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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



September, 191 3 



Around the Garden 



A MONTHLY KALENDER OF TIMELY GARDEN OPERA- 

 TIONS AND USEFUL HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS 

 ABOUT THE HOME GARDEN AND 

 GROUNDS 



All queries will gladly be answered by the Editor. If a personal 

 reply is desired by subscribers stamps should be enclosed therewith 



SEPTEMBER IN THE GARDEN 



55 ;r~'^r 



HERE is scarcely a month in all the calendar 

 which is more dear to every man than Sep- 

 tember. It is the month which finds us for- 

 giving July's torrid heartlessness, August's 

 uncertain temperament, and though it may 

 bring the blazing sun forth to our tempor- 

 ary discomfiture, the nights will be delightful, and the day- 

 time hours in our gardens will atone for all the rest. Our 

 Summer lassitude will awaken to a more brisk endeavor, and 

 will find us eager to enter with zest upon another season's 

 occupations. Our gardens will give us plenty to do, too, so 

 our hands need not be idle, but can keep pace with our 

 energies. 



How glad we are, as we step forth in the early morning 

 to gather bouquets for the house, that we took the trouble 

 to plan for, to plant and to care for the blue Aconite, the 

 purple Aster Amellus, Belleflower, rose-purple Chelone, 

 Helium and Helianthus, each as golden and as glorious as 

 the other; the Scarlet Lobelia, Phlox, Paniculata, yellow 

 Rudbeckia and rosy Sedum. It is worth running over this 

 list of hardy Perennials now in order to note the flowers that 

 lend so much to the beauty of the September garden, for in 

 this way, if we have neglected or have omitted any of these 

 in our own gardens, we can save the disappointment of 

 losing them till another season by planning now, while yet 

 there is time, to plant them this Fall, when early October 

 comes around. 



Peonies should be planted in September, and it is found 



by experience that if showy effects are desired for the first 

 season undivided root clumps should be selected, as two or 

 three seasons are required by single roots to produce any- 

 thing approaching a satisfactory display. Like the penny 

 Roman candle, the cheap single-root Peony is apt to prove 

 a bitter disappointment, only it has the advantage of being 

 Perennial and of growing to final effectiveness. 



SHRUBS FOR A SUCCESSION OF BLOOM 



A READER of "Around the Garden" has sent the Editor 

 the following list of shrubs which she planted to se- 

 cure a succession of bloom. First, there was Forsythia, which 

 put forth blossoms in April; then the Lilac in May; Spi- 

 raea in June; Deutzia in July; the Smoke Bush in August; 

 Hydrangea in September, and the Witch Hazel in October. 

 This is a goodly list of hardy species that will respond to 

 cultivation in any garden having good soil. These plants 

 are not rare, but all may be had from any nurserymen 

 at a moderate outlay. If shrubs are to be planted in the 

 Fall, they should go into the ground immediately. The 

 following are a few additional shrub suggestions that may 

 prove of service to the garden beginner: For shady situa- 

 tions, Mahonia, Barberry and Deutzia (Gracilis) ; for tzvo 

 months' bloom, St. John's Wort and Japanese Rose (Kerria 

 Japonica) ; for ornamental fruit pods, Barberry, Honey- 

 suckle (Lonicera) , Bramble (Rubus) , Snowberry, Red 

 Osier and Buckthorn. 



RED SPIDERS AND EVERGREENS 



MANY Junipers suffer from red spider in Summer which 

 turns the foliage brown. This is easily con- 

 trolled by spraying with a solution of whale oil soap. 



Peonies, for decorative garden effects, should be planted now, giving thought to ultimate color effects 



