26 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Why Hardy Plants Die in Winter, 

 and How to Save Them 



A CONTINUOUS blanket of snow that 

 comes early and remains in its original 

 state until the fickleness of spring is past is 

 the ideal winter protection for so-called 

 hardy perennials. Should a February's sun 

 melt it into slush, and a subsequent cold 

 spell convert the slush into ice, many plants, 

 as well as the grass on low spots on the lawn, 

 suffer. In some sections of Maine, Ver- 

 mont and the Canadas the ideal protection 

 generally exists, and the sweet William, 

 Gaillardias, double-flowering sunflower, the 

 cushion pink (Armeria maritima), and 

 shallow-rooted plants like the cardinal flower 

 {Lobelia cardinalis) come out of the winter 

 in excellent condition, whereas in less favored 

 situations, such as skirt the southwestern 

 shores of Lake Michigan, they would perish 

 unless artifically protected. Near Chicago 

 the snow seldom remains over a month's 

 time, and in some winters the opportunity 

 for a single sleighride is a rare treat. 



Toward spring is the critical time when 

 the most damage is likely to occur from 

 alternate freezing and thawing. If the effect 

 of the sun's rays is excluded the danger is 

 lessened. This applies not only to her- 

 baceous perennials, but also to the wood of 

 climbing roses and the flowering buds of 

 Forsythias, Primus triloba, and the rose- 

 flowered Japanse weeping cherry. Some 

 plants will perish in wet, heavy soils that 

 would winter safely in the same climate if in 

 light, well-drained sod. 



In our hard borders we have plants from 

 all corners of the earth, many coming from 

 sections where conditions of soil and climate 

 are at variance with those of their new home. 

 Examples of such plants requiring special 

 treatment are the rare and beautiful Stokesia 

 cyanea, from the-sandy pine woods of Georgia 

 which, while hardy as far north as Boston 

 in congenial situations, is not so with me in 

 our clay loam, unless moisture in winter is 

 kept away from the roots. I carry it safely 

 by placing a hotbed frame over the group, 

 filling it with dry oak leaves and covering 

 with a sash or broad shutter. The car- 

 dinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is treated 

 in the same way. While this plant is native, 

 and winters safely in the damp, but heavily 

 grassed, prairie, where the "network of roots 

 of the surrounding grasses holds down those 

 of the cardinal flower, it is very likely to be 

 lifted out of the soil in an open bed. In- 



verted sods laid over them often bring them 

 through safely. 



An open, wet winter often kills the Gail- 

 lardia — a native of Texas — but by planting in 

 a well-drained soil, covering with strawy ma- 

 nure or dry leaves, and placing over them a 

 waterproof wooden shutter, so slanted as to 

 shed water from the bed, I bring them 

 through in good condition. Often when the 

 crowns appear injured they will break out 

 from the roots and form new plants. It pays 

 to have patience with plants of doubtful 

 hardiness, instead of discarding them if they 

 look weak or ragged. Have a reserve garden 

 for such things and for every plant until you 

 have lived with it a year and know its color, 

 season, and good and bad points. Then you 

 can place it where it will appear to the best 

 advantage. 



Don't be in a hurry to cover. A good 

 frost, or even a hard freeze, will not injure 

 them. Let your neighbor cover first, so 

 the field mice, seeking cozy winter quarters, 

 may nest in his ccverings, and nibble at his 

 bulbous plants instead of yours. The last 

 of November or even later is early enough. 



In the meantime, if possible, gather up 

 the fallen leaves in the woods, preferably 

 oak, and store them under cover. Cut down 

 the eulalias, and eventually use them in place 

 of straw in protecting climbing roses and 

 tender shrubs, or even spreading them over 

 the strawberries. Save them in the spring 

 and store them for another season. It pays 

 to grow some in the kitchen-garden for cover- 

 ing purposes alone, and it is cheaper than 

 buying straw. 



If you grow the pennisetum as a border 

 to a canna bed or for decorative purposes, 

 pull them up, roots and all, and use them 

 over any group of early-blooming bulbs. 

 They afford good protection, and leave the 

 bed free from litter when removed. 



Cut to within a foot of the ground the vines 

 of Clematis panicidata or any of the small- 

 flowered forms of clematis to use in protec- 

 ting climbing roses, laid-down grape-vines 

 and raspberry canes, or to place over a bed 

 of any perennial possessing an evergreen 

 foliage like the perennial poppy. 



Cut close to the base all perennials that 

 naturally die back, saving the stiff woody 

 tops, such as the asters, for use over ever- 

 green foliage. Spread short half-rotted ma- 

 nure all over the bed, working it well up to 

 the necks of those retaining their foliage. 



Cut, in September, or before the foliage 

 matures, so it will be retained all winter, 

 short boughs of oaks or evergreens, and insert 

 the butts between plants of moss-pink (Phlox 

 subulata), hardy pinks, or any low-growing 

 evergreen plant. This keeps the sun off, 

 catches the drifting leaves, and affords a light, 

 well-ventilated protection. 



Cover early-blooming bulb-beds with eula- 

 lias, pennisetum, long straw or hay — or 

 strawy manure with the droppings shaken 

 out. The ground being frozen all winter 

 and up to the time of removal, no manurial 

 leaching may be expected, and this cover- 

 ing comes off with but little litter to remove 

 from among the peeping, brittle points of 

 growth. 



For narrow borders of any low-growing 

 evergreen plants or for the fall-produced tips 

 of the Spanish iris, and even for newly 

 planted rows of strawberries, inverted V- 

 shaped troughs placed over them is ample 

 protection. 



When spring comes, remove the rougher 

 material and fork in the finer, but in large 

 beds of phlox or any thick-foliage plant, 

 push back out of sight, instead of forking 

 in. It will act as a mulch and help retain 

 the moisture. 



If you failed to mulch your border and 

 strawberry bed, do so now. February is a 

 month of alternate freezing and thawing. 



Highland Park, 111. W. C. Egan. 



The Problem of the Wooden 

 Fence 



A HIGH board fence is an eyesore, yet 

 many people are unwilling to cover it 

 with vines, because sooner or later these will 

 cause the wood to decay. The thing to do 

 is to put up chicken wire in front of the fence 

 and grow the vines on the wire. 



We bought some strips a few years ago, 

 an inch thick, two or three inches wide, and 

 thirteen feet long, for five cents each; also 

 some two-inch mesh wire netting one or two 

 feet wide at three-quarters of a cent a square 

 foot. Nail the strips to the fence perpen- 

 dicularly, about six feet apart. To these tack 

 the wire horizontally, leaving sLx-inch inter- 

 vals between the widths of wire. The space 

 between the fence and the wire provided by 

 the strips is to allow for the twining of the 

 vines and to give a little air space around the 

 leaves. The intervals between the widths of 

 wire are partly for economy, as the vines will 

 reach from one to the other, making a solid 

 mass of wire unnecessary, and partly for con- 

 venience in handling and training, which is 

 difficult to do on an unbroken stretch of wire. 



Foliage vines, except English ivy, are good 

 for this purpose. Virginia creeper and 

 ampelopsis are two of the best of these. 

 Vines with abundant foliage make a good 

 background for cosmos, hollyhocks, single 

 dahlias, and other flowers that require sup- 

 port. These can be tied to the wire as they 

 grow, or else flowering annual vines can be 

 planted each year — cypress vine, morning- 

 glory, climbing nasturtiums, or sweet peas 

 for beauty. For use and as a curiosity 

 plant some mixed gourd seeds. Ten cents' 

 worth will provide as many dollars' worth of 

 surprise and entertainment. H. B. 



