November, 1916 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
139 
ior to many, and therefore deserving to be 
more generally grown, is the Crepe Myrtle 
(Lagerstroemia indica). It would be difficult 
to designate its chief value, it has so many 
qualities superior to any other known shrub. 
The blooming period comes in summer when 
there are few blooming shrubs and with a 
profusion of blooms for three consecutive 
months, July, August, and September. To be 
sure the Hydrangea paniculata var. grandi- 
flora blooms the end of July and lasts six weeks 
in good color, but it takes a long rest there- 
after as do all other shrubs after several weeks’ 
bloom; they count their time of blossoming by 
weeks. The Crepe Myrtle flowers for months. 
There is nothing so exquisite as the large 
clusters from five to ten inches long of these 
crinkled, crepe-like flowers. Beginning its 
range of colors with a pure white, it has 
several shades of pink, a violet, and a salmon 
scarlet. The small shrubs carry the largest 
clusters and they bloom the first year after 
planting, and also when they become trees 
of no mean size and great age. They are 
therefore adaptable for planting in masses 
on lawns or as specimen plants, and on an 
avenue as ornamental trees, for they have the 
erect, compact habit of character of the Box, 
but are not as useful as shade trees as those 
with spreading branches. The colors should 
be planted well apart. The lilac shade does 
not accord with the salmon scarlet, but is 
very lovely by itself. The pale rose pink is 
exceptionally attractive. Crepe Myrtle is 
not particular as to soil, though it is happier 
in the sandy soils of the coastal region. Es- 
pecially wonderful are the Crepe Myrtles in 
the city of Norfolk, Va.; which should be 
called the “Myrtle City” as many old homes 
have their lawns graced with these gorgeous 
shrubs, grown to great age and beauty. Many 
have attained the age of one hundred years 
and the height of thirty feet. The streets 
and av'enues have plantings of Myrtle bushes 
which makes this southern city aglow with 
color throughout the summer months. 
The Crepe Myrtle can also be grown in the 
mountain sections, but in severe weather it is 
sometimes winter killed. However, it springs 
up from the roots again and makes vigorous 
shoots in a remarkably short time, and blooms 
with renewed beauty. The shrubs should be 
trimmed in symmetrical form after the bloom- 
ing period is over so as not to grow scraggly. 
It has no insect enemies and is subject to no 
diseases. It is quite well fitted for city 
planting and its combination of qualities are 
so numerous and unusual that it should ap- 
peal to all gardeners in this section of the 
country. My strongest appeal therefore is 
for this shrub, the most superb of all shrubs, 
stately and beautiful in form and color and of 
exceptional adaptability. 
ODDS AND ENDS 
FROM EVERYWHERE 
CORRECTION ; — By an unfortunate trans- 
position of the captions on page 99 of the 
October Garden Magazine, the two Bush- 
honeysuckles there illustrated appear each 
one with the other’s name. The observant 
reader will have noticed the obvious contra- 
diction of picture and caption. 
Fall Planted Sweet Peas in the South 
CWEET PEAS may be successfully grown 
in any garden provided they have good 
soil and constant attention. They need plenty 
of room and high cultivation. 
Eor the South, I recommend two plantings 
of seed in November, three weeks apart. 
Seeds planted November 15 will begin to 
bloom about April 17, and will continue in 
flower until the end of June. Select a sunny 
place and have the rows run north and south. 
Prepare the soil by spading, making mellow to 
the depth of eighteen inches and spacing the 
rows two feet apart. Between each two rows 
I leave a little extra space, for ease in culti- 
vating and picking the blossoms. 
Mix with this soil well rotted barnyard 
compost or a commercial fertilizer. If the 
soil is poor, air slaked lime will sweeten and 
strengthen it. After the soil is in the right 
condition put in the trench the support for 
the trellis, -which may be of either wire netting 
or of brush. I usually plant in double rows, 
placing the seeds alternately. 
Plant at least six or eight inches apart and 
one inch deep. Draw up the soil to the plants 
as they grow and keep the soil open by regular 
hoeing. In dry weather hoe the soil about 
twelve hours after giving the plants a good 
soaking. Seed pods should not be allowed to 
form, or if they do, should not remain on the 
vine for many years; otherwise, the plants will 
stop blooming. The more you cut Sweet 
Peas, the more profuse the bloom. My vines 
have grown to a height of ten feet. 
The following varieties I have found satis- 
factory: Dorothy Eckford, pure white, planted 
in a trench with Lady Grisel Hamilton, laven- 
der; Mrs. Walter Wright, heliotrope; Mrs. 
Walter Wright Spencer, deep mauve; Prima 
Donna, light pink; Janet Scott, deep pink; 
King Edward VII, deep rich pink; Othello, 
maroon. 
North Carolina. H. E. Joseph. 
A White Rose for Miss Price 
T WOULD suggest to Georgia C. Price of 
West Virginia, who, in the August Garden 
Magazine, asked for a really white Rose as a 
companion to the Climbing American Beauty, 
that she try the Mary Lovett Rose, a pure 
white climber produced by Dr. \'an Fleet, 
with large full flowers held on long stems and 
delightfully fragrant. It blooms in late sum- 
mer and autumn, as well as in June. J. T. 
Lovett of Little Silver, New Jersey, lists the 
Mary Lovett and other pot-grown Roses in his 
summer catalogue. Would Miss Price give us 
the name of the climbing red Rose that 
“everybody loves” for its many good qualities? 
New York. Minnie D. Foster. 
Brussels Sprouts until March 
POR a number of years it has been our 
custom to take up some of our brussels 
sprouts and store them in an empty hotbed. 
The transplanting is done in November when 
the weather begins to grow severe. The plants 
are not uprooted but are lifted out carefully 
with a garden fork so as to disturb the roots as 
little as possible and are packed upright in 
boxes and baskets for removal to the hotbed. 
We select, for the purpose of storing, one of 
the beds that we shall fill in the spring with 
new compost and soil. From this bed we take 
out nearly all the old filling and in it pack the 
plants, in an upright position, as close to- 
gether as we can store them. Of course care is 
taken in transferring them to the hotbed to re- 
tain the roots and disturb the soil around 
them as little as possible. This can be done 
the more easily, since the boxes containing the 
plants can be lifted down into the hotbed and 
the plants tipped out almost in position. 
When the hotbed is filled the soil is well 
watered, care being taken not to wet the foliage 
because it cannot easily dry out in such a 
crowded position. 
The plants when once packed away need 
less care than any other hotbed crop I know of. 
1 hey will stand considerable freezing, especi- 
ally if they are gradually thawed out. The 
hotbed may be left open day and night until 
severe frosts come, when it should be covered 
at night. For the greater part of the winter 
an ordinary hotbed sash will afford sufficient 
protection. When zero temperatures arrive 
it is well to supplement the glass with an ad- 
ditional protection of lumber unless the hot- 
bed should chance to be covered with snow. 
Snow makes the warmest of covers, for it fills 
in all cracks and prevents drafts. 
After the sprouts are stored away we do not 
expect them to make much growth but merely 
to retain their freshness. The transplanting, 
despite great care, disturbs a great many roots 
and so arrests growth. Cabbage growers 
sometimes take advantage of this fact and 
practice what they call “rocking” to prevent 
the bursting of rapidly growing cabbage heads. 
1 he head is grasped in the two hands and 
swayed gently to break off some, but not all, of 
the roots. The cabbage is thus held in sus- 
pended development until it can be marketed 
or buried for the winter. 
At first we pick off the lower and larger 
sprouts but later in the season we simply take 
out the whole plant and remove all sprouts fit 
for eating. The stalks with attached leaves 
and imperfect sprouts are valuable as a relish 
for the poultry, as an inexpensive substitute for 
sprouted oats at a time of year when eggs are 
scarce and great inroads have been made on 
stored cabbages and mangels. We plan to 
use our sprouts so as to empty the hotbed in 
time for spring planting. The soil that is 
shaken from the brussels sprouts roots will be 
rich enough to incorporate with leafmold in 
the surface of the new hotbed. 
Long Island. Gertrude C. Davenport. 
