Flowers To Plant in October 



TF THE advice given in this department 

 •*■ in pre\ious months has been followed, 

 you will have a nice bulb garden started. 

 This month the following bulbs and roots 

 may be added: agapanthus, hyacinth (not 

 Roman), peony, ranunculus, snowdrop, 

 sparaxis, and tulips. 



If you have failed to put in the bulbs 

 previously recommended, it is still time 

 to plant Amaryllis belladonna, anemone, 

 crocus, cyclamen, freesia, ixia, jonquil, St. 

 Joseph lily, calla, narcissus, and Spanish 

 iris. 



All of the flower seeds mentioned for 

 August and September planting may still 

 be put in except forget-me-not and fever- 

 few. 



The agapanthus is sometimes called 

 great African lily. It is especially desir- 

 able for bedding. On large lawns, a bed 

 of agapanthus makes a very attractive 

 centrepiece. The plants grow to be about i\ 

 feet tall in one season and each carries 

 about ioo stalks of blue lily-like flowers 

 in umbels. The foliage is somewhat like 

 amaryllis, but it never dies down, and the 

 plant is in bloom nearly all the year around. 

 There is also a form with white flowers. 



Get a mixture of colors of hyacinths 

 unless you have a place where you can 

 plan for a bed in which the different colors 

 can be worked into a pleasing harmony. 

 Get the large bulbs. They may be pur- 

 chased for about $3.50 per 100 and 100 

 is not at all too many. 



The ranunculus is not so generally grown 

 as most other bulbs, but should be more 

 popular. The floweis may be had in 

 carmine, white, deep orange, deep scarlet, 

 and orange yellow. 



Snowdrops are of little value unless 

 planted in large quantities. They are 

 especially attractive when grown in the 

 lawn among the grass. 



Sparaxis is more suitable for conservatory 

 planting than for use out of doors. It usu- 

 ally comes in mixed colors. 



Tulips may be had in every color. 

 Mixed beds are attractive, but be sure 

 to get those flowering at about the same 

 time in the same bed. It is not well to 

 mix the early and late flowering sorts for 

 the early bloomers will detract from the 

 late ones by their dead foliage. There are 



both single and double varieties. Very 

 attractive beds can be made by planting 

 all those of one color together. Designs or 

 successive rows can be used. 



Important Tasks For October 



T3E SURE to disinfect all boxes in which 

 -"-' apples have been handled. Use either 

 steam or hydrocyanic gas. This will re- 

 duce materially the number of codling 

 moths to deal with next year. 



If you have a bed in which you think 

 the soil may be sour or too sticky, now is 

 the time to treat it. To determine whether 

 it is sour, get a small piece of blue litmus 

 paper from the druggist. Put a small 

 amount of the soil in a glass and pour on 

 water. After the water has stood for 

 several hours, dip the blue litmus paper 

 into it. If the paper is turned to pink, 

 it is a sign that the soil is acid. 



The treatment is as follows. Spade 

 up the bed and leave it rough and without 

 water for two weeks. Then give it a good 

 watering and spade it up, and level. It is 

 then ready to receive plants or seeds. 



Dahlias should still be in bloom; see that 

 each variety is correctly labeled before 

 all the flowers are gone. 



Chrysanthemums are probably at their 

 best in most locations. Be sure that they 

 all have sufficient support. Hundreds of 

 beautiful blossoms are destroyed each year 

 in the gardens of the careless because they 

 are not properly supported to withstand 

 the wind. It is a good plan to give a 

 small application of liquid manure about 

 once a week during October. 



If desired, the fibrous-rooted begonias 

 may be taken up and potted for indoor 

 blooming during the winter. The plants 

 should be shaded for a week or ten days 

 after transplanting to allow them to form 

 new roots. 



From now on, weeds will grow vigorously 

 so this is the time to make war on them. 

 Go after those in the lawn especially. Dig 

 out all those you find, and then roll the 

 lawn thoroughly. Also clean up the paths, 

 roadways, and brick walks. Weeds are 

 sure to come up between the bricks and 

 when they do they make it look as though 

 the man of the house were very shiftless. 

 Spray the roads and paths and walks 

 with a weed killer. Then a lot of future 



101 



backaches . will be saved. A strong salt 

 solution or iron sulphate solution is quite 

 effective. 



If you have a space in which you would 

 like to grow a few walnuts, plant nuts of 

 the California black walnut, Juglans Cal- 

 if omica. When the segrow into trees four 

 or five inches in diameter, by grafting the 

 Franquette variety of English walnut on to 

 them, you will pro\ide for yourself a 

 supply of exquisite nuts that can be de- 

 pended upon in our California climate. 



Unless too far north in the state, you 

 can grow some of the tropical fruits. The 

 avocado pear, Per sea gratissima, thrives in 

 the southern part. This is the time of 

 year to secure a tree or two if you wish to 

 grow them. Orange trees may also be set 

 in October. 



If you planted seeds of pansies in Jul}-. 

 the plants should have grown to be strong 

 and bushy by now. - Clean out the beds 

 that have served for summer flowering 

 plants, thoroughly pulverize the soil, and 

 transplant the pansy plants there. They 

 will furnish a welcome bloom through the 

 whiter. 



Almost every garden has its waste spots, 

 or corners where it is difficult to irrigate. 

 For these places, plan a combination of 

 flowers that will grow without irrigation 

 or special attention.- One of the best 

 plants for this purpose which may be 

 planted this month is cotyledon (Echeveria ) . 

 If you do not have any of this plant 

 on your place, try to find one in your 

 neighborhood, and ask for a few cuttings 

 from it. 



Cut short pieces from the branches, strip 

 off the leaves for about two inches, cut 

 the ends with a sharp knife and insert 

 them in sandy soil in a sunny place without 

 much water until the roots have formed. 

 The roots will form in two or three weeks. 

 Transplant them to the permanent location, 

 next spring. 



Vegetables for Every Month 



*\7"OU may have fresh vegetables from 

 *■ your own garden every month of the 

 year in California. Successive plantings 

 of some of the quick growing varieties make 

 it possible. The crops that may be had 

 in the different months are mentioned ic 

 the following list: 



