for beautiful gardens
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Great Garden Merit: These plants play a valuable role in border and container planting. They can either be used on their own for a spectacular display, as in bedding schemes, or they can be used to fill in any unsightly gaps in the garden. They are particularly useful for providing splashes of instant color and they can bring life to any planting within a few months. Being short-lived, they can also be replaced the next year with something different to change the look of the garden, although if left in the ground they will self-sow. It is difficult to find any other plants that will transform a bare patch of ground into such a riot of color in so short a time. They are especially useful in a newly constructed garden, but certainly merit inclusion at any time.The rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) is a hardy shrub (Cotoneaster is a Greek word meaning "like a quince" and refers to the leaves in some of the species resembling those of a quince tree) of great garden merit. A young plant will grow against a bank keeping only inches off the ground. Eventually it will carpet the area with overlayered branches of a herringbone pattern each covered with shiny deep green leaves. At this point the plant will start to grow up to a height between 2 and 3 feet. It will also if trained grow against a Wall without being fixed, or if planted on the edge, pour over like a waterfall. Flowers in June are small, pink, and easily missed but in the fall, the whole shrub is covered with bright red berries that will persist into spring. See Also Popular Garden Cafe:Cafes, of course, exist in dozens, the two most famous being Cafe Mozart and Cafe Carlton, both back of the Opera; and Italianate Espresso bars, where each cup of coffee is brewed sizzling fresh, have become very popular garden cafe since the war. If the weather warrants afternoon coffee in the open air, you'll find a terrace in the big, cheerful Stadtpark just to your taste, for it's gay and very Viennese.Bonn: The Kranzler Cafe is outstanding. Bremen: Its Ratskeller, one of the most celebrated in Germany, is wine-conscious, rather than beer-conscious. Cologne: Cafe Reichardt, on and in the square in front of the cathedral, is excellent and wonderfully placed; Stinner Terrasse is a Rhineside cafe, trans-Rhine, a good place with a good view. On The Other Hand See Well-drained Garden Soil:The type of vegetation already growing in a plot is often a good indicator of the nature of the soil. If well-drained garden soils are lush with rhododendrons and azaleas in the spring and there is an abundance of heathers throughout the year, it is certain that the soil is acid. On the other hand, if the surrounding country supports a large population of plants that enjoy alkaline conditions, the soil is definitely chalky. The point to bear in mind is that some plants are lime-haters while others cannot thrive in acid soils. If you are starting a well-drained garden soil from scratch it is a good idea to buy an inexpensive soil-testing kit. Test the soil in several places all over the well-drained garden soil: it is possible that it will prove to be acid in one spot and alkaline at a point only a few yards away. A preponderance of marsh plants among the wild flora will give a good indication of water-logged soil. If the whole plot shows Signs of being wet, the ground will need to be drained. Such a spot in only one part of the site, however, provides the opportunity to have a marsh well-drained garden soil or a natural pool as a special feature. Also take note of any particular places where the soil appears to be exceptionally dry, so that planting can be carried out accordingly.A beautiful, well-maintained lawn is a valuable feature of a great many well-drained garden soils, and does a lot to enhance their intrinsic beauty. Ideally, the best site is open to the sky with no large trees nearby but, failing this, it should not be shaded for more than half the day in summer The soil should be reasonably well drained; waterlogged land must be drained first. If sowing grass seed by hand, mark out the lawn in 3/4ft wide strips with string and stakes. If the soil is very fertile and has been weeded once or twice beforehand, allow /> oz of seed per 3ft2. If the soil is less rich and has not been weeded before sowing, double this quantity. Nothing need be done until the seedlings are well grown if the soil is moist. If the surface dries out before germination, use a fine spray or lawn sprinkler. |
