DAHLIAS . 
. . . . one of 
gardening’s finest thrills. 
I 
Perel Collarette 
There was a time, not so long 
ago, when dahlia growing was 
commonly considered as “‘some- 
thing for the experts.’’ Not so 
today! 
Any reasonably careful gar- 
dener can grow dahlias easily 
and successfully —and enjoy 
one of the greatest pleasures 
that flower gardening affords. 
Dahlias vary in size from 1% 
inch to 16 inches or more in 
diameter. The plants run from 
18 inches to 7 feet in height. 
The colors include practically 
all hues except clear blue. 
Dahlia types and forms cover 
a vast range, as the illustra- 
tions here show. And all of 
these varied types are suitable 
for the average home garden. 
Soil needs of dahlias are no 
different than those of a good 
vegetable garden. Drainage and 
porosity are important. 
Fertilizing calls for nothing 
more than a good balanced 
commercial fertilizer. 

Anemone Peony 
Flowered Flowered 
Location should be where 
they will get at least 6 to 7 
hours of sun, with free air 
circulation. Stay away from 
roots of large trees or shrubs. 
Planting is simple. Set stout 
stakes first. Plant the tuber 
in a hole 6 inches deep, with 
eye up, and neck near stake. 
Cover with just enough soil to 
hide the tuber. As the eye 
grows, keep filling in soil. 
Culture. Cultivate frequently 
for about the first 10 weeks. 
Do not cultivate when flowers 
are in bud or bloom. 
Allow only one main stalk to 
grow. When stalk is about 10 
inches high, pinch out the 
center just above the 2nd pair 
of leaves. When buds appear, 
pinch out all except the central 
one. Also pinch out all new 
lateral shoots except the two 
nearest the main stalk. This 
helps produce large blooms on 
low, bushy plants and en- 
courages long stems. 
Pick blooms well after sun 
down to prevent wilting. 
GLADIOLUS |. . nto 
make them grow bigger, better 
Gladiolus are among the easi- 
est of all flowers to grow. But 
while they stand neglect better 
than most plants, they also re- 
spond beautifully to proper 
treatment. So it is well to note 
these brief points: 
Soil should be well drained, 
sandy loam, preferably where 
no glads have been grown for 
the past 3 years. Cultivation to 
a depth of about 18 inches is 
highly desirable. 
Full sun is best, although they 
do fairly well in partial shade. 
Glads may be set out as soon 
as frost is out of the ground, 
but extra-early planting gains 
little. A succession of plantings 
about ten days apart gives a 
long blooming season. 
Depth of planting should be no 
more than 4” in heavy soil and 
5 to 6” in light, sandy soil. 
Space bulbs 3” apart ‘in rows 
18 to 30” apart. Be sure to 
eliminate air pockets under the 
bulbs. 
Place bulbs in a well worked 
trench in staggered or zig-zag 
row—and cover at first with 
about two inches of loam. When 
shoots begin to appear, work 
balance of loam into the trench. 
Watering is important. Glads 
need an abundance of moist- 
ure, especially after the plant 
is well developed. 
Cut the spike when first bud 
fully opens. The other buds 
will open nicely and give you 
a longer period of bloom. 
Cutting the spike as soon as 
the first flower opens allows 
the plant strength to go into 
the corm. 

CACTUS DAHLIA 

POMPON DAHLIAS 

23 

