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Title: The Flower Garden
Author: Bennett, Ida Dandridge
Language: English
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THE FLOWER GARDEN
[Illustration: SWEET ALYSSUM AND GOLDEN SAXATILE ARE DESIRABLE FOR
ROCKWORK]
The Country Home Library
THE FLOWER GARDEN
by
IDA D. BENNETT
[Illustration: McC P & Co. SIMPLEX MVNDITIIS NY]
New York
McClure, Phillips & Co.
MCMV
Copyright, 1903, by
McClure, Phillips & Co.
Published, May, 1903, N
Second Impression
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE LOCATION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE GARDEN 3
II. SOILS 17
III. FERTILISERS 23
IV. THE HOTBED, COLD-FRAME AND SAND-BOX 30
V. PURCHASING OF SEEDS 41
VI. STARTING SEEDS IN FLATS 48
VII. TRANSPLANTING AND REPOTTING 53
VIII. HOUSE-PLANTS FROM SEEDS 62
IX. OUTSIDE WINDOW-BOXES 88
X. VARIOUS ANNUALS FROM SEED 98
XI. VINES 128
XII. ORNAMENTAL FOLIAGE PLANTS FROM SEED 141
XIII. BULBOUS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS 147
XIV. AQUATICS 165
XV. THE CARE OF THE SUMMER ROSE-BED 173
XVI. THE HARDY LILY-BED 179
XVII. THE CARE OF CANNAS, CALADIUMS, DAHLIAS, AND OTHER BULBS
DURING WINTER 185
XVIII. HARDY SHRUBS AND PLANTS FOR FALL PLANTING 196
XIX. WINTER PROTECTION 203
XX. THE CARE OF HOUSE-PLANTS IN WINTER 208
XXI. COMMON AND ENGLISH NAMES OF FLOWERS 217
XXII. BLOOMING SEASON OF VARIOUS TREES, SHRUBS, AND PLANTS 234
XXIII. A CHAPTER OF ODDS AND ENDS 245
XXIV. A CHAPTER OF DON’TS 253
INDEX 259
ILLUSTRATIONS
Sweet Alyssum and Golden Saxatile are Desirable for
Rockwork _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
Ornamental Grasses and Foliage Plants 8
Manure Water is a good Way to apply Animal Fertiliser 26
When Plants Appear too Thickly in Rows, Transplant 32
A Well constructed Hotbed 32
Starting Seeds in Flats 50
Sifting Loam through a Sieve 56
Repotting 60
When Two or Three Inches High—Transplant Carnations into
Pots 72
An Easily made Carnation Support 72
Injured or Faded Leaves should be Removed at once 86
Outside Window-boxes 90
Boxes in which Scythes are Packed make very good
Window-boxes 94
Hanging-baskets for Windows 94
Small Water Gardens 104
Cool, Moist Spots between Stones 108
Dusting with Sulphur 114
Spraying with Bordeaux Mixture 114
Sow Poppies in the Perennial Border among the late
Flowering Plants 116
A Dead Tree Draped with Vines 132
Furnish Support for Vines to Run on 134
Vine-covered Shed 134
Clematis Paniculata Blooms when most Others have Ceased 138
Shift into larger Pots as Required 144
Should Bulb Outgrow its Quarters Shift into Pot two
Sizes larger 160
Wild Water Flowers for Edging Lily-pond 166
Water-lilies with Background of Bamboo and Native
Grasses 168
A Full blown Cat-tail 170
Native Plants Edging a Natural Water Garden 172
Training a Climbing Rose 176
A Rose covered Building 178
A Portion of the Grounds Protected by Shrubbery is the
Place for the Lily-bed 182
Turn out Ball of Earth to Ascertain if Pot is filled
with Roots 192
A Good Background for Low Shrubs 200
Plants for Late Winter Blooming should be brought into
the House before Fall 210
Fences may be Made Attractive with Vines or Plants 250
PLATES
FACING PAGE
I. Height and Season of Bloom of the Different Perennials 10
II. Plan for a Hardy Border 12
III. Plan for Rose-garden and Foliage-bed 14
THE FLOWER GARDEN
Chapter _ONE_
The Location and Arrangement of the Garden
A south slope is the ideal situation for a garden, since it insures good
drainage and the greatest amount of sunlight. The garden should also be
open to the east and west, if possible; that it may have the benefit of
the morning and evening sun. Shelter on the north is desirable, as north
winds are disastrous to Roses and tender perennials. Partial shelter on
the west should be given in localities where the prevailing winds of
winter are from that quarter.
The south side of a building, or even of a high fence, with trees and
tall shrubs at a little distance to the west, is best; though any site
that receives abundant sunshine through the morning and early afternoon
may be made satisfactory by planting trees and shrubs on the north and
west.
The garden should always be at the rear or side of the dwelling, never
in front or along the street. The reasons for this are obvious. The
garden proper is intended to furnish cut flowers, to provide a place of
experiment with new varieties, and to grow hardy perennials which have
certain seasons of bloom and cannot be depended upon, at all times, for
ornamental effect. One should feel free to work there unobserved of the
passer-by, and this is impossible in a garden close to the street.
Again, while the permanent garden is beautiful in itself, it is not
suitable for the lawn and greatly mars the effect of the grounds. Beds
of ornamental foliage plants—Cannas, Ricinus, Coleus, and the
like—appropriately placed, add much to the beauty of a well-kept lawn,
but should be carefully considered in relation to its size and the trees
and shrubbery already there.
On a small city lawn not more than one such bed should be allowed. On a
large lawn three will give a better effect than a great number,
especially if care is taken to have them all visible from different
points on the lawn and from the house, never isolating them by so
placing that clumps of trees or shrubbery intervene, but using these
rather as a background for the beds.
It is from the hammock that the amateur gardener will most enjoy the
results of her labour. It is there she will find leisure to watch the
growth of plants, to compare the effect of different varieties, to note
where she may improve the vista by a different arrangement next year, to
observe the effects of locality, of the afternoon and morning sun and
all the peculiarities of plant growth that escape her when busy with
trowel and watering-pot, so that the view from it should be first
consideration.
A very good arrangement is to put a large bed of Ricinus on the most
remote space of the lawn—four plants in the centre of a twelve-foot
bed—surrounded with a row of Salvia splendens edged with Little Gem
Sweet Alyssum. Nearer, an eight-foot bed of the large-flowered Cannas
may be introduced and edged with Coleus or the second size of Caladiums,
while a six-foot bed of ornamental grasses—Arundo Donax, Erianthus
Ravennæ, Eulalia gracillima univittata—will make a satisfactory third.
Such beds are rich in tropical effects and give more distinction to a
lawn than any other class of plants.
Where there is an ample water-supply these beds may be elevated a few
inches above the lawn to make them more conspicuous; but where the
seasons are hot and dry and water must be carried it is better to set
them slightly lower than the lawn, so that all the available moisture
may be utilised. A few inches of margin must be allowed around the edges
of beds on the lawn so that the mower may run close to the beds without
injuring the plants, though even then it will be best to use the
lawn-shears. Such beds call for carefully trimmed lawns. Unless the
grass can be properly cared for, it is better to exclude flowers from
this part of the grounds entirely, as it is time thrown away to plant
flowers which will presently be hidden by tall grass and weeds. A
neglected lawn involves an amount of labour in the semi-annual cleaning
of spring and fall out of all proportion to the results, while a lawn
well cut and raked is more easily cared for with each recurring year,
the grass growing clean and straight, and the rake and mower passing
freely and easily through it.
The scheme for a permanent garden must be decided by the size and shape
of the plot of ground at command, an irregular plot sometimes lending
itself to more graceful arrangement than a symmetrical one. The
operation of laying out the beds will be the same, whatever the shape.
Having decided the boundaries of the garden it will be best to mark the
outlines by a cord attached to pegs driven into the ground. The sod
should then be removed from the entire area by cutting just below the
crown of the grass. Desirable arrangements of beds are shown in
accompanying illustrations. Two and one-half or three feet should first
be allowed for walks. The beds may be placed to advantage by finding the
centre of the plot and driving there a stake to which a cord is loosely
attached. Mark off on this cord half the diameter of the bed desired,
for centre of plot, four, five or six feet—fasten to the cord at this
point a sharp stick and describe the circle on the ground. In this way
the garden walks may be outlined and the inner and outer circles of the
round beds. The oval beds must be measured off and defined by stakes
driven into the ground. The width of the beds should be not more than
can be easily reached across for weeding and cultivating. Where the soil
has not been previously cultivated it must be spaded at least two feet
deep, and thoroughly pulverised. All roots and stones should be removed.
If the soil is clayey or gravelly it will be best to remove it entirely
and to fill in with soil better adapted to the growth of flowers. Or the
surface may be removed for several inches and laid aside. Then the
poorer subsoil should be dug out and removed and the surface-soil
replaced in the bottom of the bed with a liberal quantity of old,
well-rotted manure. The bed should then be filled to its original level
with leaf-mould or muck. If all the original soil is to be retained,
remove the top-soil for top-dressing. Spade the manure into the subsoil
and replace the surface-soil. In ground which has not been cultivated
this surface-soil is rich in humus or leaf-mould, which furnishes food
in its most available form for the young plant, and should, therefore,
be left where the plant can use it and not be turned under as is usually
done. Nature never turns the soil upside down; nor will the wise
gardener, except when a richer and better soil is to be added or when it
is necessary to work in manure.
In making beds that have been worked before and need no enriching,
excellent results may be secured by pushing a long spade into the ground
the whole length of its blade and twisting it around. This breaks up and
mellows the ground more effectually than turning it over, while it
leaves the good soil on top where the young plant-roots can get it.
Later, when the plant grows sturdier and stretches out its roots in
search of food, the manure-enriched earth in the bottom of the bed will
attract and draw them down into its cool, moist depths, away from the
heat and drought of the surface. But the young plants must have mellow,
nourishing soil from the start, or they will perish before they reach
this store-house provided for the mature plant.
Never prepare a garden by turning under the sod. I am well aware that
this, together with turning under the surface-soil, will be the method
of the average man who has had some experience of farming, but the
flower-grower cannot always follow farming methods with safety.
After spading the beds it will be well to inclose them with some such
permanent material as brick, cement curbing, or narrow boards. Four-inch
siding set in the ground an inch or more, and held in place on each side
by pegs of wood (old waggon spokes, which can usually be found at the
blacksmith’s, are excellent for this), make the cheapest and most
quickly constructed inclosure, and may be quite covered with such
border-plants as Dusty-miller or Phlox subulata. The boards may be given
a coat of dull-green paint or shingle-stain before being put in place.
[Illustration: ORNAMENTAL GRASSES AND FOLIAGE PLANTS]
The permanent garden beds should have some such protection, as it
greatly lessens the work of caring for them. Sod borders are very
attractive, but involve an amount of care altogether out of proportion
to the effect, as they must be kept closely shaved and the constantly
encroaching roots of the plants must be as constantly curbed. This is
also the case with grass walks, attractive to look at, but a supreme
nuisance to the gardener. Walks of gravel, cinders or coal-ashes are
preferable, and should be dug deep enough to smother out all weeds in
the soil. If coal-ashes are used the paths should be nearly filled, the
roughest part raked off and the surface gone over with a heavy roller.
If left unrolled, however, the surface will be found firm and hard after
the first heavy rain. Very good and inexpensive walks are obtained in
this manner. Walks, of whatever kind, should never be hoed, and the
weeds must be removed from them by hand. Hardness and smoothness are the
requisites of a good walk. It is well to avoid self-sowing flowers like
Sweet Alyssum, or Petunias, near the inside walks, as they come up by
thousands in the spring and can only be removed by salting, scalding or
uprooting.
The beds should be well above the surface of the walks, especially those
containing hardy perennials like Peonies and Lilies. In the case of most
plants, water standing around their roots in winter is absolutely fatal.
The location of the beds and their consequent moisture and sunshine must
determine the flowers to occupy them. If you are fortunate enough to
have a corner low, damp and shaded in the afternoon, that is the place
to set out the beautiful Japanese Iris, Cypripedium acaule and other
moisture-loving plants, while the Gladiolus may be given a prominent
place in full sunshine. Asters and other flowers that do not bloom until
fall should have a less conspicuous place; they are so showy that they
will not fail to attract attention, wherever they may be planted.
Pansies and other low-growing plants should be set out in the bed next
the lawn. The general effect is finer when only one kind of flower is
grown in a bed, but when two or more varieties of flowers, harmonising
in colour, are grown together, the tallest must be placed in the centre
and the others grouped according to height. Various plants may be used
as edgings, due consideration being given to the plants which are to
fill the beds.
[Illustration: KEY TO PLATE I.]
GIVING THE HEIGHT AND SEASON OF BLOOM OF THE DIFFERENT PERENNIALS, ETC.
OUTER CIRCLE.
Pansies—all summer.
FIRST CORNER BED.
A—Montbretias in corners, scarlet and orange, 2 to 3 feet—all
summer.
B—Gladioli in centre, in variety, 3 to 4 feet—September, October.
C—Tuberoses, 3 feet—August, September.
Border of blooming Oxalis, pink and white, 6 inches—all summer
CENTRE BED OR MOUND.
1—Dark red Peony, 2 feet—May.
2—White Peony, 2 feet—June.
3—Pink Peony, 2 feet—June.
4—Large flowered perennial Phlox—August, September, October.
x A—Auratum Lily, 2 feet—August. September.
x B—Speciosum Album, 2 feet—August, September.
x C—Melpomene, 2 feet—August, September.
x D—Auratum.
x E—Longiflorum, white, 2 feet—June.
x F—Rubrum, 2 feet—August.
x G—Candidum, white, 3 feet—June.
Border—Phlox Subulata.
REAR CORNER BEDS.
North Bed—Anemones, Whirlwind and Queen Charlotte, white and pink, 3
feet—September.
Border—Wood Anemones.
South Bed—Asters, 2 feet—September, October.
Border—Auricula, 8 inches—May.
A mass of one kind and colour is more effective than a mixed bed. The
beginner will find that the percentage of success is greater in growing
a large number of one kind, all requiring the same conditions of soil,
moisture and sunlight, than in trying to force plants of widely
different habits to grow under the same conditions. Hardy perennials,
however, not many of which deserve an entire bed, do very well with
several varieties in the same long bed or border, and may be so grouped
as to give a succession of bloom throughout the season. A raised bed of
Peonies interspersed with the new, large-blooming Phlox and bordered
with Japan Lilies will give a succession of flowers from May to October;
or a long bed of Hollyhocks, or Hibiscus with a row of large-flowered
Phlox in front and edged with dwarf Phlox Drummondii will give months of
lovely bloom. This last combination also makes a serviceable screen
between the vegetable garden and the lawn, or to hide a rear fence.
In arranging parti-coloured beds of flowers, due attention must be paid
to the harmonising of tints. Do not combine magenta and scarlet, or
purple and blue. Separate them by the interposition of white—the most
valuable colour in the garden, as it not only harmonises all colours but
wonderfully enhances their brilliancy. White with scarlet, with blue, or
with yellow is always good. Lavender and heliotrope are lovely with
nearly all shades of scarlet, rose and pink. Blue flowers planted in the
rear of the garden increase its apparent size, while white, bright
yellow and scarlet, by bringing the background nearer, decrease it.
Monkshood and the tall blue Larkspur are excellent for rear beds.
The accompanying diagrams will be of assistance in planning the
garden—not so much in supplying plans to be followed literally as in
suggesting other plans and variations, while giving practical
information as to number of plants required, their distance apart and
the like. Soil and other details will be treated elsewhere.
In planning a shrubbery (see Plate II.) it is neither necessary nor
desirable to use boards or other curbing for the beds, but the turf
should be kept neatly trimmed and cut. A plot 60 by 40 feet or more,
inclosing a considerable area of turf, gives room for rustic seats, a
stationary hammock, and a tree or two. The circle in the border greatly
increases the accommodation for plants and furnishes an ideal spot for
Lilies. The lily-pond in the centre will be discussed at length in the
chapter devoted to aquatic plants.
The rather complicated design in Plate III. is intended for a
rose-garden or for foliage-beds on a large lawn. It is not at all
difficult to construct, and a little practice with paper and pencil will
remove any apparent obstacle. If you will draw, on a scale of one inch
to a foot with a compass a succession of circles of six, eight and a
half, twelve and a half, fifteen and nineteen inches, respectively, the
foundation of the plan will be laid. Now, divide the fourth circle into
fifths and draw a half circle 4½ by 14 feet or inches on the circle of
each fifth by placing the point of the compass midway between the fourth
and third circle. This will leave a crescent-shaped bed. Mark off from
each side of these half circles or crescents, on the space between the
third and fourth circle, two and one-half feet for paths. Making the
lines parallel with the crescents, the remaining spaces will form
triangular beds, that for convenience may be called the third or outer
row of beds.
[Illustration: KEY TO HARDY BORDER. PLATE II.]
Name of Plant. Color. Height. Season of Bloom.
Feet, Inches.
1. Hypericum Yellow 1 6 All summer.
2. Deutzia Gracilis White 1 8 May, June.
3. Lychnis Roseum Pink 1 8 All summer.
4. Spiræa Filipendula White 1 0 May, June.
5. Platycodon Blue 2 0 All summer.
6. Anemone Whirlwind White 3 0 September, October.
7. Spiræa Anthony Crimson 2 to 4 0 May, sometimes all
Waterer summer.
8. White Foxglove White 3 0 All summer.
9. Scarlet Lychnis Scarlet 3 0 All summer.
10. White Foxglove White 3 0 All summer.
11. Lychnis Splendens Red 3 0 June, July.
12. White Veronica White 2 0 August, September.
13. Blue Veronica Blue 2 0 July, August.
14. Spiræa Van Houttei White 3 0 May, June.
15. Monkshood Fischeri Pale 4 0 September, October.
Blue
16. Hollyhocks in Var. 4 to 5 0 Summer, fall.
17. Monkshood, Uncinatum Dark 4 0 June, August.
Blue
18. Bocconia Cream 5 to 6 0 July, August.
1. Tall Shrubs. 2. Low Shrubs. 3. Herbaceous Pereum.
x x Hardy Lilies. —— — Edging Plants.
Now if radiating lines be drawn from the corners of the crescents to the
centre of the plan the point where they cross the third circle will be
the upper corners of the first row of beds—the lower corners being
formed by the point where the radii from the centre and left corners of
the crescents cross the second circle; the third and second circles
forming the upper and lower sides; the ends being formed by curved lines
drawn from the upper to the lower corners. Or, having completed the row
of five crescents and five triangular beds, mark off with pole or ruler
radiating lines from the corners and centre of each crescent to the
centre of plan; the point where these radii from the circle of crescents
cross the third circle will be the upper corner of the first row of
beds; the lower corners being formed by the radii from the centre and
left-hand corner of crescents; the ends being formed by curved concave
lines from upper to lower corner—the intervening spaces forming paths.
For Laying Out the Beds
Use a long pole with a sharp stake passed through a hole at one end and
fastened with a nail driven through it horizontally, so that it can turn
easily, with a number of holes for pegs at the required distances—six,
eight and one-half, twelve and one-half, fifteen and nineteen feet.
Drive the movable stake firmly into the ground, and do not remove until
the work is finished. Slip the sharp marking peg into the hole, which it
should fit closely, and mark out the circles. For the half circles, or
crescents, a nine-foot stick laid straight across the edge of fourth
circle will give an approximate fifth, the loss in the curve about
equalling the fractional loss caused by multiplying by three alone.
Drive a peg with a stick or string attached into the path a foot inside
the third line and mark the circles on it; mark the paths by lengthening
the stick or string two and a half feet and drawing sections of circles
on each side of the half circles from the fourth to the fifth circles.
Now bring the end of the long pole to the left corner of half circle and
mark the radiating lines and half lines to the centre, and mark off the
first row of beds as you did on paper. In this way almost any form of
flowerbed may be laid out. The following diagrams for foliage-beds on
the lawn will be helpful.
For a Twelve-foot Foliage-bed
One Ricinus in centre; three Ricini four feet from first, an equal
distance apart—or about eight feet. Alternate with these three clumps of
tall-growing Cannas. Surround with a row of scarlet Salvias, set one
foot from edge of bed and twenty inches apart. Edge with Little Gem
Sweet Alyssum.
[Illustration:
PLATE III.
PLAN FOR ROSE-GARDEN AND FOLIAGE-BED.]
Another Twelve-foot Bed
One Ricinus in centre, surrounded at three feet distance by six of the
largest sized Caladiums three feet apart. The third row, three feet
outside, to be composed of low-growing Cannas—Queen Charlotte, Chicago,
Florence Vaughan, or Papa—eighteen inches apart. Edge with dwarf
Nasturtiums.
Nine-foot Bed
One Ricinus trimmed in umbrella form—that is, the lower leaves removed
so that the upper may serve as a shade for the Cannas. First row, six
Allemannia Cannas; second row, twelve inches outside, twelve Burbank
Cannas, fourteen inches apart; third row, twenty-five Italia Cannas,
fourteen inches apart. Edge with Coleus, set fifteen inches apart.
Nine-foot Bed
Centre three discolour Cannas, grouped in the corner. First row, twelve
Black Beauty Cannas, eighteen inches apart; second row, eighteen inches
outside, twelve large Caladiums, twenty-seven inches apart.
Twelve-foot Bed
Three Ricini in group, equal distance apart. First row, three feet out,
scarlet Salvias, twenty inches apart; second row, twelve inches out,
white-flowered Vincas, twelve inches apart. Edge with scarlet Phlox
Drummondii or blue Tom Thumb Ageratum, six inches apart.
Nine-foot Bed of Ornamental Grasses
Large clump of Arundo Donax in centre. First row, three feet out, three
Erianthus Ravennæ, six feet apart; second row, twelve Eulalia gracillima
univittata, two feet apart.
Eight-foot Bed
A large clump of Setaria magna in the centre. First row, Coix lachryma,
eighteen inches apart; second row, twenty inches out, Pennisetum
Ruppellianum, eighteen inches apart.
* * * * *
I cannot too highly recommend the planting of ornamental grasses on the
lawn. They are extensively used in parks and in other public grounds,
but not nearly so extensively as they should be on private grounds. Many
of them are perfectly hardy, and once established grow in beauty from
year to year; others in the Northern States may be easily wintered in
the cellar, while still others may be cheaply and easily raised from
seed each year.
Chapter _TWO_
Soils
In every garden the matter of soil is of first importance. In case of an
outdoor garden the existing conditions will largely determine the class
of plants to be grown.
A good loam—that is a non-coherent mixture of clay and sand with a
proportion of such decayed vegetable matter as leaves and the fibrous
roots of grasses—is the best garden soil, being what is termed warm and
early. Soil containing a good proportion of sand is warm, while a
preponderance of clay makes what is known as cold or wet soil.
If there is good drainage, cold soil can be rendered lighter, sandier
and more friable by the liberal application of manure, which in two or
three years will quite change its character. But this is a long time to
wait, and to get quick results it will be necessary, after laying out
the garden and outlining the beds, to remove the earth to a depth of
twenty inches or more, filling in with soil suitable for the class of
plants to be grown in each bed. In the beds intended for Roses, however,
the clay may be left, as Roses require this soil. Where it is not
present it should be supplied and added to each year, as the heavy
manuring which Roses require constantly reduces the relative proportion
of clay. For the Pansy bed nothing better than leaf-mould from the woods
can be procured. For this bed remove six or eight inches of earth, spade
in a good supply of old, well-rotted manure from the cow-stable,
top-dress with several inches of leaf-mould. You will have a bed that
will give magnificent Pansies and few weeds. For the Salvia, Canna,
Ricinus, Caladium and other strong-growing plants no soil is better than
the muck or peat of swamps—soil composed of partly carbonised vegetable
matter decomposed by the action of water. Leaf-mould consists of
vegetable matter which has decayed without being submerged, and it
usually contains a liberal quantity of sharp, white sand, to which it
owes its friable, non-adhesive character. Leaf-mould is commonly found
around decayed stumps and in hollow places in the woods, where the
leaves have drifted and decayed. It is ready for immediate use. Muck or
peat, however, which is found in bogs and swamps, is unfit for garden
use when freshly dug—except for aquatic plants—being tough and fibrous.
It should therefore be dug during the summer, thrown in a heap and left
for the winter frost to rot and render tractable. For immediate use the
best method is to place it in a deep hole in the bed and cover with
several inches of loam, or old muck. If this is kept worked or mulched
to exclude air and retain the moisture in the muck, excellent results
may be secured. The bed may also be partly filled with muck and covered
with loam, the whole object being to prevent the muck drying out into
hard lumps, as it will, when green, on exposure to sun and air. The
following spring the loam may be spaded into the muck, giving a warm,
mellow, exceedingly rich soil that will grow anything. The importance of
starting out with good soil cannot be too strongly urged. It seems at
first sight to call for a considerable expenditure of time and
money—especially where the earth must be purchased and the labour paid
for—but in the long run it is a decided saving.
With unsuitable soil there must be many failures, resulting in loss of
both plants and seeds, and this in itself is no small expense. The
labour of caring for such a garden is many times greater, for the
top-dressing of manure required produces an incessant crop of weeds,
which must be removed, not once, but many times during the summer, while
beds filled with leaf-mould or muck need but one or two weedings. The
weeds which grow naturally in these soils do not flourish in the open
ground. A few Smartweeds and Nettles may be expected in the one case,
and Violets and Spring-beauties in the other. In the manured garden soil
an endless procession of Purslane, Malice, Ragweed and the like must be
constantly watched for. The presence of clay and gravel in the soil
always renders it hard and given to caking, necessitating frequent
cultivation; while muck-beds, after the preliminary spading in the
spring, remain free and mellow throughout the season.
Replacing soil presents more difficulties to city dwellers than to those
living in the country, or in small towns, but, as there are in the
vicinity of most of our cities rich peat lands, it ought not to be
difficult to obtain one or two loads of this useful material. Near the
small towns are always to be found farmers who own or live near
marsh-land, and can supply muck, especially where they have been
ditching. A good waggon-load may be had at prices ranging from fifty
cents to two dollars, according to the distance to be hauled. The cost
in the city would, of course, be much greater.
It is well for the amateur gardener to learn early in her experience to
keep her eyes open to all things pertaining to the success of the
garden. When driving, note the marsh-lands easily accessible from the
highway, especially where they have been ditched or partially reclaimed,
and interview the owner or tenant. In the dull season on the farm the
owner of such soil may be glad to earn an extra dollar or two, and it
may also be suggested to the farmers’ boys, who have marsh-and
wood-lands, that they may earn pocket-money by calling on people known
to be cultivating flowers or building new homes, to solicit their
orders. Many people who grow flowers do not know where to apply for
earth, and an advertisement in a local paper would, doubtless, prove
advantageous to customer and purveyor. On hillsides along the road, and
places which the rain has washed, one may gather quantities of pure
white or grey sand for potting. Yellow sand is not suitable for such
use, as it contains much clay and cakes badly after watering, while the
white or grey sand remains line and loose.
Leaf-mould is not so readily procurable, as it must be gathered from
suitable patches through the woods, and the farmers do not like to
bother with it. Besides, they are likely to dig up much undesirable
under-soil. It is better to go one’s self for this. A still better way
is to make your own leaf-mould. Thus: when sod is removed from the
ground for any purpose, shake out the fine soil that adheres to it for
future use; or slice off the fine roots with a sharp knife just below
the crown of the grass. This is known as fibrous loam, and, in
combination with leaf-mould, old manure and fine, sharp sand, makes the
very finest potting soil. Throw the tops of the sods in a heap in some
out-of-the-way corner and add the rakings of the yard in fall and
spring, all weeds pulled during the summer, all vegetable refuse,
potato-parings, apple-peelings, corn-husks, and berry-hulls—anything
that has vegetable matter and will decay. All dish-water and slops that
are not needed on the garden may be thrown on the pile, which should be
turned over occasionally during the winter. By the following spring you
will have the finest kind of leaf-mould. Not all of the pile will have
decayed, but along the sides and underneath it will be found ready for
use. Add to it every bit of available vegetable matter during the year,
including the annual flowers pulled up after their season of bloom, the
tops of such root-plants as Cannas, Caladiums, Gladioli, etc., and you
will soon have a supply quite adequate to the needs of an ordinary
garden. Where there are water-works the hose may be turned on frequently
to hasten decomposition. If it is impossible to replace all poor soil in
the garden with better, by the addition of leaf-mould and manure, much
may be accomplished in the way of building up the old and rendering it
suitable.
If the plot to be used can be ploughed up, well manured, and sown to
clover, the clover turned under in the fall, a good top-dressing of
manure given, and the whole turned again in the spring, the soil should
be in good garden condition.
Where the soil is a good, warm loam the addition of fertilisers will
always give excellent results, though there is the disadvantage of weeds
and extra cultivation to consider. The first cost of suitable earth is
great, but it pays in the end in the saving of fertilisers, labour,
expensive seeds and flowers.
Chapter _THREE_
Fertilisers
Fertilisers in the form of animal manures, chemicals or vegetable matter
come next in importance to a good soil. Horse, cow, sheep, and poultry
droppings are the cheapest and most direct in results. Of the four, cow
manure is probably the best for the majority of plants, especially
Pansies, Iris, Violets, Ferns and others which love a cool soil. Cow
manure is known as a cool manure, and is suitable for a warm or sandy
soil. Horse manure, which is more heating, especially when from young
stock, is better on cold or clayey soil, as it has the effect of
breaking up the adhesiveness of the clay and promoting the formation of
sand. Hen manure is very warm and is therefore most suitable for cold
soils. Sheep manure is especially desirable for Roses and house-plants,
about one part manure to six of earth being the proportion.
Good results may be obtained by the use of any or all of these, if in
the proper condition and judiciously applied. Manure is in proper
condition when it has passed completely through the heating or
fermenting stage. Fresh manure should never be placed where it, or the
water that leaches from it, can possibly come in contact with the
plants; manure should be six months or, better still, a year old before
being used. Old and well-rotted manure has much the appearance of rich,
black earth, and is readily assimilated by the plants. It should be fine
and free from such rough litter as corn-stalks, cobs, and long straws,
and should be thoroughly mixed with the soil. As manure is full of the
seeds of weeds and grasses, it is better, when applying it in the
spring, to remove a portion of the top-soil and work the manure into the
subsoil by spading, and then to return the top-soil. This will prevent
their germination and save a great deal of weeding during the summer.
Manure that retains its original form is too fresh to use and should be
thrown in a heap and frequently forked over to hasten decomposition. It
will be fit by another season, but older stuff must be procured for
present use. Where there is room it is a wise provision to keep a pile
of manure from year to year, in order to avoid the inconvenience of
looking for it when you need it. No better expenditure can be made by
the gardener than in purchasing several loads of old manure, when it is
discovered in some neighbouring barn-yard. If one has no supply and must
purchase, the matter should be attended to in the fall at latest, to
allow ample time for saving it. Farmers usually draw the manure on the
land as it accumulates, so that it is difficult to obtain in the spring.
Ashes contain a certain amount of phosphates, which tend to sweeten the
soil. They are also beneficial in increasing the strength or stiffness
of the stalks, and for this reason are valuable for Aster and Gladiolus
beds; they should never be mixed with manure, as is frequently done, but
should be strewn over the surface of the soil after the other
fertilisers are worked in. Ashes mixed with manure release the ammonia
of the latter, depriving it of one of its most valuable properties.
Ammonia itself is not a fertiliser but a stimulant, creating in the
plant a desire for the food stored up in the manure—in other words, an
appetiser. Plants, like people, will not eat unless they have an
appetite, and manure mixed with ashes is poorer and much less valuable
in every way to the farmer and gardener. Soot is another excellent
chemical fertiliser, adding much to the richness of colour in both
flower and foliage. Apply either dry or mixed with the surface-soil, or
in the form of a tea made by pouring water over the soot in a vessel.
Draw off the liquid after the mixture has settled and apply it around
the roots of the plants, taking care that it does not touch the foliage.
It is especially good for Pansies and Roses.
Manure-water is a good way to apply animal fertiliser, as it is fairly
free from the seeds of weeds, which constitute the chief drawback to the
solid form. To prepare it take a water-tight barrel or half-barrel and
put a spigot in the side near the bottom. Place three or four inches of
clean straw in the barrel, letting it come well up above the spigot,
then fill half full of manure. It is not necessary that the manure
should be so very old; it needs only to have passed the fermentation
period. Fill the barrel with water. Fit a tight cover over it and it is
soon ready to use. As long as the liquid runs the colour of coffee or a
strong tea the manure will not need renewing, and more water may be
added from time to time, but when it shows signs of exhaustion empty the
barrel, put the refuse on the compost heap and fill the barrel as
before. If the liquid is to be used on pot-plants it will be better to
use boiling water in the barrel to destroy the eggs and chrysalis of the
white-worms and other larvæ that infest the manure; or add a half
teaspoonful of Paris green to the water. The first drawings from the
barrel should be well diluted before using, especially when applied to
dry soil. If hen manure is used, it should be made much weaker than
other manures, as it is very heating and likely to burn the roots of
plants. A convenient way to handle the manure barrel is to carry a
watering-pot of water to the barrel each time, emptying it in at the top
and drawing off a corresponding amount at the spigot—in this way the
barrel is kept constantly full and extra steps saved. Liquid manure may
also be prepared by filling a pail half full of manure, adding boiling
water, and dipping off the liquid when the sediment is settled.
[Illustration: MANURE WATER IS A GOOD WAY TO APPLY ANIMAL FERTILISER]
After a heavy rain there will often be a pool in some corner of the
barn-yard where sufficient liquid manure may be dipped up to fill a
barrel or hogshead. Where the barn-yard is paved with cobble-stones—as
all barnyards should be, for health and cleanliness—a catch-basin may be
easily arranged which the natural slope of the land will fill when it
rains. This will more than pay for the trifling outlay for its
construction, as it need only be a depression in the soil, covered with
cement. Even stiff clay will answer. It is surprising how carelessly
farmers let such valuable property go to waste while they buy load after
load of manure at the stables in town and haul it long distances. The
yield of the strawberry-and asparagus-beds alone would be sufficiently
increased to pay for such a catch-basin many times over.
Soapsuds furnish another excellent fertiliser, and every drop of water
from the wash-room, bed-room and kitchen should be saved and applied
around the roots of plants—especially Roses, Dahlias, and vines, which
never seem to get enough of either moisture or nourishment. Slop-water
should not be put on the foliage of plants, as it leaves a scum that is
difficult to get rid of.
A very good substitute for commercial bone-meal may be manufactured at
home by saving all the bones from the kitchen, throwing them into a
stone jar, covering them with strong lye, and allowing them to remain
until soft enough to be pulverised and dug into the soil. The lye that
remains may also be applied to the soil after being diluted with water.
Blood obtained at the slaughter-house is an excellent fertiliser,
containing much easily assimilated plant food in a soluble form.
Feathers contain much valuable material in the way of phosphates, but
are not suitable for the annual beds. They may be applied to shrubs and
hardy perennials by digging them into the ground at a little distance
from the plants, where the roots will reach out and find them.
Hoof-parings from the blacksmith shop are also valuable for the
perennial bed. Indeed, with all the forms of plant food available there
is no excuse for starving plants. There are, of course, many commercial
plant foods and fertilisers on the market, bone-meal and guano being the
most reliable among them, but many of them are expensive and uncertain
in their action. Being highly concentrated they are likely to do harm in
the hands of the inexperienced. The natural manures are the safest.
In using liquid manures either on the open ground or on potted plants,
they should only be applied when the soil has been well watered the day
before, never when it is dry. The plant, being supplied with all it
needs to drink, absorbs only what it requires for nourishment and is
less likely to be injured by an overdose. The moisture in the soil
serves also to reduce the strength of the manure.
In applying old cow or horse manure to new beds a wheel-barrow load to
every nine square feet is not too much for strong growing plants such as
Ricinus, Cannas, and Salvias. Half that quantity of hen manure will be
sufficient.
Chapter _FOUR_
The Hotbed, Cold-Frame and Sand-box
The hotbed is an enclosure, affording bottom heat and protection from
cold, for the propagation of tender plants unsuited to sowing in the
open ground, and for starting plants too early in the season for
open-air operations. The hotbed is usually started in February or March
in the latitude of Philadelphia, while April is early enough in the
latitude of Detroit and Chicago. Plants are transferred to the open
ground when all danger of frost is past. With the exception of a few
plants like Poppies, which do not bear disturbance, all seeds yield
better results if planted where they have protection in their early
stages from drying wind, burning sun and nipping cold. This protection
the cold-frame gives, while the hotbed affords the additional advantage
of artificial heat. Plants thus started will be ready to transplant
about the time seeds could be started in the open ground—an important
gain in northern latitudes, where, between the early and late frosts
there is hardly time for the maturing of annuals.
The hotbed should be situated on the south side of a building, wall or
fence, where it will have the full benefit of the sun and be protected
from cold winds. It is also desirable that the land should slope toward
the south, that all surface water may drain away, and that the bed may
receive the greatest amount of sunshine during the day. In constructing
a hotbed dig a pit two feet deep. This may be lined with planks or
bricks, or left with its earthen walls. Over this build a frame of rough
lumber around four posts of three-or four-inch stuff, three feet two
inches high in the back, and two feet eight inches high in the front. If
the pit is not lined, this will bring the frame below the surface and
allow a sufficient slant for the free shedding of water and the
concentration of the greatest amount of sunshine on the bed. Regular
hotbed sash are three feet by six, and cost about two dollars and
seventy-five cents each, glazed and painted. These are usually arranged
to rest on the frame, simply sliding up and down, the size of the bed
determining the number of sash. A bed three by six, however, is more
easily handled than a larger one; and two or more beds, set end to end,
or one long, narrow one divided by partitions into three-by-six beds,
will be more satisfactory in every way than a wider one. The partitions
are necessary, not alone to strengthen the frame and support the sash,
but to insure to each section the special treatment it requires. Not all
seeds germinate in the same temperature, or require the same degree of
moisture. There is, also, a great difference in the period of
germination; some seeds sprout in from three to five days; others
require as many weeks. With separate sections seeds of similar habits
and requirements may be planted together.
Florists’ sash makes an expensive hotbed, and quite as satisfactory
results may be obtained by using such old window-sash as may be picked
up for about twenty-five cents apiece where buildings are being torn
down or from junk or hardware dealers. Old sash will probably need some
glazing and painting, and these are among the things the amateur
gardener should learn to do for herself, as sash must be water-tight and
in order at all times. A sudden hail-storm, a mischievous cat or
careless handling may leave one with broken glass that must be replaced
at once. When old sash is used the back of the frame should be higher
than the sides by the thickness of the sash, so that the sash may be
fastened to it with hinges if desired. A cross-piece from the back to
the front for the sash to rest on will give greater stability and
prevent draughts of cold air on a sudden fall of temperature.
[Illustration: WHEN PLANTS APPEAR TOO THICKLY IN THE ROWS, TRANSPLANT]
[Illustration: A WELL-CONSTRUCTED HOTBED]
Having constructed the pit, fill it with fresh manure from the
horse-stable—that from young, grain-fed stock being best. It must be
perfectly fresh, gathered from the stalls in the morning, and should be
mixed with a quantity of litter—long straw or leaves. This serves as
fuel, insuring a continuous heat. Without it the heat germinated by the
manure would quickly die out and the bed become cold. Throw the manure
loosely into the frame, close the sash and wait for fermentation or
heating. This should take place in from twelve to twenty-four hours; if
longer than that it will be as well to throw out the manure and begin
again, making sure this time that the manure is absolutely fresh. When
the thermometer by rising to 100 or more degrees shows that fermentation
is well under way, the manure should be well tramped down, as level and
smooth as possible. Over this place a couple of inches of fine, old,
well-rotted manure. This will afford nourishment for the young plants
should they make sufficient growth to need it, or on account of stress
of weather be detained in the hotbed longer than expected. If this is
not supplied the tender roots of the plants are apt to go in search of
the crude manure in the bottom of the hotbed, and be injured by contact
with it. When plants that have come up thrifty suddenly turn yellow and
look as if they had been scalded, though sufficiently protected from the
sun, it is probable that their roots have been burned by the manure.
This may be determined by digging down to the roots. If they have
reached the manure the cause is evident; other plants in the same beds,
with shallower roots, it will be observed, are not affected in the same
way. As this is not likely to happen until the plants have made
considerable growth the season will probably be enough advanced to
permit of planting out, especially with protection at night, or they may
be transplanted into the cold-frame until the weather is warm. Such
mishaps seldom occur, but when they do, they must be met promptly. Few
plants will make over four inches of roots before transplanting, and
when they reach the old manure they usually spread out without going
deeper.
To return to the construction of the hotbed: Cover the manure with four
inches of rich, fine loam, free from rough lumps and stone; it would
better be put through a sand-or coal-sieve if not mellow and fine. Make
as level as possible, and place a thermometer in the soil to register
the temperature. When it has risen to 90 degrees or above, and then
fallen to 75 or 70 degrees, the seed may be sown.
In planting seed it is best to use narrow strips of wood to separate the
different varieties. This prevents mixing and running together when
watered. It is impossible to distinguish between different varieties of
Asters, Ageratums and Pansies once they have become mixed. Where one
lives within reach of a box factory narrow strips of wood—admirable for
this purpose—of uniform width and very thin, may be readily obtained. It
is best to begin at the upper right-hand corner with seeds that require
the most time to germinate, labelling each section plainly with name,
date and the period of germination.
Flowers that make the tallest growth may be placed against the back with
advantage—as Cobæa scandens, Ricinus, the Dolichos, Cosmos, and the
like; giving them the advantage of the extra light and keeping them from
withholding the light from the plants in front of them.
Coarse seeds should be planted in drills and covered to twice their
depth. A furrow may be scratched with a sharp stick from an eighth to a
half-inch deep, and the seed sown thinly in it, the earth being replaced
and pressed firmly down with a piece of wood. This is important, as it
brings the seed in close contact with the earth, and the tiny sprout can
lay hold of it at once when germination takes place. Many seeds of weak
germinating power are lost when sown in loose, coarse soil by failure to
obtain immediate contact with the nourishment contained in it.
Fine seeds like Petunias, Nicotianas and Ageratums must be sown
broadcast in little squares reserved for them. Sow on the surface, press
into the soil with a piece of board and merely sift fine sand over.
A piece of thin wood eight or ten inches long and four or five inches
wide, with a handle on one side, will be found very useful to press the
soil down quickly and firmly. This should be an adjunct to every
well-regulated hotbed. So should a thermometer, hung on the back wall of
the hotbed, the bulb level with the soil. After the seeds are all sown,
if the soil is at all dry, sprinkle carefully with a rubber sprinkler,
or a whisk-broom dipped in water and shaken over the bed. Do not use the
watering-pot, as it will wash the seed out of the ground. When the
plants are up and of some size the watering-pot may be resorted to, but
not before. When all the seeds are sown as directed cover with
newspapers and close the sash.
The most careful attention must now be given the hotbed. If the
temperature rises above 75 degrees in the warmest part of the day the
sash must be raised an inch or two. In doing this, if the wind is cold,
it will be best to slip a strip of wood between the sash and frame on
the windward side, or protect the opening on the windward side with a
bit of carpet.
When the seeds in any particular plot show a single pair of leaves,
remove the paper over that much of the bed, still shading from the sun
during the hottest part of the day by a bit of paper on the glass
directly over the plants. When the plants appear too thickly in the row,
transplant them as soon as they have their second leaves into other rows
between the first, or into another hotbed or cold-frame. Encourage
vigorous growth by giving room to develop and as much air and light as
possible.
As soon as the plants are of sufficient size and the weather is warm
enough, remove the sash during the day, replacing it with screens made
of lath. These screens are easily made by nailing strips of lath, the
width of the hotbed, to strips of wood the length of the bed. The lath
should be set its own width apart, and the nails, of which there should
be two in each end, clinched on the under side. Such screens are a
necessary part of the hotbed, and will last for years.
Before transplanting to the open ground these screens should be removed
entirely and the plants left exposed to the weather for a few days to
harden. Screens of chicken netting may be substituted, if protection
from cats, dogs or chickens is needed. If, in the early stages of the
hotbed, drops of moisture gather on the glass, the soil is too wet and
the sash must be raised to allow the surplus moisture to pass off,
avoiding always a cold draught across the bed.
The cold-frame is simply a frame of boards fitted with sash and placed
over a prepared bed of earth. As the bed will be raised slightly above
the surface of the soil, the frame should be set over it, shutting out
the cold from the sides as well as the top. A covered bed, prepared
without heating material, is a cold-frame; and one in which the heating
material is spent is often used as a cold-frame after it has served its
purpose as a hotbed earlier in the season, for growing Gloxinias and
rooting cuttings during the summer, and in August for sowing Pansy seed
for the next summer’s blooming. Cold-frames are useful to protect beds
of such tender perennials as Tea-roses, Pansies, Canterbury-bells,
Foxgloves and Violets. Violets may, by this means, be kept in bloom
during the winter. They are also useful for bringing forward, early in
spring, beds of Hyacinths and Narcissi. They should be protected by
carpets or mattings at night and during the colder days, and exposed to
the heat of the sun on bright days when the soil is not frozen. When it
is, they must remain covered and thaw out in the dark, to be aired when
the weather is above freezing, but draughts across the bed must be
avoided, as they will certainly blast any buds there may be.
The cold-frame in winter must have good drainage, or much damage will
ensue from water standing around the roots of plants. The surface of the
bed must be above the level of the land outside and a trifle lower at
one corner. From this corner a trench should be dug having an outlet, or
a deep hole may be dug and filled with broken crockery and stones to
carry off all surplus water.
The sand-box is a receptacle for the summer storage of plants which are
not to be bedded out. It is also used to prepare plants for winter
blooming, and for experiments with novelties in house-plants. It is,
finally, the ideal place for rooting cuttings. I have never known a
plant capable of being started from cuttings that would not take root in
the sand-box. Any shallow box that may be reached across easily is
suitable for this purpose; or a deep box may be cut down to six or eight
inches and rendered available, the length depending on the plants to be
accommodated and the room at disposal. The sand-box should be placed, if
possible, in a convenient place on the east side of the house. Elevate
on saw-horses, blocks, posts or a regular frame to a height easy to
reach when sitting in a chair. Fill nearly full with clean white sand;
in this bury the pots nearly to the brims and keep the sand constantly
wet.
Plants that can stand full sunshine—as Geraniums, Crotons, Heliotropes,
etc.—should be placed in front; those requiring more shade may be in the
second row, and those needing the most against the wall. Vines, also,
may be trained against the wall, and over the sides of the box, if it is
desired to make it beautiful as well as useful. A wooden chair should be
placed conveniently near, and the space underneath may be utilised for
ferns, or the storage of tools and pots.
Once established, the sand-box will be found one of the most fascinating
of spots. Cuttings of all kinds may be thrust into the sand between the
pots—Geraniums, Carnations and Roses in front. Gloxinias and
Begonias—with the leaves laid flat on the sand in the rear—will quickly
take root in it. No one who cultivates a garden, or house-plants, should
try to get along without a work table or bench, and this should be
situated in some cool, shady spot out of doors. It may be either a large
kitchen table or a large packing box, the latter being preferable,
perhaps, as affording shelter for the various tools used in working. It
should be high enough to work at conveniently when standing up, and a
tall stool should be provided for sitting on when desired, to be pushed
under the top of table when not in use. There should be a shelf
underneath, sufficiently roomy to hold a supply of pots and flats, and,
below it, a box of potting soil and one of fine white sand should be
kept ready for use. If the potting soil lies on the ground it will keep
moist in the dryest weather. A tin pail of pebbles, broken crockery and
charcoal for drainage, and a supply of sphagnum moss should also be kept
handy. A trowel, knife, shears, pencils and a stick—or, better still, a
piece of a broken carving-steel—for pushing a plant out of the pot by
inserting it in the drainage hole when, for any reason, it is not
readily removed by tapping, will greatly lessen the labour of repotting
and shifting house-plants in summer.
A shallow tray, with a bail of wood, large enough to hold a number of
pots, will be useful to carry plants from the potting table to the
sand-box, and will save many steps. With a well-equipped table to depend
on and no litter around the house, one is much more likely to give
plants necessary attention promptly. The work then becomes a pleasure
instead of a labour to be dreaded. There, too, may be kept the supply
for staking plants. The nicest stakes for house-plants are made of
Cat-tail stems, any quantity of which may be gathered in the fall and
stored away for future use, each stalk furnishing two or three stakes.
Being round and smooth they are sightly and just what is needed for
Carnations, Freesias and the like.
Chapter _FIVE_
Purchasing of Seeds
Buying seeds is largely a matter of experience. So glowing are the
descriptions in the numerous catalogues sent out that one may easily be
led into ordering many worthless novelties, and many desirable ones for
which there is neither room nor sufficient knowledge of their wants to
grow them successfully. Cheap collections, where one is requested to
send ten cents for a catalogue and twelve packages of seeds, are worst
of all.
In buying flower-seeds, as in everything else, one never gets “something
for nothing”—not even experience, and cheap seeds usually prove a very
poor investment; the only safeguard is to buy of trustworthy dealers
whose seeds are offered at fair prices. Take, for instance, Pansy seed:
one ought not to expect to buy a fine mixture in a full-size packet—two
hundred and fifty seeds—for less than twenty-five cents, while such
varieties as Giant Trimardeau and Giant Cassier should be fifteen cents
or more, according to the place of purchase. A few of the old
favourites—like the Snow Queen—may be bought in packets costing from
three to five cents and prove good value. But generally speaking,
packets selling for less than five cents are to be looked upon with
suspicion. Seeds bought at the grocer’s or other local dealer’s are
likely to be old or inferior stock—the better class of seedsmen selling
direct to the consumer only. At the end of every season seedsmen have a
large stock left over. The best concerns destroy these, but the less
scrupulous put them up as prizes for advertising purposes, or sell them
to the local dealers.
Some varieties of seeds retain vitality for years, like the
Morning-glory, while others lose vitality in a few months or weeks, like
the perennial Phlox, which must be sown as soon as ripe. From this it
can be readily seen how worthless some of the seed carried over from
year to year must be. As an experiment, I planted under glass in the
house, with more than usual care, a part of one of these trial packages
of twelve for a quarter. From five of the packages I got just one
plant—a Lantana, while from the sixth I grew a number of inferior
Petunias. In striking contrast to this I planted, under the same
conditions, a packet of Bush Hill Pioneer Cyclamen containing twelve
seeds, for which I paid fifty cents, and secured eleven plants, every
one of which lived, making four and a half cents apiece for a very
choice variety of Cyclamen, while the one little common Lantana cost me
ten cents.
The prices of one firm will frequently be much higher than those of
another equally trustworthy, the difference being caused, in most cases,
by the number of seeds in the packets. A few firms now state the number
of seeds in their price-lists. This should become the general practice.
There is manifest injustice in selling packets containing a quantity
which is entirely problematical, and often much below what the purchaser
has a right to expect. To advertise seeds much under the usual price and
reduce the number accordingly is a common practice.
It is better to buy a few good seeds, and by careful cultivation bring
the plants as near perfection as possible, than to buy a quantity of
cheap seeds. One can join with a friend or neighbour and thus secure a
larger variety at less cost than would otherwise be possible. Generally
speaking I think it a great mistake to save one’s own seed. Few choice
varieties are fixed and so tend to run out in two or three seasons. From
fine strains of Asters you may save seed that will give good results the
first year, but flowers grown from seed saved from these will show more
or less centre, so that fresh seed should be purchased every other year
at least. As the bees do not visit the Asters so assiduously as other
flowers, they are less given to hybridisation and come quite true from
seed; the trouble with them being deterioration. The first flower on the
plant is usually the best, and should be reserved for seed by tying a
string around it and labelling it, if it is desired to keep the
varieties separate. Remove all other blooms on the plant, as they fade,
allowing only the one selected to ripen.
Pansy seed should never be saved, as the ripening of it weakens the
plant and checks its blooming. Pansies growing in a mixed bed never come
true from seed and deteriorate rapidly. Growing Pansy seed is work for
the Pansy specialist, but if it must be saved a few plants should be
grown in a bed by themselves and covered with a netting to keep off the
bees, which work incessantly over the Pansy bed. Not more than two or
three of the finest flowers on a plant should be allowed to seed, all
other buds being removed as they form, and the plants kept in a high
state of cultivation and supplied with liquid manure at least once a
week during the season of seeding.
Seed may be saved freely from Poppies, as they do not deteriorate
appreciably, and the hybridisation constantly going on results in a
wonderful variety of form and colouring. The ripening of one or two
capsules of seed does not materially affect the period of bloom; but it
is well to mark one blossom on each plant, giving a preference to the
terminal blossom on the main stalk, as being usually the finest. Remove
all other blossoms as they fade. Perennial Poppies will do better,
however, if no seeds are allowed to form. Morning-glories, Cosmos and
Verbenas sow themselves better than the gardener can, the plants being
much more vigorous than from the hand-sown seeds. Verbenas mix badly,
and are apt to hark back to the original purple strain, or come striped.
The seeds of the pink variety come true, I find, and some of the finest
pinks I have seen were from self-sown seed. They range in colour through
all the shades from pink to deep rose. A fair proportion of white may
also be expected, but scarlet and red with a white eye are shy and
rarely appear.
Nasturtiums rarely come true from seed, and if one desires a particular
colour or shade, she must either buy fresh seed or grow that particular
variety alone. If, however, one simply desires an abundance of bright
flowers with a preponderance of yellow, orange and scarlet, it is worth
while to save seed, as its vitality is remarkable and every seed may be
expected to germinate.
No variety of Petunia can be depended upon when grown in a mixed bed. A
particularly fine variety may be lifted and planted on the opposite side
of the house, either in the ground or in a window-box, or in a pot in
the house. From one exceedingly fine specimen of the large ruffled
variety, lifted and grown in a window-box on the opposite side of the
house from the Petunia bed, I saved a single pod of seed from which I
grew, the following year, sufficient plants for a large bed. No two of
these were alike in colour, but they retained the immense size, ruffled
edges, velvety texture and beautifully marked throats of the parent
strain; some were a velvety crimson, nearly black, some white with
crimson blotches, and some showed rare shades of grey.
Sweet Alyssum sows itself, and the trouble is usually not to save but to
get rid of it. Candytuft may be saved, but the fewer flowers allowed to
seed the better for the continuation of bloom. Where one does not
actually need the seed all flowers should be removed as fast as they
fade. No one thing will add so much to the appearance of the garden as
this, as nothing is more untidy than flowers gone to seed.
Perennials are greatly benefited by having the withered flowers removed;
indeed so noticeable is the advantage that some, like the Monkshood,
will give a second crop of flowers, and those that will not respond in
this way will be more robust and bloom more freely the next year.
Vincas, too, and Hibiscus bloom more freely if not allowed to seed,
while Coleus should not even be allowed to bloom. Sweet-peas must on no
account be permitted to seed unless grown for the purpose. Seed may be
gathered from the Thunbergia, Maurandya, Adlumia, common Morning-glory
and Hollyhock without risk of deterioration or harm to the vine.
Antirrhinums suffer severely from seed-bearing, while the Ricinus,
Lantanas and Salvias may be allowed to seed freely. Ageratums look rusty
when ripening seed, and it pays to go over them frequently with the
shears; this will keep them fresh and full of bloom until frost. One
flower-head will furnish all the seed one is likely to want.
All seeds should be gathered when ripe and the foliage dry. They should
be exposed to the air in any convenient receptacle, except in the case
of the Thunbergias, Balsams, and others having pods which snap open and
expel the seeds to a distance. These should be saved in paper bags until
perfectly dry, when they may be freed from their husks by sifting or
winnowing, and stored in paper bags, envelopes, or boxes. It pays to
save the florists’ envelopes for this purpose, as they are already
labelled. Never put seeds away unlabelled, and it is a good idea to add
to the label the date, period of germination, with the colour of the
bloom, height, and other data of interest. It is still better to keep a
book of such information to which one may refer from year to year. There
are frequent doubts concerning some operation—the season of starting the
hotbed, the time it took a certain class of bulbs to bloom after
potting, and the like. In all such cases the note-book offers
unimpeachable evidence.
Chapter _SIX_
Starting Seeds in Flats
There are many choice seeds, especially in the greenhouse varieties,
that cannot be handled successfully in the hotbed—Begonias, Gloxinias,
Cinerarias, and Primulas among them. All seeds too fine to be covered do
better with house treatment. For starting these the shallow boxes or
flats, as they are called, are used. Shallow cigar-boxes, or the larger
ones sawed in two and the lid nailed on for the extra bottom, make
convenient sizes for the finest seeds. They may be used from year to
year if care is taken to store them away, at the end of the season,
where they will keep dry and ready for use.
Holes for drainage should be bored in the bottom and covered with bits
of glass or broken crockery. Fill with finely sifted leaf-mould to
within an inch of the top and shake the earth smooth and even. A smooth
piece of board, three inches wide and as long as the inside width of the
flat, with a handle that can be easily grasped, is indispensable for
pressing down the soil, both before and after sowing the seeds. It
should be stored away with the flats at the end of the season.
Sow very fine seed broadcast, scattering it thinly and evenly over the
surface and pressing it into the soil with the wood. It will be better
to sow only part of a packet at a time. This will usually give all the
plants of a kind wanted at one time, and if success does not follow this
first trial there will be seed left for another sowing. Label plainly
with the name and date of sowing, and, when known, the date of
germination. Give the soil a thorough watering by setting the flat in
lukewarm water until the water rises to the surface, but not above it.
When the entire surface is wet, remove the box, draining off all surplus
water by tipping on one corner, until the water ceases to run off. Cover
the flat with a glass and sheet of white paper and place in a warm
place—a shelf above a coal-stove or radiator is an excellent location,
as it affords the bottom heat so essential in starting tender seeds.
Seeds while germinating need but little light, and a box on a shelf in a
living-room may be so screened as not to be unsightly. A shelf under
another, having a light valance, is an ideal place, as the heat strikes
more on the bottom of the box, leaving the top cool. Coarse seeds may be
sown in rows and lightly covered, or enough fine white sand to merely
cover may be sifted over them. Large seed, like the Asparagus Sprengeri
may be pressed into the soil to twice their depth. Or the soil may first
be covered with a thin layer of fine white sand, and the seeds sown on
this and covered according to need. Sand counteracts the troublesome
tendency to damping off caused by the presence of a minute fungus in the
form of a fine moss or thread-like filaments covering the ground. Since
this is the result of too much moisture, the remedy is to remove the
glass, allowing the surplus moisture to pass off and the dry air to
strike the soil for a short time. Care must be taken that the dryness
does not extend below the surface. Drops of water on the glass indicate
too much humidity. The glass should be removed, wiped, and aired. Where
the plants are not too close together a crochet-hook or hat-pin may be
used to scrape the moss or filament from the earth. This slight
disturbance of the soil often serves to destroy the fungus. If the soil
threatens to become dry, water carefully with a rubber sprinkler. If the
dryness begins in the bottom, water as before by setting the flat in a
pan of water.
When the plants have their second leaves give more air and remove the
paper; in a day or two set in a light, warm window, screening from the
hot sun by placing a piece of white paper between the box and the window
glass. Leave the glass partly off the flat to admit air, and when the
plants have their first true leaves remove it entirely for a part of the
time.
[Illustration: STARTING SEEDS IN FLATS]
When large enough to handle, transplant the seedlings into other flats,
setting them one or two inches apart according to their growth. When the
leaves again touch prick them out in two-inch pots of leaf-mould,
placing a piece of crockery over the drainage hole and filling with
earth to within half an inch of the top. Plunge the pots into a box of
sand in a sunny window until large enough to go out of doors. As soon as
the roots fill the pots shift to a size larger, using compost of two
parts fibrous loam, four parts leaf-mould, one part old, well-rotted
manure, and one part sharp white sand, all thoroughly sifted together.
This is called fine compost, while soils that have not been sifted are
known as rough compost. To remove sticks, stones, or hard bits of root
put through a sand or coal-ash screen. A piece of wire netting slightly
gathered up in the hand makes a convenient screen for a small quantity
and a box with a netting bottom for larger quantities of earth.
By the time the plants again need shifting it should be warm enough to
bed out all those that are to grow in the open ground, while those
intended for the house must be shifted from pot to pot as they outgrow
their quarters and be given such special treatment as the individual
plants may require, always aiming at as thrifty a growth as possible.
Plants intended for winter blooming must have all their buds removed and
their branches pinched back according to their summer development.
Weak liquid manure may be given once a week during summer. Keep the sand
in the sand-box wet at all times, but do not over-water. Water
thoroughly and then allow the earth to become nearly dry before watering
again; this alternate moisture and dryness allows the wood to ripen and
make a stockier growth and one that will stand frequent changes of
temperature better than the tender growth induced by over-watering.
Chapter _SEVEN_
Transplanting and Repotting
Tender annuals should not be planted out of doors until all danger of
frost is past—usually about the twentieth of May in the latitude of
Detroit and Chicago, and correspondingly earlier in the latitude of
Philadelphia. Corn-planting time is safe in all latitudes. Even hardy
annuals, if not too crowded, do better in hotbeds and boxes until the
nights are warm. Vines especially suffer from cold nights and cold
ground, and often receive a set-back from which they may not recover all
summer.
It is best to prepare the beds a few days in advance that they may
settle, as freshly dug soil is too loose for the roots of tender
seedlings.
For solid beds of one flower make straight, parallel rows about nine
inches apart for plants like Pansies, and from twelve to eighteen for
Asters and their kind. A most convenient method is to use a board the
length of the bed, or as long as convenient, with the distance between
the plants marked on it. By using a board wide enough to stand or kneel
on, stepping on the bed is avoided. On a round bed the lines may run
straight across or they may radiate from the centre, in which case it
will be necessary to skip a part of every other row, as the rows run
together at the top.
It is better to transplant on a bright, warm day when the soil is dry
than on a damp or wet one. Never transplant when the soil is wet. Many
people take advantage of an approaching rain to set out plants, but this
is a doubtful practice. If the rain is followed by several days of
cloudy weather, it may do, but if followed by hot sunshine the plants
will suffer more than if first planted in sunshine in hot, dry weather.
Only as many plants should be lifted from the hotbed at one time as may
be transplanted before they wilt badly. The plants should be well
watered the night before, that they may have a good supply of moisture
stored, and that the soil may be moist and cling closely to their roots.
With the trowel make a hole deep enough to receive the roots without
crowding, place the plant, fill the hole with water, and when that has
partly disappeared press the earth firmly about the roots. Work the
surface earth fine and smooth about the plant, taking care that it is
perfectly dry. If, after setting the bed, wet spots appear, go over them
carefully with dry earth. _Do not cover or protect in any way_; far more
plants are lost by so-called protection than by any other form of
mismanagement. If the planting has been done properly the roots will
keep cool and damp—the mulch of earth preventing evaporation. This being
the case, the tops will take care of themselves if sun and air have free
access and the wind can sweep across them. Planting, as it is usually
done—with the surface left wet, and the air shut away from the
top—causes the water to evaporate rapidly in the hot air, and the plant
is literally cooked to death. The water applied to the roots at planting
will usually last for several days. The condition of the soil may be
ascertained by removing a portion of the surface. If the earth
underneath is found to be drying out too much make a hole on one side of
the plant and fill it with water as before, carefully replacing the
mulch of dry earth. Should it rain before the plants have become
established the earth must be worked over as soon as it begins to dry
that the moisture may be retained. If these directions are carefully
carried out the tenderest plants may be transplanted in the hottest sun
without injury. Occasionally a plant will wilt from exposure before
planting, but it will be all right the next day—unless it was really
injured before being placed in the ground. I repeat the caution to lift
no more plants at one time than may be set in the ground before they
wilt; to form a fine mulch of dry earth over the soil; to cover plants
in no way, and to use no water on the surface for a few days until they
have become established, which they will indicate by spreading out their
leaves and making ready to grow. This method of planting should be
followed in moving plants from one part of the garden to another, in
resetting clumps of perennials, in bedding out house-plants and those
received by mail. Where these last have had part or all of the soil
removed it will greatly benefit them to set them in pots until these are
filled with roots.
It is desirable that young plants should be kept growing vigorously all
the time, and frequent shifting is necessary. Whenever the earth becomes
full of roots, or the ball of earth is covered with a network of roots,
the plant should be shifted into a pot a size larger.
“Shifting” means changing the plant to a pot a size larger without
disturbing the ball of earth, while “repotting” properly means an entire
renewal of the soil, the same sized crock being sometimes used. Shifting
may be done at any time, even though the plant be in full bloom, while
repotting should be done when the plant is dormant, as it is likely to
cause the buds to blast and the foliage to droop. Plants less than a
year old are better shifted than repotted—especially such as have
neither bloomed nor shown any decided tendency to rest. After blooming
and resting, if they are in as large a pot as you care to handle, they
may be repotted in fresh soil, care being taken not to injure the roots,
while dead roots should be removed with the shears. When a plant has
outgrown its pot and it is inexpedient to give it a larger
one—especially if it is not making a very vigorous top growth, part of
the roots may be removed by running a knife down on two sides of the
plant, which should not be disturbed afterward until the roots begin to
grow anew, say, in three or four weeks, when it may be repotted with
good rich soil.
[Illustration: SIFTING LOAM THROUGH A SIEVE]
In shifting plants turn them out of the pot without disturbing the ball
of earth. This may be done by placing the hand over the pot, reversing
it and giving it a sharp tap on the edge of the table, which will loosen
it. Sometimes, when a plant has become pot bound, it will stick to the
sides of the pot, when a stick inserted in the drainage hole against the
stone in the bottom will usually loosen it. Having removed the plant
from the pot, take out the old drainage material carefully, place in a
pot a size or two larger an inch or two of broken charcoal covered with
a little sphagnum moss to prevent the earth working into the drainage
and clogging it. Fill in as much earth as the difference in the size of
pot seems to require, working it well up around the sides with the
trowel; press the old pot into this to make a hole the proper size and
shape; place the plant, press the earth around it, and add more if
needed. Water well and return to its place on the shelf or in the
sand-box.
In potting some plants will require to have the soil pressed much more
firmly around the roots than others. Those which make a soft growth,
such as Impatiens sultana, various Primulas, Cinerarias, and most
tuberous plants, like Begonias and Gloxinias, may be potted rather
loosely, that is, with the earth pressed down lightly. Geraniums should
be potted much more firmly, while such hard-wooded plants as Roses,
Hibiscus, Otaheite Orange and Fuchsias, should be potted very hard
indeed. Many failures in plant growing may be traced to neglect of this
rule.
Cuttings of common house-plants are so easily rooted that it seems
almost superfluous to give directions for handling them. Geraniums,
Petunias, Coleus, and the like will rarely fail to root if stuck in the
ground by the side of the plant; they will do still better if placed in
the sand-box. On the whole I prefer to set them in small pots of earth
plunged in the sand-box and kept moist, as by this method they do not
suffer the shock of disturbance when ready to pot off.
A word about the selection of cuttings will not be amiss, as failure to
choose wisely often results in the loss of the cutting, or in a poor or
straggly plant. Quick, tender growths are not suitable for cuttings,
except in the case of the Chinese Hibiscus, where the extreme tips are
used for rooting; hard or woody growths are equally undesirable. The
part where the new wood begins to harden and will break with a snap is
best. No cutting should be over two or three inches long. The little,
stubby side branches on Geraniums are best, and as soon as growth begins
these should be pinched back to within an inch of the ground, or to the
lowest buds on the stalks; this insures a stocky plant, branching close
to the ground. Heliotropes do not root readily and should be started in
wet sand in full sunshine and covered with a glass, which should be
lifted occasionally to allow the surplus moisture to pass off, or in a
bottle of water hung in a sunny window. Rose cuttings are so easily and
so quickly rooted in the sand-box that it seems a waste of time to try
any other way. In cutting Roses for bouquets, during summer, one should
be generous with stems, cutting down to a robust leaf-bud in the axil of
a leaf. After the Roses have faded the stems may be used for cuttings,
dividing them into as many lengths as the buds allow, leaving two or
three buds to a cutting. By this method one may have a large number of
young Rose plants with little trouble and no expense. Coleus cuttings
are quickly rooted by putting them in a glass dish filled with water and
set in a warm place. If in the fall it is desired to save choice
varieties growing on the lawn, large cuttings may be taken of the finest
plants. Grouped together in a bowl, they are sightly and root readily.
As the plants begin to grow they are likely to lose their large
leaves—the new growths starting at the axils of these push them
off—injuring the appearance of the plant. They should be potted off as
soon as possible, the tops pinched out, and the plant encouraged to grow
vigorously. To this end a warm, even temperature is necessary, sudden
chills being fatal.
Gloxinias may be started in the sand-box by laying a leaf flat on the
sand, in partial shade, covering the stem end with the sand. A callus
will soon form, followed presently by a bulb. This may be as large as a
hazel-nut before top growth begins. When tiny leaves appear the plant
may be lifted and potted and grown until it blooms. It is not necessary
to rest Gloxinias—either from seeds or cuttings—before they have
bloomed. Begonias and Achimenes are rooted in the same way.
Umbrella-plants are started by placing face down in a dish of water in
the sun. Rubber and any other hard-wooded plants may be rooted by making
an incision in the under side of a branch near a leaf, at a point where
the wood has begun to harden, and wrapping the wound in a quantity of
sphagnum moss, kept constantly wet. A thread should be tied to the
branch on the side farthest from the main stalk and attached to a limb
above to hold the cut slightly open that it may quickly become
calloused. After a time roots will make their appearance through the
moss, when the branch may be removed and potted. A method sometimes
employed, when it is desired to save the crown of a plant which has a
leggy or unshapely undergrowth, is to partly sever the stem at the point
at which it is desired to root the plant, cutting out a wedge-shaped
piece and packing with sphagnum moss. Or a small flower-pot, divided in
halves, may be fitted around the cut, the bottom of the pot resting on a
lower limb or other support, and filled with earth or sand kept
constantly moist.
[Illustration: REPOTTING]
Cuttings liable to decay, as are some of the Cacti, may often be saved
by tying them to a bit of wood and inserting that in the ground so that
the end of the cutting just rests on the surface. In this way the air
will reach and harden it so that a callus can form. Without the
formation of the callus the sap escapes and the branch withers or
decays. When the callus forms the imprisoned sap goes to the formation
of roots. Some plants form more pronounced calluses than
others—particularly the Gloxinia and Rose.
Layering is another form of rooting cuttings, and is especially valuable
for Carnations, Honeysuckles, and plants whose branches grow near the
ground or are supple enough to be bent down below its level. A cut
should be made in the under side of a branch just below a joint, the cut
portion brought down below the ground to insure moisture, and bent
sufficiently to spread the cut somewhat, or it may be laid on the
surface and a stone placed at the point of the cut. From a long branch
like the Honeysuckle a number of cuttings may be started at once by
notching the branch in several places and pegging it down, making the
ground higher between each notch that there may be sufficient bend to
the branch to keep the cut open.
Chapter _EIGHT_
House-plants From Seeds
Raising house-plants from seed is a most fascinating work, and it is
also the most economical way of obtaining a number of choice plants, as
a packet of seeds may be purchased for the price of a single plant. A
package of Geranium seed may give a dozen plants, while a packet of
Gloxinias or Cinerarias may give a hundred or more—the fine seed
germinating more freely than the large.
Mixed seeds also give a variety, no two plants being identical in bloom,
and, what is most important, seedlings always bloom—while plants from
cuttings are often stubborn in this respect and sometimes refuse to
bloom at all, owing probably to the check received at propagation. A
cutting taken from a vigorous plant, rooting quickly, and continuing to
grow, is quite certain to bloom—while the reverse is the case with one
slow to root and slow to start into growth after rooting. The seedling,
meeting with no check, blossoms in the natural course, and it has the
advantage of growing from the start in the same atmospheric conditions,
and does not suffer the violent change from the moist, warm air of the
greenhouse into the dryer, more uneven temperature of the living-room.
By sowing seed one obtains a number of plants with the same season of
bloom, making a finer appearance than mixed plants blooming at different
times. A half dozen Cinerarias or Calceolarias in full bloom is a sight
to gladden the heart of the gardener.
In giving the following cultural details I have selected those seeds
which are always carried in stock and may be depended upon to give good
results in the hands of the amateur. Unless some one particular colour
or marking is desired it is better to purchase the mixed seed—selecting
always the finest, or “extra choice mixed,” which will also be the
highest priced. Never buy cheap seed for house-plants. Exception may,
perhaps, be made in the case of Primroses, which are more inclined to
come true, and it is, for this reason, better to purchase any particular
colours one may wish in separate packets. Some seedsmen now put up
expensive seeds in whole and half-sized packets, and the half packets
will usually give all the plants needed of one kind. The mystery of tint
and colour, only to be revealed at blossom time, is one of the greatest
charms of growing mixed seedlings.
The Abutilons, or Flowering Maples, if set going any time before April
will flower the same season. Start in the house in flats, and when large
enough to handle transplant into tiny pots in a hotbed or sunny window
and grow on until time to plant in the open ground, shifting as
required. They may also be started in the hotbed, or in a protected bed
in the open ground when the trees are in bloom. Set from one to two feet
apart, according as a close hedge or fine specimen plants are required.
The new California Abutilons present a great diversity of form and
colour—there are beautiful drooping bells, gay little parachutes,
flowers crinkled like crape or shining like satin, some so full as to
appear double. They should be cultivated frequently if grown in the open
ground and potted before the nights become cold, as a chill is often as
harmful as frost, and plants so exposed are likely to lose their
foliage. Plants intended for winter blooming should be lifted while the
days and nights are still warm.
Asparagus plumosus nanus and A. Sprengeri (emerald feather) may be
started any time in the late winter or early spring. The seeds are large
and should be planted in rows an inch apart each way, pressing them into
the soil a quarter of an inch and covering them over. They germinate in
about twenty-one days, and require no especial care other than to be
kept moist and fairly warm. When an inch high transplant to thumb-pots,
using the fine compost. Shift as often as necessary; all
Asparagus—especially the Sprengeri—are greatly benefited by frequent
repotting. Spray frequently, keep moist always, and give liquid manure
once a week while growing.
A. Sprengeri grows rapidly and is the most easily managed of all
varieties. It needs, however, abundant root room, and where that is
restricted must be given some kind of plant-food. It is the plant most
used for hanging-baskets. A basket of three two-year-old seedlings is a
thing of beauty, throwing off wonderful fronds—even in the dry air of a
sitting-room heated with a coal-stove. They should be given a chance to
rest during the summer by setting in a cool, shady place, watering
sparingly. When the plant shows signs of renewed growth repot, giving a
larger pot if necessary, or, if two or three plants have been growing in
one basket they may be separated and given more room. An elongated tuber
is formed on the roots, which stores nourishment—like the nodules on the
Clematis and Clover roots. It is useless for propagating purposes, and
should not be disturbed. A basket or a pot on a bracket or pedestal is
the only way in which to grow A. Sprengeri successfully, while A.
plumosus nanus succeeds best in deep pots, as it sends its roots far
down, often pushing its crown well above the soil in this way. A.
plumosus sends out fronds several feet long, and is best adapted for
growing on strings. A deep pot on a north or east window-sill suits it
well, provided it is not too cool, and fine spool-wire makes a neat
support and is almost invisible.
The seeds of Rex and other Begonias are so fine as to look like dust.
They should be sown on the surface of the soil, in flats in the house,
in February or March, and an even temperature maintained. They germinate
in eight or ten days, and the greatest care is required to keep the
tender seedlings from damping off or drying out. The tiny plants appear
first as a vague green bloom on the face of the soil, and a magnifying
glass is necessary to show that each infinitesimal green point is
possessed of a pair of leaves. From this time on it is a delight to
watch the development of character in the leaf—quite tiny plants showing
different markings. I have never raised two Rex Begonias exactly alike.
When the little plants are large enough to handle prick them out into
other flats, setting them an inch apart each way. When an inch high put
into two-inch pots of leaf-mould, and plunge the pots in a pan of wet
sand in a cool, north window where bulbs are growing, if possible, as
the constant evaporation from these keeps the air moist. This is an
important consideration in the culture of Begonias, and in winter water
should be kept on stove, radiator or register to supply moisture. Among
the fine bedding, fibrous-rooted Begonias the new Vulcan, a fiery
scarlet; Vernon, a deep red; Erfordii, a soft pink, and the dwarf Bijou
are the best. By starting these during January and February in flats in
the house they may be bedded out in early summer. If planted in the
house in January, transplanted to flats, and thence to the hotbed when
it is emptied after the 20th of May, and partly shaded, they will be
fine, robust plants by August, and may be used to replace the Pansies
when it is not desired to carry these through the summer. If one has a
sufficient number of pots, pot and plunge in the hotbed and they will
not be set back by transplanting, but they must be plunged to the rim.
They should be shifted when necessary, duly mulched, and not allowed to
dry out.
Nothing finer than the tuberous Begonias can be desired either for
bedding or for pot culture. The single are perhaps showier for bedding,
but the double are handsomer for pot culture. They do admirably bedded
out in a shady corner, or in pots in the sandbox. Peat, or a compost of
two parts loam, two parts leaf-mould, and one part each of sand and old,
well-rotted manure suits all varieties of Begonias. In setting out the
tuberous Begonia it is well to mulch the bed with lawn clippings. Water
thoroughly once a day, and, if very dry, or at all exposed to the sun,
twice a day. So really wonderful are their blossoms, and so long and
freely do they bloom, that they well repay a little extra care and
protection. When frosty nights come the tuberous Begonias must be
lifted, potted and kept indoors until they have completed their season
of growth. Then water should be gradually cut off and the pots stored
away in a dark, warm closet until spring, or if there are too many
Begonias to pot they may be ripened off at once by putting on a tray of
damp earth with the roots covered, and allowing them to dry gradually.
When dry the tubers may be removed, wrapped separately in tissue-paper
and stored in a dry, fairly warm place—a shelf in a closet or a drawer.
Probably no greenhouse flower is as little known or repays acquaintance
as royally as the Calceolaria. Of infinite variety, its showy
purse-shaped flowers range from a rare pure white through all the shades
of pale lemon, orange, and scarlet to a deep, rich, velvety cardinal. It
is one of the most easily cultivated of house-plants. The seed is fine
like the Begonia, is handled in the same way, and germinates in eight or
ten days. Shift as often as the pot fills with roots, using a size
larger each time and disturbing the roots as little as possible. Rather
more loam than leaf-mould is used in potting them. Keep in an east
window in winter, where there is good morning sunlight and a temperature
of at least 60 degrees. The air should be kept moist, either from
blossoming bulbs or dishes of water on the stove. In a dry atmosphere it
is liable to attacks of red spider, which greatly mar the foliage. The
remedy or preventive measure is fresh air and moisture. Keep the soil
moist but not wet. When the flower-buds appear slightly increase the
supply of water and give a little manure once a week. The large felty
leaves grow so thick and close that when the buds appear, to prevent
injury from lack of light it may be necessary to remove a few leaves. If
kept growing vigorously and shifted frequently, plants should be in
five-inch pots by February and coming into bloom. When in full bloom it
is well to remove to a cool room, where the blossoms will last for
weeks. Cuttings may be taken when they are through blooming, but I think
it best to begin afresh each year with seed.
Cinerarias make fine, large plants, as broad as they are high, their
rich, velvety leaves showing on the under side wonderful colourings of
green and lavender, purple and plum. The large heads of single
daisy-like flowers show many shades of white, lavender, crimson, purple,
and maroon. Most of the varieties have a dark eye and are sharply
margined with some contrasting color. The seed is fine and is simply
pressed into the soil. It germinates in from five to seven days, and
requires little heat. As the plants are rather difficult to carry
through the hot weather it is better to defer sowing until August. Their
growth is rapid if given a cool, moist atmosphere, but a draught is most
injurious and care must be taken never to over-water them. They like a
moist, but never wet, soil, frequently stirred when there is any sign of
damping off. They may be carried through an unusually hot spell in a
cool north or east cellar window, always avoiding draughts. In winter an
east window suits them best, with abundant room to develop their leaves.
They are an exceedingly ornamental plant even without the flowers. The
shady side of the sand-box is the best place for them in summer. They
need frequent shifting, and by winter should be in five-inch pots. After
the buds appear give liquid manure once a week. The utmost care must be
taken to guard against aphides or green plant-lice, which are absolutely
fatal if allowed to gain any foothold. The prevention is plenty of fresh
air and tobacco-dust sprinkled on the leaves, which mars their beauty.
The remedy—dipping in water heated to about 135 degrees, or brushing off
the lice and killing them.
Carnations are the most easily grown of all desirable house-plants. If
planted in drills in the hotbed in April, or in the open ground when the
trees are in leaf, they will bloom in about four months. For outdoor
blooming the Marguerite Carnations are usually selected, and the Giant
of California is a new and choice variety of this popular strain. The
seed is sown an eighth of an inch deep, the plants appearing in from
five to seven days. When large enough to handle transplant into fresh
rows in hotbed or flats, setting them an inch or two apart each way.
When they are two or three inches high prick off into pots filled with
three parts good loam and one of leaf-mould and plunge back into the
hotbed. When the weather is warm enough set them in well-prepared beds
of loam, enriched with a liberal quantity of well-rotted manure,
planting them a foot apart each way. Cultivate frequently during summer
to keep them free from weeds. A little soot and ashes added to the soil
between the rows will heighten the colour of flowers and foliage and add
stiffness to the flower-stems. The ashes will also counteract the
tendency to burst the calyx, so troublesome in the Carnation. Plants
intended for winter blooming should have all the buds removed during the
summer, up to the first of September.
Only a few flowers will be obtained in the open ground the first year,
but if the plants are protected during the winter they will bloom freely
the second season. While blooming no seed should be allowed to form, and
if size and quality are desired more than profusion of bloom, all but
the terminal buds on each stalk should be removed. This is the method
employed by florists to produce their long-stemmed beauties. Dig in the
second summer a little old manure between the rows and sprinkle ashes
there. A mulch of two or three inches of lawn clippings between the
plants will hold the moisture so that cultivation will not be necessary.
Fresh Carnation seed should be sown each spring, that there may always
be blossoming plants and the bed made perpetual. Carnations will not
stand the second winter, hence the need of young plants to renew the
bed.
If it is desired to perpetuate any variety cuttings may be taken, or the
plants may be increased by layering. Branches from each plant may be
pegged down between the rows, equal distances apart, severed from the
old plants when sufficiently established, and allowed to remain when the
old plants are removed in the fall or following spring. The bed will, in
this way, perpetuate itself; but cuttings from the same plants
deteriorate in two or three years, and fresh seed should be sown every
two years at least.
In growing winter Carnations for the house shift them as often as the
growth of the plant requires, using three parts loam, one part
leaf-mould, and one part each of sharp sand and old manure. When ready
to bloom they should be in five-or six-inch pots. They require an
atmosphere cooler than that of the ordinary living-room. A south window
away from direct fire, where the temperature stands at 50 or 55 degrees,
is best. Water thoroughly, but allow the soil to nearly dry out before
watering again. If possible sprinkle the foliage every day and watch
carefully for green fly and red spider; though there is less danger of
their appearance in a cool room than in the hot, dry air of the
living-room. When the flower-stalks appear they will need support, which
may be supplied by placing three or four sticks or cat-tails at the side
of the pot and twisting strings around them, back and forth, forming a
frame around the plant. There is an excellent Carnation frame on the
market, costing a few cents, which is similar but much neater. Stakes
thrust into the ground near the crown of a plant are apt to injure it,
and must be used carefully if at all; the finer the point on the stake
the less damage done. Should green lice or flies appear syringe the
plants with tobacco tea, or fumigate with tobacco, leaving them in the
smoke long enough to insure success. Or the plant may be dipped in hot
water at about 130 degrees; this will kill all insects or eggs.
[Illustration: WHEN TWO OR THREE INCHES HIGH, TRANSPLANT CARNATIONS INTO
POTS]
[Illustration: AN EASILY MADE CARNATION SUPPORT]
Cyperus, or Umbrella-plant, may be easily raised from cuttings, but it
is sometimes desirable to have a number of plants for aquatic gardening,
and growing from seed is an economy. The seeds should be sown in flats
and kept warm; they germinate in about ten days, coming up very freely.
As many as three hundred plants have been secured from one packet. Prick
the seedlings out into larger flats as soon as they are big enough to
handle, and when two or three inches high pot them off into two-or
three-inch pots of muck, plunging into wet sand and keeping constantly
moist. Shift them as the pots fill with roots, and by the time the
plants are in four-inch pots the water should be kept standing in the
saucer all the time. When they attain proper size they should be grown
in a jardinière or other vessel holding water, or else the pot in which
they grow should be plunged in water. The Cyperus, being a semi-aquatic
plant, cannot have too much water; the lack is quickly shown by the
leaf-tips turning brown. Two plants kept fairly wet in pots, but plainly
suffering, so were plunged into a lily-tank; in a few days the roots had
pressed to the surface in search of water, and hung, a perfect fringe,
over the edge of the pots. The effect on the tops was as pronounced—the
crown quickly sending up lush green umbrellas in striking contrast to
the discolouration of the original plants. There are two varieties of
the Umbrella-plant—a dwarf, growing not more than eighteen inches high,
and a tall variety growing three or four feet; the former is prettier
for table decorations, while the latter is more effective for pedestals
in halls and drawing-rooms. Remove all weak or spindly umbrellas and all
discoloured ones; it is also well to remove the flowers, as seeding
injures the plant.
Cyclamen may be started in flats or in a cool hotbed from January to
March, pressing the seed into the soil about twice their depth. They
must be kept moist, not wet, all the time. They do not require as much
heat as the Calceolaria, but the temperature must be kept as even as
possible. The seed germinates in from two to four weeks, according to
its vitality. It is best to start them in large flats and let them grow
on undisturbed. About the last of May remove them to a cold-frame on the
east side of the house, disturbing the roots as little as possible, and
setting the plants about eight inches apart each way. Keep the soil
moist and mellow by frequent cultivation, or by mulching it with
sphagnum moss or lawn clippings. When the plants have attained some size
give weak liquid manure once a week, pouring it in a shallow trench
between the rows, that it may not touch the bulbs or foliage. Treated in
this way they should be ready to bloom by winter; if grown in pots they
will not bloom until the second season. When cold weather comes lift the
plants and put in four-or five-inch pots, according to size, using good
garden loam and one-fourth the quantity of old, well-rotted manure. They
should be grown in a cool east room and syringed daily.
In the spring after blooming withhold water gradually, giving no more
than will keep the roots from drying out, and set them in a cool, shady
place during the summer—the rear of the sand-box is best, where other
growths will protect them from the sun. In continuous wet weather they
should be turned on their sides or otherwise protected from extreme
moisture. When they show an inclination to grow again, if they are in
large enough pots, remove as much of the top-soil as possible without
disturbing the roots, and replace it with fresh, rich earth and old
manure. If the plants are crowded with roots remove them into pots one
or two sizes larger. Give them a good watering and set in a somewhat
lighter and warmer position. Cyclamen bulbs, like the Amaryllis, should
not be allowed to dry out entirely, as this destroys the roots, and when
the top growth starts in advance of the root growth, as is usual, the
plant will die from insufficient nourishment. Florists frequently send
out dry bulbs with flower-buds half an inch long and no sign of roots;
such bulbs rarely amount to anything. When obliged to start a dry bulb,
it is better to sink it half way in the soil and cover with sphagnum
moss. Set it in a dry, cool place, and examine it from time to time that
it may not be kept back longer than necessary. The starting of leaves is
a fair indication of root growth, as the premature growth is usually of
buds.
Geraniums are as easily raised as Carnations—indeed, it seems only
necessary to put them in the ground and await results. In the spring sow
the seed in drills in hotbeds or flats, covering with an eighth of an
inch of soil. The plants should appear in from ten to fifteen days, and
if they do not stand too closely may be allowed to grow on until they
have two or three leaves. If mixed seeds are sown of the fancy-leaved,
the scented, the zonale and the Lady Washington, the development of the
several kinds will afford a fascinating study.
Care should be taken to save the more delicate-looking seedlings, as
these will give the choicest varieties; the more robust plants among the
zonales indicate a retrogression toward the original type, which has
scarlet blooms. All choice new Geraniums are produced by seeds from
hybridised flowers. Pot off the last of May in three-inch pots, using
good garden loam and well-rotted manure. Pot them rather firmly and
plunge into the sand-box in full sunshine. Water thoroughly and allow
the soil to become dry before watering again; this tends to harden the
new growth and makes the plants stocky. Nip out the top of the plants,
forcing them to break or make new branches near the ground. The nearer
the ground a Geranium branches the better plant it will make. Pinch off
the shoots as they appear, allowing them to grow only three or four
inches long. Remove all buds that appear before fall and shift to larger
pots if needed, though Geraniums do not need as much pot room when
blooming as many other flowers. Give liquid manure once a week after the
buds appear—before that time the use of fertilisers encourages the
production of foliage rather than of flowers.
Zonales should bloom by February and Pelargoniums by March or April the
first year. They should be watered more freely when in bloom. Geraniums
should be grown close to the glass to give best results. In prolonged
cloudy weather the buds will blast and the new growth look sickly in
spite of all care. Pelargoniums are very satisfactory when raised from
seed, showing great diversity of colour and markings. When they have
finished blooming in the spring cut them back freely, using the cuttings
for new plants. The old plants should be set in the shade to rest and
watered sparingly. At the end of that time they may be brought into the
sunlight or plunged into open ground and encouraged to grow freely.
Removing a portion of the leaves at this time—every other one, for
instance—will cause new shoots to break at the axils of the leaves, and
every new shoot means new blossom points. By the middle of September the
plants should be lifted, cut back to the point where the wood begins to
harden, and given a warm, sunny window. Cuttings started in spring, if
shifted, kept growing and pinched back occasionally, should be in
splendid condition for early spring blooming. In growing Geraniums never
lose sight of the fact that stocky, many-branched plants give flowers in
abundance; tall, spindly plants the reverse. A Geranium should always be
as broad as it is high to be at its best. Ivy Geraniums need extra care
to keep them low and stocky. Water sparingly and give abundant sunshine
if you wish these to bloom.
Geranium seeds come up very irregularly, so that it is well not to
disturb the ground for some time after the proper season of germination
has passed. In this way many extra plants are secured.
Gloxinias
Like all fine seeds the Gloxinias often give a surprising number of
plants from a single packet. The seed is sown on the surface of small
flats in the house and the plants appear in about ten days. They are
very tender at first and must be protected from undue heat, moisture,
cold or draughts. They may be potted when large enough and plunged in
the shady side of the sand-box, in a cold-frame, on the east side of the
house, or in a shady corner in the open ground, where they will be
protected from the sun during the hottest part of the day. Keep the soil
constantly moist; a light mulch of sphagnum moss or lawn clippings will
keep it in proper condition. Avoid wetting the foliage and as far as
possible touching it. The stems of both leaf and blossom are very
brittle and the slightest blow may deprive one of a cherished blossom.
For this reason I like to grow them by themselves and use a mulch
instead of cultivation. So much of the beauty of the plant depends upon
the perfection of the foliage that every effort should be made to
preserve it. In setting or potting Gloxinias the crown of the bulb
should be above the earth, the soil should slope to the rim of the pot,
that no water may settle about the crown and rot it. The plants may
remain in the hotbed or other quarters until the approach of frost, when
they must be shifted into larger pots and given a position in an east
window with plenty of light. Gloxinias, if kept growing vigorously and
shifted frequently, should bloom the following season. Some florists
advise resting the bulb the first winter, but this, I think, is a
mistake; the plant has done nothing to require a rest, nor has the bulb
gained sufficient size to live without nourishment for any length of
time, so that drying off is likely to result disastrously. After the
Gloxinia has completed its period of bloom water should be gradually
withheld and the foliage allowed to ripen. The bulbs may then be set
away in their pots in a warm, dry place, until the following spring; or,
if grown in hotbeds, they may be dried off by withholding water until
the foliage ripens, when they may be lifted, wrapped in cotton-wool or
tissue-paper, and stored in a dry, fairly warm place during the winter.
Heliotropes
Are more easily raised from seed than from cuttings, which require
special care. Several of the new varieties, like Lemoine’s seedlings,
give exceptionally large and early flowers, ranging in colour from pure
white through all the shades of lavender, purple, and blue to deep
indigo. If wanted for winter blooming the seed may be sown any time
during the spring, but for bedding out it should be sown in February or
March, and the plants duly potted off and plunged in a box of sand in a
warm, sunny window, or a hotbed, until it is time to bed them out in the
open ground. The compost should contain a large proportion of
leaf-mould—three-fourths mould and one-fourth loam and sharp sand.
The seeds of Heliotrope must be kept merely moist, never wet and never
allowed to dry out, or they will not sprout; keeping the soil just on
the verge of drying out, yet never allowing it to do so, is the whole
secret of starting Heliotrope from seeds. It is best to sow the seed in
moist soil to avoid the necessity of watering afterward, as is done with
other seeds; if the soil is just wet enough to be crumbly, neither wet
nor sticky, and can be kept so, they will prosper. Cover the seed
lightly with white sand and remove the glass if any appreciable moisture
appears—anything more than a fine mist. It germinates in from fifteen to
twenty days, and the plants require no special care beyond good soil,
warmth, and plenty of sunshine with frequent waterings. When grown as
house-plants they should be showered once or twice a day to prevent the
inroads of the red spider—their worst enemy.
There is no more desirable bedding plant than the Heliotrope, and the
more freely it is cut by removing generous portions of stem with the
blossom the more freely it will bloom. It is admirable for replacing
Pansies and may be grown on in the hotbed until the Pansy’s day is past.
Where there is not enough Heliotrope for large bedding operations,
purple Ageratum may be combined with the Heliotrope with excellent
effect; this is a method often employed in the city parks, and when
judiciously done one scarcely notices that the beds are not all
Heliotrope. Plants may be taken up in the fall and cut back for winter
blooming. Blossoms always form on the terminals of the branches.
Lantanas
Are hard-wooded, shrubby plants, the leaves more or less rough and
prickly. The colours range from pure white through various shades of
lemon to orange, red, a new bright scarlet, and the rosy lavender of the
Weeping Lantana. The seed in its immature state is incased in a green
pulp or berry, changing to blue as it ripens, and consists of a little
nut with several kernels, so that one is sometimes surprised with two or
more plants from what seems to be a single seed. The seed may be started
in the house, or in the hotbed early in the spring; sowing in drills
one-quarter of an inch deep. It germinates in from twelve to fifteen
days, but soaking in warm water, for a few hours before planting, will
hasten its appearance. They require about the same treatment as
Geraniums, but should be shifted oftener and given plenty of water. As
soon as the plants are four or five inches high transplant them to a
tobacco pail, or some large wooden receptacle containing a compost of
muck, loam, and old manure, or muck alone, and place in full morning
sunshine, out of doors. Thus managed I have grown, from seed sown in
March, plants that measured nine feet or more in circumference by
September and were a mass of bloom all summer long, the blossoms defying
all efforts at counting.
Grown in this way, with an abundance of roots and top room, rich soil,
sun, and water, no better ornament could be desired for the porch or
steps; but I do not think it a desirable plant for the house, as the
hot, dry air causes it to drop its leaves, and it is almost sure to be
attacked by the red spider. It is better to start fresh plants each
spring and let them go when frost comes.
Lantanas make fine hedgerows between house lots or for defining
different portions of the grounds. They should be planted in rich ground
two and one-half feet apart.
The new Weeping Lantana is the most charming member of the family. It is
of much more slender growth than the rest and inclined to be pendulous,
or weeping. Its delightfully fragrant flowers are produced in round
heads the size of a half-dollar at the axil of every leaf and show a
lovely rosy-lilac hue. If planted in the open ground the Weeping Lantana
quickly covers a considerable area, presenting a solid sheet of bloom
throughout the summer. It will bloom freely in the house if given a
warm, sunny window, abundant room, and showered daily to keep back the
red spider, or dipped occasionally in hot water for that purpose. It
must always have abundant root and top room and plenty of water.
Petunias
Probably no common flower of the garden has been so improved during the
last few years as the Petunia. The small-flowered variety of a few years
ago with its straggly habit and narrow range of colour—chiefly white and
faded magenta—is now superseded by magnificently fringed and ruffled
beauties in a wealth of colour, from purest white to glowing crimson,
and a velvety purple that is almost black, with wonderfully veined and
tinted throats and thick, stocky stems. It is difficult to realise that
they are the same plants, plus a few generations of good living and
culture.
The double Petunias are desirable for pots, vases, and bedding out, but
I do not think they compare with such strains as Burpee’s Defiance, the
Giants of California, the Ruffled Giants, and the Miranda. Miranda, for
example, is a rosy carmine merging into a brilliant scarlet in the
throat—the nearest approach to a scarlet Petunia yet produced. The seed
of double Petunias will yield a fair proportion of double flowers. The
young plants of both the single and double varieties require great care
at first, being very sensitive to hot sun or cold air. Once established,
however, they will stand a great deal of both—more, indeed, than almost
any other flower of this class. Plant them in flats in the house in
March by pressing the seed into the soil without covering; keeping moist
and warm until the seed germinates, usually from eight to ten days. When
large enough to handle, prick off into larger flats and set them in a
warm north or east window. When the leaves touch set them two or three
inches apart each way in other flats and let them grow until it is time
to place them in the open ground, hardening them gradually by exposure
to more sun and air each day, and transplant with great care. If
intended to replace the Pansies they may be set in the bed in June, the
Pansies affording them protection until they have attained some size.
Set each little seedling on the north-east side of a Pansy plant, and by
the time the Pansies have passed their zenith they will be ready to
stand alone.
Always remove poor or inferior plants in order that the highest standard
may be maintained; the finer varieties may be readily distinguished from
the more common sorts by the stems and foliage; the latter having thin
stems and small leaves, set rather far apart, while the stems of the
fine varieties are very stocky; the leaves large, more or less crinkly,
and set closely on the stem; the buds thick and compact, while those of
the common type are long and thin. Petunias grow so rapidly that vacant
places left by culling are soon filled. The finest specimens may be
lifted for winter flowering. They will bloom freely in the house and
often show a richer colour than when out of doors. They need
considerable root room—any crowding of the roots, or starving of the
plants being quickly shown in the deterioration of the flowers. Avoid
chills and draughts. Give liquid manure and water freely, but do not let
the soil get wet or sour. A little charcoal in the potting soil is an
excellent corrective of this tendency. Always remove the flowers as they
fade, thus prolonging the blooming season and increasing the beauty and
size of the blossom.
Primroses
Require the same general treatment as other house-plants. A good compost
of leaf-mould, loam, and sand is best for the first few shiftings,
manure being added as the plants attain size. Repeated shifting hastens
blooming, while keeping the plants in small pots retards it. When ready
to bloom they should be fine, large plants in five-or six-inch pots.
They should blossom in November and, if well cared for, they will flower
from that time on until spring. In potting the Primrose care must be
taken to have the crown of the plant slightly above the surface of the
soil and the soil lowest at the edge of the pot, that no water may
settle around the crown and cause it to rot. When the buds appear give
the plants diluted liquid manure once a week. As the leaves of Primroses
are easily injured they should be placed where they will be subjected to
as little handling as possible. Window brackets make an ideal place for
them, as they can be turned and inspected without removal, and the large
velvety leaves, drooping gracefully over the pot, will develop
perfectly. Injured or faded leaves should be removed at once. A
receptacle rather broad than deep gives opportunity for the best
development. A hanging-basket, milk-crock with drainage hole, or
jardinière with outlet will answer. Sufficient root room is particularly
necessary in the case of old plants, as these have more divisions to the
crown and therefore spread more. Primula obconica does better when grown
in shallow dishes; a dish four inches deep and eight wide is much better
than the usual flower-pot.
[Illustration: INJURED OR FADED LEAVES SHOULD BE REMOVED AT ONCE]
Florists start their Primroses each year from seed, but there is no
reason why, if one has a choice plant, it should not be carried over to
the second year, when, being larger, it will give more flowers.
Chapter _NINE_
Outside Window-boxes
The outside window-box is a thing of beauty if well cared for, a
disfigurement if neglected. So greatly does it add to the cheerfulness
and apparent size of the rooms under the windows of which it is placed
that I should advise its use whenever practicable. One of my pleasantest
recollections is a window-box full of Heliotrope under a sitting-room
window, filling the room so full of perfume that going into it in the
early morning was like stepping into a garden of fragrance.
Window-boxes do well in any window not shaded by porches, and the plants
best suited to the light may be selected. Many plants too tender to bed
out in the open ground may be trusted to the window-box. Fuchsias,
Ferns, Asparagus Sprengeri, A. tenuissimus, Ageratums, fancy-leaved
Caladiums, and various tuberous-rooted Begonias, like the
silver-spotted, known as Angel’s Wing, are all lovely in the window-box.
Rubra and most of the Begonias do admirably in a north window. For
windows facing the street, where effect is principally sought, bright
Geraniums, Heliotropes, Coleus, Crotons, and similar plants are
preferable, provided there is sufficient sunshine to bring out all their
rich colouring.
The fancy-leaved Caladiums may be used where bright effect is sought in
a north window.
The boxes used for this purpose should be as ample as possible, the full
length of the window-casing outside and at least a foot wide and deep.
They should be made of inch boards, closely fitted together so that the
sides shall not warp and allow the water to run through too freely,
washing out and exhausting the soil. A hole may be made in the bottom at
one end, and provided with a plug, for the escape of surplus water
during continued rains. A piece of broken crock or other drainage must
be placed over the hole on the inside of the box to prevent the earth
working in and obstructing the free passage of water. The hot air of
summer will shrink the earth away from the sides of the box, leaving a
channel for the water to escape without properly soaking the soil; but
if the surface of the soil is kept open, and the centre left a little
lower than the sides, this will be prevented. A little experimenting
will show just how much water is needed to wet the soil properly without
letting it run away, and this amount should be used daily during dry
weather. Only as many plants as will do well in the limited space of
four square feet should be planted in the window-boxes. Five erect
plants and three vines are enough for a box of that size, and even these
may need attention before the season is over, especially if in south or
west windows. North or east boxes will, usually, keep their contents
fresh until frost; but a west or south light makes great demands upon
the vitality of plants confined within the limited area, and it is a
good plan to leave Geraniums and similar flowers in their pots, that
they may be easily exchanged for others when they grow shabby, cutting
back and repotting the old ones for winter blooming if removed not later
than August.
A better plan is to have two boxes; starting one in the house in March,
that it may be ready to place as soon as danger of frost is past; and
the second in June, that it may be ready to replace the first when
needed. For the latter the vines started in the house, or hotbed, in
April will be available. Maurandya, Thunbergia, and the like, and many
flowers from seed will have reached sufficient size to be used for the
second box. Plants that have been carried over from another season, or
purchased from the florist, will be necessary for the first boxes. There
is no more beautiful vine for a window-box than the Maurandya; it drapes
more gracefully than any other vine I know (unless it be the Wild
Cucumber, which attaches itself to the window-screen in wreaths of
exuberant bloom, drooping far below the window-box, and making a lovely
background for scarlet Geraniums). Its only fault is that it will grow
shabby before the season is over, when it had better be pulled up and
replaced by a fresher vine that has been grown in a pot for the purpose
and can be slipped into place without checking its growth.
[Illustration: OUTSIDE WINDOW-BOXES]
Perhaps no plant is more satisfactory for a south or west window-box
than a good Geranium—either the dark, rich vermilion of the S. A. Nutt,
or the vivid scarlet of the Bruant. Both of these appear to better
advantage when contrasted with white flowers. Camphor Geranium is
excellent, being a freer bloomer than other white Geraniums, and the
Giant White Antirrhinum is especially vivid. Double white Petunias and
white Phlox Drummondi are also good. Purple Ageratums and Heliotrope are
charming with scarlet and white. The large-flowered Ivy
Geraniums—Souvenir de Charles Turner—are the best, and do finely in east
and west window-boxes, while the variegated variety makes a lovely mass
of pendent foliage for an east or north box. Trailing Fuchsia, Japanese
Morning-glory, Glechoma, and Wild Cucumber all do well on the north side
of the house. The following combinations may all be depended upon to
give satisfactory results:
Southern Exposure.
No. 1.
Bruant Geranium White Antirrhinum. S. A. Nutt Geranium
(scarlet). (cardinal).
Heliotrope. Heliotrope.
White Maurandya. White Maurandya.
No. 2.
Jean Viaud Geranium Mrs. J. M. Garr. Jean Viaud
(pink). (pink).
Dwarf blue Ageratum. Dwarf blue Ageratum.
Nepeta Glechoma. Souv. de Charles Turner. Nepeta Glechoma.
No. 3.
Beaute Poitevine Ger. White Verbena. Madame Charlotte Ger.
(salmon). (salmon).
Weeping Lantana.
Var. Ivy Ger. Joan of Arc. Ivy Ger. Joan of Arc.
No. 4.
Dark Crotons. Dark Crotons. Dark Crotons.
Light Crotons. Light Crotons.
Adlumia. Lotus Peliorhynchus. Adlumia.
No. 5.
Light Crotons. Light Crotons. Light Crotons.
Dark Coleus. Dark Coleus.
Trailing Abutilons. Trailing Abutilons. Trailing Abutilons.
No. 6.
East Window-box.
Scarlet Tuberous Begonia. White do. Scarlet Tuberous Begonia.
White Tuberous Begonia. White Tuberous Begonia.
White Thunbergia. Scarlet Nasturtium. White Thunbergia.
No. 7.
Pink Justicia. Pink Justicia. Pink Justicia.
Heliotrope. Heliotrope.
White Maurandya. Solanum Jasminoides. White Maurandya.
No. 8.
Yellow Tuberous Begonia. Yellow Tuberous Begonia. Yellow
Tuberous Begonia.
White Tuberous Begonia. White Tuberous Begonia.
Yellow Thunbergia. Yellow Thunbergia.
No. 9.
Pink Double Petunia. White Antirrhinum. Pink Double Petunia.
Wild Cucumber.
No. 10.
Heliotrope. Heliotrope. Heliotrope.
Duke Zeppelin Begonia. Duke Zeppelin Begonia.
Solanum Jasminoides. Solanum Jasminoides.
Manettia Vine.
No. 11.
North Window-box.
Fancy Caladiums Fancy Caladiums Fancy Caladiums
(dark). (dark). (dark).
Fancy Caladiums (light). Fancy Caladiums (light).
Vinca Var. Vinca Var.
Trailing Fuchsia. Maurandya. Trailing Fuchsia.
No. 12.
Fuchsia Phenomenal. Begonia Angel’s Wing. Fuchsia Phenomenal.
Dwarf Ageratum. Dwarf Ageratum.
Ivy Geranium. Trailing Fuchsia. Ivy Geranium.
No. 13.
Rubra Begonia. Asparagus Tenuissimus. Begonia Velutina.
Farfugium. Feastii Begonia.
Variegated Vinca. Manettia Vine. Variegated Vinca.
No. 14.
Asparagus Sprengeri. Boston Fern. Asparagus Sprengeri.
Russellia Grandis. Cissus Discolour. Russellia Grandis.
Nasturtiums make an attractive window-box, but need abundant root room,
and not more than three plants should be put in a box having three other
erect plants. Morning-glories, on the contrary, require but little room,
and one may be put in each end of a north window-box and trained over
the window. If strings are provided they will reach the roof by
midsummer, blooming every step of the way; other vines may be grown in
the front of the box. The Centrosema—when it can be persuaded to grow—is
a charming vine for a north or east window, but it is a very shy plant,
hard to get started, and refusing to grow in an uncongenial situation,
though quite hardy when once established.
[Illustration: BOXES IN WHICH SCYTHES ARE PACKED MAKE VERY GOOD
WINDOW-BOXES]
[Illustration: HANGING-BASKETS FOR WINDOWS]
The best support for the window-box is the wooden bracket made by
nailing to the side of the house, thirteen inches below the window-sill,
a strip of inch stuff the length of the window-frame and three or four
inches wide; on top of this and at right angles to it nail three similar
strips of wood one foot long, the outer ends resting on strips of wood
attached to the sill of the house; these last strips must have the ends
bevelled sufficiently to fit snugly against the baseboards and the
bottom of the horizontal pieces and be securely nailed together. If the
measurements are carefully taken the box will slip into place, on the
supports, just under the window-sill. Paint boxes and supports to match
the house. Window-boxes may be kept in the cellar through the winter, or
emptied, dried and stored in a dry place, according to their contents.
Always empty and thoroughly scald the boxes before using.
In stocking window-boxes never put plants received by mail directly into
them; they should be ordered early enough to pot and become established
(the pots full of roots) by the time they are needed for the
window-boxes, when they may be slipped into place without disturbing the
roots or checking their growth. Placed at once in the boxes, in a sunny
position, they would probably be lost.
Very fair window-boxes may be obtained at trifling expense by using the
boxes in which grass scythes are packed, which may be purchased at the
hardware store for five or ten cents apiece. These are not as wide nor
as deep as one could wish, but have the advantage of cheapness and
availability. Preference should be given to those having close seams. If
warped or open they must be tightened by driving in extra nails, or
nailing thin strips of wood over the cracks on the inside. The longevity
of the window-box is greatly lengthened by keeping the windows above
them—especially on the south and west sides of the house—open as much of
the time as possible. If the sun beats on the glass of the closed window
and is reflected on the plants, it is literally confining them between
two fires and they cannot be expected to come through uninjured. Let the
wind sweep through and over them and they will stand any reasonable
amount of heat or moisture. This is the reason plants do better in the
open than when placed against the side of a wall or building—the air
must not only have free access, but pass beyond, carrying off noxious
vapours and excess of moisture.
When there is garden room for their cultivation I do not approve of
growing annuals in window-boxes; it is better to reserve these for
choice plants; but when the window-box must be the only garden, and
economy must be studied, very pretty boxes may be arranged with Sweet
Alyssum; scarlet, white, or pink Phlox Drummondi; scarlet, pink, or
white Verbenas; the various coloured Antirrhinums, Petunias,
Nasturtiums, the blue Phacelia and Ageratums, Wild Cucumber, the finer
foliaged fancy gourds, as Bryonopsis Coccinea Indica, and Abobra
viridiflora. By using the scythe boxes, and starting the plants from
seed, very pretty boxes may be gotten up for from thirty-five to fifty
cents a pair that will give as much pleasure as more expensive ones. The
more flowers are cut from these boxes of annuals the more freely they
will bloom, and no seeds should be allowed to form. A little liquid
manure should be given all window-boxes—except those containing
Begonias—once a week during the summer, and all withered flowers and
leaves promptly removed. Nip back weak, straggly growths and encourage
the plants to grow stocky and the vines to branch freely.
Chapter _TEN_
Various Annuals from Seed
Antirrhinums (Snapdragon), of late much interest has been shown in the
newer forms of this old-time favourite, and some fine new varieties have
become popular for cut flowers. The Giant White and Queen of the North
are most desirable for cut flowers, window-boxes, and vases; while
Niobe—a beautiful half-dwarf variety of velvety maroon with white
throat, Giant Yellow, Giant Crimson, and Firefly—a bright scarlet—are
excellent for bedding.
Seed should be started early in hotbed or flats. Merely press it into
the soil and cover with a paper until the plants appear, which should be
in from eight to ten days. Transplant into rich soil where the plants
are to remain, setting one foot apart each way. They are effective in
rows with some taller plant, or vine, for a background. The tall, showy
spikes are most striking against a background of green. The Antirrhinum
is a half-hardy perennial, blooming the first season if seed is started
early enough, and hardy at the North with good protection in winter. If
a succession of flowers is desired, no seed should be allowed to form.
Protect in winter with a mulch of leaves, evergreen boughs, or
corn-stalks, as high—or higher—than the plants, or they may be pegged
down and covered with evergreen boughs, or boards to shed the rain. Thus
protected they will live through the winter and bloom heavily the
following summer. Occasionally in favoured locations they will live
through the winter unprotected, but this cannot be depended upon.
Antirrhinums are not particular as to soil or situation, provided they
have plenty of water; rich loam or half loam and half leaf-mould suiting
them equally well, and any exposure that affords a fair amount of
sunshine.
Asters have come to be a recognised necessity of the fall garden, and
there has been marked improvement in varieties during the past few
years. Starting with the old-fashioned Aster of medium size and inferior
colour, showing a marked yellow centre, the aim of the Aster specialist
has been to eliminate the centre, enlarge the flower, and improve the
colour and texture of the petal. Results are shown in such varieties as
the Giant White Comet, the Bride, the Japanese Tassel Aster,
Chrysanthemum Flowered, Peony, Perfection, and the wonderful Ostrich
Feather.
With such an embarrassment of riches it is difficult to declare any one
variety the finest, but for cut flowers and corsage wear nothing can
excel the Chrysanthemum Flowered in white and pink.
The lasting quality of the flowers when cut is quite phenomenal. I have
known them to keep fresh and sightly in water for a month, until the
stems had entirely rotted away, leaving the flower uninjured. In
arranging them for vases remove all leaves below the top of the vase,
leaving clean stems, which should be thoroughly cleansed daily, and the
ends clipped. A teaspoonful of charcoal added to the water in the vase
will keep it sweet and retard decay.
Early planting of Asters is to be strongly recommended, as the early
plants are not subject to the dreaded Aster disease or to attacks of the
black beetle, which often destroy all the flowers of a late bed in a
single day.
A teaspoonful of Paris green in the watering-pot, sprinkled on at night
or very early in the morning, will usually rid the plants of their
unwelcome guests, or they may be brushed off into a pan of water
containing a small quantity of kerosene—which is fatal to them. They are
sluggish, especially in the early morning, dropping to the ground when
touched, and easily killed. The point is to take them in time, and the
appearance of the first beetle should be the signal for active
operations.
For early flowers the seed may be planted in the hotbed, flats, or
cold-frame in March or April, covering an eighth of an inch deep and
keeping rather cool. They germinate in from five to seven days, and when
the plants have attained their second pair of true leaves they should be
transplanted, setting an inch or two apart in the flats or bed.
Transplant again when the leaves close up the gaps between them, setting
three or four inches apart according to their growth. If possible,
transplant a third time, as this frequent moving serves to produce a
great quantity of feeding roots, at the same time checking the top
growth and making a stocky plant with stiff stems. Transplant when the
weather is favourable into a well-prepared bed of sandy loam enriched
with old manure, or a bed of woods earth. Set a foot apart each way,
except in the case of the branching Asters, which should be at least two
feet apart.
Sprinkle ashes freely, and as long as there is room to work between the
rows cultivate once or twice a week. They may then be mulched with lawn
clippings to keep down the weeds for the rest of the season. If they are
planted in woods earth they will need only such cultivation as is
necessary to keep down the weeds. Do not let them suffer for water at
any period of their growth, and remove all flowers as they fade.
Ageratums (Floss Flower) are almost indispensable for edgings,
window-boxes, vases, and for filling out beds of Heliotrope. The dwarf
or Tom Thumb are the most desirable for edgings. Princess Caroline,
Swanley Blue, and Little Dorrit are the best of this class in the blue
or lavender shades. The white does not show a good, clear colour under a
hot sun, and is therefore not desirable. For early plants sow in flats
or in the hotbed early in spring. Later seed may be sown in the open
ground when the trees are in bloom, and transplanted when large enough.
Sow broadcast, covering the seed lightly and pressing it into the soil.
They germinate in from three to five days, and may be grown on until
time to transplant into permanent quarters. Though they may start
somewhat spindly, they quickly regain their dwarf and stocky character
in the open ground. Set plants from eight to ten inches apart in the
row. If the flower heads are removed as fast as they fade plants will
bloom from early June until cut down by frost.
Balsams (Lady Slipper), like Asters, are greatly benefited by frequent
transplanting, and one at least they must have. Start seed early in the
hotbed or flats, or later, when the trees are in bloom, in protected
beds in the open ground. Transplant at least once in the seed-beds;
twice, if possible. When danger of frost is past remove to beds of muck
or marsh earth, setting from twelve to fifteen inches apart each way.
Given plenty of room, the Balsam branches freely, and one well-developed
specimen will give more and finer flowers than a half-dozen cramped
specimens. In purchasing select the camellia-flowered varieties, as it
does not pay to waste time with inferior kinds. Really fine Balsams are
well worth cultivating, and are very effective in rows in front of
taller plants. The double white and shell pink are valuable for floral
designs for funerals and for other decorative work.
Probably no flower that has come into vogue of late years has won more
popularity than the Cosmos—certainly for cut flowers nothing can surpass
it in graceful beauty. The large pink and white Hibiscus, with a
generous handful of long-stemmed pink, crimson, and white Cosmos, makes
an ideal bouquet for a high glass vase. Placed in front of a large
mirror the effect in form and colour is hardly surpassed by the choicest
exotics. The graceful, fern-like foliage adds greatly to the beauty of a
well-grown clump in the garden or lawn. They are at their best when seen
against a background of darker green, a shower of crimson, pink, and
white.
Only the early flowering varieties should be grown at the North, as the
seasons are much too short for the giant or California varieties; though
if one has room for both, the California may be grown as a background
for the dwarf early flowering, as the foliage is much superior and the
late flowers very fine. If started very early in flats in the house,
pricked, out into pots, shifted and grown on until time to set in the
open ground, the season of bloom will be much advanced.
Set out in rich garden soil and supply abundantly with water. Strong
stakes must be provided, as the plants are very brittle at the joints,
and a storm may do great damage if they are unsupported. An excellent
way of growing them is to plant them in front of a wire fence or chicken
netting on the side toward the prevailing wind, that they may be blown
against, rather than away from their support, and the stalks and main
branches tied to the wires with raphia, wool twine, or strips of cloth;
thus protected there will be little danger of their being injured by
rough winds.
If an occasional seed is allowed to form and self-sow there will come up
very sturdy little plants the following spring, but fresh seed should be
purchased every other year to insure against deterioration in size of
blossom and quantity of bloom.
Columbine (the Aquilegia) seed may be sown in the open ground in the
North when the trees are in leaf, or any time after May 10th. Cover the
seed-bed with a newspaper and keep moist until the plants are up, in ten
to twelve days. Transplant when large enough to handle into fresh rows
or, when they have attained sufficient size, into their permanent
quarters. Planted in a row where they will have a background of green
the effect is beautiful. One of the prettiest beds I remember was of
mixed Columbine—pure white, rose, and lavender—in front of an old grey
building, on which grew a delicate vine in its first tender spring
green. They had been moved the fall before from a bed where they
attracted no particular attention, but in their new quarters they awoke
to find themselves famous.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: SMALL WATER GARDENS]
Dahlias are so easily raised from seed that it hardly seems worth while
to bother with the tubers, unless one has exceptionally favourable
conditions for storing them. Plants grown from seed, started early in
the house or hotbed, will come into bloom quite as soon as those grown
from tubers. Plant the seed in drills two inches apart, dropping an inch
or more apart in the drills, and cover with one-eighth to one-fourth
inch of earth. The seed germinates in from five to seven days, and the
little plants are quite robust from the start, though sensitive to cold
and drought. When all danger of frost is past and the nights are warm
transplant the Dahlias into beds of mellow soil heavily enriched with
manure. Set three feet apart each way and cultivate thoroughly as long
as there is room to work between the rows. Then mulch heavily with rough
manure covered with lawn clippings. Water copiously during dry weather,
showering the tops at night to counteract the effect of the dry air on
the buds. Save waste water from kitchen and bath, and apply to their
roots. This affords nourishment as well as moisture. When two feet high
tie carefully to tall, stout stakes, which, to avoid injury to the
tubers, would better be placed when the plants are set. Sprinkle soot
and ashes between the plants and cultivate it in. The finest flowers are
produced by protecting with an awning of thin cotton cloth after the
buds are fully grown—though this would only be desirable in the case of
exhibition flowers. When several buds appear in one place remove all but
the largest, as the difference in size will more than repay for the loss
in number, besides there is danger of all blasting if allowed to remain.
If worms or beetles appear on the buds they should be sprayed with
Paris-green solution—one teaspoonful of Paris green to three gallons of
water. Should the borer—that pest of the Dahlia, Aster, and
Cosmos—appear, pour the Paris-green mixture around the roots, soaking
the soil to the depth of three or four inches. Examine the stock of the
plant near the ground for the hole made by the borer. When found run a
flexible wire up the stalk to destroy the worm and prevent further
damage, and heap the earth above the wound. If brought up to a point
above the wound, and kept moist, new roots will start, thus insuring the
recovery of the plant. If one has previously been troubled with this
worm it will be well to anticipate matters, and, commencing when the
plants are a foot high, apply once a week a weak Paris-green solution;
continue this until the plant is grown and the wood hardened near the
ground.
The fine mixed double Dahlias, the Cactus and the magnificent single
varieties, are all desirable for cut flowers and effective in garden
rows; but for corsage wear the last are best. It would be difficult to
find a flower more beautiful than a vivid-coloured single Dahlia.
For the rockwork try English Daisies—pink, white, crimson, and striped.
They do admirably in such a situation, digging their toes in between the
stones, finding cool, moist spots, and holding their heads up in the hot
sunshine. Start the seeds where they are to remain, or in a flat or
cold-frame. The little plants appear in from five to seven days, and
will need shade and moisture until they have become established. For
beds that lie in partial shade they make beautiful borders, forming
little rosettes of leaves that in the fall may be taken up and divided
by pulling apart into as many plants are there are crowns; in this way
one will, in a short time, secure a large bed or border. They should be
protected in winter by a mulch of rough stable litter, evergreen boughs,
or corn-stalks, and the bed raised to shed water.
The Hibiscus (Marshmallow) is a perennial deserving much more general
cultivation. Even to flower lovers it seems quite unknown, and yet it is
cheaply and easily raised from seed, and one of the hardiest of our
garden perennials. There are three varieties hardy in the North—an
immense pure white blossom with a velvety crimson eye, a pale pink or
flesh colour, and a lovely bright pink. These three are hardy in the
open ground without protection, but they will be stronger plants and
bloom more freely if protected with a little rough litter and hilled to
shed water.
There are several that may be treated as hardy annuals, and various
tender perennials that must be kept in the house or greenhouse during
winter. Among the first are Africanus, a large cream-coloured,
brown-eyed variety; it is low-growing and effective in front of the
tall, crimson-eyed sort, which with age attains a height of six or more
feet.
Giant Yellow is a beautiful canary yellow with crimson throat, hardy as
far north as St. Louis, but safer in the cellar above that latitude, and
Coccinea, a tender perennial of a brilliant crimson. If started early
all will give flowers the first season from seed, which may be sown in
hotbeds or flats in February or March in drills one-fourth inch deep.
They germinate in from five to seven days. Plant out in good garden soil
at corn-planting time, setting the hardy varieties where they are to
remain, as they do not bear transplanting well when they have attained
any considerable size. Cultivate during the hot weather or mulch. A
two-quart tin can, with holes on one side near the bottom, may be sunk
in the ground and filled with water. This with the mulch will keep the
earth cool and moist during the hottest weather. The plant is an
herbaceous perennial, dying down to the ground in winter and coming up
from the roots the following spring—rather late in May. Plants increase
in size and beauty each year, and a five-or six-years clump is superb.
[Illustration: COOL, MOIST SPOTS BETWEEN STONES]
Cut off the stalks a few inches above the ground when killed by frost,
but do not attempt to break them off or pull them up, as that will
injure the crown of the large, fleshy roots and cause decay during the
winter. The remainder of the stalk serves to mark the location of the
plant. When they have grown to blooming size they should be tied to
stout stakes. The large clumps have a tendency to spread at the roots,
and a severe rain and wind storm may lay them prostrate. Make a support
of two or three wooden hoops nailed to two or more stout stakes, the top
hoop standing three feet above the ground. Place this over the plants in
the spring and train them to grow up through the hoops.
For effective grouping, to fill in a corner, to serve as a screen to
unsightly objects, to catch the eye and carry it on from point to point,
there is no finer flower than the Hollyhock. The double flowers, of
course, are more attractive at close range, but at a distance the single
are rather more effective. Everyone who grows plants should find at
least one corner for a big clump of this gorgeous flower.
The seeds should be sown in the spring, either where they are to remain
or in a cold-frame; the location matters little so that favourable
conditions of the soil are secured. Plants started after the seed ripens
in the summer, even when protected by a cold-frame, do not make
sufficient growth to endure a very severe winter. The new Alleghany
Hollyhocks are hardier, and a fair proportion of plants from August-sown
seeds may be expected to survive the winter. When the plants run up
their blossom stalks the second season they must be securely staked to
prevent injury by high winds. If the borer appears apply the Paris-green
solution about the roots. The Hollyhock is subject to attack very early
in the season by a variety of red spider which feeds on out-of-door
plants. The Paris-green solution may be used for this, or a kerosene
emulsion, or the plants may simply be showered with hot water at about
145°. The remedy should be applied promptly. The Hollyhock blight is a
fungous disease of a most destructive nature. Its ravages almost drove
the Hollyhock out of our gardens some years ago. Infected plants should
be burned. Though hardy the second year, they should be hilled up
sufficiently to shed water and given a shelter of corn fodder or
evergreen boughs during the winter.
When the trees are in bloom Nasturtiums may be planted in the open
ground where they are to remain. They should have fairly rich soil and a
sunny situation, as they will not bloom well in the shade. The dwarf
varieties make very attractive borders for Canna beds, the colour and
texture of the foliage harmonising better with the Canna than that of
the Coleus and many other plants commonly employed, while the brightness
of the blossoms makes a very attractive whole.
The tall varieties make effective beds when pegged down, as the plants
root wherever they touch the ground and send up flower shoots. Usually,
however, they are grown on strings or trellises. The latter is a
troublesome method, as they must be fastened to their support with
strings. They are not climbers, but trailers, and have no tendrils or
other means of attaching themselves to their support.
The finest bed of Nasturtiums I have seen is an elevated one built
around a pipe which brings water from a distance. Some of the water—not
much—reaches them, and they are given little, if any, attention, but in
their elevated bed they grow luxuriantly, trailing over the sides of the
ground and showing a brilliant mass of flowers until cut down by frost.
Usually the Nasturtium receives too much water, and produces quantities
of rank, lush foliage instead of flowers.
The new Nasturtium, Sunlight, is one of the finest varieties brought out
in years—a pure, clear, golden yellow without any markings and of fine
size. Its companion, Moonlight, is a pale cream, almost white, showing
wine-coloured markings in the throat. For mixed varieties the hybrids of
Madame Gunther are the most desirable, and the new Chameleon shows a
variety of different coloured flowers on the same stem.
The Pansy Bed
To obtain the best results seed should be sown by the middle of August,
using fresh seed of the year if procurable. Rather than delay planting,
however, it is better to risk the lessened vitality of last year’s
seed—sowing somewhat more generously as an offset. Sow as thinly as
possible in the cold-frame or a spent hotbed, in drills two inches
apart, drawing the earth from the sides of the drills and pressing it
down with the board. The drills should run lengthwise of the bed from
east to west, and each variety should be distinctly labelled with name
and date of sowing. After sowing water well with the rubber sprinkler,
cover with newspapers, and protect the bed with lath screens. Pansy seed
germinates in from eight to ten days. When the plants have their second
leaves thin out by setting some between the rows, and encourage growth
by giving sunshine and water as needed and liquid manure once a month.
The aim should be to get a sturdy rather than a quick growth to fit them
for the winter. The soil in the frame should stand well above the soil
outside, and a trench or hole, filled with stone or broken crockery,
should be made in one corner, corresponding to the lowest level of the
earth outside, to carry off any surplus moisture that may gather in the
bed. When cold weather comes place the sash in position and, if it
remains steadily cold—below freezing—leave the bed undisturbed until
spring. The best results usually follow such a condition. If the winter
is an open one, and the ground free from frost much of the time, the
Pansies may be exposed to the sun and, on mild days, to the air. In this
way considerable winter growth will be secured. Should the temperature
fall sufficiently to freeze the ground inside the frame, the sash should
remain closed and be protected with mattings, old carpet, or the like,
and the plants allowed to thaw out in the dark. Never expose to the sun
when frozen, but thaw out under cover.
As soon as the ground can be worked in the spring prepare a bed in an
open, sunny situation by removing the soil to a depth of six or eight
inches and spading in a generous amount of old, well-rotted cow manure—a
wheel-barrow load to every fifteen square feet is not too much if it is
old and thoroughly spaded into the soil. Replace the surface soil, or,
better still, fill up the beds with leaf-mould or earth from the compost
heap. Instead of the cow manure, old, well-rotted hen manure and chip
dirt in equal quantities, with a liberal sprinkling of soot, may be
substituted. Dig it well into the subsoil and cover with fine loam or
leaf-mould, raking this fine and even and free from stones. Leave it to
settle for a few days and then transplant the Pansies, setting them nine
inches apart each way. Where several strains of Pansies are grown it is
an advantage to plant each variety by itself, marking the line of
separation by two or more rows of some distinct colour; such as pure
white, clear yellow, or black. This enables one to compare the varieties
at a glance and form a better estimate of their qualities than would be
possible in a mixed bed.
During hot, dry weather the Pansy bed should be watered twice a day—at
night and at noon. Watering the garden in the middle of the day may seem
a reckless innovation to many, especially to the professional gardener,
but years of experience have taught me the value of giving a plant water
when it most needs it—and that is when it is parched with heat. Of
course all plants will not stand water under a hot sun, but Pansies are
not injured by it in any way. Pansies do not send their roots as deeply
into the ground as most plants, but make many surface roots (hence we
place the fertilisers well below the surface to induce a deeper growth),
which even a temporary drying out of the top-soil will injure. A good
soaking of the soil at night will last until ten or eleven o’clock the
next day, according to exposure, and if another good wetting is then
given with water fresh from the hydrant or well it will remain cool and
moist throughout the twenty-four hours. The rapid evaporation caused by
the hot sun will create a moist atmosphere around the plants, producing
much finer flowers than would be possible in the dry air resulting from
withholding water until night. Always plant Pansies in an open, airy
situation, where the wind can have full sweep over them. There is no
more mistaken idea than that Pansies should be grown in the shade. The
aim should be to get stocky, upright plants with the flowers borne well
above the foliage on stiff stems. This is impossible when plants are
grown in the shade, where long, straggly branches will invariably be
produced, with flowers at the extreme end. Then, too, plants grown by
the side of the house, or in protected positions, where the wind cannot
sweep over them, are much more liable to disease than plants grown in
the open.
[Illustration: DUSTING WITH SULPHUR]
[Illustration: SPRAYING WITH BORDEAUX MIXTURE]
Fungoid disease and mildew often attack the Pansy in hot, muggy weather.
The remedy for the former is to spray with the Bordeaux mixture, and for
the latter to dust with sulphur. It will be better still—if the disease
appear in August, as is usual—to remove all the old growth, cutting or
breaking it off close to the crown, care being taken not to injure the
tender new shoots, which will have started by this time. Burn the old
tops. The new growth, being open to the air, will probably be free from
disease, and will quickly fill the bed, giving an abundance of fine
flowers throughout the cool days of fall. From a bed so treated I
gathered five hundred blossoms the day before Thanksgiving with no
apparent diminution of bloom. After removing the old growth the earth
between the plants should be thoroughly cleaned and worked over with the
trowel.
From the blooming of the first Pansy until frost the bed must be gone
over every day and all faded flowers removed. This is absolutely
necessary to insure free blooming. The formation of a single pod of seed
lessens the blooming capacity of the plant and reduces the size of
succeeding flowers.
To maintain a high standard it is best to purchase fresh seed each year,
buying the best to be obtained. Special mixtures sent out by the leading
florists are made up of the best strains of the Pansy specialists in
this country and Europe. One must not expect to purchase these
collections for the price of ordinary seed, from twenty-five cents to
fifty cents being the usual range of price. A packet of such fine
strains as Giant Cassier and Giant Trimardeau should be included; and
such special colours as may be wanted in larger quantities than the
mixed packages furnish. Snow Queen is the best pure white, and the bed
should contain a liberal number of these plants. Aurora is considerably
larger than the Snow Queen, but shows purple markings in the centre, and
is not so fine in shape and texture. With the exception of size, Snow
Queen is an ideal Pansy. If it is desired to carry the Pansy bed through
the winter it may be done by using pieces of board, half a yard long,
with notches cut in one end and the other end pointed. Put these through
the centre of the bed a few feet apart, hammering the sharp end into the
ground. Place long poles lengthwise of the bed, resting them on the
notches. This forms a support on which the evergreen boughs, corn
fodder, boards, bark, or anything that will shed water and protect from
sun and wind. Leaves and litter are not suitable protection for Pansies,
as they settle around the plants, freezing and causing them to decay.
[Illustration: SOW POPPIES IN THE PERENNIAL BORDER AMONG THE LATE
FLOWERING PLANTS]
When there is a large garden to be cared for it is not always expedient
to carry the Pansy bed through the summer, as the daily labour of
removing the withered flowers is very great. In that case it will be
better to let the Pansies go when hot weather reduces the size and
quantity of the flowers, replacing them with plants grown for the
purpose, Petunias, bedding Begonias, Heliotropes, and the like.
Sow Poppy seed freely wherever there is a corner to spare, especially if
it is a corner that would otherwise be neglected and grow up to weeds.
It is surprising how many places may be found to sow them. A barren
angle of a fence, a vacant strip behind or at the side of some
outbuilding, an exposed spot among trees where nothing else will grow, a
foot of ground here and there, in the perennial border and among late
flowering plants, where the Poppies will have danced through their brief
season of bloom and passed on before the former have discovered that
they need the room. Use all these odds and ends of room, but, if
possible, have a long, narrow bed of them—single and double, the deep
blood red, the gorgeous scarlet, the wonderful Shirleys, whose delicate
cups like crinkled silk seem to flush and pale with the tremulous colour
of an opal as you look at them. Plant Eschscholtzias as a border, but
sow Iceland and the Oriental Poppies, which are hardy perennials, by
themselves; otherwise they are easily destroyed in the clearing-up time
which comes after blossoming. There is a fine yellow Poppy, Hunnemannia
fumariæfolia, which should not be overlooked. Poppy seed sown in August
gives richer coloured flowers than spring-sown seed. Seeds of
Eschscholtzia and Hunnemannia should always be sown in May. Sow
broadcast as thinly as possible on soil that has been worked mellow and
fine, pressing it into the ground with a board. As it is difficult to
sow the seed thinly enough it is a good plan to mix it with fine sand—a
teaspoonful or less of seed to a teacup of sand—and scatter that as
thinly as possible. It will, even then, be found that the plants will
come up too thickly and will need to be thinned to stand a foot apart
each way. Poppies grown too closely will throw up one or two slender
stems with only a few blossoms, while, given plenty of room, they will
branch freely, producing dozens of flowers and remaining in bloom for
weeks. Mark the finest blossoms on the plant from which you wish to save
seed, removing all others as they fade, that they may not self-sow or
check the bloom. If self-sown they are apt to come up so quickly as to
be troublesome. Pull up the plants as soon as they have done blooming to
add to the compost heap, and prepare the ground, if not needed for other
plants, for the fresh seed. When there is sufficient shade to grow them
the blue of Myosotis and of Anchusa capensis is lovely among the
Poppies.
Phlox Drummondi
Try a border of the dwarf Phlox Drummondi, sown to make a colour scheme.
Set six to eight inches apart, in the form of scallops, the point coming
between every other plant of the tall, perennial Phlox. Make the rows
two or three plants wide at the centre, narrowing to a single plant at
the point, using scarlet or pink, and filling in the space between the
scallops and the straight edge of the bed with solid white. Or a double
scallop, one beginning in the centre of the other, may be made of
scarlet and buff, or pink and buff, filling in the large spaces between
with white and the small spaces with Cope’s Favourite Ageratum. The
dwarf Ageratums grow very evenly and are admirably adapted for carpet
bedding. Seed of the dwarf Phlox germinates very slowly. It should be
sown where it will have bottom heat and be given plenty of time,
frequently three weeks or more. The common Phlox Drummondi germinates
more freely, and may be sown where it is to remain, thinning to six
inches apart in the rows, or it may be sown and transplanted, which
insures more even rows.
Salvias (Flowering Sage)
It is surprising how seldom one sees the Salvia grown to any
considerable extent outside the public gardens and parks, though no
other flower can compare with it in richness of colour and freedom of
bloom, but there seems to be an impression that it must be purchased
from a florist or grown from cuttings. Salvia is much more desirable for
bedding than for any other purpose. In the house it is subject to
attacks of red spider, which make it more trouble to care for than it is
worth, while in the open ground it is remarkably healthy and free from
insect pests.
Seed should be started early in flats or hotbed, and plants set out
where they are to remain, when all danger of frost is past, as they are
very sensitive to cold. Muck or marsh earth seems the most congenial
soil in which to grow the Salvias, and if this is supplied they will
need little care beyond watering during the summer.
I have grown the Salvia splendens—the usual height of which is about two
and a half feet—to a uniform height of five feet in a bed of marsh
earth, with a supply of water from a pipe, keeping it constantly moist.
They will do well in the hottest situation if well supplied with water,
and even better in partial shade—the foliage being a deeper green and
the colour of the blossoms richer and more velvety than when exposed to
full sunlight. For years I have grown them around a twelve-foot bed of
Ricinus and Cannas, and notice that the plants are always much finer on
the north side.
Try them as a border to a bed of Cannas or Ricinus, edging them with
white Sweet Alyssum or dwarf Ageratum. They root readily in wet sand in
a warm situation, and if a house-plant is available it may be used for
cuttings instead of sowing seed.
Seed may be saved without injury to the plants as it ripens, and must be
gathered before the flowers entirely fade. The corolla or lip of the
flower falls out, leaving four white seeds an eighth of an inch long at
the base of the calyx, which remains fresh until the seeds have ripened,
when they may be shaken out. By going over the plants daily one soon
saves a fine lot of seed, which may be depended upon to germinate. The
Salvia seed germinates in about five days. But less vigorous seed will
continue to appear for two or three weeks after sowing, and the soil
should not be disturbed until all have had time to appear. They require
considerable heat to germinate freely, and when this is supplied will
give very satisfactory returns. Bonfire, Clara Bedman, and S. splendens
are the best of the scarlet-flowered variety. The white-flowered Salvias
would be desirable if the blossoms were more closely massed on the
spray; as it is they are too scattered to have any value. S. patens,
however, when brought to perfection is magnificent, the individual
flowers being double the size of the scarlet and of the most wonderful
shade of blue. It is seldom seen, but should have a place in every
garden, as it is a colour rare among flowers, the nearest approach to it
being the Monkshood. It is a tender perennial, but may be wintered in a
warm, dry cellar, dying down to the ground usually, but starting up from
the root in the spring.
Sweet Alyssum and Golden Saxatile are both desirable for edging or for
rockwork, and may either be sown in the open ground where they are to
remain, or in a seed-bed and transplanted.
Sweet-peas
So much has been written on this subject that the culture of Sweet-peas
might, without much exaggeration, be called a cult. Though blooming with
its head in the sun, the Sweet-pea loves to plunge its roots deep in the
cool, moist earth, and the seed should be planted as early in the spring
as the ground can be worked, or, better yet, in the fall. This late fall
planting has much to recommend it, as there is more leisure and the work
is apt to be better done than in the hurried days of spring when
everything seems to call for immediate attention.
The seed should be planted deep in two rows a foot apart, running, if
possible, north and south, that the plants may receive the maximum
amount of sunshine. Placed in this way, they receive both morning and
afternoon sun. A strip of wire netting five feet high should be
stretched between the rows and securely fastened to stout posts driven
into the ground. Six-foot netting is even better than five, as the
Sweet-pea loves to climb, and blooms better if not thwarted. Dig on each
side of the netting, as close as may be without breaking the space
between, a trench a foot or eighteen inches deep and as wide as is
necessary to work conveniently. Place in the bottom about six inches,
when trodden down, of old, well-rotted cow manure, fill in about six
inches of the removed soil, making it fine and mellow; sow the seed and
cover with two or three inches of soil and press firmly down. If planted
in the fall protect with several inches of rough manure, removing it in
the spring that the soil may get the benefit of the sun’s warmth. When
the plants are two or three inches high thin to six inches apart in the
rows, and draw up part of the soil removed from the trench. Add more as
the plants grow until it is all banked up against them, leaving a slight
trench between the ridges and the surface of the ground.
The wire should come close to the ground that the plants may have
support from the start. Do not water until necessary, then sufficient
water should be poured into the trench to thoroughly soak the ground at
the bottom of the roots, but do not turn it on the foliage or stems.
Thorough and frequent cultivation should be given during the blooming
season. Should it become necessary to shower the foliage during dusty
weather it would better be done early in the morning or sufficiently
early in the evening to allow the foliage to dry before the chill of
night. This guards against the blight and mildew, so prevalent in
Sweet-pea culture.
When for any reason it is not convenient to cultivate frequently, a
mulch of lawn clippings will keep the ground about the vines cool and
moist. To insure freedom of bloom all faded flowers should be removed
each day. If the flowers are cut as fast as they open the quality will
be improved. Under no circumstances should seed be allowed to form, as
the ripening of the seed is fatal to the flowers.
There is such a bewildering variety of Sweet-peas that any suggestion of
choice is impossible, but usually the special collections put up by
seedsmen will prove more satisfactory than those of one’s own choosing,
if one is unfamiliar with the names of the varieties.
Verbenas
In sowing the seed of Verbenas it is best to keep colours separate, as
white, pink, scarlet, scarlet with white eye, and the new Mayflower
Verbena—one of the finest novelties brought out in recent years.
They should be started early in flats or hotbed, soaking the seed in hot
water for three or four hours before planting. It germinates very
irregularly, often coming up after one has ceased to expect it. The soil
should be kept moist so long as there is any chance of more plants
appearing. Verbenas will thrive in any good soil, striking root wherever
a point touches the ground. Cultivate, if in loam or stiff soil, as long
as there is room to work between the plants, which should be set at
least a foot apart. Verbenas do finely on the rockwork, seeming to enjoy
the cool corners they find under the stones, and the finest I have ever
grown have been in such a situation.
Vincas (Periwinkles) are an exceedingly beautiful and little known
tender perennial worthy of extensive cultivation, as easily grown as an
Aster or Verbena, and very effective in large beds. For the price of one
greenhouse plant a dozen plants may be raised from seed. The foliage is
deep green and glossy, and large single flowers of exquisite colour and
texture—pure ivory white, white with a crimson eye, and rosy crimson—are
borne at the end of every branch covering the plants, which grow from
fifteen to eighteen inches high and nearly as broad. As a border for a
Canna bed nothing could be better, and they make fine symmetrical winter
bloomers. No finer plants for house decoration could be desired.
The seeds, which should be started early in hotbeds or flats, germinate
in from ten to fifteen days, sometimes earlier. Set out plants, when all
danger of frost is past, in muck, if possible, or in well-enriched loam,
setting a foot or fifteen inches apart each way, cultivating once a
week, if in loam or stiff soil, but if in muck it will only be necessary
to mulch. Water every day during the hot weather, and if kept from
seeding they will bloom from June until cut down by frost. They do well
in full sunshine or in shade, but must have a fair amount of moisture.
If no seeds form plants may be lifted in the fall and potted in large
pots for winter blooming.
Small plants of the Chrysanthemum obtained from the florist in the
spring will, with proper care, make fine blooming plants by fall. Plant
out, when all danger of frost is past, in a sunny bed composed of rather
sandy loam and muck well manured and made deep and mellow. Set the
plants from a foot to eighteen inches apart each way and cultivate at
least once a week during the summer. They should never suffer for water,
as if once allowed to dry out they never fully recover.
When the plants are six or eight inches high pinch back to four inches.
Allow four branches to spring from this main stalk, removing all others.
When these are four inches long pinch back again, allowing each of the
four shoots to form three or four branches and nipping out all others as
they appear. If a few very large flowers are desired, allow only the
four branches to grow from the main stem, removing all other shoots.
When the branches are six inches in length pinch back for the last time
not later than August 1st, after which they should be allowed to grow on
undisturbed, removing all but the terminal buds if fine flowers are
desired.
Lift by September 1st, transfer to large pots or boxes, according to the
size of the plants. The soil should be given a good watering the day
before lifting, that the earth may cling to the roots and that the plant
may be in the best condition for moving. Cut around the plant with the
trowel, leaving a ball of earth as near as possible the size and shape
of the pot it is to fill. Avoid disturbing the roots.
Set in a cool, shady place for a few days and keep in a rather cool, dry
atmosphere after removing to the house. Water freely and give liquid
manure once a week. Do not shower the tops after buds appear, or keep
where bulbs are growing in water, as moisture at this stage is apt to
cause the buds to blast. Chrysanthemums are quite certain to be attacked
at some stage of their growth with black aphis, or lice, which are very
troublesome to get rid of once they have gained a foothold. It will be
wise, therefore, to keep the foliage constantly dusted with tobacco at
all seasons of their growth, as in this form tobacco is most effective.
Once the pest has gotten a start fumigating with tobacco smoke will be
necessary. Shut the plants in a close room or box and smoke thoroughly.
Chapter _ELEVEN_
Vines
Harsh outlines of buildings, a dead tree, a dilapidated fence, a sunny
window, an obtrusive outbuilding, may be transformed by the use of
Nature’s drapery. There exists in the minds of many, unfortunately, a
prejudice against vines on the house as injurious to walls. This is
entirely unfounded, the contrary, so far as I am able to judge, being
the case, especially on the south and west sides of frame houses, where
the paint and consequently the woodwork, will be found in a much better
state of preservation when protected by such vines as Ampelopsis
Veitchi, Virginia Creeper, Woodbine, and the like, than when exposed to
the burning, blistering rays of the sun. Vines make a thick growth of
overlapping leaves which shed rain and prevent its penetrating to the
walls. In England, where it is much used, it is said that walls covered
with Ivy are almost indestructible, so hard and dry has the cement
remained under its protecting care.
Adlumia (Mountain Fringe, Climbing Fumitory, Alleghany Vine)
One of the prettiest of summer vines is the Adlumia, though it lasts but
one short summer. It is a biennial, stooling the first summer and the
second summer bursting into a wealth of tender green foliage, as finely
cut as a fern, with hundreds of sprays of delicate flowers—a delightful
vine when grown on the north side of the house, where it retains its
fine green throughout the season, though in the hot sun it is inclined
to burn. It is especially appropriate for funerals. It self-sows, and
once established there is sure to be an abundance of it from year to
year. In the fall seeds may be scattered where the plants are to remain,
or the seed may be germinated in another spot and the seedlings
transplanted later. As the plants always receive a check when moved, it
is better to do so as early as possible in the fall, that they may
become established before cold weather. Plants should be set two feet
apart.
Cobæa scandens (Cup-and-Saucer Vine) is a most desirable summer vine. It
grows to a great height and blooms freely, throwing great, bell-shaped
flowers—pure white, greenish white, lavender, mauve, and purple—from the
axil of nearly every leaf. The flowers of the purple variety are pale
green at first, changing through all the shades of lavender and purple
to plum.
There is another variety—the San Salvador Cobæa—that is even more
desirable than the C. scandens. The flowers are much smaller, but have
greatly exaggerated stamens that give them distinction. Its chief
beauty, however, is the foliage of light, translucent green, to which
the sun, shining through it, gives a luminous quality rare in vines. In
manner of growth, too, it is superior, its many-lobed leaves lying
parallel to, or flat on the netting, instead of at right angles, as is
the case with C. scandens. Both these vines do well in a north or east
exposure and require less water than most vines. They are admirable for
covering an old tree or any partly dead wood.
Seed should be started in the hotbed early in spring, setting them on
edge and covering a quarter of an inch deep. Unless the soil appears dry
they should not be watered until the plants are up and have their first
true leaves. Set out when danger of frost is past in mellow soil,
watering as needed, and giving support for the vines to cling to. To
stone and brick, or the bark of a tree, they will cling of themselves,
each leaf-spray ending in a tendril that attaches itself to any rough
surface. I have never been able to ascertain what height they will
attain if given support, but the top of a reasonably tall tree falls
short of their ambition.
The Centrosema (Butterfly Pea) is rather a hard vine to propagate from
seed. Seeds germinate freely, but the young plants seem strangely
lacking in vigour, so that frequently, after making a few inches of
growth, they refuse to go further, and gradually dwindle away. It is
therefore better to make several sowings, soaking the seed in hot water
for an hour before using, and planting in hotbed or cold-frame. If it is
dropped an inch or two apart in the rows there will be no occasion for
disturbing until it is time to transplant into the open ground—which
would better be deferred until the plants are six or eight inches high.
They should be moved with as little disturbance as possible, pressing
the trowel down its full length and lifting and transferring to their
permanent position on the east side of the house in one operation. Water
and press the earth around the roots and furnish immediate support. Thus
treated they will usually thrive and bloom in a few weeks, continuing
until frost unless seeds form, which should not be allowed on young
plants.
Were they much more difficult to raise, it would still be worth many
trials and failures to secure one thrifty plant, so lovely it is when in
bloom. I do not remember another plant whose blossoms give one such an
idea of perfection—of exquisite and minute finish, as this lovely
Centrosema with its beautiful colour, delicate markings, and symmetry of
form. Before it bloomed I had begun to wonder whether it was worth all
the trouble, but when I saw the first perfect blossom all doubts
vanished and I would go to much greater trouble to possess it.
The Centrosema is of slender growth, and seldom exceeds eight or ten
feet. Plants should be set a foot apart in front of a wire trellis or
other support. They are hardy, but should be given protection in winter.
Gourds are a very useful family. They are an ornamental feature of the
summer garden, and afford an economic and unique addition to the
winter’s supply of plant receptacles, hanging-baskets, low bowls for
Tulips, Crocus, and other bulbs. Many of them are highly ornamental and
graceful climbers—as the Wild Cucumber, Bryonopsis, Coccinea Indica, and
Abobra, which have delicate foliage and showy fruit, and may be grown
where any quick-growing vine is wanted. They are especially good for
covering rear fences or unsightly outbuildings.
Some of the varieties have large white flowers which are finer than a
Clematis, and of the fruit of large-flowered ones the prettiest
hanging-baskets are made. Saw them in two when thoroughly ripe and dry,
remove the pulp, scrape the shell clean and thin and give a coat of
green or brown shellac inside and out, and hang with brass chains. They
are more satisfactory if the gourds are a year old and perfectly dry. A
hole must be made for drainage, and in case of bowls, tiny supports
fastened to the bottom with glue to raise them from the table, as
without the free circulation of air they are liable to mould.
[Illustration: A DEAD TREE DRAPED WITH VINES]
Seed must be sown as early as possible that the fruit may have time to
ripen before frost. Set out when all danger of frost is past in any
garden soil in a sunny position where they will have good support, as
they are vigorous and rapid climbers and will quickly go to the top of a
tall tree. They are liable when first set out to be eaten off by
cutworms, and they should be protected by a bottomless tin can sunk into
the ground two or three inches, care being taken that there are no worms
inside the can. The gourds do not grow for some little time after
setting out, as they are making roots; but once they begin the
development is rapid.
The variegated Japanese Hop is another summer vine that should be
extensively grown. Its large, handsome foliage, freely splashed with
white, is very showy and effective, and it thrives in almost any
situation and soil, though paying well for extra care or attention in
the way of cultivation, watering, and food. The vines are not hardy,
but, as they self-sow, once established they are practically permanent.
Several plants should be set near each other, as only the female plant
bears seed. The leaves of this are smaller and the vine more slender.
The great-leaved, robust vine bears no seed.
It is better to plant the seed in the fall, as when planted in the
spring it may not come up until the following year. If this is the case
the ground where it is sown should be left undisturbed until the
following spring, when it will make an early appearance. When it does
sprout the same season, the seed germinates in from eight to ten days.
The plants do equally well on north, south, east or west walls, but
should be kept sufficiently watered on the south or west.
There is but one precaution I have found necessary in growing the
Japanese Hop: namely, to give it a rather elastic support, a twine
trellis being better than a rigid wire one. The finest Japanese Hop I
ever saw grew over a south window on a trellis of chicken netting; the
growth was wonderful, and the great leaves were beautifully splashed
with white. I was exceedingly proud of the vine, but one day I saw it
hanging limp and withered from its trellis, and an investigation
revealed the astonishing fact that it had grown so rapidly and attached
itself so firmly to the unyielding wire that it had pulled its roots
entirely out of the ground, literally committing suicide. Since then I
have used a more yielding support.
The Japanese Morning-glory should be started in the house or hotbed and
not transplanted into the open ground until the nights and ground are
warm.
[Illustration: FURNISH SUPPORT FOR VINES TO RUN ON]
[Illustration: VINE-COVERED SHED]
Many of the varieties received direct from Japan are only adapted for
growing in pots; that is how the Japanese grow them, and we can hardly
expect to improve on their methods. Pot off all plants showing unusual
markings, or oddly shaped leaves, and plunge in the sand-box, giving
sunshine and abundance of water and using large pots, or shifting
frequently as needed. Give liquid manure once or twice a week. Furnish
support for the vines to run on, either a trellis or sticks in the sides
of the pot and strings run back and forth through and around them, or
they may be trained against the wall back of the sand-box. Most of the
seeds purchased here, however, are grown in this country, and the plants
are as rugged as the old-fashioned Morning-glory. It will be noticed
that those with oddly shaped leaves and broad, hairy stems rarely bloom
here, the buds appearing too late to develop before frost. Grown in pots
these might give some interesting specimens. If only a few of the buds
are allowed to develop the size will be greatly increased.
The Maurandya Vine is one of the most satisfactory for low trellises,
window-boxes, vases, rockwork, and the like, in summer, and for
hanging-baskets in winter. In the open air it attains a height of five
or six feet, giving an abundance of pink, white, and lavender-coloured,
foxglove-shaped flowers, an inch and a half in length. The smooth,
shining leaves are ivy-shaped and cling to supports by a twist of the
stem. It grows readily from seed, and germinates in from twelve to
fifteen days. For trellis and outdoor work start early in flats or
hotbed, setting out when danger of frost is past, but for winter use
June is early enough to sow seed. It requires no special treatment,
doing well in any situation with good soil and sufficient moisture. This
is one of the most graceful and useful vines for either summer or
winter.
Thunbergias (Black-eyed Susans) like a warm, sunny situation, and in
good soil will grow six or eight feet tall and be covered, until cut
down by frost, with a wreath of tube-shaped, flat-faced blossoms two
inches in diameter—pure white, white with black eye, yellow with white
eye, and yellow with black eye. They are very valuable for covering low
trellises, the foundations of porches, window-boxes, urns, or rockwork
where a small vine is needed. They are admirable as basket or bracket
plants in winter. They grow freely from seed, germinating in about
twelve days, and should be started early in flats in the house or the
hotbed. Much finer plants are grown in this way than can be purchased
from the florist. Their only enemy is the red spider, and they should be
showered frequently to prevent an attack.
The Manettia Vine is one of the most satisfactory vines for winter
blooming, requiring only a small pot and a place in a sunny window, and
blooming better when pot-bound. A daily watering, and occasional doses
of weak liquid manure when the other plants are getting it is all the
care it needs. It does not require a warm atmosphere, blooming freely in
a temperature of about 50°, and giving an unfailing succession of its
bright little flowers every day during the winter. It is that rare
thing—a plant which the florists have not overpraised. It is every bit
as good as it is claimed to be. Though equally at home in a
hanging-basket or on a trellis, I have found it most attractive when
grown on strings across the window in company with Solanum jasminoides,
whose sprays of airy white flowers contrast with the orange and scarlet
of the Manettia. A small plant obtained from the florist in spring and
potted in a four-inch pot, with good compost, will be ready to bloom by
November, and will remain in bloom from that time until spring, when it
should be repotted in a six-inch pot and plunged in the sand-box to grow
for winter blooming. The only precaution necessary is to keep it in a
small pot, as it blooms more freely when pot-bound. Cut back if not
branching freely, as the bloom comes at the ends of the new growth.
Clematis (Virgin’s Bower)
The large-flowered Clematis are the most expensive vines we have. So
slowly do they propagate from cuttings that the price remains high from
year to year. The cheapest way to obtain them is to raise them from seed
and, though this is a more or less uncertain method, the expense is so
slight compared to the purchase of plants that where many are required
it is worth repeated efforts. Plant the seeds in flats in the house
either in fall or spring. Cover an eighth of an inch and press the soil
down firmly, keeping moist and warm. They germinate in from six weeks to
a year; for this reason fall planting is desirable, as the soil may more
easily be kept in the right condition. When the plants are large enough
to handle, pot off into small pots and plunge in the sand-box, if the
weather is warm enough, or in a sunny window if cold. Winter in a
frost-proof cellar the first winter, putting them in the open ground
where they are to remain till the following spring. The plants will give
a few blossoms the second season, enough to show the variety, and the
next year may be expected to bloom freely. Plants raised from seed are
more likely to bloom and do well than those from cuttings.
Clematis paniculata comes more freely from seed than the Jackmanni
strains, and should be largely grown, as it is one of our loveliest
vines and blooms when most others have ceased. Clematis flammula
self-sows and established little plants are continually coming up in
unexpected places, which may be removed to any desired position, as this
variety does not in the least mind being disturbed. All Clematis are
benefited by winter protection, and such varieties as Ramona and other
spring bloomers should have the tops protected with sacking or old
carpet. Mrs. Edward Andre dies to the ground in the winter, but should
be well protected around the roots. Many growers cut back Clematis to
within a few feet of the ground each fall, but where large spaces are to
be covered one loses much time, as the frost usually does all the
trimming necessary. The early spring bloomers from last season’s wood
and cutting back in the fall simply lessen the blossom points. If it is
necessary to trim for symmetry or lack of room it should be done
immediately after the plants are through blooming, that they may have
abundant time for new growth.
[Illustration: CLEMATIS PANICULATI BLOOMS WHEN MOST OTHERS HAVE CEASED]
Bignonia Radicans (Trumpet Vine)
It is to be regretted that this fine vine is so common and old-fashioned
that no one seems to appreciate it sufficiently to bring it up to its
really magnificent possibilities. When grown as a shrub no finer plant
for a hedge could possibly be desired. For this purpose the plants
should be set about three feet apart, or even closer, if it is desired
that the hedge should be useful as well as ornamental. Set in an even
row where the hedge is desired, tie each plant to a stout stake, and
allow only one branch to grow, cutting this back when three feet high to
form the head, which should be made to branch freely. By the time the
stake has rotted away the plant will have made a trunk as large as one’s
wrist and perfectly self-supporting. All dead and weak branches should
be trimmed out each year and the hedge kept pruned back to symmetrical
growth. If the seed-pods are not allowed to form the plant will be in
bloom nearly all summer. Such a hedge will be a thing to bequeath to
posterity along with old oaks and fine elms.
The Trumpet Vine is equally desirable as a climber, and on some surfaces
is self-supporting, but on others, as the side of a building or a board
fence, it often fails to attach itself, and in that case must be
artificially supported. This should be very securely done, as a hard
storm may tear a heavy-topped specimen entirely away from its support
and do much damage. The best support is afforded by stretching a
galvanised wire across a branch, just under a joint, and fastening each
end by a staple driven firmly into the building.
Grown as a shrub on the lawn the Trumpet Vine is very fine and should be
trained to a stake and grown the same as a Kilmarnock Willow. Every
year, as my Bignonias bloom, I grow more and more enthusiastic over
their possibilities, and wish more people would grow them with some
definite aim in view.
Chapter _TWELVE_
Ornamental Foliage Plants from Seed
Canna (Indian Shot)
All Cannas—the gorgeous orchid-flowered, as well as the old-fashioned
sorts—can be easily and cheaply grown from seed and will give blossoming
plants almost as soon as those started from bulbs. When one must buy
plants and the fine new varieties are desired, the starting of an
eight-or ten-foot bed is a matter for economical consideration. Five or
six dollars is as little as one can expect to pay for such a bed if
plants are purchased, but by starting the seed the cost is reduced to a
mere bagatelle. It is better to buy seed by the ounce, as not all will
come up, and one should make sure of a sufficient quantity. The seed
must be filed on the end opposite the germ, so that the white shows
through plainly, and the best way to do it is to tack a piece of medium
sand-paper to a piece of wood and rub the seed on that. It is better to
do this before they are wanted, as it is a tedious process when one is
in a hurry. Soak the seeds in hot water for an hour or two before
planting and sow in hotbed or flat, keeping moist and warm. When large
enough to handle, prick out in thumb-pots and place in a warm, sunny
window. It would be even better to start them in tiny pots, plunged in a
box of sand or in the hotbed, to avoid danger in removing, as they
sometimes suffer in the process. Though one of the toughest plants when
of some size, the little seedlings are exceedingly tender. Shift as
needed until time to place in the open ground when all danger of frost
is past. Plant, if possible, in muck well manured, as Cannas do
exceptionally well in that soil and can scarcely have too much food and
water. Unless one has city water or other supply it is better to make
the Canna bed somewhat lower than the lawn, that all the water may be
retained and not run off, as it will if the beds are raised. If
tall-growing varieties are grown in the centre the effect will be as
good as though the bed were raised and less water will be needed. A good
mulch of lawn clippings will help to keep the soil moist, mellow, and
free from weeds and will greatly lessen the care of it. Seed sown in
February or March will give blooming plants in June, and by fall there
will be a fine lot of roots to store away for another year.
Coleus, which are practically indispensable in all ornamental bedding,
are easily raised from seed and will make fine plants by June. Start
seed in rather deep flats in the house in February or March, covering
lightly and giving a warm place (see directions for growing house-plants
from seed). They germinate in from five to seven days. As soon as the
plants have their first true leaves place in a warm, sunny window and
encourage them to grow as rapidly as possible. When they have two or
three leaves the colours will be sufficiently developed to admit of
making selections, and if the box is at all crowded they can be potted
off and grown on until time to plant out. Coleus are very sensitive to
cold and should not be planted out in the open ground until the nights
are warm. Never allow the Coleus to flower, as this injures the foliage
greatly. Pinch out the flower heads as they appear. Water liberally and
pinch back occasionally to symmetrical form. Any soil that suits the
Canna, or other ornamental foliage plant, will do for the Coleus—a
light, sandy loam enriched with manure is as good as anything, and
leaf-mould answers admirably.
Where a quantity of Cineraria, or Dusty Miller, is needed for borders,
it is much more economical to grow from seed, starting them in hotbeds
and planting out when all danger of frost is past, setting six inches
apart.
Ricinus, or Castor-oil Bean
Probably the most effective and tropical-looking plant in cultivation
to-day is the Ricinus, and fortunately it is within the reach of
everyone. It is usually seen as a solitary specimen on the lawn, or as
the centre of a bed of other plants, or probably in a long row; it is
more effective, however, in a group, and thus grown makes a good
background for low plants. Seed should be started early in house or
hotbeds. It germinates in twelve to fifteen days. The best results will
be obtained when started in the house by planting in three-or four-inch
pots. Put two or three seeds in a pot and remove all but one if more
come up. Before filling the pots with earth mixed with good compost, a
piece of shard, or flat stone, should be placed over the drainage hole
to confine the roots, as they make a very rapid growth. Shift into
larger pots as required, and plant out when all danger of frost is past
in a deep, rich soil. Marsh earth is best, but where this is not
available any good garden soil will answer if heavily manured and well
watered. The young plants are somewhat backward after transplanting and
frequently refuse to grow at all, so that it is well to have a few
plants in reserve against a possible emergency. After the plants are a
foot high, little if any trouble will be experienced. The newer Zanzibar
varieties are the most desirable, being very fine both in colour and
development, growing under favourable conditions from eight to ten feet
tall with leaves three feet in diameter.
[Illustration: SHIFT INTO LARGER POTS AS REQUIRED]
Banana plants are very showy and attractive and in the North are more or
less of a novelty. They may be planted out in the open ground or in tubs
when all danger of frost is over. Though less sensitive to root
disturbance than the Ricinus, they are very impatient of the immediate
presence of other plants, and young plants should be grown by
themselves. Robust two-year-old plants, however, may be used as centres
for beds of Cannas or similar plants with fine effect. When obtainable
they should be given a compost of muck and old manure and supplied with
a very liberal amount of water; the water from the laundry and kitchen
should be saved for them, as one can scarcely overfeed them. Give a
warm, sunny situation, protected from rough winds, which whip and tear
the broad leaves, rendering them most unsightly. A southeast angle of
building or shrubbery furnishes an ideal location. In the fall the
plants may be removed to the cellar in the tubs in which they have been
grown, or they may be lifted, if grown in the open ground, and planted
in suitable tubs for the adornment of the conservatory or living-room.
Grown indoors they are very ornamental, the foliage being perfect, which
is rarely the case out of doors. It is also much easier to carry the
plants through the winter in this way; as they are very sensitive to
cold and damp when dormant and cannot be carried successfully in a
cellar where these conditions exist, even though it be free from frost.
In the South—and the same method may be employed in the North, provided
the cellar conditions are right—the plants are dug up, the soil removed,
and the roots wrapped in gunny-sacks and laid on a shelf in the cellar,
all the leaves being removed except the central one, which must be
carefully protected from all injury.
Chapter _THIRTEEN_
Bulbous and Tuberous-rooted Plants
Cannas may be started any time in April or May. The old-fashioned
tall-growing varieties may be put in the open ground early in May. Cover
with three or four inches of soil and protect the bed with a little
rough manure if the nights are cold, the finest of the manure being left
to enrich the soil when the plants are up.
The large-flowering French and Orchid-flowered Cannas are delicate and
very sensitive to cold and damp and should be started in the house with
heat. Divide the roots into points and pot separately in leaf-mould, or
they may be placed in baskets of sand set in a warm, sunny place and
kept constantly moist; this is the simplest and best way of handling
them. Cannas are less likely to mould or decay in sand than in soil, and
it is easier to keep a uniform degree of moisture in the baskets than in
the small pots. The baskets should be partly filled with fine white sand
and the roots laid in place, points up, as closely as convenient, and
sufficient sand added to cover them. They must not be planted out until
all danger of frost is past and the nights are warm, and they should
then be handled very carefully to avoid injuring the tender roots. Give
them a soil of muck or heavily manured loam and abundance of water. The
most convenient place for starting bulbs of all kinds is a warm upstairs
room, over a kitchen or elsewhere, with a south or west light. A wide
shelf may be arranged under the windows and one’s entire supply of bulbs
started there in pots and baskets out of the way. Seeds of flowers and
vegetables may also be started there to advantage.
Dahlias are best started in the baskets of sand, putting the bunches in
whole, with the crown just below the surface of the sand. When they have
sprouted and the weather is warm they should be removed from the sand
and carefully divided. A number of tubers will have failed to start,
while others will have thrown several shoots. If the number of plants is
not sufficient more may be secured by grafting part of the green shoots
into the dormant toes. Remove a shoot, cut the end to a wedge shape,
remove a corresponding wedge from the crown of a toe and insert the
shoot; it should rest in the toe an inch or more and be placed in the
ground at once—drawing the earth around it snugly that the scion may be
in no danger of separating from the toe before it has formed a union.
Only one shoot should be left on a tuber, and the removal of the extra
ones for grafting is a distinct gain. Whenever it is necessary to divide
the roots a portion of the stem with a well-defined eye must be given to
each division, otherwise there will be no top growth; the toes will
root, but they will not grow. For further directions see chapter on
growing Dahlias from seed.
Caladium esculentum, or Elephant’s Ears, is a native of the Sandwich
Islands, where it furnishes a staple article of food called Poa. The
root when cooked is like a potato. It is better to start separately in
pots an inch larger than the bulbs, setting the top of the bulb just
above the surface of the soil. Pot with muck or good compost and keep
moist and warm. They respond to heat and moisture the most readily of
all dormant bulbs, beginning to grow at once and making steady progress,
the root growth keeping step with the top much more uniformly than is
usual with bulbs that are wintered dry. It is an ideal plant for the
amateur, as easily grown as a hill of corn. If fine plants are desired
only those bulbs showing a live centre-shoot should be used. If the
winter conditions have been favourable the bulbs will show a strong
centre-shoot or rolled-up leaf; where this has decayed or dried off
there will frequently be side-shoots which are worth saving when the
supply of bulbs is small, and which will produce fair results, but for
really good plants the centre-shoot is necessary.
Plant out when all danger of frost is past, in muck if possible, or in
heavily manured loam; the more freely they are watered the finer will be
the growth. Old bulbs should give leaves three feet or more in length
and correspondingly wide.
Single specimens are fine in pots, vases, or tiles, but they are really
seen at their best in large clumps on the lawn, or edging beds of Cannas
or other subtropical plants.
They are easily wintered and multiply very rapidly; and, as much better
effects can be obtained by planting largely of one variety, an effort
should be made to have a generous supply. Aim for a tropical luxuriance
of effect—whether the plants used are Cannas, Caladiums, Ricinus, or all
three.
Tuberous Begonias should be started at the same time as the Caladiums,
Cannas, and other tuberous plants. Pot singly in small pots of
leaf-mould, setting the tuber level with the surface of the earth, but
shaping the soil away from it toward the edge of the pot that water may
not settle around it. The side showing a slight depression is the top.
Often it is difficult to determine this, in which case the bulb may be
laid on the surface until growth begins and the fact can be determined,
when it may be potted. Do not keep too warm, as that induces a leggy
growth; a temperature of about 60° is right.
Bed out, when all danger of frost is past, in partial shade. In England
it is claimed that they will stand the hottest sun, but the atmosphere
of England is very different from our dry air, and the tuberous Begonia
does better with us if shaded. Where there is no natural shade an awning
of cotton cloth during the hottest part of the day answers every
purpose. Gloxinias are started the same as tuberous Begonias and require
practically the same treatment, but more heat. Fuller cultural
directions are given in the chapter on growing from seed.
Fancy-leaved Caladiums, though belonging to the same family as C.
esculentum, bear little resemblance to that sturdier branch, being small
in growth, gorgeous in colouring, and exceedingly delicate. Unlike the
Crotons and Coleus, which revel in full sunshine, they develop their
beautiful colours best in partial or complete shade. They do, however,
love a warm atmosphere and must be guarded against sudden chills and
draughts. They are very desirable for window-boxes on the north side of
the house, for growing in sheltered nooks, and for warm, sheltered
positions on porches. Several may be grouped together in a ten-inch pot
very effectively, as they require but little room. They may be brought
inside in the fall, and kept growing until they show signs of resting,
when water should be gradually withheld until the leaves have ripened.
The pots should then be set away in a warm, dry place—as a shelf in a
closet—until wanted the following spring.
Such wonderful things have been accomplished in Gladiolus culture that
one scarcely recognises the old favourite. All along the line, size,
colour, texture, markings show the effect of a high state of cultivation
and careful hybridising. The Childsi are, perhaps, the finest; while
several of the strains of giant Gladiolus show wonderful size and
colour. They increase rapidly, and one should buy a few bulbs each year
so as to maintain a high standard.
When ready to plant, remove all loose husks, dead roots, and stalks,
leaving the bulb clean and fair. Plant directly in the open ground,
sufficiently late for frost to have gone by the time they are up. Plant
the bulbs eight inches deep in fine leaf-mould, or a mixture of muck,
loam and old manure, or even well-enriched garden loam. Planted deeply
they will not need staking—an important point in growing Gladioli; nor
will they be so much affected by cold, heat, or draught as in the case
of shallow planting, and may be planted earlier and left much later in
the fall, giving the bulbs more time to ripen.
They should be cultivated frequently during the summer or well mulched
and supplied with water as needed. No seed should be allowed to form, as
the plants make new bulbs each year, sometimes several, and that, with
the production of flowers, is enough for one plant. A plant that seeds
freely will not produce as many or as good bulbs. Take up in the fall
before the ground begins to freeze, and put in a warm, sunny place for a
few days to dry. Remove the stems by cutting off six or eight inches
above the bulb, but do not attempt to pull or break them, as that will
injure the new shoot which lies just inside the old stalk. Tie in
bunches and hang in a dry, cool place, free from frost, or store in
paper sacks.
Montbretias resemble the Gladioli in flower and foliage, but are very
slender of growth. They throw long, graceful sprays of brilliant
scarlet, orange, and lemon, very desirable for cut flowers. The flowers
open successively, as do the Gladioli, and are in bloom a long time.
They may be grown in the corners of the Gladiolus bed with good effect.
The culture is the same, except that the Montbretias are not planted so
deeply—about three inches. They multiply very rapidly—about fourfold,
and are as easily cared for as the Gladioli.
Tigridias (Shell Flowers) are beautiful in colour, and odd in shape, and
rather gorgeous in effect whether set singly or in groups. The colours
are a pure white, white with lilac, purple and white, yellow and orange
with dark spots, white with a brownish spot on a yellow ground, and rose
colour. The flower remains open for only a day, but as there is always
another to take its place it is not missed. They would better be started
in the house in pots and bedded out when frost is past, as, planted in
the open ground, they sometimes fail to appear. Lift and dry in fall and
store in a dry, warm place during winter, examining occasionally for
mould or grey lice. The leaf much resembles that of the date-palm, being
ribbed and pointed at either end.
Summer-blooming Oxalis are very desirable plants for borders. They are
extensively grown in parks and public gardens, but are little seen in
private grounds. They are the most easily raised of all the bulbous
plants and increase in a manner quite alarming, each bulb forming a long
tuber resembling a white radish in general appearance, and covered with
small bulbs—probably fifty—the top being crowned with one large bulb,
the source of the season’s florescence. These bulbs are not a solid
body, as would appear at first glance, but are made up of hundreds of
minute scales like a lily bulb. Added to its interesting character below
ground is its rather remarkable performance above ground. It comes into
leaf and blossom two weeks after planting, about the time the first tiny
tips of other bulbs appear.
One great advantage of this precocity of growth is that Oxalis may be
substituted when for any reason other border plants have failed to come
up and it is necessary to replace them in a hurry. Often a hardy border
plant winter-kills and one keeps waiting for it to start until it is too
late to get plants from seed, then the little Oxalis comes to the
rescue.
Buy them by the hundred and set about three inches apart and about two
inches deep. Take up in the fall and put in a sunny place to dry,
turning often; when dry remove from the centre tuber and sort, saving
the largest bulbs.
Crinums and Amaryllis
For the past year or so an unusual amount of interest has been shown in
this magnificent class of plants, followed in many instances by grievous
disappointment, as, led away by the glowing descriptions of the dealers,
investments are made in bulbs whose proper culture is entirely unknown.
It is to be regretted that dealers sending out bulbs requiring special
treatment—as the Crinums—do not give instructions for their culture. It
would save a vast amount of disappointment, complaint, and distrust.
Unfortunately many florists do not themselves understand their
requirements; they merely purchase the bulbs from other dealers, and
publish trade advertisements and illustrations.
Seen in bloom under proper conditions and treatment it is not strange
that florists wax eloquent in their praise, and invest heavily in bulbs
which they sell to an ignorant and confiding public. There is, however,
little difficulty in growing the Crinum—indeed, I know of no plant more
easily grown, once it is understood.
Most of the complaints show that there has been no effort made to study
the nature of the plant. A little study would show that an immense bulb
like Crinum ornatum must have a generous supply of roots to sustain it;
that these roots must have time to grow, commensurate with the length of
time the bulb has been out of the ground, and that not much could be
expected of it until these conditions were fulfilled. These facts are
obvious from a study of the dry bulb, other facts are only arrived at
after experience with the Crinum as a plant.
The root growth is quite in keeping with the size of the bulb; it forms
great quantities of fleshy white roots as thick as pipe-stems, which are
very impatient of disturbance and should be left practically unmolested
for a number of years. When a bulb is prepared for market these roots
are all removed. It is not strange that when called upon to rally from
the shock of dismemberment and to replace the entire root growth it
should sometimes fail to bloom as readily as expected. Often only a
portion of the former roots start again, and this must be taken into
consideration when anticipating bloom.
When a dry bulb is received from the florist it should be potted at once
in a pot two inches larger in diameter than the bulb, that is, one
allowing one inch of space between the pot and the bulb all around. Good
potting soil, loam, leaf-mould, or muck, good sharp sand and old,
well-rotted manure should be used. I do not think the muck absolutely
essential, except in the case of C. Americana, which may be grown in
pure muck, but good fibrous loam and sharp sand must be used. Place an
inch or two of drainage material in the bottom of the pot, covering with
sphagnum moss to keep the water from washing the soil into the drain and
clogging it; fill within an inch of the top of the pot with soil; press
the bulb into it, making a depression the shape of the base of the bulb
and a couple of inches deep; line this hollow an inch deep with clean
white sand, replace the bulb, water, and give a warm, sunny position.
The bulb may be lifted and examined daily without injury, to note the
root development and to watch for signs of blue-mould, which is apt to
attack the Crinum if slow in rooting and which, when it appears, should
be carefully wiped off. As soon as the root growth has fairly commenced
the bulb must not again be disturbed, as there is then danger of
injuring the root. This inspection shows the root development the bulb
is likely to make, and gives an idea of the probable florescence. The
bulb is planted on top, and not in the soil, but if it makes the root
growth it should that will hold it as firmly as though it were entirely
embedded.
Usually a bulb will bloom in about three months from potting, sometimes
sooner, but it is better to allow it a margin of time. Few leaves are
made up to blooming time, but after the bloom has faded the foliage
grows rapidly and, in the case of large bulbs, is really magnificent.
When the foliage begins to fade and turn yellow at the tips the growth
for the season is practically over, and water should be gradually
withheld, and the plant allowed to rest. From this time on give only
sufficient water to keep the plant from going dust-dry. Enough water may
be given to keep the roots from shrivelling but not sufficient to induce
top growth. Soon after starting it will be noticed, perhaps, that the
bulb has shrunk and grown smaller and somewhat soft. As the foliage dies
it becomes firm and hard again, the strength of the top has returned to
the bulb from which it came, and it is at this period that it makes its
own growth and prepares for another season of bloom, readiness for which
it will announce by beginning to grow though water be withheld. The top
earth—which should be dry at this time—should be removed as far as
possible without disturbing the roots, and replaced with good, rich
soil. Water freely, and when the buds appear give a little weak liquid
manure once a week. The second blooming will be much finer than the
first, as the plant has now sufficient root growth to support both stalk
and blossom.
Should the bulb outgrow its quarters it may be shifted into a pot two
sizes larger, care being taken not to disturb the roots. In this way the
Crinum may be grown on from year to year, shifting when really
necessary, renewing the top-soil each year without disturbing the roots
and allowing it seasons of complete rest. This is the whole secret of
Crinum culture—undisturbed root action and well-defined seasons of rest
and growth. It requires a warm, sunny window in winter, and an eastern
exposure in summer, where it will get the full morning sun and be
protected from rough winds which injure the foliage. In protected
situations certain varieties, as C. Kunthianum, hold their great leaves
erect and are very fine; they will not do this when exposed to wind.
Care must be taken to protect them from heavy rain, as water settling in
the leaves sometimes causes the bulb to rot. I have lost some very fine
specimens from this cause. A protected sand-box is an ideal place for
them, as the evaporation from the wet sand supplies just the moist
atmosphere they like. They may be wintered in a warm, dry cellar, but,
if the cellar is at all cold or damp, it will be better to keep them on
the back of the plant-stand or on a shelf in a closet where they may be
inspected frequently.
Crinums are such expensive floral luxuries that it pays to take good
care of them. Many varieties make few offshoots, and hence can never
become cheap, but there is a distinct pleasure in possessing something
rare and fine.
Unfortunately much confusion exists in regard to the two Crinums, Kirkii
and ornatum, and the same bulb is often offered under different names.
The dealers themselves seem to have no clear idea as to which is which.
I believe, however, that ornatum is distinguished by a pink stripe
through the centre of each petal, while the corresponding stripe in
Kirkii is reddish-purple; these two are the most uncertain and
unsatisfactory of all Crinums in the hands of the amateur.
C. Moorei, also often offered as ornatum or Kirkii, is one of the
choicest Crinums and a native of South Africa. Its flowers, produced in
umbels of from ten to twelve, are of a soft, delicate blush with a pink
bar through the centre of each petal. It is deliciously fragrant, and
the large bulb and handsome foliage much resemble C. ornatum. C.
erubescens is another rare tropical species, having umbels of as many as
a dozen lily-like flowers of a claret-purple outside and a soft pink
inside with filaments of dark red. It is a free bloomer of easy culture.
C. Capense rosea has the reputation of being the most easily grown of
any Crinum, and is quite hardy with protection as far north as St.
Louis. It is said to winter in the cellar like a Dahlia. Farther north
it should be given the same care in winter as other varieties. The
flowers are numerous—white flushed with rose with a pink stripe through
the centre, and more drooping than the flower in other species. C.
scabrum, often called Christ and the Apostles, having thirteen flowers,
produces an abundance of pale-green foliage beautifully waved and
crimped. It has usually two flower scapes at once, flowers much like the
old Annunciation Lily, but with a longer tube, so that the outer row
droops. The six broad petals are pure, sparkling white with a light red
stripe down the outside of each and a pink one on the inside. This is
one of the most desirable varieties. C. fimbriatum—Milk-and-wine Lily—is
much like C. Kirkii in habit and appearance, but smaller, the flowers
being but three or four inches in diameter, the foliage more erect and
sword-like.
[Illustration: SHOULD BULB OUTGROW ITS QUARTERS SHIFT INTO POT TWO SIZES
LARGER]
C. pedunculatum grows to a magnificent size, fine specimens averaging
six feet in height and width. Its flowers, of pure white with purple
anthers, are formed in umbels of thirty or more; the petals are narrow
and the flowers exquisitely fragrant. It has a queer stump-like bulb
which grows to an immense size, and is an evergreen, producing its
flowers at intervals through the year like C. Americana, which has also
pure white, fragrant flowers, the petals long and narrow. The latter,
when in bloom, throws up one immense spike in the centre of the foliage,
giving the plant the appearance of a great rounded bouquet. It is a
native of the Florida swamps, and should be grown in muck with
considerable moisture, blooming best when pot-bound. C. grandolia, or
augustum, is the finest of all the Crinums: one grown in Florida “with
leaves six feet long and correspondingly wide, with a crown of bloom the
size of a bushel measure.” Its umbels of flowers, thirty or more in
number, with broad petals eight inches long, make a magnificent display.
The buds are a purplish-red, the flowers, when open, a blood red
outside, and a delicate, satiny flush inside. The bulbs grow to an
immense size.
C. Kunthianum, another of the large-growing Crinums, is highly to be
recommended for amateur culture, being much more easily managed than
either ornatum or Kirkii. It is evergreen, and has broad strap leaves of
a bluish green that, in the house, are held erect, and for this reason
it presents the finest appearance of all Crinums. It throws up a tall
spike crowned with ten or twelve large, lily-like flowers of a rosy
white with crimson stripes through the petals.
The general treatment of Amaryllis is the same as for Crinums. Disturb
the roots as little as possible, and give as complete seasons of rest as
the plant seems to require. When it is apparent that they are trying to
rest they should not be forced to grow, but aided to sleep by judicious
withholding of water, tempering of the light, and the like. Evergreen
Amaryllis, like the Aulica platypetala, do not need these periods of
complete rest, but they need a partial rest, and as long as no new
leaves appear should be watered moderately and the roots left
undisturbed as long as possible. Remove all offshoots that have grown to
any size when the plant starts to grow and the top-soil is being
renewed, and pot them off in small pots an inch larger than the bulbs.
The number of fine hybrids have increased so rapidly of late years that
it is impossible to describe them separately, as many of them are flaked
and splashed with colour in a wonderful manner. Of the old-time
favourites it is doubtful if any excels the A. Johnsonii, and a
collection of Amarylli might well begin with this.
Tuberoses should be started in a warm place where they will not be
exposed to draughts or chills. Before potting, take a sharp knife and
remove all the old root and hard substance about the base, leaving but a
thin layer below the bulb. Unless this is done, growth will be either
delayed or prevented, as the new growth cannot push through this hard
substance. Pot singly in four-inch pots and keep moist and warm until
growth begins, when they may be given a position in a sunny window, and
encouraged to grow until time for planting out in the open ground, after
all danger of frost is past. If it is not desired to plant directly in
the open ground they may be shifted into six-or eight-inch pots and
plunged in the ground. They must be plunged to the brim, or over, and
will require more water than when growing in the ground. If they are
still blooming at the approach of frost they may be lifted and removed
to the house. Others that have been bedded out may be lifted, potted,
and brought in, and will bloom as freely, though not as quickly, as
those in pots. Disturbing the roots does not seem to interfere at all
with the process of bloom.
The double pearl Tuberose blooms but once, and it is hardly worth while,
unless one has much room and time, to try to bring the small bulbs
forward to the blooming stage, as they must be cultivated for two or
three summers and cared for for as many winters. The variegated leaved,
however, blooms from year to year, and should be taken up in the fall
and stored in a warm, dry place. This variety is single, but very
fragrant and pretty. Tuberoses do well in the Gladiolus bed, and their
pure white spikes are very attractive among the more brilliant flowers,
but they should be planted in clumps and not scattered among the
Gladioli.
Chapter _FOURTEEN_
Aquatics
There is special delight in the cultivation of aquatics, due partly to
the novelty of the work, and partly to the feeling of rest associated
with this particular branch of floriculture. One can rarely go into the
garden in the early summer without seeing something to do, a plant to be
trimmed, or a vine the wind has blown down, and always plants needing
water. When the lily pond is reached, be it natural or artificial, one
feels that here there is rest, for an established lily pond seldom needs
care. In small tanks the water must be renewed occasionally, but once a
week will be sufficient.
Probably the simplest way of constructing a lily pond where the lay of
the land and soil are favourable, is to mark out a desired area, remove
about two feet of soil and turn the cattle on it. With stiff clay soil
this will in a few months give a bottom sufficiently hard to hold water.
Spread several inches of muck and old manure on this prepared ground and
the place is ready for the water, which may be piped from a well or
supplied by a wind-mill. Such a pond has this advantage over one made of
cement, that semi-aquatic plants, such as Reeds and Bamboos, Japanese
Iris, Cardinal Flowers, and the native Flame Lily may find a place on
its banks and add greatly to the beauty of the pond.
When one is so fortunate as to have a little stream flowing through a
corner of the grounds it can be diverted to form a pond with sufficient
current to prevent stagnation, yet not enough to interfere with the
growing of water-plants. By selecting a low spot beside the stream very
little excavating will be necessary, and the nature of the soil and
force of the water will decide what, if any, barrier may be needed.
Should the stream be some distance from the house a shrubbery, hardy
perennials, and an occasional tree may lead up to the pond. If this is
so fortunately placed as to be on the north side of the grounds, so that
the sun lies on it when seen from the house, the effect will be greatly
heightened by a clump of evergreens on its northern shore, making a
background to arrest the eye and focus it on the lily pond. Where the
landscape is limited, a group of tall Bamboos is effective at this
point, and Japanese Iris may have a place in the foreground; Sagittarias
and ornamental grasses may also be used with good results.
[Illustration: WILD WATER FLOWERS FOR EDGING LILY-POND]
Where one lacks the advantage of natural conditions a cement pond is a
good substitute. It may be expensively constructed with piping for
water, drainage, etc., or it may be made at a cost of from five to
thirty dollars, according to size. Five or six by eight, or eight by ten
or twelve feet, will be found convenient sizes, as they will admit of
reaching the centre. The basin should be about two feet deep when
completed, and if of clay the soil should be wet and made as hard and
smooth as possible. If the soil is loose and sandy it will need a coat
of clay before applying the cement. This may be done by mixing the clay
with water to the consistency of mortar and applying in any convenient
way. Allow this to dry before using the cement. A neat curbing will
greatly improve the appearance of the pond.
When the cement is perfectly dry, place six inches of old, well-rotted
manure in the bottom of the basin, and cover with eight or ten inches of
muck. Make this smooth and level, and cover with one or two inches of
clean white sand to keep the water clear and sightly and prevent the
muck from rising to the surface. Fill with hose or watering-pot, letting
the pond overflow until the water is clear and the sand firm and smooth,
when it is ready for plants.
When a permanent bed of this kind is out of the question, a large zinc
tub, or half a hogshead, will make a small water-garden. These would
better be raised somewhat above the surface of the ground to protect
them from decay. Three small five-inch drain-tiles laid sidewise make a
good foundation, and a very pretty effect may be obtained by piling
rough stones around the tank. Fill in with earth and cover with vines
and plants suitable for a rockery. If a tall Bamboo, or even a fine
clump of Papyrus or Umbrella-plant can be grown on the north side, so as
to overtop the tank without shutting off the sunshine, it will add much
to the general effect. The Lily pond should have full sunshine, but be
protected from rough winds, as the leaves of large Lilies that stand
well above the water are easily injured. The Egyptian Lotus is the
finest of all Lilies suitable for growing in small ponds or tanks. These
plants should be purchased from growers, as they do not seed in this
country and the imported seed is uncertain. One plant is sufficient for
a tub or tank, as they increase very rapidly and do better when not
crowded.
One of these Lilies may be placed in the centre of a small pond of ten
feet or more, and other Lilies grouped around the sides. Hardy Nymphæas
may be planted in the soil of the pond, while the more tender
Zanzibarenses should be planted in twelve-inch pots and plunged in the
tank, as these are not hardy like the Nelumbiums, to which class the
Lotus belongs. Both the Egyptian and the American Lotus are quite hardy
in the open ground with a protection of rough litter and boards. An
interesting peculiarity of the Lotus, by which it may be distinguished
from other Lilies when quite small or out of bloom, is that water
splashed on the leaves always rolls up into little drops like
quicksilver instead of spreading over the leaves, as on Nymphæas and the
like.
[Illustration: WATER LILIES, WITH BACKGROUND OF BAMBOO AND NATIVE
GRASSES]
There are several varieties of Nymphæas suitable for amateur
cultivation—the Cape Cod Water Lily, with its large, cup-shaped flowers
of a lovely pink; T. Richardson, probably the finest white variety; our
native Nymphæas, and the lovely Zanzibar Lilies in blue and crimson.
These last are very easily raised from seed, which, if planted early in
February, will give bloom by July, and may be wintered in a warm, dry
cellar. In a cold, damp cellar they rot. If grown in tubs drain off the
water at the approach of cold weather, remove to the cellar and keep
merely moist. If grown in ponds it is better to plant them in pots,
which may be lifted and brought into the cellar for the winter. Into a
large bowl or crock put a few inches of rich soil, cover with clean
white sand and turn on tepid water until it runs clear. Sow the lily
seed on the surface of the water; it will go to the bottom when entirely
wet and be more evenly distributed than would be the case were it sown
on the soil and the water turned over it.
Through the clear water the whole process of germination may be watched.
In six days a thread-like sprout will have started from the swollen
seed; in six days more this thread-like shoot changes into a tiny
dart-shaped leaf; in another six a true leaf comes upon the scene, a
very small lily-pad, but giving promise of great performance.
When the dish becomes crowded transplant into other dishes, keeping
plants out of water as short a time as possible. When the nights are
warm—at least 60°—plant out in tubs or ponds. For the first year an
eight by ten foot pond may have a Nelumbium in the centre, two or three
Zanzibar varieties on either side, and pink and white Nymphæas at the
end. If the plants have done well reduce the number the second year.
Water Hyacinths are found interesting principally because they are more
or less of a novelty even at the South, having been introduced from
Venezuela about fourteen years ago. This plant has already proved itself
a nuisance in the Florida rivers, seriously interfering with navigation
and calling for appropriations from the Government for its destruction.
In house or garden cultivation the roots increase rapidly. A small plant
set in a tub in full sunshine in May will fill it by August. The leaves
form rosettes and expand at the stem into a sort of bladder that
supports the plant on the surface of the water. The roots trail in the
water until the plant is ready to bloom, when they enter the soil. The
flowers are a pleasing shade of lavender with a yellow centre and form
in spikes like a Hyacinth. Paris green must not be used in the water
where the Hyacinths are grown, but lumps of charcoal and a small
quantity of kerosene may be substituted.
[Illustration: A FULL BLOWN CAT-TAIL]
A few Water Poppies holding their bright yellow cups well above the
surface of the water are always attractive, and Parrot’s Feather
trailing over the sides of the tub gives a bit of tender green through
the summer, but the rockwork, with ferns and plants and a tall reed or
two, makes a much tidier appearance. The Papyrus—the plant from which
our first paper was made—is very effective and will grow wherever a
Canna thrives, though it prefers a low, damp soil. It must be wintered
in greenhouse or cellar. A well-developed clump will grow to a height of
ten feet. Several varieties of Bamboo, to be had from South Florida
nurseries, will do well in the North in summer and stand a considerable
degree of cold. Bambusa arundinacea is a magnificent quick-growing sort
from forty to sixty feet tall at maturity, and will stand considerable
frost. B. aurea and B. Metake are hardy with good protection at the
North. B. Metake is a handsome evergreen species of considerable
decorative value for indoor culture, growing six feet tall with large,
handsome foliage, while A. falcata is a pretty variety with the tiniest
of leaves. Bamboo requires an abundant water-supply, and is therefore
most suitable for the borders of natural ponds, or low, damp spots on
the grounds.
The objection raised to ponds is that they breed mosquitoes and malaria
and are likely to become offensive. So will anything that is neglected,
but there is not the slightest reason for the lily pond becoming a
nuisance in any way. A small amount of Paris green in the water—a
teaspoonful to an eight-foot pond—will keep it perfectly clear and sweet
and prevent the formation of green scum and moss, so offensive in
stagnant water, and the breeding of mosquitoes. Or a little charcoal and
kerosene will give the same results.
[Illustration: NATIVE PLANTS EDGING A NATURAL WATER GARDEN]
Chapter _FIFTEEN_
The Care of the Summer Rose-bed
The old-fashioned June Roses, with their long season of flowerless
bloom, hardly repay the trouble of raising. The hardy perpetuals and
hybrid Teas may now be purchased so cheaply that, even though a large
proportion of them should not survive the winter, a small outlay will
replace them. The thorniness of the old hardy June Rose adds greatly to
the labour of caring for them, and this alone would lead some to discard
them.
If, however, one clings to the old-fashioned Roses from economy or
sentiment, they should be grown to their fullest possibilities by
pruning, cultivation, and liberal mulching with coarse manure in the
fall, and lawn clippings in the summer. Pruning should be done late in
the winter or early in the spring before the sap begins to run. Remove
all weak and straggly branches, cutting back the new growth to the first
strong leaf-buds on the shoot. It is well to cut out the centres, as the
new growth will quickly fill the space and be stronger and better in
every way for the removal of the old wood. It will also leave less wood
and briers to collect and hold dead leaves and grass during winter,
which must be taken out, at the expense of bleeding fingers, in the
spring. Bushes which grow upright with little wood at the base are more
easily cared for. Only strong, new growths should be left, which will
break freely and give firm new wood, producing fine flowers. Breaking
means the starting of young leaf-buds at the axils of each leaf, which
sprout and form new branches. It is the new wood that bears the flowers,
so that its growth should be encouraged. The fewer shoots allowed to
grow the finer will be the flowers.
Cultivate thoroughly in spring and fall and give a heavy mulch of lawn
clippings during summer. Mulch heavily with coarse manure in the fall,
digging in the best of it in the spring. It is not necessary to give
winter protection, though it is best to wrap the tops with straw when
exposed to cold winds.
Hardy climbers should have all weak shoots removed, and branches that
are too long shortened. Thin out a part of the canes to give room for
air and growth, and remove all wood that has grown too hard to break, as
it will produce no new wood and is only an incumbrance.
For the summer rose-bed nothing equals the Hybrid Teas, which bloom from
June until frost. If young plants are purchased in the spring they may
be bedded out at once, if sent by express with the ball of earth about
their roots intact. If sent by mail it will be better to pot off in
three-inch pots, and set in a cool, rather shady place for a few days,
bringing gradually into the sunshine until they have become established,
when they may be turned out into the open ground without disturbing
their roots. If planted at once in the open ground, the more delicate
ones would be likely to perish.
Give the rose-bed a sunny, protected situation, using a soil of good
garden loam, clay, and old, well-rotted manure, made deep and mellow. If
the plants are the small mail-order size set one foot apart each way,
planting according to directions for transplanting, and make the soil
_very firm_ and _hard_ about their roots. Cultivate frequently, or mulch
with lawn clippings, working them in as they decay. _Liquid manure must
not be given until the plants are growing vigorously, when it may be
applied once or twice a week._ More plants are injured by the
injudicious use of fertilisers than in any other way.
If two-year-old plants are purchased, set from eighteen inches to two
feet apart each way. See that each plant has a zinc or wooden label
securely fastened to it, or, what is better, make a list in their
regular order, or a diagram of the bed in a note-book. This permanent
memorandum will enable you to be sure of the name of any particular
Rose.
Cut Roses with a liberal amount of the stem, and only enough pruning
will be needed to keep them in good shape and remove any weak growth. It
is a good plan to cut them down to a bud that will be likely to throw a
good shoot. Hardy Perpetuals or monthly Roses often fail to give more
than a few early spring flowers at the tips of the branches. If the
plants are in good condition, and the branches of some length, peg the
ends down to the ground with a clothes-pin or stick, as the tendency in
Rose growth is for new wood to start from the highest point. Bending the
end down brings the highest point at the middle of the branch, which
will then break and bloom.
Roses, especially the old hardy kinds, will often refuse to bloom,
though well cared for and sufficiently pruned. In such cases
root-pruning may be resorted to by cutting down on two sides of the
plant with the spade and severing a part of the roots. This will often
induce bloom when all other methods fail. Plants occasionally run to
roots as well to tops.
So many and varied are the insect enemies that a hardy Rose, with even
fair foliage, is rare during the season of bloom, unless ceaseless
warfare has been waged from the first swelling of the buds. Slugs, rose
thrip or hopper, and rose-bugs make the life of the rose-grower a
weariness. On this account alone I would recommend discarding the June
Roses in favour of the Teas, which are fairly free from these pests.
Their dark-green, healthy foliage is a striking contrast to the
worm-eaten, rusty foliage of the hardy Rose. The only weakness they show
is an occasional tendency to mildew, and this may be avoided by giving
an airy, sunny situation, setting far enough apart to insure free
circulation of air, and watering early that the foliage may dry before
the chill of night. The remedy is flowers of sulphur dusted over the
leaves.
[Illustration: TRAINING A CLIMBING ROSE]
Rose-slugs are small green worms that feed on the foliage, lying on the
under side of the leaves, which they roll around them or draw together
with a slight web. The remedy is to spray the under side of the foliage
with kerosene emulsion, or with hot water heated to 140°, being careful
to reach every part, or to go over the plant leaf by leaf, pinching the
leaves between the fingers and crushing them. The rose hopper, or thrip,
is a small, yellowish-white insect feeding on the under side of the
leaves, sucking their juice and causing them to turn yellow. The best
remedy is the whale-oil solution sprayed on the under side. For rose
bugs, or beetles, spraying with Paris green is quite effective, but it
must be used promptly, as the amount of injury they can do in a short
time is remarkable. After using an insecticide, the plants should be
thoroughly sprayed with clear water, and if treated with Paris green
label them, that no one may be poisoned by eating the rose-leaves. Roses
for pillows should not be gathered from plants that have had any kind of
poison used on them.
Roses kept in the house during winter are sometimes attacked with green
lice. They may be treated with tobacco in some of its forms, or with hot
water—dipping the entire plant in a pail of water heated to 130°. I
prefer the hot-water treatment, as it leaves the plant clean and
invigorated. Few, if any, plants are injured by it, and most are
benefited. Where there is any question of the effect on a particular
plant a single branch may be dipped as an experiment. It is difficult to
make any choice of Roses where all are so beautiful. American Beauty is
probably the most popular crimson Rose to-day. The Bride stands first
among the whites. Kaiserin Augusta Victoria is a most desirable hardy
white, and the new rose, Virginia R. Coxe—also offered under the name of
Gruss an Teplitz—is one of the most desirable reds; a profuse and
constant bloomer with loose-petalled, medium-sized flowers of the
richest scarlet, shading to glowing velvety crimson. Among the climbers
Mrs. Robert Perry is the finest, an immense, pure, creamy white, quite
hardy, and a free and constant bloomer, valuable for cut flowers.
If one has room for a hundred varieties it is easy to select that number
with the certainty that there need not be a poor Rose among the number.
[Illustration: A ROSE-COVERED BUILDING]
Chapter _SIXTEEN_
The Hardy Lily-bed
There is no better investment for the garden than a bed of hardy Lilies,
which should be started in the fall as early as the bulbs may be had.
This is often later than is desirable, but the matter is entirely beyond
control. The best that can be done is to get orders for foreign-grown
bulbs placed early in the fall. It is not necessary to wait for the new
catalogue, as the old will give the varieties and approximate cost. The
main thing is to get in the order early that it may be filled promptly
when the bulbs arrive. Orders received last are filled last. This means
not only considerable delay, but second choice in bulbs; the
first-comers secure the best, the last must take the cullings.
Having ordered your bulbs, proceed at once to make your beds. Better
results are obtained by planting Lilies in beds with fibrous-rooted
plants, hardy shrubs, and perennials that do not need frequent
disturbing. The Lily is very impatient of moisture, and water standing
around the roots in winter is absolutely fatal. A raised bed of Peonies
affords favourable conditions, provided there is sufficient room between
the plants for the Lilies to increase from year to year, as once planted
they should not be disturbed. If the Lily-bed is to be by itself an
angle of a building, or a portion of the grounds protected by trees, or
adjacent shrubbery, on the west and north, should be chosen. Such a
site, if well drained, will give good results. The bed should be dug
deep and mellow, and enriched with old, well-rotted manure. Strict
attention must be paid to this point—only old, well-decomposed manure
must be used. The bed should be sufficiently rounded to shed water.
Lilium candidum will be ready to ship in August, and should be planted
as soon as received. All Lilies are greatly injured by exposure to air,
and if it is necessary to keep them out of the ground for any length of
time they should be well wrapped in tissue-paper, or otherwise
protected. The Japanese protect their great auratum Lily bulbs from the
air by encasing them in a ball of clay before starting them on their
long journey to the far West. Candidum Lilies make a fall growth of
leaves, and must be planted early; no other Lily is as hardy and
satisfactory with us as this. They should be planted four inches deep
and a foot apart each way, that they may have room to increase, and left
undisturbed for years. The soil may be made very rich with manure, but
none of it should touch the Lily bulbs. Make a hole of sufficient depth
and size, put an inch or more of sand on the bottom, place the bulbs on
this and fill up with the sand, packing it closely all around the bulb.
Of the Japanese Lilies, rubrum is most easily grown here and should be
planted eight to ten inches deep. Planted deep they are not injured by
thawing and freezing, but when too near the surface the frost often
throws the bulbs out of the ground. Lilies are not injured so much by
freezing as by sudden and frequent thawings.
As long as the rubrum is doing well it should not be disturbed, but if
it suddenly fails to grow and bloom the bulbs should be taken up when
dormant, and cleansed. Remove all decayed scales and look for
worm-nests, which are usually the source of the trouble. Ants sometimes
make nests in the Lily bulb in the spring, and cause the top to decay.
When this occurs it should be lifted, cleaned, and reset in a place free
from ants. The greatest care must be exercised in cleaning bulbs not to
injure the sound scales, as that will only induce further decay.
All the speciosum Lilies are exceedingly beautiful. L. Album is one of
the finest; its reflexed flowers are a clear, sparkling white with a
green band through the centre of each petal, and a peculiar glistening
appearance, as though covered with water. It is one of the most easily
grown of the speciosum family. S. Roseum is another handsome variety,
white flushed with rose, and with dull crimson spots on the white
ground; while S. rubrum has large reflexed petals of frosted white,
heavily bearded and spotted with rich crimson, with many glistening
points of white. Aside from the speciosum Lilies there are many other
fine Japanese Lilies, the auratums easily leading in size and beauty.
While Krameri is a tube-shaped Lily of a soft pink; longiflorum has
lovely trumpets of pure white; the wonderful Lilium giganteum, six to
ten feet high, sends up immense clusters of twelve to twenty creamy
white flowers, with purple throat. Washingtonianum is another tall
variety bearing large clusters of delicate white flowers spotted with
black, and the grand and rare Brownii shows a chocolate-purple outside
with a creamy interior. The list is long, but with a generous planting
of well-selected varieties a succession of bloom may be had from the
first blooming longiflorums and candidums in June until auratum and the
late speciosums cast their ivory petals in September.
The general treatment of all is the same: deep planting, keeping the
manure from actual contact with the bulbs by packing in sand;
well-drained soil and the presence of fibrous-rooted or perennial plants
near enough to absorb the surplus water from the soil. During the hot
weather, give a heavy mulch of lawn clippings brought well up around the
stems, and water as needed. If planted deep they will hardly require
staking, as the stalks send out surface roots which not only afford
nourishment, but also act as a brace to the plant and hold it firmly in
its place.
[Illustration: A PORTION OF THE GROUNDS PROTECTED BY SHRUBBERY IS THE
PLACE FOR THE LILY-BED]
A heavy mulch of old manure and rough litter should be given in the
winter, and the bed protected with leaves and evergreen boughs, or
anything that will shed water.
Spring-planted bulbs rarely do well. It is better to plant after severe
cold weather sets in than to wait until spring. As long as the ground
can be worked they may be planted safely, but they should be set eight
or ten inches deep. I have planted them late in December—when the ground
had to be broken with an axe—and have had excellent success.
The planting of hardy Lilies should be done on a scale limited only by
one’s means and the ground at command. A few new and rare sorts should
be added every year. In this way a magnificent collection will, in time,
be acquired, as they increase very rapidly under favourable conditions,
and the larger the clumps of one kind the finer the effect, so that each
variety should be given abundant room to spread and develop.
It is often stated that Lilies left to themselves place their bulbs near
the surface. Such bulbs are the small ones that form on the blossom
stalk above the main bulb, and lie near the surface from force of
circumstances. The main bulb sends its offshoots deep in the ground, as
in the case of our native Lilies, which are almost impossible to dig.
Especially is this the case with the native Flame Lily, the bulb of
which I have never been able to reach with a trowel. Travellers in Japan
report various native Lilies growing in forests among the interlacing
roots of the trees, quite out of the reach of any small tools. There the
auratum Lily grows on wooded hillsides where the drainage is perfect,
and the falling leaves give a deep mulch at all times, and supply the
best of nourishment, leaf-mould, and the roots of the trees absorb all
superfluous moisture.
Chapter _SEVENTEEN_
Care of Cannas, Caladiums, Dahlias, and Other Bulbs during Winter
Fall Bulbs, Tulips, Hyacinths, Crocus, Scillas, and the Like
The first hard frost in September—about the 20th inst. at the North—is
usually followed by a few weeks of mellow fall weather. If one has been
so fortunate as to have saved Cannas, Caladiums, and other tender
bulbous plants by night protection or by turning the hose on very early
in the morning before the sun reaches them, they will grow and ripen
well in these last warm days. These sudden falls of temperature usually
find the gardener unprepared, and unless water is at hand plants will be
cut down by frost. When this happens remove, with a sharp knife, the
frozen portions, and consign to the compost heap. If allowed to remain,
these not only give the yard a most untidy appearance, but the decay is
likely to extend to the bulbs. The plants may then be left to ripen in
the ground for several days, according to the weather, or the necessity
of preparing the ground for other plants.
Dig all roots to be saved on a warm, sunny day, and dry in the sun for
several days if the weather is fair and warm. Cover with blankets at
night or leave them on the floor of a sunny room until the earth about
their roots is dry, pack in boxes of dry earth or sand, and store in a
dry, frost-proof cellar.
Dahlias and the common tall Canna are easily wintered in a warm, dry
cellar. The large Orchid-flowered Cannas are much more difficult to
winter, and are very apt to dry-rot under the most favourable
circumstances. I have found laying on the ground (under the steam-pipes
where they are run outside the cellar) and covering with dry earth a
very good way of handling them. They should be examined occasionally,
and if they seem too dry sprinkle with water. If the Caladium bulbs show
any decay of the centre-shoot all the decayed parts should be pulled off
down to sound tissue. Parts of Cannas broken in digging should be
removed with a sharp knife. Where there is but a small quantity of
roots, shave off the dirt and wrap the tuber in tissue-paper. Store on a
shelf in a closet, or other convenient frost-proof place. There is no
more uncertain root to carry through the winter. Florists often lose
their entire stock by decay or dry-rot, and were it not for this the
Canna would soon become a drug on the market, and only novelties have a
sale.
Dahlias are much more easily wintered, doing well in any cellar that
will keep potatoes in first-class condition. All roots wintered in
cellars should be placed on elevated shelves or tables away from the low
temperature of the floor—on a swinging shelf, if the cellar is
frequented by rats and mice.
Gladioli will keep perfectly if stored in flour-sacks and hung from a
beam or post near the ceiling. Montbretias may be wintered in the same
way.
When the Cannas, Caladiums, and other summer plants are out of the way
the beds may be prepared for the fall planting of bulbs for early spring
blooming. The vacant foliage-beds on the lawn offer the best place, as
the bulbs will have played their part and passed on by the time these
are needed again for the summer occupants.
If the beds have been lowered owing to limited water-supply haul on a
few wheel-barrow loads of very old manure and earth, and mix thoroughly
with the soil, raising them sufficiently to shed water. If permanent
bulb beds are preferred (which may be planted with annuals in the
summer) choose an exposure slanting toward the south, if possible, as
this will insure earlier flowers. See that the soil has good natural
drainage, or, if this is lacking, supply it by excavating to a depth of
eighteen to thirty inches, and placing several inches of broken stone or
crockery in the bottom for drainage. Return the soil to the bed, making
it mellow and fine. The earlier the bulbs are planted the more roots
will be started before the ground freezes, but late fall or winter
planting, providing the ground is not frozen, is preferable to spring
planting. Spring-planted bulbs rarely amount to anything, having lost
much of their vitality by being so long out of the ground.
A bed facing the south is warmer and earlier than any other, hence it is
sometimes liable to a set-back—if not actual injury—from a sudden sharp
frost after the plants have started in the spring, and the litter should
not be wholly removed until it is entirely safe to do so. An ideal bed
for early bulbs would be one on the south side of the house, sloping
slightly toward the south, with a frame around it somewhat higher at the
back, over which a canvas attached to hooks could be drawn on cold
nights and days. The frame should be made so that it could be readily
lifted on the approach of warm weather.
Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissi look far better when planted each in a
bed by themselves, as they are not at all in harmony. Plant Hyacinths
seven inches apart and four inches deep, either in beds of vivid colours
without other order than a regular distance apart, or according to some
colour arrangement or geometrical design. Tulips should be planted four
inches apart each way and four inches deep. A good arrangement is to
draw lines across the bed forming squares—four inches for Tulips, seven
for Hyacinths—and set a bulb at each corner. The centre of the square
may be filled with Crocus or Scillas, which will have finished blooming
before the larger flowers are out. Only Tulips of the same height and
season of bloom should be set together.
Scillas and Crocus together make a bed that can hardly be surpassed in
bulb planting. The effect is best where only the white Crocus is blended
with the blue of the Scillas.
Protect the bulb beds with rough manure, leaves, and evergreen boughs
during winter. Remove the protection gradually in the spring, and leave
the finest of the manure to enrich the soil.
When through blooming in the spring, and the foliage has ripened, the
bulbs may be lifted, dried, and stored away in a cool place until fall.
All these bulbs increase rapidly, both by multiplying and by seed.
Neglected beds of Tulips seem to multiply and perpetuate themselves
indefinitely, but the new plants will be found to be all from seed, as
the Tulip forms its new bulbs at the base of the old, and if they were
not frequently taken up and reset they would grow so deep in the ground
that all the strength of the plant would be exhausted reaching the
surface, and there would be no bloom. The seedlings make robust plants,
and do not deteriorate materially.
The seed formation of the Crocus is very interesting. If dug a few weeks
after its season of bloom is over, under the ground, below the blossom,
the stem will be found to have expanded into a long chamber or cell as
large around as a lead-pencil and an inch or more in length. Open this
and it will be found full of exquisite pink pearls; these are the seeds.
As they ripen they become nearly black, the cell bursts, and the earth
receives them. The Scilla lengthens its flower-stems until they lie on
the ground, forming large seed-pods filled with white pearls. When the
plants are taken up, if these little seeds are saved the stock will
increase much more rapidly.
The beds are often wanted for other plants before the foliage has had
time to ripen. In that case the bulbs may be lifted and heeled-in, in
some out-of-the-way place, until ripe, care being taken to preserve the
seed-pods. Heeling-in means digging a shallow trench, laying in the
roots of the plants in a row, and covering them with earth. They must be
lifted when ripe and not allowed to grow.
A pretty way to grow the Scilla, Crocus, and Snowdrop is to scatter them
on the lawn in the grass, planting singly or in clumps. Lift the sod
with the trowel and slip the bulbs under, right side up, leaving them to
care for themselves. Plant hundreds in this way; they will be through
blooming by the time the grass needs cutting.
The various varieties of Narcissi should be planted in permanent beds or
borders, where they need not be disturbed except as it is necessary to
divide them. They should be set four inches deep and twelve inches apart
each way, that they may have room to increase. The new bulbs of Narcissi
form in a cluster around the old, and unless allowed to develop freely
will not bloom. If set the proper distance apart they will need to be
taken up but once in four years. Do not wait for them to show signs of a
crowded condition, but move on schedule time, and keep them blooming
continuously. All the Narcissi, except the Polyanthus, are hardy, and
all are lovely—especially the large trumpet sorts. Emperor and Empress,
Horsfieldi, and Sir Watkin are especially good in the open grounds.
Poeticus, P. ornatus, Alba plena, Odorata, and Von Sion all make
beautiful borders.
There are a few other bulbs for fall planting that are hardy all over
the country. The Chionodoxa, Glory of the Snow, is a recent introduction
from Asia Minor. Like the Scilla it is blue, a rare and desirable colour
in spring flowers. Winter Aconite, with its tiny, golden-yellow flowers,
the first of the spring; Wood Hyacinths, Dog-tooth Violets,
Fritillarias, Crown Imperials, and Snowdrops are all worth a place.
The bulbs advertised by the seedsmen as hardy in a temperature like that
of Philadelphia may not prove hardy in Canada, Michigan, Northern
Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Dakota, and this must be borne in mind
when purchasing same. The safest way, when in doubt, is to address a
letter of inquiry to the dealer offering the plants, in regard to
suitability for your particular climate.
Bulbs for winter blooming. I have come to the conclusion that almost
anything will grow and blossom if given the proper care. For the
amateur, whose only field is the sitting-room window, it is better to
undertake only those varieties with which one may be sure of success
under ordinary care, as the Hyacinth, Narcissus, Scilla, Crocus,
Anemone, Ornithogalum arabicum, and Freesia. These are absolutely sure
bloomers, and much more reliable in the matter of producing flowers than
a Geranium. In selecting Hyacinths the single will generally give better
satisfaction than the double, and there should always be a generous
proportion of white among the colours selected. Alba superbissima,
Baroness Van Thuyl, and La Grandesse are among the best whites; Norma
gigantea, Roi des Belges for pinks and reds; Ida is the best yellow; and
Czar Peter and Grand Lilas the best blues.
Among the Narcissi nothing finer than the large trumpet varieties could
be desired: Horsfieldi, with its yellow trumpet and snow-white perianth;
Sir Watkin, or the Giant Welshman, as it is sometimes called; Empress
and Emperor and the clustered Paper White are all exquisite; and the old
double Von Sion is most effective in the window-garden.
[Illustration: TURN OUT BALL OF EARTH TO ASCERTAIN IF POT IS FILLED WITH
ROOTS]
Hyacinths and Narcissi require the same treatment: Pot as early in the
fall as they can be obtained, using good compost and sufficient broken
charcoal to insure good drainage; fill to within an inch of the top with
the soil, using a four-inch pot for a single bulb or a six-inch one for
three bulbs. Place the bulb with the tip slightly above the surface of
the soil, label plainly with name and date of planting, and set away in
a dark box in the cellar for six weeks or more, or until the pot is well
filled with roots; this can be ascertained by turning the ball of earth
out of the pot. If the earth is not well covered with roots return to
the box for a few days longer. If there is sufficient root growth place
in a warm, sunny window in a temperature of about 70°. When first potted
they should be well watered, and thereafter kept merely moist, but on
bringing to the light and heat they should have water in the saucer most
of the time. When the flowers are fully expanded they may be moved into
a cooler, less sunny window, where they will remain in perfection much
longer.
Anemones give beautiful winter blossoms and require practically the same
treatment as Hyacinths. The bulbs are placed an inch and a half below
the surface. They are queer, shrivelled-up little things, with roots
which fill up surprisingly after being in the damp soil. When up and
growing they require abundant water and sunshine. Keep the saucer full
of water all the time; failure in this respect means blasted buds. As
Anemones give a succession of flowers they must be left in the window
until through blooming. Tulips, Crocus, and Scillas should be potted and
placed out of doors where they will not be disturbed, covered with earth
and left until freezing weather, when they should be stored in the
cellar like other bulbs. It is well in placing bulbs out of doors to set
the pots in beds of coal-ashes to prevent the entrance of worms into the
soil. They may be covered with ashes instead of earth, the object being
to give them the benefit of the frost.
A half dozen Scillas planted in the centre of one of the large round
gourds and surrounded with a border of white Crocus makes a very pretty
show, and will come into bloom in about three months from the time of
planting. The Ornithogalum is an effective flower, and quite sure to
bloom, but requires a rather high temperature, as it is of slow
development.
Freesia bulbs deteriorate very rapidly once they are out of the ground,
and should be ordered early and potted as soon as received. Plant a
dozen in a five-or six-inch pot, and set at once in a warm east window,
as these do not need to go to the cellar. The leaves and stalks are very
tender, and will require support, and this is the greatest objection to
the Freesia. Ashes in the soil will counteract this tendency somewhat,
and the wire carnation supports are very neat and satisfactory.
Alliums, which have the same defects, require the same treatment.
The varieties of Oxalis are usually started in a sunny window, as they
require a strong light. Like the summer bloomers, they increase rapidly
and need considerable root room. The Bermuda Oxalis is lovely in a gourd
hanging-basket; indeed, a hanging-basket, or bracket, is the only
suitable arrangement for it, as it loves to droop and spread itself, and
requires abundant room for its wealth of golden flowers. When through
blooming it should be allowed to ripen its foliage. It may then be set
in the cellar, or a cool place, until September, when the bulbs should
be shaken out of the pot and repotted; one bulb to a four-inch pot.
Bulbs of hardy plants may be ripened off, and in the spring planted out
in the open ground, where they will bloom the following spring, but are
valueless for forcing in the house.
Chapter _EIGHTEEN_
Hardy Shrubs and Plants for Fall Planting
In some localities, especially in the South, the practice of setting out
hardy plants in the fall has much to commend it. The mild winters,
during which growth is never entirely checked, allow the plants to fully
establish themselves; but in the Northern States, where the severe
winters set in early and last long, the plants do not become
sufficiently established to stand the severe cold followed by the hot
summer. They sometimes live through the one only to succumb to the
other.
Plants moved from one part of the grounds to another will frequently
winter-kill, while those left undisturbed will be found in excellent
condition in the spring. Again, a plant may come through the winter in
apparently good condition, but without sufficient vitality to withstand
any severe heat or drought, and failure to recognise this condition
results in loss. Plants transplanted in the fall, however hardy their
character, should receive particular care during the following summer in
the matter of water, cultivation, and mulching. Plants transplanted at
any time of year will do better if the top growth is reduced by trimming
or cutting back, and all broken or injured roots removed with a sharp
knife.
Spring-planted shrubs rarely fail to do well if the precaution is
observed of moving them while dormant. The only exception I need to
mention being the various Irises when purchased from florists. These,
being dug in the fall, and kept in cold storage during winter, have
their vitality much depleted by spring, and are then of doubtful value.
This is especially true of the Japanese Iris; the German and English,
being much more hardy, are not so easily injured. Home-grown Iris would
better be moved in the spring.
Among the desirable shrubs for fall or spring planting are the various
Spiræas; these are both shrubby and herbaceous. Of the shrubby variety
Anthony Waterer is the only really good crimson, or red, variety, and is
very fine. The catalogues give it a dwarf character rarely exceeding
eighteen inches, but my own experience with the plant is, that with rich
soil it much exceeds that height. Van Houttei is the finest white sort,
and is especially valuable grown singly on the lawn, where it may
develop its beautiful form to perfection. Of the herbaceous Spiræas the
filipendula is very desirable for the border or for edging shrubbery.
The fern-like foliage, which is of itself handsome enough to gain
recognition, is surmounted in June with spikes of double daisy-like
flowers of creamy white. It is very fine for cut flowers, and for
forcing in winter. The clumps increase rapidly, and should be divided
and reset every three or four years. Then there is the old-fashioned
garden Spiræa, with its pinky-white, feathery blossoms, very
fragrant—especially when wet with the dew.
Hypericum Moserianum is a delightful little perennial, growing from one
to two feet tall; the flowers are exquisite in form and colour—a clear,
golden yellow lasting well when cut. Other hardy yellow flowers are the
California Sunflower and Rudbeckia, or Golden Glow, both too well known
and popular to need eulogy.
The Lychnis (Rose Campion) is another of our herbaceous perennials which
has not attracted the notice its good qualities deserve. L.
Chalcedonica, its trusses of scarlet rivalling the most vivid Geranium,
is the best known of the species, and combines beautifully with Clematis
flammula and Spiræa filipendula. Planted against a wall covered with the
Clematis, or contrasted in the border with S. Japonica, it is very
effective. Plant L. semperflorens plenissima with Deutzia gracilis and
Spiræa filipendula. Planted together in the border they are exquisite.
L. semperflorens is much more delicate than the other Lychnis, and
cannot be considered entirely hardy at the North. It is a very dainty
little flower with soft pink, finely toothed blossoms, and worth
considerable trouble to grow. Viscaria (Ragged Robin) has tall spikes of
double red, deliciously scented flowers, and should find a place in
every garden. Chalcedonica resembles the scarlet variety except in
colour, which is pure white. It also is quite hardy and needs little
care when once established.
Plant Iris (Fleur-de-lis) generously. They will grow in size and beauty
from year to year, and are valuable for borders along drives or walks,
for the filling of corners or low, damp spots. By planting the different
varieties a succession of bloom, from May until the latter part of July,
may be secured. The German Iris furnishes some magnificent colour
effects in purple and bronze, yellow and lavender, blue and white. The
Japanese are wonderful, both in colour and size—flowers seven inches in
diameter being quite common, while twelve inches is attained in some
instances. The flowers differ so materially in form from other Iris as
to appear a distinct class. Unlike the German Iris, they hold their
petals neither erect nor drooping, but horizontally, or flat, making a
great disc of lovely colour, ranging through all the shades of blue,
lilac, blue and white, and plum, to crimson-purple, magenta, and pink.
They are more tender and less quickly started than the German, but do
well when established. A low, damp spot suits them best, and where this
is not available they should be abundantly supplied with water. German
Iris will do well in any good garden soil and under ordinary
cultivation. Iris should be taken up and divided every three or four
years, removing all dead or exhausted growth, and setting one live toe,
or point, in a place. They will not do well the first year of dividing,
but the following year will be very fine, especially if there have been
enough roots to make several long, parallel rows.
While not troubled with any disease or insect pest, the moles seem to
have an especial liking for the roots of the Japanese Iris, and have
caused me much loss. The only preventive is to shut the moles out of the
bed by sinking a close wire netting around it to a depth of eighteen
inches, or by making early and persistent use of good mole-traps—one at
each end of the row, or at the spots where they enter and leave the bed.
By this method I caught ten moles in as many days in the Iris beds, and
was comparatively free from them the remainder of the season. Salt pork
or bacon rinds buried in their runs will sometimes drive them away for a
time, but this is not to be depended on, neither is the presence of
Castor-oil plant, which, so far as I have observed, has not the
slightest value. The only method is to trap them early in the spring,
before they begin to breed; setting the trap in the runs from the nest
and not in the shallow feeding runs they make close to the surface.
These they may not visit again in days, if at all, but the main runs,
which usually extend in several directions from their burrows, and are
several inches below the surface, are traversed several times a day.
[Illustration: A GOOD BACKGROUND FOR LOW SHRUBS]
Peonies—what would the spring garden be without these old-time
favourites? Whatever flowers are lacking in country gardens, it is
rarely these; and yet, we seldom see them at their best. They like rich,
well-drained soil in a sunny location, and once established should
remain undisturbed for years, or until they become so crowded as to need
dividing, as they require several years to recover after being moved,
and only actual necessity should lead to their disturbance, certainly
not the requests of friends and neighbours to dig them up and divide.
Better buy a root to give away, if reluctant to refuse, than injure the
plant.
Mulch the Peony bed heavily with rough manure in the fall, removing the
coarsest in the spring and working the rest into the soil. A good mulch
of lawn clippings during July and August will keep the soil cool and
moist, and greatly benefit the plants. This should be given before they
bloom, as there is usually heavy rain about that time, which beats the
flowers down into the dirt and ruins them.
The Funkia (Plantain Lily), or Day Lily, as it is commonly called, is
another plant impatient of disturbance; and once planted it should not
be molested. It likes a good, rich, mellow soil, but is not particular
as to location, so that no other plant is near it. Though perfectly
hardy I prefer to give it a little protection in the winter. In the
spring cut away the sod from around it the width of the spade, making
the soil fine and mellow, and working in some old manure. This annual
enlarging of its boundaries is all the care it needs to make it grow
larger and finer, year by year, and bloom profusely.
The French Lilacs are to be recommended for liberal planting, as they
are free from the vice of suckering which makes the old-fashioned sort
so troublesome. They should be planted wherever they will be useful as
backgrounds for lower shrubs, or perennials, or in a row along a lane or
fence. As the blooming season of the different varieties varies, by
judicious selection they may be had in bloom for several weeks.
Althæas (Rose of Sharon) have the happy notion of blooming when other
plants do not, so they are doubly welcome. As they bloom from the bottom
up they should have a place by themselves on the grounds, where they
will make quite tall trees in a few years. The white and light-coloured
ones are the most attractive. Young trees should be wrapped in straw
during winter, and old ones well mulched with rough litter.
Chapter _NINETEEN_
Winter protection
When the frost has cut down the flowers, and robbed the shrubs of their
leaves it is time for the fall cleaning of the garden. This should be
completed before the leaves begin to fall, as if left until then they
will greatly complicate matters.
Pull up and consign to the compost heap all annuals, weeds, stalks of
perennials, Lilies, and ornamental plants, and the litter used for mulch
during summer. This last might be left on were it not for the fact that
it is likely to harbour insects which would do mischief. It is therefore
better to remove it and work the bed over, leaving all clean and neat.
This is the time to look out for cutworms, chrysalids, and the like, and
destroy them. Much may be done in this direction. Look carefully along
the edging between the curbing and the grass where the cutworm lurks.
Look for the chrysalids of borers in the ground around the Clematis,
Cosmos, Hollyhocks, and Dahlia beds, and when found destroy them. On the
under side of boards, steps, and under the edge of the siding of the
house will be found the cocoons of the hickory tussock-moth and the
cabbage-worm, all of which should be destroyed. After removing the dead
annuals rake over the beds, leaving them clean and neat.
Beds of perennials, Roses, bulbs, and especially of Lilies and Peonies,
must be well rounded up to shed water, as all plants are injured by
water standing about their roots. If not already high enough to admit of
this, more earth must be added to raise them sufficiently. The earth
from the window-boxes may be used to advantage, especially for the
Tea-rose bed, where a foot of mellow earth, brought well up around the
plants and rounded to shed water, will so protect them that, though the
tops may freeze, all below the soil will be likely to live. Over this
should be placed several inches of rough litter or leaves and a frame of
rough boards put around the beds and covered with sash, canvas, or
boards to shed rain.
Young climbing Roses should have three or four inches of earth banked up
around them; wrap their tops with straw or sacking, or old carpet may be
drawn over them and tacked to the trellis or support on which they grow.
Plants under the eaves of the house, where the water drips, should have
boards arranged to catch and divert it to the lawn.
Protect equally from the cold winds of winter and the sun; plants are
not injured so much by freezing as by thawing suddenly, as they must
when the sun shines directly upon them. If they thaw gradually, little
if any damage is done, but sudden thawing ruptures the plant-cells,
causing serious injury. To prevent this and the settling of water about
the roots are the points to keep in mind when giving winter protection.
For plants whose tops die, leaves offer an excellent protection—better
than manure, in that they do not scatter seeds of weeds. For plants that
form a fall crown of leaves—as the Hollyhock or Annunciation Lily—a box
with an open end filled lightly with leaves is satisfactory. Close,
air-tight covers, as boxes, tin pails, iron kettles, and the like,
should never be used to protect plants of any kind. Wooden frames
covered with wire netting, and filled loosely with leaves, allowing the
moisture to evaporate rapidly, have given the best results; next come
frames covered with thin cotton cloth, then loose boxes with one end
knocked out. The idea is to retain the dry leaves around the plant,
protect from sun and cold wind, and allow the rapid evaporation of any
moisture that may collect. Wet or frozen leaves around a plant are worse
than no protection; especially is this true in the case of Myosotis,
Pansies, Carnations, Canterbury-bells, and Foxglove, all of which do
better in the cold-frames. Where these are not available, recourse may
be had to the boxes with netting, or to evergreen boughs. When filling
in about a plant with leaves do it lightly, as a mass closely packed
becomes damp and mouldy, and kills rather than protects.
Plants too tall to be covered should be protected with straw or
corn-stalks; cover for some little distance beyond the roots with leaves
or litter, and place straw or corn fodder around them, bringing it to a
point at top, and tying firmly there and in the middle, sloping the
stalks sufficiently to shed rain. Tall Rosebushes, young Althæas, and
similar growths, are much benefited by this form of protection. Long
beds of plants—as Japanese Iris, Pansies, and the like—maybe protected
by taking narrow boards eighteen or twenty inches long, with a notch cut
in one end, the other end being pointed and driven into the ground; set
these at intervals through the centre of the beds; place the poles
lengthwise of the beds, their ends resting in the notches, and arrange
evergreen boughs across the poles on each side to shed rain. Corn fodder
may be used where the evergreens cannot be procured, or a row of pegs
may support two boards, forming a ∧-shaped roof, which will protect from
wind, sun, and water equally. Protect the Lily and Peony beds with a
foot of leaves and rough, old manure. Rhododendrons, at the North, must
have both roots and tops protected if there is to be any bloom the
following year. Muslin-covered frames and leaves will do this best.
Great care must be taken not to break off the buds, which are
exceedingly brittle. Frames with removable lids that will admit of
filling in gradually, and allow the leaves to settle before finishing,
are best. Pile leaves around the roots of Clematis, and stretch sacking
or other cloth over the trellises on which they grow. Protect in the
same way English Ivy and Ampelopsis Veitchi while young. A northwest
angle of a building affords very good protection.
Chapter _TWENTY_
Care of House-plants In Winter
Plants for winter blooming should be brought into the house before the
nights get chilly. By becoming gradually accustomed to the air of the
house before the doors are closed and the fires started, they will be
less affected by the change.
Do not crowd into the window more plants than it can conveniently hold.
Plants must have room to breathe and grow, and abundant light. No plant
should touch its neighbours. Even with this amount of room at the start
they will be badly crowded before spring, and it will probably be
necessary to remove some.
Shelves, brackets, and stands should be in place before the plants are
brought in, as changing about and handling are bad for them. Plants with
tender foliage, as Cinerarias, Primulas, and the like, do best on a
window-bracket, and the capacity of the window is greatly increased by
the use of brackets. Plants with drooping leaves should have single
brackets, to avoid contact with other plants. The Bougainvillea, also,
does better on a bracket, being of a trailing habit. It is not, however,
a good winter bloomer, usually coming in late in March and continuing
until December, but it is very reliable during that time and requires
less care than any house-plant with which I am familiar, unless it be
the Araucaria.
See that all shelves are securely fastened, and strong enough to sustain
the weight to be placed upon them. The additional protection of a small
brass chain fastening the outer edge of the shelf to the window-casing
above it will ease the strain on the brackets and give greater security.
See that all hanging-baskets are securely hung with copper wire, and
that there is no danger of the hooks from which they are suspended
pulling out.
Do not start in with a number of plants the requirements of which are
entirely unknown. Where conditions for their proper care are not
obtainable it will be wiser to content one’s self with familiar plants
offering a reasonable hope of success, as Geraniums, Hyacinths, or
Primroses. A healthy, vigorous plant, however common, is preferable to a
sickly one, be it ever so rare.
A fair degree of atmospheric moisture should be maintained by keeping a
dish of water on stove, register, or radiator. Where bulbs are grown a
healthy degree of humidity is secured by evaporation and transpiration
as shown by moisture gathering on the glass when the temperature falls.
Moisture in the soil is a more difficult matter, and greater harm is
done through ignorance in this particular than in any other way. Either
plants are allowed to suffer for water, or they are drenched
indiscriminately. All are watered alike, irrespective of individual
need, whereas the requirements of each should be studied. A few plants,
natives of bogs—as the Calla—require constant moisture when growing.
Heliotrope, on the other hand, turns yellow when over-watered. Water
should be applied thoroughly when given and then withheld until the
plant is nearly dry again. This induces a stocky growth, with
well-ripened wood, capable of producing healthy bloom. To keep a plant
constantly wet may produce a quick growth, but it will be a soft one,
incapable of the best results.
Flower-pots should not be filled to the brim with earth, but sufficient
space should be left to hold enough water to thoroughly saturate the
soil in each pot—a full inch or more in the case of six-inch pots, and
at least half an inch for small pots. The soil must be sufficiently open
to take the water quickly. Heliotrope, and some other plants, form a
thick network of roots, which the water cannot penetrate readily, and
channels should be opened through them with a pencil or stick. See that
the water really penetrates the soil instead of merely passing between
the ball of earth and the pot. Hanging-baskets of wire and moss are best
watered by setting in a large pail until thoroughly soaked. One such
watering will last a week, unless the room is very hot and dry.
[Illustration: PLANTS FOR LATE WINTER BLOOMING SHOULD BE BROUGHT INTO
THE HOUSE BEFORE FALL]
Give sun-loving plants all the sunshine possible. Geraniums especially
love to be close to the glass, and the difference is quickly seen in the
quality of the blossoms. Shower every day, if possible, especially such
plants as Heliotropes, Cinerarias, Cyclamen, Lantanas, and, if not once
a day, at least once a week. Dipping the entire plant in a tub of quite
warm water is a great benefit, as in that way every part of the plant is
reached.
I do not especially approve of the advice so constantly given to “keep
an old fork handy to stir the soil, that the roots may have air.” The
leaves are the lungs of the plants, and if these are kept clean there
will be no trouble about their breathing. Moreover, if necessary to get
air to the roots, stirring the soil would be a very poor way to do it,
as cultivation of the surface is intended to keep air out and moisture
in. To this end we make a dry mulch over flower-beds and the farmer
cultivates his corn in a “dry spell,” knowing that the formation of a
dry crust will result in the rapid evaporation of the moisture in the
soil, the dry air shrinking the soil and opening up its pores, as it
were, letting the hot air in and the moisture out. This advantage the
practice has: it counteracts any tendency to sourness in the soil, and
should be resorted to whenever there is any suspicion of this, or when
the earth in which tender or succulent-stemmed plants are growing seems
hard and will not take water readily. The Amaryllis objects to this
disturbance, and hard-wooded plants, which require firm potting, should
not be disturbed by more than the merest scratching of the surface.
Give support to such plants as need it, promptly; failure in this
respect may result in the loss of a cherished blossom, or the
disfigurement of a plant.
Pinch back all weak and straggling growths, trimming the plants to grow
stocky and symmetrical.
Avoid, as far as possible, a sudden change of temperature, as a sudden
chill will greatly injure some plants, though they may not be actually
frozen. Plants may be left in the window as long as the glass is not
frosted, but at the slightest appearance of frost they must be moved
back out of actual contact with the glass. The thermometer drops
suddenly at times, and plants that were considered quite safe at night
may be found frozen in the morning. When the thermometer in the window
indicates a safe temperature and that outside a stationary one, though
very low, the plants may be left where they are; but beware of falling
temperature, and protect with several thicknesses of newspaper between
the plants and the window, bringing it well out beyond the
window-frames. All cracks between the sash and casing should be
carefully sealed with strips of cloth or paper, the colour of the
woodwork, neatly pasted over, effectually shutting out draughts. This
alone will help immensely in protecting plants, and storm-windows are
safe and save much trouble.
Fresh air, which plants must have, should be supplied through another
room, where it will be warmed before reaching them. A screen, so placed
as to cut off draughts when a door is opened to air the room, will be
found a great convenience.
When plants are frozen they should be thawed very gradually. Darken the
room and keep the temperature low, raising it gradually. If, however,
the plants are in a living-room, where the temperature cannot
conveniently be kept low for any length of time, remove them to the
cellar until the frost is drawn out of them, when, if not too badly
damaged, they may be returned to the window and encouraged to grow.
Geraniums are rarely injured by one freezing, the loss of the leaves
being the chief damage, and if the plants are returned at once to the
window this may prove an advantage, as wherever a leaf falls a new shoot
will usually be forced, making the plant much more stocky and thrifty.
During an unusually severe storm, a Geranium left in the window of a
room away from direct heat was badly frosted. As it was not a very
choice variety no effort was made to save it. The room was closed, and a
temperature of 12° below zero reigned for several days. When the weather
moderated and the temperature rose to 32° the room was opened and
warmed, the Geranium remaining on its shelf. In a few days, seemingly,
the axil of every vanished leaf had bourgeoned into tender green, and in
a short time the Geranium was as thrifty as ever, blossoming better the
following summer than at any time before. Favourable growing conditions
should be given as soon after freezing as possible, that all the
vitality may be utilised and not wasted to sustain life in the
unfavourable conditions existing in cellars.
Showering with, and dipping in, cold water slightly above freezing are
also good for frosted plants; 33° is about right, as a higher
temperature will be apt to precipitate the evil it is desired to
avoid—the rupture of the plant-cells.
The freezing of the soil in pots, which often happens with bulbs or
plants kept quite wet, does no particular harm, and no attention need be
paid to it as long as the tops are not frozen.
Remember that heat rises, and that the upper sash of a window is many
degrees warmer than the lower, so that by having an upper shelf you can
grow plants requiring a much higher temperature than those on the lower
shelf. For the same reason hanging-baskets require much more water than
plants on low shelves, and should be showered frequently to counteract
the dryer atmosphere. A rubber sprinkler is indispensable for this
purpose; by its use flowers may be sufficiently showered every day to
keep back red spiders and materially change the atmosphere.
Compost, sand, old manure, and drainage material should be prepared in
the fall and put in a frost-proof place ready for any repotting that may
be necessary during the winter, and for the early sowing of seeds in the
house.
In another chapter will be found formulas for the various insecticides
required for the extermination of the pests likely to attack plants in
the close, dry air of the living-room. If attention is paid to the
supply of fresh air and moisture little, if any, trouble will be
experienced on this score.
Plants coming into bloom will require some fertiliser, and as there are
objections to the use of manure-water in the house the following formula
will be found very satisfactory: Get at the druggist’s one and a half
pounds (or ounces) nitrate of soda, one-half pound (or ounce) phosphate
of soda, and one pound (or ounce) sulphate of potash. Mix and pulverise
the material thoroughly. When required for use put a rounding
tablespoonful of this mixture in a gallon of hot water. To fertilise the
plants put a teacupful of the water, when cool, on a six-inch pot, and
more in proportion on larger pots. Do not use oftener than once in two
weeks, and do not let it touch the foliage.
All the Asparagus group are benefited by the use of a good fertiliser,
especially is this the case with A. Sprengeri, which makes a root growth
so vigorous that it would be unmanageable were it not for the use of
fertilisers, which make it possible to keep it within reasonable bounds.
Begonias, on the other hand, are usually injured by the use of
fertilisers.
Chapter _TWENTY-ONE_
Common and English Names of Flowers
Where a plant has a double name—as Hypericum Moserianum—only the first
will be given, as it will be indexed in the catalogues that way.
Abyssinian Banana, See _Musa_.
Adam’s Needle, See _Yucca_.
Alleghany Vine, See _Adlumia_.
Alum Root, See _Heuchera_.
American Cowslip, See _Dodecatheon_.
American Senna, See _Cassia_.
Amethyst, See _Browallia_.
Artillery Plant, See _Pilea_.
Aurora’s Bower, See _Gaillardia_.
Australian Glory Pea, See _Clianthus_.
Baby’s Breath, See _Gypsophila_.
Bachelor’s Button, See _Globe Amaranth_.
Balsam Apple, See _Momordica_.
Balsam Pear, See _Momordica_.
Banana Shrub, See _Magnolia_.
Barrenwort, See _Epimedium_.
Basket of Gold, See _Alyssum_.
Bath Flower, See _Trillium_.
Beard Tongue, See _Pentstemon_.
Bird’s Nest Fern, See _Aspidium Nidus-Avis_.
Bishop’s Weed, See _Ægopodium_.
Black-eyed Susan, See _Thunbergia_.
Bleeding Heart, See _Dicentra_.
Blood Flower, See _Hæmanthus_.
Bluebottle, See _Centaurea_.
Bluebottle, See _Grape Hyacinth_.
Blue Leadwort, See _Plumbago_.
Blue Lyme Grass, See _Elymus_.
Blue Salvia, See _S. patens_.
Blue Vetch, See _Grape Hyacinth_.
Bluet, See _Houstonia_.
Boston Ivy, See _Ampelopsis_.
Bowman’s Root, See _Gillenia_.
Bugle, See _Ajuga_.
Bugle Vine, See _Calampelis_.
Burning Bush, See _Euonymus_.
Butterfly Flower, See _Centrosema_.
Butterfly Flower, See _Schizanthus_.
Butterfly Orchid, See _Epidendrum_.
Butterfly Weed, See _Asclepias_.
Calico Bush, See _Kalmia_.
California Poppy, See _Eschscholtzia_.
Canterbury Bell, See _Campanula_.
Cape Hyacinth, See _H. candicans_.
Cardinal Flower, See _Lobelia_.
Castor Bean, See _Ricinus_.
Cheneil Plant, See _Acalypha_.
Chilian Glory Flower, See _Eccremocarpus_.
Chimney Bell Flower, See _Campanula_.
Chinese Bell Flower, See _Platycodon_.
Chinese Lantern Plant, See _Physalis_.
Chinese Matrimony Vine, See _Lycium_.
Chinese Paper Plant, See _Bougainvillea_.
Christmas Berry, See _Ardisia_.
Christmas Rose, See _Helleborus_.
Cinnamon Vine, See _Dioscorea_.
Cinquefoil, See _Potentilla_.
Climbing Fumitory, See _Adlumia_.
Climbing Hawthorn, See _Actinidia_.
Cock’s Comb, See _Celosia_.
Columbine, See _Aquilegia_.
Cone Flower, See _Rudbeckia_.
Coral Plant, See _Erythrina_.
Corn Flower, See _Centaurea_.
Cowslip, See _Primula_.
Crane’s Bill, See _Geranium_.
Creeping Mallow, See _Callirhoe_.
Crown Vetch, See _Coronilla_.
Cruel Plant, See _Physianthus_.
Cup-and-Saucer Plant, See _Campanula_.
Cup-and-Saucer Vine, See _Cobæa_.
Cup Flower, See _Nierembergia_.
Cushion Pink, See _Armeria_.
Dark Mullen, See _Verbascum_.
Day Lily, See _Hemerocallis_.
Devil-in-the-Bush, See _Nigella_.
Double Buttercup, See _Ranunculus_.
Dropwort, See _Spiræa_.
Duck Plant, See _Aristolochia_.
Dutchman’s Breeches, See _Dielytra_.
Dutchman’s Pipe, See _Aristolochia_.
Dusty Miller, See _Centaurea_.
Dusty Miller, See _Cineraria_.
Edelweiss, See _Gnaphalium_.
Emerald Feather, See _Asparagus_.
English Daisy, See _Bellis_.
Evening Glory, See _Ipomœa_.
Evening Primrose, See _Œnothera_.
Everlasting, See _Acroclinium_.
Everlasting, See _Ammobium_.
Everlasting, See _Globe Amaranth_.
Everlasting, See _Helichrysum_.
Everlasting, See _Lathyrus_.
Everlasting, See _Rhodanthe_.
Everlasting, See _Xeranthemum_.
Fair Maids of France, See _Ranunculus_.
False Chamomile, See _Boltonia_.
False Dragon Head, See _Physostegia_.
False Indigo, See _Baptisia_.
Feverfew, See _Matricaria_.
Fire on the Mountain, See _Euphorbia_.
Flame Flower, See _Tritoma_.
Fleur de Lis, See _Iris_.
Flora’s Paint Brush, See _Cacalia_.
Florida Rattle Box, See _Crotolaria_.
Floss Flower, See _Ageratum_.
Flowering Currant, See _Ribes_.
Flowering Dogwood, See _Cornus_.
Flowering Maple, See _Abutilon_.
Flowering Sage, See _Salvia_.
Flowering Spurge, See _Euphorbia_.
Forget-me-not, See _Myosotis_.
Fountain Plant, See _Acalypha_.
Four-o’clock, See _Marvel of Peru_.
Fringe Flower, See _Schizanthus_.
Garden Flower, See _Schizanthus_.
Gardener’s Garter, See _Phalaris_.
Garland Flower, See _Daphne_.
Gas Plant, See _Dictamnus_.
Gay Feather, See _Liatris_.
Gilliflower, See _Cheiranthus_.
Globe Flower, See _Trollius_.
Glory Pea of Australia, See _Clianthus_.
Goat’s Beard, See _Spiræa_.
Gold Lack, See _Wall Flower_.
Golden Bush Pea, See _Crotolaria_.
Golden Feather, See _Pyrethrum_.
Golden Honey Bell, See _Mahernia_.
Golden-leaved Elder, See _Sambucus_.
Golden Rod, See _Solidago_.
Golden Tuft, See _Alyssum_.
Great Reed, See _Arundo Donax_.
Great Sea Lavender, See _Limonium_.
Groundsel, See _Glechoma_.
Hawk’s Beard, See _Crepis_.
Holly Fern, See _Cyrtomium_.
Honey Bell, See _Mahernia_.
Horn of Plenty, See _Datura_.
Horned Poppy, See _Glaucium_.
Horse Mint, See _Monarda_.
House Leek, See _Sempervivum_.
Humble Plant, See _Mimosa_.
Hyacinth Clematis, See _Clematis Davidiana_.
Jacobean Lily, See _Amaryllis_.
Jacob’s Ladder, See _Polemonium_.
Japan Quince, See _Pyrus_.
Japanese Bell Flower, See _Platycodon_.
Japanese Beni, See _Caryopteris_.
Japanese Hop, See _Humulus_.
Japanese Ivy, See _Ampelopsis_.
Japanese Primrose, See _Cortusoidea_.
Japanese Primrose, See _Primula_.
Japanese Virgin’s Bower, See _Clematis_.
Japanese Winter Cherry, See _Physalis_.
Jerusalem Cherry, See _Solanum_.
Jerusalem Cross, See _Lychnis_.
Kenilworth Ivy, See _Linaria_.
Lady Washington, See _Pelargonium_.
Larkspur, See _Delphinium_.
Lavender Cotton, See _Santolina_.
Lawn Pearlwort, See _Spergula_.
Lemon Verbena, See _Verbena_.
Leopard Plant, See _Farfugium_.
Lilac, See _Syringa_.
Lily of the Palace, See _Agapanthus_.
Lily of the Palace, See _Amaryllis_.
Little Bo-Peep, See _Antirrhinum_.
Liverwort, See _Hepatica_.
London Tufts, See _Sweet William_.
Look at Me, See _Centrosema_.
Love Grove, See _Nemophila_.
Love in a Mist, See _Nigella_.
Love Lies Bleeding, See _Amaranthus_.
Lungwort, See _Martensia_.
Madagascar Periwinkle, See _Vinca_.
Maidenhair Fern, See _Adiantum_.
Mallow, See _Hibiscus_.
Maltese Cross, See _Lychnis_.
Mariposa Lily, See _Calochortus_.
Marsh Mallow, See _Hibiscus_.
Meadow Beauty, See _Rhexia_.
Meadow Sage, See _Salvia_.
Meadow Star, See _Spiræa_.
Mexican Fire Plant, See _Euphorbia_.
Mexican Lily, See _Amaryllis_.
Michaelmas Daisies, See _Aster_.
Monkey Flower, See _Mimulus_.
Monkshood, See _Aconitum_.
Moon Flower, See _Ipomœa_.
Moonpenny Daisy, See _Chrysanthemum_.
Moonwort, See _Honesty_.
Morning Glory, See _Ipomœa_.
Mosses, See _Selaginellas_.
Moss Pink, See _Phlox_.
Moss Verbena, See _Verbena_.
Mother of Thousands, See _Saxifrage_.
Mountain Fleece, See _Polygonum_.
Mountain Fringe, See _Adlumia_.
Mountain Laurel, See _Kalmia_.
Mourning Bride, See _Scabiosa_.
Mouse-ear Chickweed, See _Cerastium_.
Moustache Plant, See _Caryopteris_.
Musk Plant, See _Mimulus_.
Old Maid, See _Vinca_.
Old Man, See _Artemesia_.
Old Woman, See _Artemesia_.
Orchid Vine, See _Stigmaphyllon_.
Oriental Poppy, See _Papaver_.
Oswego Tea, See _Monarda_.
Painted Daisy, See _Chrysanthemum_.
Painted Leaf, See _Euphorbia_.
Painted Tongue, See _Salpiglossis_.
Pampas Grass, See _Gynerium_.
Pancratium, See _Ismene (in part)_.
Paris Daisy, See _Chrysanthemum_.
Passion Flower, See _Passiflora_.
Peacock Flower, See _Tigridia_.
Pearl Bush, See _Exochorda_.
Peppermint, See _Mentha_.
Periwinkle, See _Vinca_.
Persian Daisy, See _Pyrethrum_.
Pheasant’s Eye, See _Adonis_.
Pincushion Flower, See _Scabiosa_.
Pinks, See _Dianthus_.
Plantain Lily, See _Funkia_.
Plume Poppy, See _Bocconia_.
Pot of Gold, See _Calendula_.
Purple Bells, See _Rhodochiton_.
Purple Fountain, See _Pennisetum_.
Purple Grass, See _Pennisetum_.
Purple-leaved Plum, See _Prunus_.
Queen Lily, See _Amaryllis_.
Ragged Robin, See _Lychnis_.
Ragged Sailor, See _Centaurea_.
Red-hot Poker, See _Tritoma_.
Rock Cress, See _Arabis_.
Rock Madwort, See _Alyssum_.
Rose Campion, See _Lychnis_.
Rose of Heaven, See _Agrostemma_.
Rubber Plant, See _Ficus_.
Sage Palm, See _Cycas_.
St. John’s Wort, See _Hypericum_.
St. Bernard’s Lily, See _Liliago_.
Sand Root, See _Arenaria_.
Sand Verbena, See _Verbena_.
Scarbrough Lily, See _Valletta_.
Scarlet Flax, See _Linum_.
Scarlet-fruited Gourd, See _Bryonopsis, or Gourds_.
Scarlet Sage, See _Salvia_.
Sea Holly, See _Armeria_.
Sea Pink, See _Armeria_.
Seal Flower, See _Dielytra_.
Segar Plant, See _Cuphea_.
Sensitive Plant, See _Mimosa_.
Shaking Fern, See _Pteris_.
Shell Flower, See _Tigridia_.
Shooting Star, See _Dodecatheon_.
Shrubby Honeysuckle, See _Lonicera_.
Silk Oak, See _Grevillea_.
Silver Bells, See _Halesia_.
Slipper Flower, See _Calceolaria_.
Smoke Tree, See _Rhus_.
Snapdragon, See _Antirrhinum_.
Sneezewort, See _Helenium_.
Snowball, See _Viburnum_.
Snowberry, See _Symphoricarpos_.
Snow in Summer, See _Cerastium_.
Snow on the Mountain, See _Euphorbia_.
Southern Wood, See _Abrotanum_.
Speedwell, See _Veronica_.
Spider Plant, See _Cleome_.
Spike Grass, See _Uniola_.
Spring Beauty, See _Claytonia_.
Starworts, See _Asters_.
Stone Crop, See _Sedum_.
Straw Flower, See _Helichrysum_.
Sulphur Fern, See _Gymnogramma_.
Sunflower, See _Helianthus_.
Sun Plant, See _Portulaca_.
Swan River Daisy, See _Brachycome_.
Swan River Everlasting, See _Rhodanthe_.
Sweet Olive, See _Olea_.
Sweet Sultan, See _Centaurea_.
Tassel Flower, See _Cacalia_.
Thrift, See _Armeria_.
Toad Flax, See _Linaria_.
Toad Lily, See _Castalia_.
Tobacco Plant, See _Nicotiana_.
Torch Lily, See _Tritoma_.
Tree Celandine, See _Bocconia_.
Trumpet Flower, See _Datura_.
Trumpet Vine, See _Bignonia_.
Umbrella Plant, See _Cyperus_.
Variegated Comfrey, See _Symphytum_.
Venus’ Looking-Glass, See _Campanula_.
Virgin’s Bower, See _Clematis_.
Wake Robin, See _Trillium_.
Waxhaw, See _Euonymus_.
Wax Plant, See _Hoya_.
Wax Plant, See _Mesembryanthemum_.
White Fringe, See _Chionanthus_.
Whitlow Grass, See _Draba_.
Wild Cucumber, See _Echinocystis_.
Wind Flower, See _Anemone_.
Winged Everlasting, See _Ammobium_.
Wolf’s-bane, See _Aconitum_.
Wood Lily, See _Trillium_.
Woodruff, See _Asperula_.
Yellow Flax, See _Linum_.
Youth and Old Age, See _Zinnia_.
Zanzibar Balsam, See _Impatiens_.
Zebra Grass, See _Eulalia_.
Time For Germination of Seeds
_From Three to Five Days_
Ageratum,
Ammobium,
Aster,
Celosia,
Centaurea,
Chrysanthemums,
Cypress Vine,
Gilla,
Hollyhock,
Lavatera,
Layia Elegans,
Leptosyne Maritima,
Marigold,
Mimulus,
Mina lobata,
Salvia,
Sedum,
Silene Shasta,
Spherogyne,
Stevia,
Stock—ten week,
Sweet William,
Tradescantia,
Trifolium,
Tunica,
Verbascum,
Veronica,
Virginian Stock,
Viscaria,
Vittadinia,
Whitlavia,
Zinnia.
_In Five to Seven Days._
Acacia,
Amaranthus,
Arabis Alpina,
Beta,
Brompton Stock,
Bromus,
Browallia,
Candytuft,
Cannabis,
Carnations,
Centaurea,
Chelone,
Chrysanthemum Indicum,
Cineraria,
Clitoria,
Coleus,
Coreopsis Lanceolata,
Crucianella,
Cuphea,
Cynoglossum,
Dahlia,
Daisy,
Eschscholtzia,
Eupatorium,
Gaillardia,
Geranium,
Gypsophila,
Hablitzia,
Helenium,
Helianthus,
Helichrysum,
Hibiscus,
Iberis Gibraltarica,
Linaria Reticulata,
Lobelia,
Lupinus,
Lychnis,
Malva Moschata,
Mathiola,
Mesembryanthemum,
Mignonette,
Morning Glory,
Nicotiana,
Picotee,
Pink,
Salpiglossis,
_In Eight to Ten Days_
Abutilon,
Achimenes,
Agrostemma,
Antirrhinum,
Armeria,
Balsams,
Begonia,
Calceolaria,
Campanula, Annual,
Canna,
Capsicum,
Commelina Cœlestis,
Deutzia,
Digitalis,
Dracocephalum,
Erianthus,
Gaura,
Gloxinia,
Gnaphalium,
Hibiscus Syriacus,
Humulus Japonica,
Kaulfussia,
Lychnis,
Morina,
Pansy,
Pansy, Viola,
Papaver,
Pentstemon,
Petunia,
Phacelia,
Phlox Drummondi,
Poinsettia,
Potentilla,
Pyrethrum,
Rudbeckia,
Thunbergia,
Tropæolum,
Valeriana,
Verbena,
Zea.
_In Ten to Twelve Days_
Achillea,
Alonsoa,
Alyssum Saxatile,
Anchusa,
Aquilegia,
Argemone,
Artemisia,
Asphodelus,
Aubrietia,
Bidens,
Calandrinia,
Calonyction,
Campanula,
Feverfew,
Galtonia,
Geum,
Gypsophila,
Helianthemum,
Linaria,
Ipomopsis,
Scutellaria,
Silphium,
Spiræa.
_In Twelve to Fifteen Days_
Anemone Sylvestris,
Antigonon,
Asters, Per.,
Callirhoe,
Campanula Tenorei,
Datura,
Didiscus,
Gazanopsis,
Gourds,
Hunnemannia,
Lantana,
Mandevillea,
Maurandya,
Myosotis,
Nicotiana,
Nierembergia,
Peas,
Perilla,
Petunia, Double,
Platycodon,
Polemonium,
Ranunculus,
Ricinus,
Thalictrum,
Torenia,
Verbena Venosa.
_In Fifteen to Twenty Days_
Acanthus,
Agapanthus,
Anemone,
Antigonon,
Armeria Maritima,
Calla,
Cobæa,
Cuphea,
Dictamnus,
Geranium Sanguineum,
Heliotrope,
Hemerocallis,
Impatiens Sultana,
Iris,
Liatris Spicata,
Primula Sinensis,
Rivina Humilis,
Smilax, Boston,
Solanum Robustum.
_In Twenty to Thirty-five Days_
Adlumia,
Baptisia Australis,
Berberis Vulgaris,
Campanula Fragilis,
Campanula Leutweiana,
Campanula Macrantha,
Campanula Nobilis,
Clematis Diversifolia,
Clematis Integrifolia,
Clianthus Dampieri,
Delphinium Nudicaule,
Funkia,
Gentiana Acaulis,
Hibiscus Speciosa,
Humea Elegans,
Musa Ensete,
Phlox, Perennial,
Phormium,
Physianthus,
Tritoma Uvaria,
Yucca.
_One Year or More_
Adlumia,
Ampelopsis,
Anthericum,
Clematis, in variety,
Dictamnus,
Fuchsia,
Geranium Sanguineum,
Iris,
Lilies,
Lupinus Polyphyllus,
Musa,
Tradescantia,
Viola Odorata.
In the foregoing tables it will be observed that a flower occasionally
appears in two or more sections. When this occurs, the first date
indicates the time in which strong and fresh seed should germinate in
flats in the house, or in hotbeds; the latter indicates the time for old
seed, under less favourable conditions, and marks the limit of time in
which plants may be expected.
Chapter _TWENTY-TWO_
Blooming Season of Various Trees, Shrubs, and Plants
T.—Tree. S.—Shrub. V.—Vine. H. P.—Hardy Perennial. A.—Annual. H. H.
P.—Hardy Herbaceous Perennial. E.—Evergreen.
April
_Akebia Quinata_ H. P. V.
_Alyssum Argenteum_ H. P.
_Anemone Blanda_ H. P.
_Bellis Perennis_ H. P. E.
_Dicentra—Bleeding Heart_ H. H. P.
_Dicentra—Dutchman’s Breeches_ H. P.
_Dodecatheon_ H. P.
_Forsythia—Golden Bells_ H. S.
_Sanguinaria—Blood Root_ H. H. P.
_Saxifrage_ H. P.
_Uvularia—Bellwort_ H. P.
_Vinca, Periwinkle, Myrtle_ H. P. E.
_Violets, in var_ H. P. E.
May
_Adonis_ H. P.
_Ajuga_ H. H. P.
_Alyssum Argenteum_ H. H. P.
_Alyssum Saxatile_ H. H. P.
_Amsonia_ H. H. P.
_Aquilegia Argenteum_ H. H. P.
_Arum—Cuckoo Flower_ H. H. P.
_Aubretia_ H. H. P.
_Azalea_ S.
_Barberry_ S.
_Bellis—English Daisy_ H. P. E.
_Callicarpa Japonica_ H. P.
_Calycanthus—Sweet Shrub_ H. P. S.
_Chionanthus—White Wings_ H. P. S.
_Convallaria—Lily of the Valley_ H. H. P.
_Daphne_ H. S. E.
_Deutzia_ H. P. S.
_Dicentra_ H. H. P.
_Doronicum_ H. H. P.
_Double-flowered Almond_ H. S.
_Double-flowered Crab_ H. S.
_Double-flowered Peach_ H. S.
_Epimedium_ H. H. P.
_Euonymus—Burning Bush_ H. S.
_Exochorda—Pearl Bush_ H. S.
_Genista_ H. H. P.
_Halesia—Snowdrop_ H. T.
_Hawthorn_ H. T.
_Honeysuckle—Bush_ H. S.
_Iris Aurea_ H. H. P.
_Iris Siberica_ H. H. P.
_Lychnis—Red Campion_ H. H. P.
_Ornithogalum—Bulbous_ H. H. P.
_Phlox Subulata_ H. P.
_Polemonium—Greek Valerian_ H. P.
_Polyanthus_ H. P. E.
_Potentilla, June to August_ H. P.
_Primula—English Primrose_ H. P. E.
_Pulmonaria—Lungwort_ H. H. P.
_Pyrus—(Cydonia) Japonica_ H. P. S.
_Ranunculus Half_ H. P.
_Rhododendrons_ H. S. E.
_Ribes—Flowering Currant_ H. S.
_Sanguinaria—Blood Root_ H. H. P.
_Spiræa Filipendula_ H. H. P.
_Spiræa Thunbergi_ H. S.
_Spiræa Van Houttei_ H. S.
_Syringa—Lilac_ H. T.
_Tamarix_ H. S.
_Trillium_ H. H. P.
_Veronica_ H. P.
_Viburnum—Snowball_ H. S.
_Vinca—Myrtle_ H. P. E.
_Weigela_ H. S.
June
_Aconitum—Monkshood_ H. H. P.
_Alstromeria—Peruvian Lily_ H. H. P.
_Anchusa_ H. H. P.
_Anthemis_ H. H. P.
_Anthericum—St. Bruno’s Lily_ H. H. P.
_Aquilegia_ H. H. P.
_Armeria_ H. P.
_Arum_ H. P.
_Astragalus—Milk Vetch_ H. H. P.
_Baptisia_ H. P.
_Bellis_ H. P. E.
_Buphthalmum_ H. P.
_Callirhoe_ H. P.
_Campanula_ H. P. E.
_Cassia_ H. P.
_Catalpa_ H. T.
_Centaurea_ H. P.
_Centranthus_ H. P.
_Coreopsis_ H. P.
_Cornus—Dogwood_ H. T.
_Coronilla_ H. P.
_Delphinium_ H. H. P.
_Deutzia Gracilis_ H. S.
_Deutzia—Pride of Rochester_ H. S.
_Digitalis_ H. P. E.
_Doronicum_ H. P.
_Dracocephalum_ H. P.
_Erigeron_ H. P.
_Heuchera_ H. H. P.
_Hollyhock_ H. H. P. E.
_Honeysuckle_ H. V.
_Hydrangea—Climbing_ H. P. V.
_Iris_ H. H. P.
_Jasminum_ H. P.
_Laburnum_ H. T.
_Lathyrus—Everlasting Pea_ H. H. P.
_Lilium Canadense_ H. H. P. (bulb)
_Lilium Candidum_ H. H. P. E. (bulb)
_Lilium Longiflorum_ H. H. P. (bulb)
_Linden_ H. T.
_Locust_ H. T.
_Lychnis Chalcedonica_ H. H. P.
_Lychnis Coronaria_ H. H. P.
_Lychnis Gigantea_ H. H. P.
_Magnolia_ H. T.
_Monarda_ H. P.
_Mountain Ash_ H. T.
_Papaver—Poppy_ H. H. P. & A.
_Pentstemon Half_ H. P.
_Philadelphus_ H. T.
_Potentilla_ H. P.
_Pyrethrum_ H. H. T.
_Ranunculus_ H. P.
_Rhododendron_ H. P. E.
_Rose_ Hardy S.
_Salpiglossis_ A.
_Schizanthus_ A.
_Sedum_ H. P.
_Spiræa, in var_ H. P.
_Sweet Alyssum_ A.
_Sweet Peas_ A.
_Sweet Scabiosa_ H. P.
_Sweet Sultan_ A.
_Veronica_ T. P.
_Vinca_ E. V.
_Violets_ H. P. E.
July
_Achillea_ H. H. P.
_Allium Angularis_ H. P.
_Anthemis_ H. P.
_Armeria_ H. P.
_Asphodel_ H. P.
_Aster Alpinus_ H. P.
_Bignonia Radicans_ H. P. V.
_Bocconia_ H. P.
_Campanula_ H. P. E.
_Candytuft_ A.
_Chrysanthemum Maximum_ H. P.
_Cobæa Scandens_ Tender P. V.
_Coreopsis_ H. P.
_Cosmos_ A.
_Dahlia_ Tender P.
_Datura_ A.
_Dictamnus_ H. P.
_Digitalis_ H. P. E.
_Dracocephalum_ H. P.
_Eccremocarpus_ V. A.
_Euphorbia_ A.
_Evening Primrose_ H. P.
_Funkia_ P.
_Gypsophila_ A.
_Iris—Japanese_ H. P.
_Liatris_ H. P.
_Lilium Auratum_ H. P.
_Linum_ H. P.
_Lychnis_ H. H. P.
_Perennial Phlox_ H. H. P.
_Phlox Drummondi_ A.
_Potentilla_ H. P.
_Salvia_ Tender P.
_Statice_ H. P.
_Thalictrum_ H. P.
_Thymus_ H. P.
_Vinca_ Tender P.
_Yucca_ H. P. E.
August
_Achillea_ H. H. P.
_Allium_ H. P.
_Armeria_ H. H. P.
_Asphodel_ H. H. P.
_Bellis_ H. P. E.
_Callirhoe_ H. P.
_Campanula_ H. P. E.
_Carnation_ T. P.
_Centranthus_ H. P.
_Clerodendron_ H. P.
_Cobæa_ V. A.
_Cosmos_ A.
_Delphinium_ H. P.
_Dianthus_ H. H. P.
_Digitalis_ H. P. E.
_Dolichos_ V. A.
_Eupatorium_ H. P.
_Euphorbia_ A.
_Funkia_ H. H. P.
_Helianthus_ H. P.
_Hibiscus_ H. H. P.
_Hollyhock_ H. S.
_Hydrangea, late in August_ H. P. S.
_Hypericum Moserianum_ H. S.
_Liatris_ H. P.
_Lilium Album_ H. H. P.
_Lilium Auratum_ H. H. P.
_Lilium Melpomene_ H. H. P.
_Lilium Roseum_ H. H. P.
_Lilium Rubrum_ H. H. P.
_Lobelia Cardinalis_ H. H. P. E.
_Lychnis_ H. H. P.
_Monarda_ H. P.
_Œnothera_ H. P.
_Pentstemon_ H. P.
_Phlox, Perennial_ H. H. P.
_Platycodon_ H. H. P.
_Rudbeckia_ H. H. P.
_Salvia_ Tender P.
_Sedum_ H. P.
_Silphium_ H. P.
_Statice_ H. P.
_Vinca_ Tender P.
September
_Althea_ H. P. T.
_Anchusa_ H. P.
_Anemone—Queen Charlotte_ H. H. P.
_Anemone—Whirlwind_ H. H. P.
_Asters, in var_ A. & H. H. P.
_Boltonia_ H. P.
_Clematis Paniculata_ H. P. V.
_Erianthus_ H. P.
_Eulalia_ H. P.
_Eupatorium_ A. H. P.
_Euphorbia_ A.
_Gladiolus_ Bulbs
_Golden Rod_ H. H. P.
_Hibiscus_ H. P. & T. P.
_Hydrangea_ H. P.
_Ipomœa_ A.
_Lobelia Cardinalis_ H. H. P. E.
_Pampas Grass Half_ H. P.
_Rudbeckia_ H. P.
_Salvia_ T. P.
_Statice_ H. P.
_Tritoma_ Tender P.
_Vinca_ Tender P.
All Summer
_Ageratum_ A.
_Antirrhinum_ T. P.
_Armeria_ A.
_Balsam_ A.
_Bartonia_ P.
_Begonia, Tuberous_ T. P.
_Begonia, Vernon_ T. P.
_Brachycome_ P.
_Browallia_ T. A.
_Canary Bird Vine_ A.
_Candytuft_ A.
_Canna_ Tender P. Rhizomes
_Celosia_ A.
_Centrosema_ H. P.
_Clarkia_ A.
_Cleome Pungens_ A.
_Cobæa Scandens_ A.
_Collinsia_ A.
_Cosmos_ A.
_Crotolaria_ A.
_Cypress Vine_ A.
_Delphinium_ H. P.
_Gloxinia_ T. P.
_Hyacinthus Candicans_ H. P.
_Ipomœa_ A.
_Maurandya_ P.
_Nasturtium_ A.
_Pansy_ P.
_Petunia_ A.
_Portulaca_ A.
_Rose_ Hardy or Half Hardy S.
_Sweet Pea_ A.
_Sweet Scabiosa_ A.
_Sweet Sultan_ H. P.
_Thunbergia_ T. P.
_Verbena_ T. P.
_Veronica_ H. P.
_Vinca_ T. P.
_Vincetoxicum_ H. P.
Chapter _TWENTY-THREE_
A Chapter of Odds and Ends
Tools: There is always a tendency among beginners to overload with the
paraphernalia of their calling, whatever it may be. When the first
enthusiasm passes, and one becomes a careful and successful worker, all
that is superfluous is gradually dropped, and one realises that it is
brains and not tools that make the successful gardener. A hotbed, a
cold-frame or two, a work-table in some convenient place, a trowel,
wheel-barrow, spade, pitchfork, rake, hoe, a few yards of stout cord, a
hatchet to sharpen stakes, a watering-pot, rubber sprinkler, rubber
gloves, a good supply of pots and wire-netting, and a couple of good
mole-traps cover the real necessaries. Incidentals, such as wire-sieves,
lath-screens, trellises, and the like, may be made as they are required.
One should not have more tools than can be kept in good working order.
An excellent place for Begonias, Gloxinias, and other shade-loving
plants is made by fitting a wide shelf under a north or east window on
the outside, with a raised edge three or four inches high, made by
tacking strips of wood across the front and ends. Inclose with
window-netting, first nailing strips of wood from the outer corners of
the shelf to the upper corners of the window-casing to support the
netting. When the shelf is filled with wet sand, and the plants plunged
in it, one has a miniature greenhouse accessible from the room, and safe
from trespass of chickens, cats, or careless feet. The shelf may extend
considerably beyond the window-casing if desired, and be made attractive
from the outside by climbing vines. The Maurandya is fine here, as it
will push its tips through the netting, and be very ornamental; the
Asparagus tenuissimus and A. plumosus nanus are also good. A couple of
plant-brackets fastened to the outside casing will afford room for
drooping plants, and add to the attractiveness of the shelf. Primroses
will bloom here all summer, and Ferns, Gloxinias, and fancy-leaved
Caladiums find a congenial home.
Insecticides
A good supply of insecticides should be kept in store, or at least the
formulas and materials for preparing them. Plant enemies have increased
to such an alarming extent in the past few years that comparatively few
flowers are free from them, and some kinds, as the Rose, Dahlia, Aster,
Clematis, and Cosmos, are becoming more and more difficult to raise. The
Rose, especially, is in need of constant care and watchfulness from the
swelling of the leaf-bud until the end of the growing season. One of its
most dreaded fungous diseases is known as “black spot,” which must be
given thorough treatment in the beginning, before the leaves start in
the spring on plants that have been previously affected. Syringe with
Bordeaux mixture and repeat once or twice a week during the growing
season.
Cosmos Borer is very destructive to the Cosmos, Dahlia, Asters, and
Clematis; the preventive is a teaspoonful of Paris green to three
gallons of water, poured around the base of the plant, using sufficient
to wet the ground three or four inches deep. Begin when the plant is a
foot high, and continue until fully grown.
The Black Beetle is an unpleasant pest that has become very destructive
to the Asters, eating the flowers, and soon destroying an entire bed if
not promptly checked. It resembles the common blister beetle, but is
smaller and jet black in colour; it is easily killed by knocking off
into a pan of water containing a little kerosene. In the early morning
it is very sluggish, and may be picked off and killed, or the plants may
be showered with the Paris-green solution, but the appearance of the
first bug must be the signal for active operations.
Plant Louse or Green Fly: This little insect commonly infests
house-plants; it is called a fly because in one stage of its existence
it has wings. The remedies are tobacco in some form, or sulpho-tobacco
soap syringed on the foliage, or the hot-water bath.
Black or Chrysanthemum Lice require practically the same treatment.
Tobacco-dust on the leaves will usually prevent their appearance, and
should be applied early in the summer and after every rain.
The Mealy Bug is a little whitish mass, like cotton in appearance, often
found on house-plants and on the Spiræas. Syringe with whale-oil soap
solution; or, if the plant is small, work over it, touching each bug
with a brush dipped in alcohol; or use the hot-water bath.
Red Spider can only be kept at bay by fresh air and the plentiful use of
water; spray or syringe daily. Use the hot-water bath if the spiders
have gotten a foothold.
Rose Hopper, or Thrips—small yellowish insects on the under side of Rose
leaves, from which they suck the juice, causing them to turn brown;
whale-oil soap syringed on the under side of the leaves is the best
remedy.
Rose Slugs are small green caterpillars that feed on the Rose leaves and
buds, lying on the under side of the leaves, or drawing two leaves
together with a slight web. Work over the plants, pinching the leaves
between thumb and finger, or syringe with whale-oil solution, or dust
with powdered hellebore when wet.
Rose Bug—a small, dark bug striped with light yellow, which is very
destructive to the Roses, eating the flowers. Plants may be syringed, or
showered with the Paris-green solution at night or early in the morning,
but must be attended to promptly, as the bugs are very destructive,
stripping a bed of its flowers in a surprisingly short time. Roses
treated with Paris green should always be plainly and conspicuously
labelled to that effect.
Earth-worms and the like may be easily destroyed by thoroughly soaking
the soil in the pots with lime-water, which is best done by plunging a
pot to the brim (not over) in the solution, and removing the worms as
they come to the surface. It may be necessary to repeat this once or
twice.
FORMULAS
The following formulas are from the New York Agricultural Station and
are reliable:
_Normal, or 1.6 per cent. Bordeaux
Mixture_
Copper Sulphate (blue vitriol) 6 pounds
Quicklime (good stone lime) 4 pounds
Water 50 gallons
Dissolve the copper sulphate by putting it in a bag of coarse cloth, and
hanging it in a wooden or earthen vessel containing five or six gallons
of water. After the copper sulphate has dissolved, dilute with water to
twenty-five gallons; slake the lime, and add twenty-five gallons of
water; mix the two, and keep thoroughly stirred while using. If the
mixture is to be used on Carnations, or the like, it will adhere better
if a pound of hard soap be dissolved in hot water and added.
_Kerosene Emulsion_
Hard Soap ½ pound
Boiling Water 1 gallon
Kerosene 2 gallons
Dissolve the soap in the water; add the kerosene, and churn with a spray
or force-pump until they unite and have the appearance and consistency
of buttermilk. Dilute with water to twenty-five or thirty gallons before
applying.
_Paris-green Solution_
Paris green 1 pound
Water 50 gallons
Keep constantly stirred when using.
_Hot-water Bath_
The hot-water bath will, in nearly every case, take the place of
insecticides and give better results, as it thoroughly cleanses the
foliage and leaves no bad effects, if not too hot. Heat to 140° if for
spraying, and use before it cools; 136° if the plants are to be dipped.
[Illustration: FENCES MAY BE MADE ATTRACTIVE WITH VINES OR PLANTS]
Next in convenience to a pair of rubber gloves for the garden are the
duck mittens sold for household purposes. All sorts of garden work may
be done in these, even the transplanting of quite small plants. They
have also the advantage of being very cheap, or they may be manufactured
at home. Always have an extra pair on hand. Gardening without gloves is
ruinous to the hands and a needless discomfort.
For watering the window-garden, a small pot with a long spout that will
go between the plants will be a great convenience, as by its use the
farthest plants may be watered without disturbing the others. This means
a saving of time on busy mornings, and insures against neglect.
The life of the gardener who raises chickens is full of perplexities.
Certainly nothing is more vexing and discouraging than to have one’s
plants repeatedly scratched out of the ground by chickens. With netting
so cheap there is no good reason why chickens, or other farm stock,
should have the range of the yard.
Nothing is more filthy or conducive to disease than the presence of
fowls in the door-yard. There are few house-yards that cannot be
isolated from the rest of the premises by a judicious use of
wire-netting, and where the conditions call for it this should be the
first thing done. It will not be at all satisfactory to surround the
beds with netting, which is inconvenient and unsightly. The whole yard,
or at least the entire garden, should be inclosed, using netting high
enough to turn any fowl, say at least five feet; even Plymouth Rocks
will take a four-foot fence. For Brown Leghorns six feet is a safer
height than five feet. There should be no place on the top of the fence
on which the birds can alight. At the bottom a board will make all
secure, and prevent the chickens digging under; and it will be better if
set a little below the surface of the ground, which should be made hard
and firm around it.
Fences may be made attractive with vines or plants. Sweet-peas,
Nasturtiums, Morning-glories, Cobæa scandens, Wild Cucumbers, the
Scarlet-fruited Gourd, Roses, Clematis or Honeysuckles make a good
background for the lawn and beds of bright flowers.
Chapter _TWENTY-FOUR_
A Chapter of Don’ts
Don’t forget to air the hotbeds on warm, sunny days, and to protect them
on cold ones.
Don’t forget that plants need room to develop, and set them far enough
apart to make this possible.
Don’t forget to water the window-boxes every day, and to keep the sand
in the sand-box wet all the time.
Don’t forget to go over the Pansies and Sweet-peas every day, and remove
all withered flowers. Don’t let them suffer for want of water at any
period of their bloom.
Don’t try to raise more plants than you have room for, or strength and
time to cultivate. A few plants well cared for are better than a
neglected garden—a most discouraging sight. The gardener will find
enough real difficulty without inviting disaster.
Don’t try to follow all the advice that is offered you; make up your
mind what you want to do and go steadily ahead. If you fail you will
know how, and why, which is in itself a distinct gain. It is a good rule
never to take the advice of an unsuccessful person, no matter how
reasonable it sounds. Distrust garrulous advice; the gardener with real
knowledge is not inclined to force advice upon others.
Don’t be cast down by adverse criticism unless your judgment tells you
it is deserved. The person who “knows it all” is never so much at home
as in some one else’s flower-garden, where the principal labour may be
done with the tongue.
Don’t be wheedled into spoiling your plants by saving seed for one who
is perfectly able to buy; instead, give the address of the dealer from
whom you purchased, and suggest that he will be glad to fill orders.
Don’t rob your plant of cuttings that are necessary to its symmetry;
this, too, is a case for the florist. There are people who seem to feel
it an injustice for any one to possess a plant with more than one branch
so long as they are not supplied with that particular variety.
Don’t, when you have purchased a dozen Violets or Primulas, meaning to
divide them after awhile to make the border you did not feel like
purchasing outright, be imposed upon to the extent of giving half of
them away to some one who has been waiting for this very opportunity.
The experienced gardener learns to steer such people away from plants
she does not wish to part with, or have mutilated, but the amateur is
looked upon as legitimate prey. I have frequently known people to break
a branch from plants they were handling, with the expectation of being
told to keep it. The remedy for this sort of thing is to immediately
place it in the ground with some remark about having a place for it.
Don’t supply with cut flowers, plants, and the like, people who spend
more money for unnecessary luxuries than you do for your whole garden,
and then tell you how foolish you are to spend so much time and money,
and work so hard for your flowers. Don’t be too deeply impressed with
the sudden friendship at gardening time of the woman who has managed to
get along without your society all winter. Don’t be imposed upon by the
chronic plant-beggar, but suggest to her that you will be glad to lend
your catalogues; that in them she will find, at reasonable prices, all
the things you have in your garden; and that the florist will doubtless
be glad of her patronage.
Don’t, on the other hand, be lacking in generosity of the right sort.
Flowers may be given to rich and poor alike, and carry no hint of
obligation, or unfitness. To the tired worker who has neither time nor
space to cultivate them, a handful of flowers, or a potted plant, which
can be spared from your abundance, will make a bit of sunshine well
worth the trouble. For many who cannot spare the trifling amount a
single plant or packet of seed would cost, the surplus plants from flats
or hotbeds will be a great pleasure, and one should not wait for
requests. Those who really cannot afford these things are rarely guilty
of the petty meanness of the professional plant-beggars. It is a good
plan to jot down, from time to time as they occur, the names of those
you would like to benefit in this way, and then, when you have surplus
plants, send word of that fact, and of the time when it will be
convenient to take them up. This will be better than sending the plants,
which might arrive when it would be inconvenient or impossible to attend
to them.
There are so many ways of giving pleasure with flowers that one need
never be embarrassed with a surplus: the sick; the young girl who will
enjoy them for her party; the young matron, for her pretty luncheon; the
church service, the humble funeral, where the choicest and best should
go. A beautiful tact may be shown by a choice in harmony with the taste
of the recipient and the occasion for which they are intended. Do not
send all white flowers, or flowers with a heavy perfume, to the
sick-room. Bright flowers are better. Notice the cheer in a pot of
golden Daffodils or a bunch of Hepaticas. A charming thing is a handful
of Japanese Morning-glory buds picked and sent the night before, that
the invalid may watch their unfolding in the morning. I have known these
to give the greatest pleasure.
Don’t be too greatly cast down by failures; they have their uses. One
failure, if it sets you to studying out the cause and remedy, is worth a
dozen haphazard successes. We grow plants with even success for some
time, then, without any recognised change in the treatment, we meet with
failure. We look for the reason, and our education is begun. When we
have found the cause of failure, we have made a long step forward.
Don’t fail to take some good floral magazines, they are helpful in many
ways, and keep you in touch with what other workers are doing.
Don’t try to work in unsuitable clothing. Easy, broad, solid shoes—not
any old run-down pair—should be considered as essential as a spade, or
rake, and skirts that clear the instep, and hang comfortably. Waists
with easy arm-holes and collar will enable one to work with a degree of
comfort that means the accomplishment of an amount of work in a morning
quite impossible were one less comfortably clad. Skirts of blue denim,
made Princess style, and ankle length, with comfortable
shirt-waists—denim for cool days, calico for warm—make a thoroughly
comfortable outfit.
THE END
Alphabetical Index
A
=Abobra viridiflora=, fancy gourd, 96.
=Abutilons=, 63, 64, 92.
Diversity of form and colour of New California, 64.
Time for flowering, 63.
=Achimenes=, 60.
Cuttings of, how to root, 60.
=Aconite=, Winter, 191.
=Adverse criticism=, hints about, 254.
=Advice=, hints about, 253.
=Adlumia= (Mountain Fringe, Climbing Fumitory, Allegheny Vine), 46, 92,
129.
Appropriate for use at funerals, 129.
Delightful grown on north side of house, 129.
Gathering seed from, 46.
Sowing seeds and planting, 129.
=Ageratum=, Cope’s Favourite, 119.
Tom Thumb, 16.
=Ageratums=, 16, 34, 35, 46, 81, 88, 91, 92, 94, 96, 101, 119, 121.
Dwarf variety admirably adapted for carpet bedding, 119.
How to sow, 35.
Indispensable for edgings, window-boxes and vases, 101.
Little Dorrit and Swanley Blue, 102.
Princess Caroline, 102.
Season for sowing, 102.
Should be clipped frequently, 47.
Tom Thumb, useful for edgings, 101.
=Air-tight covers=, should never be used to protect plants, 205.
=Alba plena Narcissi=, 191.
=Alba superbissima Hyacinth=, 192.
=Allegheny Vine=, 129.
=Allemannia Cannas=, 15.
=Alliums=, care and treatment of, 194.
=Altheas=, 201, 202, 206.
=Alyssum=. See Sweet Alyssum.
=Amaryllis=, 75, 155, 162–165.
Evergreen, 162.
General treatment of, same as for Crinums, 162.
Johnsonii, 163.
=American Beauty Rose=, 178.
=Ammonia=, a stimulant for flowers, 25.
=Ampelopsis=, 128, 207.
=Anchusa capensis=, 119.
=Anemones=, 192, 193.
Treatment and raising of, 193.
=Annuals=, various, from seed, 98–111.
Hardy and tender, time for planting, 53.
Should not be grown in window-boxes, 96.
=Annunciation Lily=, 205.
=Anthony Waterer=, crimson Spiræa, 197.
=Antirrhinums= (Snapdragons), 46, 91, 93, 96, 98, 99.
Firefly, 98.
Giant Crimson, Giant Yellow, Giant White and Niobe, 98.
How to protect in winter, 99.
Queen of the North, 98.
Seed of, 46.
Soil suitable for, 99.
Transplanting, 98.
Useful for cut flowers, window-boxes and vases, 98.
When to start seed, 98.
=Ants=, nests of, in the Lily bulb, remedy for, 181.
=Aphides=, or green plant-lice, prevention and remedy for, 70.
=April=, shrubs and plants that bloom in, 234.
=Aquatic Plants=, 165–172.
=Aquilegia=. See Columbine.
=Arrangement of flower-beds=, 10.
=Arundo Donax=, ornamental grass, 5, 16.
=Ashes=, a good fertiliser to sweeten the soil, 25.
Should not be mixed with manure, 25.
=Asparagus=, 49, 64, 88, 94, 246.
All kinds benefited by frequent repotting, 64, 65.
Benefited by use of good fertiliser, 215.
How to raise and manage, 65.
=Asparagus plumosus nanus=, 246.
Proper time for planting, 64.
=Asparagus Sprengeri=, how to sow, 49, 50.
Successfully grown in baskets or pots, 65.
Unmanageable without fertiliser, 216.
=Asparagus tenuissimus=, 246.
=Asters=, 10, 25, 34, 43, 53, 99.
A necessity of the fall garden, 99.
Aim of the specialist, 99.
Arranging for vases, 100.
Bees do not care for, 43.
Black beetle an unpleasant pest to, 247.
Bride, 99.
Chrysanthemum flowered, 99, 100.
Cosmos borer destructive to, 247.
Early planting recommended, 100.
Frequent watering necessary, 101.
Giant White Comet, 99.
Japanese Tassel, 97.
Kerosene for killing insects on, 100.
Ostrich Feather, 99.
Paris-green in the watering-pot for killing beetles, 100.
Peony, 99.
Perfection, 99.
Proper place for planting, 10.
Transplanting, 101.
Use of seed of, 43.
When to plant seed, 100.
=Aster-beds=, ashes for fertilising, 25.
=Atmospheric moisture=, maintaining a fair degree of, 209.
=August=, shrubs and plants that bloom in, 240–242.
=Auratum Lily=, growth of the, on wooded hillsides, 184.
=Aurea Bambusa=, 171.
=Aurora Pansy=, 116.
B
=Bacon rind=, for keeping moles from Iris roots, 200.
=Balsams=, 47, 102, 103.
Benefited by transplanting, 102.
Camellia-flowered varieties best, 102.
Double white and shell pink, valuable for decorative work, 103.
Plenty of room required for branching, 102.
Starting the seed, 102.
Transplanting, 102.
=Bamboo=, 171.
Requires abundant water-supply, 171.
Varieties of, 171.
=Bambusa Arundinacea=, 171.
Aurea, 171.
Metake, 171.
=Banana plants=, 145.
Caring for, in winter, 145.
Grow more ornamental indoors, 145.
Planted in tubs or open ground, 145.
Plants should be grown by themselves, 145.
Showy and attractive, 145.
Soil and water for, 145.
Southeast angle of building an ideal location for, 145.
Storing in cellar during winter, 146.
=Baroness Van Thuyl Hyacinth=, 192.
=Baskets, hanging.= See Hanging-Baskets.
=Beetles, black.= See Black beetles.
=Begonia cuttings=, how to root, 60.
=Begonia=, Dwarf Bijou, 66.
Erfordii, 66.
Rex, how to plant and raise, 66.
Vernon, 66.
Vulcan, when to plant, 66.
=Begonias=, 39, 48, 58, 60, 66, 67, 88, 92–94, 97, 117, 150, 245.
An excellent place for, 245, 246.
Injured by use of fertilisers, 216.
Setting out, and storing during winter, 67, 68.
The best varieties of, 66.
The finest flower for bedding or pot culture, 67.
=Begonias, tuberous=—
Bedding out, 150.
Instructions for planting, bedding and setting out, 67.
Proper temperature for growing, 150.
Shading from the heat, 151.
Starting and potting, 150.
=Bermuda Oxalis=, should be grown in hanging-baskets, 195.
=Bignonia Radicans= (Trumpet Vine)—
Best method of supporting it, 140.
Blooms nearly all summer, 139.
Desirable as a climber, 140.
Grown as a lawn shrub, 140.
Hedges of, should be kept pruned for symmetrical growth, 139.
Most desirable for hedges, 139.
Not appreciated sufficiently, 139.
=Black Beauty Cannas=, 15.
=Black beetles=, a pest to Asters, 247.
How to destroy, 100.
=Black lice=, remedy for, 248.
“=Black spot=,” fungous disease of the Rose, 247.
=Black-eyed Susan=, 136.
=Blood=, from slaughter-houses, a good fertiliser, 28.
=Blooming season of various trees=, shrubs, and plants, 234–244.
=Boards for siding in making flower-beds=, 8.
=Bone-meal=, a substitute for, 27.
As a fertiliser, 28.
=Bonfire Salvia=, 121.
=Bordeaux mixture=, for fungoid disease in Pansies, 115.
As an insecticide, 244.
Formula for, 249.
=Borders=, exquisite flowers for, 197, 198.
=Borers=, destroying chrysalis of, 203.
=Bougainvillea=, 209.
=Bouquet=, an ideal, 103.
=Bracket plants=, Thunbergias valuable for, in winter, 136.
=Brackets=, use of, increases capacity of window, 208, 209.
=Bride Aster=, 99.
=Bride Rose=, 178.
=Bruant Geranium=, for south and west window-boxes, 91.
=Bryonopsis=, 96, 132.
=Bulbous and tuberous-rooted plants=, 147.
=Bulbs=, for the amateur, 192.
For winter blooming, 192.
Hardy in Middle States, may not be so in Northern States, 191, 192.
Hints on potting outdoors, 194.
Late fall or winter planting of, preferable to spring planting, 188.
Of hardy plants, caring and preserving, 195.
=Burbank Cannas=, 15.
=Burpee’s Defiance Petunia=, 84.
=Buying seeds=, 41–47.
C
=Cabbage-worm=, how to destroy, 204.
=Caladium esculentum= (Elephant’s Ears), 149.
An ideal plant for the amateur, 149.
Native of Sandwich Islands, 149.
Root of, edible, 149.
Roots should be started in pots, 149.
Winter easily and multiply rapidly, 150.
=Caladiums=, 5, 15, 18, 22, 88, 89, 93, 149, 150, 151, 185, 186, 246.
Beds of, 5.
Proper soil for, 18.
=Caladiums, fancy-leaved=—
Caring for, in fall and winter, 151.
Desirable for window-boxes and for porches, 151.
Develop their colours best in the shade, 151.
Flourish in a warm atmosphere, 151.
Gorgeousness of colour and delicacy of growth, 151.
=Calceolaria=, 63, 68, 74.
Handling and raising, instructions for, 68.
Infinite variety of, 68.
One of the most easily cultivated house-plants, 68.
Varieties and easy cultivation of, 68.
=California Sunflower=, 197.
=Callus=, formation of, in cuttings, 61.
=Camphor Geraniums=, 91.
=Candidums=, 182.
=Candytuft=, 46.
=Cannas=, 4, 5, 14, 15, 18, 22, 29, 110, 121, 141, 142, 145, 147, 148,
150, 185, 187.
Allemannia, 15.
Beds of, should be lower than the lawn, 142.
Best way of handling roots, 147.
Black Beauty, 15.
Burbank, 15.
Care of, 185–187.
Chicago, 15.
Florence Vaughan, 15.
French and orchid-flowered varieties should be started in the house,
147.
Frozen portions should be removed, 185.
Grow from seeds as easily, cheaply, and as soon as from bulbs, 141.
Hints for planting and potting, 142.
Italia, 15.
Most convenient place for starting bulbs, 148.
Orchid-flowered Cannas difficult to winter, 186.
Papa, 15.
Planting in baskets, 147.
Proper soil for, 18.
Queen Charlotte, 15.
Roots to be saved should be dried in the sun, 186.
Seeds should be filed before planting, 141.
Should be wintered in a dry cellar, 186.
Storing of tubers, 186.
Suitable soil for, 142.
Time for sowing seed, 142.
Time for starting, 147.
=Canterbury-bells=, cold-frames useful to protect, 37.
=Carnation-frames=, 72.
=Carnation support=, an easily made, 72.
=Carnations=, 39, 40, 61, 70–72, 76, 205, 250.
Giant of California, 70.
Growing winter plants, 72.
How to perpetuate any variety, 71.
Keeping for winter blooming and for second year, 71.
Keeping free from insects, 72, 73.
Layerings valuable for, 61.
Marguerite, 70.
Methods employed by florists to produce long-stemmed varieties, 71.
Most easily grown of all house-plants, 70.
Planting and varieties of, 70.
=Castor-oil Bean=, 144. See Ricinus.
=Centrosema= (Butterfly Pea), 130.
Beautiful plant when in bloom, 131.
Charming vine for north or east window, 94.
Hard to propagate from seed, 130.
Slender growth but hardy, 132.
Transplanting and watering, 131.
Treatment of seeds before sowing, 130, 131.
=Chalcedonica Lychnis=, hardy white flower, 198.
=Chameleon Nasturtium=, 111.
=Charcoal for preserving Asters=, 100.
=Chicago Cannas=, 15.
=Chicken fences=, how to make, 251, 252.
=Chicken netting=, for use in the hotbed, 37.
=Chickens should not be allowed in the garden=, 251.
=Chionodoxa=, 191.
=Christ and the Apostles=. See Crinum Scabrum.
=Chrysanthemum Flowered Aster=, 99.
=Chrysanthemum lice=, remedy for, 248.
=Chrysanthemums=, 126.
Keeping free from insects, 127.
Planting out and cultivating, 126.
Potting and boxing, 127.
Treatment of branches, 126.
=Cigar-boxes=, convenient for raising fine seeds in, 48.
=Cinder walks=, construction of, 9.
=Cinerarias=, 48, 58, 62, 63, 69, 143, 208.
Care in raising in summer and winter, 69.
Colours and varieties of, 69.
Treatment of, for preserving through winter, 69, 70.
=Clara Bedman Salvia=, 121.
=Clematis= (Virgin’s Bower), 65, 137–139, 203, 252.
Caring for and protecting in winter, 138.
Cosmos borer destructive to, 247.
Flammula, 138, 198.
Jackmanni, 138.
Leaves protect roots in winter, 207.
Mrs. Edward Andre, 138.
Most expensive vines to buy, 137.
Paniculata, 138.
Planting and raising, 137.
Potting, 137.
Raising from seed cheapest way of obtaining them, 137.
Ramona, 138.
Trimming plants, 139.
=Clothing=, suitable, necessary for comfort for working in the garden,
257.
=Clover-root=, 65.
=Coal-ash walks=, construction of, 9.
=Cobæa San Salvador=, 130.
Admirable for covering old trees, 130.
Cling to stone and brick, 130.
Foliage of, 130.
Manner of growth, 130.
Starting seed, 130.
=Cobæa scandens= (Cup-and-Saucer Vine), 129.
Desirable summer vine, 129.
Height and bloom of, 129.
Position of, in the hotbed, 35.
=Coccinea Hibiscus=, 108.
=Coccinea Indica=, foliaged fancy gourd, 96.
=Coix lachryma=, 16.
=Cold-frame=, the, 37, 38.
Drainage of, in winter, 38.
For growing Gloxinias and rooting cuttings, 37.
For sowing Pansy-seed, 37.
How made, 37.
Protection of, at night, 38.
Useful to protect beds of tender perennials, 37.
=Coleus=, 4, 5, 15, 46, 58, 59, 89, 92, 142, 143, 151.
Cuttings, treatment of, 59.
Indispensable in ornamental bedding, 142.
Must not bloom, 46.
Period of germination, 143.
Pinching and watering, 143.
Raised from seed, 142.
Sensitive to cold, 143.
Suitable soil for, 143.
=Colours=, harmony of, in flowerbeds, 11.
=Columbine=, 104, 105.
Time for sowing seed, 104.
Transplanting, 104.
=Common names of flowers=, 217–233.
=Compost=, composition of fine and rough, 51.
=Compost heap=, use for, 203.
=Cope’s Favourite Ageratum=, 119.
=Corn Fodder=, winter protection for flowers, 206.
=Cosmos=, 44, 103, 203.
Cut flowers of, popularity of, 103.
Early flowering varieties only should be grown in the North, 103.
Excellent way of growing them, 104.
Fresh seed necessary every other year, 104.
How to advance their bloom, 103.
Make ideal bouquets, 103.
Popularity of, 103.
Position of, in the hotbed, 35.
=Cosmos borer=, preventive of, 247.
=Cow manure=, best for the majority of plants, 23.
=Crinums=, 155–162.
Americana, 161.
Blooming, time required for, 157.
Capense, 160.
Easily grown, 155.
Erubescens, 160.
Expensive luxuries, 159.
Fimbriatum, 161.
Grandolia or Augustum, 161.
Kirkii, 159.
Kunthianum, 159, 162.
Lack of knowledge as to habits of, by florists, 155.
Moorei, 160.
Must be protected from heavy rain, 159.
Ornatum, 159.
Pedunculatum, 161.
Potting of the dry bulbs, 156.
Root-growth of, 156.
Scabrum, 160.
Secret of culture of, 158.
Soil required for, 156.
Treatment of bulb before growth, 157.
Water, amount of, necessary, 158.
Wintering of, 159.
=Criticism=, adverse, hints about, 254.
=Crocus=, 189, 192, 193.
A pretty way to grow them, 190.
Seed formation of, 189.
=Crotons=, 39, 89, 92, 151.
Best position for, in the sandbox, 39.
=Crown Imperials=, 191.
=Cucumber=, Wild, 90–96, 132, 252.
=Cup-and-Saucer Vine=, 129.
=Cut flowers=, judgment should be used in giving away, 247.
=Cuttings=, of common house plants, directions for handling, 58.
How to save those liable to decay, 61.
Lists for selection of, 58.
=Cutworms=, destruction of, 203.
=Cyclamen=, 42, 74, 75.
Bush Hill Pioneer, cost of seed of, 42.
Protecting from moisture and repotting, 75.
Starting, raising, and setting out, 74.
Treatment of, in the spring, 75.
=Cyclamen Amaryllis=, must not be allowed to dry out entirely, 75.
=Cyperus=, or Umbrella-plant, 60, 73, 74, 168.
Growing from seed an economy, 73.
Growing in jardinières, 73.
How to sow the seeds, 73.
Raising from cuttings, 73.
Semi-aquatic qualities of, 73.
Two varieties of, 74.
=Cypripedium Acaule.= See Japanese Iris.
=Czar Peter=, blue Hyacinth, 192.
D
=Daffodils=, 256.
=Dahlias=, 27, 105, 148, 149, 186, 187, 204.
Best started in baskets of sand, 148.
Borer, how to destroy, 106.
Care and protection of, for exhibition purposes, 106.
Cosmos borer destructive to, 247.
Easily raised from seed, 105.
Easily wintered, 187.
For corsage wear, single varieties best, 106, 107.
Hints on grafting, 148, 149.
Planting the seed, 105.
Should be wintered in a dry cellar, 186.
Transplanting, and treatment after, 105.
Variety desirable for cut flowers and garden rows, 106.
Worms or beetles on, how to destroy, 106.
=Daisies=, 107.
Beds, suitable for borders of, 107.
Protection of, in winter, 107.
Rockwork, colours suitable for, 107.
Starting the seeds, 107.
=Day Lily=, 201.
=Deutzia Gracilis=, 198.
=Diagrams for planning a garden=, 11–14.
=Dog-tooth Violets=, 191.
=Dolichos=, where to place in the hotbed, 35.
=Don’ts=, a chapter of, 253–257.
=Drainage=, good, necessary for rendering soil light and sandy, 17.
=Duck mittens=, for garden work, 250.
=Dusty-miller=, border plants of, 8.
=Dwarf Bijou Begonia=, 66.
E
=Earth worms=, how to destroy, 249.
=Eastern exposure=, combination of flowers suitable for window-boxes,
92, 93.
=Edgings=, plants used for, 10.
=Egyptian Lotus=, interesting peculiarity of leaves of, 168.
Suitable for growing in small ponds, 168.
=Eight-foot flower-beds=, 16.
=Elephant’s Ears=, 149.
=Emperor and Empress Narcissus=, 191, 192.
=English names of flowers=, 217–233.
=Erfordii Begonia=, 66.
=Erianthus Ravennæ=, ornamental grass, 5, 16.
=Eschscholtzias=, as a border for Pansy-beds, 118.
=Eulalia univittata=, 5, 16.
=Evergreen Amaryllis=, 162.
F
=Farfugium=, 94.
=Feathers=, as fertiliser for shrubs and hardy perennials, 28.
=Fences=, how to make attractive, 252.
=Ferns=, 23, 88, 94, 246.
=Fertiliser for house-plants=, 215.
=Fertilisers=, 23–29.
Injurious to Begonias, 217.
Necessary for Asparagus Sprengeri, 216.
Next in importance to a good soil, 23.
=Filipendula=, herbaceous Spiræa, 197.
=Firefly Antirrhinum=, for bedding, 98.
=Flame Lily=, 183.
=Flats, or boxes=, treatment of young plants in, 50.
=Floral magazines=, helpful in many ways to the amateur gardener, 257.
=Florence Vaughan Canna=, 15.
=Florists’ sashes for hotbeds=, 32.
=Floss Flower.= See Ageratum.
=Flower-beds=, arranging and marking off, 6.
General effect of growing one kind of flower in, 10.
Instructions for laying out, 14.
Instructions for making solid beds of one flower, 53.
Water-supply for, 5.
Width of, 7.
=Flower-pots=, must not be filled to the brim with earth, 210.
=Flowering Maples=, 63.
=Flowers=, common and English names of, 217–233.
Many ways of giving pleasure with, 256.
Necessary for a twelve-foot foliage-bed, 14.
Occasionally appearing in two or more sections, 232, 233.
Selecting, for the sick-room, 256.
=Foliage-bed=, how to make a twelve-foot, 14.
Beds facing south warmer than others, 188.
Design of, 12, 13.
Ideal bed for early bulbs, 188.
Manuring and fertilising, 187.
Soil of, should have good natural drainage, 187.
=Foliage plants=, ornamental, from seed, 141–146.
=Formulas=, for Bordeaux Mixture, 249.
For house-plant fertiliser, 215.
For insecticides, 249.
For kerosene emulsion, 250.
For Paris-green solution, 250.
=Foxgloves=, in the cold-frame, 37.
=Freesia=, 40, 192, 194.
Hints on caring for and raising, 194.
=Freezing of soil in pots=, no harm to plants or bulbs, 214.
=French Lilacs=, 201.
Blooming season of, 201.
Planting of, 201.
Useful as backgrounds, 201.
=Fresh-air=, how it should be supplied, 213.
In the living room necessary to keep insects from plants, 215.
=Fritillarias=, 191.
=Frosted plants=, treatment for, 214.
=Frozen plants=, how to thaw out, 213.
How to treat, 213.
=Fuchsias=, 58, 88, 91, 93, 94.
=Fumitory=, Climbing, 129.
=Funkia= (Plantain Lily), or Day Lily, 201.
Impatient of disturbance, 201.
Needs protection in winter, 201.
Suitable soil for, 201.
G
=Garden, the location and arrangement of=, 3–16.
Beds, laying out the, 13, 14.
Best position for the garden, 3.
Fall clearing of the, 203.
Flower-beds, elevated, 5.
Flower-beds, selection of flowers for, 10.
Foliage beds for lawns, diagram of, 10, 12, 14, 15.
How to prepare the flower-garden, 8.
Lawns, arrangement of, 4.
Ornamental grasses, beds of, 16.
Ornamental plants for beds, 4.
Parti-coloured flower-beds, arrangement of, 11.
Rose-garden, design for, 12.
Scheme for permanent garden, 6.
Shrubbery, planning a, 12.
South slope, ideal situation for garden, 3.
Walks, arrangement and treatment of, 9.
=Garden Spiræa=, 197.
=Garden-walks=, marking off and measuring, 6.
=Gardener=, amateur, advice to the, 20.
=Geranium seeds=, irregularity of growth, 78.
=Geraniums=, 39, 58, 59, 62, 76–78, 89–92, 94, 192.
Bruant, 91.
Camphor, 91.
Choice varieties produced by seeds from hybridised flowers, 76.
Developing of, a fascinating study, 76.
Easy to raise, 76.
Flourish best in the sun, 211.
Hints on growing, 78.
In the sand-box, 39.
Ivy, 78.
Lady Washington, 76.
Most satisfactory for south or west window-boxes, 91.
Pelargonium, 77.
Should be grown close to glass, 77.
Souvenir de Charles Turner, 91.
When to sow seed, 76.
Zonale, 77.
=German Iris=, colour effects of, 198, 199.
=Germination of seeds=, time for, 228–232.
=Giant Cassier Pansy=, 116.
Cost of seed of, 41.
=Giant Crimson Antirrhinum=, for bedding, 98.
=Giant of California Carnation=, how to raise, pot out, and cultivate,
70.
=Giant of California Petunia=, 84.
=Giant Trimardeau Pansy=, 216.
Cost of seed of, 41.
=Giant Welshman Narcissus=, 192.
=Giant White Antirrhinum=, 91, 98.
=Giant White Comet Aster=, 99.
=Giant Yellow Antirrhinum=, for bedding, 98.
=Giant Yellow Hibiscus=, 108.
=Gladioli=, keep well in winter stored in flour-sacks, 187.
=Gladiolus=, 10, 22, 25, 152, 187.
Bulbs should be planted deeply, 152.
Childsi, 152.
Fall and winter care of, 152, 153.
Hints on planting, 152.
Improvement in culture of, 152.
Rapid increase of, 152.
Reasons for planting deeply, 152.
Require frequent cultivation, 152.
Should be planted in the full sunshine, 10.
=Gladiolus-beds=, ashes for fertilising, 25.
=Glazing and painting old window sashes for hotbeds=, 32.
=Glechoma=, suitable for the north side of house, 91, 92.
=Glory of the Snow=, 191.
=Gloves=, gardening without, ruinous to hands, 251.
=Gloxinia-cuttings=, treatment of, 60.
=Gloxinias=, 37, 39, 48, 58, 60–62, 78, 79, 151, 245, 246.
An excellent place for, 245, 246.
Caring for the bulbs, 79.
High temperature required for growing, 151.
Hints on potting, 79.
How seeds are sown, 78.
How to start the plants, 151.
In the cold-frame, 37.
Keeping soil moist, 78.
Mulch preferable to cultivation for, 79.
Must be protected from heat, cold, and draughts, 78.
Period of blooming, 79.
Potting, 78.
=Golden Glow= (Rudbeckia), hardy yellow flower, 197.
=Golden Saxatile Alyssum=, 122.
=Gourds=—
Develop rapidly after making root, 133.
Good for covering fences or unsightly buildings, 132.
Liable to cutworms, 133.
Ornamental feature of summer garden, 132.
Seed sown early in season, 132.
=Gracillima univittata Eulalia=, ornamental grass, 5.
=Grand Lilas=, blue Hyacinths, 192.
=Grass walks a nuisance to the gardener=, 9.
=Gravel walks=, construction of, 9.
=Green fly=, remedies for, 248.
=Gruss an Teplitz Rose=, 178.
=Guano as a fertiliser=, 28.
H
=Hammock=, view of the garden from the, 4.
=Hanging-baskets=—
How to water, 210.
Manettia Vine very attractive for, 136.
Plants in, require more water than those on low shelves, 214.
Should be securely hung with copper wire, 209.
Thunbergias valuable for, in winter, 136.
=Hardy perennials=, planting beds of, 10.
=Hardy plants=—
Moving and transplanting of, 196.
Setting out in Southern and Northern States, 196.
=Hardy shrubs and plants for fall planting=, 196.
=Harmonising of tints in arranging parti-coloured beds=, 11.
=Heeling-in=, definition of, 190.
=Heliotropes=, 11, 39, 59, 80, 81, 88, 89, 91, 93, 117.
Care of, when grown as house-plants, 81.
Channels should be opened in roots of, to allow water to pass in,
210.
Combined with Ageratum, effect of, 81.
Desirable bedding plants, 81.
Lemoine’s seedlings exceptionally large and early, 80.
More easily raised from seed than from cuttings, 80.
Proper time for sowing the seed, 80.
Secret of successful growing, 80.
Should be in front of the sandbox, 39.
=Hen manure suitable for cold soils=, 23.
=Hepaticas=, 256.
=Hibiscus= (Marshmallow), 11, 46, 58, 103, 107–109, 203.
Africanus, hardy annual, 108.
An herbaceous perennial, 108.
Beds of, 11.
Blooms freely if not allowed to seed, 46.
Chinese, 58.
Coccinea, a tender perennial, 108.
Cultivation of, 107, 108.
Do not bear transplanting well, 108.
Flowers the first season if started early, 108.
Giant Yellow, partially hardy, 108.
Increase in size yearly, 109.
Principal varieties of, 107.
Should be potted very hard, 58.
Six-year clumps superb, 109.
Supports for, 109.
Time for planting, 108.
=Hickory tussock-moth=, destroying cocoons of, 204.
=Hints on planting and transplanting=, 54–56.
=Hints on potting=, 57, 58.
=Hints on shifting plants=, 57.
=Hollyhocks=, 11, 46, 109, 110, 203.
Allegheny, hardy variety, 110.
Attacks of insects on, 110.
Beds of, 11.
Planting, 109.
Require hilling up in winter, 110.
Seed of, 46.
Sowing the seed, 109.
Suitable for effective grouping, 109.
=Honeysuckle=, 61, 252.
Layering valuable for, 61.
=Hoof-parings=, good for the perennial flower-bed, 28.
=Horse manure=, good in clayey soil, 23.
=Horsfieldi Narcissus=, 191, 192.
=House-plant raising a most fascinating work=, 62.
=House-plants=, a good fertiliser for, 215.
Care of, in winter, 208–216.
Cuttings of, easily rooted, 50.
Directions for handling, 58.
From seeds, 62–87.
=Hotbed=, the, 30–37.
A cheap way of making a, 32.
Best position for, 31.
Care and attention of, 36.
Chicken netting for use as screens in the, 37.
Construction of pit of, 32.
How to construct a, 31–34.
Screens for, 36.
Treatment of plants in the, 33, 34.
=Hotbeds=, airing and protecting, 253.
=Hotbed-sashes=, cost of, 31.
Proper size of, 31.
=Hot-water bath=, gives better results than insecticides, 250.
=Hyacinths=, 38, 170, 188, 189, 192.
Alba superbissima, 192.
Baroness Van Thuyl, 192.
Czar Peter, 192.
Grand Lilas, 192.
Hints on selecting, 192.
Ida, 192.
La Grandesse, 192.
Norma gigantea, 192.
Planting, distance apart for, 188.
Roi des Belges, 192.
Should be planted alone, 188.
Treatment of, and potting in the fall, 192, 193.
Use of cold-frame for, 38.
Varieties of, 192.
Wood, 191.
=Hyacinths=, Water, 170.
Novelty of, 170.
Nuisance of, in Florida rivers, 170.
Paris green must not be used in water, 170.
Roots increase rapidly, 170.
=Hypericum Moserianum=, 197.
I
=Iceland Poppies=, 118.
=Ida, yellow Hyacinth=, 192.
=Impatiens sultana=, 58.
=Indian Shot=, 141.
=Insecticides=, 246–252.
=Insects in the Rosebud=, remedies for, 177.
=Instructions for raising seeds and young plants in flats or boxes=,
50.
=Iris=, 23, 166, 197.
Care required in raising various kinds of, 197.
Should be divided every three or four years, 199.
Transplanting of, 196.
Valuable for borders on drives and walks, 198.
See, also, Japanese Iris.
=Italia Cannas=, 15.
=Ivy=, use of, for covering and protecting walls in England, 128.
=Ivy Geraniums=, extra care required to keep low and stocky, 78.
J
=Jackmanni Clematis=, 138.
=Japan Lilies=, beds of, 11.
=Japanese Hop=—
Deserves to be extensively grown, 133.
Female plant only bears seed, 133.
Foliage very showy and effective, 133.
Pays well for care in cultivation, 133.
Requires an elastic support, 134.
=Japanese Iris=, best place for setting out, 10.
Has no insect pest, 199.
Moles have a liking for roots of, 199.
Wonderful colours and size of, 199.
=Japanese Morning-glory=, 91, 134.
Grown in pots by Japanese, 134.
Hints how to raise successfully, 134, 135.
Requires support, 135.
Should be started in house or hotbed, 134.
=Japanese Tassel Aster=, 99.
=June and July=, shrubs and plants that bloom in, 237, 239, 240.
=June Roses subject to insects=, 176.
=Justicia=, 93.
K
=Kaiserin Augusta Victoria Rose=, 178.
=Kerosene emulsion=, 250.
=Kilmarnock Willow=, 140.
=Krameri Lily=, 182.
L
=Lady-slipper.= See Balsams.
=Lady Washington Geranium=, 76.
=La Grandesse Hyacinth=, 192.
=Lantanas=, 42, 46, 81–83, 92.
Description of, 81.
Make fine hedgerows, 83.
May seed freely, 46.
Not a desirable plant for the house, 82.
Starting the seed, 82.
Treatment of, in raising, 82.
Weeping Lantanas, 81, 83.
Will bloom freely in the house, 83.
=Larkspur=, excellent for rear beds, 11.
=Lavender=, 11.
=Lawn=, a neglected, amount of labour involved in a, 6.
=Layering=, a form of rooting cuttings, 61.
=Laying out flower-beds=, 13, 14.
=Leaf-mould=, composition of, 18.
For flower-garden, 7.
For use in boxes, 48.
How to make, 21.
Where found, 18.
=Leaves=, an excellent protection to plants in the winter, 205.
=Lilies=, 9, 11, 12, 168, 179–184, 204.
Auratum Lily bulbs, 180.
Best time for planting, 183.
Day, 201.
Flame, 183.
Funkia, 201.
General treatment of all kinds of, 182.
Hardy, planting of, 183.
How Japanese protect their plants, 180.
Ideal spot for, 12.
Injured by exposure to air and thawings, 180, 181.
Japanese, 181, 182.
Krameri, 182.
Left to themselves, growth of, 183.
Longiflorum, 182.
Plantain, 201.
Washingtonianum, 182.
=Lilium album=, description of, 181.
=Lilium auratum=, 180.
=Lilium Brownii=, 182.
=Lilium candidum=, 180.
Must be planted early, 180.
Soil required for, 180.
=Lilium giganteum=, the most wonderful and tallest variety of Lily,
182.
=Lilium rubrum=, most easily grown, 181.
=Lilium speciosum=, exceeding beauty of, 181.
=Lily-bed=, the hardy, 179–184.
As a garden investment, 179.
Building the bed, 180.
Fibrous-rooted plants, hardy shrubs, and perennials give best
results, 179.
Selecting a site for, 180.
=Lily, Pond=—
Process of germination of, 169.
Sowing the seed of, 169.
=Lily-pond=—
Cementing a pond, 166, 167.
Constructing a, 165.
Diverting a small stream for a, 166.
How to keep clear and sweet, 172.
Objections raised to, 171.
Renewing water in, 165.
Zinc tubs for small water-ponds, 167.
=Liquid manure=, how to prepare, 26, 27.
How to use, 28.
=Little Dorrit Ageratum=, 102.
=Loam=, the best garden soil, 17.
=Longiflorum Lily=, 182.
=Lotus=, 168.
=Lotus Peliorhynchus=, 92.
=Lychnis=, herbaceous perennials, 198.
Semperflorens plenissima, 198.
=Lychnis Chalcedonica=, 198.
M
=Madame Gunther Nasturtium=, 111.
=Manettia Vine=, 93, 136.
Blooms more freely when pot-bound, 137.
Daily watering required, 136.
Satisfactory for winter blooming, 136.
Time for repotting, 137.
=Manure=, preparation of, for the garden, 24.
Proper use of, in the hotbed, 32.
=Manure-barrel=, how to handle, 26, 27.
=Manure-water=, how to prepare, 25, 26.
=Manures=, cow, horse, hen, and sheep, 23.
Quantity necessary for use, 29.
=Maples=, flowering, 63.
=Marguerite Carnations=, best for outdoor blooming, 70.
=Marshmallow.= See Hibiscus.
=Maurandya=, 46, 90, 91, 93, 135, 246.
A beautiful vine for window-boxes, 90.
Height of plant and colours of flowers, 135.
Requires no special treatment, 135.
Seed of, gathered without harm to vine, 46.
Suitable for trellises, window-boxes, and vases, 135.
Time for sowing seed, 135.
=May=, trees, shrubs, and plants that bloom in, 235, 236.
=Mealy bug=, remedy for the, on house-plants, 248.
=Metake Bambusa=, 171.
=Milk-and-Wine Lily=, 161.
See also Crinum fimbriatum.
=Miranda Petunia=, 84.
=Mixed seeds=, variety of, 62.
=Moisture-loving plants=, best place for setting out, 10.
=Moles=, liking of, for roots of Japanese Iris, 199.
Netting and traps for, 199.
=Monkshood=, 11, 46, 122.
Excellent for rear beds, 11.
=Montbretias=—
Desirable for cut flowers, 153.
Keep well through winter in flour sacks, 187.
May be grown in corners of flower-bed, 153.
Multiply rapidly, 153.
Resemble Gladioli in flower and foliage, 153.
=Moonlight Nasturtium=, 111.
=Morning-Glories=, 42, 44, 46, 91, 94, 252, 256.
Reaching the roof by strings, 94.
Require little root room, 94.
Seed of, 46.
See also Japanese Morning-Glories.
=Mountain Fringe=, 129.
=Mrs. Edward Andre Clematis=, 138.
=Mrs. Robert Perry Rose=, 178.
=Muck or peat=, preparation of, 18, 19.
=Myosotis=, 119.
N
=Narcissi=, 38, 188, 191, 192.
Alba plena, 119.
All species are hardy, 191.
Emperor and Empress, 191, 192.
Giant Welshman, 192.
Horsfieldi, 191, 192.
Odoratus, 191.
Paper white, 192.
Planting of various varieties of, 190.
Poeticus, 191.
Treatment of, and potting in the fall, 192, 193.
Trumpet varieties of, 192.
Use of cold-frame for, 38.
Varieties of, 191, 192.
Von Sion, 191, 192.
=Nasturtiums=, 15, 45, 92, 94, 96, 110, 111, 252.
Chameleon, new variety, 111.
Dwarf varieties very attractive for Canna-beds, 110.
Flourish well in elevated beds, 111.
Grown on strings and trellises, 111.
Madame Gunther, mixed variety, 111.
Make excellent edges for beds, 15.
Moonlight, pale cream variety, 111.
Require abundant root room, 94.
Saving seed of, 45.
Sunlight, new variety, 111.
Tall varieties make effective beds, 111.
Trailers, not climbers, 111.
Will not bloom well in shade, 110.
=Nicotianas=, how to sow, 35.
=Nine-foot flower-beds=, 15.
=Niobe Antirrhinum=, for bedding, 98.
=Norma gigantea Hyacinth=, 192.
=Northern exposure=, combination of flowers suitable for window-boxes,
93, 94.
=Nymphæas=, 168–170.
Hardy, for planting in soil of Lily-pond, 168.
Varieties of, suitable for amateur cultivation, 169.
O
=Odds and ends=, chapter of, 245–252.
=Odoratus Narcissus=, 191.
=Orchid-flowered Cannas=, treatment of, in winter, 186.
=Oriental Poppies=, 118.
=Ornamental foliage plants=, beds of, 4.
From seeds, 141–146.
=Ornamental grasses=, 5.
Nine-foot bed of, 16.
On lawns recommended, 16.
=Ornithogalum arabicum=, 192.
Requires high temperature, 194.
=Ostrich Feather Aster=, 99.
=Otaheite Orange=, 58.
=Oxalis, Summer-blooming=—
Advantage of precocity of growth, 154.
Bermuda, 195.
Desirable for borders, 154.
Extensively grown in parks and public gardens, 154.
Good substitute for other plants that have failed to come up, 154.
Hints on raising, 195.
How to buy and set, 154.
Most easily raised of all bulbous plants, 154.
Rapid growth of, 154.
P
=Pæonia.= See Peony.
=Pansies=, 10, 18, 23, 25, 34, 37, 41, 44, 53, 67, 81, 84, 85, 112–118,
205, 206, 253.
Aurora, 116.
Best place for planting, 10.
Cold weather, care of, during, 112, 113.
Daily care of, 253.
Fungoid disease and mildew, remedy for, 115.
Germination, period of, 112.
Giant Cassier, 116.
Giant Trimardeau, 216.
How to carry Pansy bed through winter, 116, 117.
How to raise sturdy plants, 112.
In the cold-frame, 37.
Planting, best place for, 115.
Seeds, fresh, every year for best varieties, 116.
Snow Queen, 116.
Soot as a fertiliser for, 25.
Sowing in cold-frame or hotbed, 112.
Special mixtures of seeds, 116.
Spring, treatment of roots in the, 113.
Time for sowing seed, 112.
Transplanting, 113.
Watering beds of, 114.
=Pansy-bed=, the, 112–119.
Proper soil for, 18.
=Pansy-seed=—
Should be grown by a specialist, 44.
The best is the cheapest, 41.
=Papa Canna=, 15.
=Paper White Narcissus=, 192.
=Paris green=, 100, 170, 172, 177, 247, 249.
=Paris green solution=, 250.
=Parti-coloured beds of flowers=, arrangement of, 11.
=Pelargonium Geraniums=—
Cuttings of, for new plants, 77.
Time for blooming, 77.
Very satisfactory when raised from seed, 77.
=Pennisetum Ruppellianum=, 16.
=Peonies=, 9, 11, 179, 200, 201, 204, 206.
Best soil and location for, 200.
Raised beds of, 11.
=Peony Aster=, 99.
=Peony-beds=, should be heavily mulched with manure in the fall, 201.
=Perennial-beds=, must be well rounded up, 204.
=Perennials=, benefited by removal of withered flowers, 46.
Hardy, grouping of, in flowerbeds, 10.
=Perfection Aster=, 99.
=Perpetuals=, hardy, 176.
=Petunias=, 9, 35, 42, 45, 58, 83–85, 93, 96, 117.
Bloom freely in the house, 85.
Burpee’s Defiance, 84.
Double variety more suitable for pots, vases, and bedding out, 84.
Giant of California, 84.
Growing plants of, from seed, 45.
How to distinguish the finer varieties, 85.
How to sow seed of, 35.
Improvement in growth of, the last few years, 83.
Instructions for raising, 84.
Miranda, 84.
Poor or inferior plants should be removed, 85.
Potting and caring for, 85.
Young plants require great care, 84.
=Phacelia=, 96.
=Phlox Drummondi=, 11, 16, 42, 91, 96, 119.
Beds of, 11.
Border of dwarf variety, 119.
Germination of seed, 119.
=Phlox subulata=, border plants of, 8.
=Pinks=, grow best from self-sown seed, 45.
=Plant enemies=, increase of, 246, 247.
=Plant growing=, failures in, 58.
=Plant lice=, or green fly, remedies for, 248.
=Plantain Lily=, 201.
=Planting seed=, 34–36.
=Plants=—
Blooming season of various, 234–244.
For winter blooming should not be exposed to chilly nights, 208.
How to treat when frozen, 213.
Learning to keep, 254.
Method of shifting and bedding out, 51.
Need room to develop, 253.
No more should be raised than there is room for, 253.
Proper breathing of, 211.
Protecting from cold and sun, 204, 205.
Protection for tall ones, 206.
Received by mail, treatment of, before being put in window-boxes, 95.
Saving seed and giving away cuttings, 254.
Should have room to breathe and grow, 208.
Sudden change of temperature should be avoided, 212.
Support should be given to such as need it, 212.
Transplantation of, in the fall, 196.
Treatment of, for winter blooming, 51.
Wintering of, 196.
=Poa=, an edible food of the Sandwich Islands, 149.
=Pond Lily=, 169.
=Poeticus Narcissus=, 191.
=Poeticus ornatus Narcissus=, 191.
=Polyanthus=, 191.
=Poppies=, 44, 117–119, 170.
Hunnemannia fumariæfolia, 118.
Iceland, 118.
Oriental, 118.
Shirley, 117.
Should not be grown too closely, 118.
Value of seed from, 44.
=Poppies, Water=, 170, 171.
Attractiveness of, 171.
=Poppy-seed=, sowing in the Pansy-bed, 117.
=Porches=, Thunbergias valuable for covering foundations of, 136.
=Pot-bound plants=, how to remove, 57.
=Potting=, hints on, 57, 58.
=Potting-soil=, always keep ready for use, 40.
How to obtain, 21.
=Primroses=, 63, 86, 87, 246.
Blooming time, 86.
General treatment of, 86.
Potting, 86.
Primula obconica grown in shallow dishes, 87.
Raising from seed, 87.
Receptacles for, 86.
Repeated shifting aids blooming, 86.
Root room necessary, 86.
=Primula obconica=, 87.
=Primulas=, 48, 58.
=Princess Caroline Ageratum=, 101, 102.
Q
=Queen Charlotte Cannas=, 15.
=Queen of the North Antirrhinum=, 98.
R
=Radicans Bignonia=, 139, 140.
=Ragged Robin= (Viscaria), red, scented flower, 198.
=Ramona Clematis=, 138.
=Red Spider=, remedy for, 248.
=Repotting=, meaning of term, 56.
=Repotting house-plants in summer=, 40.
=Rex Begonia=, 66.
=Rhododendrons=, protection of, in Northern winters, 206.
=Ricinus= (Castor-oil Plant), 4, 5, 14, 15, 18, 29, 35, 46, 121, 144,
150, 200.
Beds of, 5.
Good background for low shrubs, 144.
In flower-beds, 14, 15.
Most tropical looking plant in cultivation, 144.
Position of, in the hotbed, 35.
Proper soil for, 18.
Seed of, 46.
Seeds should be started in house pots, 144.
Soil must be heavily manured and well watered, 144.
Transplanting, 144.
Zanzibar varieties best, 144.
=Rockwork=, Thunbergias valuable for covering, 136.
=Roi des Belges=, a red Hyacinth, 192.
=Rose=, the, need of constant care of, 247.
=Rose-bed=, care of the Summer, 173–178.
Choice of plants for the, 178.
Cutting and pruning, 175, 176.
Hardy Perpetuals, caring for, 176.
Insect enemies of Roses, 176, 177.
Manuring, 175.
Planting the bed, 175.
Soil suitable for, 175.
Sunny, protected situation necessary, 175.
Treatment of Roses that refuse to bloom, 176.
=Rose-bug=, destruction of, 249.
=Rose-bugs and beetles=, remedy for, 177.
=Rose Campion= (Lychnis), herbaceous perennial, 198.
=Rose-cuttings=, handling of, 59.
=Rose-garden=, design for, 12, 13.
=Rose-hopper or thrips=, on Rose leaves, remedy for, 177, 248.
=Rose of Sharon= (Althea)—
Method of blooming, 202.
Winter care of young and old trees, 202.
=Rose-slugs=, how to get rid of, 177, 248.
=Rose, June=, 173, 174.
Cultivation and pruning of, 173, 174.
Hardy climbers, treatment of, 174.
Insects, a pest to, 176.
Labor of caring for, objectionable to some, 173.
Mulching in the fall, 174.
New wood should be encouraged, 174.
Thorniness of, 173.
Winter protection of, 174.
=Rose, Tea=, 174, 175.
Excellent for summer Rose-bed, 174.
Insects, generally free from, 176.
Mildew, how to avoid and remedy for, 177.
Potting, 175.
Transplanting into open ground, 175.
=Roses=, 3, 17, 18, 23, 25, 27, 37, 39, 58, 59, 61, 173–178, 252.
American Beauty, 178.
Bride, 178.
Climbing, winter protection of, 204.
Gruss an Teplitz, 178.
Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, 178.
Kept in house in winter, how to keep free from pests and insects,
178.
Mrs. Robert Perry, 178.
North winds disastrous to, 3.
Proper soil for, 17.
Soot a good fertiliser for, 25.
Virginia R. Coxe, 178.
=Rubber gloves for garden work=, 250.
=Rubber-plants=, rooting and care of, 60.
=Rubber sprinklers=, indispensable for watering hanging-baskets, 214.
=Rudbeckia=, 197.
=Ruffled Giant Petunia=, 84.
S
=S. A. Nutt Geranium=, for south and west window-boxes, 91.
=St. John’s Wort= (Hypericum Moserianum), a perennial, 197.
=Salt pork=, for keeping moles from Iris roots, 200.
=Salvia= (Flowering Sage), 5, 14, 15, 18, 29, 46, 120.
Bonfire, 121.
Clara Bedman, 121.
Desirable for bedding purposes, 120.
Do well in partial shade, 120.
Most congenial soil, 120.
Root readily in wet sand, 121.
Scarlet, 14, 15.
Seed germination, 121.
Splendens, 5, 121.
Subject to red spider in the house, 120.
When to start seed, 120.
White-flowered variety, 121.
=Salvia patens=, 121.
Seldom seen in gardens, 122.
Wonderful blue shade of, 122.
=Salvias=—
Proper soil for, 18.
Seed freely, 46.
=San Salvador Cobæa=, 130.
=Sand=, white or grey, best for potting, 21.
=Sand-box=, the, 38–40.
A fascinating spot, 39.
How to make one, 38.
Summer storage of plants in, 38.
=Saxatile, golden=, 122.
Desirable for edging or rockwork, 122.
=Scilla=, 189, 190, 192, 193.
=Scillas and Crocuses=—
A pretty way to grow, 190.
Beds of, 189.
Lengthening of flower-stems, 190.
Protection of, 189.
=Screens for the hotbed=, 36.
=Scythe-boxes make good window-boxes=, 94.
=Seed=, various annuals from, 98–111.
=Seedlings=, blossom in the natural course, 62.
=Seed-planting=, 34–36.
=Seeds=, coarse varieties, how to sow, 49.
Fine varieties should be sown broadcast, 49.
House treatment of some fine varieties, 48.
Labelling and storing, 47.
Need little light while germinating, 49.
Protection of, in their early stages, 30.
Purchasing of, 41–47.
Should be gathered when ripe, 47.
Starting in flats, 48–52.
Temperature and period of germination, 32.
Time for germination of, 228–232.
Uselessness of buying cheap varieties of, 42.
Vitality of some kinds of, 42.
What kinds to save, 43, 44.
Where to buy, 42.
Where to plant coarse, 35.
=September=, shrubs, plants, and bulbs that bloom during, 242, 243.
=Setaria magna=, 16.
=Shade-loving plants=, an excellent place for, 245, 246.
=Sheep manure=, desirable for house-plants, 23.
=Shell Flowers=, 153.
=Shelves for flowers in winter=, 208.
Should be securely fastened, 209.
=Shelter=, proper, for flowers, 3.
“=Shifting=,” meaning of term, 56.
=Shirley Poppies in the Pansy-bed=, 117.
=Shrubbery=, planning a, 12.
=Shrubs=, blooming season of, 234–244.
Spring-planted, should be moved when dormant, 196, 197.
=Shrubs and plants=, hardy, for fall planting, 196.
=Sir Watkin Narcissus=, or Giant Welshman, 191, 192.
=Skirts=, suitable, for working in the garden, 257.
=Slop-water should not be used for foliage plants=, 27.
=Snapdragon.= See Antirrhinums.
=Snow Queen Pansy=, 116.
Cost of seed of, 42.
=Snowdrops=, a pretty way to grow, 190, 191.
=Soapsuds a good fertiliser=, 27.
=Sod=, preparing garden, 8.
=Sod borders=, involve too much care in flower-beds, 9.
=Soil=, preparation of, for the flower-garden, 7.
Replacing, difficulties of, 20.
Unsuitable, cause of many failures in raising plants, 19.
=Soils=, 17–22.
=Solanum Jasminoides=, 93.
=Soot as a fertiliser for flowers=, 25.
=South slope=, the ideal situation for a garden, 3.
=Southern exposure=, combination of flowers suitable for window-boxes,
91, 92.
=Souvenir de Charles Turner Geranium=, 91.
=Spade=, results secured by use of, in making flower-beds, 7.
=Spading flower-beds=, 8.
=Speciosum Lilies=, exceeding beauty of, 181.
=Speciosum roseum Lily=, 181.
=Speciosum rubrum Lily=, 181.
=Sphagnum moss=, for wrapping Rubber-plants’ roots in, 60.
=Spiræa filipendula=, 198.
=Spiræa Japonica=, 198.
=Spiræas=—
Anthony Waterer, 197.
Desirable for fall or spring planting, 196.
Filipendula, 197.
Garden, 197.
Mealy bug on, 248.
Van de Houttei, 197.
=Spring=, treatment of roots and seeds in the, 113, 196.
=Spring-planted shrubs=, 196.
=Stakes for house-plants=, 40.
=Stocking window-boxes=, 95.
=Subsoil=, removing for flowerbeds, 7.
=Sulpho-tobacco soap=, a remedy for plant lice, 248.
=Sulphur=, for mildew on Pansies, 115.
Flower of, for dusting over rose-leaves to prevent mildew, 177.
=Summer=, shrubs, plants and vines that bloom all the, 243, 244.
=Sunflower=, California, 197.
=Sunlight Nasturtium=, 111.
=Sun-loving plants=, care of, 211.
=Supports for window-boxes=, how to make, 94, 95.
=Surface-soil=, treatment of, for flower-beds, 7.
=Swanley Blue Ageratum=, 102.
=Sweet Alyssum=, 5, 9, 14, 46, 96, 121, 122.
Little Gem, edging for flowerbeds, 5, 14.
Sows its own seed, 46.
=Sweet-peas=, 46, 122–124, 252, 253.
Bewildering variety of, 124.
Culture of, 122.
Daily care of, 253.
Habit of climbing, 123.
Must not be permitted to seed, 46.
Planting, 122.
Sowing seed of, best time for, 122.
Watering, method of, 123.
Wire supports necessary for growth, 123.
T
=Tea-roses=, 37.
Freer from insects than June Roses, 176.
In the cold-frame, 37.
=Temperature=, a sudden change of, should be avoided with flowers, 212.
=Thawing out frozen plants=, 213.
=Thermometer=, necessary for the hotbed, 35.
=Thunbergia= (Black-eyed Susan), 46, 47, 90, 92, 93, 136.
Admirable for basket or bracket plants in winter, 136.
Grow freely from seed, 136.
Red spider attacks, 136.
Requires sunny situation, 136.
Seed may be gathered from, 46.
Valuable for covering low trellises, 136.
=Tigridias=, beautiful in colour, 153.
Ephemeral flowers of, 153.
Peculiar leaf of, 153, 154.
Potting and bedding out, 153.
=Tobacco=, use of, for killing plant-lice, 248.
=Tom Thumb Ageratum=, desirable for edgings, 101.
=Tools necessary for the successful gardener=, 245.
=Top-soil=, removal of, in making flower-beds, 7.
=Transplanting=, instructions for, 54.
Seedlings, 50.
The proper time for, 54.
=Transplanting and repotting=, 53.
=Trailing Fuchsia=, 91.
=Trapping moles in Iris-beds=, 200.
=Trees=, blooming season of, 234–244.
=Trellises=, Thunbergias valuable for covering, 136.
=Trumpet Vine=, 139.
=Tuberoses=, do well in Gladiola-bed, 164.
Double Pearl, blooms but once, 163, 164.
Must be started in a warm place, 163.
Plenty of water required, 163.
Potting, 163.
=Tulips=, 188, 189, 193.
Neglected beds of, 189.
Planting, distance and depth for, 188.
Plants of same height and season should be set together, 189.
Storing away, 189.
=Twelve-foot flower-beds=, 14, 15.
U
=Umbrella-plants=, 60, 73, 74, 168.
How to start root, 60.
=Unsuitable soil=, cause of many failures in raising plants, 19.
=Urns=, Thunbergias valuable for, 136.
V
=Van Houttei=, white Spiræa, 197.
=Verbenas=, 44, 45, 92, 96, 124–127.
Colours should be kept separate, 124.
Enjoy rockwork, 125.
Thrive in any good soil, 125.
Treatment of seed before planting, 124.
=Vernon Begonia=, 66.
=Vincas= (Periwinkles), 15, 16, 46, 94, 125.
As border for Canna-bed, 125.
Bloom more freely if not allowed to seed, 46.
Foliage and flowers, colour and texture of, 125.
Moisture, fair amount of, necessary, 126.
White-flowered, 15, 16.
Worthy extensive cultivation, 125.
=Vines=, 128–140.
Prejudice against, 128.
Time for planting, 53.
Training of, over sides of the sand-box, 39.
Walls indestructible when covered with, 128.
=Violets=, 23, 37.
Dog-tooth, 191.
Protection of cold-frame for, 37, 38.
=Virginia Creeper=, 128.
=Virginia R. Coxe Rose=, 178.
=Virgin’s Bower=, 137.
=Viscaria= (Ragged Robin), a scented garden flower, 198.
=Von Sion Narcissus=, 191, 192.
=Vulcan Begonia=, 66.
W
=Walks=, garden, construction of, 9.
=Washingtonianum Lily=, 182.
=Water gardens=, 104.
=Water Hyacinths=, 170.
=Water=, standing, injures roots of all plants, 204.
=Water-supply for elevated bed=, 5.
=Watering seeds in flats=, 50.
=Watering soil in boxes=, 49.
=Watering-pot=, should not be used in sowing seed, 36.
=Weeping Lantana=, 81, 83.
See, also, Lantana.
=White=, the most valuable colour in the garden, 11.
=Wild Cucumber=, 90, 91, 93, 96, 132, 252.
A beautiful background for Geraniums in the window-box, 90.
=Willow, Kilmarnock=, 140.
=Window-boxes, inside=, best support for, 94.
Cheap and available boxes, 95, 96.
Combination of plants suitable for a southern exposure, 91, 92;
for eastern exposure, 92, 93;
for northern exposure, 93, 94.
Economical arrangement of, 96.
Geraniums best for south or west boxes, 91.
How to care for and raise flowers in, 97.
Longevity of, 96.
Plants in, require watering every day, 253.
Preserving during winter, 95.
Quantity of plants necessary for, 89, 90.
Stocking, 95.
Two boxes necessary for the season, 90.
=Window-boxes, outside=, 88–97.
Add to cheerfulness of rooms, 88.
Plants best suited to the light should be selected for, 88.
Proper construction of, 89.
Suitable plants for, 88.
Supply of water necessary, 89.
=Window-sashes=, old, for use in making hotbeds, 32.
=Winter Aconite=, 191.
=Winter=, care of old and young trees in the, 202.
=Winter protection of flowers and shrubs=, 203–207.
=Wire netting=, judicious use of, in the flower garden, 251.
For Moles, 199.
=Wood Hyacinths=, 191.
=Wooden frames=, best results from, as winter protectors, 203.
=Work-table=, indispensable in cultivating a garden, 39.
=Worthless seeds=, 42.
Z
=Zanzibar varieties of Ricinus=, best for cultivation, 144.
=Zonale Geraniums=, time for blooming, 77.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE COUNTRY HOME LIBRARY
_VOL. I_
_The Country Home_
_VOL. II_
_The Orchard and Fruit
Garden_
_VOL. III_
_The Flower Garden_
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_By E. P. Powell. Vol. 1_
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By Edward W. Townsend
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LEES AND LEAVEN
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TRUE LOVE
A Comedy of the Affections
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heroines of romance, but commonplace persons with commonplace tricks and
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sense of romance in them, but weave their commonplace doings into a
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Transcriber’s note:
1. Moved advertisement from second page to just after the Index.
2. Silently corrected typographical errors.
3. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.
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