THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 19062, 3 October 1925, Page 22

THE GARDEN

Oar contribute;, a well-known gardener, will bo glad to answer questions, which must bo received not later than Tuesday of each week. Adverttseiaaiiiß for this column must be handed in to the office before 2 p.m. on Friday.

WORK FOR THE SPRING THE VEGETABLE GARDEN The work of hoeing and raking among growing crops is of great importance at this season. _ Slugs and other such pests are held in check by this work, weeds are kept down, and the plants stimulated into growth. It is almost impossible to work the surface soil too much whilst the ground is workable and not wet. Potatoes that are pushing through the ground should have the soil drawn over them until all danger of frosts is past. Plant main crop varieties now according to requirements. Take care not to plant with too many eyes on them. Two or three at most will be better, and will give greater returns in the crop than if more eyes are allowed. The reason is that too much top causes them to swell for want of light and air. In these conditions a satisfactory return is Eighteen inches in the row and 2ft din from row to row will suit main-crop kinds. Plant cabbages and cauliflowers. Make chief sowings of broccoli, particularly the late kinds, such as late queen, lily white, and winter mammoth. A sowing of Brussels sprouts should be made now. Give them rich soil and plenty of room. Lato kinds of cabbage should bo sown now for autumn use.

dress your lawn, although I should not advise the use of a lot of soil so late. Bather use much less soil well mixed with artificial manure. Use fine soil and mix in with it a liberal dusting of bono meal and superphosphate. Mix well; then spread it over the surface evenly and rake it in lightly with an iron rake, and, when dry, roll it. H.C. SAVING THE SEEDS One should be on the look-out for the first seedlings of both sweet, floral, and culinary peas to protect them from thoir greatest enemy, the bird, and there are several ways of balking them of their favorite meal of the sweet malted seed leaves. The reason both birds and insects are so keen after peas in their first stages of growth is because the sweetness whicli is in that tiny bit of yeast-liko substance contained in every good seed starts fermenting when the seed is placed in soil in congenial weather, and is still in tbo first, or seed leaves, and makes them a most toothsome dish. Now, the gardener’s object is to protect seedling peas until the second leaves have formed and the malted sweet loaves are fading, then the crop will be safe, for the second leaves are much like any other greenery. 1 have absolutely no faith in strings of fluttering bits of rag or paper as a protection against birds. Jf people will only take, the trouble to cover entirely tho rows until the seedlings have lost thoir sweet attraction, one need not lose a single plant. The woman who is not a keen gardener herself may help a man thus much by running together _ any old lengths of muslin and gathering them into a curtain ring at both ends to slip the rings over little pronged pieces of wood at the end of tho pea rows. There should also be little stakes placed here and there along tho rows to keep the material from being quite on the ground, and if it is saturated with rain it should be removed and dried and replaced as quickly as possible. And, after all danger is past ns regards the birds, one must give support to the crops ns quickly as convenient, and not only the support of the big sticks, but the little bushy twigs to which they will cling to help them upwards to tho sticks, otherwise they will lie on the ground .to ho devoured by slugs. Let it be quite understood that one cannot have good sweet peas or good fi-Jl-the-pot peas without considerable trouble, and the go-as-you-please gardener should leave them severely alone, and so should the keen gardener who lias little time for tho hobby. And for the gardener who is overgenerous with food lor her plants, remember that both peas and beaus collect a good deal of nitrogen for themselves in those queer little nodules you find on their roots, and there is no surer way of ruining tho crop than to give rich manure of any sort uiteil pods have formed and roots are well developed. As the vines grow, nip out the top shoots, which never bear very good pods, but which take up a lot of food which should go to the lower shoots bearing the first pods. PLANNING A GARDEN It has lately been my great happiness to be of a little use to two friends making now gardens right in the country (states Mrs E. Bennett; F.8.H.5., in ‘Homo Chat’), and it struck mo how lacking they were in ideas in planning their gardens on the right lines, ; although they both have a great knowledge of plants. My contention is that the farther a garden is away from a town the more one should try to make a special feature of an enclosed Hutch or other type of formal garden. Such an enclosed garden must bo built up on artificial fines, and, maybe, filled with plants widen originally came from other countries. To make my meaning quite clear, one of my friends has planted several Japanese trees and flowering shrubs in a portion of her garden flint, apart from the trees and their immediate surround of bare soil, is grass laud, I but to me they look very out of place. I think it would have been better planning to have planted the same Kind of trees as those which grow in the vicinity, such as copper beeches, maples, hawthorns, and maybo a walnut tree or two. . If one is making a new garden in a suburb, that is quite another matter. A town or suburban garden must needs be, in the main, artificial. Here and there a fine tree may have been Jolt untouched by tho builder, but it would not bo in 'bad taste to fill up the ground with some of those delightful flowering Japanese trees and the beautiful Japanese maples with thoir wondrous bronze and green foliage, or any other foreign plants, as such gardens cannot be planned with Nature as a background as can country gardens. Quito a good way to break up flat ground of great dimension is to enclose part of it with a yew, holly, beech, or mixed hedge, .arid to plan tho enclosed spot on formal lines. There might bo a broad grass central path, or a central path of crazy stqnos, having a circle of stone in the middle and a sundial, or there might be sunken beds with trailing rock plants planted in the above sod. _ Another mistake I noticed in both these new gardens ivas that divisional hedges of nuts and golden privet had been planted on level ground instead of in a hank of soil. If such hedges are planted in raised ground one gets a ranch hotter effect that when formed on level soil. Although all planting must be loft until the autumn, it is imperative that the maker of a new garden should have some very definite ideas how the plot is to be planned. If work is carried out in a haphazard ■way there is sure to be confusion Inter on, and maybe the unnecessary moving of soil and plants, BRINGING SPRING INDOORS Hava you ever noticed how many of the first spring flowers are yellow, the sunshine color—blooming just at the season when we pine more than anything else for sun? (asks Mrs F. Bennett, F.R.H.S., in a Home journal). It’s a providential arrangement, for yellow flowers are as effective as yellow walls in creating the illusion of a bright, hopeful day. Daffodils may be cut at many different heights and placed in the wire meshes of a rose bowl. This variation of the lengths of tho stems is a point to remember when arranging most cut flowers. It is particularly successful j when they are placed in wire or glass 1 supports. Choose tho wire for preference, as I the relatively small holes of the glass crush such fleshy stems as those of daffodils and tulips. Have you tried tiro or three golden “ daffs ” cut of!' at the flower heads and floated in a delicately-tinted green or blue bowl? The effect is ethereally lovely. But avoid a black bowl in this case; it is too heavy-looking for such fragile things as daffodils. Another plan when blossoms are very few—either daffodils or any other comparatively large flpwers—is to put them into, a tall, slender vase, and |tand this J**’-

Many seeds have failed to come through the ground owing to the cold and the excessive moisture. Where this has happened lose no time in making fresh sowings; but not until tho son is sufficiently dry to work ireely.

Herbs of various kinds, suck as parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, ami others generally used for culinary use may be sown on beds in warm, well-pulverised soil, for transplanting later on. Savoys for late autumn and winter use should be sown now. Vegetable marrows can be sown now in well-prepared trenches. Dig out the soil 2ft wide and 12in to 18iu deep. Fill this with fresh stable manure, covering it with Gin to 9in of soil —sandy ana turf loam preferred. In two or three days sow the seed iu clumps 3ft apart. When the seeds are well up thin out to two—one to go clown on either side of the ridge. A sunny warm, sloping border is very suitable for ■ marrow-growing. _ As the young plants are very tender, it is advisable to knock the bottoms ont of small boxes and place these over each clump of seed, and place a square of glass over them' to give light and warmth. Remove the glass tops as soon as the plants are sufficiently strong to stand exposure and after all danger of frosts is past. THE FLOWER GARDEN

Thin out hardy annuals from autumnsown seed and transplant perennials and other hardy plants as they become sufficiently strong. Many of the half-hardy annuals may he sown now, without misgiving, in the open border, providing the soil and situation are favorable. The soil for sowing tender or half-hardy annuals outside should ho made fine and fairly rich. Nemesia, lenum rubruru,_ salpiglossis, schizauthus, and others, including the hardy kinds, such as coreopsis, mignonette, sunflowers, poppies of the Shirley aim other type may be sown with safety. Take care that the tall varieties, such as sunflowers, are sown at the back so as not to obstruct the view of the dwarf kinds. These may he sown in drills or clumps, as taste demands, but always according to the height of each variety, or the general effect will he lost. Sweet peas should he planted out from early or winter-sown seed 'under glass immediately they are strong enough and properly hardened off outside. Some people pinch out the points of the plants at planting. This, I think, is a mistake. Plant them, and when they are well established and Gin iu height pinch out the points. Then they will break out stronger. Make sowings of fresh seed to give flowers for successional cutting. Carnations.—Make sowings of these. Any time from now will bo suitable for planting, and if the seed has been saved from first-class sorts very fine flowers will bo produced from these next season. At least a good percentage will turn out well, and for nuautity_ of bloom they quite excel those raised from cuttings or layers. Now that the heavy frosts are past those planted out iu the autumn should he looked over and the soil made firm about them. Gladiolus. —Where these are still to be planted no timo should be lost in getting them in. A good idea _ when planting a valuable kind is to dig out the soil with a trowel and placo_ some wood ashes or powdered charcoal in the bottom for the bulbs to rest upon. This not only arts as a storeroom for plant food, hut is a preventive against bulbs being attacked by wireworm. Dahlias that are showing signs of growth should be planted into their flowering quarters. Chrysanthemums that have still to ho lifted, divided, and replanted should be got in at once, otherwise they had better remain undisturbed. Plant out those that are well rooted from earlystruck cuttings, making the ground firm about them. Pot on those required for pot work as soon as the smaller pots are full of roots. Lawns should ho kept regularly mown from now on. They should have a thorough good rolling to firm the soil about the roots and put a nice smooth finish to them. The best timo to roll lawns is just after rain, when the surface soil is sufficiently dry not to stick to the roller. Lift daisies and other weeds from lawns whilst the soil is soft and before they have an opportunity to cast their seeds. Now is a good time to, renovate the rockery, to thoroughly clean it from weeds, and to trim back those strong growers which are inclined to trespass upon their weaker and fragrant neighbors. Top-dress those which aro showing any signs of exhaustion. Renovate and replant pockets where it is desirous of a change. Replace old and exhausted soil with ‘good fresh loam. A dusting with hono meal will he found beneficial both in the new soil and worked into the soil about the roots of established plants. ANSWERS “Leaf Mould.”—There is always a danger when collecting leaf mould from the oush that, instead of it being leaf mould, it is a mass of rotted wood which contains great quantities of fungoid matter. This is very injurious to plant life. It is far better to use more turfy loam with a little fresh horse droppings and sand than to risk the use of bush mould. The turf you refer to would be just the thing for pot plants, provided it is sufficiently rotted. Stack it in a square heap, grass side down, and in two or three months it will be quite usable. So long as the roots of the grass are dead it will be quite all right. Chop it down from the stack in slices as required. Turfy loam is always better broken up with the hands than chopped up with a chopper or spado. The soil is always more friable and better for plants; or it may be rubbed through a coarse sieve. “Lawn.”—Yes, you may still top-

WOIRK FOR THE WEEK.

on a round mirror—one with a bevelled edge if possible.. This makes a delightful table decoration,'and tbo duplication of the blooms in the glass gives them quite a numerous air. There are no handsomer nr more graceful flowers to be had than tulips. Let their thick and beautilully curving grey-green stems have a wide-necked and not too tall vase. 1 don’t care for glass vases m a rule, but they are ideal for tulips, for through their transparent sides the exquisite stems can be seen. Got single tulips whenever you can; they are so iuuch more effective than double ones. Don’t be too conventional in placing your flowers; flowers themselves don’t grow by line and pattern. When flowers are none too plentiful it is <a mistake often made to scatter them in several vases in different parts of tho room. Actually a massing of the blooms gives them far more value. i THE WATTLE AUSTRALIA’S FLORAL EMBLEM. At the present time tho banks of rivers and crocks are ablaze with wattle (states the Melbourne ‘Age’). Its delicate fragrance fills the air, and not only tells tho passerby that spring is hero, but calls to every instinct which affects the heart with that home-loving sentiment from which national pride and loyalty spring. Of recent years no trees have received, and deservedly so, so much attention from flower lovers as the acacias. In speaking of flower lovers, those vandals who make annual excursions to the native habitat of the flower, ruthlessly tear its branches to the ground, and then drag its golden beauty in the dust of their motor cars, are not included. It is apt that this golden land should have as its national floral emblem tliis_ golden flower, as over 400 species are indigenous to Australia, of which nearly seventy are found native in Victoria. This is a decided advantage, as with judicious selection varieties may be planted all over the State with assurance of their ultimate success. Showing considerable variation in form and size, some being very tall, wide-spreading trees, others low, almost trailing bushes and shrubs only a few inches from the ground, the variety of uses they may be put to in ornamental gardening is almost unlimited. Although belonging to tho_ same family as the mimosas, the acacias are a distinct genus, and are in many countries wrongly termed mimosas. There are no mimosas in Australia. Acacias have many distinctive features, both in form of foliage and flower, and due consideration must bo given to this lact when they are planted for purely ornamental purposes. The form of foliage may bo placed in two groups, tho one having feathery, fern-like foliage, and the other elongated or rounded leaves, which are actually continuation of the leaf stalks, and are known as phylodes. Wattles are prolific bloomers, producing abundant crops of flowers, and these, like the leaves, may ho divided into two groups, the first bearing rounded beads or balls of flower, and the second round, elongated spikes. Many shades of color occur, varying from the pale cream, as in the blackwood (acacia melauoxylon), to the deepest golden yellow of the golden wattle (acacia pyenaulta). It,is maintained that wattles are riot good garden occupants, as they are far too short lived, but if care he taken to prevent attack from timber borers, and the trees aro pruned carefully when they have finished flowering, they should form valuable features for many

years. By a judicious selection varieties may lie planted which will make a good display throughout the greater part of the year, and if in some locations they arc short'lived they may he so easily raised from seed, and grow so rapidly, that their replacement is not a difficult matter. The following varieties are all amenable to garden cultivation The Cootamnmlra wattle (A. Bailoyana) is too well known to warrant description, and is the first to bloom, ushering in the spring, and is so widely planted already that it is a common feature in gardens throughout the State. Were a plebiscite to be taken of the most popular wattle, and the most beautiful, the golden wattle CA. pyonanlta) would easily secure pride of place. Its golden halls, by far the largest of all, are produced in such masses as to almost obscure the foliage, and this factor, combined with its intense golden coloring, makes a largo area of it in blossom one of the most beautiful sights in Nature. The perfume is so heavy and overpowering that to some persons it is objectionable, but this is the only blemish—if blemish it may ho called—to ho found in an otherwise perfect Jlowor. It grows from 20ft to 40ft, and is in flower from August to October. As a specimen tree on lawns, pride of place must bo given to Acacia Elata, the cedar wattle of New South Wales. Attaining a height of from 60ft to SOft, with reddish brown hark and dark, glossy green foliage, it has, apart from the excellence of its blossom, a character and distinctiveness all its own. Acacia dealbata, the silver wattle, is the wattle which at the present makes veritable golden ribbons of our creeks and river banks, With its dark bine stems, feathery foliage, and light, fluffy, charming flowers, borne in dense clusters, it is an object for admiration, and many superb specimens, attaining heights of from 80l't to 100 ft, are to bo seen. It likes a somewhat moister position than other varieties, but is quite hardy. Acacia Normalis, the normal variety of the black wattle, Acacia Decurreus, is more generally known as the Queen wattle of New South Wales. Originally introduced for the production of bark for tanning purposes, it has now spread so that it is almost a native. It flowers from August to September, grows to a height of from 10ft to 20ft, and is easily distinguished hy the reddish-colored lines or ridges on tlie bark and its particularly well-de-fined and beautiful blossom.

Of the dwarf-growing varieties—that is, those not exceeding 20ft in height— A. podylirifolia, the Queensland silver wattle; retinodes, the bold wattle,'and prominens, golden rain wattle, are all beautiful and worthy of cultivation. Of the graceful and artistic forms, A. leprosa (scrub wattle), A. spectabilis (showy wattle), and A. Accola are easily the best. Leprosa is one of the most decorative, but Promineus is very dainty, bears flowers in abundance, and if not required as a specimen tree is valuable for hedge purposes if kept well trimmed. Accola may truly be called the graceful wattle. The two best dwarf shrubby wattles are A, acinacem, synonymous with Latrobeii (Governor Latrobe’s wattle) and A. myrtifolia. The* former is very deep in color, with a delicious fragrance, and the habit of growth is symmetrical. It is easily trimmed to shape, and makes an excellent border plant, and is not particular as to situation, growing either in shade or full sunlight, on hard, poor soil, or on clay banks. Myrtifolia, the myrtle-leaved acacia, is a fine type of the low bush form, but the flowers are somewhat pale in color. Other dwarf varieties worthy of cultivation are biexifolia, the box-leaved acacia; nerifolia, oleander-leaved; aspera roughleaved Howettii and dodanifoliah Cultriformis and ravissima are both excellent types, the former with long, flattened phyllodes, and the latter with

curiously-shaped wedge-like phyl lodes of a very deep silvery-grey color. Other varieties, of which limitations of space forbid a description, but which should be in every representative collection, are Saligna, finibriata, and longifolia floribunua. Although the blossoms are of a transitory nature, they are extremely beautiful, and are essentially Australian, standing for the absent native-born Australian as home, country, kindred, and sunshine, and it should be a sacred charge to every Australian to preserve, protect, and cherish them.