144 



THE CANADlAiN H O R T 1 C U LT U li 1 S T 



June, 190'; 



Probably few regret it ; for it is, without 

 doubt, the most troublesome and un- 

 natural style of planting. For this style 

 of bedding, a combination of delicate 

 shades of color would be unsuitable. 

 The lines of color have to be somewhat 

 sharply contrasted; otherwise, any de- 

 signs the beds might contain would be 

 too indistinct to be effective. Almost any 

 low-growing plants that will stand being 

 pinched or sheared can be used for 

 this class of work, among which are the 

 following: Coleus, achyranthus, santol- 

 ina, alternanthera, pyrethrum, eche- 

 veria, lobelia, mesembryanthemum, 

 alyssum and others. 



It is not necessary to confine oneself 

 to the above Hst, many other plants and 

 many other ways can be found to make 

 summer bedding effective. No arbitrary 

 rule exists as to what should, or should 

 not, be planted, or how the arranging 

 should be done. Much depends upon 

 the taste and skill of the operator. 

 Common plants, in the hands of the 

 skilful planter, are often made to pro- 

 duce finer effects than the choicest ma- 

 terial in the hands of the unskilful. 



Mowing tHe La-wn 



It is not well to mow a newly-made 

 lawn until the grass is three or four inches 

 in height. Give the grass a chance. Do 

 not cut too closely at first. When 

 mowing is commenced, however, it is 

 necessary to repeat it about twice a 

 week. Frequent mowings increase the 

 body of the sward. In dry seasons, it 

 may not be necessary to mow so often. 



Do not mow a well-established lawn 

 too closely. There must be enough 

 grass blade left at the root of the plant 

 to make a good showing of green if one 

 expects the turf to look well. Cutting 

 close gives the lawn a brown look be- 

 cause the dead leaves usually found at 

 crown of plant have a chance to show 

 through the green leaves that are left. 



To maintain an even surface of turf, 

 the grass must be cut with an up-to-date 

 lawn mower. There are many of these 

 on the market. It is well to select one 

 that will do the work easily and well. 

 Every person that has a lawn should 

 have a hand lawn mower. They are 

 inexpensive and will last for many years. 

 For parks, pubUc squares, large estates 

 and other places where the lawn is of 

 large area, it is necessary to use a horse 

 or power lawn mower. These do the 

 work much more rapidly than the hand 

 mower and are cheap in the end. 



There is a difference of opinion as to 

 whether or not the trimmings or clip- 

 pings of the grass should be removed 

 when cut. Some gardeners advise leav- 

 ing them to decay and, as they say, 

 to enrich the surface of the soil. It 

 would seem, however, that actual ex- 

 perience discredits this theorv and shows 

 that soon such a thick mat of decayed 



leaves is left on the roots of the grass 

 that it molds, smothers the grass and 

 ev-en kills it. It is said that many dead 

 patches seen on lawns are the result of 

 leaving the clippings thereon. We 

 would suggest that amateurs whose 

 lawns are small, rake off most of the 

 clippings. It is easier, of course, to 

 leave them where they lie, but it is not in 

 the best interests of the turf to allow the 

 clippings of all summer to remain there. 

 This is a point of general interest. Letters 

 telling the experience of our readers 

 are solicited and will be published for the 

 benefit of fellow-gardeners. 



Gro-wing Covircls 



Gourds are excellent annual climbers. 

 They produce blossoms profusely and 

 the curious fruits hanging in clusters 

 add novelty and attractiveness to the 

 garden. They are grown somewhat in 

 the same manner as squashes and cu- 

 cumbers. As they are tender, they 

 should not be planted until all danger of 

 frost is passed. A better way is to start 

 the seed in the house in early spring, 

 usually March, and transfer the plants to 

 the open when the right time comes. 

 Good results may be obtained, however, 

 by planting the seed outside. Give them 

 a location that is fully exposed to sun. 



Gourds must be trained on some 

 support, such as fences, trellises, arbors, 

 and summer houses. A rustic effect 

 may be produced by allowing the gourds 

 to run over a dead tree. Go to the 

 woods or fields and find a small tree or 

 old top. Nail on this in irregular fash- 

 ion any old sticks or limbs that are 

 available. Unless you intend to give 

 the larger varieties particular attention 

 in the way of support when they attain 

 their size, it is advisable to use the 

 smaller sorts so that they will not be 

 damaged in case of a windstorm. 



Try some gourds this year, and, to 

 make the experiment doubly interesting, 

 engrave a name or motto on the fruit 

 when young. This may be done with a 

 knife or any instrument. When a gourd 

 is once scratcTied, the blemish will always 

 remain, no matter how small it may be. 

 On the other hand, if the puncture is 

 large, the fruit will rot. Care should be 

 taken to see that the, markings are not 

 made too deeply. 



Statice — Sea Lavender. — The statices 

 are great favorites of mine. They are 

 among the most beautiful of our peren- 

 nials, very hardy, and are not known as 

 well as they ought to be. They grow 

 from two to three feet high. There is 

 nothing better for cutting, and they keep 

 long after being dried. They are very 

 attractive in the border, flowering during 

 August, September and October, laven- 

 der blue in color. A'ariety latifolia is 

 the best for general culture. — Roderick 

 Cameron, Niagara Falls South. 



THe Mixed Flo-wer Border 



Wm. Hunt, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. 



For practical purposes, the plants fo; 

 a mixed flower border could be divided 

 into two classes, permanent and tem- 

 porary. The former could consist of 

 perennial climbers for covering the 

 fence, if any, and all kinds of hardy per- 

 ennial border plants such as delphiniums, 

 paeony, iris, and other similar plants. 

 Hardy border lilies, lily of the vallev, as 

 well as tulips and narcissi, and other 

 spring flowering bulbs, could fje planted 

 for permanent occupation in different 

 positions, best suited to their height, 

 habit and color effect. A few carefully 

 selected shrubs or a few of the com- 

 moner hardy roses could be made very 

 effective in large borders. Annual 

 climbers and border plants could be 

 sown in May to fill in the spaces between ' 

 the more permanent plants just men- 

 tioned. 



Plant for effectiveness, so as to avoid 

 a too monotonous or set appearance of 

 the general contour of the border. 

 Planting for color effect may be done by 

 grouping varieties of plants that har- 

 monize. Avoid any stiffness or formal- 

 ity in the general effect. It is not ad- 

 visable always to copy the plan often- 

 times followed of planting only the tall- 

 growing plants at the back of the border, 

 medium height plants in the centre, and 

 the quite dwarf plants only at the front 

 edge of the border. This method gives 

 the border the appearance of being stiff, 

 formal and artificial. It is just as neces- 

 sary to have reUef in form and outline 

 as it is to have relief and variety in color 

 effect. In planting the mixed border, 

 try and avoid anything approaching 

 formality or too much regularity from 

 any point of view. 



To make the mixed border effective 

 from early spring until late autumn, 

 select plants that will cover the season 

 with successive bloom. Seeds of per- 

 ennials can be sown in a nursery bed 

 out of doors, from May to August, for 

 next season and future flowering. These 

 could be planted in the border the fol- 

 lowing spring. Spring flowering bulbs 

 should be planted in October. Pseony 

 roots and dielj-tra (bleeding heart), iris 

 and a few other herbaceous perennials 

 could be planted or divided and trans- 

 planted in September, or early in Octo- 

 ber. Most of the border perennials, 

 however, such as gaillardia, phlox and so 

 forth, are best transplanted about the 

 end of April or early in May. Dormant 

 roots of dahlias can be planted the end 

 of Mav, Canna roots early in June. 

 Gladioli corms can be planted any time 

 during May. Seeds of annuals can be 

 sown as soon as the ground is in good 

 condition in spring, about the first week 

 in May. A border was published last 

 month. 



