! CANNAS 
phe bal edie acion flowers, or- 
e-scarlet, with bright red i 
Bronze leaved. 5 feet. yep 
Yellow King Humbert—G 
olden-yell 
dotted red. Green foliage. 4 Bet “i 
President—The best red Canna. Im- 
Bs rata 
mense flowers of rich s 
foliage. 4 feet. . oe 
Hungaria—The best true pink Canna. 
Large fl : i 
ak ower trusses; green foliage. 312 
a. 
—“ 
Wintzer's Colossal—Largest flowering. 
Vivid, blazi i 
AGS azing scarlet. Green foliage. 
pinformal 
ecorative Collarette Flowered 
Flowered 
Any reasonably careful gardener can 
grow dahlias easily and successfully— 
and enjoy one of the greatest pledsures 
that flower gardening affords. Dahlia 
the first 10 weeks. Do not cultivate 
when flowers are in bud or bloom. 
Allow only one main stalk to grow. 
types and forms cover a vast range. 
Soil needs of dahlias are no different 
than those of a good vegetable garden. 
Fertilizing calls for nothing more than 
a good balanced commercial fertilizer. 
pecnee vec they will get at least 6 
ours of sun, with be (Al 
eee ith free air circu- 
Culture. Cultivate frequently for about 
When stalk is about 10 inches high 
pinch out the center just above the 
and pair of leaves. When buds appear 
pinch out all except the~ central one. 
Also pinch out all new lateral shoots 
be Ss two nearest the main stalk. 
elps produc 
low, bushy Renee bac ie tae 
Pick blooms well aft 
er sun 
prevent wilting. ahh 



‘HOW? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? 


GLADIOLUS: Perhaps the most useful 
of all summer-flowering bulbs. Excel- 
lent to fill in places where perennials 
have died, or where annuals have 
failed. When used in this way, need 
no care other than that given the other 
garden flowers. Do not use extra ferti- 
lizer; too much food promotes produc- 
tion of bulbils or offsets at the expense 
of good bloom and of a sound center 
bulb. | 
Gladiolus bulbs can be planted at 
any time from earliest spring until 
July first (if sound bulbs are on hand 
that late). Before planting, treat bulbs 
for thrips’ (ask for information). In light 
soil, plant 5’ to 6” deep. This will 
help support the flower spike which 
might otherwise fall over. In heavy 
soil, 4’ deep is correct. If planted too 
shallow, more bulbils will be produced, 
but not as good flowers. Space 6" 
apart in rows 24” apart, though for 
smaller, older sorts, 4° may be enough 
room to allow. 
Regular spraying to control thrips is 
essential wherever this insect pest has 
been seen. If your flowers fail to 
develop properly last year, and if the 
leaves had greyish tan patches on 
them, this means you had thrips, and 
will have them again unless you treat. 
D.D.T. has proved a perfect control for 
this pest. 
DAHLIAS: Perhaps our most spectacu- 
lar fall flower, the Dahlia should not 
be planted too early, as the flowers 
will not do well in warm weather. Do 
not, however, keep tubers later than 
June lst, since by that time they us- 
ually start shriveling and may be in- 
jured if kept later. Dahlias need plenty 
of potash and phosphorus. If you ap- 
ply the 25 to 30 lbs. of mixed fertilizers 
recommended for general use before 
planting, then additional feeding of 
potash and phosphorus will still be 
needed to produce firm tubers that will 
keep over winter, healthier plants and 
better bloom. 
Leaf hoppers which carry disease 
and which also injure the plant by 
sucking juice from the leaves and stems 
are easily controlled by regular dust- 
ing or spraying with D.D.T. Multhing 
with straw, excelsior or some other 
airy, light material will help keep the 
soil moist and cool. Don't use leaves or 
grass clippings that mat down and 
pack—they hold in too much moisture. 
FANCY LEAVED CALADIUMS: These 
spectacular foliage plants are particu- 
larly valuable because they do well 
in shade. Start them in a mixture of 
half sand and half leaf mould at a 
temperature of over 70°. When the 
roots are well-developed and the shoot 
is beginning to show, pot up in rich 


For better bloom from bulbs 
soil. Set out in the garden when 
weather is warm and settled. Elephant 
ears can be planted directly in soil 
out of doors, but the weather must be 
warm and settled, otherwise they will 
rot. 
TUBEROSE: This warm-weather bulb 
should be planted in rich soil, with 
2" of soil over the tip after the weather 
is warm and settled. Do not try to save 
the bulbs: these must be grown by a 
specialist if they are to bloom well. 
Buy new bulbs each year. 
CANNAS: While cannas will tolerate 
cold soil, they usually do not start 
growing until hot weather comes. 
Plant when the apple blossoms appear, 
in rich soil. If planted in round beds, 
you will need 37 plants for a 10 foot 
bed (18 plants on the outside, 12 in 
the second row, six for the third row 
and one in the center). A 7 foot bed 
will use 19 plants, with 12 plants on 
the outside row, six for the middle row 
and one plant in the center. 
LILIES: Even the swamp lilies will not 
tolerate wet feet; all must have perfect 
drainage. Yet they like a moist, cool 
soil. This means that liberal quantities 
of old well-decayed compost is almost 
essential for lilies. They will not toler- 
ate lime; your soil should have a pH 
of 6.5 or below if you want to grow 
good lilies. 
31 

