SPRING NOTES FOR FLOWER BED AND BORDER. 



of evergreen hedges or trees, as sometimes 

 advised, means the disfigurement and loss of 

 most of the delicate green tassel like growth 

 that gives them such a beautiful appearance 

 in the early summer months, more especially 

 that of Norway spruce. 



Pruning Roses. — All hardy out door rose 

 bushes should be pruned about the end of 

 March or early in April, just as the buds 

 show the first signs of breaking into growth. 

 Bush roses require severe pruning, especial- 

 ly if the plants are extra strong and robust. 

 Cut out all the dead branches just as well as 

 the weak thin shoots. Prune the growth 

 that remains back to within four or five 

 inches of the old growth. The stronger 

 the shoots the more severe should be the 

 pruning. Strong young canes or shoots 

 growing up from the base of the stem 

 should be pruned back to about eighteen 

 inches in length. Care must be taken, how- 

 ever, to ascertain if these last named canes 

 or shoots are the real growth of the rose, or 

 only suckers from the stock. These suck- 

 ers occur onJy on roses budded on the briar 

 or manetti stock and may be discerned from 

 the true rose growth generally by their be- 

 ing of a much lighter shade of green in 

 color, as well oftentimes by the almost entire 

 absence of prickles that the growth of most 

 roses produce. These suckers should be 

 removed from as close down to the root of 

 the tree as possible, or they will eventually 

 kill out entirely the true rose growth. 



Climbing roses should have the dead 

 shoots removed and the weak growth thin- 

 ned out so that the branches are not left too 

 crowded. The strong vigorous canes or 

 shoots should be pruned back so as to leave 

 them from three to five feet in length. 



Removing Winter Protection. — In re- 

 moving winter covering from bulbs, plants 

 or shrubs, do not expose them at once to full 

 light and sunshine or the changeable spring 

 weather. Remove the protection by de- 

 grees as the state of the weather permits. 



Weather conditions and not the calendar 

 must be the guide in this respect. 



Seeds. — In making out the seed list avoid 

 putting down too many novelties. Use 

 these as extras ; it will often save disappoint- 

 ment. 



Planting. — When plants or trees are re- 

 ceived from the nursery, either heel them in 

 or plant them in their permanent positions 

 at once. Exposing the roots of any plant 

 or tree to sun and air even for a short time 

 only is injurious, and is often the cause of 

 failure when transplanting. This is es- 

 pecially the case with evergreens, such as 

 spruce and cedar. 



In transplanting make sure that the soil 

 is packed well around the roots, sufficient to 

 make the soil firm. Air spaces around the 

 roots of a newly planted tree or shrub often 

 means rot or decay to the roots and perhaps 

 death to the tree. The drier the soil when 

 planting the more necessity there is to pack 

 it firmly. 



Plant when the ground is fairly moist if 

 possible. Better to wait a day or two be- 

 fore planting if the ground is of a clayey na- 

 ture and sodden with water. 



Frozen Plants. — The best method of 

 treating plants that have been frozen is to 

 remove them at once — before the frost is out 

 of them — and place them on the floor in a 

 dark corner of the room, where a tempera- 

 ture of about 45 or 50 degrees prevails, not 

 warmer, as a too rapid thawing out is not 

 advisable. Cover the plants up carefully 

 with a blanket or rug so as to exclude all 

 light and as much air f'-om them as possible. 

 Do not touch the foliage with the hands or 

 allow the covering to touch the plants. Keep 

 them covered up close about twenty-four 

 hours. The plants should not be brought 

 into full light or sunshine for several days. 

 T have found this method of treating frozen 

 plants to be much better than the more 

 speedy and radical method of deluging them 

 with cold water as is often done. 



