March, 1919 
Ol)£ Slower Grower 
5 [ Written exfrets/r for The Flower Grower. 
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Economy of Planting 
Space in the Garden. 
T he chanticleer 
on the weathervane 
faces the south as if 
he fain would fill his 
iron lungs with the air that 
is fast becoming balmy with 
the sweetness of a new 
springtime. Inquisitive 
noses are poking their way 
up through the soft cool soil, and the 
old red “ Piney ” defying the discour- 
teous scratching of neighborly hens, 
is giving promise of wonderful gor- 
geousness in the near future. The 
gardener is studying the latest spring 
fashions, not of coats or trousers, but 
the particular style that he wishes his 
garden to be, for gardening has be- 
come a fashion and its styles are as 
many and varied as its followers. 
When loved ones were in peril and the 
raising of foodstuffs such a dire neces- 
sity, millions armed themselves for 
their struggle with the soil, not realiz- 
ing that they were donning the mantle 
of one of the greatest fashions to be, that 
View in garden of Wm. Anderson, St. Paul, Minn., 
illustrating economy of planting space. 
the world has ever known. A fashion 
that is bound to become the custom of 
a nation. 
The war gardens were devoted al- 
most entirely to vegetables, but the 
gardens of 1919 will express the joy 
and exultation of Victory by their mul- 
tiplicity of flowers. Many who never 
before knew the pleasure of growing 
their own flowers cannot imagine the 
possibilities for beauty in the little 
back yard or a bit of vacant land. Per- 
haps the parks with their curving 
drives, large plantings and massings of 
flowers and shrubs, have been mislead- 
ing and are partly responsible for the 
idea that large areas are needed for the 
successful culture of things in the line 
of flowers, but the small 
plot may have a style of 
beauty entirely of its own. 
The puzzle that confronts 
the gardener with the little 
plot is how to plant to best 
advantage. He wishes some 
annuals, and for quick effect 
they are a necessity, but he 
also wishes for the per- 
manent plantings of peren- 
nials and shrubs, and must 
have space for the Gladiolus whose 
splendid beauty glorifies the garden in 
the summer months. 
The illustration shows a portion of 
a small commercial garden in which 
economy of planting space is well 
carried out. In the distance where the 
hill has been cut away, tomatoes were 
planted and instead of allowing them 
to grow in bush form and cover un- 
necessary room, they were trained 
against the wall, which did not at all 
interfere with their growth for they 
averaged 8^ feet in height and, when 
I saw them, were loaded with fruit. 
The variety was Ponderosa, not at all 
noted for climbing habit, but shows 
what can be done when special effort 
is made. 
In front of the tomatoes and where 
the vines would be if allowed to remain 
on the ground, is a bed measuring 6 ft. 
wide by 16 ft. long, in which are planted 
Lily bulbs — the Myrophyllum Lilies. 
A new and rare variety closely re- 
sembling the Easter Lilies forced in 
the green houses for Easter decoration. 
This, however, differs from the Easter 
Lily in that it is perfectly hardy even 
in the severe climate of St. Paul, and 
any one may now have this beautiful 
Lily growing in their hardy garden. 
This Lily bed is a veritable goldmine 
and only covers ground that usually 
goes to waste in most gardens. 
The Peonies pictured, were planted 
4 ft. between the rows and 2 ft. apart 
in the row. The distance between 
rows allows plenty of room for Gladi- 
oli to be planted the first two summers 
while the Peonies are becoming estab- 
lished. 
For the most economic planting and 
best results measure the plot, select 
varieties you desire and study their 
requirements both for space and culti- 
vation and plant according to the 
ground room. Put every inch of 
ground in use but do not crowd the 
plants. Profit by the experiences of 
others which may be found in the 
pages of The F'lower Grower. 
Mrs. A. H. Austin. 
Flower Growing for Children. 
The refinement that floriculture gives one 
cannot be found elsewhere on the farm. 
Fruits and vegetables may be cultivated with 
some degree of pleasure, livestock demand 
and receive our sympathy and tender care, 
but flowers are attended with reverence. 
Children delight in helping prepare flower 
beds. They will take a pride in transplant- 
27 
ing, watering and training flowering plants. 
The flower garden will have their best care 
and closest attention. 
If you have never set aside land for a 
flower garden try it this year. Select the 
site in some sheltered, retired place near the 
home and let the children be responsible for 
it. Let them take their note books and keep 
a record of the different flowers, when 
planted, when germinated, when flowers are 
formed, how long their flowers remain and 
when seeds are found. It will be an oppor- 
tunity for them and the children may cheer 
the sick, comfort the bereaved and lighten 
the heavy-hearted with the flowers from 
their garden. — Farm and Ranch. 
Gladiolus America. 
HINTS TO FLORISTS FOR FORCING. 
Even if you haven’t made a great deal of 
money out of your Gladioli which flowered 
during August, when everybody had them, 
you should not overlook planting a good 
number of them for early Spring blooming 
now. Gladiolus America is like the Enchant- 
ress Carnation ; its beautiful soft daybreak 
pink color makes it useful for almost any 
occasion and on that account, with the 
smaller retail grower, the one who has only 
room for a limited number for planting, this 
variety has the preference over any other. 
If you want to plant just one sort and get 
the most out of it, plant America. You may 
have a bench of Carnations or Roses or for 
that matter anything else which doesn’t 
look any too well and will need considerable 
nursing and weeks of care in order to be 
able to bring returns. Why not clean the 
stock out, forget about it and replant with 
something else ? That doesn’t mean that all 
of the space should be devoted to Gladioli, 
but reserve some for them. 
To get the most out of indoor Gladioli, and 
from the point of view of the retail grower, 
I should suggest making four plantings ; the 
first February 1st, the second about March 
1, with one March 20 and April 10 to follow. 
This will give you a succession of flowers 
from April on up to the time the first out- 
door ones begin to appear. You can use a 
Gladiolus spike from the day the first flower 
is open until the last half dozen buds begin 
to show color, and have use for the flowers 
right along, and on that account we should 
arrange it so that we have a supply to draw 
from right along, and it is far better to be 
obliged to run short occasionally and have to 
buy on the market than to plant 1000 bulbs 
at one time and not be able to dispose of 
the flowers to advantage. If for any reason 
you have no room at present for the plant- 
ing of Gladioli, instead of waiting until you 
will have, pot the stock up into 4’s and place 
into a 50° house ; along a walk will do for a 
few weeks until the pots become filled with 
roots and the tops need more light, when 
they should be planted out. — Florists’ Ex- 
change. 
Removing Tops from 
Gladioli at Digging Time. 
To one this far south, (Carthage, 
Mo.) the injunction not to tear the top 
from the bulb at digging time, but to 
cut it off, sounds rather ridiculous. 
With us at digging time if we pick up 
the top the bulb falls off, and if we 
pick up the bulb the top falls off. We 
are not so very far south either. 
B. C. Auten. 
Where the foliage fully ripens before 
digging the corm, it is not, of course, neces- 
sary to cut off the top. However, a very 
large part of the Gladioli grown are dug 
while the tops are still green.— (Editor.) 
