It’s time for summer & new perennials 
Feeding, spraying, mulching — getting 
the garden ready for summer—and brows- 
ing among some of the newer plants are 
in order now. There has been such an 
array of recent introductions, or re-intro- 
ductions, that even the nurserymen have 
to pause and take stock occasionally to 
remember what to talk about! 
But first let's take care of the plants we 
already have in the garden. ROSES are 
just past their first great mass of blooms 
in most gardens, but whether they are or 
whether they aren't— FEED THEM; they 
are greedy things, like Corn, and like Corn, 
Roses do rather well for a brief season 
with little attention, but excel only if they 
have lots of nitrogen and phosphoric acid. 
And the same is true with most other 
plants really. So let's don't be too fussy 
about getting some pet-name fertilizer; 
lets’ learn to read the nitrogen count and 
the phosphoric acid which is always written 
on the label. Just remember that most 
blooming and fruiting ornamentals want 
lots of nitrogen while they're growing and 
less nitrogen but more phosphoric acid 
once they're grown in order to produce 
maximum bloom and fruit. This is true of 
Fuchsias, Tuberous Begonias, practically all 
annuals and perennials, as well as Toma- 
toes, Potatoes, and so forth. 
As for WATERING AND SPRAYING, 
we cannot do better than to quote from 
our Grapevine of May, 1951: "As soon 
as the sun breaks through warm ... wash 
off all shrubbery, especially Roses, with 
the strongest force from your hydrant. This 
cleans the stems, buds and leaves of aphis, 
red spider, thrip, and to some extent even 
mildew. Then mix your aphis spray (Have 
you tried Malathon?), the mildew fungicide 
and chlordane and spray. There won't be 
so much to kill but you'll get eggs, worms, 
spiders and mildew. At this point your 
plants will remain clean for several days to 
a week. Now attach your waterwand to 
the end of hose and water, slowly and 
deep. Without muddying, splashing, or 
knocking down your heavy-headed flowers 
you can soak them thoroughly and well. 
Also your new two-inch high annuals can 
be watered every day as they require with- 
out your overwatering the older flowers 
and shrubbery behind." 
Don't blame climatic vagaries on your- 
self or your gardener. Neither of you can 
help it that we had summer in winter this 
year followed by winter all spring. And 
no rain from mid January to mid April. 
(What happens after this article goes to 
press WE aren't responsible for either.) 
Every year has some weather peculiarities; 
so the same plant with the same handling 
doesn't perform the same way every sea- 
son—as you have noticed, we're sure. It's 
all a bit frustrating at times, but not. for 
long—you can replant or change your style 
of beauty. New things come quickly now 
that daylight hours are long. 
Now again is the time to set out PELAR- 
GONIUMS—85 cents to $1.50. Many of 
the best are old-timers like Lady Leslie, 
a phenomenal pink with deep markings; 
Brentwood, warm pink; Conspicuous and 
Azalea, excellent reds. Circus Day is new, 
a brilliant cerise with few markings. 
There are numerous new shrubs, and two 
or. three new Petunias, but in the rest of 
this limited space we wish to talk about 
the NEWER PERENNIALS, most of them 
from English seed houses, such as WACH- 
ENDORFIA THYRSIFLORA, cited last 
month. 
POTENTILLA MEGALANTHA is a six 
inch mound of gray-green strawberry-like 
leaves and short-stemmed clear yellow 
flowers, a perfect filler for the front 
of a mixed border or in the rockery, 
sun or partial shade; 85 cents, one gal- 
lon. DIGITALIS AMBIGUA is a low, truly 
perennial Foxglove wtih cream yellow flow- 
ers two feet tall, preferring light shade; 
85 cents. One of the most delightful blue- 
lavender perennials to 15 inches and across 
is ERIGERON GLAUCUS, native to mid- 
dle California coast and seldom available 
in nurseries, though we don't know why 
because it is easily grown with normal 
watering or considerable drought, and its 
gray-green mounds are covered with yel- 
low-centered lilac daisies for months. An 
old-timer we have revived because of its 
use and ornament is the stately RUD- 
BECKIA LACINIATA, Golden Glow, a six- 
foot-tall clump of cut-leaved warm qreen, 
topped from mid-summer to early fall with 
extremely showy double yellow flower clus- 
ters, excellent for cutting or as a foil in 
the garden for blue Delphinium; also 85 
cents. An unusually trim-foliaged blooming 
perennial, ever green, is HEBE CATAR- 
RACTAE, almost prostrate or sometimes 
piling up to one and one-half feet, leaves 
to four inches—long toothed, flowers white 
in six to nine inch racemes, choice; 85 
cents. P.E.C. 
