Charming' Display TKrougKout the Season 



FOR a succession of bloom from 

 early spring until late fall it would 

 be diflicult to obtain a better efTect 

 than appears in the beautiful garden of 

 Mr. M. vSpencer Case, (jf Hamilton. Dili- 

 gent and intelligent work throughout the 

 year results in an attractive lloral pan- 

 orama from March 15 until October, 

 livery inch of space is made use of, and 

 by studying the season of bulbs and 

 various perennials a perfect succession 

 is maintained from the time the snow- 

 drops and crocuses appear until Jack 

 Frost nips off the hardiest perennials in 

 the fall. 



"In early spring," said Mr. Case to a 

 representative of The Horticulturist 

 who called on him, "snowdrops arc the 

 first to appear. Then Scilla Siberica 

 comes along. After these about 2,500 

 crocuses of different color make a bril- 

 liant display. Over 400 hyacinths are 

 done blooming by the end of May. 

 Narcissus and tulips, too, are in evi- 

 dence from late April until early June. 



' ' Perennials of different kinds, includ- 

 ing columbines, oriental poppies, globe 

 flowers and Lilium candidum come in 

 during June. Altogether, there are 

 about 450 varieties of roses, many of 

 which have been imported from Ire- 

 land. Climbers decorate the fences and 

 verandas. The crimson rambler and 

 many kinds of clematis produce a bril- 

 liant effect during June. In July gladi- 

 oli of all shades and Lilium aratum are 

 most in evidence. Lilium speciosum 



and a second crop of gladioli brighten 

 the garden in August. I make four 

 plantings of the gladiolus bulbs, the 

 first early in May, and the succeeding 

 plantings at intervals of 15 days. They 

 are put in amongst the shrubbery and 

 roses about four inches deep, wherever 

 a space as large as a silver dollar is left, 

 and in this way bloom is had from the 

 last of July until the middle of October. 

 "1 do not pay attention to annuals," 

 continued Mr. Case, "because they die 

 down too frequently and leave too many 

 bare places. The perennials, when estab- 

 lished, are there to stay. If I had more 

 space I might have some of the annuals 

 as well." 



CULTURAL METHODS 



"In the fall," remarked Mr. Case, 

 "I apply a mulch of straw about six 

 inches deep as soon as the ground 

 freezes. I have tried many kinds of 

 mulch but prefer the straw to leaves, 

 manure or other mulches frequently 

 used. The objection to many mulches 

 is that they mat down closely after 

 heavy rains and hold the heat that is 

 being given off by the earth, so that the 

 bulbs are induced to grow. When 

 growth is started prematurely the bulbs 

 die again underneath the mulch and 

 become blanched. I have seen beds 

 of bulbs that were covered with leaves, 

 where growth was induced in this way, 

 and when the mulch was removed early 

 in March, new leaves four inches long 

 were lying flat along the ground. With 



Mr. Case's Tulip and Hyacinth Display last May 



the straw this growth pushes its way 

 straight up, and when the mulch is re- 

 moved growth continues. Manure, be- 

 sides being t(x; heating, is objectionable 

 on account of the unsightly appearance 

 and disagreeable odors. 



"When the straw mulch is removed 

 in March I put on a sprinkhngof pow- 

 dered sheep manure and bone meal. A 

 surface dressing is all that can be given, 

 because the bulbs are so close together 

 that no digging can be practised. The 

 sheep manure and bone meal contain 

 nitrogen and phosphates, and the rains 

 wash these fertiUzing substances into 

 the soil readily. In April I fork around 

 the rose bushes and loosen the earth 

 wherever I can. When the foliage ap- 

 pears in May I look out for the rose 

 caterpillar which is very troublesome 

 in my garden. The only way to con- 

 quer it is to pick it off. The aphis can 

 be held in check by spraying with nico- 

 tine and whale-oil soap. If the fight is 

 begun in time three sprayings suffice 

 for the season. I use about a table- 

 spoonful of nicotine and one-quarter 

 pound of whale-oil soap to three gallons 

 of water. As the aphis have to be 

 killed by contact, special care must be 

 taken to apply it to the under sides of 

 the leaves where the aphis collect. 

 Paris green is liable to kill the foliage 

 on roses. Helebore is the best poisc«i 

 to use for those insects which eat the 

 leaves. It is just as effective as Paris 

 green and does not do any damage to 

 the plants. 



"Mildew appears now and again, the 

 date of first appearance depending on the 

 season. It^ sometimes attacks the rose 

 bushes in July, while other seasons it 

 does not appear until much later. Pow- 

 dered sulphur dusted on the plants gives 

 satisfactory results. If the mildew has 

 not obtained too firm a footing it will at 

 least check the disease. In case this 

 fungus is w-ell established it is advisable 

 to cut off the branches that are most 

 affected and bum them. The condi- 

 tions that result in rapid development 

 of this trouble are cold, damp weather 

 with sudden changes to warmer tem- 

 perature. 



During July and August there is not 

 much to look after except watering and 

 keeping the weeds and other objection- 

 able growths from amongst the flowers. 

 In September, Lilium candidum should 

 be planted. In October crocuses, tulips, 

 hyacinths, etc., should be put in. These 

 bulbs can be secured from any reUable 

 seed house, and may be planted around 

 the edges of the beds or under the 

 shrubbery. A rich soil is not required, 

 because sufficient food is stored in the 

 bulb to support it until it is matured. 

 Lilium aratum does not thrive well in 

 a strong soil. This bulb is a failure 



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