The flower Garden. 
Pot SECO] 
©perations for April. 
Now is the time to plan and make any 
necessary alterations. There are few gar- 
dens in which perfect form has been at- 
tained, and there are few who fully realise 
what an important part form plays in the 
garden landscape, and that the graceful 
curves and sweeps of lawn and border are 
as satisfying in a sense as color. Every 
year should see some improvements made 
in this respect, another stage reached in 
the progress towards perfection. Besides 
effective and harmonious grouping of tree 
and shrub we undoubtedly want grace of 
outline—contour; and we want variety. 
We have had the whole summer in which 
to scan the garden features in the plenti- 
tude of bloom and leafage; we have had 
the opportunity to observe what it is, and 
to paint a mental picture of what it should 
be. Here is a straight line or an ugly 
angle that wants correcting. In another 
place perhaps there is monotony of forms ; 
the border wants deepening and throwing 
out here and there. Yonder the lawn 
must sweep into’ the border, and so on 
until the right effect is produced. Or 
maybe. we crave for change, and would. 
alter the design as we vary the color every 
year. The garden is plastic in the hands 
of a skilful designer. He alters a few 
lines, converts a portion of lawn into bor- 
- der, and border into lawn, and a transfor- 
mation is effected. We have only to vary 
our scheme in planting the herbaceous 
plants and summer annuals to make it still 
more complete. If a garden is well de- 
signed in the first instance with a minority 
of paths, an absence of angles, and the 
utmost made of its space there can be no 
end to the variationg of which it is capable. 
There are few perhaps who haye such a 
craving for variety, but at the same time 
there is a great advantage in these experi- 
ments and continual alterations, for the 
happiest effects are often obtained by 
chance. Every day Nature’s great garden 
and our neighbor’s gardens have some sug- 
gestion to offer us, and if we are not wise 
enough to register these hints “where every 
day we turn the leaf to read them,” and 
apply them at the first opportunity, we 
are no true gardeners. 
Now, then, is the time to make our plans 
and to put them into execution, before the 
autumn rains make the work impossible 
and cause a delay. Peg out your outlines, 
and in forming curves the amateur cannot 
do better than seek the assistance of the 
garden hose, for, with its supple substance, 
it readily falls into the graceful curves 
one has in one’s mind. Avoid insignifi- 
cant turns and twists, let the curves be 
bold, free, and easy. Aim at broad effects, 
and avoid petty details. Where a large 
lawn is to be treated it should not be cut 
up into numerous little flower beds of ela- 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
APRIL I, 1903. 
borate design. Let larger beds occupy 
the space towards the verge of the lawn, 
and let these be just sufficiently large and 
just sufficiently varied to break up what 
might be a monotony of green. That 
sward and flower bed may delightfully 
mingle, and the eye catch glimpses of 
smooth lawn between and beyond. 
beds may be formed in the shape of S's, 
concave and convex crescents, and similar 
designs with bold, free curves throwing 
out an occasional arm far into the sward. 
But let there be no confusion of lines or 
undue encroachments on the lawn to de- 
stroy the sense of spaciousness, of generous 
breadth which constitutes its chief charm. 
English grass lawns can be prepared and 
sown this month. The utmost care should 
be taken in the preparation of the soil. 
The ground should be deeply trenched, and 
the subsoil broken up. A good garden 
loam, not necessarily very rich, but con- 
taining a fair proportion of humus, should 
be supplied to a considerable amd equal 
depth all over. This is most important, 
for the lawn is one of the first things to 
show the effects of a dry summer, and if 
supplied with a sufficient body of soil it is 
able to hold more moisture in reserve. A 
perfect level must be provided with the 
aid of a spirit level and other means, and 
ali holes and hollows that may occur should 
be filled up with loam. Sow thickly with 
the best English lawn grass seed procur- 
able, and cover it with a film of light soil 
Roll the lawn before and after sowing, and 
at intervals during subsequent growth. It 
should be kept closely mown, and if this 
is done frequently the mowings may re- 
main to enrich the soil. Other excellent 
fertilisers are wood ashes with a little bone- 
dust or superphosphate intermixed, and an 
occasional top dressing at two yearly in- 
tervals of fine compost. 
The season for tree and shrub planting 
being close at hand, the places to 
receive them should be thoroughly 
prepared. Where the whole of a bed 
or border cannot be trenched and 
the soil renewed a wide, deep hole 
should be dug for the plant right down 
into the subsoil. _ The poorest of the soil 
should then be thrown out, and a well- 
prepared soil substituted. It is an excel- 
lent plan to fill the bottom of the hole 
with succulent green stuff from the rub- 
bish heap. This makes a cool, moist bot- 
tom of gradually decaying vegetable mould 
for the plant. This hole can remain open 
to await the coming of the tree, or can be 
filled up temporarily, and in any case is 
ready when the busy planting season 
arrives. ; 
*~ We advised the sowing of many hardy 
sumnier annuals last month. If this has 
been neglected it should be attended to 
during the present month. The same re- 
marks with regard to deep cultivation 
applies equally to these. The 
greater the depth of humic soil the 
more independent the plants will be 
of surface watering in the summer. It 
is always wise at this season to have a 
good supply of well-rotted manure on hand 
for the purpose of digging in and deepen- 
ing flower borders. T'wo feet of good soil 
The. 
should be the minimum depth all over the 
garden. 
The garden is gradually assuming an 
autumnal appearance. Autumn tints are 
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summer bloom. The wind and heavy rain 
frequently experienced at this season make 
it necessary to tie up and stake many 
plants afresh. Exhausted and _ dying 
plants, w-chered stalks, and all untidy mat- 
ter should be promptly removed to prevent 
that bedraggled, unkempt appearance gar- 
dens too often present at this time of year. 
The Anemone Japonica is one of the glories 
of the autumn. Both the pink and the 
white varieties are quite hardy, increase 
rapidly, and are extremely decorative both — 
for indoor and garden purposes. Michael- 
mas Daisies or the Perennial Aster, be 
sides their soft, nebulous beauty, have also 
the virtue of flowering profusely at this ~ 
season. They are best replanted every 
year after flowering. The roots increase 
rapidly, and a big root will divide into seve- 
‘yal plants. Dahlias should still be making 
a display if the attention we have so often 
urged has been given them. _ Chrysanthe- 
mum, the autumn queen of flowers, should 
now be justifying its title. They are al- 
ways improved, even when only grown for 
garden decoration, by judicious disbud- 
ding. In doing so select the largest and 
most promising of the terminal buds, and 
reduce the side buds. Liquid manure, 
soot water more especially, will intensify 
the color of the flower and give more tone 
to the foliage. 
As May is a favorable month for plant- 
ing and transplanting Roses the ground 
should be thoroughly trenched and drained 
now for their reception. Cuttings of 
many hard-wooded trees and shrubs can be 
taken at this season. Hollyhocks, when 
they have finished flowering, can be cut 
down to within 6 in. of the ground. To 
propagate them the root can be divided or 
cuttings taken off the basal shoots. 
=eecsoeeostaer 
Answers to Correspondents. 
PSeCee > 
“UniEy Park.”—The specimens you 
send are Ferrus profanus, adult and 
nymph form. Regarding them Mr. J. G. 
O. Tepper, F.L.S., writes: “They are said 
t» injure orange-trees by piercing the 
young shoots. Have none myself, so can- 
not speak from experience. Find no 
damage from them in my garden. Natur- 
ally these bugs are predaceous—aphides, 
scales, caterpillars, even their own kind. 
Perhaps when unable to get any meat diet 
they take the vegetable. The chief native 
bush they frequent is the hedge acacia and 
its allies. 
“Rosr.”—Next month will be early 
enough to make your selection. We shall 
be pleased to publish a selection. 
“AUTUMN QurEEN.”—Care should be ex- 
ercised this month in watering Chrysan- 
themums. Those in full bloom will need 
only sufficient to keep the blooms. The 
