—_— 
, “ely undertaken. 
June 1, 1909. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
View of Marechal Neil Roses Growing on Tripod. 
The Hower Garden. 
Notes for the Month. 
The work in this department is of a 
ae routine character, and there is 
. © to add to the advice given in recent 
“tues, Digging, trenching, shaping, re- 
“odelling, and reforming flower beds and 
Roe renewing and enriching the 
24nd a general overhauling of every 
i "tt of the garden is the principal work 
58 done, ] 
Plants are for the most part in a 
eoat state, and are able to bear with 
“Noval, so that many reforms can be 
Better positions can 
“allotted to subjects unsuitably placed 
0 , 
“* Where better effects can be obtained 
by the transference. Many large gardens 
manage to accumulate a lot of rubbishy 
trees and shrubs, which, of course, in the 
first instance, were intended to be orna- 
mental, but through injudicious grouping 
and crowding become unsightly and 
diseased, and prejudice the healthy 
appearance of handsomer plants. Those 
should be remorselessly banished. 
Crowding is a fatal mistake with orna- 
mental trees and shrubs, especially 
where form and outline is their principal _ 
merit. Every subject should have the 
opportunity of developing its character- 
istic habit of growth without being forced 
into unnatural and fantastic shape by 
close contact with its neighbor. Scale 
and other pests are always rampant where 
oy 
light and air and rain are excluded. 
Paths that have been allowed ‘to. 
become weedy giva the whole garden an 
untidy appearance. The use of a hoe on 
a gravel walk is a tedious process, and 
sometimes ineffective; and when once. 
the surface is broken up, many rollings 
are necessary before it is again consoli- 
dated. When judiciously used, there is. 
nothing so good as one of the ‘weed 
exterminators’ for gravel walks, It will 
not only kill‘the existing weeds, but will 
also poison the ground that noxious. 
growths will not be seen again for some 
time. Great care must be exercised in 
using these ‘weed exterminators,’ for if 
the material be allowed to run on to or 
soak into the ground immediately 
adjoining where there is grass or any 
other vegetation, damage is bound to be- 
done. 
Rose pruning can commence this. 
month where early growth and bloom are- 
desired. 
Many deciduous climbing plants and 
shrubs require their annual pruning or 
thinning at this season ; a knowledge and 
observation of their growth is first. 
necessary. Some of the Tecomas, T: 
Mackenni, for example, are benefitted by 
being barbered after flowering. While, 
on the other hand, subjects like Forsy- 
theas, Dentzias, Wiegelias, and Phila- 
delphus flower on the wood of the pre-- 
-ceding year’s growth, and, therefore, 
require careful pruning. It chiefly con- 
sists in the removal of old, weak, and 
exhausted wood and a little thinning. 
Only in cases where plants are known to 
bear flowers on wood of the same — 
season’s growth can severe pruning be 
practised, : 
Above all, avoid trimming all shrubs 
after the same patterns. Hach has a 
graceful outline more or less peculiar to 
itself, and this charm of individuality in 
the plant is rather to be encouraged than 
be destroyed. ; 
Young seedlings of annual and peren- 
nial plants raised from seed sown in the 
autumn now require to be thinned; it 
should always be remembered that unless 
the plants have plenty of space, both 
flowers and foliage will be poor. 
