The Garden Magazine 



Vol. XVII— No. 5 



Published Monthly 



JUNE, 1913 



One Dollar Fifty Cents a Year 

 Fifteen Cents a Copy 



[For the purpose of reckoning dates, New York is 

 generally taken as a standard. Allow six days' differ- 

 ence for every hundred miles of latitude.] 



Hot Weather Tasks 



TUTOT weather is coming, that's certain; 

 ■1 -1 for be it never so mild, comparatively 

 speaking, July is sure to be pretty warm and 

 extremely dry. Therefore, your June task 

 is to develop deep, extensive, capacious 

 root systems that will go down out of 

 reach of surface droughts and keep the 

 plants growing at full speed throughout 

 the next two months. To do this: 



(a) Prepare the soil deeply when about 

 to sow seed or to transplant. 



(b) Cultivate thoroughly, maintaining a 

 loose, dry dust mulch to check evaporation 

 and send the roots downward. 



(c) Be generous and frequent in apply- 

 ing nitrate of soda or manure water. 



The latter is one of the most useful and 

 easily obtained of fertilizers. Simply put 

 about a bushel of manure in a piece of 

 burlap and suspend it in a barrel of water 

 for a few days. If diluted to the color of 

 weak tea the decoction can safely be 

 applied twice a week. 



(d) Supply plenty of water if the rain- 

 fall is light; and whether you are watering 

 vegetables, flowers, shrubs or the lawn, be 

 sure to soak the ground. Better to sell 

 the hose and watering pot as junk than to 

 use them to sprinkle the surface and tan- 

 talize the plants. Moreover the lightly 

 watered vegetation keeps its roots near 

 the surface and defeats our chief purpose. 



A Little More Planting 



THE main planting season for annuals 

 is past, but there are many quick 

 growers of which a second sowing can be 

 made now. Alyssum, for instance, and 

 California poppy, calliopsis, marigolds, 



mignonette, dwarf nasturtium, phlox, lava- 

 tera, nigella, ortulaca, gypsophila (baby's 

 breath), candytuft, etc. 



Then there are the house plants for next 

 winter such as calceolaria, mimosa, and 

 many others that should be started now in 

 a seed bed. 



Start the water lily plants now. Back 

 in the June, 1907, Garden Magazine is 

 a helpful and readable little article on this 

 very subject. 



Plant the unique Mexican rain lily in 

 the lawn for this season's effects. 



Of the vegetables at least three plantings 

 should be made of all that are best when 

 young and tender such as radishes, lettuce, 

 beets, kohlrabi, peas, and corn. The 

 lettuce had best be started in the seed 

 bed; the others can go in their permanent 

 rows. 



Main and late potato crops can be 

 started, although by delaying the latter 

 you may be able to put it where the earliest 

 peas grew. In this case don't pull up the 

 vines but dig them under and give the 

 potatoes the nearest possible thing to a 

 clover sod. 



Unless you have raised your plants you 

 should immediately order cabbage, pepper, 

 tomatoes, eggplant, cauliflower and celery. 

 All but the last can be supplied and set 

 out any time now. Celery is rarely ready 

 until after June 15th. Save the moistest 

 part of the garden for it, but see that the 

 soil is light as well as rich. 



No danger of frost now, so plant melons, 

 cucumbers, squash and pumpkins in the 

 hills which, if you were wise, you prepared 

 a couple of weeks ago. A little radish 

 seed in each hill will sprout quickly and 

 supply something to draw the attention of 

 the cutworms from the young vines. 

 Their liability to wilt, borers, and cut- 

 worms is the main argument for starting 

 all these plants in pots or inverted sods 

 indoors. 



Spinach will probably refuse to grow from 

 now on, so plant the New Zealand variety. 

 It really isn't spinach at all, but it is just 

 as good and may be cut repeatedly all 

 summer. Of course there are other greens 

 about ready for eating, several of which are 

 usually overlooked. Beet tops, for in- 

 stance, are delicious; pusley or purslane, 

 that universal weed, has a delicate, charac- 

 teristic flavor; mustard just suits some 

 people; chard is extremely easy to grow; 

 the cresses (garden and water) come up 

 almost of themselves, and dandelion greens 

 are far better on the table than in the 

 lawn. Kale for winter greens can be 

 sown now. 



295 



Annual Climbers for Quick 

 Effects 



Time may be saved witk any of these by 

 starting them in a hotbed in March, but 

 well established plants may be bought and 

 planted now if you wish to avoid seed sow- 

 ing bother. Grouped roughly as to color 

 there are: 



Many colored: Morning glory, both com- 

 mon and Japanese (Ipomcea purpurea and 

 hederacea), sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), 

 tall nasturtium (Tropceolum majus). 



Brilliant red flowers: Scarlet runner bean 

 (Phaseolus multiflorus), cypress vine (Ipo- 

 mcea Quamoclit). 



Blue to purple flowers: Ipomcea rubro- 

 ccerulea, var. Heavenly Blue, hyacinth bean 

 (Dolichos lablab) cup and saucer vine 

 (Cobcea scandens). 



White flowers : Moonflower (Ipomcea 

 Bona-Nox), butterfly runner bean (Phaseo- 

 lus multiflorus var. papilio). 



Yellow flowers: Canary-bird vine (Trop- 

 ceolum peregrinum). 



Pink flowers: Allegheny vine (Adlumia 

 cirrhosa). 



Foliage vines: Japanese and common 

 hops (Humulus Japonicus and lupulus). 



The Care of Growing Things 



NATURALLY the plants already grow- 

 ing need generous care. Some details 

 include: 



Asters, not yet planted outdoors may be 

 potted for house decorations. 



Azaleas should be plunged in a bed of 

 ashes outdoors to rest. 



Anthrhinum and begonia cuttings may 

 still be taken. 



Bonvardias should be removed from 

 their pots and planted outside. Old plants 

 may be cut back. 



Genistas may be plunged anywhere 

 outdoors or handled just like azaleas. 

 Treat heliotrope plants the same way. 



Pelargoniums should be set in an open 

 frame and kept somewhat dry that they 

 may ripen in time for August pruning. 



Stake the dahlias, gladiolus and other 

 tall slender plants if necessary. Use as 

 inconspicuous a support as possible. 



Individual chrysanthemums will need 

 individual treatment, though all want plenty 

 of water. Some should be repotted, others 

 pinched back according to their growth, 

 They may be set outdoors like carnations, 

 but this -will give fewer flowers but stockier 

 plants than those kept in pots. 



Remove the dead blossom clusters from 

 lilac bushes before seed pods form. Now 



