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Pinching Back Flower Plants 



, If sturdy, stocky plants are wanted, they 

 I will need "pinching back." When five 

 | or six pairs of leaves have formed, pinch 

 out the top, leaving two or three pairs 

 of leaves on the stem. New shoots will 

 come where the leaves join the stem. 



Sometimes a second pinch can be made, 

 when these new shoots in turn have 

 formed four or five pairs of leaves, leav- 

 ing two pairs on each. Pinching in- 

 creases the number of flowers, though 

 sometimes it decreases their size. 

 Petunias particularly need pinching back 

 if they are to remain short. Towards 

 the end of the flowering season, after 

 Petunias have grown long and lanky, 

 they can be cut back to within an inch 

 or two of the ground and they will throw 

 out new growth. If given a light feed- 

 ing of mixed fertilizer, these rejuvenated 

 plants will often bloom as well as 

 younger plants early in the season. 



Removing Flowers 



The gardener can lengthen the blooming 

 season of all annuals and some perennials 

 by removing old flowers as soon as they 

 fade, and preventing the plant from go- 

 ing to seed. Delphiniums and Canter- 

 bury Bells will usually respond to this 

 treatment by producing a second crop of 

 flowers in fall. 



Flowers in the Vegetable Garden 



To have plenty of cut flowers without 

 disturbing your flower borders, plant a 



few rows of flowers along the edge of 

 your vegetable garden. Or set them out 

 between rows of early lettuce or radishes, 

 where they can bloom after the vege- 

 tables have been used. 



Large Flowered and 



Double Petunias 



These should never be direct seeded out- 

 doors, but must be started indoors. Use 

 a flat filled with seed-starting mixture. 

 Press soil with a brick or flat piece of 

 wood to firm it. Wet thoroughly. Then 

 broadcast the seed on the surface of the 

 soil. Cover entire flat with a pane of 

 glass and then with a sheet of newspaper. 

 Set in a warm, dark place at 75 degrees 

 to 85 degrees until seed germinates. 

 Then move to a sunny window. 



If flat dries out slightly before seed 

 sprouts, water carefully with an atomizer. 

 Transplant seedlings when second pair of 

 leaves forms. Move into the garden after 

 danger from frost is past. 



D. D. T. and Aster Yellows 



Though wilt resistant asters solved the 

 wilt problem, Aster Yellows are still a 

 menace. Now, with D.D.T., we can keep 

 off the leaf hopper, the insect that carries 

 the virus of Yellows to the Aster plant. 

 Regular spraying or dusting with D.D.T. 

 will leave a residue which will kill the 

 leaf hopper when it lights on the plant 

 and before it can stab the leaves and 



pass on the virus. So if your Asteis 

 have been disappointing lately, try again, 

 using D.D.T. 



Window Boxes 



There's nothing finer than window and 

 porch boxes to make a house look "lived 

 in" and gay. 



The necessary boxes may be bought 

 ready-made, or constructed at home. Red- 

 wood or cypress are the best lasting ma- 

 terials, but ordinary yellow pine will do 

 nicely if well painted. Paint at least 

 two coats, and use brass screws instead 

 of nails to joint the boards. 



Drainage of flower boxes is important. 

 Use about two inches of coarse gravel 

 at the bottom. Cover this with a layer 

 of sand, and then with good, rich soiL 

 Fertilizing may be done with liquid 

 manure, but commercial plant tablets are 

 even better, and much easier to apply. 

 Plants suitable for window boxes are 

 quite numerous. Among the best are 

 petunias, nasturtium, ageratum, candytuft, 

 dwarf marigold, cornflower, babysbreath, 

 verbena, sweet alyssum, vinca. 

 For shaded boxes vinca, viola, pansy, 

 and English daisy will be satisfactory. 

 If boxes are exposed to hot south sun a 

 selection of petunia, dwarf marigold, small 

 zinnia, and portulaca may be used. 



Watering should be carefully watched as 

 the boxes dry out very rapidly when the 

 plants have reached a good size and the 

 roots are filling all of the soil. 



