


CLEOME, Pink Queen 
PETUNIA, Cheerful 

Pinching Back Flower Plants 
If sturdy, stocky plants are wanted, 
they will need ‘‘pinching back.’’ When 
five or six pairs of leaves have formed, 
pinch out the top, leaving two or three 
pairs of leaves on the stem. New 
shoots will come where the leaves 
join the stem. Sometimes a second 
pinch can be made, when these new 
shoots in turn have formed four or 
five pairs of leaves, leaving two pairs 
on each. Pinching increases the num- 
ber of flowers, though sometimes it 
decreases their size. Petunias particu- 
larly need pinching back if they are 
to remain short. Towards the end of 
the flowering season, after Petunias 
have grown long and lanky, they can 
be cut back to within an inch or two 
of the ground and they will throw 
out new growth. If given a light feed- 
ing of mixed fertilizer, these rejuve- 
nated plants will often bloom as well 
as younger plants early in the season. 
Removing Flowers 
The gardener can lengthen the bloom- 
ing season of all annuals and some 
perennials by removing old flowers 
as soon as they fade, and preventing 
the plant from going to seed. Del- 
phiniums and Canterbury Bells will 
usually respond to this treatment by 
producing a second crop of flowers in 
fall. 
Flowers in the Vegetable Garden 
To have plenty of cut flowers without 
disturbing your flower borders, olant 
a few rows of flowers along the edge 
of your vegetable garden. Or set them 
out between rows of early lettuce or 
radishes, where they can bloom after 
the vegetables have been used. 
Large Flowered and 
Double Petunias 
These should never be direct seeded 
outdoors, but must be started indoors. 
Use a flat filled with seed-starting 
mixture. Press soil with a brick or 
flat piece of wood to firm it. Wet 
thoroughly. Then broadcast the seed 
on the surface of the soil. Cover en- 
tire flat with a pane of glass and then 
with a sheet of newspaper. Set in a 
warm, dark place at 75° to 85° until 
seed germinates. Then move to a 
sunny window. If flat dries out slight- 
ly before seed sprouts, water carefully 
with an atomizer. Transplant seed- 
lings when second pair of leaves 
forms. Move into the garden after 
danger from frost is past. 
D. D. T. and Aster Yellows 
Though wilt resistant asters solved the 
wilt problem, Aster Yellows are still 
a menace. Now, with D.D.T., we can 
keep off the leaf hopper, the insect 
that carries the virus of Yellows to the 
Aster plant. Regular spraying or dust- 
ing with D.D.T. will leave a residue 
which will kill the leaf hopper when 
it lights on the plant and before it 
can stab the leaves and pass on the 


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| MARIGOLD, Flash 
Practical answers to every-day 
questions about home gardening 
virus. So if your Asters have been 
disappointing lately, try again, using 
D.DiT: 
Formula for Pansy Growing 
Pansies are not annuals but near- 
hardy perennials that need special 
culture. Cold frames, with glass sash 
and mats for winter protection are 
essential. Soil should be rich: up to 
one-third of soil can be well-rotted 
manure or sifted compost. Sow seed 
in August. Protect frame with shades 
made by tacking muslin or cheese 
cloth over window screens. Thin 
plants to stand 4” x 4”. After first 
frosts, cover with glass and mats, and. 
allow to freeze slowly. Remove mats 
in early spring and allow sun to warm 
frame. Move plants into permanent 
position when in full bloom. Keep 
faded flowers picked: they will stop 
blooming if any seeds are allowed to 
form. Growing good Pansies from 
seed is the test of a real gardener. 
Two Interesting House Plants 
The Heavenly Blue Morning Glory 
makes an excellent house plant for 
winter flowering if grown in a sunny 
window. Start new plants in late 
August, using 6” pots (they make 
heavy root growth). They can be 
trained up strings on either side of 
the window. Lobelia plants can be 
lifted just before frost, cut back, 
potted and will flower indoors in late 
winter. 


