214 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 1912 



AtUn «nd Sweet Williim 



Soe article this page. 



rushed off one's feet, cutting down, 

 pruning, cleaning up and covering before 

 the heavy frosts set in. 



Do not leave any of this work until 

 the spring, as you will then need all 

 the time you can get for more important 

 work. This method also kills all germs 

 and weeds, which is one of the most im- 

 portant factors if one wants to have a 

 good garden. 



Do not think that because it is the 

 between period of summer and winter 

 that your garden does not require the 

 same attention you have been giving it 

 during the hot months. This is a great 

 mistake. All plants, shrubs, and so 

 forth, require just the same attention 

 during September, and a great deal more 

 during October and November. In fact 

 from April until November your work 

 should never cease if you desire good re- 

 sults. 



An Experience With Paeonies 



Mii< Aani Meyle, Wjncreft, Richmond Hill, Ont. 



The illustration on a preceding page 

 shows a paeony in my perennial border. 

 In September, 1910, while setting out the 

 first plants in my border, a friend asked 

 me, "What are you going to do with 

 those long strips of ground?" When I 

 told her she said: "You may have all the 

 plants in my bed. I am going to seed it 

 down; the old things won't flower." I 

 assured her that they would if well fed, 

 but she was equally certain that they 

 never would. I dug up, and divided 

 eight small, sickly-looking paeony plants. 



The following June nine had one fair- 

 sized bloom each. This year the one 

 shown in the illustration had eighteen 

 flowers when the photograph was taken, 

 four of which do not show, and seven- 

 teen buds, all of which opened. 



Floral Suggestions 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Guelpb, Ont. 



Freesias are the sweetest possible lit- 

 tle flowers for the window. The bulbs 

 should be potted early in September. 

 Six or seven bulbs should be put in a 

 five inch pot in go<jd loamy potting soil 

 with plenty of drainage. Put them in 

 the window at once after potting. Do 

 not give them too much water until well 

 started. Dry off the bulbs gradually 

 after they are through flowering. Place 

 the pot away, when the foliage is turn- 

 ing yellow, in a cool, dry place. Keep 

 them dry until the following autumn. 

 Shake them out of the soil then and pot 

 the large bulbs only as before. The 

 small bulbils are of little use for growing 

 again. 



Valotta and Amaryllis should be 

 brought into the window before frost. 

 Some liquid manure should be given 

 them after they are well started in the 

 winter, especially if they have not been 

 re-potted. 



Old petunia plants should be cut well 

 back when in the border late in Septem- 

 ber, and potted early in October into 

 small pots in rather sandy soil. If re- 

 potted later into larger pots in good pot- 

 ting soil they will give a lot of bloom 

 nearly all the winter. They must, how- 

 ever, be cut back before being potted in 

 the fall, to be successful with them. 



Bring Epiphyllum or Lobster Cactus 

 into the house early in September before 

 frost. Light soil, not too rich in fer- 

 tilizers, with plenty of drainage, is neces- 

 sary for these plants. 



Winter flowering bulbs cannot be done 

 without if the window is to be kept 

 bright. By potting these in the fall and 

 rooting them well first in a dark, cool 



cellar, room, or cupboard, and bringing 

 them into the window as required, a 

 succession of their bright, cheery blos- 

 soms can be had from Christmas until 

 Easter. 



Success With Asters 



J. H. H. Wuiaf, Gait, Oat. 



Having met with some success in the 

 growing of asters and Sweet William it 

 has occurred to me that possibly readers 

 of The Canadian Horticulturist would 

 like to hear how it was obtained. The 

 accompanying illustration will give an 

 idea of how some of them looked. The 

 asters shown are the White Crego. 



From one packet of seed I raised about 

 two hundred plants, and lost none from 

 either insects or disease. 



The hot-bed, when well cared for, is 

 ahead of the greenhouse for raising 

 strong, healthy stock. Many of our 

 asters were over five inches in diameter. 

 Had a few flowers only on each plant 

 been allowed to form they would have 

 averaged six inches in diameter. There 

 were over a thousand blooms on a small 

 number of plants open together and they 

 made a fine effect. 



Nothing suits the aster better than a 

 strong clay made quite friable by freely 

 working it when dry and adding a liberal 

 dressing of good, rich, rotted stable 

 manure. If the clay has been well dug 

 in the fall so much the better. If the soil 

 is sandy a liberal dressing of land plas- 

 ter will improve the chances for a good 

 display. The aster should not be allow- 

 ed to suffer from lack of water. 



My Sweet William were superior to 

 any I have yet seen. They were greatly 

 admired by many visitors. 



A Back View of the Home of Mr. W. Martin, Lowther Ave., 



On the balcony are Wistaria roses and flower boxee. 



Toronto 



