142 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



June, 191 1 



the bulbs thickly three or four deep in 

 this trench so that the top leaves are 

 above the soil. Pack some soil well 

 around and over the bulbs so as to fill 

 the trench, then stick a good sized stake 

 or large label up to mark where they 

 are, so as not to forget the spot when the 

 leaves have dried up. Leave the bulbs 

 here until the end of July; then dig and 

 spread them out on the ground for a 

 week or so to dry. 



CAEE OP THE BULBS 



When the bulbs are dry, put them into 

 shallow boxes and put them away in a 

 cool, fairly dry basement, cellar or room, 

 until planting time in October, when they 

 can be sorted over and planted. Digging 

 the bulbs up again and drying them at 

 the end of July prevents them from start- 

 ing into growth. Bulbs do not like to 

 be disturbed after they have started to 

 root. Treated in this way, a good per- 

 centage are good to plant again for sev- 

 eral years. 



It is sometimes possible in good, rich 

 loamy soil to cut off the tops of the bulb 

 stems down to the ground after they are 

 through flowering, then cultivate the sur- 

 face and put in small, quick-growing 

 plants, such as Petunias or verbena 

 plants, or sow some seeds of phlox drum- 

 mondii, aster, mignonette, candytuft, 

 portulaca, sweet alyssum, or some dwarf 

 growing annual, but none of these are 

 a success as a rule unless the ground is 

 well cultivated first. 



Delphiniums (Larkspur) 



Mrs. Anni* L. Jack, Chateaofuay Batin, Que. 



Just behind a flower border, where 

 white roses run riot during June, there 

 grows up a clump of tall Delphiniums 

 that make a fine background, with their 

 spikes of heavenly blue, brilliant as the 

 skies. Their height can be judged by the 

 height of the gardener as shown in the 

 illustration, and when their wonderful 

 beauty is seen it is cause for surprise 



that more attention is not paid to this 

 old fashioned perennial, so grateful for a 

 little attention, yet able to live with- 

 out it. 



There are about sixty species of this 

 plant we know best as Larkspur, that are 

 natives of the north temperate z(#ne, and 

 yet the old favorite "Formosum" can 

 hold its own among the dark blues, 

 while Beauty of Langfort is a creamy 

 white. "Belladonna" is considered one 

 of the finest varieties, and has the quality 

 of constant blooming from June until 

 autumn. Some of the newer hybrids are 

 especially beautiful in various shades ol 

 blue, and are sure to blossom all through 

 the summer. 



The Siberian Larkspur are noticeable 

 for the lustre of their flowers, resembling 

 silver that has been tarnished by fire, and 

 the old Bee Larkspur is interesting on ac- 

 count of the curious manner in which the 

 petals are folded up in the centre of the 

 flower, so as to resemble a bee, or large 

 blue bottle fly. The name "Delphinium" 

 is derived from Delphin, in reference to 

 the supposed resemblance in the nectary 

 of the plant to the imaginary figure of a 

 Dolphin. 



HOW TO PLANT 



The plants can be easily grown in June 

 from seed, or by a division of the roots. 

 Given a good locality, for it revels in sun- 

 shine, there will be for two months a 

 steady bloom if plants are chosen of such 

 varieties as come in succession. 



The soil must be rich and deeply work- 

 ed, with good drainage, in order to give 

 the best results, with plenty of water in a 

 dry season. 



Under these conditions if the flower- 

 ing stalks are cut down as soon as faded, 

 and not allowed to go to seed, new fol- 

 iage and flowers will start and give some 

 later spikes of bloom when they have be- 

 come rare. New perennials come to our 

 notice every year but among blue flowers 

 the Larkspur easily stands first for hardi- 



ness, beauty and continuous flowering, 

 while the newer shades of pink and laven- 

 der are a very interesting addition. 



Dclpkiuumi (Larlupor). Sec Adjoining Article 



Advice about your Garden* 



E.F. Cellint, Toronto, Oat. 

 To have a good lawn it is necessary to 

 thoroughly rake out all the dead grass 

 and refuse so as to admit air and light 

 to the roots. Do not cut the grass too 

 short or close to the earth for the first 

 time or two. This allows the bottom 

 growth or cushion of grass to get fairly 

 strong first. This is the grass which 

 makes lawns soft and velvety in appear- 

 ance. 



If sowing grass seed, sow during a 

 rain or just before if you are sure it is 

 coming. Sow the seed thinly, and then 

 sow a scattering of fine soil over the seed. 

 This will assist a much more rapid ger- 

 mination. 



Do not make walks and paths in big 

 sweeps and curves purely for landscape 

 effect. In the average city, walks in 

 small gardens are for practical use and 

 should be placed beside the flower beds, 

 or running around the sides and a small 

 square or oval, whichever suits the for- 

 mation of the garden best. 



The best material for a cheap path is 

 ashes or cinders about eight inches deep. 

 If kept well rolled it makes a firm, clean 

 surface for a permanent walk. Second 

 hand brick laid flat makes an excellent 

 walk, provided it is laid by a skilful per- 

 son. The edges should be bricks laid on 

 their edges. 



Never plant all your tall plants at the 

 back of your beds and borders, and so 

 shorten them down to the front. It is 

 too artificial. Nature never does any- 

 thing like that. Instead, let some of 

 your taller plants stand out boldly from 

 among the shorter ones. Then curve the 

 edges of your borders slightly outward 

 opposite them and you will be surprised at 

 the different effect that will be produced. 



Notes on Vegetables 



Sweet corn can be sown at any time 

 during June. Now that the danger of 

 frost is past, sow seed of such tender 

 vegetables as cucumber, pumpkin, squash 

 and melons. Sow plenty of seed and do 

 not thin out thfc seedlings until after 

 the insects have had a chance to do all 

 the damage they will do. Late cabbage 

 and cauliflower can often be planted be- 

 tween the rows of early tomatoes before 

 the latter are done. 



To secure early tomatoes train them 

 to a trellis or stake. Pinch off the side 

 shoots and allow all the strength to go 

 to one stalk. 



Hand weeding is necessary in the onion 

 patch. The young plants are easily 

 choked by weeds. 



If the squash bug is troublesome, lay 



* Extract from an address given at the May 

 meeting of the Toronto Horticultural Society. 



