Part 7
The lasting quality of the flowers when cut is quite phenomenal. I have known them to keep fresh and sightly in water for a month, until the stems had entirely rotted away, leaving the flower uninjured. In arranging them for vases remove all leaves below the top of the vase, leaving clean stems, which should be thoroughly cleansed daily, and the ends clipped. A teaspoonful of charcoal added to the water in the vase will keep it sweet and retard decay.
Early planting of Asters is to be strongly recommended, as the early plants are not subject to the dreaded Aster disease or to attacks of the black beetle, which often destroy all the flowers of a late bed in a single day.
A teaspoonful of Paris green in the watering-pot, sprinkled on at night or very early in the morning, will usually rid the plants of their unwelcome guests, or they may be brushed off into a pan of water containing a small quantity of kerosene—which is fatal to them. They are sluggish, especially in the early morning, dropping to the ground when touched, and easily killed. The point is to take them in time, and the appearance of the first beetle should be the signal for active operations.
For early flowers the seed may be planted in the hotbed, flats, or cold-frame in March or April, covering an eighth of an inch deep and keeping rather cool. They germinate in from five to seven days, and when the plants have attained their second pair of true leaves they should be transplanted, setting an inch or two apart in the flats or bed. Transplant again when the leaves close up the gaps between them, setting three or four inches apart according to their growth. If possible, transplant a third time, as this frequent moving serves to produce a great quantity of feeding roots, at the same time checking the top growth and making a stocky plant with stiff stems. Transplant when the weather is favourable into a well-prepared bed of sandy loam enriched with old manure, or a bed of woods earth. Set a foot apart each way, except in the case of the branching Asters, which should be at least two feet apart.
Sprinkle ashes freely, and as long as there is room to work between the rows cultivate once or twice a week. They may then be mulched with lawn clippings to keep down the weeds for the rest of the season. If they are planted in woods earth they will need only such cultivation as is necessary to keep down the weeds. Do not let them suffer for water at any period of their growth, and remove all flowers as they fade.
Ageratums (Floss Flower) are almost indispensable for edgings, window-boxes, vases, and for filling out beds of Heliotrope. The dwarf or Tom Thumb are the most desirable for edgings. Princess Caroline, Swanley Blue, and Little Dorrit are the best of this class in the blue or lavender shades. The white does not show a good, clear colour under a hot sun, and is therefore not desirable. For early plants sow in flats or in the hotbed early in spring. Later seed may be sown in the open ground when the trees are in bloom, and transplanted when large enough. Sow broadcast, covering the seed lightly and pressing it into the soil. They germinate in from three to five days, and may be grown on until time to transplant into permanent quarters. Though they may start somewhat spindly, they quickly regain their dwarf and stocky character in the open ground. Set plants from eight to ten inches apart in the row. If the flower heads are removed as fast as they fade plants will bloom from early June until cut down by frost.
Balsams (Lady Slipper), like Asters, are greatly benefited by frequent transplanting, and one at least they must have. Start seed early in the hotbed or flats, or later, when the trees are in bloom, in protected beds in the open ground. Transplant at least once in the seed-beds; twice, if possible. When danger of frost is past remove to beds of muck or marsh earth, setting from twelve to fifteen inches apart each way. Given plenty of room, the Balsam branches freely, and one well-developed specimen will give more and finer flowers than a half-dozen cramped specimens. In purchasing select the camellia-flowered varieties, as it does not pay to waste time with inferior kinds. Really fine Balsams are well worth cultivating, and are very effective in rows in front of taller plants. The double white and shell pink are valuable for floral designs for funerals and for other decorative work.
Probably no flower that has come into vogue of late years has won more popularity than the Cosmos—certainly for cut flowers nothing can surpass it in graceful beauty. The large pink and white Hibiscus, with a generous handful of long-stemmed pink, crimson, and white Cosmos, makes an ideal bouquet for a high glass vase. Placed in front of a large mirror the effect in form and colour is hardly surpassed by the choicest exotics. The graceful, fern-like foliage adds greatly to the beauty of a well-grown clump in the garden or lawn. They are at their best when seen against a background of darker green, a shower of crimson, pink, and white.
Only the early flowering varieties should be grown at the North, as the seasons are much too short for the giant or California varieties; though if one has room for both, the California may be grown as a background for the dwarf early flowering, as the foliage is much superior and the late flowers very fine. If started very early in flats in the house, pricked, out into pots, shifted and grown on until time to set in the open ground, the season of bloom will be much advanced.
Set out in rich garden soil and supply abundantly with water. Strong stakes must be provided, as the plants are very brittle at the joints, and a storm may do great damage if they are unsupported. An excellent way of growing them is to plant them in front of a wire fence or chicken netting on the side toward the prevailing wind, that they may be blown against, rather than away from their support, and the stalks and main branches tied to the wires with raphia, wool twine, or strips of cloth; thus protected there will be little danger of their being injured by rough winds.
If an occasional seed is allowed to form and self-sow there will come up very sturdy little plants the following spring, but fresh seed should be purchased every other year to insure against deterioration in size of blossom and quantity of bloom.
Columbine (the Aquilegia) seed may be sown in the open ground in the North when the trees are in leaf, or any time after May 10th. Cover the seed-bed with a newspaper and keep moist until the plants are up, in ten to twelve days. Transplant when large enough to handle into fresh rows or, when they have attained sufficient size, into their permanent quarters. Planted in a row where they will have a background of green the effect is beautiful. One of the prettiest beds I remember was of mixed Columbine—pure white, rose, and lavender—in front of an old grey building, on which grew a delicate vine in its first tender spring green. They had been moved the fall before from a bed where they attracted no particular attention, but in their new quarters they awoke to find themselves famous.
Dahlias are so easily raised from seed that it hardly seems worth while to bother with the tubers, unless one has exceptionally favourable conditions for storing them. Plants grown from seed, started early in the house or hotbed, will come into bloom quite as soon as those grown from tubers. Plant the seed in drills two inches apart, dropping an inch or more apart in the drills, and cover with one-eighth to one-fourth inch of earth. The seed germinates in from five to seven days, and the little plants are quite robust from the start, though sensitive to cold and drought. When all danger of frost is past and the nights are warm transplant the Dahlias into beds of mellow soil heavily enriched with manure. Set three feet apart each way and cultivate thoroughly as long as there is room to work between the rows. Then mulch heavily with rough manure covered with lawn clippings. Water copiously during dry weather, showering the tops at night to counteract the effect of the dry air on the buds. Save waste water from kitchen and bath, and apply to their roots. This affords nourishment as well as moisture. When two feet high tie carefully to tall, stout stakes, which, to avoid injury to the tubers, would better be placed when the plants are set. Sprinkle soot and ashes between the plants and cultivate it in. The finest flowers are produced by protecting with an awning of thin cotton cloth after the buds are fully grown—though this would only be desirable in the case of exhibition flowers. When several buds appear in one place remove all but the largest, as the difference in size will more than repay for the loss in number, besides there is danger of all blasting if allowed to remain.
If worms or beetles appear on the buds they should be sprayed with Paris-green solution—one teaspoonful of Paris green to three gallons of water. Should the borer—that pest of the Dahlia, Aster, and Cosmos—appear, pour the Paris-green mixture around the roots, soaking the soil to the depth of three or four inches. Examine the stock of the plant near the ground for the hole made by the borer. When found run a flexible wire up the stalk to destroy the worm and prevent further damage, and heap the earth above the wound. If brought up to a point above the wound, and kept moist, new roots will start, thus insuring the recovery of the plant. If one has previously been troubled with this worm it will be well to anticipate matters, and, commencing when the plants are a foot high, apply once a week a weak Paris-green solution; continue this until the plant is grown and the wood hardened near the ground.
The fine mixed double Dahlias, the Cactus and the magnificent single varieties, are all desirable for cut flowers and effective in garden rows; but for corsage wear the last are best. It would be difficult to find a flower more beautiful than a vivid-coloured single Dahlia.
For the rockwork try English Daisies—pink, white, crimson, and striped. They do admirably in such a situation, digging their toes in between the stones, finding cool, moist spots, and holding their heads up in the hot sunshine. Start the seeds where they are to remain, or in a flat or cold-frame. The little plants appear in from five to seven days, and will need shade and moisture until they have become established. For beds that lie in partial shade they make beautiful borders, forming little rosettes of leaves that in the fall may be taken up and divided by pulling apart into as many plants are there are crowns; in this way one will, in a short time, secure a large bed or border. They should be protected in winter by a mulch of rough stable litter, evergreen boughs, or corn-stalks, and the bed raised to shed water.
The Hibiscus (Marshmallow) is a perennial deserving much more general cultivation. Even to flower lovers it seems quite unknown, and yet it is cheaply and easily raised from seed, and one of the hardiest of our garden perennials. There are three varieties hardy in the North—an immense pure white blossom with a velvety crimson eye, a pale pink or flesh colour, and a lovely bright pink. These three are hardy in the open ground without protection, but they will be stronger plants and bloom more freely if protected with a little rough litter and hilled to shed water.
There are several that may be treated as hardy annuals, and various tender perennials that must be kept in the house or greenhouse during winter. Among the first are Africanus, a large cream-coloured, brown-eyed variety; it is low-growing and effective in front of the tall, crimson-eyed sort, which with age attains a height of six or more feet.
Giant Yellow is a beautiful canary yellow with crimson throat, hardy as far north as St. Louis, but safer in the cellar above that latitude, and Coccinea, a tender perennial of a brilliant crimson. If started early all will give flowers the first season from seed, which may be sown in hotbeds or flats in February or March in drills one-fourth inch deep. They germinate in from five to seven days. Plant out in good garden soil at corn-planting time, setting the hardy varieties where they are to remain, as they do not bear transplanting well when they have attained any considerable size. Cultivate during the hot weather or mulch. A two-quart tin can, with holes on one side near the bottom, may be sunk in the ground and filled with water. This with the mulch will keep the earth cool and moist during the hottest weather. The plant is an herbaceous perennial, dying down to the ground in winter and coming up from the roots the following spring—rather late in May. Plants increase in size and beauty each year, and a five-or six-years clump is superb.
Cut off the stalks a few inches above the ground when killed by frost, but do not attempt to break them off or pull them up, as that will injure the crown of the large, fleshy roots and cause decay during the winter. The remainder of the stalk serves to mark the location of the plant. When they have grown to blooming size they should be tied to stout stakes. The large clumps have a tendency to spread at the roots, and a severe rain and wind storm may lay them prostrate. Make a support of two or three wooden hoops nailed to two or more stout stakes, the top hoop standing three feet above the ground. Place this over the plants in the spring and train them to grow up through the hoops.
For effective grouping, to fill in a corner, to serve as a screen to unsightly objects, to catch the eye and carry it on from point to point, there is no finer flower than the Hollyhock. The double flowers, of course, are more attractive at close range, but at a distance the single are rather more effective. Everyone who grows plants should find at least one corner for a big clump of this gorgeous flower.
The seeds should be sown in the spring, either where they are to remain or in a cold-frame; the location matters little so that favourable conditions of the soil are secured. Plants started after the seed ripens in the summer, even when protected by a cold-frame, do not make sufficient growth to endure a very severe winter. The new Alleghany Hollyhocks are hardier, and a fair proportion of plants from August-sown seeds may be expected to survive the winter. When the plants run up their blossom stalks the second season they must be securely staked to prevent injury by high winds. If the borer appears apply the Paris-green solution about the roots. The Hollyhock is subject to attack very early in the season by a variety of red spider which feeds on out-of-door plants. The Paris-green solution may be used for this, or a kerosene emulsion, or the plants may simply be showered with hot water at about 145°. The remedy should be applied promptly. The Hollyhock blight is a fungous disease of a most destructive nature. Its ravages almost drove the Hollyhock out of our gardens some years ago. Infected plants should be burned. Though hardy the second year, they should be hilled up sufficiently to shed water and given a shelter of corn fodder or evergreen boughs during the winter.
When the trees are in bloom Nasturtiums may be planted in the open ground where they are to remain. They should have fairly rich soil and a sunny situation, as they will not bloom well in the shade. The dwarf varieties make very attractive borders for Canna beds, the colour and texture of the foliage harmonising better with the Canna than that of the Coleus and many other plants commonly employed, while the brightness of the blossoms makes a very attractive whole.
The tall varieties make effective beds when pegged down, as the plants root wherever they touch the ground and send up flower shoots. Usually, however, they are grown on strings or trellises. The latter is a troublesome method, as they must be fastened to their support with strings. They are not climbers, but trailers, and have no tendrils or other means of attaching themselves to their support.
The finest bed of Nasturtiums I have seen is an elevated one built around a pipe which brings water from a distance. Some of the water—not much—reaches them, and they are given little, if any, attention, but in their elevated bed they grow luxuriantly, trailing over the sides of the ground and showing a brilliant mass of flowers until cut down by frost. Usually the Nasturtium receives too much water, and produces quantities of rank, lush foliage instead of flowers.
The new Nasturtium, Sunlight, is one of the finest varieties brought out in years—a pure, clear, golden yellow without any markings and of fine size. Its companion, Moonlight, is a pale cream, almost white, showing wine-coloured markings in the throat. For mixed varieties the hybrids of Madame Gunther are the most desirable, and the new Chameleon shows a variety of different coloured flowers on the same stem.
The Pansy Bed
To obtain the best results seed should be sown by the middle of August, using fresh seed of the year if procurable. Rather than delay planting, however, it is better to risk the lessened vitality of last year’s seed—sowing somewhat more generously as an offset. Sow as thinly as possible in the cold-frame or a spent hotbed, in drills two inches apart, drawing the earth from the sides of the drills and pressing it down with the board. The drills should run lengthwise of the bed from east to west, and each variety should be distinctly labelled with name and date of sowing. After sowing water well with the rubber sprinkler, cover with newspapers, and protect the bed with lath screens. Pansy seed germinates in from eight to ten days. When the plants have their second leaves thin out by setting some between the rows, and encourage growth by giving sunshine and water as needed and liquid manure once a month. The aim should be to get a sturdy rather than a quick growth to fit them for the winter. The soil in the frame should stand well above the soil outside, and a trench or hole, filled with stone or broken crockery, should be made in one corner, corresponding to the lowest level of the earth outside, to carry off any surplus moisture that may gather in the bed. When cold weather comes place the sash in position and, if it remains steadily cold—below freezing—leave the bed undisturbed until spring. The best results usually follow such a condition. If the winter is an open one, and the ground free from frost much of the time, the Pansies may be exposed to the sun and, on mild days, to the air. In this way considerable winter growth will be secured. Should the temperature fall sufficiently to freeze the ground inside the frame, the sash should remain closed and be protected with mattings, old carpet, or the like, and the plants allowed to thaw out in the dark. Never expose to the sun when frozen, but thaw out under cover.
As soon as the ground can be worked in the spring prepare a bed in an open, sunny situation by removing the soil to a depth of six or eight inches and spading in a generous amount of old, well-rotted cow manure—a wheel-barrow load to every fifteen square feet is not too much if it is old and thoroughly spaded into the soil. Replace the surface soil, or, better still, fill up the beds with leaf-mould or earth from the compost heap. Instead of the cow manure, old, well-rotted hen manure and chip dirt in equal quantities, with a liberal sprinkling of soot, may be substituted. Dig it well into the subsoil and cover with fine loam or leaf-mould, raking this fine and even and free from stones. Leave it to settle for a few days and then transplant the Pansies, setting them nine inches apart each way. Where several strains of Pansies are grown it is an advantage to plant each variety by itself, marking the line of separation by two or more rows of some distinct colour; such as pure white, clear yellow, or black. This enables one to compare the varieties at a glance and form a better estimate of their qualities than would be possible in a mixed bed.
During hot, dry weather the Pansy bed should be watered twice a day—at night and at noon. Watering the garden in the middle of the day may seem a reckless innovation to many, especially to the professional gardener, but years of experience have taught me the value of giving a plant water when it most needs it—and that is when it is parched with heat. Of course all plants will not stand water under a hot sun, but Pansies are not injured by it in any way. Pansies do not send their roots as deeply into the ground as most plants, but make many surface roots (hence we place the fertilisers well below the surface to induce a deeper growth), which even a temporary drying out of the top-soil will injure. A good soaking of the soil at night will last until ten or eleven o’clock the next day, according to exposure, and if another good wetting is then given with water fresh from the hydrant or well it will remain cool and moist throughout the twenty-four hours. The rapid evaporation caused by the hot sun will create a moist atmosphere around the plants, producing much finer flowers than would be possible in the dry air resulting from withholding water until night. Always plant Pansies in an open, airy situation, where the wind can have full sweep over them. There is no more mistaken idea than that Pansies should be grown in the shade. The aim should be to get stocky, upright plants with the flowers borne well above the foliage on stiff stems. This is impossible when plants are grown in the shade, where long, straggly branches will invariably be produced, with flowers at the extreme end. Then, too, plants grown by the side of the house, or in protected positions, where the wind cannot sweep over them, are much more liable to disease than plants grown in the open.
Fungoid disease and mildew often attack the Pansy in hot, muggy weather. The remedy for the former is to spray with the Bordeaux mixture, and for the latter to dust with sulphur. It will be better still—if the disease appear in August, as is usual—to remove all the old growth, cutting or breaking it off close to the crown, care being taken not to injure the tender new shoots, which will have started by this time. Burn the old tops. The new growth, being open to the air, will probably be free from disease, and will quickly fill the bed, giving an abundance of fine flowers throughout the cool days of fall. From a bed so treated I gathered five hundred blossoms the day before Thanksgiving with no apparent diminution of bloom. After removing the old growth the earth between the plants should be thoroughly cleaned and worked over with the trowel.
From the blooming of the first Pansy until frost the bed must be gone over every day and all faded flowers removed. This is absolutely necessary to insure free blooming. The formation of a single pod of seed lessens the blooming capacity of the plant and reduces the size of succeeding flowers.