I Work for the Month of June 
By Henry Gibson, New York 
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BEDDING-OUT operations will be well under way 
by the time these notes appear, and the work 
should be completed as soon as possible so that 
the plants have an opportunity to become established be- 
fore drought overtakes us. 
Mention has been made in these notes in the past of 
the necessity of carefully planning out the bedding ar- 
rangements in good time so that the actual planting may 
be proceeded with as soon as the season will permit. The 
arrangement of bedding plants is a subject on which 
every gardener has his own personal opinion, and at the 
best it is a controversial matter. It may, however, be said 
that the greatest drawback to the average garden is the 
inclusion of too many colors. A garden may be full of 
well-grown flowers and then not be attractive. Where 
shades and colors are mixed indiscriminately and a mass 
of colored flowers are placed near each other, the results 
are garish and unsatisfactory. 
One of the prettiest gardens we have ever seen was 
filled with nothing but white and pink flowers; another 
arrangement almost as pleasing was made up of white 
and scarlet, but it lacked the delicacy of the former com- 
bination. 
Four shades would, we think, meet the requirements of 
the average small garden, and when deep colored flowers 
are used they can be shown to much greater advantage 
by being planted immediately in front of or in close 
proximity to white flowered subjects. The beds and bor- 
ders situated in the less frequented parts of the garden 
should be planted with flowers that will show plainly 
from a distance. White, yellow, bright scarlet and pink 
are best for this purpose. Blue, deep crimson brown, 
orange and similar shades need to be situated where they 
are seen at short range. Yellow and white as a combina- 
tion is suggestive of a washed out insipid appearance. 
As a matter of fact a bed of these two colors seldom 
would escape notice, but certainly not for the pleasing 
effect they would produce. 
An effort should be made with all bedding arrange- 
ments to avoid anything like a flat, stiff, formal appear- 
ance. The use of a few tall plants, among the lower 
growing ones, will obviate this. 
Tin-: Hardy Border. 
Many of the occupants of this department will assume 
such proportions this month as to necessitate staking 
and tying. This work should not be delayed longer than 
possible for a considerable amount of damage can be 
done in a short time by boisterous winds when the plants 
have no supports. In the case of Hollyhocks, Delphin- 
iums and similar strong-growing subjects, it is advisable 
to place a stake to each stem, but this would be almost 
impossible in the case of Perennial Asters, Chrysanthe- 
mum Maximum and other many stemmed varieties. In 
this case we use four stakes to each plant and run a piece 
of raffia in a horizontal ring about the plants to secure 
them. 
The Vegetable Garden. 
Vacant ground should be filled with such crops as are 
needed to maintain a succession. The month of June is 
usually very dry and newly set out plants of cabbage, 
cauliflower, celery, etc., should be watered frequently 
until they become established. The potatoes should be 
kept cultivated and sprayed, regularly ; they may be 
hilled when they are in flower. 
( >kra does not infrequently come well from early sow- 
ings, and it is a good plan to make a second sowing round 
the first of June. We have found it good practice to start 
a few plants indoors, to replace those of the early out- 
door sown ones the cut-worms destroyed. 
Weeds. 
The very mention of weeds to the gardener at once 
suggests a good deal of hard work to keep ahead of them 
at this time of the year. If dealt with in good time and 
cultivation is practiced regularly and systematically they 
are not such a mighty problem as one would suppose at 
first thought. They will grow, however, and eternal 
vigilance is the onlv price of freedom from them. Where 
weeds grow luxuriantly it may be concluded that they 
are better adapted for that piece of ground than are the 
crops that are planted thereon, hence the necessity^ of re- 
doubled efforts to keep them under way. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Some protection against birds violating the neutrality 
of the strawberry patch should be provided, for birds are 
as great sinners as human beings are in this respect. 
They like strawberries and will have them if not pro- 
tected. 
A net is best, or cheesecloth may be used to cover 
them. A series of strings run along the rows with white 
cloth strings attached will also help to keep them away. 
Do not omit to thin the fruit on the trees that are 
carrying too large a crop, or for that matter on all trees 
where first quality fruit is desired. A fruit tree has cer- 
tain limitations the same as other things and if taxed to 
the limit one cannot expect to get the best from it. Thin 
out your fruit, don't be worried about the wind blowing 
down all that it may be necessary to thin — there will be 
plenty left after the windfalls are all down. 
The Greenhouses. 
We are now in the midst of the planting season under 
glass, or in some way preparing for winter crops. In the 
rush of these activities it would be well to give a second 
thought to some of the stock that has been left to take 
care of itself for a while. In a rush season like this some- 
thing is sure to be overlooked and under no consideration 
should it be the newly planted stock. The roses need 
care, in the way of watering. When a newly planted 
bench has been watered thoroughly once, it is only neces- 
sary to water immediately round the plant until the roots 
begin to run into the soil, or it may soon become soured 
and uncongenial to the plants. When watered over a 
small area like this it is necessary to do it several times 
during the day, as some of the plants will be dry. Ven- 
tilation until the plants get growing vigorously should be 
carefully attended to. It is not to be assumed, however, 
that they are to be kept close and treated as tender stove 
plants, far from it. Roses revel in as cool and moist at- 
mosphere as can be afforded them during the summer 
months and they should not be pampered at any time. 
A draught will not hurt them even in cooler weather if 
it is not of a raw-biting nature. We have seen the rose 
(Continued on page 244.) 
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