Book of Gardens 



105 



May 



THE GARDENER'S CALENDAR 



Fifth Month 



Work the fertilizer 

 into the ground 

 around the roses 

 with a steel rake 



Immediately after 



transplanting, water 



copiously to settle 



the soil 



The burned tips of 

 the ornamental 

 evergreens can be 

 cut out with shears 



SUNDAY 



What a garden 

 of suTprUe 



Out heyond my 

 window lies! 



Fnncij, whenihc 

 night is there. 



Gentle trees with 

 drooping hair 



Rocking, rock- 

 ing cradle- 

 loise, 



Little stars with 

 i/ellow eyes! 



-George Cronyn 



4. It is un- 

 wise to post- 

 pone potato 

 pliiiiting any 

 tiiii]^(-r if you 

 WM\[, good re- 

 .suits. Potatoes 

 are a cool crop 

 and late plant- 

 ings of them, 

 liowever well 

 cared ior, ate 

 raiely success- 

 ful. U s e a 

 fertilizer with 

 1% potash. 



II. Do not 

 delay cutting 

 the lawn until 

 the grass is so 

 long as to ne- 

 cessitate rak- 

 i n g. Good 

 liiwns are the 

 result of liberal 

 fertilization 

 and frequent 

 mowing, the 

 latter in some 

 cases twice a 

 week in grow- 

 ing weather. 



18. Just be- 

 lore the general 

 ilowering sea- 

 son begins in 

 the perennial 

 garden it is a 

 good practice 

 to top - dress 

 the beds with 

 bone meal or 

 other concen- 

 trated fertil- 

 izer. Scatter it 

 on the surface 

 and rake it into 

 the soil. 



25. Dahlias 

 may be planted 

 out now. Make 

 <leep holes for 

 them, setting 

 the plants sev- 

 eral inches be- 

 low the grade 

 to allow lor 

 tilling in the 

 soil as they 

 grow. Use a 

 1 ittle sheep 

 manure or 

 bone meal in 

 the bottom. 



MONDAY 



TUESDAY 



WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 



This calendar of the gardener's labors is 

 aimed as a reminder 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 garden operations. The dates 

 given are^ of course, for an average season. 



5. Most of 

 the more com- 

 mon annual 

 flowers may be 

 started out of 

 doors now. 

 Have the soil 

 in which they 

 are to go well 

 prepared far 

 enough ahead 

 so that It will 

 pulverize when 

 being woiked. 

 Sow the seed 

 thinly in drills. 



12. The edges 

 of walks, flow- 

 er beds, shrub- 

 bery borders, 

 etc.. should be 

 trimmed clean- 

 ly and neatly 

 with a turflng 

 iron every few 

 weeks through 

 the season. 

 This finishing 

 touch is neces- 

 sary to com- 

 pl e t e your 

 grounds. 



19. Leaf 

 beetles of vari- 

 ous types will 

 soon be at their 

 destructive 

 work. Spray 

 the currant 

 bushes, goose- 

 berries, elms, 

 cherries, etc., 

 using arsenate 

 of lead as the 

 most adhesive 

 of any of the 

 regular poison 

 sprays. 



26. When 

 the various 

 fruit trees are 

 in bloom they 

 should be 

 sprayed with a 

 combination of 

 Bordeaux mix- 

 ture and arsen- 

 ate of lead. 

 This will de- 

 stroy the vari- 

 ous insects that 

 ruin the fruit, 

 catching them 

 as they hatch. 



6. Tubbed 

 plants of all 

 kinds used 

 around the 

 grounds for 

 decorationmay 

 be taken irom 

 their winter 

 quarters and 

 moved into 

 place now. To 

 maintain 

 growth, these 

 plants should 

 be given liquid 

 manure. 



13. Now that 

 the garden 

 work Is in lull 

 swing, invite 

 youiself to get 

 acquainted 

 with the use of 

 a wheel - hoe. 

 These imple- 

 ments do the 

 necessary work 

 of cultivation 

 more efficiently 

 and with less 

 effort than any 

 othei. 



20. I-eaf eat- 

 ing Insects will 

 also soon be 

 working in the 

 garden. For 

 them a poison 

 spray on the 

 foliage is the 

 thing to use. 

 Cover the 

 squash vines 

 with nets, as il- 

 lustrated on 

 this page, to 

 protect from 

 squash bugs. 



27. Winter 

 celery may be 

 sown now. 

 Make a seed 

 bed for it and 

 sow broadcast. 

 When large 

 enough to 

 handle, dibble 

 the little plants 

 off into well 

 prepared soil. 

 When they are 

 4 inches tall 

 you can plant 

 them out. 



7. All the 

 summerflower- 

 Ing bulbous 

 plants may be 

 set out now. 

 To assure a 

 continuous 

 supply of gladi- 

 oli, they can be 

 planted at bi- 

 weekly inter- 

 vals. The rule 

 is to plant all 

 bulbs twice as 

 deep as their 

 diameter. 



14. Weed 

 killers are very 

 necessary in 

 stone gutters, 

 blue stone 

 walks and 

 drives, and 

 other places 

 where it is un- 

 wise to use a 

 hoe. One ap- 

 plication now 

 win destroy all 

 undesirable 

 growth for the 

 season. 



21. It is un- 

 wise to post- 

 pone the sow- 

 ing of farm 

 crops any 

 longer. Man- 

 gels. sugar 

 beets, carrots, 

 turnips. etc., 

 should be 

 sown. Assize is 

 the important 

 facto r wi th 

 these crops, 

 early sowing 

 is needed. 



28. If the 

 weather ap- 

 pears settled, 

 the bedding 

 out of gera- 

 niums, cannas, 

 salvia, coleus 

 and other bed- 

 pl an ts may 

 be started. If 

 a delayed cold 

 spell should 

 come along, 

 cover the 

 plantings with 

 old sheets. 



1 . If the 

 weather condi- 

 tions are set- 

 tled the warm 

 vegetable CI ops 

 may be sown 

 at this time. 

 Beans, limas, 

 corn, squash, 

 pumpkins, 

 okra, melons, 

 etc.. are all 

 considered 

 warm crops. 

 Details on 

 page 53. 



8. Crops that 

 are more or less 

 inactive and 

 are not grow- 

 ing well should 

 be stimulated 

 with an appli- 

 cation of ni- 

 trate of soda 

 or some other 

 strong fertiliz- 

 ing element 

 used In liquid 

 form to bring 

 about q u ic k 

 results. 



15. Make a 

 small seed bed 

 for the accom- 

 modation of 

 late cabbage, 

 (cauliflower, 

 kale, Brussels 

 sprouts, etc. 

 These should 

 be sown now. 

 Keep the 

 young plants 

 in separate 

 beds until it is 

 time to plant 

 them out. 



22. Do not 

 neglect to keep 

 up succession 

 sowings in the 

 garden, as ad- 

 vised elsewhere 

 in this issue - 

 Corn, beans, 

 spinach, peas, 

 radishes, let- 

 tuce, beets, 

 carrots, chervil, 

 cucumber, 

 cress, kohlrabi 

 and turnip are 

 all timely. 



29. After 



they have fin- 

 ished flower- 

 ing, but not be- 

 fore, the lilacs. 

 syringas. deut- 

 zia, forsythia, 

 spirea. snow- 

 ball, pearl bush 

 and other early 

 flowering 

 shrubs should 

 be pruned Cut 

 out the old. un- 

 productive 

 wood. 



FRIDAY 



2. The early 

 sowings of 

 vegetables 

 must be proi>- 

 erly thinned 

 out;pIantsthat 

 are unduly 

 crowded be- 

 come thin and 

 spindly and 

 never develop 

 into healthy, 

 vigorous speci- 

 mens . Thin 

 the plants when 

 small. 



9. Carna- 

 tions intended 

 for forcing in 

 the greenhouse 

 next winter 

 can now be 

 planted out in 

 the garden. 

 Have the 

 ground well 

 fertilized, keep 

 them pinched 

 back, and see 

 tnat the soil 

 between them 

 is cultivated. 



16. Roses for 

 flowering in the 

 greenhouse 

 next winter 

 should be 

 planted in tne 

 benches now. 

 Use a rich, 

 heavy soil for 

 them, firm the 

 beds thorough- 

 ly after plant- 

 ing, and top- 

 dress occasion- 

 ally with raw 

 bone meal. 



23. A few 

 dead flower 

 stalks will 

 make an other- 

 wise good gar- 

 den ap pear 

 very ordinary. 

 Keep the tall 

 flowers sup- 

 ported with in- 

 dividual 

 staKes, the 

 grass edges 

 clipped, and 

 remove old 

 stalks. 



30. Keep the 

 ground be- 

 tween the 

 potatoes con- 

 stantly stirred, 

 and look out 

 for the potato 

 beetles. If any 

 are in evidence, 

 spray with ar- 

 senate of lead. 

 Bordeaux mix- 

 ture along with 

 the lead will 

 prevent at- 

 tacks of blight. 



SATURDAY 



3. Do not 

 stop sowing 

 those crops 

 that mature 

 qulckly.suchas 

 spinach, peas, 

 radishes, let- 

 tuce, etc. Fre- 

 quent sowings 

 in usable quan- 

 tities are the 

 llrst step to- 

 waid success. 

 It there Is any 

 surplus It can 

 be canned. 



10. Maple 

 trees should be 

 pruned just a,s 

 the buds aie 

 bursting; there 

 is no danger of 

 their bleeding. 

 Any large scars 

 which may re- 

 sult should be 

 painted with 

 proper tree 

 paint to pre- 

 serve the wood 

 until the cuts 

 heal. 



17. A bairel 

 or liquid man- 

 ure in some 

 convenient 

 corner of the 

 garden will be 

 a valuable ac- 

 cess o r y for 

 treating plants 

 that are not 

 doing well. Al- 

 ternate appli- 

 cations ot this 

 with solutions 

 of nitrate of 

 soda. 



24. If the 

 weather is dry 

 you will be 

 troubled wilh 

 the attacks of 

 green lly and 

 other plant 

 lice. Peas, let- 

 tuce, egg-plant 

 and other soft 

 foliage plants 

 are especially 

 susceptible. 

 S p r a y w i t h 

 strong tobacco 

 solution. 



31. Formal 

 evergreens and 

 hedges should 

 now be clipped 

 Hedge shears 

 are the best 

 too! to prevent 

 any voids in 

 the trees. 

 Branches and 

 tips that have 

 been burned 

 by the sun can 

 be removed 

 with the prun- 

 ing shears. 



DID ye ever stop tcr think zvhat a gardeii'd be like if they warn't no birds in it? Gosh a'mighty !~— 

 ■:vh'y, it wouldn't be no garden at all, hardly. I'd hate like thunder ter lose the robins a-huntin' 

 worms along my paths at sun-up, an' the thrushes in the afternoon. 'Course, they's others^song- 

 sparrers that ye hardly notice 'cept when they's perched like sentinels on top o' the tomato trellis, er 

 mcbbc rnnnin' ahead of yc between the onion rows when ye'rc cultivatin' ; an' zvrcns that flics over 

 from their nest in the ol' box under the piazza roof ter catch currant 'worms; bluebirds in the spring, 

 an' now an' then a catbird cr brown thrasher, 'specially 'long in the summer. But the thrushes an' 

 robins is my favorites; they're the real garden birds — never fergit ter sing a kind o' cheerful, full- 

 hearted ynornin' song from the trees, soon's they wake up an' 'fore they goes down tcr breakfast. 

 Pretty good way ter start the day, singin'. 



— Old Doc Lcmmon. 



uJ^3 



Good birch brush 

 along both sides of 

 the pea row is the 

 best kind of support 



Young hedges can 



be quickly trimmed 



with a sharp sickle 



ijistead of shears 



Succession planting 

 should be practiced 

 so as to maintain 

 the vegetable supply 



The tall flowers like dahlias and hollyhocks 

 need individual stake supports 



If you have space without sacrificing other 

 vegetables, you can now plant potatoes 



Annual flower seed should be sown in the 

 open without delay if you want best residts 



