9° 
House y Garde 
The GARDENER’S CALENDAR for FEBRUARY 
ST. PHOCAS 
(2nd Century) 
St. Phocas the Gar¬ 
dener toiled among his 
plants about his dwell¬ 
ing near the gate of 
Sinope, a city of Pon- 
tus; a humble, god¬ 
fearing man. He was 
a martyr to his Chris¬ 
tian faith. 
VIGNOLA (1507-1573) 
One of the greatest architects of the Kith cen¬ 
tury, Vignola followed Michelangelo as archi¬ 
tect of St. Peter's. He also designed gardens. 
His masterpiece, the Villa Caprarola with its 
gardens, will be shown in the March issue. 
PIRANESI 
(1720-1778) 
Because of his en¬ 
gravings Piranesi is 
called the “Rembrandt 
of Architecture." As a 
garden designer his 
?nost famous work is 
that of the grounds of the 
Priory of the Knights 
of Malta. 
RAPHAEL SANZIO 
(1483-1520) 
By no means the 
least significant phase 
of Raphael's art ivas his 
garden designing. When 
he did the gardens of the 
Vatican he achieved 
something as great in 
landscape architecture 
as he did in his frescoes 
and buildings. 
HUMPHREY 
REPTON 
(1752-1818) 
Born at Bury St. 
Edmunds, Repton be¬ 
gan life as a merchant, 
but failing in business 
became a landscape gar¬ 
dener, succeeding “Cap¬ 
ability" Brown; though 
he carried on his work- 
in a much more sensi¬ 
bly naturalistic manner 
than this ravager. His 
“Observations on Land¬ 
scape Gardening" is a 
valuable treatise. 
SUNDAY 
MONDAY 
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 
This calendar of the gardener’s labors is aimed 
as a reminder for undertaking all his tasks in 
season. It is fitted to the latitude of the Mid¬ 
dle States, but its suggestions should be avail¬ 
able for the whole country if it be remembered 
that for every one hundred miles north or south 
there is a difference of from five to seven days 
later or earlier in performing garden operations. 
The dates given are, of course, for an average 
season. 
4. Summer 
flowering bulbs 
such as cannas, 
gladioli, dah¬ 
lias, caladium. 
etc., should be 
looked over 
carefully. Ex¬ 
cessive heat or 
moisture will 
start them into 
growth; damp¬ 
ness with a low 
temperature 
is apt to cause 
decay. 
11. Decid¬ 
uous trees and 
shrubs also re¬ 
quire pruning 
to keep them 
in good health. 
Early flowering 
subjects such 
as the lilac or 
spiieas are best 
pruned after 
they have fin¬ 
ished flowering 
along in the 
spring. This 
save blossoms. 
18. Have 
you studied 
the merits of a 
fruit border? 
No place is 
complete with¬ 
out one. Rasp¬ 
berries. cur¬ 
rants. goose¬ 
berries, black¬ 
berries, grapes 
— all these 
make excellent 
border plants 
for the gar¬ 
den. 
25. Sweet 
peas may be 
started now in 
the hotbed or 
greenhouse. 
Paper pots are 
excellent for 
them. After 
the seeds have 
germinated the 
plants must be 
kept rather 
cool to prevent 
their getting 
soft and weak 
stemmed. 
5. No one 
can garden 
well with dull 
or poor quality 
tools.This is the 
time to do any 
repairing that 
may be neces¬ 
sary. All edged 
tools must be 
sharpened; 
kerosene and 
grease will 
check the rust 
on all the metal 
parts. 
12. Have 
your trees 
looked over 
carefully to de¬ 
termine their 
true condition. 
It takes a life¬ 
time to grow 
good trees but 
they are sub¬ 
ject to injuries 
of many kinds. 
A little tree 
surgery at the 
right time will 
save them. 
10. If you 
cannot afford a 
greenhouse 
there are nu¬ 
merous styles 
of plant pro¬ 
tectors that are 
helpful to gar¬ 
dening. They 
should be or¬ 
dered now. as 
their greatest 
value is in the 
early season. 
Glass ones are 
excellent. 
26. Before 
work is started 
outside you 
should make 
an inventory of 
your tools. 
Any new ones 
necessary must 
be ordered 
now. Tool de¬ 
signs keep on 
being im¬ 
proved as well 
as other 
things, so look 
them over. 
6. All plants 
that have been 
in tho same 
pots for any 
considerable 
time, such as 
palms and oth¬ 
er decorative 
things, should 
be re-potted 
before their ac¬ 
tive growing 
season starts. 
Top dressing is 
the alternative 
to this. 
13. Have you 
ordered your 
supply of seeds? 
They should be 
on hand now. 
An old bread 
tin makes a 
good mouse- 
proof storage 
for them.Don't 
let the seeds get 
damp—a cool, 
dry place is the 
ideal storage 
place until 
planting time. 
20. Start 
sowings now in 
the greenhouse 
of the hardy 
vegetables, 
such as cab¬ 
bage, cauli¬ 
flower, lettuce, 
celery, toma¬ 
toes, etc. Use 
flats or seed 
pans for great¬ 
er convenience, 
and provide 
plenty of 
drainage. 
27. Stock 
plants of all 
kinds of bed¬ 
ding subjects 
should now be 
started into ac¬ 
tive growth so 
that the neces¬ 
sary quantity 
of cuttings will 
be ready for 
taking when 
the proper 
time for them 
comes in the 
spring. 
7. Have you 
progressed any 
further than 
your mind 
with that rose 
garden y o u 
have been con- 
si d e r i n g all 
these years? 
Each-year that 
you postpone 
establishing it 
means that 
you are losing 
just that much 
pleasure. 
14. If you 
like golf you 
should have a 
practice green 
constructed on 
your 'grounds 
— some 
screened cor¬ 
ner where you 
can practice 
when you want 
to. Sow it with 
fescue and 
creeping bent 
grass in equal 
quantities. 
21. No gar¬ 
den is com¬ 
plete without 
some well se¬ 
lect e d and 
propei ly ar¬ 
ranged garden 
furniture. In 
formal garden¬ 
ing pottery is 
very necessary 
to the com- 
pleteness ot the 
scheme. Make 
your selection 
and order now. 
28. Sprays 
of all the early 
flowering 
spring shrubs 
can be cut and 
placed in water 
in the house 
where the 
flowers will 
quickly de¬ 
velop. Pussy 
willow, golden 
bell, Japan 
quince, etc., 
can be forced 
in this way. 
The four great Italians, the Frenchman, and the Englishman, 
whose portraits are shown on this page, may well be called the 
most influential figures in the art of garden design. In style Le 
Notre would be put at one end of the list and Repton at the other, 
for the designer of the gardens at Versailles was as formal, grand, 
artificial, and flamboyant in his manner of working as the Briton 
was informal and naturalistic. The Italians would occupy the 
middle ground, for their object was to effect an architectural but 
fair compromise with the site at their disposal. In each of the three 
schools, and according to our tastes, there is much to be learned for 
the development of garden design in this country. 
THURSDAY 
1 . Plant 
stakes are 
necessary evils; 
we all wish 
that the plants 
would not re¬ 
quire support¬ 
ing, but they 
do, and we 
must accom¬ 
modate them. 
Order stakes 
now. If you 
can't do this, 
cut some in the 
woods. 
8 . Pea 
brush, bean 
poles and to¬ 
mato stakes 
are necessities 
of a productive 
garden. A few 
hours spent 
with an axe in 
the woods will 
furnish you 
with these 
needed acces¬ 
sories. Gather 
them before 
they leaf out. 
15. N o w 
that the war 
is over let us 
think again of 
gieenhouse 
construction. 
Greenhouses 
certainly raise 
the standard of 
any grounds, 
whether they 
be for fruit or 
flowers. Early 
planning 
means fewer 
errors. 
22. Garden 
arbors as they 
are now made 
are very at¬ 
tractive and 
necessary ac¬ 
cessories of the 
garden. If you 
wish to enjoy 
them this sum- 
m e r they 
should be or¬ 
dered now, as 
well as the 
roses or other 
vines for them 
FRIDAY 
2. Better 
get out the 
sashes for the 
hotbed and 
cold-frame.and 
see that they 
are in good 
condition. 
Broken glass 
may need re¬ 
placing, and 
the wood 
should be 
painted to pro¬ 
tect it from the 
weather. 
9. Bay trees, 
hydrangeas, 
oranges and 
other plants of 
this type that 
are used for 
decoration out¬ 
side in the sum¬ 
mer should be 
looked over to 
see if the tubs 
will stand up 
through an¬ 
other season’s 
use. If not, 
repair now. 
16. It is 
much easier to 
overhaul your 
lawn mower 
now in the 
garage than it 
will be next 
summer on the 
lawn. At least 
the gear boxes 
must be 
cleaned out 
and repacked 
with vaseline, 
and the other 
bearings oiled. 
23. Flower¬ 
ing plants of 
all kinds that 
are wanted for 
Easter must be 
started into ac¬ 
tive growth. 
By postponing 
this and then 
trying to rush 
them along the 
plants are in¬ 
variably grown 
too warm and 
in many cases 
ruined. 
SATURDAY 
3. Have you 
pruned your 
fruit trees? 
They will pro¬ 
duce if left in 
a natural state, 
but not nearly 
so well. Good 
fruit is pro¬ 
duced o n 1 y 
where intell- 
gent pruning is 
practiced, so 
your labor will 
be well justi¬ 
fied and repaid. 
10. Start to 
prepare your 
hotbed now. 
At least 12 
inches of good 
hot manure 
will be neces¬ 
sary for mak¬ 
ing it. Tramp 
this firm and 
cover it with 
about 4 inches 
of good garden 
soil that has 
been well 
screened. 
17 . Have 
you ever given 
a thought to 
the comforts of 
our greatest 
garden friends, 
the birds? 
Why not get 
a few houses 
where the birds 
can nest? A 
bath for the 
birds will give 
even more 
pleasure to you 
than to them. 
24. All dor¬ 
mant trees aie 
shrubs that are 
subject to the 
attacks of San 
Jose scale 
should be 
sprayed with 
one of the solu¬ 
ble oils. Tiees 
that are al¬ 
ready infested 
must have at 
least two 
thorough 
sprayings. 
THE ROSE 
A rose, as fair as ever saw the North, 
Grew in a little garden all alone; 
.4 sweeter flower did Nature ne'er put forth, 
Nor fairer garden yet was never known; 
The maidens danced about it morn and noon, 
And learned bards of it their ditties made; 
The nimble fairies by the pale-faced moon 
Water'd the root and kissed her pretty shade. 
But well-a-dayl—the gardener careless grew; 
The maids and fairies both were kept away, 
And in a drought the caterpillars threw 
Themselves upon the bud and every spray. 
God shield the stock! If heaven send no 
supplies. 
The fairest blossom of the garden dies. 
WILLIAM BROWNE 
MICHELANGELO 
(1475-1564) 
Sculptor, painter, 
architect, as well as gar¬ 
den designer, this tre¬ 
mendous genius of the 
Renaisance must be con¬ 
sidered one of the great¬ 
est figures in, history. 
His finest gardens are 
those of the Florentine 
Villa Bombicci. 
ANDRE LE NOTRE 
(1613-1700) 
The opportunity to 
succeed his father as 
superintendent of the 
royal gardens hired Le 
N otre away from paint¬ 
ing and started a ca¬ 
reer that, for sheer 
magnitude of achieve¬ 
ment, has never been 
equalled in garden de¬ 
sign. Versailles, Fon¬ 
tainebleau, Vaux le Vi- 
comte, Chantilly and 
St. Cloud are only a feiv 
of his commissions. 
