The Garden Magazine 
VoL. IV.—No. 2 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY 
A Month for Forethought and 
Action. 
| Bice frost may be expected about the 
middle of September and after that a 
period of glorious mild weather, lasting some- 
times for several weeks—the “Indian sum- 
mer.”’ It’s worth while to make some effort 
to preserve the best early and tender plants 
from this advance guard of winter. The 
floral wreath of a garden that has been saved 
from the first sharp touch of cold seems 
especially gratifying. Study your note book, 
and the weather records of the region, to 
ascertain the probable date of this first frost. 
Expect frost when with a comparatively 
low temperature late in the afternoon, the 
sky is clear toward the evening of a still 
September day, and the air has a fresh, crisp 
feeling. 
It is a simple matter to give plants slight 
protection: cover with cheese-cloth, branches 
of trees, or old newspapers. 
In small enclosed or sheltered gardens, 
placing several shallow pans of water about 
the garden, or making a smudge fire, will 
ward off frost. 
BUY BULBS IN SEPTEMBER 
This is a month of many possibilities that 
most people neglect at the time. Do you 
want something a little out of the way, but 
still quite easy to grow? Buy Star of Beth- 
lehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), for nat- 
uralizing in the meadow or wild garden. It 
flowers in June. 
Other hardy bulbs for present planting 
include all the Dutch bulbs —tulips, hya- 
cinths, crocuses, scillas, etc. Dog’s-tooth- 
violet, lily-of-the-valley, and crown imperial 
should be planted this month; also lycoris 
is best planted now, because it starts to grow 
so early in the spring. 
The easiest way of growing flowers for 
Christmas is by planting some of the ‘“‘cape”’ 
bulbs before the end of September. Place 
your order at once, and the dealer will ship 
the bulbs as soon as the supplies reach him. 
The rule of “first come, first served”’ is 
SEPTEMBER, 1906 
{ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 
TEN CENTS A COPY 
rigidly followed by the seed and bulb 
trade. 
The bulbs needing ‘‘cape”’ treatment in- 
clude Freesia, ixia, oxalis, sparaxis, Brodiza, 
ranunculus, anemone, Ornithogalum Arabt- 
cum, Lachenalia, camassia. 
Remember the rules: 
I. Dutch bulbs must be buried in the 
ground, or kept in a dark place, to induce a 
strong root growth, before they make any 
top growth. The best way is to bury them 
outdoors until about Christmas, covered with 
ashes or’soil about a foot deep, and a layer of 
litter over that, to keep out frost. At Christ- 
mas, or later, bring the boxes into heat. 
II. Cape bulbs must not be buried. Start 
them in a cool but light place. A deep cold- 
frame, or pit, from which the frost is kept out, 
is the proper place for them. Plant as soon 
as received, in flats or shallow pans, and 
leave outdoors until the middle of the month, 
when they must be put under cover away 
from frost—do this earlier if they show 
growth above the soil. 
SOW THESE SEEDS 
In coldframes: Cabbage and cauliflower 
for spring planting; spinach for Christmas 
dinner; lettuce and radishes for use in Octo- 
ber and November. 
In drills in the open: Chicory, chervil, 
endive, radish, lettuce (before the roth). 
Corn salad sown now will give a welcome 
fresh green salad before the snow clears 
off in spring. Spinach can be sown in the 
open for earliest crop next spring. 
By far the best sweet peas are raised from 
seeds sown in late September. Sow opium 
poppies outside for flowers in June. 
HAVE YOU AN IDLE SHED? 
An old outbuilding, shed, or disused stable 
or horse stall can be turned to good account 
as a mushroom house. Begin collecting the 
heating material (fresh, clean horse manure) 
during August and September. Mushrooms 
can be ready at Christmas from beds spawned 
by October 15th. As the droppings are 
collected, spread out thinly under cover, to 
dry, turning the whole mass when additions 
are made. If the season is damp, add about 
one-fourth its bulk of cleangardenloam. It 
must not be allowed to burn, but the rank 
heat must be dissipated before the beds are 
made up in October. 
A bed measuring 6x6 ft. will supply 
mushrooms fora family of six. Use good 
fresh spawn. 
STOCK THE GREENHOUSE 
By the middle of the month get cuttings 
of bedding plants into the propagating 
benches. Take only the short, top growth of 
coleus, geranium, heliotrope, lantana, so as 
not to injure the appearance of the beds. 
These cuttings will root at once, and stock 
may be further increased according to needs 
during the winter. 
Buy Indian, Ghent and mollis azaleas for 
forcing for Christmas and Easter bloom. 
Sow seeds of cineraria, calceolaria, and 
cyclamen. 
Look over the heating pipes, boiler, valves 
and all fittings, to see that everything is in 
working order before it is really needed. 
Replace all broken glass in greenhouse or 
coldframes. 
KEEP THE BORDERS TIDY 
Keep up your interest in the work of the 
garden. Never relax attention to the hardy 
border; cut off all flower seeds; don’t let 
seed form unless you want it. Cut out all 
weeds, but do not cultivate the soil, for the 
plants are preparing for their winter’s rest. 
Begin mulching lightly about the 25th of the 
month, not before. Make new borders, and 
rearrange old ones. September is the ideal 
month for planting out herbaceous stock. 
The American Peony Society advises that 
peonies be moved now, in preference to any 
other time of year. 
Divide perennial phlox, golden glow, 
peonies, and other hardy herbaceous plants 
that have done flowering. 
Keep the border clear of all rubbish that 
might harbor insects. 
Dahlias, cannas, elephant ears and gladi- 
olus can be lifted after the frost has cut their 
tops, but they may just as well be left till 
next month, except in the North. Lift care- 
fully with a fork, and spread out in an airy 
place to dry off. Then shake off the soil, 
and store all (except dahlia roots) in bags or 
baskets in a dry, cool cellar or closet free 
from frost. Dahlias are best stored in sand, 
in coal ashes, or earth, in a place where they 
do not freeze, and have sufficient moisture to 
keep them from shriveling. 
Plant out currants and gooseberries. No 
home garden is too small for these, and they 
yield better in proportion to their space than 
any other fruits. Make cuttings of any 
specially prolific plant. Now is the time for 
making grape cuttings, too. 
Prune the raspberry and blackberry bushes 
early in the month. Remove all the old 
wood—that which bore fruit this year. 
Trees and bush fruits may be planted if 
the ground has been well prepared, but if 
land is poorly drained, do not plant in the 
fall. Itis better to plant currants and goose- 
berries now than in the spring. 
Begin now to drain, plow, and prepare any 
ground where a lawn is to be made in the 
spring or for seeding in winter. 
