4U4 GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



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I The Month's Work in the Greenhouse | 



I HENRY GIBSON | 



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JANl'ARY is a busy niontli in the greenhouse, there 

 are many preparations to make for the coming sea- 

 son, and in some cases work that was left over from 

 last fall may be taken up. 



English daisies, pansies and forget-me-nots, omitted 

 from fall sowing, may still be sown if done at once, so as 

 to have nice sized stock to plant out in the spring. 



Plans for next summer's bedding should be outlined 

 and an estimate made of the number and kind of plants 

 needed, so that propagation may begin at once. L)ld 

 stock plants of geraniums should be placed on a bench 

 in a light position and spaced out so that they will give 

 a crop of cuttings. Such plants as fuchsias, heliotrope, 

 stevias, coleus. alternanthera, etc., should be propa- 

 gated forthv\'ith. 



The new catalogues from the seedsmen are now com- 

 ing in, and no time should be lost in getting such seeds 

 as J'iiica rosea, and its varieties, sown. They need a 

 warm, sunny house to get them to flowering size by bed- 

 ding-out time, and would be tnore likely to attain this 

 were they sown in December. Begonias of the lumi- 

 nosa type, pentstemons for bedding, aquilegias, snap- 

 dragons, shasta daisies, and many other seeds may be 

 sown this month. 



Hardy phlox and larkspurs, lifted last fall and win- 

 tered in flats in a cold frame, may be placed in a carna- 

 tion house temperature, where in a few weeks they will 

 furnish fine cuttings. 



Canterbury bells, wallflowers and coreopsis, the last 

 named lifted from the borders last fall may be brought 

 into a cool house towards the end of the month, where 

 they will furnish a supply of flowers that will be much 

 appreciated in the early spring months. 



The supply of flats for pricking off seedlings should be 

 gone over, and needed repairs made. 



Roses of the rambler type intended for use round the 

 Easter holidays should be brought in from the cold 

 frames or pits where they have wintered, top-dressed, 

 with good loam and bone meal and placed in a violet 

 house temperature. As they, show signs of swelling the 

 buds they may be given more heat, and as they continue 

 to advance still more until they are in a temperature of 

 ■60 degrees at night, which should be the maximum if 

 strong, vigorous plants free from mildew are wanted. 



Hydrangeas may be got under way towards the middle 

 of the month. They need about 43 degrees to start, ad- 

 vancing by degrees to 50 and then to 55. When needed 

 for house decorations almost all of the French types, as 

 well as the old timers, such as Otaksa and Dr. Hogg, are 

 better for having a week or ten days of cool house treat- 

 ment after having flowered before being taken into the 

 dwelling house. Hydrangeas while undergoing forcing 

 like plenty of water, but one should not overlook giving 

 too much. They soon show their resentment of wet feet 

 continuously, by yellow leaves, which never add anything 

 towards enchancing the beauty of the ])lants. 



Giganteum lilies will now be from three to four inches 

 high, and should be kept growing steadily in a tempera- 

 ture of 60 degrees, ^^^-ltering should be done with care, 

 and the plants should be fumigated frequently to keep 

 -them clear of green aphis, which are very partial to them. 

 Cold storage lilies may still be ]ilanted for use at the 

 "Easter festival, as thcv can be flowered in twelve weeks. 



l)ut between now and April 4, which is Easter day this 

 year, there is not much time to be lost. 



Some care is necessary in handling cold storage lily 

 bulbs, particularly with regard to watering, keeping them 

 too wet is apt to result in premature top growth without 

 roots, which nnist inevitably spell failure to the plants. 

 A low tem[3erature is not likely to offset any careless wat- 

 ering. Keep the bulbs at the outset rather on the dry 

 side, after the pots have had one thorough watering, 

 which together with a fair proportion of sand in the pot- 

 ting soil will help them get a start, under the bench in a 

 carnation house temperature. 



Leeks and onions may be sown in the greenhouse for 

 e.xhibition purposes. Cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce 

 may be sown this month to be later transplanted to hot- 

 beds. 



Rhubarb, asparagus, seakale and chickory should be 

 taken in for forcing. The last named forces well under 

 a carnation house bench. Successions of each may be 

 made to maintain a regular supply during the early 

 S[)ring months. 



.\ little time among the palms, ferns and stove plants 

 will be profitably spent, as many of these will as likely 

 as not lie infested with either scale, mealy bug or red 

 spider, all more or less numerous. These parasites suck 

 the energy out of the plants in a very short time unless 

 checked. Many palms will need topdressing, or repot- 

 ting, and when this is done, given heat and plenty of 

 water, will start out with renewed vigor and develop 

 into fine specimens. 



Those who are not fortunate enough to have a green- 

 house whereby they may satisfy their winter of discon- 

 tent during the cold days of January will find plenty of 

 interest in taxing their ingenuity preparing for the sea- 

 sen's flowers and vegetables in spite of the lack of green- 

 house space in which to start the plants. The average 

 dwelling house is more often than not heated to 70 de- 

 grees, ample heat to start the supply of seeds at home. 

 It lacks the humidity and freedom from draughts and 

 the direct sunlight of the greenhouse, yet withal much 

 may be made of home conditions for raising seedling 

 plants. A little study will soon enable the more enthusi- 

 astic to get together an arrangement which will enable 

 one to start seeds in close proximity to the stove, or radi- 

 ators, without having the receptacles in which they are 

 sown come in close contact with the source of heat so as 

 to dry out the soil unduly. 



Covering the boxes or pots of seeds with a pane of 

 glass will help to prevent too rapid evaporation from the 

 surface. Watering of the receptacles should be done by 

 immersing them in a dish of water so that the water may 

 travel upwards through the soil thereby saturating the 

 whole body of it, and also prevent washing out the seeds 

 as is too often the case when water is applied from the 

 surface. 



Seedlings started in this way may be transferred to a 

 hot bed located on the south side of the house, and which 

 may be heated by having a cellar window open into it, 

 thus utilizing the heat from the furnace. One can readily 

 arrange this by placing the frame against the window- 

 and cutting an ojiening in the back to admit the warm 

 air from the cellar window. 



