2 
The Blue Book of Gardening 
very little irrigation, if they get a good start early in the 
spring. 
April 
Flower Garden. April is the month in which to set out 
plants for summer flowering, and especially the following: 
Asters, Pentstemons, Daisies, Shasta Daisies, Pansies, 
Chrysanthemums, Salvia, Coleus, Tuberoses, Cannas and 
Elephant Ears. Sow annuals of all kinds, especially Zin¬ 
nia, Balsam and Snap Dragon; these three varieties are es¬ 
pecially showy and do well during the heat of the summer. 
Vegetable Garden, Early Rose and Burbank potatoes 
are planted this month. Melons, Squash, Cucumbers and 
Sweet Corn are sown. Quite often we have frequent rains 
in April, and under such conditions it is advisable to plant 
the seeds of Melons, Cucumbers, and Squash very shal¬ 
low, as these seeds rot early in the ground if it is cold 
and wet. A great deal of seed of these vegetables is 
ruined every year on account of its being planted too deep, 
and when the conditions are not right, these seeds simply 
rot in the ground and do not germinate. 
Trees. Trees of the evergreen kind, such as Oranges, 
Lemons and Loquats, may be planted to very good ad¬ 
vantage in April. The ground begins to get warmer, and 
these trees take root more quickly than when planted in 
the previous months. All deciduous trees should be set 
out by this time, and care taken that the soil is kept in 
good condition around them. 
Lawns. Lawns that have not received their annual top 
dressing of loam or manure should be attended to this 
month. Our Pulverized Sheep Manure is recommended. 
It costs less and is easiest to apply and will not bring the 
weeds that come up out of the yard manure that is not 
well rotted. 
May 
Vegetable Garden. Sow Peas, Sweet Corn, Squash, 
Pumpkin, Cucumbers, Okra, Beets, Carrots, Lettuce, 
Radish, Turnips, Parsley and Spinach. Plant Onion sets, 
Cabbage, Sweet Potatoes and Tomato plants, Asparagus, 
Horseradish and Rhubarb roots. 
Flower Garden. Sow Primula, Calceolaria in seed beds 
or frames and plant up to this time. Chrysanthemum 
plants that are well rooted by this time are planted in the 
open. All other summer flowering plants, such as Petunia, 
Balsam and Zinnia, take the place of winter flowering 
bulbs, which are stored away in a cool place for the next 
season. The planting of Carpet Beds of Coleus, Iresine 
and Acheranthus still goes on this month. Dahlia, Holly¬ 
hock, Amaryllis, Agapanthus and Canna bulbs will bloom 
all summer if planted now. Care should be taken to have 
the ground manured heavily with bone meal. These 
plants should get plenty of water, as they must be kept 
growing vigorously in order to have a profusion of flowers 
during the summer. 
June 
Vegetable Garden. Sow Beans and Cabbage for late 
crop, Sweet Corn, Cress, Cucumbers, Okra, Muskmelon, 
Peas, Parsnips; plant Eggplant, Sweet Potatoes, Horse¬ 
radish and Rhubarb roots. 
Keep the soil well cultivated and hoed in order that the 
crops will stand the heat of the coming summer. 
Flower Garden. The last plants of Chrysanthemums 
and Asters are set out the first of this month in order to 
have the plants well established before the warm weather 
sets in. For summer beds and borders, plant Vernon 
Begonias, Salvia, Verbena, Petunia, Pentstemons, Mar¬ 
guerites, Geraniums and Carnations. Our roses estab¬ 
lished in pots since January are in bloom and can be 
transplanted with perfect safety. The roses will keep right 
on blooming if transplanting is done with care, and will 
furnish flowers in the season of the year when they are 
very much in demand. Centaurea-imperialis and Centaurea 
Margarite sown this month will come in season when they 
are highly appreciated. 
July 
Vegetable Garden. Sow Casaba Melons, Squash, Cab¬ 
bage, Lima and Green Beans, Cauliflower and Tomato 
for winter crops. Lettuce, Radishes, Onions, Beets and 
other small truck for the home garden can be success¬ 
fully sown this month, providing the seeds are covered 
very lightly with old burlap or mulch-manure. This pre¬ 
vents the soil from forming a hard crust in the mid¬ 
dle of the day. Quantities of seed are lost every sum¬ 
mer by neglecting to mulch the ground after seeding. 
These small seedlings are very tender. When just sprout¬ 
ing they burn very quickly when they strike the hard 
burning crust that is over them This is a matter of great 
importance, and with a little extra care one is able to 
have nice, crisp Lettuce and other vegetables in the heat 
of summer, when they are greatly appreciated. 
Flower Garden. Sow Pansies and Stocks for winter 
blooming. Chrysanthemums have to be watched very 
closely from now on. All suckers should be cut off as 
soon as they appear, large side branches removed and 
only a limited number of buds left on each plant so as to 
throw all the strength of the plant on the few remaining 
buds. Green Aphis and other insects will appear, but can 
be easily removed by the use of Tobacco Dust. Cut back 
Rose bushes and keep them pretty dry. This will give 
them a rest and enable them to bloom heavily next winter. 
Eucalyptus, Acacia and other ornamental stock may be 
sown this month. 
Augiist 
Vegetable Garden. The first sowing of tomatoes for 
winter crops is done this month. Earliana is considered 
the best variety for that purpose. August is the month 
for planting the second crop of potatoes. Burbank’s are 
good varieties. 
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery and Onions are sown for 
main crop. Yorkshire Hero Green Peas are sown by mar¬ 
ket gardeners this month. 
Flower Garden. Sow Pansies and Stocks in well pre¬ 
pared seed beds out of doors; have soil light and sandy, 
well pulverized and leveled before seeding. Cover the 
seed very lightly and lay burlap right on the ground to 
keep the soil from baking and to keep it always moist. 
As soo.i as the seeds are up, take the burlap off and 
shade the ground with a lath or cloth frame for a few 
days Seeds sown in boxes in greenhouses come up all 
right, but often they damp off and cause a great loss of 
time and money. Carnations, Salvia, Chinese Pinks, Ver¬ 
bena, Petunia, etc., may be sown in the same way. 
Primula and Cineraria seeds have to be sown in a box 
filled with very fine screened leafmold and sand, the seeds 
themselves are barely covered. The box is then covered 
with a pane of glass. Great care must be taken to wipe 
off the moisture on the pane of glass, and also to get the 
little plants used to the open air by gradually taking off 
the glass. Primula and Cineraria are generally sown in 
a greenhouse or cold frame. The bulbs of Oxalis are 
planted this month. 
September 
Vegetable Garden. Plant Onion sets, Yorkshire Hero 
Peas, Canadian Wonder and Ventura Wax Beans, Cab¬ 
bage, Cauliflower. All these vegetable seeds sown this 
month will come in the end of December when vegetables 
are at a high price. 
Flower Garden. In September, place your order for fall 
bulbs that they may be delivered immediately upon their 
arrival from Europe, which will be about the first of 
October. Plant at this time the bulbs of Freesias and 
Watsonias. For Fall and Winter blooming sow the fol¬ 
lowing seeds: Pansies, Stocks, Cosmos, Coreopsis, Cen¬ 
taurea, Salpiglossis, Cineraria and the Christmas and Win- 
