30 LANDSCAPE GARDEN SERIES 



STAKING PERENNIALS 



Many of the coarser growing plants have to be staked if they are 

 to remain in an upright position. Staking is an art in itself. If improp- 

 erly done it will appear unsightly. One stake, preferably green and 

 inconspicuous, should be used for each branch requiring support. 

 Never should the whole plant be bunched around one stake. The 

 best material for tying the plant to the stake is raffia, which can be se- 

 cured in light buff or natural color and stained green or brown if so 

 desired. 



GARDENING HELPS 



Every place that is large enough can make good use of a space set 

 aside for a nursery and trial garden. Here cut flowers can be grown 

 or experiments made with new varieties. 



One of the most valuable assets of the garden is the compost heap. 

 Into it should go all discarded vegetable matter that will rot and unite 

 to form a rich soil full of humus. It is an all too common practice to 

 burn leaves instead of putting them into the compost heap. Alternate 

 layers of soil or sod and manure, when composted, will form a good 

 soil. When considerable vegetable matter is used, an occasional fork- 

 ing over will assist in its decomposition. 



WINTERING WATER LILIES 



Remove the tender lilies from the pool before killing frosts have set 

 in. Remove the leaves and store the tubers in pots of damp sand at a 

 temperature of from 50 to 60 degrees or pot them and keep in water 

 at a temperature of 50 degrees. The hardy lilies may be left in the 

 empty pool if the latter is filled with leaves and covered with boards or 

 boughs. 



SPRING PLANTING OF LILIES 



The hardy varieties of water lilies may be set out any time from 

 April to August. The earlier the planting is done the longer the flow- 

 ering period will be. The tender varieties cannot be safely set out until 

 the water has reached a temperature of 70 degrees. In planting, sink 

 the plants 3 to 4 inches deep in the mud and cover with a small stone 

 to keep them from floating to the top. Oftentimes it is worth while 

 to cover the mud with a layer of sand or fine gravel 2 to 3 inches thick, 

 to keep down the manure and the soil. A good soil for water lilies can 

 be made by combining equal parts of any good garden soil and well 

 rotted cow manure. 



CARE OF POOLS 



Cement pools should be drained in the fall, for water freezing in 

 them is likely to crack the walls. 



