114 



The Garden Magazine, October, 1919 



(If you want to know what pit-stored apples can mean, read 

 Thoreau's essay on the subject. — Oh Boy!) 



Presumably the brambles have received all the pruning they will 

 need until spring; but if there are still any canes long enough to be 

 whipped around and injured by the winter winds, cut them back 

 now; and, in particularly exposed situations stake or otherwise 

 support them. 



In far northern localities, or in the case of the distinctly more tender 

 varieties of raspberries, scoop out a little soil from beside each bush 

 then bend it gently over and, while holding it down, cover it with 

 earth. Of course do not do this while the weather is mild enough 

 to stimulate the starting into growth of the covered canes. 



Keep up the planting of fruits as long as space and material re- 

 main. As long as there is no danger of the plants drying out be- 

 tween now and winter it is best not to mulch them until the ground 

 freezes over. Then put on a good thick overcoat, adding to it as the 

 cold increases. 



Clean up around and under the trees, especially if they are scat- 

 tered about the lawn, around the garden, etc. While, as noted 

 below, it is wasteful and wrong to burn the leaves, this may after 

 all be the safest thing to do with those from the fruit trees, since 

 these may carry the spores of diseases which can cause a good deal 

 of damage. 



Work Among the Flowers Indoors and Out 



Dig up the summer flowering bulbs such as Tritoma, 

 Gladiolus, Caladiums, etc., and the tender tuberous 

 rooted plants such as Dahlia and Canna. Let them 

 dry all day out in the sunlight, then cut the stems of 

 the plants to about five inches in length, shake the 

 soil off the roots and bring the latter indoors. They 

 want a cool, moderately dry place, and may either be hung up 

 there, or stored in soil or ashes. They do not, however, want to be 

 kept either excessively dry or where they can be touched by frost. 



Begin to protect the tender (these are mostly evergreen) shrubs 

 with leaves kept in place by a rough netting frame, wrappings of 

 burlap, a cape of other evergreen boughs, or any other convenient 

 protective material. 



You can keep on lifting, dividing and resetting hardy perennials 

 as long as the ground is workable. 



You can also continue planting operations involving shrubs, 

 spring flowering bulbs, and hardy herbaceous stock as long as freez- 

 ing weather holds off. 



Drain or bail the water out of the water garden or Lily tub and 

 lift the tender bulbs; dry them and store them away till next plant- 

 ing time. They should be kept in a practically uniform temperature 

 of about 60 degrees. 



The larger, tender ornamentals like Hydrangeas, Oleanders, Bay 

 trees, Yuccas and others usually grown in pots or tubs should be 

 brought in and stored in a light, dry cellar for the winter. They 

 will need no care as they do not grow during this period. 



Where it is necessary to bring in Azaleas or hardy forms of Rho- 

 dodendrons the plants should be watered thoroughly, then heeled 

 in in a cool cellar so that the roots will be kept from drying out. 



Few if any of the annuals remain effective. Of course, make 

 the most of these; but clean up the annual beds and borders, gen- 

 erally treating these just as you do sections of the vegetable garden — 

 that is, manure heavily or else sow a cover crop. 



If you expect to receive more hulhs or plants within the next few 

 weeks, or if you want to do some extra early planting next spring, 

 put the soil in the best possible condition, then mulch it with manure 

 and coarse litter so that it will be kept from freezing until time to 

 work in it. 



If you still need seeds of perennials gather a few more soon. The 

 handsome grass Pennisetum will supply seed that can be sown 

 outdoors next spring. 



This is a good time to make any needful changes in the layout of 

 your garden. The ground is in good shape for working, there is no 

 danger of injuring the chances of any plant to bloom soon — and 

 any new beds, borders or sodded spots will have lost their new ap- 

 pearance and rough edges within a few weeks after spring growth 

 starts. 



Do you need more sods as a basis for potting soil? If so, get them 

 in under cover very shortly or pile them in a convenient place where 

 they will rot. 



If you have some especially attractive Phlox that you want to 

 propagate, lift a plant of it, cut off the roots, then cut these up with 

 a sharp knife or scissors into small bits. Scatter these over the 

 soil in a frame or hotbed just as you would seed and press them into 

 the soil or cover them with a sifting of it. Each root cutting will 

 produce a new plant that will flower next summer. 



Start Hyacinths, Narcissi and other bulbs (or start more if you 

 already have some under way) for forcing. This may be done in 

 pans, ordinary pots, dishes of stones, or bulb glasses. Keep them 

 in a cool dark place for irom five to seven or eight weeks while the roots, 

 (the size of which largely determines the size and vigor of the flowers) 

 develop. 



Greenhouse work will be all the actual gardening work there is, 

 soon. Have a final cleaning up, behind, under, and in the benches, 

 so as to start neat and clean. Prepare all the benches you expect 

 to use — and a few over, for emergencies. 



Give the final touches to Chrysanthemums or any other plants 

 that you are bringing to special excellence for exhibition purposes. 



Remember that the soil in greenhouse benches, pots and pans 

 needs weeding no less than the space between the rows and plants 

 outdoors. Wherever anything else will grow, weeds will. 



Keep special watch on the temperature. The hot days that some- 

 times come in October are likely to run it up too high almost before 

 you know it. 



Clean up plenty of pots. The green mossy appearance on old 

 ones is perhaps attractive but it is not desirable. To get it off soak 

 the pots for a few hours in a solution of carbonate of copper (1 oz.) 

 in enough ammonia to dissolve it — from a pint to a quart may be 

 needed — the final solution to be made by adding to this nine gallons 

 of water. Some preliminary scrubbing may be needed to get the 

 pots clean of soil. 



Have you manured the lawn? If possible use so thoroughly de- 

 cayed a product that it is not likely to carry any serious amount of 

 weed seeds. 



Keep the window boxes growing just as you fostered the outdoor 

 beds last April and May. Don't crowd the materials; at the same 

 time, the best effect comes from masses of plants, both foliage and 

 flowering. 



Clean up all around the grounds. This means, however, only use- 

 less materials — supporting stakes that are no longer needed, etc. 

 The mulch of leaves around the shrubs, the piles of litter to be laid 

 over beds and borders when the ground has frozen, and the dressing 

 of manure are essentials and — to the gardening eye — are attractive 

 signs of care and forehandedness, not eyesores. 



Here, as in the vegetable garden, keep everything growing steadily, 

 and as rapidly as possible and for as long as possible. The winter 

 will be long enough without adding on unnecessarily wasted weeks 

 at its beginning. 



October is as good a month as April for starting a lawn, provided 

 the season is normally long. Seed down as soon as possible, how- 

 ever, so as to give all the time there is for fall growth. 



Special Reminder! — Look up your garden photographs, and 

 send to the Editors any that seem specially attractive, to- 

 gether with a concise description. The most meritorious 

 will be selected for publication in the Garden Magazine 



