110 CALIFORNIA GARDEN FLOWERS 



Those who have waited for the rains may now enter quickly upon 

 the operations presented a month ago for the irrigated garden. It is 

 the best time of the year for soil enrichment with the ordinary 

 materials, because the ample moisture will induce their speedy decay 

 and assimilation. Make generous application in October so that the 

 rains may carry the soluble richness down to the roots and leave the 

 coarser parts to make mellower the surface soil which may be worn 

 and wearied by tillage. 



Begin in October the pruning of deciduous shrubs and trees. In 

 gardens they need constant training and trimming to preserve shape 

 and increase vigor and to enable them to answer the requirements of 

 the artificial life you must teach them, to attain your purposes. You 

 need not wait until the leaves fall; when they become limp and lose 

 their natural pose their work is practically done for the season. You 

 can finish the pruning and clear up the debris from the firm ground 

 before the fall spading and escape compacting the loose earth by 

 tramping over it to do winter pruning. 



Continue planting bulbs for winter and spring blooming. Dig up 

 and replant singly such bulbs when they have become massed in too 

 large clumps, else they will pinch each other into inferiority. Fertilize 

 the borders where the rains will awaken the violets to new growth 

 and keep the fall-blooming roses and chrysanthemums well fed and 

 watered, so that your garden will be glorious at Thanksgiving. Keep 

 the lawns and walks clean of falling leaves, but do not burn anything 

 which can be dug into the soils of the borders. Leaf mold is naturally 

 scant in California, therefore, husband carefully the contributions 

 which the plants make for their future thrift. Keep the old lawns 

 well clipped and start new ones. Be active in garden effort; a little 

 over-exertion is never so safe as during delicious October days, which 

 have neither chill nor burning. 



Scatter seeds of California poppy and the whole range of native 

 wild flowers. The rains will start them. It is nature's way. 



Continue dis-budding and care and watering of chrysanthemums if 

 rains are slack not forgetting cloth shelters from too hot sun and too 

 free dust if rains are late. Fall fogs will dust bedraggle the blooms. 



It is still time to prune roses which have been allowed to carry their 

 summer growth of brush so late. 



Continue sowing sweet peas, deeply in light soil, and finish sowing 

 of stocks, pansies, etc., for late winter blooming. Marigolds will also 

 give you warm winter color-masses. 



Japanese iris should be planted and penstemons will give late fall 

 and winter bloom. 



Plant out seedlings of annuals and perennials still standing in seed 

 beds or boxes. Pansies, stocks and the whole throng of their associ- 

 ates will bloom for the holidays if now set in places of warm autumn 



