CLEOME, Pink Queen PETUNIA, Cheerful MARIGOLD, Flash 



HOW? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? 



Pinching Back Flower Plants 



If sturdy, stocky plants are wanted, 

 they 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 stern. 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, leaving two pairs 

 on each. Pinching increases the num- 

 ber of flowers, though sometimes it 

 decreases their size. Petunias particu- 

 larly 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 rejuve- 

 nated plants will often bloom as well 

 as younger plants early in the season. 



Removing Flowers 



The gardener can lengthen the bloom- 

 ing season of all annuals and some 

 perennials by removing old flowers 

 as soon as they fade, and preventing 

 the plant from going to seed. Del- 

 phiniums and Canterbury 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 vegetables have been used. 



Large Flowered and 

 Double Petunias 



These should never be direct seeded 

 outdoors, 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 en- 

 tire flat with a pane of glass and then 

 with a sheet of newspaper. Set in a 

 warm, dark place at 75° to 85° until 

 seed germinates. Then move to a 

 sunny window. If flat dries out slight- 

 ly before seed sprouts, water carefully 

 with an atomizer. Transplant seed- 

 lings 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 dust- 

 ing 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 



ractical answers to every-day 

 uestions about home gardening 



virus. So if your Asters have been 

 disappointing lately, try again, using 

 D.D.T. 



Formula for Pansy Growing 



Pansies are not annuals but near- 

 hardy perennials that need special 

 culture. Cold frames, with glass sash 

 and mats for winter protection are 

 essential. Soil should be rich: up to 

 one-third of soil can be well-rotted 

 manure or sifted compost. Sow seed 

 in August. Protect frame with shades 

 made by tacking muslin or cheese 

 cloth over window screens. Thin 

 plants to stand 4" x 4". After first 

 frosts, cover with glass and mats, and 

 allow to freeze slowly. Remove mats 

 in early spring and allow sun to warm 

 frame. Move plants into permanent 

 position when in full bloom. Keep 

 faded flowers picked: they will stop 

 blooming if any seeds are allowed to 

 form. Growing good Pansies from 

 seed is the test of a real gardener. 



Two Interesting House Plants 



The Heavenly Blue Morning Glory 

 makes an excellent house plant for 

 winter flowering if grown in a sunny 

 window. Start new plants in late 

 August, using 6" pots (they make 

 heavy root growth). They can be 

 trained up strings on either side of 

 the window. Lobelia plants can be 

 lifted just before frost, cut back, 

 potted and will flower indoors in late 

 winter. 



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