514 



HENDEESON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



nias, etc., with Caladiums, Crotons, Draceenas, 

 Marautas, etc., will keep the green-houte 

 gay till warm weather sets in. Poinsettias, 

 Catalonian Jessamines and other plants in- 

 tended for winter blooming should now be re- 

 potted, and Calla Lilies that have done flowering 

 placed in a shady place, where the pots can be 

 turned on their sides and left to dry off until 

 time to repot them in fall. 



FLOWER GARDEN. The vacant beds in the 

 flower garden should now be in order to receive 

 the plants intended for them, which, with the 

 exception of the more tender sorts, may be 

 planted as soon as the weather is settled. For- 

 get-me-nots, Pausies, Daisies, Polyanthus and 

 other spring flowering plants are now at their 

 best, and if they have been judiciously planted 

 will be quite a feature in the garden. The 

 rock-garden is also very interesting at this 

 season, as it has been for some time, the various 

 early plants, such as Hepaticas, Anemones, 

 Snowdrops and other early bulbous plants, being 

 most interesting. New lawns or grass plots if 

 not sown before, should be sown at once ; none 

 but the best selected seed should be used for 

 this purpose. Permanent lawns should be 

 mown and rolled as occasion requires, edges 

 trimmed nicely and all flower beds kept free of 

 weeds. Annuals for early flowering that have 

 been sown in the frame or green-house may now 

 be planted out, and such hardy sorts as Sweet 

 Alyssum, Mignonette, Candytuft and Phlox 

 Drummondii sown in the open border. Cuttings 



of Chrysanthemums if started now will make fine 

 plants for fall flowering. As soon as Hyacinths, 

 Tulips, etc., are done flowering, if their room 

 is wanted, they should be carefully taken up 

 and heeled in, in some out-of-the-way corner 

 where they may ripen off their bulbs. 



FRUIT GARDEN. Many of the smaller fruits 

 may yet be planted, though with less prospect 

 of success than if done earlier. As the various 

 insect pests make their appearance, they must 

 be checked at once ; a free application of to- 

 bacco dust mixed with Persian powder, dusted 

 on liberally, will be found very efficacious. It is 

 still better, however, used as a preventive ; for 

 if the insects once get a foothold they are hard 

 to dislodge. The hoe and cultivator must 

 be kept constantly at work, not only to 

 keep down weeds, but to loosen and aerate 

 the soil. 



VEGETABLE GARDEN. As the ground gets 

 warm, seeds of all the more tender vegetables, 

 as Cucumbers, Melons, Squash, Corn, Lima 

 Beans, Okra, etc., may be sown, and Cabbage, 

 Cauliflower, Lettuce, etc., from the earlier sow- 

 ings transplanted. Toward the end of the 

 month, if the weather looks settled, Tomatoes, 

 Egg-plants, Peppers, Sweet Potatoes, etc., 

 should be planted out, and succession crops of 

 Peas, Beans, Corn, Lettuce and other vegeta- 

 bles planted every week or two. Field crops, 

 such as Mangels, Carrots, Parsnips, etc., should 

 also be sown and all necessary work promptly 

 attended to 



JUNE. 



GREEN-HOUSE AND WINDOW PLANTS. The 

 bulk of the bedding and other plants being now 

 planted out or placed out-of-doors, the green- 

 house may be utilized to grow such tropical 

 plants as may be desired during the summer 

 months. If kept moist and well shaded, fine 

 specimens of Dracaenas, Palms, fancy Cala- 

 diums, Ferns, Crotons, etc., will render it very 

 attractive. A few of the smaller growing Nym- 

 pha3as or other water plants grown in tanks 

 or under other appropriate conditions, will give 

 it additional attraction during the season. 



All plants that require it should be repotted, 

 and, with few exceptions, should be pinched 

 back to make them branching and stocky. 

 Others that require it may be trained and made 

 to grow in any desired form. Syringing, both 

 outside and indoors, should be regularly at- 

 tended to, to keep down insects ; and the plants 

 are much benefited by the pathways being 

 sprinkled occasionally with water. 



FLOWER GARDEN. All the spring flowering 

 plants have now been removed, and their places 

 filled with those plants already selected to give 

 the most desirable results during the season. 

 Cannas, single and double Dahlias, Asters, Mari- 

 golds, Zinnias, etc., may now be planted ; they 

 will bloom until frost, and are exceedingly useful 

 for cutting from. Staking and tying up strong 

 growing plants should always be attended to 

 neglect in this matter often ruins the appear- 

 ance of the garden for the season. Verbenas, 

 Petunias and plants of similar habit should be 

 pegged down so that the beds may be thorough- 

 ly covered. Lawns should be mown frequently, 

 the grass edgings trimmed, and walks frequent- 

 ly rolled, if necessary, and kept in good order. 

 Grass Seed for new lawns may yet be sown. 



FRUIT GARDEN. We cannot too strongly en- 

 force the necessity of thinning out the fruit of 

 Apples, Pears, Peaches, etc., which have set 

 their fruit thickly. By so doing much finer 

 fruit is produced, the flavor is much superior, 

 and the weight at least equal. This is equally 

 true of Grape-vines or any other fruits that may 

 have set too thickly. All small fruits are much 

 benefited by having a mulching of some sort 

 placed around them, Strawberries in particular ; 

 if they have been overlooked, the cut grass 

 from the lawn is an excellent material to keep 

 the fruit from getting sanded and spoiled by 

 heavy rains. Judicious summer pruning, or 

 pinching out the centre of the young growth, 

 at this season, will not only keep the young 

 trees in better shape, but make them more 

 fruitful. 



VEGETABLE GARDEN. During this, the busi- 

 est month, all growing crops need constant 

 attention. Thin out all plants that require it, 

 and keep all crops clean by weeding mid hoeing. 

 At this season weeds are very apt to get a 

 strong foothold unless they are carefully 

 watched. Keep the hoe and rake going; a 

 man will hoe and rake over six times the sur- 

 face of soil when the weeds are quite small 

 that he would do if the weeds were six inches 

 higher. A succession of Corn, Beans, Cucum- 

 bers, Beets, Lettuce, Okra, Martynias for pic- 

 kles, should now be planted, and Lima Beans, 

 both pole and dwarf, as soon as the soil is 

 warm enough. Sweet Potatoes will yet do well 

 if planted in a suitable location. It' Tomatoes 

 are desired to be handsome fruited and fine 

 flavored, they should be trained up to stakes or 

 trellises. Attend to Cabbage Worms and look 

 out for Potato Bugs. (See " Insecticides.") 



