4 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER, 
JULY 15, 1903 
ing it may be to ee upon the subject 
of Carnations for flowers in July, we have 
other matters to mention for, the gardener: 
in general who does not specialise.’ rae 
While flowers may be scarce it does not’; 
by any means follow that there is any. lack 
of work. - In fact, work during July is* 
rather abaiibanti if the gardener intends to 
have a show when the ‘days begin. to leng- 
then out and the sun makes life evéry- 
where a little brighter. - The: spade; the... 
hoe, the rake, and the poets ‘knife * ares 
vey 
begn frebly used may be taken. as an mdi. be 
cation that the garden is suffering. While — 
operating in the garden. a good déal’ of in- 
terest can be aroused in reforming the beds. 
Putting in a new path here and ‘there, and 
altering the shape and size of the beds for 
annuals, and planting different varieties in 
beds. 
season, for instance, might now be filled 
with Delphiniums. The change will be 
pleasing and gratifying, and so the altera- 
tions can be going on during this month. 
Where the white Stocks were alter the 
color to blue Lobelia or. to Cornflowers, 
where Sweet Peas were last season climbing 
up a. temporary: affair made of a few. up- 
rights, cross pieces, and strings, shifp.the 
apparatus: to another part of the garden, 
nd put in Calliopsis; and where Antirz- 
Pie stood in a group, with their on- 
tinuous blooming, alter the position by 
lifting them elsewhere, and after ‘turning 
the ground well up and applying a little 
cow manure, plant Nemophila, the prettiest 
and daintiest little plants in creation. Put 
them into circular groups or other fashion- 
ed ideas of plots. The whole business cf 
tramsforming the garden during J uly is the 
simplest matter possible if a little systema- 
tic thought is exercised in conjunction with 
just a little art. For.a brilliant effect, of 
rich red in a small bed or grouped ona 
larger bed few flowers are more attractive 
than the Ranunculus... A good strain of 
double variety never fails to catch the eye, 
and the bed can be kept in bloom for a long 
period by planting the tubers at differing 
depths from 3 to 6 in., so arranged in rows 
that the earlier and more shallow plants do 
not smother the younger or later growths. 
This idea may be new to many gardeners, 
and the experiment regarded as a fad. But 
it has been tried successfully. 
The planting done now is for the beau- 
ties of spring, and while a number of: gar- 
deners are disposed to look upon the-culti- 
vation of annuals as a. bother not worth the 
effort there is no gainsaying the fac’ that 
a garden, whether large or small, looks 
poor without their gaiety. The flowers are 
all well worth the battle against slugs! and 
snails. One word of advice we always take 
pleasure in repeating is that-every gardener 
should plant the best of everything. Good 
and rare plants always give the ‘greatest 
satisfaction, and the cost: is really only a 
minor consideration: - ~And, furthermore, 
good things always repay a little extra: eare 
in. the matter of cultivation. 
ed iron casing. . 
A bed: that contained Pansies last _ 
_Wre- Sillegiie list -of annuals may. be 
planted, out-this month, and séeds:sown:in.:- 
_ boxes for later transplanting. By-the-way, — 
“one | 
. thewhandiest possible methods: of 
+, plant g seeds is to make use of a corrugat- 
Ghese cases can be picked 
4 ap. for mere’ song, id wall be found most 
serviceable, 3 wwhet= ‘divided 1 Be avith sewita 
partitions :~ “> ie g 5 : 
Antirrhinum “AL arkspur 
- Aquilegia = Linaria, 
‘Calliopsis .. Linum “ 
“Campanula .3-*Lupin. 
~Candytuft “© ‘Marguerite 
_ Centaurea a Nasturtium 
Convolvulus’ Ne “Neméphila he 
“ Cosméa? + Pansy - 
Daisy eg ee att Ox 
Delphinium™_ Polyanthus 
‘Dianthus ~-*, Primrose ~ 
» Eschscoltzia Rhodanthe 
Forget-menot Stocks. 
Godetia ~ Sweet Pea 
Lawns should be mown and top-dressed. 
By far the greater number of lawns are laid 
out in Buffalo Grass, and a very | beautiful 
bright fresh green it provides in summer. 
But it does not compare with the soft, even, 
and pleasing ‘effect. of Couch Grass. The. 
best, easiest, and surest method of laying 
a Couch Grass lawn is by obtaining sods 
and dividing up the roots. Any one who 
has Couch Grass in the garden and wishes 
to get rid of it will tell you that the roots 
can be chopped into the smallest pieces, 
and every eye will grow into a-plant. So 
there should be no difficulty i in. getting it 
established. But it should never be plant- 
ed in a place that may be required ab any 
future time. Once established, it stops 
for ever. This does not mean that it is 
not possible to eradicate it, but it requires 
usually more persistency than the average 
gardener is disposed to give it. 
Another planting of bulbs can be made 
this month. They are not specially 
favored by a number of gardeners, and 
voted a nuisance. But that is not their 
fault. They have a way of being in the 
read of the digging fork, it is true, bub a 
simple little stake in the ground when they 
have disappeared will obviate a lot of dis- 
pleasure, if the gardener does not care for 
the extra trouble of digging them when. 
their beauty has deylarted. The more 
satisfactory plan is to dig them up until 
they are wanted again, and it gives a-pleas- 
ing variation to the beds to. change the 
bloom from one color to another. 
The following list of bulbs. may be plant 
ed, and if necessary left in the ground for a 
succession of seasons without disturbance, 
and will be a delight from year to year: 
Nareiscs Babiana. 
ri sy pes, Ixia~ 
Gladiolus . - Tritonia 
Amaryllids Scilla 
Lilium ; - Agapanthus 
Tulip Allium 
: Ranunculus Antholiza - 
Anemone’ Lachenallia 
Snowflake 
Morea 
oe 3 ed? 9? 
*. - willapply to all’ bulbs, butaf solid bulbs are 
planted: from ‘4. to. 6 in’ arid. coated bulbs 
’ ati a shallow depth under’ thie’ Surface the 
_ Ornithogalum 
- Oxalis Sear 
patsonta ; 
Some of the above-mentioned: ‘may be now 
considered ‘old and out, ofsfashion, but there 
are still. some folks sold fashioned enough 
to take pleasure éven in, “what ‘others regard 
as commonplace. erst ‘question ‘frequenthy 
asked is, ‘How deep: should* bulbs be plant 
There ‘is no hard* aridéfast rule’ that 
gardener will not be far, wron.' 
“ wesaedsden! | 
a THE GARDEN. 
Fo et ss (BY Kewr, ) Q 
Now that our flowers are ‘past, many 
flower gardens have-a‘more-or less deplorable 
look. ~Decayed leaves and growths from 
annuals and herbaceous perennials, are satu- 
rated; often give off an offensive smell, and 
the whole looks dank. and dreary. But this 
should not be the case. Remove all dead 
matter and lay it up to rot among weeds’ and 
a little manure. ‘Phe .result is a compost 
suited to almost every form of plant life, and 
especmlly valuable for plants in pots. If 
you cannot have a rubbish heap several 
yards away from your house, burn.the refuse 
at once. Herbaceous phloxes, delphiniums, 
roses, begonias, daisies, ,. and heaps of 
similar subjects wall need trimming over 
now. 
Move the surface soil between all plants, 
and if you can dress over with alittle soot or 
limé so much the better. ‘This will kill many 
small slugs and other pests, becoming so: pre- 
valent now that we have warm rains ‘and 
genial weather. Where’ it‘ is intended to 
divide clumps of herbaceous perennials, the 
work should be taken in hand at once. 
By dividing we get the plants nicely-set, and 
the ground will encourageafewroots. Then 
we have bulbs to plant, particularly such as 
hyacinths, tulips, narcissus, crocuses, and 
snowdrops, for which there could not pos- 
sibly. be a better time than the present. 
Give them a fairly . good ;soil, .and if very 
stiff add’some leaf-mould or sand, Bulbs do 
not, asa rule, needa great deal. of food. 
They are apt to produce too much foliage 
when highly fed. Cultivation now will not 
make a flower spike, but we can assist that 
already stored up in the.bulb. 
Nota day should be lost in planting ane- 
mones. Givethese an open situation,-a well 
worked soil, not too stiff, and by no means of 
a_ wet and retentive nature. Plant the 
tubers four inches spart in the rows, and 
rows*nine*to twelve inches from each other. 
An inch and a*half of soil over the tubers is 
ample. In all probability the warm: ground 
will start the bulbs quickly, but one need’not 
be alarmed to see a show of young amd 
tender-looking growth during winter, as the 
anemone is quite hardy. I have found it a 
good plan to ‘place the common wire pea- 
guards over anemone beds: as-soon as 
planted. This keeps cats and birds away. 
Not that either of these eat or destroy the 
anemones, but both are a nuisance upon. a 
