preparing a new bite for bulbs the following instructions should bo carried out:—Mark out the ''.pace to ho occupied by the bulbs, remove a strip of top soil from one end of the I nib garden, and lay it aside in a (arrow. Mow break up thoroughly the subsoil thus Tcvenlert, and mix with it decayed garden rubbish, or thoroughly rotted stable manure, and plenty of road grit. Heavy clay soils should have coal cinders in addition to plenty of grit. Now remove the top soil from the next strip of garden, *nd ii'acc it on the first strip cf wellworked subsoil. Proceed to treat tlio second «trip of subsoil iu the same way us the. first, was treated, and then placo the top soil from the third strip on it. The last strip of subsoil will he covered by the top soil that is in the barrow. Now work into the whole of the '.op soil somo sand, a little wood asli or rubbish tiro ash, and some leaf soil. For wanuro the following is good:—to. of boncd/st and loz. of sulphate of potash to the square yard. A bed that has been occupied by. bulbs 1 for several years may be treated in the same way. First dig up the bulbs, sort out the largo and the small ones, and spread them out for sun hath '.provided no growth has started). Any that liavo started growth should be covered with damp sand or wood ashes till their garden bed is ready. iWhwt planting bulbs place a layer of silver or river sand for them to rest on, and see that they arc on a frm base. Bulbs dislike standing in cold, stagnant Mater during winter; hence the need for working the subsoil. Bulbs disj like being prodded with Jbo liii'iil fork during weeding operations; hence ;he need for neat marking slicks. Bulbs like leaf mould, sand, and potash, llulbs like to have a long tiuie in which to make their roots; hence the need for early planting. Bulbs that require very early planting are:—Paper white, polyanthus narcissi, crocuses, snowdrops, snowilakes, scillas, hyacinths, grape hyacinths (muscari), and liliuiu candidum. LAYERING. Layering is oi\e of the surest means of propagation, and cjn generally be relied on where cuttings are unsuccessful, tho reason being that, although the branch has been brought in contact with the soil for the purpose of inducine; the iorination of roots, it is still deriving nourishment from the parent plant. At the point where the branch or shoot is to touch the soil a cut is made running it.wnids and then upwards through a juint, or a circular band of bark ia removed. This injury causes a check iu the How cf sap. and a soft callus is then formed from which, later, roots are produced As soon as the cut has been made a small Btone should bo pushed into the opening to prevent healing. The shoot h then securely pegged to the ground, and covered, at the point where the cut has been made, with soil. With the exception of keeping the soil in a uniformly moist condition, no further help is i.uded from the gardener. During the next few weeks many hundreds of plants will be propagated by layering, and gardeners who are anxious to secure new plants of clematis, wistaria, camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias, hydrangeas, honeysuckle, and all soft-wooded shrubs, salvias, heliotrope, carnations, roses, petunias', flowering verbenas, etc., should search their stock for suitable s) oots to layer. As a rule these are shoots near tho ground that are capable of being bent and fastened down, but in some cases it may be necessary to raise the soil to the shoot. For this purpose benzine lius are very useful, and during propagation extra euro must be taken to J>ccp the st.il in the tins moist. Evenwhcro the gardener doe 3 not need more plants for himself, it is i ice to havo ii few spare one 3 in case cf accident, or to give to gardening friends. One of the charms of a true gardener is the ioy of with which he shares hi* beloved plants with others ivho will oe good to them. VEGETABLES^ Continue sowing small supplies of carTot, lettuce, radish, endiue. peas, cabbage, and cauliflower, where necessary. Sever saw seed in very dry ground. 1 irst saturate it with water, anil after sowing, keep the gro»;ul damp by Blinding it with bracken, dead pea haulm, or some si..eb thing. Seedling savoy, cabbage, cauliflower, and celery may still be planted out. First water the ground thoroughly somo hours before planting, lrotect the plants from the hot sun for. a few days. Garden Notes next week will contain seasonable notes about:—Stowing seeds oi perennials, routinu work, and \egetiu;les