168 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 1914 



straw flower, larkspur, nicotiana (which becomes very fragrant at 



dusk) and zinnia. All the hardy annuals which were started indoors 



The can De set out alter tne middle of the month. This 



Flower does not apply to "soft" plants, such as heliotrope, 



Garden coleus, salvias, etc., but to alyssum, calendula, candy- 

 tuft, cornflowers, stock pansies, mignonette, phlox, asters, verbe 

 nas, antirrhinum, scabious, and violas. 



Any hardy plants that were being carried through the winter in 

 frames can be set out this month. Campanulas, myosotis, foxglove, 

 pansies, and oftentimes a general collection of herbaceous plants 

 are carried over in this way, giving a good supply of strong plants. 



April is a good month to put in boxwood edgings. 

 If you use cuttings instead of plants, keep them 

 well watered and pack the ground thoroughly after 

 planting. 



Try a few bulbs of Galtonia in the flower border 

 this year. 



Freesias that have been forced can be now 

 gradually dried off and placed in a coldframe to 

 ripen. Freesia bulbs can be forced at every season 

 if properly ripened. 



It is not yet too late to make a planting of lily- 

 of-the-valley clumps, a fine ground cover for semi- 

 shade. 



UNCOVER the strawberry bed early in the 

 month and dig under the mulch. 



This is also a good time to set out a new straw- 

 berry patch. 



Strawber- When ordering your strawberries be 

 ries and sure to include, if only a few, some of the 

 BushFruits ne wer types of everbearing. Great 

 improvement has recently been made with these 

 berries and they are undoubtedly worth a trial. 



Look over fruit canes, such as raspberries and 

 blackberries, and shorten back the canes about 

 one-quarter of their total length. Also remove, 

 close to the cane, any side shoots that developed 

 last season. 



Prune gooseberries and currants, removing some 

 of the old wood that has passed the productive 

 stage to make room for the younger and more 

 vigorous wood. 



If you have not a fruit border, this is a fine time 

 to make one. When planting the cane fruits cut 

 them right down to the ground. Gooseberries 

 and currants do not need to be cut so harshly, 

 however. 



Before the foliage gets on the trees, look over all 

 trained trees or fruits that are confined to a trellis. 

 Be sure your wires are all right for the coming 

 season. When repairing trellis or building new 

 ones, do not forget to use spring coil wire. 



INSURE "good luck" in your garden this 

 coming season, by procuring a liberal quan- 

 tity of good manure. 



Try to run your garden on an intelligent basis. 



The Secure some labels (they are very cheap) and mark 



Vegetable plainly on them what you have planted, the date of 



Garden sowing, from whom you procured the seed, when 



transplanted, and when matured. You will find this data very 



valuable. 



Before you start actual operations out of doors, secure a meas- 

 uring stick and enough garden line to reach the length of the gar- 

 den. This will mean nice, straight, evenly spaced rows. 



Early in the month make a sowing of the hardy vegetables, such 

 as beets, carrot, cress, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, radish, spinach, 

 onion, and turnip. With the exception of onions, these will all 

 mature early and will be out of the way in plenty of time for later 

 crops. 



Get the pea brush all cut before the foliage appears. Also cut 

 some good stakes for the dahlias. 



Plant roses properly. The graft, 

 A, two inches below the surface of 

 the ground, B. Prune back as 

 shown by cross marks. The harder 

 you prune, the larger but fewer the 

 flowers (Photograph contributed 

 by an interested reader) 



THIS is the time of year when coldframes certainly pay for. 

 themselves. Most of the month will be devoted to harden- 

 ing off the vegetable and flower seedlings that are in the frames. 

 During summer the frames can be used for English frame cu- 

 cumbers; simply lay a few branches of pea brush for the 

 Now as to • , ^ 



Coldframes vines to run on - 



Water cress will do well in the coldframes. Sow the 



seed now; or better still go up the brook and get a few cuttings. 



Have good rich soil and cover it with about one inch of sand and 



water a couple of times a day. 



If you intend to force seakale in the greenhouse this winter, 

 better sow some seed in the garden right away. 



Better get a few frames for your muskmelons. 

 They are necessary if you want good fruit. If 

 you have frames the seed can be sown around the 

 latter part of the month. Watermelons will also 

 show a marked improvement if grown in frames. 



PEAS, cress, lettuce, radish and spinach grow 

 quickly and mature early. To keep up a 

 supply two or even three sowings may be made 

 during the month; of course, a great deal depends 

 on the weather. 



%ow ° Beets, carrots, turnip and kohlrabi 



do not require sowing so often to keep 



up a continuous supply, but with favorable weather 



a second sowing will need to be made toward the 



end of the month. 



If you have no greenhouse or hotbed, you can 

 make early sowings of celery, cabbage and cauli- 

 flower, but it is usually better to buy the plants 

 because seed sown at this time will not develop 

 very well because of dry weather. 



Vegetables that stand the whole season in the 

 garden should be planted with a little system and 

 not sprinkled promiscuously through the garden. 

 Keeping them together will save considerable time 

 and space. Vegetables of this type that should 

 be sown now are Swiss chard, leek, celeriac, sal- 

 sify, parsnip, New Zealand spinach and herbs. 

 Leave room close by for other permanent plants, 

 such as tomatoes, eggplant, pepper and celery. 



Toward the end of the month take a chance on a 

 row of beans. If you have the seed it will not be 

 a very great loss, and if you happen to strike fav- 

 orable weather you will have an early crop. 



Around the middle of the month, cabbage, 

 cauliflower, onions, leeks, and lettuce, sown in- 

 doors, can be put out if properly "hardened off" 

 first. See Mr. Wilkinson's article on page 171. 



Soot sown over your onions and leeks directly 

 over the seed row will keep away maggots and 

 cutworms. It is also good for soil that produces 

 wormy turnips or other root vegetables. 



r 



F YOU have not planted any early potatoes, 

 do so at once. In most soils commercial fer- 

 tilizer is better than manure; on light sandy soils, 

 however, manure is preferable. Late potatoes can be planted 

 toward the end of the month. 

 Potatoes Do not neglect to harrow potatoes at every oppor- 

 Asparagus tunity until the green rows show; and after that 

 etc - cultivate frequently. 

 You can start an asparagus bed from seed at this time. While 

 it will take a little more time for the crop to come into bearing, 

 the results are good. 



Remember to give the asparagus bed a good top dressing of 

 salt. Two applications during the month — one pound of salt to 

 twenty square feet of bed the total of both dressings. 



An asparagus knife only costs a few cents and if you use one there 

 will be no danger of your damaging the crowns of the plants. A 

 buncher is very handy, if you have any amount of asparagus to cut. 

 Reminders for the Greenhouse will be found on page 188. 



