52 
The Garden Magazine, March, 1921 
re-established, then exposure to full light, and sunshine to ensure 
sturdy, stocky plants. 
Sow Sweet-peas in small pots for planting outdoors next month. 
Pansies and Forget-me-nots brought in from frames will flower 
by the holidays in a temperature of 50°. 
Keep the Rambler Roses growing in a temperature of 6o°. Avoid 
direct draughts of cold air, or mildew will result. 
Give Lilies subject to high temperature plenty of water, and feed oc- 
casionally with liquid manure. Stake the plants. 
Stake up the Snapdragons, and remove side shoots. The side growths 
make good cuttings. Put them into the propagating bench. 
Start fancy-leaved Caladiums for decorative purposes in sandy soil 
with gentle bottom heat. 
Look over vines, such as Ivies, Vincas, etc., saved from the window 
boxes and baskets last fall; repot if needed. 
Thunbergia is a useful climbing plant. Sow the seeds now. Also 
seeds of the Castor bean. 
Repot Dracena indivisa that are pot bound; or top-dress. 
Early flowering indoor Sweet-peas should have a rich top-dressing of 
well decayed manure. Acid phosphate and sulphate of ammonia, 
an ounce to a gallon of water, is a good stimulant, but should be 
used with care. 
A heavy mulching of old cow manure will greatly benefit the Roses 
planted out in the benches at this time. Don’t use fresh horse 
manure; it will burn. Place a covering of loam over the bare roots 
before using the manure. Look after the young Roses, use care in 
watering; and keep them free from black spot. Bank the fire 
early on sunny days. 
Spireas will be showing color in the flower spikes at this time. Space 
them well apart so that the foliage may develop evenly, and to 
prevent it damping off as it very readily does when crowded. 
Water copiously, but have the foliage dry before night. Place saucers 
under the pots, and keep these filled with water. 
Start at intervals small batches of Godfrey Calla, Gloxinias, and 
the little blue Achimenes, for summer flowering. 
Gardenias may still be rooted provided one has plenty of bottom heat. 
They require a closed propagating case to root well. Pot when 
rooted, and carry along in pots until they are transferred to the 
benches where they are to flower. Use light porous soil, with 
plenty of leaf mold in it. 
Poinsettias through flowering may be laid on their sides under a bench 
free from drip, and dried off. 
Start tuberous Begonias in gentle heat, potted or in flats. 
Peaches and Nectarines will be in bloom this month. Encourage 
fertilization by the admission of fresh air and sunshine on every 
favorable occasion. Tie in the young shoots of early started 
vines as required. 
Maintain a free buoyant atmosphere. Accommodate Primulas, 
Cinerarias, Cyclamen, and similar flowering plants now in bloom 
with a light position on the north side of a cool house. 
Give more air as the days become warmer to Bay-trees, Oleanders, 
specimen Hydrangeas, and similar plants now in storage. As 
soon as occasion offers place outdoors, give a thorough hosing; 
retub, or top-dress as required. 
Lawn Shrubbery and Border 
Clean up the shrubberies, stacking the leaves in a large pile to rot. 
They will be useful next August for mulching. Burn all other 
rubbish in a smother fire, and use the ashes for fertilizer. 
Loosen the ground among the shrubs with a spading fork. Attend to 
the climbers round the dwelling, tying up any growths that have 
fallen out of place during the winter. 
Order any other plants of this class that may be needed. Late in the 
month remove the wind screen, and other temporary protection 
afforded choice shrubs, and Evergreens; likewise from Roses, 
bulbs, and flower beds. Prune and tie in all Rambler Roses but 
leave Tea Roses until all danger of hard frosts is past — better 
to wait until the eyes being to swell. 
Air freely: Pansies, English Daisies and Myosotis wintered in 
frames; plant out into flowering quarters as soon as conditions 
warrant. 
As the crowns of the plants show through the ground do any needed 
alterations and replanting in the herbaceous border. 
Plant deciduous shrubs, and trees. 
Trim grass edges as soon as conditions permit. 
Apply fertilizer to the lawns, top-dress bad spots, and reseed. 
Cut a few sprays of Forsythia, and Pussy Willow; place in a green- 
house, or warm dwelling for very early blossoming. 
ABOUT PRUNING THE GRAPE VINES 
A. RUTLEDGE 
HE annual pruning of Grape vines is usually done in the 
mild days of late February or early March, at least a 
month before any real growth starts. Earlier pruning 
is unwise; for a late blizzard may freeze off valuable 
bearing wood, whereas, if the full vine had been left intact, the 
extreme cold would have taken only the extreme tips. 
Most gardeners trim back to two buds; some prefer three. 
One-bud trimming is unsafe; the bud may be thus injured, and 
even if not, it is almost certain to produce a new cane too large 
and cumbrous for the parent. 1 lately examined a vine that 
had been trimmed back a year ago to one bud on each bearing 
cane. The new growth was tremendous; but it looked too 
sappy. It is better to have two medium-sized natural canes for 
bearing than a single unwieldy one. It is also wise to trim the 
Grapes high; that is, permit no buds to set nearer the ground 
than two feet; in fact, the higher the better. Nearly all mildew 
on Grapes is due to a lack of sunlight, and low growth seldom 
gets the sunshine it should have. 
This raises another point which appears to me important. 
Many gardeners hesitate to restrain the too exuberant summer- 
growth of Grape vines. A wise practice, however, is to pinch 
away the ends of the young shoots three or four joints beyond the 
farthest bunch of grapes. This is especially necessary in the 
case of a vine that has been planted in a shady spot, which 
encourages heavy growth. If, however, the vine be fully 
exposed to the sun, a more normal development will ensue and it 
will require little summer pruning. It should always be re- 
membered that the leaves were intended by nature as a vital 
part of the system which gives life and vigor to the vine; and 
consequently, the more leaves that can be retained, the better 
for the vine. The only object in checking the leaf and vine- 
growth is to give the developing grapes the sap that otherwise 
would be used in the making of new and valueless vine. Oc- 
casionally a thoughtless gardener will pull the leaves off his vine, 
thinking thereby to give all the sap to the grapes. There could 
hardly be a surer method of spoiling the size, flavor, and general 
worth of the crop of fruit. 
Thorough summer pruning renders winter pruning very 
simple, and a judicious combination of both will ensure vigorous 
growth and prolific bearing. I should like to repeat, how- 
ever, that grape vines when in full sunlight need little, if any, 
summer pruning. 
