August, 191 1 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUEIST 



185 



Floral Notes For August 



Wm. Hunt, O, 



DAHLIAS must be given plenty of 

 water at the roots during the hot 

 August weather. The growth 

 should also be sprayed every evening 

 with clear water. A mulch of about an 

 inch in depth of partly rotted barnyard 

 manure placed on the surface of the 

 ground, about twelve or fifteen inches 

 all around the plant will help them. 

 About the same quantity of lawn grass or 

 short grass clippings spread around the 

 plants will also benefit them, and con- 

 serve the moisture. The mulch should 

 not be placed too close to the stem of the 

 plant , an inch or two from it is best. 



An application of liquid manure to the 

 roots of the dahlias once a week will 

 also benefit them at this time when the 

 buds are swelling. Apply the liquid 

 manure when the soil is moist, not when 

 it is very dry or when it is very wet. When 

 the soil is dry the plant cells and tissues 

 are too hard and contracted to get the 

 best results, and when the soil is wet the 

 plants are already charged with suflficient 

 moisture. The best time to apply liquid 

 fertilizers is when soil conditions are of a 

 normal nature. 



The seepage from barnyard manure or 

 from stables, diluted with an equal quan- 

 tity of water, makes a good liquid fertili- 

 zer for almost all out-door plants. A 

 pailful of fresh cow manure put into ten 

 or twelve gallons of water in a tub, di- 

 luted with half water, is one of the best 

 liquid fertilizers for garden plants gen- 

 erally. An application once a week will 

 invigorate all growing garden plants. 

 One ounice of nitrate of soda dissolved 

 in two gallons of water is also a good 

 fertilizer for all garden plants, or for 

 window boxes. Window box plants re- 

 quire a little fertilizer at this time, as 

 the soil usually becomes exhausted to- 

 ward the end of the season. 



Bonora is one of the best commercial 

 fertilizers sold for pot plants or for win- 

 dow boxes. 



GLADIOLI 



Keep the seed heads of the centre or 

 terminal spike of gladioli cut out when 

 the flowers have become withered. If 

 seed heads are allowed to develop it will 

 lessen the growth of the young corm or 

 bulb, as well as retarding or perhaps 

 preventing altogether the lateral spikes 

 of bloom from developing on the side of 

 'tie main stem as they often do. 



If the spikes of gladioli are cut when 

 I'lie or two flowers have opened, the bal- 

 ance will develop if the spike is placed in 

 a vase of water. The water should be 

 changed every day or two, and about half 

 an inch of the bottom of the stem cut 

 nfT when the water is changed. 



Hyacinth, tulip and cropus bulbs that 

 were lifted from the flower beds in early 

 June or when the summer decorative 



A. C, Guelph 



plants such as coleus, gfianiun. ani 

 canna, were planted, should be lifted 

 early in August from their temporary 

 quarters where they have been heeled in 

 to ripen off. The bulbs should be laid 

 in shallow boxes or spread out on the 

 ground for a few days after digging to 

 dry, when they can be placed away in a 

 cool room or cellar until planting time in 

 October. Dig the bulbs that have been 

 heeled in now at once, and dry them. 



from frost, usually until the end of Sep- 

 lembei or later. 



Towards the end of August or early 

 in September, many of the early flower- 

 ing varieties will require disbudding. 

 This is done by picking off some of the 

 smaller buds, leaving two or three of the 

 largest and best buds only at the top of 

 each shoot or branch. By removing or 

 thinning out some of the buds, larger 

 flowers are produced from the buds left, 

 and fewer of them. If very large blooms 

 are wanted, leave only one large, perfect 

 bud on each stem, usually the crown or 



Plants That Show the Effect of Disbudding 



The plant on the left was not disbudded at all. The centre plant waa partly disbudded, two 

 or three buds being left on each shoot or branch. Only the crown bud waa left on each 

 branch of the plant on the right. 



About the middle of the month is the 

 best time to take cuttings of coleus, ger- 

 anium, iresine, ageratum, pelargonium, 

 and so forth. Set the cuttings in sand 

 or half sand and half soil, in shallow, 

 well-drained boxes. Under a tree or on 

 the north side of a fence or building, is a 

 good position in which to root cuttings in 

 the hot weather. 



Chrysanthemums that have been plant- 

 ed in the ground during the summer 

 should be dug up late in August and 

 potted into good rich soil in large, well 

 drained pots. Pack the soil firmly around 

 the roots, ['"irm potting is an important 

 point in potting these plants. A short 

 piece of an old broom handle pointed a 

 little at one end, makes a good "potting 

 styck" for this purpose. 



Water the plants thoroughly at the 

 roots at onre after potting. Stand the 

 plants in partial shade away from the 

 hot sun for a day or two. Keep the roots 

 moist but not too wet for a week or so. 

 .Sprinkle the top growth every day until 

 the plants are in flower. Keep the plants 

 out of doors as long as they are safe 



topmost bud being left to flower. The 

 Pompon or small flowering types do not 

 require disbudding. The Pompons make 

 good window plants as they are usually 

 dwarf and compact growing, and very 

 free flowering. 



Save seeds of all desirable varieties of 

 plants. Dry the seeds well before put- 

 ting them away for the winter. Save 

 seed only from the best type of flowers. 

 Label the best blooms when the plants 

 are in flower so as to secure best types. 



If large plants of pansies are wanted 

 for early spring flowering, about the m'd- 

 dle of August is the best time to sow the 

 seed. Sow the seed in a shallow, well- 

 drained box in soil four parts rich loamy 

 p)otting soil, one part leaf soil, one part 

 sand. Transplant them into a cold frame 

 or a nursery bed in soil with two parts 

 more loam than before. A little coarse 

 garden rubbish should be thrown over 

 the plants about the first week in Novem- 

 ber, and a light sprinkle of strawy man- 

 ure or leaves over the coarse rubbish. 



Seed sown now should produce good 

 plants that will flower in April or May 



