116 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



May, 1907 



all dead and weak branches. Head 

 back the remaining branches to a few 

 inches of the old wood. Shoots that 

 spring from the base of the bush and 

 from a point above the old union made 

 by grafting when the tree was young, 

 should be cut back to within 15 inches 

 or so of the ground. Suckers that 

 spring from points below this should be 

 removed. Remove the dead and weak 

 wood from your climbing roses. Cut 

 back the remaining branches to about 

 five feet, unless you wish the bush to 

 cover the screen or fence more quickly. 

 By shortening each year, however, a 

 more compact climber is secured. Of 

 course, all roses must be pruned with- 

 judgment. More buds may be left on 

 the strong shoots than on the weak ones. 



IN THE FLOWER GARDEN 



Seed sowing and transplanting will be 

 the first work in the flower garden. 

 Plants that have sprung from seeds sown 

 earUer in the house should not be trans- 

 planted from the house to the open 

 ground without first going through a 

 hardening-off process. This is done by 

 gradually introducing the plants to the 

 changed conditions of outdoor life by 

 exposing them for a few hours a day at 

 first to outside influences. A cold frame 

 is a good place in which to harden tender 

 plants. It can be done, however, by 

 standing the plants out where they can 

 be either lifted indoors again or protected 

 until they become accustomed to the 

 changed conditions. 



Nasturtium, balsam and portulaca 

 seed usually can be sown outside with 

 success about the second or third week 

 in May. Sow sweet peas in May. Do 

 not plant where they will be shaded by 

 trees. If you can, make the rows run 

 north and south. Dig the soil deeply 

 and work in well-rotted stable manure. 

 The manure should be sufficiently deep 

 not to touch the seed. Plant the seed in 

 trenches at first, covering only with two 

 inches of soil. As the plants develop 

 gradually hoe in more soil. If the soil 

 is sandy, the seeds will stand more earth 

 over them than will those in soil that is 

 of a clayey nature. 



Corms or bulbs of gladioli can be plant- 

 ed towards the end of May and even 

 earUer in some localities. Plant the 

 bulbs three or four inches deep and about 

 six or eight inches apart,. whether theyare 

 planted in clumps or in rows. Dig the 

 ground thoroughly before planting. 

 Dahlia roots also may be planted towards 

 the end of the month. Canna roots 

 should not be planted until after the 

 middle of June. 



There is not a better a,nnual climber 

 for covering trellis work, fences or 

 rockeries than Cobea scandens. Sow a 

 few seeds at once and keep them in the 

 window or a hotbed. About three seeds 

 in a three or four-inch pot will be sufficient. 



They will not need re-potting before 

 planting out as they do not transplant 

 readily if separated. Use rather light, 

 i sandy soil to sow the seeds in and cover 

 ' them with about a quarter of an inch of 

 soil. Keep the soil in the pots moist. 

 They will be ready to transplant outside 

 some time in June. A rich, light soil 

 suits best. Plant the whole pot of plants 

 together, whether there be one, two or 

 three plants in the pot. 



If it is necessary to dig up the spring 

 flowering bulbs when they are out of 

 flower so as to set out other plants, the 

 bulbs should be Ufted and heeled in, just 

 below the ground in some place out of the 

 way, and left there until July. The 

 bulbs should then be lifted and kept in 

 a dry, cool shed until they are required 

 again for planting in the fall. 



If you intend planting some herbace- 

 ous perennials in the border, consult the 

 table on another page. It will tell you 

 the kinds of perennials with the color of 

 their flowers that bloom in each month 

 during the season. By selecting judi- 

 ciously, you may have a succession of 

 bloom from early spring until frost comes 

 in the fall. 



LAWN-M.\KING 



Do you intend making a lawn ? If the 

 lot is small have the surface of the lawn 

 level. Soils from excavations and cellars 

 should be removed and replaced with a 

 rich, retentive loam. If the soil does not 

 need replacing, dig it deeply and, when 

 digging, do so evenly. Do not dig to a 

 depth of a foot in one place and only a 

 few inches in another. Such a practice 

 is noticeable later on in the character of 

 the grass that grows. Before sowing 

 seed, have the surface as fine and smooth 

 as possible. The creation of a good per- 

 manent sod depends as much upon the 

 preparation of the soil as on anything 

 else. Sow the seed while the soil is 

 freshly disturbed. Sow early in the 

 morning, or on a still day. Sow liber 

 ally and evenly. In another column, a 

 lawn mixture is recommended. After 

 sowing, rake and roll. Particular care 

 should be given to all details in lawn 

 making. The lawn is the basis of the 

 whole scheme of decorative gardening. 



Lantana Delicatissima 



The illustration on the preceding page 

 represents a plant which has been grow- 

 ing in a wire hanging basket for about 

 three years, at the home of Mr. A. Alex- 

 ander Hamilton. The basket is lined 

 with about two inches of sphagnum 

 moss and filled with a fight soil finely 

 sifted and kept carefully watered. It 

 hangs with the other hanging baskets 

 of begonias, Asparagus sprengeri and so 

 forth, under the apple trees in the garden 

 all summer. The flowers are of a deli- 

 cate rosy pink color. 



IVepairing' La-wns 



No matter how well cared for, dead 

 patches and bare spots will appear in the 

 lawn. They may be the result of acci- 

 dent, of tramping in beaten paths, of 

 damage by footwear under hammocks 

 and near settees, or they may be the 

 result of lack of attention and care in the 

 management of the turf. The time to 

 repair such spots is in spring. When 

 worn completely bare and if the area is 

 not too large, the repairing is best done 

 by the use of sods. Cut a square area 

 about the injured patch and remove 

 the old sod surface and soil from within 

 this square to the depth of a sod. 

 Roughen the surface of the soil with a 

 rake. Lay the sod in strips closely 

 together. Pound firmly with the back 

 of a spade, water immediately and con- 

 tinue to water until the new sod has 

 made a union with the earth beneath. 



When not necessary or desirable to use 

 sod, clean and loosen the soil with the 

 rake and sow seed. The best seed for 

 lawns is Kentucky blue grass. It is the 

 mainstay of a durable greensward. In 

 a lawn mixture, Red Top is valuable, 

 but it does not do so well when sown 

 alone. White clover grows closely to the 

 ground, fills up the spaces between other 

 grasses and should have a place in a 

 lawn mixture. A good combination 

 for lawns in this country is made up of 

 these three grasses, equal parts b\ 

 weight. Sow at the rate of about one 

 quart to a square rod. 



TKe Nig'Ht-scented StocK 



A hardy annual that gives off' a dcH- 

 cious fragrance at night is the Night- 

 scented Stock. Matthiola bicornis. It 

 has a straggly habit and inconspicuous 

 pink flowers that are scentless by day 

 and very fragrant by night. 



Sow the seed in the open ground just 

 as soon as the soil is in good condition to 

 work. Later on, thin them somewhat, 

 but not enough to prevent them growing 

 in a compact mass. As they are rather 

 weak-stemmed, the plants require the 

 support of each other. 



You will not be interested in the flower 

 until it reaches maturity. When grow- 

 ing, the plants with their inconspicuous 

 grayish-green fofiage are not beautiful, 

 and, therefore, they are best planted in 

 a mass in some retired spot. An ex- 

 cellent place for them is near the ver- 

 andah where you are accustomed to sit. 

 Their delightful odor will add another 

 charm to the evening hours. 



Some everlastings should be planted 

 for making winter bouquets and decora- 

 tions, and for filling vases. They never 

 fade. These delicate, graceful flowers 

 will last for years if cut in bud and 

 bloom and dried in the shade. — N. S. 

 Dunlop, Floral Dept. C.P.R., Montreal. 



