Evening star. [volume], August 10, 1940, Page A-12, Image 12

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

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Gardening ‘Musts’ for August Include a Number of Important Tasks
- A ______
Wise to Prepare Beds Now
For Rush of Planting to
Come in September
Old and New Lawns Call for
Real Attention This Month:
Divide Lilies and Iris
By W. H. YOUNGMAN.
August, the month in which most people think of the seashore or the
cool mountain retreats, is hardly the time to be thinking about a number
of garden "must” jobs. August is the time, however, for several gardening
tasks that can hardly be postponed. Old Mother Nature has a way about
her that we had best follow.
Take the Oriental poppies, for instance. If they are handled at the
proper season they are as easily moved, divided or propagated as a weed.
If handled too early or too late, it takes extreme care to do anything
with them successfully. So it is with Madonna lilies. Planted at the
proper season they will make strong growth and be ready for cold weather.
If planted too late in the season one is apt to find them lacking in vitality
and difficult to establish before winter comes.
In September we plant daffodils and peonies. By preparing the beds
now we may take our time to it and do a better job. Later on when we
plant in beds prepared well in advance we shall find, in the case of peonies,
that we have little or no difficulty with soil settling and our roots being
so deeply covered that they fail to bloom. Planting too deeply is the most
common cause of failure to bloom.
Then there is that little job of digging and dividing the day-lilies
and the Japanese iris. This work could have been done as soon as they
were through blooming, but we let it
Wait until it was a bit cooler. Well,
we have waited just about as long
as we dare if they are to become
well established and in good condi
tion before growth stops.
And there is the lawn. It looks
pretty much dried up and as though
it were “on its last legs.” August
Is the time to give it a good feeding
so that with cooler weather it will
make a quick recovery and look well
for the fall. On the other hand,
there is the ground to be made
ready for the sowing of a new lawn.
These jobs surely cannot very
well be postponed without delaying
growth more than is desirable. Oh.
of course, the grass will grow and
Will make a showing, but it will not
do as well as it should, nor will it
come through the w'inter 100 per
cent. If we are going to do the job
this fall let's do it well, then if
things go wrong we will not be to
blame.
Don't Tut Off
These Jobs.
One would hardly dare say that
the above are all of the August
"must” jobs, for every garden has
one or more little things that need
doing. August is a good month to
tackle them. In September the work
of transplanting seedlings and of
planting bulbs and a host of other
items will be upon us and we will
find time is, indeed, too short to
make the rounds. So let s get off
to a good start and get as much
done in August as we can.
As indicated above, the digging
and moving of Oriental poppies is
one of the jobs that cannot very
well be postponed. Just as the buds
begin to swell on the crown is the
time at which poppies are most
easily handled. Last season a
gardener in lifting a large poppy
plant left a number of roots be
hind. A few’ weeks later he had
occasion to dig up that spot and
found nearly two dozen well-started
young poppy plants. Perhaps you
have no occasion to move a poppy,
but would like several more plants
of the same variety. The easiest
way to get them is to move the old
plant to a new site and to fill the
hole thus left with good soil. Next |
fall you will be able to dig a number
of husky young plants and plant |
them as you wish.
The Oriental poppies are hardy, j
worthwhile garden subjects and de
serve to be widely planted. Order
a few now’ and plant them at the
proper season. Late planting is
possible and oftentimes successful,
but it is hardly to be recommended.
Spring planting with potted plants ;
may be done if necessary, but my
experience with such plants is that
they are slower to recover.
Madonna lilies (Lilium candidum),
E most attractive garden subject,
have been widely planted. They re
quire a raised bed or a situation with
perfect drainage. In this section
a raised bed is in most cases de
sirable. The bulbs should be covered
not more than 2 inches in a heavy
coil or 3 inches in a light soil. They
do best in full sun or veft light
Eliade. Protection from high winds
and driving rains is to be desired.
A soil that is not too acid and is
well enriched with leafmold or com
post is to their liking. Madonna
lilies and delphinium make a striking
combination and do well together.
Preparing Beds to
Last for Years.
In preparing beds for daffodils
and peonies one should remember
that he is doing a long-time job—
not in the amount of time necessary
to do the job, but that it is to
serve the bulbs or peonies for many
years to come. Incorporate deeply
Into the soil generous quantities
of well-rotted compost and bone
meal. Both the peonies and the
daffodils are planted in holes deeply
prepared. Their feeding roots
should go down to the food and
not up. Thus the beds should be
carefully prepared for a depth of
15 inches or more. This means that
we should dig two full spadings
deep. By throwing the first spading
to one side one may mix the com
post and the plant food into the
second spade depth by turning the
soil over two or three times. The
top spading can then be returned
to the bed and compost mixed with
It. This should be allowed to settle
for two or three weeks before plant
ing time.
After the summer’s heat and the
usual wear and tear given to our
lawns they have, in most cases, a
moth-eaten appearance. Crab
grass has smothered out the blue
grass in many places. If we are to
rejuvenate the lawn in short order,
we should reseed the bare spots
and give a liberal top dressing of
good top soil mixed with fertilizer.
While this may sound all right to
the professional gardener, the
chances are that you and I will be
content to give the lawn a light ap
plication of fertilizer—2 to 3 pounds
per 100 square feet, and call it quits.
Such a treatment will produce sur
prising results and give us a fairly
good-looking lawn as soon as the
days are cooler and we have our
Usual fall rains.
Establishing
New Lawn.
The new lawn is a different prob
lem. Here again, we must do a
job that should last for many years.
Once the grass is established there
Is very little that we can do to
change the tilth of the soil or to in
crease the humus content of the
>-———
subsoil. These are important items.
They determine how deeply the
grass roots can go and how much
moisture-holding capacity the soil
has. If there is plenty of humus in
the soil the lawn grasses can bet
ter withstand summer droughts and
longer remain green. A vigorously
growing bluegrass turf is just about
the best insurance you can have
against crab grass and other weeds.
If you ever intend to use manure
on your lawn, now is the best time
to do it. Be sure it is deeply spaded
under, so that the weed seeds will
not bother you. Compost, well
rotted manure, straw or any form
of humus well mixed into the subsoil
is desirable. Lime may be added if
the soil is quite acid. As soon as
the soil has been turned and leveled
off it should be allowed to stand for
several weeks to permit thorough
settling. Then spread peat moss or
finely pulverized humus over the
surface to prevent "crusting.” The
lawn is now ready for the seed.
The digging of daylilies (Hemero
callis) and of Japanese iris is largely
a matter of enriching the soil and
putting sufficient humus within
reach of the roots. This will in
sure vigorous growth and freedom
of bloom. One need not divide the
daylilies unless additional clumps
are desired. The Japanese iris,
however, need division if they are
to remain healthy and vigorous. A
good rule is to quarter each clump
every four years. This year, there
have been frequent reports of rot,
so carefully examine each clump
before replanting. They may need
treatment with bichloride of mer
cury or bordeaux to prevent loss.
The iris borer works in Japanese
iris as well as in the tall bearded j
varieties and the bichloride treat
ment is to be preferred.
Poisoning Best Way
To Rid Garden of
Ant Colonies
The picnic period makes us think
about ants, which we find in our
gardens as well as in the locations
where our outings are enjoyed.
Some of us find ants troublesome
in our home larders as well and
consequently should make every ef
fort to rid our gardens and proper
ties of these nuisances.
Killing single ants by crushing
under the foot or by scalding w'ith
boiling water offers little relief.
There is only one sure way to eradi
cate ant colonies and that is by
poisoning the queen. The method
is to place a sweet poison sirup to
attract the workers. They will con
sume it and carry it to their queen
and nursling ants under the soil
where all are killed.
Sugar-eating ants can be con
trolled with a poison made by dis
solving one pound of brown sugar
in a minimum amount of water,
which is then poisoned with an
ounce of paris green. Set this around
in small trays in the garden where
ants travel. Grease eaters can be
poisoned by feeding them bits of
bacon which have been rubbed with
tartar emetic. Both these products
are poisonous to human beings and
should be handled with extreme
care. Seedsmen sell manufactured
sirups which accomplish the same
result without the attendant danger
from home mixing.
Ants sometimes become quite
bothersome among the shrubs where
they feed on the roots and are the
causes for many cases of root rot.
Many successes are reported when
a hole is punched in the ground
alongside the shrubs and then filled
with a solution made from one ounce
of pyrethrum or rotenone in one
gallon of water, then tightly closing
the top of the hole. The difficulty
with this method is that the solutions
used may kill much of the existing
root system.
Deutzias Enjoying
New Popularity
Deutzias, the old-fashioned shrubs
with “modern improvements” by the
noted French hybridizer, Lemoine,
and other plant wizards are in bloom
now, although their normal blooming
season is late May and early June.
Lemoine crossed the dwarf species,
D. gracilis, with othei species and
obtained a race of handsome shrubs,
some of which grow as tall as 6
feet. Their blooms range from white
to deep pink and there are both
single and double forms in rather
dense clusters. The original one,
Deutzia lemoinei, bears pure white
flowers. Then there is lovely D.
rosea a delicate pink D. scabra is
an old-time form "introduced from
China more than 100 years ago and
still frequently seen
Any of the Deutzias is well worth a
place in the border or around the
dooryard, or even in foundation
plantings. The plants are not greatly
troubled by insects and they grow
in any well-drained soil which is
not too acid.
Deutzias are among the flowering
shrubs which are enjoying increased
popularity. Most nurserymen can
bring forth some handsome speci
mens and those who do not have
them in stock can obtain them for
gardeners who are interested.
Practical Advice From Expert.. •
When planting Madonna lilies, be sure that the soil is perfectly drained and that the rootlets have plenty of room to spread.
Not more than 2 inches of soil should be on top of the bulb. After three or four years, Japanese iris will need thinning. Lift the
clumps, quarter them with the spade and replant in good, rich soil.
___ —Star Staff Photos.
Army Worm
Attacking
Lawns
Pest Appearing for
The First Time
In 26 Years
(United. States Department of
Agriculture Release.)
For the first time in 26 years, the
army worm is invading lawns in
the District of Columbia. Entomol
ogists have identified as army worms
a large number of caterpillars sent
in by people living around Logan
Circle and nearby on L and I streets
N.W. Undoubtedly, the entomolo
gists say. this insect pest is now
present on other premises, or soon
will be.
The army worm can get a good
start in life before it is discovered.
Hatching as a tiny caterpillar, it
feeds first near the ground, where it
is not easily seen. As the young
worm grows its skin becomes too tight
for it, and soon splits. The army
worm has an almost unbelievable
capacity for food. Its skin splitting
and greedy eating go on for almost
three weeks. By that time the ap
pearance of the vegetation leads to
the discovery of the insect — now
a nearly naked caterpillar, about l'i
inches long. The full-grown army
worm is greenish, with dark, some
times almost black, stripes along
its sides and down its back. A fine
light-colored broken stripe runs
down the middle of the broad black
stripe. Between stripes the body
varies in color from greenish to
reddish brown. The head is green
ish brown, speckled with black.
The best way to prevent destruc
tion of lawns by army worms, de
partment entomologists say, is to
spray the infested grass with arsen
ate of lead—one-half pound to 12
gallons of water. This is enough
to cover 1.000 square feet. The for
mula may be increased or reduced
in proportion to the size of the
area to be sprayed. Late afternoon
is the best time to spray. Army
worms feed mostly at night.
Spraying, of course, is effective
only when there is some grass left
to spray. If the worms have chewed
up all the grass, the only control
measure left is the use of poison bait.
The formula for this bait is: Wheat
bran, 20 pounds; paris green or
white arsenic, pound; low-grade
molasses, % quart; water, 2 gal
lons. Mix thoroughly the dry
poison and the bran; then add the
diluted molasses and stir vigorously
till thoroughly mixed. This for
mula gives enough bait for one
acre. To distribute the bait, sow
it thinly over the ground. The in
secticidal ingredients of this bait
are strong poisons. They should be
handled with care and kept out of
reach of children and animals. Dis
tributed thinly on the ground, the
mixed bait is harmless to warm
blooded animals.
The entomologists say that the
army worms now in the District
hatched from eggs laid by strong
flying parent moths, which flew in
from outlying farm fields, attracted
probably by the bright lights of the
city. The army worm is one of the
American farmer’s most costly in
sect pests, and at one time or an
other has invaded nearly every area
east of the Rockies. It does not
come everywhere, every year, but
appears all of a sudden, from time
to time, usually after a cold, back
ward spring. Serious damage to
growing grains and sometimes to
forage crops, can be prevented only
by extreme vigilance. It is easy
to destroy the worms while they
are still small, before they have
done much damage. Given a good
start, however, they devour every
blade of grain or grass in their reach
and then move on in large numbers
to new fields. This wholesale mi
gration, from which the army worm
gets its name, offers the farmer an
other chance to get rid of it by
spreading poison bait.
Garden Club Note
The Hyattsville Horticultural So
ciety will hold a gladiolus show on i
Monday, August 12, in the parish I
hall of the Hyattsville Episcopal
Churdk
The Garden Notebook
Cut Back Spent Annuals to
Obtain a Second Bloom
At this season of the year and especially after one returns from a
vacation, most gardens have an untidy appearance. Weeds have assumed
a rather prominent place, many faded blooms are in evidence, and a
number of the early-flowering annuals have died. Trimming off the
spent blossoms, pulling out the dead stalks of annuals and perennials, as
] well as removing the weeds will greatly improve the garden's appear
ance. Not only will it give a tidier*
j look, but in several cases it may
i produce another crop of flowers.
! The trimming back is sure to stim
| ulate new growth and a healthier
! appearance.
It is time to slip geraniums,
coleus, ageratum, etc., for use as
house plants this winter. The slips
taken now and rooted in sand will i
produce vigorous young plants that I
will be bushy and when plotted in
well-enriched soil should make an
' attractive indoor display this |
i winter.
For next season's bloom we should
sow the seeds of many perennials
(columbine, delphinium, painted
! daisies, etc.,) and of biennials (pan
sies, English daisies, wallflowers,
foxgloves, etc.) before it is too late.
It is better to sow the seed of most
of these where they are to grow,
although if sown in a well-prepared
seed flat and then transplanted to
px)ts or widely spaced in larger flats
where they may develop large root
systems they will make strong
plants by transplanting time (Sep
tember).
At this season one should rake
the lawn before mowing in order
to lift the seed heads of crab grass
high enough for the lawn mower
to cut them. If the seed is anyway
near maturity it is well to use the
grass catcher. If the crab grass
is at all thick it is well to rake it
a second time and to mow again
so as to remove as much of the seed
as possible before it falls to the
ground.
A summer flowering shrub that
makes a pleasing display of blue
flowers is the vitex macrophylla (V.
agnus-castus) commonly called the
chaste tree. The clusters of flowers,
resembling loose sprays of lilacs,
are borne on the tips of the
branches. Tire shrub is bushy in
growth and may be used either as
a specimen shrub or in the back
ground. It prefers full sun in a
fairly rich, well-drained soil.
Among the summer-flowering
perennials we have Salvia farinacea
the mealycup sage. It is rather
tall growing, is hardy and drought
resistant. There are a number of
blue-flowering members of the
Salvia family, although most of us
think of the scarlet sage when any
one mentions Salvia. Some of them
are not hardy here, and unfortu
nately they are the most showy ones.
The mealycup sage is hardy and
worth growing for its late season of
bloom.
It is time to give the sweet
alyssum a shearing to encourage
another crop of flowers. This very
dwarf border annual, the best of
the white edging annuals, may be
kept in bloom if sheared regularly.
Shear it first on one side and then
on the other at intervals of two
weeks or more, and it will keep in
flower throughout the season.
It is not too late to divide clumps
of columbine, painted daisies, and
other spring-flowering perennials.
By dividing columbine now one is
apt to have greater success in re
taining this rather uncertain though
attractive spring bloomer. The
painted daisies, alyssum, and lilies
of the valley should be divided
occassionally as a means of increas
ing the stock, but more especially
to permit reworking the soil.
Rose mallows, or mallow marvels
as they are often called, are showy
herbaceous perennials that under
favorable conditions assume shrub
like proportions. The chief value
of the mallows, however, is their
late season of flowering. In full
bloom at this season, they make a
colorful spot in any garden. The
mallows (Hibiscus) prefer a moist,
partially shaded situation, but will
do fairly well in full sun and in an
ordinary garden soil. A soil that is
well supplied with humus Ik desir
?
able. Grow' them from seed or buy
the roots. Seed sow'll early in the
spring will produce flowering plants
the first season.
Do not forget to mulch your dog
wood^, azaleas, rhododendrons, and
narrow-leaved evergreens with leaf
mold or compost. The mulch keeps |
the roots cool as well as supplied
with plant food. If kept w'ell
mulched at this season of the year
there is a greater surety of having
plenty of flow’er buds for next
spring's floral display.
If your glads are kept well ;
watered there is less danger of hav
ing crooked flower spikes. When |
the spikes droop for lack of moisture
they seldom attain the straight
ness of those that do not wilt.
Washington gardeners should
look forward with considerable in
terest to the series of tests inaugu
rated this spring by the National
Capital Parks Service looking to
wards the development of better
lawns in the parks here. The tests,
under the direction of Dr. John
Monteith, jr„ will include studies
of fertilizers, kinds of grasses, chem
ical weed control, soil texture im
provement, effect of mowing at
different heights, the frequency and
amount of watering needed, and the
various methods of renovating es
tablished lawns. These tests have
already been started in the various
park areas and are to be continued
for five years or longer. At their
conclusion local gardeners will have
the best kind of information to
guide them in the care of their
own grass plots.
New Book Discusses
Soilless Culture
SOILLESS CULTURE SIMPLIFIED.
By Alex Laurie. Whittlesey
House, McGraw-Hill Book Co.,
Inc., New York City.
The soilless culture of plants,
“hydroponics,” “chemiculture,” or
“tank farming,” as this field is vari
ously called, created a great deal
of discussion due to the exaggerated
publicity given it when first an
nounced. Now that we have had
time to think about it and the re
search folks have carried on numer
ous experiments we are in a better
position to evaluate the whole
proposition.
Prof. Laurie in the past few years
has undertaken or supervised nu
merous tests both as to method
and commercial uses of “soilless
culture” at the Ohio State Agri
cultural Experiment Station. He
is, therefore, especially well fitted
to discuss the whole problem from
an impartial point of view.
Whether or not you are interested
in the field of “soilless culture”
there are a number of chapters in
this book of interest. Those on the
function of plant foods, the han
dling of soils, the fertilization of
plants, and how plants grow are
worth reading over and over. Prof.
Laurie then devotes three chapters
to the commercial applications of
this subject. He does not overlook
the amateur, and gives detailed
explanations of methods and the
preparation of solutions to be used.
The "cuts” are well done and
many hobbyists will find them help
ful in building their own “tank
farms.” For the amateur a list
of plants especially adapted to
soilless culture is given, together
with brief descriptions of their re
quirements. W. H. Y.
Gladiolus Bulbs
After gladiolus bulbs have been dug
out and thoroughly dried in the
sun for several days, stalks should
then be cut off, new bulbs separated
from the old and stored in a fairly
cool part of the cellar for the winter.
English Bulb
Growers to
Sell Here
Shipments Planned
To United States
For Fall Planting
A recent news dispatch from Eng
land states that the English bulb
growers have organized an exporters’
association to market English-grown
bulbs in the United States. Ameri
can gardeners, no doubt, will regret
the necessity for this action, but, on
the other hand, wTill welcome the
news that tulip and hyacinth bulbs
will be available this fall in fairly
large numbers.
A great many gardeners have been
speculating for some time as to the
possibility of getting “Dutch” bulbs
this fall. Most of them doubted the
possibility even though some of the
more optimistic dealers have insisted
that some way would be found to
; eet them into this country. All eyes
were turned toward Holland as the
possible source, completely overlook
ing England as a producer. England
is not a large producer of bulbs, al
though the reports state that there
are some 6,000 acres available for
marketing.
Just what proportion of the 6,000
acres is devoted to tulips, to hya
cinths, to daffodils and to the mis
cellaneous bulbs is not given. We
are primarily interested in the first
two items since a great many daffo
dil bulbs are grown in this country.
Only a few tulips and scarcely any
hyacinths are produced domestically.
While few of us think of England
as a commercial bulb-producing
country, she does have a number of
commercial areas. It is well known
that bulbs thrive in England and
that English people have long grown
bulbous flowers. It is not surprising,
therefore, to find that a number of
the Holland bulb-growing firms
have farms in England or that many
“Dutch” bulb growers are working
in the bulb-growing areas of Eng
land. One area in Norfolk is known
as “Little Holland.”
The larger English growers are
sponsoring the exporters’ associa
tion, and doubtless the smaller
growers will co-operate fully. It is
reported that the British govern
ment will issue an order prohibiting
the sale of bulbs in England until
the export market has taken all that
it will. This is, in effect, an order
to market as many of the salable
bulbs abroad as is possible.
There is no reason to believe that
the English-grown bulbs are in any
way inferior to the Holland-grown
bulbs. They are grown in a climate
rather similar to that of Holland.
There are no federal quarantines in
effect against British-grown bulbs,
which would indicate them to be
free from dangerous diseases and
insect pests.
It is rather pleasing to see the
English gardeners coming to the
aid of their country by marketing
their bulbs in the United States
W'here credits are badly needed.
This exchange of flowering bulbs for
war materials speaks highly for a
people whose love for their gardens
is traditional.
For Better Grapes
Grapes are often preyed upon by
birds and insects. Garden-makers
who wish to obtain extra fine
bunches bag them with paper or
burlap bags, drawing them over the
bunches and tying them around the
stems, leaving no opening for the
insects to enter.
Care of House Plants
Let the dirt around a potted plant
come within half an inch of the
top of the pot. Then fill the pot
with water every day for the aver
age house plant. If you have un
usual plants ask your florist about
the amount of water they need.
Watch for Borer
Watch out for the borer that is
now attacking iris plants. If not
checked it will destroy plants.
Time to Repot House Plants
That Have Been Outdoors
During Summer Months
Annuals for Winter Blooming
May Be Grown From Seed
Sown Now in Shallow Box
By AGNES TRIMBLE.
Remember the house plants that are now vacationing In the garden—
it is time to get them ready for their winter duties. Before starting this
job, however, select those that are to come back indoors—saving needless
work. Some favorite annuals may also be included in the indoor trip.
Almost any annual will make a delightful house plant companion. And
too, add a few foliage plants to do their bit along with the annuals and
other potted plants.
Now the plants that have been sojourning in the garden all summer
should be well rested and in fine condition for their preparation to go
indoors in the late fall before the nights become too chilly.
An important thing to remember in repotting geraniums, and most
other flowering plants, is do not put them in containers that are too large
because the roots will wander around too much—using all of the plant s
energy. When almost root-bound there will be more and finer blossoms—
growth is checked and the plant has nothing to do but flower.
But with decorative foliage plants, do just the opposite. When they
become root-bound repot immediately to larger containers, regardless of
the season, for in this case the plant and foliage are of chief importance.
Annuals for indoor blooming may be started in several ways—by
potting young plants; from slips; or by planting seed now. Fine plants
can be grown from seed, if planted*:
now, that will bloom throughout
the late fall and winter.
Sow seeds in the usual manner—
shallow box filled with a good mix
ture of soil—and when the little
fellows are large enough to handle,
lift them gently with a spoon and
plant in tiny individual pots. Repot
them as needed until the time ar
rives to take them into the house.
If these little seedlings are cared
for patiently, they will bloom and
bloom and make up for all the
trouble of growing them from seed.
To start annuals from slips, break
off firm nice sprays from healthy
plants, stick them down deep in
containers filled with soil of their
preference. Keep watered and
shaded until rooted, then place
them in the garden and treat as
other potted plants. There is an i
advantage in growing plants from
slips—exact colors and blooming
qualities are known.
When potting annuals, lift only
young and healthy plants and leave
the old ones that have already j
flowered out to reseed the garden
for next spring.
A pot of petunias will make a
glorious indoor display with their
varied colored blossoms, single and
double, small and large. Some will
stand erect, while others will grace
fully hang their pretty heads of
various tints. Verbenas, too, will
j make just such a showy decoration.
But for dignified and stately plants
try potting the chrysanthemum,
stock, calendula and many others.
All will blossom in their gay and
splendid hues and send forth their
individual perfume, creating a light
and springish atmosphere indoors
when ail out of doors is anything
else but! Oh, yes, do have a pot
of nasturtiums and Japanese morn
ing glories. These are rather new
for us in the way of house plants.
Repotting should be done on a
warm, cloudy day, and when there
are no winds to dry the roots dur
ing the changing process. Use
clean, well-drained pots filled with
a mixture of good garden loam,
rotted leaf mold, well-decayed ma
nure and a little sharp sand. Give
them manure water now and then
until they get a good growth start,
but after that very little stimulation,
or blooms will be scarce and foliage
too plentiful.
There are other stimulants that
can be used which are not so
messy—nitrate of soda, for in
stance, or sulphate of ammonia,
teaspoonful to a quart of water.
Be careful that this solution does
not get on the leaves. House plants
will be benefited by a bath now and
then, too. Wash leaves with rich,
foamy soapsuds and rinse thor
oughly. This soap bath removes
soot, dust and insects.
Oriental Poppies Have
Many Worthy Rivals
Bv LOUISE HENDEY.
I To many minds the word “poppy” brings a picture of some flam
boyant red or orange flower of huge size. There is certainly no denying
the brilliant beauty of most Oriental poppies, but because their bloom
! ing season is so very short it seems well to turn our attention to some
j less showy but longer-lasting members of the family group known as
Papaver (poppies).
Louise Bush-Brown has said that her favorite of all the poppies Is
the little single Shirley poppy. This*:
! is a form of the corn poppy, known
to many as the Flanders Field
poppy. It was developed by the
careful selection and planting of
the seed of a certain type found
growing wild in the garden of the
Rev. W. Wilkes, secretary of the
Royal Horticultural Society of Eng
land. It is an unpretentious little
flower, but because of its exquisite
form and delicate colorings it
should be included in every garden.
It is a delightful cut flower, too:
but because it is fragile it is well
to cut half-opened buds early in
the morning and to plunge the
stems immediately into very hot
water.
Sow the seeds where they are to
flower, as they do not like to be
transplanted. A light, sandy soil is
preferable and a sunny position.
Another group of poppies called
Eschscholtzia or California poppies
are not members of the Papaver
family, but are considered by most
of us to belong to the poppies. The
j ordinary ones are in shades of yel
j low and orange, and they are not
i to be despised: but there are many
| new varieties in soft tints of rose
| and ivory. Some are a delicate pink
with crimped petals. Others are
! cherry red, orange and scarlet, all
I with soft gray-green, finely-cut
foliage. One nice thing about the
•Cj^ifornia poppy is that you may
ysow the seed in July and have
a second crop which will bloom until
frost.
The Iceland poppy (P. medicaule)
is a perennial, but it is best treated
as a biennial. The leaves form a
lovely rosette close to the ground
from which rise flagrant flowers on
stems 10 to 12 inches long, bearing
single or double flowers of white,
pale lemon, yellow and orange.
The seed should be sown in July
and the small plants wintered
over in a cold frame or transplanted
to their places in the beds in the
fall. The seed may also be sown in
doors very early in the spring. If
the flowers are kept picked they
will bloom all summer. Baker’s Sun
beam is a superior strain which will
self-sow.
The Alpine poppy (P alpinus) also
has finely cut, grayish foliage. It
blooms in June. The Alpine poppy
is a perennial from the Alps from
which it takes its name. As might
be expected, it prefers a sunny, well
drained part of the rock garden
where the soil is largely made up
of rock chips and sand. It is low
growing with sweet-scented blossoms
of white or yellow.
The Californlcum or Western
poppy is not the same as the Cali
fornia poppy (Eschscholtzia). It has
brick-red flowers marked with green
at the base.
Peony-flowered, carnation-flowered
and tulip-flowered are names ap
plied to the opium poppy (P. som
nifereum). Their stems are smooth
and thicker than those of the Shirley
poppies. The foliage is similar in
color—a grayish green The flowers
are bright scarlet, cup-shaped and 4
inches across. The stems are often
2 feet high.
The last one we wish to consider
now is the Hunnemannia, called an
aristocrat among the poppies. It,
too, is not a true poppy, but who
cares? It is commonly called gold
encup because of its buttercup-yellow
flowers. They are more crinkled and
of greater substance than the Cali
fornia popples. The plants grow to
2 feet and bloom in September and
October.
The seed should be sown in early
i May where the plants are to grow.
| Thin them to stand 8 to 10 Inches
j apart. They may be started in small
! pots inside and later carefully
I shifted.
| Many gardeners have trouble in
getting the seed to germinate. Soak
ing the seed before planting usually
results in a good stand. If a good
stand can be had the plants will
prove of great satisfaction because
I they withstand drought while pre
| ferring full sun.
Black Coverings
Produce Early
Fall Blooms
Chrysanthemums, asters and ever
j so many fall-blooming plants form
their flower buds only when the days
are shorter than they are now. The
tale is circulated in flower-growing
j circles that it takes cool nights to
form quantities of these buds. We
know that the cool nights are merely
incidental and the amount of dark
ness offered the plants does the
trick.
Taking a tip from the commercial
growers, many amateurs now use
black cloth coverings from 6 at
night till after 7 in the morning
to produce earliest bloom. These
coverings can be made to suit in
dividual needs. Extensive planting
may require pole arrangements
similar to those used by growers of
shade-grown tobacco, but backlot
ters find a simple arrangement of
four sticks, driven into the ground
and held together with wire at the
top, sufficient support for the black
cloth used for their coverings.
Inexpensive black cloth, sewed
together at the edges to provide
sufficient width to cover the top
will keep out the top light. Simple
ties can be arranged to fix this
covering each evening at six. Single
width material is usually sufficient
foL ^he, slde " wall arrangements
.which also may ne provided with
ties for convenient fixing and
removal.
Accompanying this shading, a
feeding program should be started
Starting with minute quantities of
fertilizer applied weekly with
abundant quantities of water, the
food ration can be increased as the
flowers form. When the flowers
show color the use of fertilizer can
be stopped.
Bank Delphinium
If the large stalks of delphiniums
are very hollow it is well to bank
them with earth so that rain will
not enter them and cause them to
rot. The finest heads may be al
lowed to go to seed, but all the side
branches should be removed.
Sowing Seeds
It is a good plan to sow pansy
seeds in a cold frame, but beds in
the open ground give good results
if plenty of water is available. The
seeds may be sown broadcast or
in drills three inches apart and
.must be covered very lightly.
Strawberry Plants
Strawberry plants should be set
out now. Plant in a rich but not
too dry soil. They will be well
established before the ground freeze*
if planted during the month of
August.
p