Plants for Garden and Home

GUIDE TO THE USE OF ANNUALS, PERENNIALS, BULBS -
Victor H. Ries

THE desire for color in the garden is best satisfied by the liberal use of annuals', perennials and bulbs in variety. All three classes of plants have their place, because each has its value as to season of bloom, height or mass of color.

Succession of bloom from early spring to late fall is the goal of nearly every gardener. To achieve this consider first that very few hardy flowers have an in­dividual blooming period of more than two or three weeks. Even annuals bloom only during the summer. Therefore, even for a small garden, one may have to select several dozen different kinds of plants' to assure bloom from March to killing frost.

Your climate will determine how early in the spring and how late in the fall you can have flowers. An added factor is the location of your garden. Low spots in valleys often suffer more from frosts than those at slightly higher elevation, or on hillsides. This is usually due to lack of air drainage to carry the cold air away. Those near large bodies of water, such as lakes and the ocean, may have a later spring but a longer growing season in the fall than those but a few miles away. Very hot summer climates, especially where the nights are hot, limit the kinds of flowers that may be grown. This ap­plies to hardy flowers as well as annuals. Basic to all successful gardening is good soil and good soil preparation. For guid­ance on this, turn to page 55.

Planning! the Flower Garden

The skillful gardener employs numerous devices to achieve a colorful flower bed or border. For example, by planting spring flowering bulbs between and beneath other flowers, each square foot of ground should give at least two crops of bloom. Conversely, after spring bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips, are through blooming, they may be interplanted with annuals for summer bloom. As summer blooming annuals go by in September, they can be followed by chrysanthemum clumps transplanted from another part of the garden. An orderly plan, made in advance, will simplify the task of keeping the show going from season to season.

The kinds of flowers you grow will be determined in a measure by the amount of sunlight available. This will vary from bed to bed, from one side of the house to the other. Most flowers will thrive in full sun but a few require shade. Others are shade tolerant, though doing better with a greater amount of sunlight. So it is possible to have flowers in the shade of trees, shrubs and buildings even where no direct sunlight reaches. Such plants as ferns, many wild flowers, and begonias have to be protected from the summer sun, for otherwise they may sun-scorch.

When making a plan, it is important to know how tall each kind of flower grows so as not to plant tall growing ones in front of low ones. The habit of growth should be known too, so as not to crowd massive clumps like peonies next to smaller, weaker growers such as peachleaf bellflowers; or sprawling coreopsis next to a low, tufted Japanese primrose. Very

Clumps of perennials are the backbone of this border; annuals fill spaces between them

rank growers like the plume poppy and spreading Chinese lantern are really best kept out of beds with other flowers al­together.

Much has been said and written about planning color schemes in the garden. They are fascinating to think about, but often difficult to work out. Do not be disconcerted if the results are not as ex­pected. Flowers have an irritating way of not blooming just when they should, so that carefully planned combinations may not materialize. Colors vary too. Blues in catalogs are not always your idea of blue. This goes for lavender, purple, red, pink, orange, yellow and so on through the rainbow. In any case, there is enough green foliage to subdue impossible color combinations.

Some people like to have their flowers in the front of the house where they can be seen. Others prefer to enjoy them in privacy. It is well to remember that in early spring and fall the weather may not be conducive to outdoor enjoyment. Plant so that cold weather bloom may be en­joyed from the warmth and comfort of the home, using the windows as a means of access to the garden. Flowers can also be planted so as to be seen from the patio or picnic area. In every instance, a garden with a pleasing pattern or design and an adequate background is more satisfying than one without.

The voice of experience is most helpful in planning a garden. Sources of help are garden clubs and friends and neigh­bors who may have had more garden ex­perience. Much can be learned from visiting other gardens at home and on trips, nurseries, botanic gardens, arbore-tums and well-landscaped parks. All this will add to your knowledge of plants and how they grow.

Annual Flowers Have Many Uses

In spite of the great variety of annual flowers listed in catalogs, relatively few are grown in gardens. This is unfortunate because they are a great source of sum­mer and early fall color in the garden. Most of them are easy to grow from seed, and are not expensive when purchased as plants. They all bloom the first season or they could not be called annuals. A num­ber will self-sow and come up year after year. No other type of flower gives so much bloom for so long a period during hot summer months.

Some annuals must be started early to bloom by early summer, such as vinca, verbena, hunnemannia, lobelia, scarlet sage. A few do not bloom until later in the summer no matter how early they are started, such as China aster and cosmos. A few will not bloom during very hot weather, notably calendula, stocks, sal-piglossis, nemesia and nemophila.Most annuals are free of common pests. However, it will pay to plant only rust-resistant snapdragons and wilt-resistant asters. When a bed is used year after year, root rots may be prevalent as indi­cated by the plants wilting and dying. When this happens, try a new bed and avoid the other for annuals for several years.

There is a tendency on the part of many gardeners to set out annuals too early in the spring. Except for those that are called hardy, better wait until all danger of frost is past. Even if there is no frost, cold weather will stunt the seedlings.

Growing your own plants indoors usu­ally results in weak, spindly seedlings because of high temperatures and lack of sunlight. Try growing them outdoors in a coldframe. The plants will be sturdier and will transplant better.

Cleome, or spider flower, grows 3 to 4 feet high and lias either pink or white flowers. This annual is easily grown from seed, is valuable for mass planting in large borders

Genereux

This effective group of annuals is pleasing One can fill borders with colorful, sum-because large masses of each kind are used mer-flowering annuals at little expense Petunias make good edging plants along Wherever new "foundation plantings" are walk! drives, are fine in window boxes too of small shrubs, annuals make quick fillers

Roche

Roche Annuals soften the hard lines of the brick curbing that edges the flower border Annual Flowers for Special Uses
Annuals for Cut Flowers Annual chrysanthemum Larkspur Salpiglossis Ageratum Lupine Seabiosa Browallia Marigold Snapdragon Calendula Matricaria Stock China aster Mignonette Sunflower Cosmos Nasturtium Sweet pea Calliopsis Phlox Sweet sultan Gaillardia Pinks Thrift Laceflower Zinnia Annuals to Dry for Winter Arrangements Cockscomb Globe amaranth Honesty Everlastings (Acroclinium, Grasses Strawflower Rhodanthe) Thrift Annuals with Fragrant Flowers Ageratum Pansy Sweet alyssum Heliotrope Phlox Sweet peas Mignonette Pinks Sweet sultan Nasturtium Seabiosa Verbena Nicotiana affinis Stock Virginian stock Annuals for Partial Shade Candytuft Larkspur Petunia Clarkia Lupine Tasselflower Cornflower Nicotiana Sweet alyssuin Godetia Pansy Verbena Low-Growing Annuals Ageratum, dwarf Marigold, dwarf Portulaea Calliopsis, dwarf Nasturtium Sanvitalia Candytuft Pansy Snapdragon, dwarf Flax Petunia Sweet alyssum Gypsophila Phlox Verbena Lobelia Zinnia, dwarf Annuals Difficult to Transplant—Best Sown Where They Are to Bloom California poppy Larkspur Portulaea Evening primrose Love-in-a-mist Scarlet runner bean Godetia Lupine Sweet pea Gypsophila Mignonette Tree-mallow (Lavatera) Laceflower Nasturtium Virginian stock  Poppy Annuals Blooming After First Frost Calendula Salvia Stock Petunia Sweet alyssum Annual Vines for Shade and Privacy Cardinal-climber Hyacinth bean Blue, Pearly Gates) Cypress-vine Moonflower Scarlet runner bean Gourds Morning-glory (Heavenly (edible) Annuals With Long Season of Bloom Ageratum Marigold Sweet alyssum Browallia Nicotiana Thrift Calendula (if summer is Petunia Verbena cool) Pinks Vinca Gaillardia Snapdragon Zinnia   Spiderflower May Be Fall-sown or They May Self-sow Ageratum Four-o'clock Pricklepoppy (Bartonia) Amaranthus Larkspur Salvia farinacea Balsam Morning-glory Snapdragon Browallia Nieotiana Snow-on-the-mountain Calendula Nigella Spiderflower California poppy Perilla Summer-cypress Calliopsis Petunia, small-flowered Sunflower Cornflower Poppy Sweet alyssum Cosmos Portulaea Wild cucumber

Waterlily tulip blooms in early spring Roch Lilium formosanum is summer-flowering

WAYS TO USE BULBS

MOST flowering bulbs are perennials that some up year after year. A few, not being hardy, must be taken up and stored away from the cold over winter. Some of these tender bulbs are most desirable for summer bloom. They give effects not obtainable from other plants.

The bulk of the spring-flowering hardy bulbs must be fall-planted before the ground freezes. A few of the smaller ones, such as winter aconite, anemone, and some squills, should be planted as early as possible before they dry out and become worthless—by late September or early October. Lilies dry out easily, too, and should be planted as soon as they are received.

Although planting depths are given for all kinds of bulbs, it is more impor­tant to have good top soil beneath the bulb where the roots grow than to set the bulb at exactly the correct depth. Places where bulbs may be used in the average garden are limitless. Some kinds, such as crocus and scillas, may be tucked in any place where they can grow and will not interfere with mowing. Others, like daffodils, can be put under ground covers, such as periwinkle, around the bases of trees, and in front of and in between shrubs and evergreens. Most bulbs are suited to planting all through any and all flower beds and borders. The little bulbs are fine in the wild garden, around a pool, and in the rock or wall garden. Bulbs will even bloom in planter boxes.

Once planted, leave the bulbs alone as they continue to bloom regularly. This will vary with the place and the kind of bulb, from several years to as many as ten or more. Daffodils can keep it up for a quarter of a century at least.

Bulb foliage is sometimes unattractive after bloom. Tulips can be cut back to

McFarland
Golden-yellow crocus clustered beneath the branches of evergreens make a pretty picture
Showiest of all tulips are the late double varieties, such as white Mt. Tacoma
Gottseho-Schleisner

Genereux Clusters of spring-flowering
bulbs are interplanted here
between hardy perennials

the bottom three leaves, and daffodils can be cut back half way without ap­parently affecting the next year's bloom. In small plantings, some prefer to braid daffodil foliage or tie it in a knot, to make it less floppy, so that other flowers can be planted in between. Still others dig their tulips after blooming and heel them in to mature and cure in some other bed. This is a lot of work and may harm the bulbs if not carefully done.

It is amazing how long a period of bloom is possible from spring-flowering bulbs if they are selected with this in mind. For instance, daffo­dils can be in bloom for five to six weeks by the use of early, midseason and late varieties. Tulips, by the use of species, double and single early, May - flowering and double late varieties, give us as much as two months of bloom. Starting with winter aconites and snowdrops, using all the other spring bulbs, then including a collection of lilies, one can have bloom until Septem­ber. Using gladiolus planted every two weeks from March to early July, tuberous begonias, dahlias, hardy amaryllis and tigridia, there would be bloom from this

The largest size crocus bulbs are the best buy because each bulb pro­duces a large cluster of flowers the first year Watson from Monkmeyer

SURFACE OF GROUND

This chart shows how deep, and how far apart, various kinds of bulbs should be planted

group alone from early July to frost. It is all in the planning, always keeping in mind the goal of succession of bloom.

Contrary to many of the recommenda­tions commonly given, bulbs may be fertilized with commercial fertilizers' just the same as everything else in the garden. It is not necessary to use bonemeal.

With but few exceptions, such as dahlias and gladiolus, most bulbs may be planted in shaded areas and still flower, although the competition of tree roots will retard their growth slightly. A few, such as tuberous begonias, fancy leaf caladiums and achimenes, must have some protection from the hot summer sun in most climates.

Moles are often accused of eating bulbs, but they are carnivorous, not vegetarians. It is mice that use the mole burrows that eat bulbs. Mouse traps baited with peanut butter are a sure cure. Chipmunks are a pest, for they eat and carry away many small bulbs such as crocus, as will be discovered when these bulbs come up in the lawn or other beds where chipmunks have buried them. For control, try rat poison on peanut butter, put in their burrows or under a few slabs of wood where the birds cannot get at it.

Plant begonia tubers with concave side up

New growth starts where dahlia roots join stem. When dividing clumps, a piece of stem must go with each root

COMBINING BULBS WITH PERENNIALS FOR SUCCESSION OF BLOOM
 
Many gardeners strive to have a garden that is bright with flowers from spring to fall, but very few ever succeed in making such a garden. Part of the reason for this is lack of space to grow enough plants to put on a real show. More often, not enough thought has gone into selecting plants which will provide an uninter­rupted flow of bloom.

In many instances, one could use no more than seven or eight basic kinds of hardy flowers, such as daffodils, tulips, iris, peonies, phlox, daylilies, hardy asters and chrysanthemums, and then, by select­ing varieties within each group: which flower at different times, have seven months of bloom from them alone. Bulb and nursery catalogues generally have the season of bloom of each variety or type of flower.

As a basic guide, the following list is offered. Included are hardy and tender bulbs, perennials, annuals and even a few native plants suitable for growing in gardens.

First Flowers of Spring
Crocus, especially C. susianus, tomasinianus, sieberi
Early Spring
Crocus
Daffodils (mid-season)
Grape hyacinths
Glory-of-the-snow
Daffodils, as February Gold
Hardy candytuft
Hyacinth
Lungwort
Pasque-flower
PrimroseLenten-rose Snowdrop Winter aconite
Rockcress, both Aiabis
and Aubrieta
Tulips (early, double early
and Kaufmanniana
hybrids)
Late Spring
Bleeding-heart
Columbine
Daffodils (late varieties)
Daylilies, lemon, Dr.
Regel, dumortieri,
middendorfi
Early Summer
Anchusa
Balloon-flower
Coreopsis
Daylilies
Delphinium
Mid-Summer
Butterfly-weed Cardinal-flower Daylilies Evening primrose
Iris
Japanese primrose
Leopardbane
Meadow-rue
Squills
Foxglove Gaillardia Gas-plant Hollyhock
Flowering spurge
Lilies (Hanson, Aurelian
and Preston hybrids,
Gold banded)
Sweet rocket Painted daisy Peony
Tulip (May-flower: n§ double late)
Lilies, Olympic ard Mid-century hybrids; Madonna
Peachleaf bellflower
Shasta daisy
Phlox, Miss Lingard Stokes aster
Most annuals, as riari-golds, zinnias, petunias
Late Summer
Cardinal-flower Chrysanthemums (early
varieties and cushions) False dragonhead, Vivid Dwarf bleeding-heart
Early Autumn
Chrysanthemum Closed gentian Hardy asters Hardy begonia
Late Autumn
Aster tataricus Coreopsis
Fall and Winter Christmas-rose
Joe-pye-weed
Lilies (Henry, speciosum,
formosanum) Pink turtlehead Plaintain-lilies
Japanese anemone Lily, formosanum Plumbago Purple coneflower
Gaillardia
Wilson monkshood
Showy stonecrop
Stokes aster
Annuals, including asters,
cosmos, castor bean,
hunnemannia
Salvia azurea
Most annuals until frost Gladiolus, late June planted
Dahlias until frost
Annuals, as sweet alyssum, petunias, calendula, snapdragons
USES OF SPECIAL-PURPOSE PLANTS
American bellflower Bergamot
Cardinal-flower Cinnamon fern
For Poorly Drained Locations
False dragonhead Marsh marigold
Forget-me-not Royal fern
Globeflower Sneezeweed
Loosestrife (Lyrhrum) Turtlehead
Aster
Babysbreath
Chrysanthemum
Columbine
Coreopsis
Good as Cut Flowers
Delphinium
False dragonhead
Gaillardia
Iris
Japanese anemone
Monkshood
Painted daisy Shasta daisy Stokes aster Sunflower Torch-lily
Bergamot Bleeding-heart Christmas-rose Columbine
Plants That Endure Shade
Foxglove Meadowrue
Japanese anemone Plaintain-lily
Lenten-rose Purple coneflower
Lily-of-the-valley Virginia bluebell
Lungwort
Perennials Likely to Become Pests by Spreading
Buttercup
Daylilies, Hemerocallis
fulva and var. Kwanso
from roadsides Garden heliotrope
(valerian)
Lily-of-the-valley Loosestrife (Lysimachia) Mistflower (hardy
ageratum) Plume-poppy
Sunflowers (Helianthus)
Giant knotweed
(incorrectly called hardy bamboo)
Some stonecrops
Aster
Bouncing Bet (Saponaria)
Butterfly-weed
For Dry or Poor Soil
Daylily
False chamomile
(Anthemis)
Flowering spurge
Gaillardia
Thrift
Perennials With Fragrant Flowers
Grass pinks Jupiters beard
(Centranthus)
Lemon daylily Lily-of-the-valley Plantain-lily (Hosta)
Tufted pansy Valerian
For Ground Covers and Grass Substitutes
Bugle (Ajuga) English ivy Japanese spurge
(P achy sanãra)
Maiden pink Moss pink
Periwinkle (Vine a) Serbian bellflower
Sweet woodruff
Foliage Other Than Green (may be gray)
Hosta sieboläi Lavender Nepeta
Plume poppy
Rue
Snow-in-summer
Stachys lanata
Thyme
Veronica incana Wormwood
SELECTING FLOWERS BY COLOR
For a White Garden (select white varieties)
Perennials Annuals
Bellflower Iris China asters Pansy-
Candytuft Lilies Cornflower Petunia
Chrysanthemum Phlox Cosmos Phlox
Columbine Plaintain-lilies Dahlias Salvia
Coneflower Shasta daisy Geraniums Snapdragons
Daffodils Squills Gladiolus Verbena
Delphinium Tulips Impatiens sultana Vinca
Larkspur Zinnia
Yellow Flowers
Perennials Annuals
Achillea Globeflower Calendula Hollyhock
Alyssum Goldenrod California poppy Hunnemannia
Buttercup Iris Calliopsis Marigold
Chamomile Helianthus Cockscomb Monkey flower
Columbine Heliopsis Coneflower Nasturtium
Coreopsis Leopardbane Gaillardia Pansy
Daylilies Sneezeweed Pricklepoppy
Evening primrose Stonecrop
Blue or Purple Flowers
Perennials Annuals
Baptisia Greek valerian Ageratum Cupilower
Bellflower Iris Anchusa Forget-me-not
Bugloss Mistflower Browallia Laceflower
Centaurea Phlox Candytuft Lobelia
Delphinium Plumbago China aster Pansy
Forget-me-not Speedwell Chinese forget-me Petunia
not Salvia
Cornflower
Pink or Red Flowers
Perennials Annuals
Aster Iris Ageratum Larkspur
Chrysanthemum Jupiter's beard Amaranthus Periwinkle
Columbine Lenten-rose Balsam Marigold
Coneflower Maltese cross Candytuft Nasturtium
Coralbell Pinks China aster Nicotiana
Daylilies` Primrose Clarkia Petunia
Delphinium Sweet rocket Cockscomb Phlox
Foxglove Torch-lily Cornflower Poppy
Hollyhock Turtlehead Cosmos Salvia
Flax Sweet alyssum
Four o'clock Stock
Godetia Zinnia

Mixed perennial borders are always popular because they contain so many kinds of flowers. The beds in this garden are laid out in a quadrangular pattern
Gottscho-Schleisner

PLAN FOR PLANTING PERENNIAL BORDER

A selected list, chosen to give all-season bloom in an overall space of about 10 by 20 feet

Continuous Bloom, April to October

Plants listed approximately in the order of blooming.
Number Height
on Plan Plant in Feet Color Other Features
11 golden-tuft, or gold-dust 2/3 to 1 golden soft yellow in var.
 (Alyssum saxatile) luteum
2 delphinium 4 to 6 mostly blue pink or white
6 Siberian iris (Iris sibirica l½ to 3½ lilac, wine, sometimes white
 purple
10 sweet William (Dianthus 1 to 2½ red-and- sometimes double
barbatus) white, pink,
 purple, white
3 daylily (Hemerocallis) 1 to 4 yellow, red, large flowers
pink, etc.
1 rose Paul's Scarlet up to 12 scarlet large flowers
 Climber
9 hardy phlox 2 to 5 white, pink blue, red
12 dropwort (Filipendula 2 to 3 white has fern-like leaves
 hexapetala)
13 Shasta daisy (Chrysan- 1 to 3 white large blooms
 themum maximum)
7 mistflower Eupatorium 1 to 3 blue flowers like
 coelestinum) ageratum
4 Japanese anemone (Anem- 1 to 3 white, pink flowers good
 one japonica) for cutting
5 hardy aster variety 1 to 5 white, red, crimson and
 (Aster) blue, purple autumn tints
8 chrysanthemum 1 to 4 white, red, make fine clumps
pink

A GUIDE TO CHOOSING HOME GARDEN FRUIT

MANY of us look forward to the time when we can grow our own fruit. If sufficient space is available and we are willing to give the trees and bushes the proper care, this is practical. But all too often they are not given the necessary pest control care and the fruit produced is diseased or wormy.

However, by growing our own it is possible to enjoy varieties which are of better quality than many that are grown commercially and none can compare in flavor with tree-ripened fruit.

Peaches are desirable because we may plant varieties not grown commer­cially, especially the white-fleshed kinds. White varieties, in order of season of ripening, are Erly-Red-Fre, Cumberland, Belle of Georgia. Yellows are Jersey-land, Redhaven, Golden Jubilee, Trio-gem, Fairhaven, Sunhigh, Halehaven, Redskin, After Glow, Lizzie.

Plums (tree-ripened fruit) are difficult to buy at stores. Those that will set fruit with their own pollen are Stanley, Shropshire damson, French damson. Those that must be pollinated by another variety are Bradshaw, Imperial Epin-euse, Italian prune and Reine Claude. The Japanese varieties are more difficult to grow in many localities.

Sour cherries are easy to grow but sweet cherries need another tree to polli­nate them. And with all cherries the birds are a problem if you have only a tree or two.

Apples and pears become large trees unless dwarfs are planted. Contrary to many advertisements, only apples and pears are available as satisfactory dwarf trees. Fireblight disease is a problem that as yet is difficult to control, particu­larly in pears. Better check with your agricultural experiment station to find out what varieties, if any, are practical for your locality—and for the space you wish to give them.

Strawberries are probably the most practical fruit for home gardens. As with all fruit, a sunny location is needed. And it must be very well drained. Since a bed goes down in yield after a couple of years, a new one should be started from runners the second season. June bearing varieties will yield better than ever-bearers, and many of them have better quality. The better June varieties are Armore, Fairland, Sparkle, Plentiful, Pocahontas, Catskill, Vermilion. For everbearers try Brilliant, Gem and Super-fection.

Blueberries are worth trying if your soil is acid or if you can keep it acidified. The plants are decorative as shrubs and have lovely fall color. But the catalogs fail to say that every bird in the locality will stop by to eat the blueberries unless

A corner of a fruit garden in which rasp­berries are trained to posts behind the blue­berries, and strawberries are grown as "hills" (runners clipped off) to the right

How to Grow Strawberries

First Improve the Soil With Humus

A thick layer of com­post, dug deeply into the bed before planting, will improve the fertility and drainage of the soil, making it ideal for strawberries they are covered with netting. By plant­ing early, midseason and late varieties, fruit will be abundant over a period of more than a month. The improved varieties include June, Stanley, Jersey, Earliblue, Bluecrop, Herbert, Dixi, Co-ville and Blueray. Try growing blue­berries in the shrub border as you would azaleas.

Currants are practical if you like them. Usually only two or three bushes are needed. The same is true of goose­berries. The latter are very spiny. These fruits should not be grown within a quar­ter mile of white pines which are the alternate host of the blister rust disease.

Red raspberries are wonderful if only healthy stock is planted. Once a patch is started and the old wood cut out every year, it will last for years. Black rasp­berries take more room and, because of their tip layering, need more attention. Good red varieties are Taylor, Latham and Milton. Everbearing reds are Dur­ham and September. Black varieties are Logan, Bristol, Cumberland.

Purple raspberries must be planted several hundred feet away from the red to prevent the spread of disease. Purple varieties, are Sodus, Marion, Hedrick, Eldorado and Bailey.

Boysenberries, loganberries and simi­lar types are not as hardy as other berries. They are long-caned and awk­ward plants, sometimes trained on a trellis the same as grapes.

Grapes are an old standby in home gardens. For ease of pruning it is much better to train them on a three-wire fence than on an arbor. Then instead of cutting every branch back to one or two buds each spring, all the new branches except one are cut off. Unless you prune grapes severely you will not get the yield you expect. Varieties in order of ripening are: Interlaken Seedless, Erie, Ontario, VanBuren, Captivator, Niagara, Fredonia, Brighton, Concord, Delaware, Seneca, Golden Muscat and Catawba. These will ripen from late August to mid-October.

The great problem with apples, plums, peaches, grapes and to a lesser extent other fruits is following an adequate dusting or spraying schedule. Most kinds need a minimum of three or four treat­ments, and more in the case of apples. The timing of sprays is most important. Since this varies from region to region it is well to ask your own agricultural experiment station for a spray schedule. Sometimes it is easier and quicker for the home gardener to dust rather than spray. It may not be quite as effective, but is much easier to do.

Setting Out the Plants

Rows are close spaced in this bed (12 inches apart) because runners will be kept cut off. Set plants with the crown at soil level

Remove the First Blossoms

Blossom clusters are re­moved the first spring so that all the strength goes toward developing strong plants which will bear heavily in the fol­lowing spring

Gantner

The First Harvest

By keeping the straw­berry bed mulched with straw, salt hay, or sim­ilar material, weeds are kept down, soil moisture is retained, and the fruit is clean

Watson from Monkmeyer

Gottscho-Schleìsner A scarecrow may not keep birds away, but it adds a touch of humor to the vegetable garden
How to get quality produce from the

HOME VEGETABLE GARDEN

THE prime object in growing your own vegetables is to have a continu­ing supply of fresh, succulent crops just when you want them, and to enjoy the kinds of vegetables having superior qual­ity which may not be purchased locally. To achieve this end, several points of culture are important. First of all, vege­tables need full sun at least half the day, preferably all day. Better than average soil is necessary to produce certain vege­tables, such as root crops and salad plants. An abundance of organic matter in the soil improves the quality of carrots, beets, radishes and other root crops. For this reason, the more rotted leaves, sawdust, manure or other organic matter mixed with the soil, the better. The soil is im­proved further by sowing winter rye in early September to dig under in the spring. Fertilizer, such as that used on the lawn, is needed at least once a month during the growing season.

Rainfall is seldom sufficient, so some provision should be made to irrigate. A hand-held hose is a waste of time when applying one inch of water a week—the average required amount. Use some type of a sprinkler, and set a tin can on the ground to measure the amount of water being applied.

Cultivation is only necessary to control weeds and keep the soil surface broken to take in rain. Other than this, cultiva­tion is nothing more than exercise for the gardener. It does not conserve moisture, as old timers still believe. Very often mulching such crops as tomatoes im­proves growth, reduces labor, and keeps the fruit clean.

Always work out a plan on paper be­fore sowing a single seed. Most folks

Singer

It's good to try different kinds of vegetables each year. Kohlrabi (above left) develops best when sown in early spring or after mid­summer. Harvest while the skin is still ten­der. Cook the stem tubers like turnips
Top right. Savoy cabbage has better flavor and texture than other kinds. Heads can be gathered as soon as they are solid, but har­vesting can last for many weeks from even one short row

Bottom right. Butternut squash is small sized, has thick meaty neck, small seed cav­ity. It's delicious when split open, baked with butter and seasoning. Squash is botanically a fruit, even though referred to as a vegetable
Gottscho-Schleìsner

plant far more radishes, lettuce, beans and other vegetables than the whole neigh­borhood can use. It is better to make fre­quent plantings and only a little each time of vegetables that soon go past their best eating stage. Try sowing just a few feet of row of each one at a time. Try differ­ent varieties to add to the fun.

Some crops that should be sown at fre­quent intervals are corn, radishes, lettuce, beans, and peas. Plant extra rows of the vegetables being grown for quick freezing. Summer sowing for fall harvesting pays with endive, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, beets, radishes, spinach and others.

Always be ready to plant a new crop to replace the one harvested. In this way

it is possible to get at least two and some­times three crops from the same land. Some crops require the entire season to grow, such as parsnips, salsify, sweet potatoes, squash, melons, peppers, Brus­sels sprouts. Very often a row of radishes or Bibb lettuce may be grown in between the rows of the slower growing, long season crops. Through advance planning, we can get full value from a plot of land. The varieties used are important be­cause some have better eating qualities than others. For instance, why grow green beans with strings when the better vari­eties have none. The following varieties are recommended for home gardens large­ly because they are superior in quality and not difficult to grow.

Selected Varieties of Vegetables for Home Gardens
Note: Varieties marked with a (*) are suitable for freezing as well as for immediate use.
Asparagus—Mary Washington, or other Washington strains
Beans, bush, green—Black Valentine, Tender Pod*, Improved Tendergreen*·, Bounti­ful, Topcrop*, Pearlgreen, Wade, Contender
Beans, bush, wax—Cherokee, Surecrop, Kinghorn Wax*, Eastern Butterwax*, Top Notch Golden Wax, Brittle Wax, Pencil Pod Wax*
Beans, pole, green—Kentucky Wonder*, Blue Lake, Alabama No. 1
Beans, pole, wax—Burpee Golden, Kentucky Wonder Wax
Beans, bush, lima—Fordhook 242*, Baby Fordhook, Henderson* (Cangreen, Thoro-green), Triumph, Thaxter*
Beans, pole, lima—Ideal, King of the Garden, Burpee's Big*, Caroline or Sieva*
Beans, green, shell—Dwarf Horticultural*, King Horticultural
Beans, dry or navy—Michelite (white navy), Red Kidney
Beets, early—Ruby Queen, Red Ball, Early Wonder, Crosby's Egyptian
Beets, midseason and storage—Detroit Dark Red*, Perfected Detroit, Winter-keeper (Long Season)
Broccoli—Green Mountain*, Green Bud*, De Cicco, Calabrese*, Waltham 29
Brussels Sprouts—Jade Cross, Long Island Improved, Catskill
Cabbage, early—Golden Acre Resistant, Jersey Wakefleld, Globe (yellows resistant), Marion Market, Badger Market, Red Acre
Cabbage, late—Penn State Ballhead, Wisconsin Hollander, Wisconsin All Seasons, Flat Dutch, Mammoth Red Rock
Cabbage, Savoy—Vanguard II, Chieftain Savoy, Perfection Drumhead
Chinese Cabbage—Michihli, Nagoa Hybrid
Carrots—Nantes*, Royal Chantenay*, Danvers, Imperator, Gold Pak, Tendersweet
Cauliflower—Snowcap*, Snowball Imperial*, Ideal, Early Purplehead*
Celery, early—Golden Self-blanching, Michigan Golden, Cornell 19
Celery, late—Summer Pascal, Giant Pascal, Utah 52-70, Fordhook, Greenlight
Chard, Swiss—Lucullus, Fordhook, Rhubarb (red)
Collards—Georgia, Vates
Corn, sweet, early—North Star, Marcross, Spancross, Northern Belle, Golden Beauty
Corn, sweet, midseason—Bouquet*, Barbecue, Golden Bantam, Golden Cross Bantam Gold Cup*
Corn, sweet, late—Ioana, Iochief *, Surecross, Honeycross, Aristo-gold Bantam Ever­green
Corn, sweet, white—Burpee's White Evergreen, Illinois #14x11, Country Gentleman
Cucumber, slicing—Sensation Hybrid, Marketer, Burpee Hybrid, Mandarin, Smoothie
Cucumber, pickling—National Pickling, Ohio MR-17, Wisconsin SMR 15, Chicago Westerfield
Eggplant—Black Beauty, New Hampshire Hybrid, Burpee Hybrid, Black Magic Hybrid
Endive—Full Heart (broad-leaved) Batavian, Green Curled, Deep Heart
Kale—Dwarf Blue (Vates), Dwarf Green, Dwarf Siberian
Kohlrabi—Early White Vienna, Early Purple Vienna
Lettuce, leaf—Salad Bowl, Oak Leaf, Slobolt, Grand Rapids, Ruby (red), Black-seeded Simpson
Lettuce, crisp-head—Imperial 44, Great Lakes, Cornell (Imperial) 456 MT., Iceberg,
Pennlake
Lettuce, butterhead—White Boston, Bibb, Burpeeana, Sweetheart
Lettuce, Romaine or Cos—Paris White, Parris Island
Muskmelon—Delicious 51, Harvest Queen, Hearts of Gold, Honey Rock, Iroquois,
Milwaukee Market, Pennsweet
Mustard—Tendergreen, Green Wave, Fordhook Fancy
Okra—Clemson Spineless, Emerald, Dwarf Green Long Pod
Onion seed—Elite, Autumn Spice, Southport Yellow Globe, Ebenezer, Red Wethers-fleld, Southport Red Globe, Sweet Spanish, White Portugal
Onion plants—Sweet Spanish
Onion sets—Ebenezer, yellow, white, red
Parsley—Paramount, Champion Moss Curled
Parsnip—All American, Hollow Crown, Model
Peas—Alaska, World's Record (Gradus), Freezonian·, Little Marvel*, Premium Gem (Nott's Excelsior), Thomas Laxton·, Wando*, Lincoln*
Pepper, sweet—Calwonder, Allbig·, Ruby King, Worldbeater, Sunnybrook, Yolo Won­der, Burpee's Early Pimento*, Oshkosh (yellow), Keystone Resistant Giant, Penn Wonder
Pepper, hot—Hungarian Wax, Hot Portugal, Long Red Cayenne, Red Chili
Popcorn—Burpee's Peppy Hybrid, Illinois Hulless, White Cloud, Golden Pearl
Potatoes—Irish Cobbler, Cerokee, Chippewa, Katahdin, Red Pontiae
Pumpkins—Small Sugar, Young's Beauty, Connecticut Field
Radish, springs—Cherry Belle, Comet, Cavalier, Sparkler, Early Scarlet Globe, Champ­ion, Red Prince, Icicle (white), Burpee White
Radish, winter—Black Spanish, long or round, Chinese Mammoth or Celestial, Rose or Scarlet China
Rhubarb (roots)-—MacDonald*, Valentine*. Victoria*, Canada Red*
Rutabaga—Purple Top Yellow, Laurentian, Alta Sweet, Macomber (white)
Salsify—Mammoth Sandwich Island
Spinach—America, Bloomsdale Long Standing, Badger Savoy, Viking*
Squash, summer—Zucchini, Cocozelle, Yellow Crookneck, Yellow Straightneck, White Bush Scallop
Squash, winter—Table Queen, Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup*, Delicious*, Blue Hubbard
Sweet Potato (soft-fleshed)—Porto Rico, Nancy Hall, Georgia Bunch, Nemagold, Red Gold
Sweet Potato (firm fleshed)—Yellow Jersey, Maryland Golden
Tomato, early—Break o' Day, Big Early, Valiant, Pritchard, Moreton Hybrid, Fireball
Tomato, mid-season, late—Marglobe, Big Boy, Rutgers, Longred, Glamour, Manalucie, Beefsteak, Oxheart, Wiltmaster
Tomato, yellow—Sunray, Golden Jubilee
Turnip—Purple-top White Globe, Just Right
Turnip, greens—Just Right, Shogoin
Watermelon—Sugar Baby, New Hampshire Midget, Dixie Queen, Kleckley's Sweet (large melon), Rhode Island Red

1. Radishes, followed by bush lima
   beans—succession cropping. ……..
2. New Zealand spinach—all the season. ………….._
3. Spinach, followed by peppers and eggplant— uccession
   cropping. ……………………………………………………...
4. Spinach, companion crop with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. ……..
5. Onion sets, followed by tomatoes—companion cropping. ………………………….
6. Lettuce, companion crop with tomatoes and with broccoli in row 7. ......................................
   Rows 18 inches apart.
   VEGETABLE GARDEN PLAN
   A 20- by 40-foot plot, planned for companion cropping and succession cropping, to get the maximum harvest from a small area
   The rest of the rows, not shown in the photograph above, were planted thus:

7. Broccoli—all the season.
8. Peas, dwarf, early.
9. Cabbage, late.
10. Peas, dwarf, midseason.
11. Celery, all the season.
12. Cabbage, early, followed by beets.
13. Kohlrabi, followed by carrots.
14. Onion sets, followed by carrots.

15 and 16. Onions from seeds, all season. 17 and 18. Beets, followed by bush beans. 19. Swiss chard and salsify, each half of
the row, all the season.
20 and 21. Bush beans, followed by beets.
22 and 23. Carrots, followed by spinach. 24 and 25. Parsnips, half of each row, all the season. The other half of the two rows occupied by three rhubarb plants (3 feet apart)—perennial.

This is a plan that has proved success­ful; but certain substitutions may be made, to suit individual tastes. Radishes, spinach, lettuce, and onion sets, all very short-season crops, are interchangeable in succession and companion cropping. Whenever possible, root crops are followed by top crops in succession crop­ping, and top crops by root crops. More tomatoes may be planted instead of egg­plant and peppers—and so on.

Vegetable Pest Control

Aphids, on cabbage, melons, tomatoes, broccoli: nicotine spray or malathion or phosdrin.

Cabbage worms, on cabbage, broccoli: phosdrin or thuricide (Bacillus Thuringiensis).

Cutworms, on tomato seedlings: paper collars around stems, extending 2 inches below soil surface, or aldrin.

Flea beetles, on cabbage, peppers, to­matoes : rotenone spray, dust, DDT, Sevin.

Maggots, on cabbage, onions: trans­plant water treatment containing dieldrin for cabbage, treat soil with dieldrin or chlordane or heptachlor.

Mexican bean beetles, on beans: ro­tenone spray or dust, or methoxychlor, on both sides of leaves.

Squash borers, on squash: slit stem, kill borers, mound soil over wound, or apply rotenone or methoxychlor.

Singer

When in full bloom, nothing is quite so impressive as a broad border of iris combined with perennials which flower at the same time

GARDEN IRIS

Clara May Frederick

EVERY gardener has definite likes and dislikes which are taken into consider­ation when planning the garden. Regard­less of this, the first thing to decide, when selecting iris, is the way they are to be used. In other words, are they intended for exhibition, landscaping effect, color at a particular time, or perhaps to create a special garden picture?

Iris of all kinds are most effective when grown in clumps. Usually it takes at least three roots or rhizomes to make an effec­tive clump. Spaced a foot apart, they will make a colorful clump the first year, or by spacing them 2 feet apart, an effec­tive clump will result by the second year after planting.
When many varieties are needed to fill a given space, the cost of obtaining enough plants to make an immediate show might be prohibitive. In this case, choose the better kinds, plant them for whatever color you can get at first, and by the third year the clumps will be ready for dividing and replanting. Then, there will be enough divisions from each original plant to make a big clump of each one.

Most iris troubles are the result of im­proper culture. First of all, iris needs good drainage, and even though a few types, such as the Japanese, can be grown near water, they should still be planted on elevated soil well above the water line. Tall bearded iris, particularly, rot in perpetu­ally moist soil.
Iris require full sunlight, too, to make the best growth, sturdy stalks, and dis­ease-free rhizomes. Crowding other plants around the base of iris encourages dis­eases and iris borer.

Overfeeding produces soft growth which is very susceptible to root rots. It is safer

McFarland

1. Above left. Dwarf iris are the earliest
2. Above right. Intermediate type comes next.

CONTINUOUS BLOOM

to add humus and plant food to the soil before planting, which is done usually from July to September. Then only light feeding early each succeeding spring is necessary.

The spring clean-up of last year's old foliage will go a long way toward con­trolling diseases and pests. Since this refuse carries disease spores and insect eggs, burn it or otherwise remove it from the garden.

Iris borer spray, containing DDT, is

Vanderwerth from Monkmeyer

How to Divide Iris
Above. Dig an old clump, when it is through blooming, and wash all soil from all of the roots

Left. Out off strong new rhizomes, remove dead leaves, and re­plant divisions in groups, spacing them 10 inches apart

Roche

FROM IRIS

available from garden stores or at least from specialty iris growers. However, any garden spray containing DDT and also a fungicide, such as ferbam or captan, could be used for both pests and diseases. However, other than controlling borers with DDT, which should be applied at weekly intervals from the time growth

McFarland

3. Above left. Truly Yours, a tall bearded kind
4. Above right. Siberians follow bearded iris

starts in spring to flowering, taking pre­ventive measures by giving the plants good growing conditions is more effective than treatments. At any rate, if plants do become infected, dig out diseased roots, cut away spotted leaves and if the plants still are not healthy, move them to a better location.

5. Spuria varieties make excellent clumps, are good cut flowers, and extend the season

Genereux

6. Japanese varieties are the last to bloom. They do well in an average garden soil
Corliss

Gottscho-Schleìsner

Iris cristata makes low, spreading clumps of lovely lavender flowers in spring

Guide to Better Iris

The following lists of iris may help in choosing just the variety to fulfill a particular need. All the varieties listed are moderately priced, the majority being available from growers for less than $3.00.

Dwarf Iris

Dwarf iris are between 4 and 15 inches tall and bloom about a month before the tall bearded kinds. After they become established, they often are a mound of color, with flowers completely hiding the foliage. A selection of good varieties follows:

Ablaze, yellow standards, red falls
Atroviolacea, 6 in., red-violet
Beauty Spot, plum-purple
Bright Spot, white, red-violet blaze on fall
Cherry Spot, 7 in., white reddish falls,
white beard
Dreamchild, light lavender blend
Fairy Flax, 11 in., clear, true blue, white
Beard
First Call, 10 in., pale cream and lilac Inchalong, 4 in., pale lemon-yellow Keepsake, 12 in., clean, bright yellow Little Elsa, 10 in., lemon-yellow
Mist-O-Pink, 8 in., grayish rosy shade Sky Patch, 4 in., blue
Stint, 4 in., very dark purple, blue beard Tampa, 14 in., red-violet
The Bride, 6 in., white

Intermediate Iris

Intermediates bloom after the dwarfs and before the tails, with blooms nearly as large as the tails. They range in height from 15 to 24 inches. The following varieties may bloom in the fall as well as in the spring.
Autumn King, blue-purple Autumn Haze, soft lavender Autumn Queen, white Bountiful Blue

Eleanor Roosevelt, true purple Gibson Girl, really a re-blooming tall bearded variety, light yellow with pli-cata stitching of red-violet
Golden Cataract, good yellow

Table Iris

Table iris are excellent cut flowers (hence the name) growing on fairly tall, willowy steins. The flowers are small and more delicate than the tall bearded, although they have the same form and bloom at the same time as the tails.

Chewink, 24 in., light blue, yellow beard Daystar, white, with bright orange beard Gay Hussar, 28 in., lemon and oxblood-red Pewee, 18 in., pure cool white Siskin, 22 in., yellow
Two for Tea, orchid pink

Siberian Iris

Siberian iris bloom after tall bearded, lengthening the season. They are excellent for arrangements, being very similar to the florist's iris in form. They are very reliable bloomers, making large clumps, but do not need dividing as often as many other types.

Caesar's Brother, 30 in., dark blue-violet Eric the Red, wine-red Perry's Blue, 40 in., sky-blue Snowcrest, 35 in., white, yellow beard Tycoon, the largest of the Siberians, dark purple

Spuria Iris

The spurias are not as well known as they deserve to be, since they are perfectly hardy and do provide iris blooms long after all the spring blooming ones are gone. In addition, spurias are the tallest of our garden iris and the foliage is excellent for background planting in flower borders, remaining clean and healthy throughout the summer.

Dutch Defiance, blue with a yellow blaze on the falls Larksong, creamy white and yellow Monspur Blue, yellow blaze on medium blue flower
Mount Wilson, blue
Ochroleuca gigantea, white with yellow
Russet Flame, outstanding bronze Shelford Giant, 4½ ft., creamy white,
yellow area on falls
Sunny Day, tall yellow
Two Opals, cream and lavender
Wadi Zem Zem, large creamy yellow, one
of the best

Japanese Iris

Many Japanese iris are sold as seedlings and are listed as a strain, such as: Marhigo series; Pinafore series; Rhinegold series; Rigoletto series. However, the following are some recommended named varieties:

Blue Giant
Delft Blue
Fascination
Gold Bound
Great White
Gottscho-Schleìsner
 Heron
Hayden
La Favorite
Light at Dawn Purple and Gold
Sea Titan Storm at Sea

Cassebeer

A fine, well-branched stalk of the ruffled, white, tall bearded iris Snow Flurry

Tall Bearded Iris

Cool Whites Celestial Snow, spectacular; pure white Cliffs of Dover, ruffled, flaring form Patrician, exceptionally large, warm white with gold Snow Flurry, early blue-white The Citadel, classic white; crisp, cool color and form Tranquility, rounded form Wedding Bouquet, broad, flaring falls Warm Whites New Snow, tall, yellow beard White Tower, massive sculptured blooms Cream, or Light Yellows Amandine, lemon-cream Collegiate, warm white; base of stand­ ards and markings yellow, buds yellow Desert Song, ruffled, heavy substance Nomobr, wax-yellow, like "bamboo- cream," very large beautifully formed blooms Pinnacle, white standards, yellow falls Truly Yours, tall, big flowers, very late Yellows June Sunshine, deep yellow, very late Limelight, canary to greenish lemon; lacy, serrated edges Ola Kala, good exhibition flower; Dykes Medal, 1948 Temple Bells, apricot-yellow, brilliant orange beard Browns (tan, copper, and bronze) Argus Pheasant, Dykes Medal, 1952 Fortune's Gift, a copper brown Golden Russet, large flowers Inca Chief, glowing bronzy brown Pretty Quadroon, light copper brown; flowers have faultless form; beard is brown Topaz, non-fading flowers; wide hafts and heavy substance Red or Bed Effect Garden Glory, maroon Happy Wanderer, largest red iris; vi­brant Oriental Glory, red-rose, purple blaze on falls Solid Mahogany, early, medium height Tallchief, bright glowing red, orange beard Salmon or Apricot-Pink Apricot Glory, medium height, strong color Ballerina, fine form Cloudcap, the biggest pink Happy Birthday, bold foliage, strong stems June Meredith, true pink with excellent substance Palomino, white fall has brilliant orange beard Orchid or Rose-Pink Crispette, lacy petals Dreamcastle, dark orchid-pink Mary Randall, Dykes Medal, 1954 May Magic, fresh, gay, radiant orchid- pink Pink Plume, bright orchid-pink Radiation, raspberry-pink Blends Cascade Splendor, light tan blend Lady Mohr, oyster-white, greenish yellow, all with a purplish cast Morning Bright, cream and rose, late flowering Tranquil Moon, yellow standards, white falls Light Blues Bluebird Blue, beautiful clear color Jane Phillips, early flowering, medium height Lady Use, celestial blue Melodrama, pale lilac-blue to deep lilac; large blooms South Pacific, famous light blue, bright and silky Step Forward, gigantic flower, graceful and attractive, ruffled and waved Medium to Dark Blues Blue Rhythm, good exhibition stem, tall Blue Sapphire, extra large flowers and sturdy stems; Dykes Medal, 1958 Blue Valley, light blue, ruffled, large blooms Pierre Menard, medium-toned blue, flar­ing blooms Royal Violet, velvety rather than silky, beard light blue to almost white Blacks (dark red-violet and blue-black) Black Hills, blue-black, beard to match Black Taffeta, blackish purple, velvety Dark Boatman, blue-black in contrast to Sable Night's reddish-black Indiana Night, late flowering Sable Night, early, reliable Oranges Fluted Copper, looks hammered; orange beard Orange Banner, very large, medium height Flight, apricot-orange, rich beard Zantha, light orange, huge flowers Violet or Purple First Violet, excellent. Many many buds blooming over a long period Giant Elmohr, very large, mulberry pur­ple, heavily veined Violet Harmony, Dykes Medal, 1957; good exhibition variety, long in bloom Violet Hills, deep true violet color, blue tips Plicatas (Stitching of contrasting color around the petals) Bazaar, rose with brown Blue Shimmer, good exhibition flower, large, well-branched, white with blue Caroline Jane, good form, white and blue Cayenne Capers, fiery burgundy to red-purple; beard orange-bronze Firecracker, yellow and red Raspberry Ribbon, white with rosy-violet Bicolors (Including Amoenas, Negleetas and Variegatas) Catherine Claar, late flowering, black and white Gaylord, white standards, blue falls, orange beard Helen Collingwood, white with purple falls Pretender, standards soft yellow, falls solid velvety blue-purple; large flowers Staten Island, yellow standards, red falls Wide World, light blue standards with whitish falls; outstanding branching and form

Iris in the garden of David Hall, famous originator of some of the finest varieties avail­able today, including the "flamingo pinks'

White Knight is one of the strongest grow­ing, best formed of present white hybrid teas The color of hybrid tea Kordes Perfecta is unique—cream-white flushed with carmine

ROSES COMPLETE THE LANDSCAPE
Frank H. Abrahamson

FEW roses require pampering to pro­duce a splendid show of blooms. But, to insure maximum performance, be pre­pared to maintain a regular schedule of watering, feeding, and dusting or spray­ing, to keep the plants growing vigorously and free of diseases and pests.

There are several classes of roses, all useful, that will grow well wherever the soil is well drained, and where they can get at least four hours of sunlight a day (preferably in the morning). They must be out of range of competing roots from near-by shrubs and trees.

Here are typical ways to utilize roses. Species and shrub types are ideal for filling gaps in the shrub border. As ground covers, use ramblers or creeping varieties such as Little Compton Creeper, Wichuraiana and Max Graf. Cover walls, fences, lattice or arches with repeat-blooming climbers. In the rock garden, use the charming miniatures which are currently coming into high favor, both for the garden and as winter house plants. Low-growing floribundas quickly develop into compact, ever-blooming plants suit­able to plant in borders or as a low hedge. Hybrid teas and grandifloras are striking either as specimen plants among annuals and perennials, or set in beds by them­selves. For a formal effect, or to enjoy something unusual, plant one or more hy­brid teas which have been grafted onto a sturdy understock to produce a tree rose.* The final choice of varieties, of course, will be governed by your preferences for fragrance, color and the use of the flowers

*For a more complete discussion of rose varieties, rose types, and how to use them, refer to the Handbook on Roses, published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Transplant an old hybrid tea when it is dormant, in early spring preferably. Set plant in hole large enough to spread roots

Refill with good top soil, pressing soil in between the roots as each shovelful is added, until hole is nearly level full How to Transplant a Rose Bush

Then, firm soil around the roots, so that the plant is well anchored. Fill the hole with water to settle soil between the roots

After the water has drained away, hill soil around the stems, as pictured, and prune back top by at least half its height
McFarland

Gottscho-Schleìsner

How to Put Climbing Roses to Good Use

A light tracery of climb­ing roses over a split wood fence makes a fine background for a rose bed —for landscape effect, exhibit in shows, color in the garden, to arrange in the house, or to make into corsages.

To begin with, however, consider these time-tested, universally-acclaimed varie­ties :

Hybrid Teas—Chrysler Imperial (red), White Knight, Burnaby (yellow), Peace (yellow and pink blend) and Pink Favor­ite

Floribundas — Spartan (red), White Bouquet, Goldilocks (yellow), Betty Prior (pink) and Fashion (pink blend)

Grandifloras—Carrousel (red), June Bride (white), Buccaneer (yellow), Queen Elizabeth (pink)

Climbers—Blaze (red), City of York (white), Paul's Lemon Pillar, New Dawn (pink) and Mrs. Whitman Cross (orange blend).

Roses may be planted at almost any time except in winter. Bare-root plants

Drape walls with climbers spaced far enough apart to expose some wall surface O. M. Scott & Sons

Boundary post-and-rail fences are an ideal place for a display of climbing roses are generally "in season" from November until April. You can get them locally or from mail order nurseries. Most of the latter send colorful catalogs on request once or twice a year. If you do not see their advertising, ask the American Rose Society* to send you a list.

If the growing season has begun before you think about buying your rose plants, it is best to get potted plants from a local nurseryman where one may select them while they are growing and blooming.

Planting Methods

The actual planting operation is much like that for any other deciduous shrub. Put bare-root plants in water as soon as they are obtained, and plant them within the next 24 hours if possible. Dig a hole deep and wide enough to hold the roots without bending them upwards. Mix a cup of superphosphate and a shovelful of organic matter (peatmoss, compost or well-rotted cow manure, etc.) deeply into the soil in the bottom of the hole. Make a mound of top soil in the center of the hole and fit the bare-root crown on it until the bud union (the knob where the main stem and branches join) is about at ground level; spread the roots down the side of the mound. Cover the roots with top soil. Tramp the soil firmly around the roots and fill the rest of the hole with water to work out any air pockets that may be left. After the water settles, fill the rest of the hole with soil and build a mound about 8 inches high around the stems. After the leaf buds begin to sprout, remove this protective mound.

Next, put a 3-inch-deep mulch of peat moss, ground corn cobs, buckwheat hulls, sawdust or another similar ma­terial over the top of the beds to help conserve water, keep the ground cool, cut weed growth and to some extent prevent diseases from spreading by keeping water from splashing. Sprinkle fertilizer con­taining nitrogen on top of this layer, to help it decay and to counteract loss of plant food taken from the soil by decay­ing mulch.

Start regular spraying or dusting (either method is effective) as soon as growth begins. A mixture (which you can buy) containing Captan (for black-spot), Karathane (for mildew), Aramite (for mites) and Malathion (for insects) has worked well in recent years. New chemicals constantly appear on the mar­ket, however, and your garden store may carry a better combination suited to your particular area. Apply it faithfully once a week, regardless of whether or not there are signs of damage. When some diseases appear, often it is too late to cure them. If you prefer to dust, do it in the evening when dew will help it stick better. If you spray, get out early in the morning so that the sun will dry it as soon as possible. Cover both the upper and lower leaf surfaces thoroughly. Remove and destroy any spotted leaves as soon as they appear.

Watering and Feeding

To water roses properly, attach a soil-soaking device to the garden hose and give the beds about an inch of water. Do not use sprinklers which will wash off protective dusts or sprays and spread disease in splashing water drops. Repeat this operation once a week during the growing season.

Give each newly-planted rose a light feeding (about one handful) of a well-balanced fertilizer (like a 5-10-5) after the first blooming period is over. Start feeding established bushes (in the garden one year or more) earlier — as soon as spring pruning is finished and before they start to grow. Give three feedings during spring and summer, unless you are using the newly-introduced ureaform fertilizers which need to be applied only once each year (in the spring) to supply all the nitrogen that in plant needs for the entire season.

Cut off faded blooms just above the top five-leaflet leaf on the stem. You can cut longer-stemmed flowers for in

Dusting. Direct rose dust (and spray too) up under leaves so that both leaf surfaces get covered. Dust when air is still, as in the evening. Apply pesticide every ten days or so

McFarland

Feeding. Hybrid teas, floribundas and ever-blooming climbers can be fed three times a year—early spring, as they first flower, and in late summer. Use a rose fertilizer door use from established plants, but al­ways leave at least two five-leaflet leaves since new shoots will develop from the buds at their base.

TIPS ON ROSE CARE
 
After the second killing frost forecasts the approach of winter, strip any re­maining leaves from each plant and de­stroy them. Cut back tall canes enough to keep them from whipping in the wind and loosening the roots. Then tie the canes together. If the ground freezes solid in your area, bring in enough soil from another part of the garden to hill up an 8-inch mound around the base of each bush. After the first of the year, lay old Christmas tree branches on top of the beds. This will keep the ground frozen during any winter thaws, and prevent heaving which could injure roots. As soon as the danger of killing frosts is past and buds begin to swell, limber up your pruning shears and remove all dead, diseased and weak stems. Cut back until you find white wood clear to the pith of each cane. Remove all wood one-quarter inch above an out-facing bud to produce an upright bush, or above an in-facing bud to induce a sprawling variety to make a compact plant. Paint all cut sur­faces with orange shellac, or cover them with tree paints to keep boring insects out.

There is no substitute for a regular spraying or dusting, watering and fer­tilizing program, if you want to succeed with roses. Other plants will prosper under the same care, too.

Watering Method
Above left
It is best to put water on the soil rather than using a sprinkler. The '' water wand'' is easy to use and does not wash soil away

Summer Mulch

Above right
After spring growth has started and plants have been fed, mulch with buckwheat hulls or similar material to control weeds
Tieing Tree Roses
Middle right
Trunks of tree roses should be tied in at
least two places to strong stake. Use soft
cord to prevent injury to the bark
Puddling the Roots
Bottom, right
When setting out a new plant, stir rose
roots into a bucket of thick muddy water.
This coats the roots with mud, as illustrated,
which hastens new root formation
Vanderwerth from Monkmeyer

GROWING GLADIOLUS
Clara May Frederick
 
TO most gardeners, gladiolus are grown for cutting and summer color in the garden. Color selection is endless, and choice of varieties is based often on per­sonal likes in this respect.

There are several devices that anyone can use to extend the period of bloom from gladiolus, and so have a colorful garden all summer. One way is to select varieties that bloom at different times. The better catalogues indicate the season in two different ways. One is to list the number of days, on the average, it takes a variety to bloom after planting.
The other is to designate the flowering season, from "early" to "late." In general, the small-flowered types bloom earlier than the large-flowered.
Another scheme is to plant both smaller and larger sized corms at the same time. The large ones bloom ahead of the small­er ones. Many gladiolus growers sell different sized corms of a variety, and any corm measuring about three-quarters of an inch or more across will bloom easily.

Still another plan is to make several plantings two weeks apart, of a variety, beginning as soon as the weather is settled in spring.

Gladiolus do not require special soil to flower well. Heavy clay soil is the least desirable; at the other extreme, sandy soil to which humus has been added gives ex­cellent results.

The site should be sunny and protected from strong winds. Gladiolus may be planted in rows for cutting or planted in groups among low-growing annuals and perennials.

Grown in rows, make a trench or trough with a hoe or shovel, about 5 inches deep. Sprinkle only enough garden fertilizer along the bottom to barely whiten the soil. Mix this into the bottom soil before placing the corms about 6 inches apart. Cover with 5 inches of soil. Label the row with the variety name. Light feed­ing may be done when the plants are half-grown, but regular watering, and mulching to control weeds, are of greater aid to getting good bloom.

Both small- and large-flowered types are effective when planted in groups in the garden. The heaviest flowered stalks may need support to keep them straight and erect; the small ones rarely need staking.

Thrips is the principle pest, and to con­trol it, begin spraying with a DDT mixture when the plants are a foot or so high, and continue every week or so until the buds are fully formed. Any plants which develop stunted or yellow leaves, and do not bloom, are diseased and should Gladiolus grown for cutting are best planted in rows 2½ feet apart. When cutting stalks, let the bottom leaves stay on plant
Roche

be pulled up and destroyed to keep the disease from spreading.

Classification Method

The catalogues of firms that specialize in gladiolus bulbs can be confusing to anyone who is not familiar with the methods used to list and describe varie­ties. However, once the system is under­stood, then the catalogues become a source of considerable useful information.

To assist gardeners in knowing the size and color of gladiolus blooms, and to help those who exhibit at flower shows, a numerical system has been devised. It is a three-digit system, and the number 520, for example, may appear after the variety name in a catalogue. This is how to interpret it:

The first number of the three digits identifies its size, i.e., 500 indicates a giant size flower, 5½ inches or more across. The entire size range can therefore be indicated by these symbols.

Classification by size
100—flowers below 2½ inches across.
Miniature
200—2½ through 3¼ inches. Small 300—3½ through 4¼ inches. Medium 400—4½ to 5½ inches. Large
500—5½ inches and over. Giant
Classification by color

The next two digits indicate color, the smallest numbers being assigned to the lighter colors or tones, with colors deep­ening as the numbers get larger. The term "markings" denotes a second color present in the flower such as feathering on the edges of the segments, or blotches in the throat. An odd third digit in the classification number indicates the flower has a conspicuous marking.

00—White, without conspicuous mark­ings
01—White, with conspicuous markings
04—Green
10—Cream
14—Light yellow
16—Deep yellow
20—Buff
24—Light orange
26—Deep orange
30—Light salmon
34—Deep salmon
36—Scarlet
40—Light pink, without conspicuous markings
41—Light pink, with conspicuous mark­ings
42—Medium pink
44—Deep pink
46—Light red
48—Deep red
50—Light rose
54—Medium rose
56—Deep rose
58—Black red
60—Light lavender
64—Deep lavender
66—Purple
70—Light violet
76—Deep violet
80—Light rose and violet smoky
86—Deep rose and violet smoky
90—Tan
96—Brown

Guide to Reliable Gladiolus — by Color

Gladiolus varieties number in the thou­sands, and for this reason many people find it difficult to select a few kinds for their gardens. The following list groups some of the finest inexpensive varieties by color, and here is a chance to practice on the classification numbers that indi­cate size of bloom and color intensity. White (00) Antarctic (400) Cupid (300) Glacier (500) New Snow (400) Polar Bear (500) Snowdrift (400) Snow Velvet (400) White with markings (01) Crusader (301) Sparkling Eyes (401) White Tower (501) Green (04) Erin (304) Green Ice (404) Green Woodpecker (405) Cream (10-12) Appleblossom (411) Ares (311) Leif Ericsson (510) Lorelei (510) Pixie (310) White Gold (510) Yellow (14-16) Aureole (414) Forsythia (516) Golden Boy (316) Prosp ector (414) Sparkler (315) Yellow Spire (414) Buff (20-24) A. B. Coutts (520) Pactolus (421) Orange (24-26) Atlantic (426) Cronus (326) Debbie (426) Gypsy Dancer (327) Orange Gold (426) Regina (524) Salmon (30-35) Boise Belle (435) Brigadier (434) Liberty (434) Rose Lustre (534) Salmon Crinkles (330) Salmon Queen (534) Sparkle (534) Scarlet or Orange Red (36-37) Carnival (437) Palette (437) Sans Souci (436) Viking (436) Pink (40-45) Etheral (540) Friendship (442) Gem State (343) King Size (441) Maytime (445) Spic and Span (444) Summer Queen (542) Target (441) Temptress (440)

Roche

Best for arrangements are small-flowered glad­iolus which, like the var­iety Flicker, have slen­der wiry stems, grace­ful, airy stalks

Red 46-48 Harrisburger (448) Hilltop per (446) Red Charm (448) Redcoat (446) Red Pepper (448) Royal Stewart (446) Black Red (58) Dark Brilliance (458) La Coruna (459) Negus (358) Ruffled Ebony (458) Top Hat (458) Thunderbolt (458) Rose (50-56) Alouette (352) Burma (556) Edgewood (455) Innocence (450) Pink Diamond (450) Rosa (454) Rose Spire (454) Rosita (555) Traveler (450) Lavender (60-65) Elizabeth the Queen (560) Francesca (560) Heirloom (560) Princess (460) Sterling (465) Purple (66) Emperor (467) King David (566) Sidney's Choice (466) Wonder Boy (466) Violet (70-76) Blue Peter (476) Caribbean (371) China Blue (571) Salman's Sensation (576) Violet Charm (470) Smoky—rose and violet (80-86) Blue Smoke (586) Prunella (580) Rusty (587) Tan-Glo (480) Tan Smoky (90) Buckskin (490) Cherokee (590) Mandalay (Butt) (590) Brown Smoky (96) Chocolate Desire (497) Copper Lustre (596) Small and Miniature Gladiolus Aria (244) Atom (236) Copper Rose (286) Cutie (241) Goldette (241) Gremlin (247) Gypsy Fire (290) Lavender Petunia (269) Little Pansy (271) Orange Butterfly (226) Parfait (231) Peter Pan (233) Pint Size (160) Polar Cub (200) Red Cap (236) Statuette (217) Spunky (186) White Satin (100)

SELECTION AND CARE OF HOUSE PLANTS - Victor H. Ries

HOUSE plants, like babies and pets, require regular attention, and the more regularly they get it the better they will grow. The basic requirements of plants differ, one with another. The des­erts, jungles, fields, woods and mountains of the world have furnished the great variety of plants we grow indoors and in greenhouses. To succeed with them, we must supply conditions of soil, tem­perature, light, humidity and soil moisture that are similar to what they had in their natural habitat. This is not always easy in the hot dry atmosphere and insufficient light of homes. There is the added prob­lem of maintaining proper conditions in small containers.

Temperature. Most house plants do best at 70 degrees or slightly higher in daytime and at approximately 60 degrees at night. This is true of African violets, begonias, marantas, and other tropical plants. On the other hand, some plants require cooler temperatures of not over 60 degrees in daytime and 50 de­grees at night. Included in this group are azaleas, cyclamen, primroses and other non-tropical plants.

Temperatures higher than normal tend to make plants soft, leggy and less attrac­tive, and flowering plants may have few or no blooms. On the other hand, temper­atures that are too low will stunt plant growth.

Light often is the major limiting factor in growing house plants. Some require

Often the simplest arrangements of house plants are the most effective. These plants frame window nicely, still get enough light
Gottscho-Schleisner

more light than others, and most plants will grow better if we give them more light even though they survive with less. During the winter months, when the in­tensity of sunlight is less, it is often ad­visable to move plants nearer windows. African violets are sensitive to being moved from one location to another. Giving them more light, especially in winter, will often bring them into bloom. During the summer some plants sun-scorch if given full sun, as, for example, African violets. Most tropical foliage plants, although they may grow in full sun, will nevertheless scorch if taken from indoors directly out into full sun.

Most plants, except cacti and succulents native to desert areas, require higher humidity than usually is maintained in homes. Since few homes have adequate humidifying systems, it is necessary to produce greater humidity in the vicinity

Leaves for propagating should be cut care­fully, with sharp knife, from healthy plant 

Watson from Monkmeyer

Leaf cuttings are now set in coarse vermicu-lite for rooting. Parent plant is unharmed of the plants. This is done by placing pans or trays of water, moist pebbles, sand or peat moss beneath the pots. Do not let the pots stand in water as the roots would be damaged. Instead, set the pots on bricks, blocks of wood, inverted pots or saucers or on gravel. The window sill above the kitchen sink often has a higher humidity. Tor orchids and other plants requiring high humidity, a small area may be enclosed with plastic or even glass. If in a window, be sure that the enclosure is adequately heated.

Watering. Some pots may need water­ing every day, and most plants at least every other day. Daily checking is good insurance. Keep the soil moist at all times but not muddy. When soil dries out until it is powdery, even if for only one day, the fine roots and root hairs die. The plant cannot start growing again until a new set of tiny roots is formed. Most desert plants, such as cactus, need not be watered more than two or three times per week.

Any water can be used if it is fit to drink. It is rare that the chemicals in water systems cause damage to plants. Never allow potted plants to set in saucers or pans of water for more than an hour or so. Large porous clay pots that are difficult to water may be placed in a pail of water for as much as 10 to 15 minutes to thoroughly soak them. The temperature of water used usually is not important, except that water colder than room temperature will discolor the leaves of African violets, gloxinias and similar house plants, if put directly on thwem.
Soil. The soil used for potted plants should be specially prepared. For most plants mix:

1. part leaf mold or peat moss
2. parts soil, preferably garden loam

1 level teaspoon complete fertilizer to each quart of soil mix
Use 4-12-8, 4-12-4, 6-10-4 or similar fertilizer. If a stronger fertilizer is used, such as 20-20-20, then reduce the amount to one level teaspoon to 3 quarts of soil.

Above left.Cutting is ready to pot when roots have formed and a new plant has started at the base of the stem
Above right.Use a pot about 2¼ inches across for each cutting. Set the cutting at slant, giving young plant space to grow
Bight. Most cuttings produce a cluster of young plants instead of a single crown. When they reach this size, divide them
Bottom right.Several single-crown plants, mow potted individually, have come from one cutting. Each will make a good plant

For woodland plants, such as begonias, ferns, African violets, use: 1 part leaf mold or peat moss

1. part sand
2. parts soil

Use fertilizer as recommended above. Always sift soil through a ¼-inch screen to take out coarse fragments.

Fertilization. Give plants fertilizer at least every two months from March through October. Do not fertilize during the winter months when there is not sufficient sunshine to enable the plants to make use of the nutrients. Any reliable brand of fertilizer may be used, such as Agrieo, Vigoro or other complete fertil­izer. Apply at the rate of 4. teaspoon to a 4-inch pot—less for a smaller one, more for a larger one. With soluble fertilizers, follow instructions on the container. Soluble or regular fertilizers are equally satisfactory, if they supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Bone-meal furnishes no potash; liquid manure contains only nitrogen. Liquid fertilizers are watered on the surface of the soil, while dry materials are scratched into the surface of the soil in the pot, and watered in.

Containers. House plants can be grown in a wide variety of pots and containers. They may be glass, wood, plastic, metal, concrete, glazed or unglazed ceramic ma­terial or old-fashioned red clay. Be sure the pots have drainage holes. For non-porous containers, such as glass or plastic, add somewhat more sand to the soil mix­ture to provide good root aeration.

Usually plants are put in containers that are just large enough to hold the roots. However, the smaller the pot the more frequent will be the need for water and fertilization.

Repotting is done only as the size of plant, from the esthetic viewpoint, re­quires it. Otherwise regular fertilization will balance the lack of more soil. Ke-potting usually is to a pot one inch larger in diameter. Standard pots have the same depth as diameter. Many plants do not need so much soil and are grown in shallower pots or "pans"—(they are clay, even if called "pans"). These are now available in all sizes.

When repotting, put a piece of broken (lower pot over the drainage hole to pre­vent the soil from clogging it. Remove some of the soil from the top and bottom of the ball, replace this with fresh soil, put in the bottom of the pot, and press soil around the roots to within a half inch of the top. Repotting may be done whenever the plants are not in active growth. This will vary with each kind. Some prefer to do repotting just before putting plants outdoors for the summer.

Summer care. Vacation-time is hard
Select plants according to available light
Sunny Windows Medium Light Low Light
Amaryllis African violet Apostle plant (Marica)
Azalea Anthurium Aspidistra
Begonia, flowering (winter) Aluminum plant Aucuba
Cactus (Pilea cadieri) Chinese evergreen
Coleus Babystears Dracena
Crown of Thorns Begonias (foliage type) Fatshedera
(Euphorbia) Bromeliads Fiddle-leaf fig
Cyclamen Dieffenbachia Grape ivy
Gardenia English ivy Nephthytis
Geranium Episeia Norfolk Island pine
Hibiscus Ferns Pick-a-back plant
Impatiens (winter) Gloxinia Pothos
Poinsettia Maranta Sansevieria
Primrose Palms Schefflera
Rose Rubber-plant
Succulents Strawberry geranium
Wax Plant (Hoya carnosa) Wandering Jew
(Saxifraga sarmentosa)
Plants requiring cool temperature
Azalea Cyclamen Jerusalem cherry
Camellia Forced bulbs Lily-of-the-valley
Cineraria Hydrangea Primrose

Three Good Foliage Plants
Schefflera (above left). An excellent house
plant that has glossy green, 6-inch leaflets
borne at the end of each stem
Cryptanthus bromelioides (above right).The
rosettes of ivory-edged leaves of this brom-
eliad are a rich bronzy green color
Ficus radicans variegata (lower right). An
unusual variegated creeping fig which has
been trained here against cork bark

on plants when friends and neighbors must take care of them. Try putting all plants, even African violets, outdoors. Most plants will need some protection from sun so place them in the shade of a building, tree or shrub. Plunge the pots to their tops in the soil. To prevent dam­age to the foliage by slugs, use a pre­pared bait or dust with Snailicide at least every two weeks. Water several times a week using a rose nozzle or other spray to reduce the force of the water and so prevent damage to the foliage. Plants that can be given full sun in­clude cactus and succulents but even they should be exposed gradually by shading with cloth or paper except for an hour or two, the first few days. They have to be gradually hardened to the sun just as we do when we go to the beach.

In early autumn, all tender plants should be brought indoors before night temperatures go down below 60 degrees. Azaleas can be left out until after a freeze.

Genereux

Planter boxes attached to houses, either indoors or out, are a problem. Contractors generally fill them with the worst sort of soil. Indoors they are either in front of windows where the soil gets too cold for growth of tropical plants, or are in such dark places that it is difficult to grow anything. The present trend to fill planters with soil­less mixes (such as vermiculite) does not help since the materials used seldom con­tain any nutrients. However, regular fertilization is needed, whether the plant­ing boxes contain soil or a soil-substitute. Some plants can be grown in water alone, although a pinch of complete ferti­lizer once a month will give more healthy growth. To keep down algae in the water, use a colored glass or opaque con­tainer. Actually, the algae are harmless, but the green slimy appearance is not attractive. For water culture, try grape ivy, English ivy, Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), philodendron, pothos, nephthytis, wandering Jew, Japanese spurge, and coleus Border Queen, sweet potato, German or parlor ivy.

Common House Plant Troubles

White cottony masses on the stems and leaves are an insect, mealy bug. None of the common sprays are effective. Wash off with a detergent on a soft brush. Alcohol on a bit of cotton on a tooth pick or a small tipped water-color brush, ap­plied to each mass, will kill them. Then dust or spray plants every two or three weeks with DDT or malathion.

Grayish or brownish leaves may be due to spider mites which are barely visible to the naked eye. Use malathion, but keep DDT away.

Sticky stems and leaves may be due to plant lice (aphis) which are easily killed by aerosol sprays containing rotenone. Scale insects also leave sticky residue. Scrub off with finger nail brush and de­tergent. Then dust
or spray with DDT to kill any crawlers that you missed or which may have hatched from eggs.

Leaves turning yellow and dropping may be due to improper watering, either too much or too little, or to plants standing in water.

Plants that are tall and spindly are probably suffering from lack of sufficient sunlight. Sometimes, also, from overdoses of fertilizer.

Gardenia leaves yellowing usually is due to lack of sufficient soil acidity. Insuffi­cient nitrogen will cause similar symptoms. Also, repotting later than September will produce the same results. For lack of acid, give one-half cup a month of solution of alum or iron sulfate, made with one table­spoon to one quart of water. Bud drop during winter is normal.

Poinsettia leaves yellowing and drop­ping is due either to chilling or a lack of sufficient water or sunlight.

Christmas cactus flower buds dropping probably is caused by over-watering.

African violet leaves wilting usually is due to over-watering, or from salts ac­cumulated on edge of clay pots. Flowers dropping is due to illuminating gas in air.

Amaryllis not blooming usually is the result of insufficient foliage and lack of adequate growth during the previous sum­mer. Plant bulbs directly in the ground outdoors in full sun as soon as weather warms in spring and leave them there un­til the first frost in fall. Pot up and take indoors.

Cyclamen leaves yellowing may be due to lack of water, lack of sunlight or high temperature. They need water every day.

Edges of leaves turning brown usually is due to improper watering, either too much, too little or too irregularly.

Rex begonias have richly marbled leaf pat­terns in many colors from silver to burg­undy. They grow well in north windows
Singer

FORESIGHT IN PLANTING

How to plan a peaceful, distinctive garden with interesting pictures and vistas—without too much work
Alfred C. Hottes

EVERYONE desires to live in a gar­dened home of which he can be proud. The most modest house and even the house of poor architecture can be com­pletely transformed by a simple plant­ing. How can the planting be properly started?

The best way for a beginner is to hire a competent landscape architect who has devoted his life to the study of plants and knows just how tall each one grows, how coarse or fine its texture, and how adaptable it is to soils, wind, and mois­ture. Competent nurserymen also know most of these facts and are willing to advise.

If the homeowner is to do all the plan­ning and work himself, he must make frequent trips of observation. He must study the grouping of shrubs and trees in parks and botanic gardens, along the streets, and in the yards of his friends. If he makes notes on the plantings that please Mm, he is more likely to buy wise­ly. He will be making a picture, using plants1 instead of paint.

The poorest way of landscaping the home grounds is to look through a nurs­ery catalog without a plan in mind and then blindly choose plants without know­ing how many the place will accommodate.

The usual home gardener becomes a hopeless inebriate when he visits a nurs­ery or scans a catalog. It is a common practice for persons to plant everything the neighbors will give them; and some believe that as long as there is a square foot of soil not covered by some form of vegetation there is still room for a giant forest tree.

It is only the extremely abstemious home buyer who can resist planting an apple, a pear, a plum, a peach, and a grape vine in his back yard, for they all look so innocent when young. If they all grow, the result is usually a hopeless hodgepodge of insect-ridden plants, for it would take a very experienced gardener to spray them all properly and keep them in healthy condition. Planting too many fruit trees eliminates the possibility of having any choice flowering annuals, per­ennials, or shrubs; and the planting be­comes so unsatisfactory that the garden­er soon loses his interest in gardening. He would be overworked if he took prop­er care of all his· fruits, and dissatisfied with the disorder if he neglected them.

A weed is a plant out of place. Any plant put into the ground and not placed properly is a weed, even though it is a fifty-dollar magnolia tree put into the usual dollar hole. Most people bring home new plants after every foray upon their friends' gardens; then they begin to wonder where to put this loot.

This article cannot go into details about the planting of the home grounds but it can outline a few general suggestions.

Keep the Planting Simple

If the garden needs six plants of one kind, do not buy thirty others for which there is no place. Staggering figures could be compiled on the money wasted in unwise planting every year.

Make a Plan Before Planting

Have an idea in mind. Do not dash around the yard planting hit and miss as if the shrubs and trees were dropped from an airplane. Keep the new trees and shrubs in a wheelbarrow until the place for each one is evident, to complete a carefully thought-out picture. The plants are much easier to move in the wheel­barrow than when they are well rooted in the ground.

Make One Picture at a Time

Do first things first. Set off the door­ways with appropriate plants. Hide unsightly views. Enhance beautiful vis­tas.

Remember that Plants Grow

Everyone expects and wants plants to grow- yet few persons visualize the final effect. The average person shops for bar­gains, purchasing young trees to plant in front of the house; and when these grow rapidly into forest-size trees, the buyer is disappointed and complains to the nurseryman that his place has become a hopeless jungle. Some persons consider it a bargain to buy an inexpensive vine and plant it where it will hide good archi­tecture.

Plan for Both Enclosure and Spaciousness

Plant the lot so that the garden is part of the house, with rooms, windows, and space. Begin the planting at the margins of the property, to achieve enclosure for peace and quiet; but do this adroitly so that there is no feeling of being smoth­ered by the walls. If the lot has no view, make one. From the principal windows or doors make a path leading to a garden feature—a fountain, a pool, a seat, a well branched picturesque tree.

Strive for Pleasing Forms and Lines

Flat surfaces give a feeling of peace but they may become monotonous; undu­lating lines give rhythm to the landscape.

The perfect globe form to which some shrubs are pruned is a disturbing element in the landscape. A pyramid is the most exalting form; but a series of pyramids reminds one of a coarse-toothed saw. It is like the forbidding wall with bits of bro­ken bottles stuck into the concrete; yet many persons are insensitive to this and plant the foundations of their homes with a serried row of pyramidal conifers. It is true, however, that attractive group­ings of three or five clustered pyramids can be made to give the effect of one.

Make the Planting Interesting

How to achieve an interesting garden is in each person's hands as an artist or an innovator. A surprise of some sort makes a planting more interesting; but do not litter the yard with rows of strange rocks, toy ducks, and windmills. The gar­den should be peaceful and should not be filled with objects that do not belong there.

Plan So as to Avoid Too Much Work

Attempting too much always brings disappointment. It is better to have a patio planned with charm than a thou­sand-acre estate that is a wilderness of weedy beds and disheveled lawns.

Shrubs and trees take the minimum of care—water, feeding several times a year, an all-purpose spraying less than once a month, and a little snipping now and then.

Annuals are much more work; they need to be sown from seed; they are in­clined to be crowded by weeds, and soon they must be replanted to avoid a yawn­ing gap in the landscape.

Make the Planting Distinctive

Gardens cannot be all alike, for some people like lilacs while others prefer azaleas. One likes formality and pre-ciseness, another likes the winsome way? of Nature. Someone is provoked if he hasn't masses of color at all seasons of the year; he is, therefore, delighted with zinnias, while someone else is happy only if he is trying to grow a rare species of rock plant. No, gardens will never be sold by the gross. People are not alike.

Study the Plants

One who wishes to do good planting must know the plants and their habits. An interest in plants is an abiding one. Don't lose heart at the number of trees and shrubs in the nurseries.

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