272 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



Few beds should be cut in the lawn and not nianj' shrubs plante'd 

 there, and of those only the hardiest. Our beds may be filled with 

 the most gaily colored flowers to brighten the lawn. The bed of 

 bulbs may be succeeded later by poppies, asters or any of the bright 

 annuals. A bed or two filled with geraniuins, salvias, verbenas, 

 petunias or phlox drummondii, will give sufficient variety. 



We must give a little attention to the immediate vicinity of the 

 house, for with our native climbers, also mountain fringe, cobea 

 scandens, clenaatis, roses, &c., our porches maj^ be made into fairj^ 

 bowers. If our house is not so built that banking up for winter 

 protection is unnecessary, then it should be made so another season, 

 for we want our north side for a collection of native ferns and earl}' 

 wild flowers. We ask pardon if we seem too partial to our native 

 shrubs and plants — thej^ are beautiful, if not rare. They may yet 

 be rare as beautiful, and to many of our friends who visit us they 

 are so even now. When the beauties of summer are gone, and we 

 see o'er the snow-covered world a few evergreens to remind us of 

 summer verdure, we are grateful for the presence of flowers or even 

 bright green leaves to make the house more cheerful; and no house 

 is perfect in its construction or appointments if house plants will 

 not flourish therein with proper care. Considerations of health and 

 comfort, at least, require that our houses be fit for plants to live in. 



Probably, nothing short of flowers will content us, and we maj' be 

 more sure to have these with bulbs and geraniums. With our bulbs 

 we must first have roots before the flowers come, and to be sure of 

 these it is well to take a shallow box of sand and in it plant the 

 bulbs nearly or quite touching each other — not more than lialf 

 covering them; put these in a moderately warm, dark place, as the 

 cellar, a dark closet or under the plant stand. Keep them watered 

 and watch for roots. When the roots are an inch long they may be 

 potted carefully and still kept in the cellar or other resting place 

 until the pots are well filled with roots, and the more forward ones 

 may be brought to the window for blooming, a few at a time. Some 

 bulbs will need to be kept in the sand longer than others. What- 

 ever we have for winter blooming must have been specially pre- 

 pared for it. If we have bedded out in summer j'oung geranium 

 plants, they may be pinched back for stocky growth and potted earlj- 

 in September, being alreadj^ budded for winter flowering. The same 

 may be done with petunias and other plants. But if our plants have 

 been grown for summer bloom and then cut back, we may expect 

 only a growth of leaves to reward us. 



Begonias in manj-^ varieties are fine for winter flowers. But. what- 

 ever the kind, the rule holds good, with few exceptions, that a pre- 

 paratory growth for winter bloom must first be made else we have 

 no flowers. Anj^ plant which blooms soon after commencing to grow 

 in the spring may be used for winter flowering, and we may have 

 pleasant reminders of the summer by taking up in the fall a few 

 clumps of hepatica, bloodroot, and the like. If we would have carna- 

 tions or roses for winter, the rule requiring preparatory growth is 

 imperative. But the great drawback to cultivation of these in our 

 livingrooms is drj- air and insects, particularly insects; and often 

 the grower wonders whj' her plants drj- up in spite of watering, 



