The Garden Magazine, December, 1921 



177 



top ventilators slightly open so much the better. Care in watering 

 is important. Don't have set days for doing it. Look over the 

 plants every day, and twice if heavy firing is being done, watering 

 only such as need it, and then do it thoroughly; "little and often" 

 in watering is the poorest of poor practice. 



Red spider, thrips, white scale, green fly, white fly, etc., delight in the 

 dry, buoyant atmosphere produced by heavy firing, and this must 

 be offset by frequent and thorough damping down of walks, and 

 floor space under the benches. 



Timely fumigation and syringing is not to be overlooked. Hydro- 

 cyanic acid is the only effective remedy for white fly; for fly in 

 general use tobacco preparations. 



An occasional watering with lime water, or a dusting of lime on the 

 rose and carnation benches, will help sweeten the soil if it has be- 

 come at all stagnant; but avoid lime when handling Azaleas, 

 Heaths, and other plants of the Heath family. 



Feed with some care and do not attempt to force growth by feeding. 

 Some few plants like Callas will take feed at almost any time when 

 growth is active, but an excess of food at a time when the plants 

 do not show a natural tendency to grow is positively harmful. 



Begonias Glorie de Lorraine and Cincinnati that are late coming into 

 flower will stand hurrying along in a temperature of 60 degrees. 



Recently potted bedding plants to be looked over carefully from time 

 to time and overcrowding avoided. Cuttings of Geraniums and 

 other soft-wooded bedding plants may still be made. 



Gladiolus America may be planted from now until March, either di- 

 rectly into benches among Carnations or in pots, to be benched 

 later. Plant every two weeks for succession. 



Pot Roses may be wintered in coldframes well covered with dry leaves 

 or salt hay. 



Cuttings of Roses to be made. For "one eye cuttings," the wood is 

 cut immediately below the bud, and another bud is left near the 

 top to which a leaf is attached. The lower bud is inserted in 

 the sand (which must be clean) and a wire is extended across the 

 propagating bench on the top of each side to prevent the leaf touch- 

 ing the sand. Set all the cuttings one way so that a whole row 

 can be supported by one wire. 



Dead leaves to be picked from Carnation plants; cuttings may be taken. 



Calendulas and Double Cornflowers sown now will flower in March; 



give carnation house temperature. 

 Start Melons, sowing winter varieties. 

 Stake as occasion requires tall plants such as Antirrhinum, Lilies, etc. 



Short stuff such as Freesias, can be supported by a few twigs in the 



pots or boxes. String Beans may be supported in the same 



manner. 

 Amaryllis wanted early may be started at this time. Remove a couple 



of inches of the old surface soil from the pots, and replace each year 



with a good rich mixture. 

 Keep Chrysanthemum stock plants cool to throw out strong cuttings. 

 Be careful with Sweet-peas, avoiding direct draughts, and a close stuffy 



atmosphere during dull weather. Do not overwater; Sweet-peas 



require lots of water when outdoors in spring, but not indoors in 



winter. Sow for April flowers. 

 Orchids need less overhead spraying now, but guard against dry, arid 



conditions with increased fire heat. 

 Bouvardia that has finished flowering may be cut down, placed in deep 



flats, and set under a carnation bench to remain dormant until 



April. 

 Propagate Carnations. Firing will be fairly steady from now on, and 



an even degree of bottom heat can be maintained. 

 Sow seeds of Vinca alba and rosea in heat to get to flowering size before 



planting out time. 

 Liliums giganteum and formosum planted in October with growths one 



or two inches long need a light, sunny bench in a warm house. L. 



giganteum may still be potted for later use. 

 Repot young stock of Cyclamen that needs it. 

 Make cuttings of evergreens. 



Flowers for Christmas 



Flowers for Christmas, such as Lilies, Poinsettias, Azaleas, Roses, 

 Carnations, etc. may have a slight increase of temperature. Be 

 careful not to overdo it, however. 



Roman Hyacinths well rooted and having two inches of growth by the 



beginning of the month may be flowered by Christmas. 



Azaleas intended for Christmas should show color by the first week 

 in the month. A temperature of 55 degrees is best for them. 



CONTINUOUS BLOOM FOR THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN 



ALBERT R. GOULD 



Editor's Note : — The writer is a practical grower of many years varied experience: and has grown annuals and perennials in California for all purposes for six years. 

 He designed and laid out the Model English Garden of the C. C. Morse Co. Exhibit at San Francisco during the Panama Pacific International Exposition (1915) which 

 won the highest awards and was himself awarded a Gold Medal for successfully maintaining a successional display from February to December. 



THE chief aim of most garden lovers is a successional display of 

 bloom without lapse, and by real planning, sowings and plantings 

 may be so arranged in California as to achieve this object, both for the 

 border and cut flower garden. Detailed cultural directions here given 

 should prove helpful since the advice is based on experience in several 

 sections of the state. 



CULTURAL HINTS ON RAISING FROM SEED 



As a start a finely prepared seed bed is essential and may be made 

 up of leaf soil, peat, garden loam, and sand, such as beach sand. These 

 elements, well mixed, will provide an excellent medium in which to 

 raise seed the whole season. It is a good plan to make a shallow frame 

 nine inches deep and three feet wide, the length being governed by the 

 quantity of seedlings required. Above this may be erected a frame- 

 work on which may be placed lath covers made to fit, and removable; 

 and these will help to protect the young seedlings from the sun which 

 will otherwise burn them. 



When the seedlings are well through the ground and making their 

 second leaves they may be transplanted in other beds prepared in a 

 similar manner and the seedlings must be placed two or three inches 

 apart and kept shaded for a week or ten days at least. 



Naturally some subjects will germinate quicker than others and also 

 require transplanting earlier. Most of the annuals behave thus and 

 for that reason it is better to sow all the annuals together, and make 

 another bed for the perennials. It is necessary to sow the seed very 

 thinly as over-crowding in the seed lines causes damping off. Watering 

 is also an important factor, and while the bed appears moist water 

 should not be given. The practice of giving so much water every day 

 or on alternate days regardless of soil conditions will cause trouble and 

 it is the best part of wisdom to water with great care. 



PERIOD OF SOWING AND FLOWERING 



_^The perennials used may be sown during the months of August 

 and September and they should be transplanted when large enough 

 to handle and should later be placed in their flowering quarters 

 to produce a display for spring, summer, and fall. The periods for 

 sowing the annuals will vary somewhat according to the particular 

 subject and the location whether in northern California or southern. 

 In the south it is possible to have Nemesia, Phlox Drummondi, Lin- 

 aria, Lobelia, Candytuft, Ageratum, and Petunia Rosy Morn flowering 

 throughout the winter months from seed sown June to September, but in 

 the north the garden lover is not so well favored and must sow these sub- 

 jects in March and April for a summer display. Snapdragons are 

 short lived because of the rust disease, and in the south are more 

 satisfactory if sown in October for flowering in February and March; 

 in the north sow from December to February for summer flowering. 

 Pansies may be sown north or south in August or September. 



Annuals for fall flowering display (such as Zinnias, Cosmos, and 

 Tithonia) should be sown in April and May in all sections of the state. 

 Asters and Summer-flowering Stocks to be sown from April to May; for 

 winter display sow the Nice Stock type in August or September. 

 Clarkia and Godetia may be sown in October or November; and 

 Marigolds, Larkspur, Annual Chrysanthemum, Mignonette, Salpiglos- 

 sis, Sunflowers, Shirley Poppy, Schizanthus, Centaureas, Nasturtiums 

 may be sown from March to May for summer flowering. 



Prepare beds and borders several weeks ahead with a dressing of 

 manure or artificial fertilizer, well dug in. Have the soil fairly moist 

 at time of planting, and plant firmly. Keep the ground well cultivated 

 around the plants throughout the season and arrange them in groups 

 of color so that the whole will blend into a perfect harmony. 



