September, 1915. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



215 



bound may be potted with the rest. Do 

 not under any circumstances delay thiri 

 operation until the dead of winter. 

 With proper care, good root systems 

 will be made ere winter retards 

 growth, especially if the plants are 

 placed in a light Avindow. As under 

 the influence of light plants grow in its 

 direction, the growth will elongate. It 

 is thus well to stake neatly at time of 

 potting so as to ensure good shape. 



It should not be expected that plants 

 when lifted from the garden will not 

 suffer loss of leaves and for a time ap- 

 pear dilapidated. Much may, however, 

 be done to preclude this. The tops of 

 such plants as geraniums should be re- 

 duced at least one-third, this being 

 -done in such a manner that only the 

 stronger stems are shortened. The re- 

 moval of this growth will largely com- 

 pensate for the loss of roots. Plants 

 so treated should be shaded from svcu- 

 light for a few days and be occasion- 

 ally sprayed overhead. Under this 

 •care they will recover quickly. 



Through lack of proper housing fa- 

 cilities, many green plants are stored 

 in the cellar. These require a some- 

 what different treatment to those used 

 for room decoration. All plants whicli 

 •are green and whose foliage persists 

 through winter, however, must have 

 light, and while they maj^ not be used 

 for any purpose during this time, the 

 conditions should be such that their 

 functions can be performed. The idea 

 that green plants like geraniums may 

 be strung up by the roots in a dry cel- 

 lar with impunity is erroneous. Light 

 and moisture are essential to life, and 

 it is infinitely better practice to pla)it 

 this subject in boxes of sand, after 

 cutting back the stems at least half- 

 way, and to place the boxes in a fairly 

 well lit position. Even hydrangea 

 hortensis, which is deciduous, when 

 stored away, should likewise be placed 

 in a light position, for while growth 



may be suspended during winter, the 

 buds should have light, even if sub- 

 dued. 



To the geranium, hydrangea, and 

 even to such subjects as the century 

 plant, occasional waterings must be 

 given. A temperature of at least 50 

 F. should be maintained in the case of 

 most green plants, as the functions of 



these must go on even during winter. 

 Half-hardy deciduous or dormant 

 plants may withstand a lower tempera- 

 ture, thus in this respect the grower 

 should discriminate, and, if possible, 

 store the green plants in the lighter 

 and warmer part, and the dormant 

 stock in the less favored part of the 

 cellar. 



Autumn Treatment of Flower Borders 



DURING the fall months there is 

 much work of a seasonable char- 

 acter among perennial bordei 

 plants that is better done at that time 

 than at any other period of the year. 

 This is true in spite of the fact that 

 quite a large number of perennial 

 plants are of a long-suffering nature, 

 and submit to division and replanting 

 at almost any time with impunity. In 

 the fall, however, when flowering has 

 ceased, there is a general desire for 

 tidying up, and at such times much use- 

 ful work may be done. 



The cutting down of all plants may 

 be proceeded with at once. Take care, 

 in so doing, that labels are not dis- 

 turbed, or even lost altogether. We 

 grow these and other garden flowers 

 chiefly for ornament or for their use- 

 fulness in a cut state. 



With the cutting down of the plants 

 completed, it must be decided whether 

 forking, digging, or manuring is neces- 

 sary. Needless to say, the first and last 

 of these will benefit both the border 

 and the plants it contains. The addi- 

 tion of manure by its bulk alone lifts, 

 lightens, and aerates the soil, and in so 

 doing performs important work quite 

 apart from its enriching effects. The 

 best manure to employ is that of a 

 short, well-decayed nature. At such 

 times, too, a free addition of lime may 

 with decided gain be given to all soils 



Prize Winning Asters, Grown by Geo. W. Karges, Waterloo, Ont. 



John Gall, Inglewood, Ont. 



of a heavy or water-holding nature. 



Not a few of the best border plants 

 are of so robust a nature that they 

 quickly form mats of growth, which, if 

 left undisturbed, will prove their un- 

 doing in the near future. The digging 

 up, dividing and replanting of such as 

 these is, therefore, of importance at 

 this time. The white perennial mar- 

 guerites, michaelmas daisies, rudbec- 

 kias, heleniums, helianthus and achil- 

 lea are some of those that benefit by 

 being divided and replanted each year. 

 The varieties of the first-named quick- 

 ly exhaust the soil, and manure should 

 be added freely in such cases. 



One of the greatest aids to successi 

 in the case of soil-robbing, or soil-ex- 

 hausting subjects is to give a complete 

 change of station or position. The one 

 need be but a yard or two yards re- 

 moved from the old position, there to 

 find all the advantages which a change 

 of soil brings in its train. The idea 

 is simple in the extreme and its import- 

 ance infinite, despite which it is rarely 

 done. A much more frequent way is 

 to lift a plant, and, having dug and 

 manured the ground, replant it in the 

 old position. In this way only a par- 

 tial change of soil is secured, while in 

 the one suggested it is complete. 



In the ease of the more robust-grow- 

 ing, mat-forming subjects, a considet"- 

 able amount of plant material will have 

 to be discarded. With not a few ama- 

 teurs or beginners this goes very much 

 against the grain, yet it has to be done 

 if good results are to be obtained. The 

 replanting of big clumps of things — 

 nvrethrum, flag iris, or michaelmas 

 daisy — is a fallacy ; the youthful plant 

 is capable of much bettor work, and is 

 commended to all. When replanting 

 such as the white marguerites or 

 michaelmas daisies, only the strong- 

 est, outermost portions of the clumps 

 — those that have developed with light 

 -ind air all round — should be retained. 

 The superiority of these,, compared 

 with the innermost shoots of a plant, 

 will be obvious at a glance. Single 

 frrowths, if well -rooted, are the best, 

 and, of these, six or a dozen arranged 

 a f^w inches apart will not only form 

 a Efoodlv grout), but nrovide a display 

 of the finest flowers in due season. 



