The Garden Magazine 



Volume XX 



AUGUST, 1914 



Number 1 





^ Vl^fa^^'^^, r -^aafej 



%ms. ... s^@ . 



tHE one important task for 



August is the selection and 



ordering of bulbs for all 

 -^ purposes — bulbs for formal 

 effects, bulbs for natural plantings, 

 bulbs for forcing — the whole pro- 

 gramme should be thought of 

 thoroughly now, and your bulb order 

 placed. Bulbs are far too little used 

 considering that there is nothing 

 that will give bigger returns. 



THE MONTHS 

 REMINDER 



COMPILED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE HOME GARDEN, FROM 

 THE TEN YEARS' DIARIES OF A PRACTICAL EXPERT CARDENER 



For reckoning dates, the latitude of New York City is generally taken as a 



standard. In applying the directions to other localities, allow six 



days' difference for every hundred miles of latitude 



B 



Order Bulbs 

 Now 



ULBOUS plants, generally speaking, give spring flowers, 

 yet by careful selection you can get a variety that will cover 

 five months, from the pretty little snowdrop in April to some of 

 the late flowering lilies in August or even September. 



For rock garden or alpine effects, crocus, 

 scillas, grape hyacinths, and fritillaria are best. 

 For naturalizing use bulbs that increase nat- 

 urally, especially narcissus. 



For shaded spots the trillium is excellent, and some of the small 

 flowering narcissus or the true jonquil can be used. 



For low meadow land the English and Spanish iris are adapted; 

 or, if not too wet, the narcissus family can be brought into use for 

 this purpose. 



For flowering effects in 

 formal beds, along the 

 edges of shrubbery 

 borders, or around dwell- 

 ings the tulip certainly ex- 

 cels; all the types are fine, 

 the Darwins, May flower- 

 ing Gesneriana, the single 

 early or doubles, each one 

 used by itself — not mixed ; 

 the single or double hya- 

 cinths are also excellent 

 for formal effects. 



"DULB forcing has 



reached that stage of 



development that every 



place that has a green- 



house no 



matter how 



small,forces 

 bulbs, there is a good rea- 

 son for this, they flower 

 easily, require very little 

 space in the greenhouseand 

 yield enormous returns. 



All the hyacinths are excellent for forcing, the Roman hyacinth 

 being one of the most popular of all forcing bulbs; early tulips 

 are used extensively, the Darwins can be forced late in winter and 

 are very showy, any of the narcissus force readily, many of the 



For Winter 

 Flowers 



During this month you can start the greenhouse going for the winter flowers and vegetables. Don't 

 forget to grow some tomatoes indoors 



lilies are especially adapted to forc- 

 ing and those that don't take kindly 

 to forcing are retarded in cold stor- 

 age so that they are available for 

 the purpose. 



The foregoing include the easily 

 handled forcing kinds, there are a 

 number of other types which are ex- 

 cellent, such as callas, allium, freesia, 

 iris, ornithogalum, oxalis, the forc- 

 ing gladiolus (G. Colvillei varieties), 

 ranunculus, spirea, anemone, etc. 

 While most of these bulbs (or roots) cannot be planted this 

 month, yet it is now time to give the matter attention. Orders 

 placed now mean, first selection, no shortage on varie ies, and 

 early delivery. 



Boxes or pans (whichever are to be used for forcing) should 

 be provided, so as to be on hand when wanted. The bulbs 

 should be planted immediately upon their arrival, as it is 

 harmful for them to lay around. You can get delivery now 

 on callas and freesias and the others in succession at different 

 periods, until the spireas or Japan lilies in November and 

 December. Cold storage lilies for Christmas forcing are now 

 available. 



CTART sowing peas for 

 ° fall crops. Of late 

 years (because of the mild 

 fall weather) peas sown 

 during August 

 and Septem- 

 ber have been 

 very successful. Make 

 two sowings during the 

 month, about the ist and 

 1 5th. If the ground is dry 

 soak the drill thoroughly 

 before sowing. Soaking 

 the seed only is not so 

 safe because there is then 

 no available moisture after 

 germination. 



Spinach can be sown 

 along with the peas, and 

 will give a crop far super- 

 ior to spring spinach. Two 

 or three sowings can be 

 made during the month. 

 Make two sowings of 

 beans this month. Keep 

 the rows rather close to- 

 gether — say about 15 

 inches apart — and keep all successive sowings together so that 

 a burlap or other cover can be placed over the rows to protect 

 them from an early frost. 



Sow at once several rows of beets and carrots for a winter supply. 



Seeds To 

 Sow 



.7 



