THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition. 



A Border In the Garden of Mr. J. H. Bennett, 

 Barrie, Ont. 



t mauent quarters. I'oung plants of 



'■' hollyhocks, foxgloves, gaillardias, 

 sweet Williams and clove pinks, if not 

 transplanted by the middle of Septem- 

 ber, are better left undisturbed until 



I; spring. Anemone, japanica, fuchsias, 

 and late tritomas, are better moved in 

 •Vpril. 



Old lawns may be reseeded this 

 month, and if you propose making a 

 new one, remember that the walks, 

 I'oadways, paths, beds and borders 

 should be edged with turf to protect 

 the young grass when it comes up. 



Gravel and other garden paths -set 

 out this month will have a chance to 

 become well-trodden before frost 

 comes to heave them up. 



Evergreens may still be planted 

 about the home grounds. Their suc- 

 cess depends on fa\orable soil condi- 

 tions. As long as the ground is damp 

 and free from frost transplanting is 

 -afe. Deeidous trees may also be 

 transplanted. The general rule for 

 these trees is to plant as soon as the 

 leaves begin to color. 



Do not forget that this is the time 

 of nature's seed age. Therefore see 

 to it that all weeds are pulled up be- 

 fore their seed pods burst and scatter 

 the noxious seeds, which will germin- 

 ate and produce intruders into your 

 garden and throughout your lawn an- 

 other year. 



The Greenhouse. 



Primulas and cinerarias should be 



lepotted as recinired, and be kept free 



'rom thrips and green fly by regular 



iumigating or spraying with tobacco 



xtracts. 



Cyclamen should be put into their 

 ilowering pots. Those grown in cold 



li frames will need the protection of the 



H' creonhouse this innnth. 



Bulbs for Christmas flowering should 

 be potted at once. Koman hyacinths, 

 paper-white narcissus and Due Van 

 Thol tulips are very suitable for this 

 l)urposc, and forcing them is a very 

 simple matter if approached in a busi- 

 nesslike way. They should be placed 

 outside or in a cold frame when pot- 

 ted, given a good soaking of water, 

 and a few hours later a covering of 

 four or five inches of coal ashes put 

 over them. If coal ashes are not avail- 

 able ordinary garden soil may be sub- 

 stituted. The quality of the bulbs has 

 a good deal to do with the ultimate re- 

 sults. No amount of good cultivation 

 will cause poor bulbs to give good re- 

 sults. Another important point in 

 bulb culture is to guard against the 

 soil becoming dry after growth has 

 commenced. Many failures can be 

 traced to this, and an attempt to force 

 the bulbs before sufficient roots have 



formed to warrant warm treatment. 



Aspidistras may now receive a top 

 dressing of rich soil. There are few 

 plants that will stand as much rough 

 treatment as this one, but if really 

 healthy-looking plants are wanted it 

 pays to give them rather more atten- 

 tion than is usually bestowed upon 

 them. A pinch of chemical manure 

 will often work wonders. Never al- 

 low the leaves to remain dirty ; sponge 

 them at least once a month, and oftener 

 if necessary. 



Palms, rubber plants and other ever- 

 green used for decorative purposes in- 

 side the home should have their leaves 

 sponged from time to time. No matter 

 how careful you ma.v be with them, 

 mealy bug and scale will establish 

 themselves. A top dressing of rich 

 soil or a pinch of chemical manure, as 

 suggested for aspidistras, will tone 

 them up. 



Fall Preparation lor Winter Flowers 



H. J. Moore, Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Falls, Ont. 



THE question of housing garden 

 plants will now concern the 

 grower. It is a greater problem 

 to know how to house the plants than 

 to know what to house. The care in 

 the preparation of garden sub.iects for 

 winter storage or treatment is a fac- 

 tor which must not be overlooked, as 

 upon the method employed depends 

 success in most cases. 



For the purpose of this article \^e 

 will define two classes of plants, name- 

 ly : (a) those which require actual 

 winter storage and are entirely dor- 

 mant at this time ; (b) those which may 

 be grown on for room decoration, or 

 M'hich do not become aetuall.y dormant. 

 To ela.ss (a) belong such plants as can- 

 nas, tuberous begonias, dahlias, and 

 gladiolus. All these .should be lifterl 

 carefully from the ground after The 

 first heavy frost, or when bad fall 

 weather mars their beautv. The stems 

 mav be removed from the cannas and 

 dahlias bv being cut away six inches 

 or so above the tubers. The tubers 

 should then be stored in a dry place 

 (cellar), Mnth a minimum winter tem- 

 ])erature of 50 F. The stems and foli- 

 age should not be removed from tuber- 

 ous begonias until they fall naturally. 

 It is best, therefore, to place the entire 

 plants in shallow boxes and stand them 

 upon dry shelves until the stems dis- 

 .ioint themselves from the tuber, after 

 which the tubers may be stored away. 



Cannas, dahlias, and tuberous be- 

 gonias may be stored in boxes of dry 

 sand, and if the atmosphere of the 

 room or cellar in Avhieh they are stored 

 is dry, they will require very little at- 

 tention during winter. An occasional 

 examination should, however, be made. 



and any tubers which show signs of do- 

 cay removed. Remember that exces- 

 sively high or low temperatures act 

 deleteriously in that the former may 

 excite unnatural growth and the latter 

 disentegration of the cells, with a subse- 

 quent rotting of the tissues. Gladioli 

 corms may be stored in shallow boxes 

 containing dry sand, or upon dry 

 shelves. 



In class (b) we find many plants suit- 

 able for room and generally for hou.se 

 decoration. The following are equally 

 desirable : Geraniums, many fibrous 

 begonias (including the many varieties 

 of semperflorens, B Gracilis and B 

 Gracilis alba), coleus in many varieties, 

 petunias of many kinds, single and 

 double. Plants for the foregoing pur- 

 pose must not be torn ruthlessly from 

 the soil; they must be lifted carefully 

 and in such a manner that a mass of 

 earth will adhere to their roots. They 

 should be potted in a mixture of loam, 

 leaf soil and sand. Garden soil is, 

 generally speaking, of little value for 

 potting purposes. The use of this is 

 responsible for many failures, especi- 

 ally with amateurs, who sometimes do 

 not realize that a soil must possess fi- 

 brous vegetable matter to render it 

 porous and to ensure fertility. There 

 is no more intensive form of cultui-e 

 than that of growing plants in small 

 pots. As the sides of the pots restrict 

 the feeding area of the roots, the plant 

 foods are quickly utilized. A barren 

 soil is, therefore, useless. It is better 

 to buy a bushel of good potting soil 

 from the florist than to risk failure. 



When potting garden plants during 

 fall, all established house plants should 

 be examined, and anv which are root 



