5° 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



February, 



in their chance for doing well, according to my 

 notion of things. I dislike above all else to 

 plant after the leaf buds begin to burst. 



K 



TO THE 12,000 



ftbePloral World. 



eaders 



Right here, after other parts of the paper 

 are in print, the editorial stuff of Popular 

 Gardening, must crowd out a bit of room, 

 to extend to you their cordial greeting. You 

 are welcome, heartily welcome to join our 

 large family of reader.?. So walk right in, 

 and make yourselves at home. Take these 

 best seats, and enjoy our good cheer. Here 

 is spread the monthly board — the best the 

 house affords, and prepared in our usual 

 painstaking manner, with spice and flavor 

 not overlooked. Ta.ste and see, that in all 

 departments it is good. Be free at all times 

 to use these columns for your letters and 

 queries on gardening. The paper is yours. 

 You are truly welcome. 



THE HOUSE PLANTS. 



February sun. and the longer days, will start all 

 healthy window plants into vigor. They will appear 

 as if awakening from the half-sleepy winter state. 

 We know of no time in the twelve months, when 

 plants are more enjoyed than just at this season of 

 fre.sh activity, carrying with it as this does, the 

 promise, of a new term of beauty and of bloom. 



From now on, it is easy to keep healthy plants 

 looking well. But it will not do to grow careless, 

 either as regards general requirements, or earing 

 for them in the cold nights, yet sure to come. These 

 fresh movements in growth must lie backed by 

 treatment that will ensure the formation of healthy 

 roots anil wood; such alone can bring a large re- 

 ward of future plant attractiveness. 



Begonias of the free-blooming sorts, shoidd now 

 lie in their glory. Water the plants but moderately. 



Btilbs should continue to be brought in from the 

 i-ellaror pit. At this season they grow and bloom 

 remarkably well. Such as are in glasses must have 

 the water kept properly replenished. 



Camellias are impatient of close confinement in 

 a dry atmosphere, hence should have air freely (but 

 not cold draughts), in all suitable weather, and a 

 frequent spongmg of tlie leaves on both sides. 



Clirysanthenmms. See article on page .53. 



Fuchsias that have been at rest should be started 

 up, if this has not yet been done. Those that have 

 made some growth, may have slips, if there be 

 .strong ones, taken from them, to root. As to prun- 

 ing, the state of the plants and one's taste should 

 govern. As a rule, we think old plants are more 

 satisfactory for being cut back at this season, and 

 grown in a liushy form. Young plants usually 

 reach a better shape for the first year, without 

 any cutting back, unless it be side-shoots occasion- 

 ally, for inducing symmetry. Guard always against 

 their beconung pot-hound : growth must be constant. 



Geraniums, especially of the Scarlet or Zouale 

 class, sliuuUl be showing fine slips for rooting now. 

 All the plants, with the exception of some wanted 

 for present bloom, nuiy be severely cut back for 

 propagation : the slips of such will make fine plants 

 tor bedding, while the old ones will come out well 

 for summer bloom, either in pots or tor bedding. 



Heliotrope slips struck now. make fine plants for 

 summer. Shift, old plants as they get pot-bound. 



Oleanders. It one cares for flowers in May, start 

 up the plants now. As growth begins, water well 

 and give some stimulant to the roots. 



Plants in cellars and pits may well be treated 

 to air occasionally for hardening them. It the 

 earth in the pots or boxes is very dry, give water. 



Pruning. As a rule amateurs are too much 

 afraid of the knife. In soft-wooded growths, one 

 can hardly prune too freely for good shape; with it, 

 fine, bushy forms, springing from the ground, re- 

 sult; without it, detestable long-legged plants. 



Roses, of the monthly section, will begin to show 

 growth and bloom. Avoid keeping them too warm; 

 give a good sunny position. By all means keep 

 down the green fly. Hybrid Perpetuals, potted in 

 the tall and wintered in pots, may come into heat, 

 and will quickly stait up. When buds appear, a 

 stimulant like liquid manure becomes desirable. 



Seed Sowing. Kinds like Mimulus, Maurandia, 

 Ice Plant, Sensitive Plant, Snapdragon, Chinese 

 Pinks should now be sown for good plants for spring 

 and summer decoration. All annuals may be sown 

 in boxes for early, Ipy the end of the month. 



Sweet Alyssum. Propagate from slips or seed. 



Watering. See under Plant Culture Under Glass. 



LAWN AND FLOWER GARDEN. 



Bedding Plants. Arrange early for whatever 

 stock will lie wanted, whether you raise your own 

 or buy. If to be bought, contracts may be made 

 with florists thus early at reduced rates, usually. 



Hedges of deciduous kinds should receive their 

 winter pruning in mild spells. Mice often do great 

 damage by girdling the trees under the snow Une. 

 Prevent by trampiug down the snow occasionally. 



Hot Beds. One of these is a great help in bring- 

 ing along pot and bedding plants for summer use. 

 See directions for making on the opposite page. 



Labels, stakes and like necessaries to the gai-den, 

 should be made or bought now, for spring use. 



Pansies. It no stock has been brought over, by 

 sowing seeds now, in moderate heat under glass, 

 good spring-blooming plants may be raised. 



Plans. Now should be a good season for reading 

 and planning. The main operations to be carried 

 out the coming season should be studied and de- 

 cided on before outdoor activity opens. Well- 

 laid plans not only tend to the making of better gar- 

 dens, but they are economical, in the sense of allow- 

 ing the work later to be tm-ned off with advantage. 

 Boot grafting may be applied to ornamental 

 shrulis, climbei-s and trees. See engraving.with the 

 explanation under Fruit Garden and Orchard. 



Seed Sowing. At the South, hardy annuals may 

 be sown out of doors. In the North, annuals tor 

 specimens and summer bedding, such as Balsams, 

 Cockscorabs,01obe Amaranths, Portulacas, Scbizan- 

 thus. Phloxes. Brachycomes, Stocks, Trapasolums, 

 Cobaias, Lophosphermums, Acrocliniums and the 

 kinds named under The House Plants, may be sown 

 in heat before the mouth is out. 



Shrubs. In the South, pruning of these may now 

 take place, but further North, next mouth will be 

 about the right time. In approaching these with 

 knife and shears it must be borne in mind not to 

 treat all kinds alike. For instance, the class includ- 

 ing Roses, Hardy Hydrangea, Burning Bush, Coro- 

 nilla, Amorpha, Hypericmn, Althaeas, Late-flower- 

 ing Spu-aes. and a few others that bear their bloom 

 on the new growth of the season, may be cut back 

 very severely at this season with good results. But 

 about all other shrubs besides these named, produce 

 their flowers from buds on the old wood, and to prune 

 these now is to prune away just so many flowers. 

 On such, little more pruning should be done at this 

 time, than to cut to improve the genera! shape, 

 leaving most of the work to he done just after the 

 blooming season, some months further along. 



PLANT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



Angle- worms in the soil increase rapidly as sun- 

 heat increases. The perfect remedy against them, 

 is to soak the soil thoroughly about once a month 

 with lime water. 



Carnations for next winter's flowering should all 



be struck from cuttings before this month is out. 



Later then, keep the young plants robust by fi-ee 



I airing. Flowering plants should be gone over and 



i restaked, tying them out larger if needed. 



Cytisus, when done blooming, should be cut back. 



Insects come out with great rapidity at this sea- 

 son of high sun-heat and closeness. No pains 

 must be spared to keep them down. Prevention is 

 better than cure, hence the usual remedies of fumi- 

 gating twice a week with tobacco smoke, for Green 



Root-grafting.— See opp. page. 



fly, and others; syringing daily tor Red Spider and 

 so on, in houses of high heat, must not be neglected. 

 Scale and Mealy bug increase more slowly than 

 these, but do not yield to treatment so well. Hand- 

 picking, washing or brushing, the best remedies. 



Mignonette is one of the annuals that may be 

 sown now to good purpose. Then the plants will,with 

 the sunnier months to come, make rapid growth, 

 and by the time of 

 mild weather will be 

 much prized for win- 

 dow and consei-vatory 

 decoration. 



Orchids that begin 

 to grow during the 

 time they are in 

 flower, should be 

 shifted immediately 

 the beauty of the 

 flower is past. The 

 best materials for the 

 shift are good fibrous 

 jieat, sphagnum 

 moss, broken crocks 

 and charcoal. 

 Ae rides, Van das, 

 Saccolabiums, Den- 

 d r o b e s, Cojlogy nes 

 and several other 

 genera do best in 

 sphagnum with small 

 crocks or sharp 

 sand. Cattleyas, 

 Lselias, Oncidi- 

 ums and Odontoglossums do equally well in peat 

 mixed with crocks and a few nodules of charcoal; 

 whUst some do best in a mixture of peat and moss. 

 Pelargoniums are in their making time now. 

 Water freely, especially in warm, bright days, to 

 set every rootlet in action. Over watering is bad, 

 however, causing as it does, spotted leaves. 



Potting. All yovmg slips should go into pots as 

 soon as roots appear. Use small pots and light, 

 rich soil, potting rather firmly. In potting or shift- 

 ing plants, place broken pots or gravel into the 

 bottom of every pot larger than three inches 

 across, for drainage. In pots six inches or more 

 across, there should be on top of the hard drainage 

 a layer of sphagnum or hay before filhng with soil, 

 to keep the lower drainage from cloggmg with soil. 

 Eoses. See last month. From now on is a favor- 

 ite season for propagation. Select the cuttings 

 from the best and the strongest wood of recent 

 growth; a bad cutting must make a bad plant. 

 From the time the cuttings are put in until the 

 young ])lants are fit to set out. they must never be 

 neglected tor want of water, as this would stunt 

 them, a condition that is always bad. 



Salvia Splendens as to stock plants, nmst not 

 have the growth greatly checked at any time in the 

 winter, for if so, it will be difflcidt to get up good 

 plants for next year. Ample root room, and a cool 

 temperature suit the plants at this season. 



Stove plants need a general going over at this 

 time or a Uttle later. Those that have Iwen bloom- 

 ing in the winter, require to be cut back, and en- 

 couraged to break: then to be shifted to larger pots 

 if needfiU. or have top-dressings. Any of these 

 plants-in flower, must be kept dry over-head. 



Verbenas detest any but fresh, sweet soils. If the 

 plants are at a stand still, by shaking out and re- 

 potting in rich, fibrous new earth they wfll usually 

 improve quickly. The plants need to 1» kept near 

 the glass and have plenty of air. 



■Watering. Let no plant suffer from dryness, 

 none from over-watering, to avoid both of which 

 needs a watchful eye. Notice which kinds dry out 

 soonest— there is a great difference as regards this, 

 also in which parts of the house dryness is fh-st to be 

 met, and act accordingly. To water all kinds alike 

 is to do great injustice to some. 



FRUIT GARDEN AND ORCHARD. 



Firming the soil over the roots of StrawbeiTies 

 or any other plants or shrubs set in the fall, by 

 ti amping it as soon as it thaws, is a good stroke to 

 put in, with the early spring. 



Manuring. Top-dressing such orchards as are 

 not growing with vigor, may now be done. Spread 

 the manure, which should be old and fine, evenly. 



Pruning. Push in comfortable weather. See 

 last month's issue under this head. 



Recording Maps of the orchard and fruit gar- 

 den, should be kejit to ensiu'e against loss of names 

 and confusiou, by the accidental losing of labels. 

 Such are easily made. Use smooth, strong, heavy 

 paper, sti-iking lines and cross lines as many as there 



