November, 1913 



THl^: (JARDEN ANT) FIELD 



211 



Garden Notes for November 



Buffalo and couch igrass lawns 

 mil make growth right away if 

 planted this month. Weeding and 

 watering are the two most im- 

 portant items in getting a satis- 

 factory sward. 



The best place to select roses 

 for future planting is in the gar- 

 dens and this is a good time for 

 doing so. The shows^ will tell you 

 the most beautiful blooms but it 

 is onlv where they are growing 

 that thev can show you their 

 growth and habit, quality of foli- 

 age, and lasting quality of bloom. 



The present is. as srood a time 

 as any for sowing Phlox Drum- 

 mondi. It is certainly not one 

 of the novelties, it is^ so easily 

 grown and so generous in its 

 flower giving that, however crowd- 

 ed the garden is, most people 

 should find room, for a clump or 

 border and none ara likely to ire- 

 gret, it. 



The Columbines, or Aquilegias 

 as they are now called, are be- 

 coming very popular and they 

 deserve it. They have many good 

 qualities, a fine range of dainty 

 colours, charming foliage, they of 

 course like good treatment, hut 

 will put vip with some which^ is 

 not so good, slugs do not worry 

 them, which is certainly an ad- 

 vantage in many gardens, and the 

 flowers last well, either on the 

 plants or when cut. A packet of 

 seed sown now in a sheltered bed 

 or box will give the £rrower a nice 

 lot of flowering plants " next 

 spring. 



Two summer flowering friends 

 which are best sown where thev 

 are to grow are the Salipglossis 

 and Portulacca. Dig the bed for 

 the former deeply, make the sur- 

 face smooth, sow the seed finely, 



scatter ^ some sandy s '1 lightly 

 <)\er, firm over the bed and cover 

 with a thin coating of old de- 

 cayed manure. The Portulacca 

 make a fine border, their wants 

 a few and< they simply revel in the 

 open sunlight. Don't delay a 

 sowing of either of these. Petunias 

 are another of the sun-lovers. It 

 is not too late tO| sow seed but a 

 pot of seedlings from the nursery- 

 men will save time and some 

 trouble. , One can easily increase 

 the stock from cxittings of the 

 growing plant?. 



Nicely grown seedlings of Pens- 

 temon and Snapdragon cost only 

 a ,few pence per dozen and the two 

 are a host in themselves in any 

 garden. Se'ed of either sown now 

 in beds or boxes which can be 

 protected from the worst of the 

 summer weather will give fine 

 plants for next year. 



If you want something 'really 

 hardy, something that you can 

 almost leave for a hot week and 

 comie back to find it smiling, the 

 double or single gaillardias are 

 what vou are looking for. If von 

 have not a patch of seedlines 

 coming on, voiir nurseryman will 

 be happv to oblige you. Two other 

 specialli- belnful plants, Zinnia and 

 Aster, he will also have an abun- 

 dance of at- prices which, as the 

 drapers sav, are within the reach 

 of all. If vou have so far neglect- 

 ed a sowing of Cosmos or Mina- 

 ture sunflower for ,a backo-roimd in 

 the garden or yard, it is not too 

 late to do so, or once more the 

 nurseryman is at your service. 



Most people, at some time or 

 another, have tried the Sturt 

 Pea, and many have failed. Well, 

 just try ao-ain, for it is surely 

 worth while ; this month is a 

 •rood time to ma,ke the attempt. 

 One recipe for erowinp- the Sturt 

 Pea is to put the seed in some 

 uulikelv place and foreet about 

 it. Try soaking the seed, plant- 

 ing it . an inch or so deep in al- 

 most pure sand where it wiU <^et 

 plenty of sun heat and when the 

 seedlings show, well,'iust beware 

 of slugs, for thev have nipped 



many a promising Sturt Pea in 

 the hnd and also in later stages. 



The show chrysanthemum has 

 passed away as a common garden 

 plant, though fortunately it is 

 grown and admired by many old- 

 time friends, and doubtless it will 

 again have its day. It still has 

 its old place for decorative effect 

 in the garden at a time when it 

 is very welcome. Offsets of named 

 varieties can be purchasied from 

 the nurser^lmen or cuttings for 

 this purpose may still be put in. 

 The late autumn months seemi' a 

 long way off now but the wealth 

 of colour and bloom which the 

 chrysanthem.um can give us will 

 be very welcome then. 



From now on for the next six 

 weeks will be a very busy time 

 in dahlia planting. To grow the 

 plants so that each shall show off 

 its individual beauty takes up a 

 great deal of room, more than the 

 average gardener cares to sp. re, 

 but we get gorgeous masses of 

 bloom with much closer pfenting 

 than is considered orthodox. If 

 the beds have not been already 

 prepared, it should be put hand 

 at once. As near as you can get 

 to a light rich soil with enough 

 water to keep the plants growing 

 without rushing ought to give you 

 good results in the flowering time. 

 Don't leave your order for plants 

 too late, there is such a thing as 

 nursei^^N'men running out of popu- 

 lar varieties, though they make 

 liberal provision for likely require- 

 ments. Don't forg'et a packet of 

 seed, they will bloom inside six 

 months ; you will certainly get 

 variety and you may stribe some- 

 thing particularly good. 



Nasturtium seeds, properly pick- 

 led, make an excellent substitute 

 for pickled capers. Many people 

 are very fond of caper sauce with 

 mutton, and if they are not told 

 they will be unable to distinguish 

 between the real thing and the 

 substitute. The seeds must be 

 picked when about full size, but 

 still perfectly green and t'ender. 



