Evening star. [volume], October 28, 1939, Page A-8, Image 8

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Fall Planting of Roses Is Generally Recommended for This Locality
Lessen Danger of Injury
From Cold Weather by
Adequate Protection
Plants Do Not Do Well When
Placed Where They Are Apt
To Be Exposed to the Wind
By \V. H. YOUNGMAN.
Ask any group of gardeners for their favorite flowers and the
■ majority of them will name the rose. This is not new, for the love of
'■ the rose goes back into history almost as far as written records do.
Here in Washington almost every garden has one or more rosebushes.
The annual fall rose show displays the prize roses from more than a
hundred gardens. Roses are the chief product of a great many nurseries,
and the plant supply houses regularly sell more roses than any other
flowering plant or shrub.
When one stops to consider the difficulty attached to the growing
of roses here in Washington this may seem a bit paradoxical. There are
several diseases and a number of insect pests that plague the rose
grower, but still he keeps on growing them, knowing that each fragrant,
colorful bouquet will be w;orth all of the work and worry.
Some of these difficulties may be avoided by selecting the better
varieties from the hundreds that are offered by the nurseries. The
. Potomac Rose Society recently issued a list of 18 dependable varieties—
varieties that the beginner can grow with a reasonable assurance of
success.
Fall planting of roses is generally recommended for this area. Too
early planting is, however, not advisable. Rosebushes can be set out any
time after the middle of November,*:*
when the soil is not too wet. North
ern-grown bushes are ordinarily ]
available before mid-November, but i
In this area there is danger of
* warm weather starting them into
Winter Care
Of Dahlias
Not Easy
Several Methods
Suggested for
The Storage
Now that the frosts have killed
our dahlias, the job of carrying them
through the winter confronts us.
More dahlias die in our modern
basements than in the gardens. In
the “good old days" before furnaces
and warm, dry basements became
the style the winter storage of
dahlias was comparatively simple.
Dahlias need a cool, not-too-moist
etorage space. Without such a place
they tend to dry and lose their
vitality. Several expedients have
been tried by local gardeners to
overcome this difficulty.
As soon as frost cuts the dahlias (
down remove the tops close to the i
surface of the ground. The tubers
need not be dug immediately, but |
they should be lifted and dried be- |
fore freezing weather. Take pains
to see that all moisture is drained
from the hollow stems. As soon as
lifted and dried, strong durable tags
with the variety name should be
firmly attached to each clump. Most
growers remove the dirt before
blUiagc its a picuauuua 050,11*01,
slugs and worms.
One dahlia fan digs a large hole
In his back yard, big enough to
accommodate a packing box. The
dahlia clumps are packed in sawdust
In the box. which is then covered
with a thick layer of leaves. Dirt
Is mounded up over the leaves to give
additional protection and to shed
the water. Old roofing paper, lino
leum or boards over the mound
will also help to keep the bulbs dry.
This method will prove successful
In most winters, the exception being
a winter in which the temperature
goes below zero for several days.
The box should be uncovered and
the tubers taken out in April before
sprouting starts.
Another method is to separate
the tubers after digging and then
wrap each single tuber in heavy
wax paper. In this way evaporation
Is greatly reduced and the loss from
rot confined to a single tuber. When
using this method, however, the
tubers should be stored in the coolest
place available.
The usual method of storing con
sists of carefully cleaning the tubers
after digging and then packing in
boxes of peatmoss or sand. Fre
quent inspection during the winter
and the sprinkling of a little W'ater
as needed prevents dessication due
to dryness. With this method it
Is not very easy to inspect each
clump, and so there is always danger
of getting some clumps too moist
and thus inducing rot. 1
growth if planted earlier, so most
growers prefer late November.
Fall planted roses are not apt
to be injured by cold weather. A
rosebush planted in a well-prepared
bed will make considerable root
growth during the winter and is
ready to start into active growth
long before the soil is dry enough
to work in the spring. Spring plant
ing may be successful, however, if
proper care is exercised in plant
ing.
In preparing the bed for roses it is
well to incorporate quantities of
humus in the soil to a depth of at
least 18 inches. Some advise 2 feet.
II this humus can be had in the
form of well-rotted cow manure, so !
much the better. The humus should |
be supplemented with bone meal at j
the rate of a quart for each bush to
be planted.
Drainage Is an essential require
ment for a rose bed. If there is the
slightest question as to the lack of
drainage, it should be provided.
Roses do not do well in situations
?xposed to the wind. A hedge or
shrub border to protect them is de- :
sirable. Most of the outstanding
rose gardens in this area are pro
tected on at least one side, and some j
ire entirely inclosed. While roses
need protection from the winds, they
should not be forced to compete
with shrub or tree roots. Roses will
tolerate considerable shadp, but they
do best in full sun. W’hen growrn
under the sheltering branches of
trees, additional feeding and water
ing are necessary.
In selecting bushes for the rose
bed the quality of the bushes is
fully as important as the variety.
Strong, healthy bushes will make
much better growth, are more re
sistant to the inroads of insects
and diseases, and produce a finer
display of flowers than will second- j
grade and "bargain-counter" quali
ty bushes. While there are no offi
„iai uuveiiimeiii graces ior rose
oushes, the trade growth ot No. 1
quality is satisfactory, and the extra
No. 1 is well worth the slight extra
:ost.
The planting of a rose bush is the !
same as for any other shrub or tree.
Space rose bushes 15 to 24 inches
ipart depending upon the vigor of
growth. Spread the roots so as to
;ive them ample room from which
:o take moisture and food. Soil
should be carefully worked in be
tween the roots and then tramped
down thoroughly to avoid air
Dockets. The bush should be set so
that the “bud” joint is just below
:he surface of the ground.
After the bush has been planted
it is desirable to pull loose soil up
iround it to a height of 6 to 8
inches. This “mounding”' reduces
ivaporation and protects the bark
irom sunburn. All rose bushes, old
established ones as well as those
lewly set out, should be “mounded”
in the fall as a winter protection.
With the bushes planted and
mounded there is one last job that
[ recommend. Write the variety
name on a marker so that you may
snow your roses by name. There
ire several kinds of markers avail
ible in the stores, or you may make
your own. Knowing your rases by
name adds much to the fun of rose
growing. It is not safe to leave the
labels wired to the branches as they
may become too tight and cut off
:he flow of sap.
Table Arrangement No. 5
i * i
By MARGARET NOWELL.
For a Halloween supper party decorate your table with all the colors
„ of autumn. Scooped-out pumpkins make delightful holders for lemon
yellow and deep red shaggy chrysanthemums. Tuck a few deep green
;; cak leaves in with them. Place oak leaves under the pumpkin for a base.
* • Gourds, small green squash or any of the other decorative small vege
tables may be candle holders, or piled on oak leaves, make colorful
Jf arrangements for the ends of a large table with the above sketch for a
centerpiece. Pale yellow linen or a pale yellow cheesecloth table cover
Just for the occasion would complete the picture.
• A
Care and Planning Produced This Loveliness
-—- . ii mm—iini .nm m■ < i. Mflin¥ri<imiin rrmm-rrmmi
You cannot have beautiful roses without giving them a head start in life through careful planning, soil
preparation and' proper care. These lovely specimens are the result of just such treatment; they haven't,
like Topsy,“jus' growed.” Plenty of good soil and intelligent selection of planting location does much to
aid them in reaching such perfection.
---•> I — .. .- ■ - -- - .. A-_
Raise Some
Tropical
Shrubs
Certain Varieties
Will Flourish -
With Care
By EDITH L. HOUGH.
Tropical shrubs, as the camellia
and hibiscus, and trees, as the fig
and almond, may be grown here far
more commonly than is generally
believed. They are unusually beau
tiful and it is a fascinating experi
ment to cultivate them during the
winter when the garden is bare.
They can be grown in pots on a
warm sunporch or in a sunny win
dow. as well as in greenhouses and
conservatories. If they are started
now in the steady warmth of the
house they may be added to the
garden next summer. They should
be started indoors, as a rule, for
they rarely flourish when planted
immediately outside.
The camellia attains a large size
in the coastal towns of Georgia and
even in Virginia, growing contin
uously in the open, but here it
should be kept indoors, especially
during the winter. It is an ever
green shrub, blooming from No
vember till April. The Camellia
japonica, introduced to England
from the Orient by a Jesuit mis
sionary, grows to 20 feet or more.
There are several outstanding va
rieties, such as the pure white
Candidissima, the delicate pink
Lady Hume's Blush and the Sangue
di Cristo, of white with a splash of
carmine. The fruit is like a small,
green apple. In late summer or
early autumn it may be grown from
a cutting 4 to 6 inches long, with
two leaves. This is placed one-third
in rich soil, allowed air and watered
every other day.
Other evergreen shrubs are hardy
nere. if given warmth and propei
care. The hibiscus blooms con
tinually from a height of a few
inches till it becomes a veritable
tree, branching out in all directions
The leaves are glossy green and the
flowers, 4 to 5 inches across, of all
shades of nink and red. The
oleander, as large a shrub as the
hibiscus but with smaller blooms of
pink and red, will grow under the
same conditions. Jasmine, of droop
ing habit and with most fragrant
blossoms, will flower throughout the
summer and should be even re
strained by pruning, for it is very
prolific, outgrowing its pot or crowd
ing other shrubs while it is in the
garden.
Cyclamen, a small plant with
perky white or pink flowers on stiff
stems, will give a succession of
bloom in the autumn. The ever
green leaves are mottled green and
sometimes purple underneath. The
plants can be bought from a nur
sery. Growing them from seed is
rather difficult. The seed is im
ported from Europe and should be
planted, while it is still fresh, under
a pane of glass indoors or in a
protected sunny spot. In its third
year it will have 6 or 8 leaves and
possibly one or two flowers. The
corms should never be divided and,
when the plants are placed in their
permanent home in a sufficiently
large container, they should never
be disturbed. They prove very
hardy and some have as many as
100 blooms at one time.
The fig tree, irregular in shape
and with large, glossy leaves, and
the nut trees, with their fragrant
bloom in the Spring, may be grown
in pots to furnish particularly orna
mental plantings in the house
Their earth should be rich and well
watered. In the summer they can
be put outside and make attractive
additions to the garden or yard.
The fig can be trained against a
wall, if it is heavily mulched during
the winter, and will bear edible fruit
in two or three years.
Tulip Beds
Spade tulip beds early and have
the soil ready when the bulbs ar
rive. Bad weather may set in,
which will make digging difficult,
and you will have to use speed to
get the bulbs la.
m.
! The Garden Notebook
i Dig and Prepare ‘Glad’ Bulbs
For Next Season’s Planting
It is time to dig glad bulbs and to prepare them for winter storage.
As soon as dug cut off the tops. A good pair of tin snips work well on
this job. Dry the corms in a warm, sunny place. As soon as the bulbs
have dried thoroughly clean them by removing the old corm, roots, and
loose husks, and store in paper sacks with about one ounce of napthalene
flakes to 50 corms. The flakes varoporize. giving off a gas that kills the
thrips. The sacks should be tightly closed and placed in a warm room
for two to four weeks. The napthalene flakes are then removed and the
bulbs stored in airy boxes in a cool, dry place until planting time.
Now is the time to transplant bleedinghearts that have not been doing
well. After a frost has killed the* —-—-—
leaves, but beiore the ground is
frozen, is the best time. Lift the
clump and rework the soil, using
generous quantities of peatmoss,
leafmold or compost and reset. If
they are to be moved to another
place it is well to carefully prepare
the soil in advance.
Some folks insist on growing
sweetpeas, in spite of the difficulties
experienced in this locality. Fall
planting is recommended and a
trench well filled with rotted manure
produces strong early growth that
will go a long way toward insuring
bloom. Prof. Ballard of the Uni
versity of Maryland recommends
the old-fashioned strains as being
better adapted to outdoor culture
than the newer ruffled types.
To make a leaf-mold or compost
pile it is well to use either a pit or
to lay up boards to confine the ma
terials while they are rotting. Avoid
the use of diseased plant material.
Some gardeners make the compost
pile of alternate layers of soil and
plant material on the theory that
decomposition is hastened and that
the mixture of the two provides a
splendid soil for potting or for use
in the perennial border. Hydrated
lime, superphosphate and ammo
nium sulphate added to the plant
material expedites rotting and at the
same time adds fertility.
Occasionally we see leaves used
as a mulching material on flower
beds. This is hardly to be recom
mended as the wet leaves hold
disease germs and moisture. In wet
weather they may pack so tightly
as to smother plants. Half-rotted
leaves are much better than fresh
leaves, but pine boughs, excelsior
and marsh hay are to be preferred.
Straw and manure, when free of
weed seed, are good around shrub
bery.
Oftentimes lily bulbs are not re
ceived for planting until late in the
winter after the ground has frozen
and planting is difficult. It is good
garden practice to prepare the beds
for lilies now and to cover them
with leaves or anything else that
will keep the ground from freezing.
Then, when the bulbs are received
the protective covering can be re
moved and the bulbs planted with
out difficulty.
One way to control plant diseases
is to destroy the wintering place
of the spores. Peony diseases nor
mally spend the winter in the old
foliage, so if it is removed and
burned in the fall the common
foliage diseases of the peony can
be avoided.
If sod and weeds are spaded under
in the fall they will soon rot, adding
to the fertility and tilth of the soil
by spring. When this job is de
ferred until spring the decomposi
tion is retarded for lack of moisture,
and the unrotted material inter
feres with planting and cultivation.
If it is undesirable to leave the
spaded ground bare rye may be sown
and more green manure will be
added to the soil when it is spaded
under in the spring.
It has been suggested before in
this column that the seeds of hardy
annuals be scattered before the
ground freezes. Such seeds as the
annual poppies, California poppies
(Eschscholtzia), cornflowers, lark
spur. calendula, godetia, clarkia,
candytuft, etc., can be sown now
and will produce a better stand of
earlier blooming flowers than will
spring-sown seed.
Feeding Wateriilies
Waterlilies are rank feeders and
need relatively large quantities of
well-rotted eow manure.
Colchicine
Powerful
Chemical
Startling Changes
Made in Plants
By Use of Drug
Recent horticultural literature
contains much about a powerful
drug, colchicine, because of the re
cent discovery that it produces un- j
usual results when applied to plants. '
Some writers indicate that many
marvelous new forms of plants may
be obtained and that our ideas about
garden and field plants are to be
upset.
Colchicine does produce larger
forms, larger in almost every way, !
seed, flower, height and more'petals ,
in the case of flowers. In a few
cases more petals were obtained
without an increase in size of flower, i
This should be of interest, especially
to rose growers who have been criti- i
cizing several varieties for lack of
a sufficient number of petals. Other
startling changes are forecast, one 1
of them being that plants will be i
more drought resistant.
Be this as it may, colchicine is a
dangerous poison and the use of it
requires extensive laboratory equip
ment, hence it is not likely to be of
use to the amateur plant breeder. 1
Also, a thorough understanding of
plant structure is necessary to use
it intelligently. Then, too. giant size I
is not altogether desirable in plants i
There are many gardeners who still
prize daintiness and charm in plants
nnH flnu'prc
Commercially a few results of
merit have been obtained by in
creasing the size of plants. Re
searchers. however, believe that
more valuable results may be ob
tained by using it to induce cross
fertilization, now impossible, so that
certain desirable characteristics,
such as drought resistance, disease
immunity or resistance, and fra
grance, may be transmitted from
one species to another. So far the
successful use of colchicine to ac
complish this has not been reported.
It is a slow and painstaking under
taking.
Many Annuals May
Be Sown in Autumn
Every time that nature produces
annual flowers in our gardens from
self-sown seed, she demonstrates
that annuals can be grown from seed
sown in the fall.
The list of annuals which can self
seed may vary in different sections of
the country, but it is probable that
annual larkspur and cornflowers
(centaurea cyanus) will be on the
list almost anywhere.
A seed bed surrounded by a wooded
curb is an excellent place to sow
fall annuals. A cold frame will do as
well; and many sow seeds in the
open garden where experience has
shown drainage is good. If seeds are
sown in rows, which can be marked,
is is easy to check results and pro
tect the seedlings when they appear.
Sow the seed thinly, mixing small
seed with dry sand to help scatter it,
and do not sow much deeper thaD
you would in the spring. Many gar
deners cover the row with a shallow
layer of sand after sowing. In a seed
bed, or cold frame, after the ground
has frozen a light mulch of leaves
may be placed over the bed to keep
the frost in. This mulch should be
removed before the seeds sprout in
the spring.
Garden Club
Activities
Listed
Annual Mum Show
Will Be Held
Two Days
Bv FRANCESCA McKENN’EY.
Garden Club of Chevy Chase, Md.
will meet on Wednesday afternoor
at 3 o'clock at the home of Mrs
C. H. Warrington. 12 Oxford street
Chevy Chase. Md. Mrs. H. Tudor
Morsell will be co-hostess.
Mrs. Herbert G 'egor a well-known
teacher of flower arrangement, will
be the guest speaker, giving a short
talk on this interesting subject.
Each member cf the club has been
asked to bring an arrangement ol
fall flowers, berries or foliage in
keeping with the autumn season.
The Thirteenth Annual Chrys
anthemum Show will be held at the
Takoma Branch of the Public Ei
bVarv, Fifth and Cedar streets. Ta
koma Park. D. C.. on Wednesday
from 7 until 10 p.m. and on Thurs
day from 9 a m. until 9 p.m.
On Wednesday the library will be
bpen after 3 o'clock for the recep
tion of flowers, and all exhibits must
be in place by 7 p.m. Exhibitors
nay make as many entries as de
sired in any class and in as many
Masses, except in classes 1 to 4. in
which they may enter in only one
:lass.
The show is open to all amateur
growers. Containers for exhibits
will be furnished by the club for all
?xhibits in classes 1 to 14. All va
rieties should be correctly named.
Dnly one stem of a variety should
se -shown unless otherwise specified.
\ special certificate of recognition
nay be given for the most outstand
ng exhibit.
For best chrysanthemum in the
show, first will count 10 points;
second, 7 points, and third 5 points.
Chairmen of the Exhibition Com
nittee are Edwin C. Powell, Oliver
5. Sweet and William H. England.
I. Wise Byrnes and Margaret C.
Lancaster will be the judges.
Members of the Chrysanthemum
Show Committee include Roy Ma
;ruder, chairman; H. C. Heffner,
flee chairman; Henry B. Armes,
Mrs. Theron C. Brooks. Mrs. Clay
on Corliss. Mrs. Otis W. Elzey. Alex
T. Jenkins, Miss Ruth McCrory,
?. J. De Moll, Miss Marian Scott,
Mrs. John W. Wright and Mrs.
Henry E. Ewing.
]
Autumnal Beauty ...
I J
Dahlias, like roses—and like most other flowers '
for that matter—do their bes{ for you only if you '
have done your “durndest” for them. These beau- ]
ties are examples of what can be done in the way
of dahlia raising with properly prepared soil and >
first-class conditions. \
Bulbous Iris Needs Sunny
Location and Reasonably
Good Soil to Thrive
Dutch, Spanish and English
Varieties Are Replanted
Once Every Third Year
By A. J. PIETERS.
Wherever there is an old garden, there you will find the tall bearded
so-called German iris. One sees it everywhere in Washington during May
It is so showy, so hardy and requires so little care that a few clumps are
often found where no other flower is seen. These tall, old-fashioned
flowers are all to the good, but it is just too bad that their even more
beautiful relatives, the bulbous irises, are not better known. Now is the
time to plant them and to thus insure for yourself a new friend and a *
delightful one and for your garden a flower of rare beauty with the remote
and elegant quality of the orchid.
There are many of these irises which grow from bulbs just as do the
tulips and narcissi. Like these they will grow in any reasonably good
soil, but must have a sunny spot. Some writers give elaborate instructions
on how to mix the soil, but mast home gardeners find such instructions
too difficult to follow. All this mixing of well-rotted manure sand and
loam is quite all right as a council of perfection, but it is by no means
necessary. The soil in the writers garden is the clay so common about
Washington, and Spanish iris has grown well in that soil for 20 years
The bulbous irises most commonly grown and that can be bought most '
readily and at reasonable prices are the Dutch. Spanish and English
They come into bloom in the spring in that order. Unfortunately th«
local bulb dealers handle only a few*
sorts, some handle none at all, but j
garden lovers can readily get the
bulbs from any of the large seeds- !
men elsewhere. The Dutch, Spanish
and English irises resemble one an
other. All come in shades of clear
yellow, blue and white and there are
bronze varieties with lurid, smoky
colors.”
Spanish Iris Has
Elegant Air.
The Dutch and the English have
somewhat coarser flowers than the
Spanish, which has an air of great
elegance. Personally I prefer the
Spanish, but the Dutch and the Eng
lish are gradually crowding the
Spanish out, so that some dealers
don't even offer Spanish iris any
longer. They are all desirable and
all have the same deep clear blue ,
and yellow flowers. The flowers dif
! fer from the old German iris in that
; all parts are firmer in texture and
! the three outer petals do not droop.
I The bulbs handle as easily as any
bulbs and while a fertile loam is i
desirable they do quite well on
almost any soil. If the soil is poor ,
add bonemeal and cottonseed meal, !
say a teaspoon lor each per bulb.
Work it well into the soil before ,
planting and cover the bulbs with 1
about 3 inches of soil. Never use i
stable manure unless it is very old j
and well rotted. Wood ashes is good.
Coddling Is Not
Necessary.
It is quite a mistake to suppose |
that these irises need coddling. Of
course, they will not stand wet
feet—very few garden plants will—
but given the same conditions as
those provided for tulips or narcissi
they will thrive and reward the
0grower liberally for his efforts.
The flowering period begins as the j
tulips pass and the leaves remain
green until August. It is not neces
sary to take the bulbs up every year
i unless one wants to increase the
stock. The writer has had Spanish
, iris in one place for more than 10
years. As the bulbs get crowded the
flowers are not quite so good. The j
best plan is to dig and replant every
third year.
Why Burn or Save
Garden Refuse?
Every fall after frost and maturity '
have brought about the death of the ;
top portion of plants in the flower or j
vegetable garden, the problem of j
disposing of these vegetable remains I
comes up. The conservationist likes
to see all waste vegetable matter I
| incorporated again in the soil for its
plant food value and because it fur- ,
nishes a supply of the necessary ,
humus. But the plant disease spe
cialist likes to see certain garden .
waste disposed of by burning so as to
destroy fungi which cause plant dis
eases and which live over winter in
dead parts of plants.
Among plants which should be .
burnt are the above-ground parts '
of hollyhock, and fallen rose leaves. J
the entire aster plant including the }
roots, and the old tops of phlox. ,
Among diseases which this burning ,
will help to control are hollyhock
rust, rose leaf spot, and phlox mil- i .
dew. ' _
Plants which may be dug into the
garden soil with comparative safe- ,,
I ty for plant food value include im- j
mature weeds, refuse of salsify, spin- I
ach parsnip, onion, horseradish, let
tuce, turnip, cauliflower, cabbage,
and carrot. If additional vegetable <
material is desired and a good sup- )
ply of barnyard manure is not avail- (
able, the dead leaves of shade or
other trees make a valuable substi- 1
tute. While these leaves often carry !
diseases, none are likely to affect (
garden plants and they may be 1
used safely as a source of humus. 1
<
Sow Certain
Perennials
In Fall
Longer Growing
Season Thus
Assured
Seeds of many perennial flowers
may be sown this fall rather than
next spring. They will germinate
earlier and will have a correspond
ing longer growing season next
year. Then, too. the weathering of
winter speeds up germination in
many of them which, sown in the
spring, are slow to appear. In fact, '
some of them will lie over a year
in the ground before appearing if
they do not have the weathering.
The irises, the gas plant. Dictamnus
fraxinella and delphiniums trollius
and phloxes sometimes show these
traits.
Sow delphiniums, columbines.
?aillardias. foxgloves, Canterbury
bells, peach-leaved bellflowers, co
reopsis—in fact any of the hardv
perennials—late this fall and save
that much spring work and get bet
ter results in the way of germina
tion. Primrose seed gives much
higher percentage of germination
if sown in the fall than in the fol
lowing spring.
Sow the seed in rows where it
may grow along until the plants
ire of sufficient size to transplant,
rhe one danger of fall planting is
the wash from heavy rains, a dan
7PJ* P lu'ai't nlaritinn i — a\_
- - I-ill 111b
spen. To obviate this danger mulch
the beds with some material that
will not mat down solidly, such as
bak leaves, pine needles, or fresh
straw. In the spring the beds may
be protected by frames covered with
window screen or lath to break the
force of driving rains and prevent
the tiny seedlings from being wash
ed out of existence. This scheme ia
used quite widely by professional
gardeners to protect their seedlings,
i large proportion of which might
be lost if fully exposed to spring
downpours.
Those who grow irises from seed,
i popular garden pastime of recent
fears, should plant the seed an
inch deep this fall. Siberian, Jap
anese, and the tall bearded sorts.
Flais will give good germination next
spring, which will not result with
is much certainty from spring-sown
seed, some of which will take a year
before appearing.
The perennial seed-bed should be
nade early and enriched with a
balanced plant iood applied at the
ate of 4 pounds to 100 square
eet, to encourage a strong early
growth of the plants so that they ’
nay better withstand the hot,dry
veather of midsummer, which takes
luch toll of seedlings each year.
Plenty of Work Still
\head to Occupy a
gardener’s Time
There is plenty of work still ahead
if the gardener, but most of it can
ie done only when good winter
onditions prevail or when plant
naterial is available. Later in the
eason, when late lilies arrive, they
an be planted in the ground pre
pared for them and from time to
ime, when conditions permit, soil
an be worked so that an improved
nechanical condition can be had
vhen spring planting time arrives.
All durinsr winter tn pro aro lit t lm
ipen spells when snow is not on the
;round. At such times reseeding of
•are lawn spots can be done. If
vinter lawn reseeding is followed
»y a light application of peat moss
iver the entire lawn, much ordinary
vinter injury will be prevented. In
he southern and middle sections of
he country, sw’eet peas and other
arly spring flowering plants can be
own whenever conditions permit.
Indoors the gardener w’ill find
ilenty of work to do among the
louse plants which suffer from at
acks of mealy bugs, aphids and
ther insect life almost paralleling
he conditions that existed in the
;arden. To combat these enemies
he same sprays used for outdoor
-’ork will prove effective.
Later, when there is just nothing
o be done outdoors in the garden,
ime can be occupied in cleaning
arden tools with emery paper to
emove the rust, refiling the edges
o make them sharp, and finally, re
lainting the handles in gay colors
o fit in with the scheme decided
m for next season.
Narcissi Plants
Narcissi like to grow among the
oots of other plants. For this rea
on they flourish excellently tucked
n among perennials in the garden
ir at the base of the shrubbery
•order.
Jly Beds
Dig two spade depths down in
•reparing a bed for lilies, which
aust be planted deep, particularly
he stem-rooting types.