THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1919> 



the soil to keep the plants growing 

 steadily throughout the season. The 

 ideal is a good loam and that is best 

 obtained by chopping up rotted sod. 

 Fresh manure should not be used, but 

 good cow manure, which has stood 

 for a few weeks and dried, is a fine 

 stimulant for plants. The soil is pre- 

 pared by adding manure to the loam, 

 in proportion of one to three. If the 

 loam is rather heavy and of a clayey 

 nature lighten by adding one part of 

 sand to the mixture. If manure can- 

 not be had, any of the commercial fer- 

 tilizers or dried sheep manure make a 

 fairly good substitute. Bone meal is 

 often used as its plant food becomes 

 available slowly and in small quanti- 

 ties and thus not causing too rapid 

 plant growth. 



See that each of the drainage holes 

 in the bottom of the box is covered 

 with a piece of broken flower pot, 

 concave side down, to allow surplus 

 water to escape. Over this have a 

 one- or two-inch layer of strawy ma- 

 nure to prevent the soil from washing 

 out with the drainage water; over this 

 place the coarser parts of the soil and 

 then fill the box to within four inches 

 of the top with the finer soil. 



Planting the Boxes 



A S THE front of the box is the 

 ■£*■ most important part it is best planted first. 

 If vines areused atall haveenoughof them to cover 

 the boxes well. After the vines are placed along 

 the edge, the plants forming the background 

 may be set along the back of the box, spacing 

 them so that the tops of the plants will just touch. 



In combination with base planting of flower beds, window boxes become an integral part of the 

 garden picture. Gladiolus, Lilies, Iris, etc., in bed, with Hydrangea in tub 



After the plants have been properly arranged in 

 the back, begin to fill in the centre. 



The distance between the plants here as 

 in any other kind of planting should always be 

 governed by their tops; no matter how close 

 or how far apart the lower part of the plants may 



come, the tops of the plants should 

 nearly touch each other so as to form 

 a complete whole. The plants ought 

 to be close enough to nearly hide the 

 box and the soil yet without over- 

 crowding. Do the work carefully, so 

 as to be sure that no hollow places are 

 left after completion. 



After the plants are all placed, fill 

 in between them with soil, but with- 

 out disturbing their position, up to 

 within one inch of the top, and in 

 finishing ofF take care to have the 

 surface of the soil level. After the 

 boxes are planted give a good water- 

 ing, not merely j ust enough to wet the 

 top of the soil, but a heavy watering 

 sufficient to wet the box clear through 

 and settle the soil thoroughly around 

 the plants. 



After Care and Maintenance 



TF THE window box is to be an 

 -*- object of beauty through the sea- 

 son it will need some care. Since the 

 boxes are quite often placed rather 

 high up, where they are exposed to the 

 sun and air, they will need to be wa- 

 tered frequently. Never once must 

 they be allowed to get very dry, there- 

 fore water every day! The best time 

 to water is in the evening or early 

 morning. The only other attentions 

 necessary are the removal of decay- 

 ing leaves and flowers and from the end of July 

 onward, regular and light, very light, feeding 

 with a good chemical fertilizer. If a light mulch 

 of well decayed manure be placed on the soil it 

 helps to keep the soil cool and moist and the 

 boxes will not then dry out so rapidly. 



Gladiolus for General Planting 



MONTAGUE CHAMBERLAIN 



Getting Acquainted With Flowers of Quality. An Intimate Discussion by a Well Known Expert Whose Appraisals Are Made 



on Merit and General Adaptability Combined 



IX A previous article in this magazine bearing 

 advice to the novice in Gladiolus growing 

 mention was made of several varieties suit- 

 able for every garden; but besides these 

 there are now available, and at a moderate cost, 

 a small host of really worth while forms (and 

 these are being added to yearly) so that when 

 desiring to make a selection the gardener is at 

 a loss to know which will suit him best — the 

 catalogues make them all so tempting, and the 

 abundance is so confusing. If you will let us 

 help you out of this dilemma, our first suggestion 

 will be that a personal selection be made in a 

 garden with the plants in bloom before you. 

 But of course that means waiting another season 

 and the time of planting is here now. During 

 the month of August the Gladiolus garden is at 

 its very best. Some early flowering varieties 

 open their petals about the middle of July while 

 others are only closed by the frost, but the 

 majority of these beautiful things are at the 

 zenith of their attractiveness during August. 

 i hat is the time therefore to choose the varieties 

 that you want to plant next spring. For this 

 year the following remarks will be a guide. 



I he best place to see Gladiolus is the garden 

 of some grower who plants a large number of 

 varieties, or if such a garden is not available the 

 next best place is a flower show, and especially 

 the annual exhibition of the American Gladiolus 

 Society. You need not fear that the growers will 

 consider you as an intruder, even if you go to their 

 gardens merely to examine the flowers, for these 

 men are fond of their flowers, and take as much 

 pleasure in showing them to a visitor as a woman 



does in showing ofF her babies. In trying to 

 help in the making of selections we at the same 

 time hope to be able to render some assistance 

 to those who having had every opportunity to 

 see the plants in bloom are still confused by the 

 very abundance of the material offered; Let 

 us at once get rid of the notion that only the 

 high priced bulbs produce really first class 

 blossoms. This is a perfectly natural mistake, 

 which a visit to a large collection would disprove. 

 Among those of reasonable price there are many 

 that were classed with the elite a few years ago, 

 and will be prime favorites for many a year to 

 come. So you can if you like skip these expen- 

 sive bulbs for the present, and in a year or two, 

 when they are no longer rare, the price will reach 

 moderate dimensions. 



And Now for the Selection 



T) ED being the dominating hue in Gladiolus 

 ■^- we will begin with the different combina- 

 tions of that class, and start with the palest — the 

 pinks. Of pink Gladiolus there are now available 

 a large number of varieties. The best of the 

 soft rose tones is found in Myrtle, which was 

 awarded a silver medal by the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society. Its color is especially 

 soft and its general effect is delicate, yet it is a 

 vigorous plant and easily grown. 



Of slightly deeper tone is Summer Beauty. 

 I he blossoms are not as large as are those of 

 Myrtle, but as a large number open together the 

 effect is decidedly fine. 



Another rose pink, a rival of Myrtle at the 



shows, is Daisy Rand. The color is a deeper 

 richer tone than that of Myrtle, and the spike, 

 when full, has a better appearance, and what 

 the plant loses in daintiness, in a comparison, 

 it gains in stately grace. Daisy Rand is one 

 of the patricians of the garden. 



Pink. Perfection is still another rose pink. 

 The individual blossoms are models of graceful 

 form, as well very beautiful in color, but the 

 stem is not strong, and unless the plant is secured 

 to a stake it is apt to assume a most ungraceful 

 sprawl. A salmon pink well worth growing is 

 Halley. Other satisfactory pinks are Clarice 

 and Taconic and Dawn, and the famous and 

 well known beauty America. 



A combination of tender rose pink and lemon 

 yellow is found in Faerie, producing an exquisite 

 effect, while the best combination of white 

 and pink is found in Cameo. The petals of this 

 latter variety are thick and velvety and bear 

 some resemblance to those of a Camellia. 



The popular Gladiolus Mrs. Frank Pendleton 

 has been described as the most beautiful of all 

 these beautiful flowers, and it is indeed a brilliant 

 beauty. The dominating color is a bright salmon 

 pink of two exquisite tones which sometimes 

 fade to white at the tips. On the lower or inferior 

 petals is a patch of vivid carmine. The blossoms 

 are large, and as several of these come out to- 

 gether the effect is of the compelling sort. No 

 one passes a bunch of them unheeded. The 

 plant stands above its neighbors yet there is 

 nothing about it that suggests aristocratic 

 stateliness; it is a rather flaunting beauty but 

 it is so summer-like, so full of the brightness of 



