74 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



March, 1907 



Made-up baskets or centre pieces HKe this are 

 attractive presents. This contains spirea and mollis 

 azalea, with ferns to fill in the bottom 



watering carefully and in the case of the 

 lilies, give a little manure water once a week. 

 As soon as all danger of frost is passed, 

 plant them in the border. Here they will 

 ripen their growth and the tops die down. 



The hydrangea may be forced year after 

 year without much effort or injury to the 

 plant. When it is through flowering cut 

 back, say in May, about half the growth. 

 If you cut back more than this there is likely 

 to be a strong growth from the roots which 

 will not flower the following year. The 

 plants may be either set in the open ground 

 or repotted and plunged outdoors. Grow 

 them outdoors until danger of frost; then 

 bring them in and store them in a very cool 

 and light place. All summer the plants will 

 need an abundance of water, twice a day 

 at least on sunny days, for they are thirsty 

 plants. During the winter, while stored, 

 give them only enough water to keep the 

 wood from shriveling. To get the plants 



in flower for Easter start them early in Jan- 

 uary as they need about twelve or fourteen 

 weeks to force properly. 



This hydrangea is not perfectly hardy 

 outdoors unless given a warm covering. The 

 best way is to lay down the canes on the 

 ground and cover them with several inches 

 of soil. Do it before the hard frosts come. 



The lilacs that are forced for Easter are 

 usually named varieties. If they have been 

 somewhat hardened off after forcing they 

 last in good condition in the house about a 

 week. After flowering grow the plant in a 

 sunny window and plant in the open when 

 danger of frost is passed. There is only 

 one disadvantage to these named varieties 

 when planted in the open. They are grafted 

 plants and the stock will sucker in spite of 

 anything you may do. As fast as the suckers 



The best lilac for forcing is Charles X (darK lilac- 

 red). If forced too hard it will lacK color 



The florist's spirea (Asiilbe Japonica). The best forms 

 of which are compacta and Gladstone 



show remove them or they will choke the 

 plant and eventually nothing will be left but 

 the stock — the common lilac. 



The cyclamen may be grown on for 

 another winter's flowering. It will need rest- 

 ing during the summer months (June to 

 August) but do not let the bulb dry up com- 

 pletely or it will be spoiled. Keep it outdoors 

 during the summer plunged in coal ashes or 

 similar material so that the earth worms 

 will not get in the pots. 



THROW THESE PLANTS AWAY 



Throw away cinerarias and primroses as 

 soon as they have finished flowering. It 

 is no use trying to carry them over to another 

 year. In greenhouses, a particularly well- 

 marked strain of the cineraria is sometimes 

 carried over by means of cuttings and an 

 especially good double variety of the Chinese 

 primrose is saved and the plants divided. 



The best hydrangea for forcing is H. hortensis, var. 

 Otaksa, because of its dwarf habit 



Personally I am very fond of Chinese prim- 

 roses {Primula Sinensis). They are com- 

 pact little plants with prettily shaped leaves 

 all covered over with soft fuzzy hairs. The 

 flowers are white or shades of red, pink, or 

 purple and are borne in round-headed clus- 

 ters. They will last two weeks easily. 



The baby primrose {Primula Forbesii) 

 will last a long while in the house because 

 when the flowers die new ones take their 

 place. In the baby primrose the flowers 

 come in tiers. The plant sends up a stem 

 on which a whorl of flowers is borne. When 

 these are fairly well developed the stem starts 

 growing again and after three or four inches of 

 growth has been made another whorl of 

 flowers is produced. Soon the flowers of 

 the first whorl drop, leaving only bare stem. 

 They commence blooming when only two 

 or three inches high and continue flowering 



A well-flowered plant of Wistaria Chinensls. Has 

 drooping spiKes a foot long with purplish pea-shaped 

 flowers. Lasts a weeK in the house. Fragrant 



