Book of Gardens 



99 



February 



THE GARDENER'S CALENDAR 



Second Month 



Foliage trees may 



b e trimmed this 



month, before the 



sap rises 



Why not some rasp- 

 berries or other 

 cane fruits around 

 the garden? 



Late this month 

 sow sweet peas un- 

 der glass for later 

 garden effects 



SUNDAY 



MONDAY 



TUESDAY 



WEDNESDAY 



THURSDAY FRIDAY 



SATURDAY 





As sunbeams 

 stream 

 through 

 liberal space 



And nothiJig 

 jostle or dis- 

 place. 



So waved the 

 vine-tree 

 through 

 vnj thought 



And fanned the 

 dreams it 

 never brought. 



— Emerson. 



This calendar of the gardener's labors is aimed as a re- 

 minder for undertaking all his tasks in season. It is fitted 

 to the latitude of the Middle States, but its service should 

 be available for the whole country if it be remembered 

 that for every one hundred miles north or south there is a 

 difference of from five to seven days later or earlier in 

 performing geu-den operations. The dates given are, of 

 course, for an average season. 



1. Better 

 get out the 

 sashes for the 

 hotbed and 

 cold-frame, and 

 see that they 

 are in good 

 condition. 

 Broken glass 

 may need re- 

 placing, and 

 the wood 

 should be 

 painted to pro- 

 tect it from 

 the weather. 





2. No one 

 can Harden 

 well with dull 

 or poor quality 

 tooIs.Thisisthe 

 time to do any 

 repairing th;it 

 may be neces- 

 sary. All edged 

 tools must be 

 sharpened ; 

 l;orosene and 

 grease will 

 check the rust 

 on all the metal 

 parts. 



3. All plants 

 that have been 

 in the same 

 pots for any 

 considerable 

 time, such as 

 palms and oth- 

 er decorative 

 things, 

 should be re- 

 potted before 

 their active 

 growing season 

 starts. Top 

 dressing is the 

 alternative. 



4. Plant 

 stakes are 

 necessary evils: 

 we all wish 

 that the plants 

 would not re- 

 quire support- 

 ing, but they 

 do, and we 

 must accom- 

 modate them. 

 Order stakes 

 now. If you 

 can't do this, 

 cut some in the 

 woods. 



5. Have 

 you ordered 

 your supply of 

 seeds? They 

 should be on 

 hand now. An 

 old bread tin 

 makes a good 

 mouse - proof 

 storage for 

 them. Don't 

 let the seeds 

 get damp — a 

 cool, dry place 

 is the ideal 

 storage. 



6. Summer 

 flowering bulbs 

 such as cannas, 

 gladioli, dah- 

 lias, caladium. 

 etc., should be 

 looked over 

 carefully. Ex- 

 cessive heat or 

 moisture will 

 start them into 

 growth; damp- 

 ness with a low 

 temperature 

 is apt to cause 

 decay. 



7. Have you 

 progressed any 

 further than 

 your mind 

 with that rose 

 garden you 

 have been con- 

 sidering all 

 these years? 

 Each year that 

 you postpone 

 establishing it 

 means that 

 you are losing 

 just that much 

 pleasure. 



S. Have you 

 pruned your 

 fruit trees'.' 

 They will pro- 

 duce if left in 

 a natural 

 state, but not 

 nearly so well. 

 Good fruit is 

 produced 

 only where in- 

 telligent prun- 

 ing is prac- 

 ticed, so your 

 labor will be 

 well repaid. 





9. Decid- 

 uous trees and 

 shrubs also re- 

 quire pruning 

 to kee[) them 

 in good health. 

 Early lower- 

 ing subjects 

 such as the 

 lilac or spireas 

 are best 

 pruned after 

 they have fin- 

 ished flowering 

 along in the 

 spring. 



10. Pea 

 brush, bean 

 poles and to- 

 mato stakes 

 are necessities 

 of a productive 

 garden. A few 

 hours spent 

 with an axe in 

 the woods will 

 furnish you 

 with these 

 needed acces- 

 sories. Gather 

 them before 

 they leaf out. 



11. Bay 

 trees, hydran- 

 geas, oranges 

 and other 

 plants of this 

 type that are 

 used for decor- 

 ation outside 

 in the summer 

 should be 

 looked over to 

 see if the tubs 

 will stand up 

 through 

 another sea- 

 son's use. 



12. Have 

 your trees 

 looked over 

 carefully to de- 

 termine their 

 true condition. 

 It takes a life- 

 time to grow 

 good trees but 

 they are sub- 

 ject to injuries 

 of many Icinds. 

 A little tree 

 surgery at the 

 right time will 

 save them. 



13. If you 

 like golf you 

 should have a 

 practice green 

 constructed on 

 your grounds 

 in some 

 screened cor- 

 ner where you 

 can practice 

 when you want 

 to. Sow it with 

 fescue and 

 creeping bent 

 grass in equal 

 quantities. 



14. It is 

 much easier to 

 overhaul your 

 lawn mower 

 now in the 

 garage than it 

 will be next 

 summer on the 

 lawn. At least 

 the gear boxes 

 must be 

 cleaned out 

 and repacked 

 with vaseline, 

 and the other 

 bearings oiled. 



15. Start to 

 prepare your 

 hotbed now. 

 At least 12 

 inches of good 

 hot manure 

 will be neces- 

 sary for mak- 

 ing it. Tramp 

 this flrm and 

 cover it with 

 about 4 inches 

 of good garden 

 soil that has 

 been well 

 screened. 





ir,. start 

 sowings now in 

 the greenhouse 

 of the hardy 

 vegetables 

 such as cab- 

 bage, cauli- 

 flower, lettuce, 

 celery, toma- 

 toes, etc. Use 

 flats or seed 

 pans for great- 

 er convenience, 

 and provide 

 plenty of 

 drainage. 



17. Have 

 you studied 

 the merit.s of a 

 fruit border? 

 No place is 

 complete with- 

 out one. Rasp- 

 berries, cur- 

 rants, goose- 

 berries, black- 

 berries, grapes 

 — ^all these 

 make excellent 

 border plants 

 for the gar- 

 den. 



IS. Now 

 that spring is so 

 near let us 

 think again of 

 greenhouse 

 construction. 

 Greenhouses 

 certainly raise 

 the standard of 

 any grounds, 

 whether they 

 be for fruit or 

 flowers. Early 

 planning 

 means fewer 

 errors. 



19. If you 

 cannot afford a 

 greenhouse 

 there are nu- 

 merous styles 

 of plant pro- 

 tectors that are 

 helpful to gar- 

 dening. They 

 should be or- 

 dered now, as 

 their greatest 

 value is in the 

 early season. 

 Glass ones are 

 excellent. 



20. No gar- 

 den is com- 

 plete without 

 some well se- 

 lected and 

 properly ar- 

 ranged garden 

 furniture. In 

 formal garden- 

 ing pottery is 

 very necessary 

 to the com- 

 pleteness of the 

 scheme. Make 

 your selection 

 and order now. 



21. Stock 

 plants of all 

 kinds of bed- 

 ding subjects 

 should now be 

 started into ac- 

 tive growth so 

 that the neces- 

 sary quantity 

 of cuttings will 

 be ready for 

 taking when 

 the proper 

 time for them 

 comes in the 

 spring. 



22. Have 

 you ever given 

 a thought to 

 the comforts of 

 our greatest 

 garden friends 

 the birds? 

 Why not get 

 a few houses 

 where the birds 

 can nest? A 

 bath for the 

 birds will give 

 even more 

 pleasure to you 

 than to them. 





23. Before 

 work is started 

 outside you 

 should make 

 an Inventory of 

 your tools. 

 Any new ones 

 necessary must 

 be ordered 

 now Tool de- 

 signs keep on 

 being i m - 

 proved as well 

 as other 

 things, so look 

 them over. 



24. Sweet 

 peas may be 

 started now in 

 the hotbed or 

 greenhouse. 

 Paper pots are 

 excellent for 

 them. After 

 the .seeds have 

 germinated the 

 plants must be 

 kept rather 

 cool to prevent 

 their getting 

 soft and weak 

 stemmed. 



25. Flower- 

 ing plants of 

 all kinds that 

 are wanted for 

 Easter must be 

 started into ac- 

 tive growth. 

 By postponing 

 this and then 

 trying to rush 

 them along the 

 plants are in- 

 variably grown 

 too warm and 

 in many cases 

 ruined. 



26. Garden 

 arbors as they 

 are now made 

 are very attrac- 

 tive and neces- 

 sary accessories 

 of the garden. 

 If you wish to 

 enjoy them this 

 summer they 

 should be or- 

 dered now, as 

 well as the 

 roses or other 

 vines for them. 



27. All dor- 

 mant trees and 

 shrubs that are 

 subject to the 

 attacks of San 

 Jose scale 

 should be 

 sprayed with 

 one ol the solu- 

 ble oils. Trees 

 that are al- 

 ready infested 

 must have at 

 least two 

 thorough 

 sprayings. 



28. Sprays 

 of all the early 

 flowering 

 spring shrubs 

 can be cut and 

 placed in water 

 in the house 

 where the 

 flowers will 

 quickly de- 

 velop. Pussy 

 willow, golden 

 bell, Japan 

 quince, etc.. 

 can be forced 

 in this way. 



There is no 

 peace for the 

 blaming leaf. 

 The end of his 

 journey he 

 never knows; 



He lifts from 

 the ground 

 ivith an up- 

 ward heave; 

 Or settles, as 

 lulls (he wind 

 or blows. 



—Harry Kemp. 





n~^HE iirst clear day we've had in a week — it's snowed pretty near all the time since last Wednesday — an' 

 J- this inornin' I dritv the wood sled tip on the uioiinting fcr a load a' logs. By jing, it was great — all blue 

 an' white an' sparkly, same as a Christmas card. There warn't a breath of air stirrin-', an' the clouds — wa'l, 

 sir, it fair hurt ycr eyes to look at 'em, they was so dnrn white an' still an' kinder overpowcrin' ; pHin' up 

 into the sky, ye knozv, from behind the hills like in a picture. Clouds arc blame human sorter things, any- 

 how. Some's skinny an' gray an' old loo kin' , an' they gener'ly makes ye mighty low-spirited. Others 're 

 rcg'lar high Hiers, feather-headed little critters- that make ye feel like zvhistiin' ; they're fair weather clouds, 

 an' they ain't got a care in the zvorld. Then titer's the dull, weepy kind, no character at all; an' them that's 

 always in a hurry; an' the blnstcrin', thmidery ones that growl like they zuas gain' to kill ev'rybody in sight 

 an' then edge past without really doin' nothin' to speak of. An' they 'all come an' change ail' grow fat er 

 thin an' finally disappear, an' wc never see 'em again. — Old Doc Lemmon, 





The stakes and 



poles for tomatoes 



and beajis may be 



cut now 



Currants and goose- 



berries may be 



sprayed now for 



scale, etc. 



Proper attention to 

 wounds, etc., is es- 

 sential to the health 

 of trees 



When preparing the seed box or fiat, use 



plenty of drainage material such as oyster 



shells or broken crocks 



Wheti they have made their first true leaf 

 the young plants should be transplanted, set- 

 ting ihQm about 2" apart 



When the forcing bulbs have fully developed 



in the greenhouse they should be moved to 



a cool, dark place 



