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T II E G A R I) E N M A G A Z 1 N E 
April, 1 9 1 . > 
made this month. Don’t plant during wet weather when the soil 
is wet and soggy, or rot may result. 
Have you the pea brush ready? If not, get it cut before its 
foliage starts. 
The asparagus bed should now be dug over, getting the manure 
down as deep as possible. Follow this with a good coating of salt. 
This is also an excellent time to set out a new asparagus bed either 
from seeds or roots. 
If you want good melons, frames or some form of plant forcing 
device are a necessity, if you don’t wish to buy them get busy and 
make them. 
If your garden is or has been troubled with cutworms, it is better 
to make arrangements to protect early set plants. A strip of tin 
or a paper collar will serve this purpose; there is also a very cheap 
paper flower-pot which is exceptionally good. Place these so 
that they circle the plant and extend about three quarters of an 
inch into the ground and a couple of inches above the ground line. 
T HE mulch on the lawn can now* be raked up and carted away. 
Go over the lawrn with an iron rake and tear out all the crab 
grass you can find. This is the proper time to prepare and sow 
down any bare spots in the lawn; the earlier this is done the less 
T noticeable the spots will be. 
Any new lawns being considered should be sown at the 
earliest possible moment; late sowings usually develop a lot of 
weeds. Better sod any washouts that occurred on any steep grades, 
because if you sow them they will continue and wash out. 
Pasture fields of all kinds can be sown at this time and any 
fencing or repairing of fences necessary for the stock should now be 
attended to. 
Roll the lawn with the heaviest roller you can secure. Get the 
lawn mower in shape, because the grass will soon need cutting. 
Did you know that Pachysandra terminalis will live and thrive 
where grass won’t grow? It is an excellent ground cover and can 
be used in shaded places and in poor sandy soils. 
TN NORMAL seasons a number of the more hardy annuals can 
be sown out in the open ground around the middle of the 
month. Tender flowers must be started in the coldframes; these 
should be sown now. Commence to harden off annuals started 
Flower Seeds early in the greenhouse, preparatory to planting 
. , „ . out. It is, of course, best to deal with the more 
hardy ones first. 
Sweet peas should be sown at once; it is very important to get 
these started early as they will not stand the dry hot weather. 
Those started indoors in pots can be set out this month. 
Montbretia and gladiolus can be planted toward the end of the 
month. Don’t plant ail the gladiolus at one time, but rather make 
successional plantings so that the flowering season will be continued. 
Dahlia roots can be set out the latter part of this month, but the 
ground must not be wet and soggy or they will rot. 
Make preparations to flood your iris bed. This can be easily 
arranged wdth a few boards set up edgewise; you will be astonished 
at the difference in the quality of the flower. 
All plant tubs used around the garden should be painted, and 
where desired a very pleasing finish can be had by painting the tub 
and then covering it with sand while the paint is wet. 
Shrubberies 
For trellis work or around your piazza, if you are considering any 
new roses, don’t forget to try some of the Lord Penzance sweet 
briars. They are especially fine trellis roses. 
How about covering some of the old bare walls with a few vines? 
or, why not plant out some objectionable feature of your place? 
This is the time of year to make improvements. 
T^XAMINE all your plantings for scale, and spray those that 
are infested before the buds burst. 
If the hedges have winterkilled in places fill in the gaps now. 
The earlier it is done the better. Any large trees moved should be 
well staked so that they don’t sway with the wind; 
they should have a heavy mulch applied and the 
trunks should be covered with straw or burlap. 
All foliage shrubs that require it can be pruned this month, 
and prune all newly planted stock to offset the shock of planting. 
Shrubs that flower on the terminal of the current season’s 
growth can be pruned now; other flowering shrubs such as mag- 
nolia, forsythia, and lilac should be pruned immediately after 
flowering. 
Protection should be removed from rhododendron and other 
tender evergreens, selecting a dark day for this work if possible. 
Uncover tender hydrangeas which were buried last fall to protect 
them. 
When looking over the trees and shrubs don’t neglect to cut down 
and destroy any caterpillars and any cocoons that you see. These 
usually contain enough to destroy all the foliage on a good sized 
tree. 
Greenhouses 
S TART cuttings of bedding plants now. This is the “last call” 
to get good sized plants for bedding out. 
Cannas started on the benches are to be potted up as soon as 
they are sufficiently rooted. 
Look over hydrangeas in tubs and those requiring it, must be 
retubbed. Old rusty scrap iron or nails in the 
soil will give a blue color to the blossoms. 
Make arrangements for your new rose plants; early delivery is 
important. 
Have you thought of some potted fruits for your greenhouse as a 
summer crop? 
TF YOU are not going to use it for other purposes, the following 
are all good summer crops for the greenhouse, and can be 
started now; cucumbers (use the English frame varieties); the 
English forcing type of melons; and any good variety of tomatoes. 
Ferns started from runners at this time and kept 
growing will be of good size next winter. 
This is a good month for propagating chrysanthe- 
mums. Plants started now can be finished in 7 -inch pots. 
Do not neglect the young carnation plants. Spray them 
occasionally wdth copper solution to keep down rust. After 
proper hardening off the plants can be put outdoors late this 
month in well prepared soil. A great deal of our success next winter 
depends upon the thoroughness with which we prepare the soil. 
Every inch of available space in the greenhouse should be crowded 
at this season of the year. Water carefully; and use good judg- 
ment in ventilating. 
Summer 
Crops 
U NCOVER the tender roses which were protected last fall, 
examine them carefully for scale, ofttimes the unlooked for 
cause of failure. 
Prune the roses now, Leave about two or three eyes on the 
Flower hybrids and cut out all weak growth, such as thin 
Garden interior shoots. Tea roses do not require such 
heavy pruning. Remove all weak shoots and cut 
back the others about one third. 
Get stakes ready for dahlias, cosmos, and other tall plants; also 
pea brush for sweet peas. 
If you are contemplating a new rose bed, attend to it now. Buy 
good varieties and don’t forget to include a few of the tea roses. 
Perennials that require shifting should be attended to at the 
earliest possible moment; and any new work along these lines 
should not be neglected. Do all your planting this month. 
T3 OSES must be pruned hard to produce good results. The 
hybrid rose should be cut back to a couple of eyes — that is, 
leave only a couple of eyes of the past season’s wood. Tea roses, 
however, do not require such heroic treatment; just a general 
p . reduction and the thinning out of any weak, thin shoots 
Roses * s su ffi c i en t- 
This is an excellent time to set out a rose bed. Tea 
roses, although not so hardy or robust as the Hybrid Perpetuals, 
and requiring winter protection, are so beautiful that they fully 
repay any one for the efforts spent on them. The Hybrid 
Teas are the most generally useful however. Do not forget this 
when ordering your roses. 
Climbing roses should be pruned rather vigorously, cutting out 
the very old wood and staking and tying up the younger shoots 
which are the real producers. 
