32 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



t'ebruary, 190S 



strawberry tree or burning bush. I 

 find the best to be Etionymus latijolius. 

 The foliage of this one is the best of all. 

 The fruit is the largest and the earliest; 

 therefore, done before winter comes. 

 The brightest during the winter and 

 one that attracts the attention of all 

 passers-by is our American variety, 

 Euonymus airoptirpureus. The best 

 evergreen varieties for tubs are as fol- 

 lows : E. Japonicus, E. argenieo varie- 



(jatus, the leaves are edged and marked 

 white, one of the best; E. aurea varie- 

 (jatiis, leaves blotched yellow; E. albo 

 variegatus, leaves with white margins; 

 E. medio-pictus, leaves with a yellow 

 blotch in the middle; E. aureus, golden 

 leaves ; E. Due d'Anjou, leaves large and 

 a bright green, variegated with yellow 

 and green in the middle. 



All the Euonymus are easily grown 

 from cuttings. They are among the 



very best ornamental plants. The ever- 

 greens are very showy and useful plants 

 for tubs. I grow them in wire baskets, 

 I plant them out of doors during the 

 summer, basket and all. When the cold 

 weather comes in the fall, I take the 

 plants up and plant them again in a 

 cold storage cellar for the purpose, 

 where these and many other plants have 

 stood seventeen degrees of frost with- 

 out apparent injury. 



February Hints for Amateurs 



NOT much can be accomplished flower for bedding out by starting the 



this month in the actual growing seeds now in the window. If you do 



of plants, but much can be done not start them yourself, you will have 



in planning and preparing for the sea- to buy from the florist. Seeds of 







1 



A Beautiful Garden Effect and Lawn Worth Working For 

 Residence of Mr. A. Alexander, Hamilton, Ont. 



son that is to come. Seed and plant 

 catalogs should be secured. Some 

 of them are reviewed briefly in an- 

 other column of this issue. These 

 catalogs are of interest, not only 

 for the lists of varieties that they con- 

 tain, but also for much valuable cul- 

 tural advice. Look them over care- 

 fully and make your selections early. 

 Acquaint yourself with the novelties 

 that are offered and select a few of 

 them for trial. While novelties are 

 worth trying, stand by the old reliable 

 varieties until you discover a novelty 

 that has proved its worth. 



sow SEEDS IN FEBRUARY 



Early summer flowers may be had 

 in the conservatory, and plants in 



lobelias, cockscomb, verbenas, double 

 petunias, sweet sultan and the "\'ernon 

 begonia may be sown in pots or boxes 

 towards the end of the month. These 

 will produce nice plants for hanging 

 baskets and window boxes. .Sowings 

 for bedding-out may be made about 

 the first of March. Early sweet peas 

 may be had in the garden by sowing 

 a few seeds now in pots or boxes for 

 planting outside when the time comes. 

 Late in the month and after the 

 first of March, seeds of beets, cauli- 

 flower, lettuce, string beans, and so 

 forth, may be started in the window. 

 When large enough, they should be 

 transplanted to a cold frame. 



THE WINDOW GARDEN 



The successful winter culture of win- 

 dow plants depends, in a large meas- 

 ure, on the window itself. A very 

 high temperature at mid-day and a 

 low temperature at night is not bene- 

 ficial to the growth of plants, and 

 often induces the presence of insect 

 pests and fungous diseases. An ordinary 

 house temperature of about 50 to 5.S 

 degrees at night and 60 to 70 degrees 

 during the day, will furnish the most 

 desirable conditions for most window 

 plants. 



A moist atmosphere also is desirable 

 but it is often difficult to obtain, as 

 the surroundings are not. adapted to 

 using much water. The difficulty may 

 be overcome somewhat, however, by 

 spraying or sprinkling the foliage of 

 the plants on fine, sunny days. If 

 this is not practicable, sponging the 

 leaves will answer the purpose. Once 

 in two weeks is often enough for this 

 sprinkling or sponging. Hairy-leaved 

 plants, such as the Rex begonia, should 

 not be sponged. 



A close watch should be kept for 

 insect pests. Prevent their appear- 

 ance by sprinkling or sponging the 

 foliage as already mentioned, and by 

 keeping the plants healthy and grow- 

 ing well. 



Towards the end of the month, 

 fuchsias that have been resting all 

 winter may be started into growth. 

 If it is desired to start the old plants 

 into bloom once more, bring them to 

 the light and prune back slightly so 

 as to make a .shapely plant. Apply 

 water gradually. When new shoots 

 or leaves make their appearance, re- 

 pot the plants into the same sized 

 pots, but in new soil, composed of 

 two parts of rich, light loam, and one 

 part each of sand and leaf soil, mixed 

 well together. Give plenty of drain- 

 age. Water well at the time of pot- 

 ting. New plants may be propagated 

 by taking the 3^oung shoots that ap- 

 pear and using them as cuttings to 

 be started in sand. 



Fall propagated geraniums should 

 be shifted into three and one-half 



