June, 1918. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Early Season Work in the Garden 



153 



'E have now reached a period of 

 the year when window boxes 

 and hanging baskets become 

 an important part in the embel- 

 ishment of the home. Yet it not inf re- 

 Iquently happens that many are dismal 

 failures because the watering of them 

 tlias been neglected. It must be recog- 

 Inized by those who make use of the 

 Iteceptacles that the small body of soil 

 ■they contain, suspended in such a posi- 

 tion that the air reaches them from all 

 sides, will soon suffer from drought. 

 Plants cannot grow when the roots are 

 dry. It is better to let this phase of 

 gardening alone if one cannot attend 

 to the watering as it should be done. 



The work of filling the boxes is pleas- 

 ant and agreeable, and the number of 

 plants that can be used in them is 

 legion. Among the many we will men- 

 tion but a few of the most popular 

 with the amateur. Geraniums take 

 first place, then come dracaenas, grevil- 

 leas, lobelias, fuchsias, ferns, achry- 

 anthes, verbenas, petunias, nasturtiums, 

 Impatiens Holstii, begonias, and others 

 too numerous to mention. Many of 

 these are well adapted for growing in 

 shady locations where not much sun 

 will reach them. Ferns, nasturtiums 

 and begonias are among the better 

 known plants for this purpose. For 

 covering the sides of the boxes, trailers 

 are indispensable to give a finished ap- 

 pearance. Vincas (variegated), Ger- 

 man ivies, tall nasturtiums, cobaeas, 

 verbenas, and others of like habit may 

 be used. 



There is on the market a self-water- 

 ing window box which saves a good 

 deal of time in watering, though it is 

 not to be presumed that this indispen- 

 sable operation can be neglected alto- 

 gether when this type of box is used. 

 It is claimed by some that plants do 

 not thrive as well in them as they do 

 in the old-fashioned type of box, but 

 we fear that it is neglect of proper 

 oare that has led to this conclusion. 

 The drainage has to be seen to and 

 maintained in good condition, and the 

 reservoir needs to be filled from time 

 to time as well as the pipe that carries 

 the water into the soil. A very desir- 

 able feature of these boxes is that they 

 are provided with a false bottom, 

 which catches all drip, and one has not 

 to avoid passing near them for an hour 

 or two until they drain off as is the 

 case with the old type of box. They 

 are a great improvement on the old 

 type. 



The early flowering shrubs require 

 to be pruned as they pass out of flower. 

 These plants bloom on the wood pro- 



Henry Gibson 



duced the previous season, and it is 

 with the object of making provision 

 for strong, clean, healthy growth that 

 pruning should be done. This consists 

 of cutting away as much of the old 

 flowering wood as is compatible with 

 the sj'mmetrical development of the 

 plants. One may think it barbarous 

 to cut away so much growth, but if you 

 w"ould have bloom in plenty another 

 season, you will harden your heart and 

 sharpen your knife and prune intelli- 

 gently. Do not, however, make the 

 mistake of indiscriminately cutting off 

 the tops of the plants thinking thereby 

 to attain the object in mind. Study 

 the habit of the plant you are dealing 

 with, and if you feel you do not know 

 how, get some practical demonstra- 

 tions from an experienced person. 

 Among the many plants that need 

 pruning at this time are lilacs, red 

 buds (Cercis Canadensis), almonds, 

 forsythias, spiraeas and snowballs. 

 The Vegetable Garden. 

 Vacant ground should be planted as 

 soon as possible with main crops of 

 such vegetables as are likely to be 

 most in demand in the kitchen. The 

 month of June is usually verry dry, and 

 such plants as cabbage, cauliflower and 

 celery should be watered frequently, 

 after being set out, so that they will 

 start into growth the more readily. 

 Earlier planted crops -wiU., to a great 

 extent, take care of themselves, save 

 for the necessary staking of peas ajtd 

 hoeing of weeds. This last operation 

 should never be neglected at this time 

 of the year, for once the weeds get 

 ahead of you they take a lot of keeping 

 down. The best way to deal with the 

 weed problem is to practise systematic 

 surface cultivation, commencing early 



in the spring, and persisting with it 

 all through the growing seas(5n. The 

 light surface cultivation is easily 

 effected by using a Planet Junior or 

 Iron Age comTjined wheel hoe or cul- 

 tivator. Stray weeds not reached by 

 this implement should be pulled out by 

 hand. Rotation of crops is also desir- 

 able, for it is certain weeds follow par- 

 ticular crops. Noxious weeds should 

 not be allowed to grow in the hedge- 

 rows or anywhere about the garden 

 or odd corners, and coarse stable 

 manure, which often contains large 

 quantities of weed seeds, should not be 

 used on land undergoing the process 

 of cleaning. 



Keep the seeds off the rhubarb, and 

 if you are particularly fond of this 

 vegetable and w^nt the crop to con- 

 tinue feed freely with liquid manure, 

 or apply a mulch of well rotted ma- 

 nure. The tomato trellis should be put 

 in place preparatory to setting out the 

 plants, which can be safely done after 

 June 10. Egg plants and peppers may 

 also be set out at this time. Go over 

 the strawberry patch and clean out the 

 weeds before you apply the mulch of 

 straw to keep the fruit clean, at the 

 same time applying a good fertilizer. 

 Get your supply of baskets for picking 

 the fruit, for they are useful for many 

 other purposes around the garden. 

 Early started celery can be set out in 

 June. We plant this in deep drills in 

 preference to throwing out trenches, 

 thus causing the plants to root into 

 the poorer sub-soil. In adopting the 

 trench system one has the advantage 

 of flooding the trench with water 

 should the season prove a dry one, 

 which is of more than passing value to 

 a water loving plant like celery. 



A perennial border and arch in tlie garden of E. R. Lrfington. BeyervlUe, Que. 



