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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 191 1 



An Unappreciated Flower 



By Mrs. Annie L. Jack, Chateaagaay Basil, Que. 

 A good many years ago the editor of 

 The Rural New Yorker gave me seed of 

 Pyrethrum that he valued very much .is 

 a perennial. In spite of ill usage and 

 overgrowth of shrubs near by, so ten- 

 acious are they that plants from this seed 

 continue to blossom, and give their flow- 

 ers in June in profusion. But the newer 

 varieties, and careful treatment, have 

 been a revelation to me, for they are per- 

 fectly hardy and invaluable for cut flow- 

 ers, while greatly improved in texture 

 and shades. Nearly every year sees some 

 new development, the result of skilful 

 raising, and they have the advantage of 

 growing well in shaded places, if the soil 

 is kept fertile. 



The pyrethrum grows in any good gar- 

 den soil, though a rich loam is preferred 

 in order to secure size and brilliance of 

 bloom. The flowers are bright and 

 showy, and being borne on long stems 

 are very suitable for vase decoration, 

 while the foliage is finely cut and deep 

 green. The beautiful double varieties 

 that have been developed of late years 

 remind one of a chrysanthemum, and 

 they are at their best blooming dur- 

 ing the months of May and June. As 

 they require no winter protection, and if 

 cut down in June, and kept watered, will 

 make new growth and blossom again in 

 autumn, they are sometimes called the 

 "poor man's chrysanthemum." 



Surface rooting plants, and liable to be 

 injured by hot sun, they are materially 

 aided by a mulch of anything that tends 

 to conserve moisture. In early spring 

 the plants may be propagated by divid- 

 ing into small pieces and planting out in 

 prepared soil, or if grown from seed will 

 give plants that will flower the following 

 year, but from this method the quality 

 and color cannot be depended upon. 



Among named double varieties for the 

 amateur who cares only for a small col- 

 lection of the best we have "Aphrodite," 

 pure white; "Lord Rosebery," carmine 

 scarlet, a most dazzling color; "Magic- 

 ian," bright pink — yellow tipped; "Reg- 

 ulus," purple carmine, and "Solfaterre," 

 a creamy yellow. 



Of single sorts, sometimes called "col- 

 ored Marguerites," there is "Lord Mil- 

 ner," a cherry rose color; "Langport," 

 scarlet; "Decoration," a flesh pink; 

 "Devonshire Cream," as its name would 

 indicate, is a rich cream color; while 

 "Princess Marie," "Gwendoline," and 

 many others are pure white. In fact 

 among a hundred varieties now adver- 

 tised, it is difficult to select the best half 

 dozen for a limited border, but good seed 

 will increase the variety of coloring and 

 give some choice sorts. 



The flowers of the pyrethrum will 

 stand storm and shade better than many 

 other perennials, as the stems are stiff 



and yet wiry, but as a safeguard a mulch 

 in summer and a covering of coarse man- 

 ure after hard frost in late autumn, will 

 ensure against sudden changes of tem- 

 perature so detrimental to our perennials 

 in this climate. 



If planted in a border among other 

 tall growing herbaceous plants, the 

 pyrethrum does well near the front, plac- 

 ed at even distances, and in this way, 

 when the flowering season is over, it can 

 be trimmed off, and even if not giving 

 a second supply of bloom there is a neat 

 elegance in the finely cut foliage. 



Tulips From Seed 



Can tulips be grown from seed to advan- 

 tage, and if so, when is the best time to 

 use the seeds? I have some fine seed pods 

 saved from my best purple, tall growing 

 stalk. I had some nearly three feet high, 

 far above all other sorts. Would a new 

 kind be apt to spring from the seed? — H. L. 



Tulips can be grown from seed, but 

 not to advantage, as our climate here is 

 not suitable for the propagation of the 

 tulip, either from seeds or offsets. 

 Tulips grown from seed usually give 

 some variation in color or habit from 

 the original type. It is not wise to 

 allow tulips to seed. The seed head 

 should be cut off as soon as the blooms 

 have dropped. Allowing them to pro- 

 duce seed weakens the bulb. — Wm. 

 Hunt. 



with provision for temporary heating to 

 suit our more rigorous climate could 

 easily be made where 'a fctollection of 

 these plants are grown, as they occupy 

 a lot of useful space in an ordinary 

 greenhouse. 



It is not generally known that the 

 groWth of the Oleander is of a very 

 poisonous nature. Great care should be 

 taken to prevent any person from eating 

 the leaves or growth of the plant. This 

 objectionable feature detracts from the 

 value of this popular decorative plant. 



Fall Care of Evergreen Plants 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Gaelph, Ont. 



About the middle or end of September, 

 according to weather conditions, ever- 

 green plants, such as Japanese Euony- 

 mus, Oleander, Aucuba Japonica, Myrtle 

 and Bay trees, may be stood under the 

 shelter of a verandah or under trees, or 

 in an open shed. The early white frosts 

 do not injure these plants, as they are 

 almost hardy in their nature. By giv- 

 ing them the shelter mentioned, it is 

 quite possible to keep them out of their 

 winter quarters until quite late in the 

 fall, thus giving the growth a chance to 

 harden — a very necessary matter in the 

 successful wintering over of these 

 plants. Do not hurry them into their 

 winter quarters too early, and do not 

 go to the other extreme and expose them 

 to more than five or six degrees of frost 

 without some slight protection. 



These plants are very largely used in 

 Holland,. Belgium, Germany, and other 

 countries, for temporary outdoor decor- 

 ative purposes in summer. Deep pits, 

 or greenhouse pits, are sometimes built 

 expressly to keep these plants in during 

 winter, and are usually built without 

 facilities for artificial heating, as only a 

 few inches of the structure, beyond the 

 covering of glass and boards, is exposed 

 above the ground level. This part of the 

 structure is covered with thick mats in 

 severe weather. A structure of this kind 



Trouble With Hydrangea 



Last spring I had a present of a very fine 

 house hydrangea which was covered with 

 bloom. In two or three weeks it began to 

 wilt and all the bloom dropped off. Was 

 it for the want of more water, or more 

 fresh air? We kept it in the parlor after 

 the bloom fell off, and then I planted it 

 out in the garden. The plant seems quite 

 healthy now. I have repotted it. Please 

 say how to keep it through the winter so 

 that it will bloom in the spring.— W. E., 

 Toronton, Ont. 



The house or pot hydrangea is of a 

 half-hardy nature, and should be kept 

 partially dormant during the winter. 

 The plant mentioned should be kept out 

 of doors during nice weather until there 

 may be possibly five or six degrees of 

 frost. It should then be taken into the 

 cellar or into a cool room in the house, 

 temperature 40 to 45 degrees, and kept 

 there during the winter. If the cellar 

 is dry, it may require two or three slight 

 waterings during the winter. The soil 

 should never get dust dry. The top 

 growth should be sprayed or sprinkled 

 with water about every two weeks to 

 keep it fresh. I have known some people 

 to wrap the top of the plants slightly 

 with burlap and sprinkle the burlap oc- 

 casionally. This sprinkling is to keep 

 the growth from shrivelling or drying 

 up. I am inclined to think that the 

 cause of the plant you mention drop- 

 ping its flowers and foliage was due to 

 gas fumes or to the dry atmosphere of 

 the house. — Wm . Hunt, O. A. C., 

 Guelph, Ont. 



Hollyhock Leaves 



Can you tell me what to use to prevent 

 the leaves of hollyhocks drying and falling 

 off?_W. B-, Windsor, Ont. 



The plants mentioned are probably 

 attacked with what i|s known as the 

 Hollyhock Disease. The disease is of 

 a fungus nature (Puccinia malvacearum). 

 The best remedy or preventive is to 

 spray the plants early in the season 

 with Bordeaux mixture the same as used 

 on potatoes. As a preventive all dis- 

 eased leaves should be picked off and 

 burned, also the stems of the old plants 

 in the fall. It is best to plant in a fresh 

 place in the garden, if possible. — Wm. 

 Hunt. 



Annual flowers are easily grown. 



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