Evening star., 1928-04-27

One general rule should be kept in
nina when doing any planting, and
that is. ali seed should be planted in
slightly moist soil, but not wet. The
first step required In termination is 70
have the moisture from the soil pene-
trate and swell the seed If the seeds
are surrounded by dry. rough soil, fulI
OF air spaces. termination may fail 10
take place. or the tiny roots will be
dried up before they find foothold IN
the soil. The surface Of the soil should
also be thoroughly raked over before
doing any planting.
Seeds should also be Sown thin!v,
More failures can be traced to too thick
sowing than almost any other cause
Thick sowing, apart from its waste.
means that q Young forest OF seed
lings appears. all struggling toward the
light. with the result that weak, Spindly
growth is produced. There is an ab-
sence of air circulation between the
seedlings the surface soil becomes stag
nant due To the accumulation Of too
much moisture. and trouble begins. Do
not SOW too deeply either, The ma
ioritv of small seeds should be Sowa
near the surface, with thin covering
OF finely sifted soil
Watering plant or garden space
just by sprinkling does more harm than
good Continually moist top soil in
duces shallow root growth. and, instead
Of being deep in the ground, the roots
are exposed 10 the heat of the sun.
The ground. not the plants. should be
watered. and. when watering is done, 1t
should be done thoroughly, getting the
water to the roots by drenching the
ground
Your flower garden should receive as
much protection as possible from wind.
A good hedge or a stout. windproof
fence would answer the purpose. Among
the best fences for providing shelter is
that known as the checkerboard fence.
made up of interlaced strips of wood
held together by uprights. It makes
firm fence and a good protection, is OF
good appearance, and can be made very
decorative by training plants on 1t.
Any one with a sloping piece OF
ground in the garden can produce a
very charming rock garden with little
work and expense If the position Is
sunny, open and facing more or less
south. It is one of the advantages of
rock gardening that it can be done on
any scale. either large or small. To
begin. place the stones firmly in po-
sition. taking care TO make es many
pockets as possible, SO that the plants
NllEiA kANNA GE12 ~ AAt 1kNA AItC Sk0tAIo-
Never use bricks as a border to rock
garden. as they are porous and slugs
Will make their home underneath them
and breed there. Instead Of bricks. use
small stones for a border.
Apart from shrubs, the most SNOWY
things to plant in a rock garden are
eiyssum, rock roses, pinks, phloxes,
Eentians and nasturtiums Large bushes
Of rosemary and thymes Of every de-
scripfion grow well without special care,
and If you allow forget-me-nots and
pirks to run where they wilh you viii
have a rock garden that Tiil he 10Y.
On rock garden you will need lot Of
paths curvinR in and out. and a few
steps here and there 10 give variety.
Window and Porch Boxes
Frequently on account of LACK of
space for a garden or time to cultivate
It. ones flower garden has 10 be linz
tied to one or two boxes outside sct.ny
window or on a shaded porch. With a
little planning and intelligent care one
may have a small garden even in such
limited space.
To make an outside window box II
As necessary 70 start with rather deep,
wide box Of the" le1gth required, with