May, igi^ 



THE CANADIAN H O RT I C U L T UEIS T 



129 



The Art of Potting 



John Gall, Ingle\vood 



THOUGH it may seem a simple mat- 

 ter enough on the surface, there is 

 some art in potting plants properly. 

 The pots should be well drained, using 

 for this purpose pieces of broken pots 

 or crockery, and placing one large piece 

 over the hole in the bottom of your pot. 

 A little Sphagnum or rough material of 

 some kind should next be placed over 

 the crocks to keep the soil from being 

 washed down and blocking the drainage. 

 Then put on an inch or so of soil before 

 placing the plant in po.sition, and fill in 

 with the compost, pressing this down 

 firmly with the fingers until the pot is 

 nearly but not quite full. 



If the pot is .overfilled, insufficient 

 room is left for watering, while, if not 

 filled full enough, not only does the pot 

 not contain enough soil, but the plant 

 is liable to become "drowned" when 

 water is given. There ought always to 

 be enough space left l>etween the top of 

 the pot and the surface of the soil to 

 allow the giving of sufficient water to 

 saturate the whole of the soil and moisten 

 all the roots. 



.Some people seem to throw the plants 

 into the pots almost anyhow, and still 

 they grow and do well. This plan may 

 answer well enough in a country garden, 

 where plants seem to thrive under any 

 condition, but too much care cannot be 

 taken in the suburban or town garden. 

 Most plants, especially those of the 

 "hard-wooded" or shrubby type, require 



to be potted very firmly — that is, to have 

 the soil made almost hard in the pots, 

 but in the case of soft-wooded plants 

 generally, pot rather loosely for rapid 

 growth and more firmly for early bloom. 

 In all potting operations, see that the 

 roots of the plants are spread out in the 

 soil, that is to say, they should not have 

 the soil thrown on them, but among 

 them. The soil should always be slightly 

 lower at the rim of the pot than at the 

 neck of the plant. 



Hardy Perennials* 



H. W. Cooper, Ottawa, Oat. 



Of all the plants that are cultivated 

 for ornamental as well as for cutting 

 purposes there are none which have made 

 such rapid strides in public favor as the 

 hardy garden flowers. Their popularity 

 is not at all surprising when we consider 

 the many varied and pleasant changes 

 which take place throughout the growing 

 season in a garden, or portion of one, 

 given over to this class of plants, which 

 every week, yes, almost every day, 

 brings forth something fresh and new to 

 interest and delight. Beginning in April 

 the early flowering kinds, such as the 

 anemonies, hepaticas, Arabis and others, 

 open their flowers soon after the snow 

 has left the shadier parts of our gar- 

 dens. From then on we have constant 



•A pamper read at a recent meeting of the 

 Ottawa Horticultural Society. 





changing variety throughout the sum- 

 mer until the fall, when only the severe 

 frosts stop the more persistent and late 

 blooming kinds. 



The most effective position for this 

 class of plants in general is an open bor- 

 der surrounding a lawn, or backed by a 

 fence dividing a garden or lot. They 

 will not thrive if given a northern ex- 

 posure. 



The method of cultivation is of the 

 simplest nature. Begin with any good 

 soil as a foundation. When preparing 

 the soil for planting the ground should 

 be dug to at least two fe^t in depth and 

 enriched with well-decomposed manure, 

 or other fertilizer. The best time to 

 plant perennials is in the spring as soon 

 as the plants show signs of growth. 

 Hardy plants, such as hemerocallis, dor- 

 onicums, paeonies, and Oriental poppies, 

 which produce their growth from a 

 crown of close compact roots and flower 

 in the early summer, are best planted in 

 the autumn, as these take some time to 

 get established. Fall planting of these 

 varieties saves a season's bloom. The.se 

 particular kinds should be left undisturb- 

 ed for several years. Add a suitable fer- 

 tilizer as a surface dressing each spring 

 after growth is well started. 



The late summer and autumn bloom- 

 ing kinds are usually of -a more vigorous 

 growth than the former. They are of 

 such sorts as the rudbeckias, heleniums, 

 helianthus, the perennial phlox and as- 

 ters. On these the original crowns die 

 out each season and many new side 

 growths are made. These are best re- 

 planted every second spring, selecting 

 from three to five growths, which, after 

 the ground has been redug and enriched, 

 may be replanted in their same positions 

 or in another part of the garden. Treated 

 in this manner they will not only produce 

 more and larger flowers, but will pre- 

 vent these stronger and more rampant 

 growing kinds from crowding out their 

 equally interesting, but less vigorous, 

 neighbors. 



Spring Bloom in the Garden of Charle* Hunter, Niagara-on-the-L«ke, Ont., whera'many 

 Beautiful Shrubs and Noveltiei *uch aa Fig* are grown 



May Garden Notes 



Ferns may still he IniMsphinled from 

 the woods to a sheltered spot about the 

 house or yard. 



Morning glories, wild cucumber, aiul 

 hyacinth bean are good vines to cover 

 up unsightly fences or rock piles. 



Sow annual flower seed such as nas- 

 turtiums, portulaca, California poppy, 

 and Shirley poppy in the open ground. 



It is not too late to spade up that 

 weedy place on the lawn, add well-rotted 

 manure and sow good bluegrass seed. 



Dahlias and gladiolus may still he 

 planted. In fact, it is an excellent plan 

 to plant gladioli at intervals in order lo 

 get a succession of bkxMu iJn- whole 

 season. 



