Your Backyard Garden Information Source
SALVIA – Sage (The Latin name used by Pliny meaning safe, referring to the medicinal properties) It is unnecessary to describe the Scarlet Sage which is now much planted in some sections of the United States. There is no question regarding its growth or its blooming qualities, but in some cities its hot color is seen on so many streets […]
The blossoms are, as indicated by one of its common names, orange Daisies but in some forms the colors are very light, grading through salmon to white. The flowers are about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and have a darker band of color about the central disk from which the ray florets curve upward. The plants are rather dwarf, growing […]
The Sweet Peas of our gardens delight us while they provoke us. We sincerely wish that they might bloom for a longer time, yet they are an unqualified joy when they are in flower. Many thoughts arise in the minds of true Sweet Pea lovers. For Instance, Helen Milman, writes: “I think the Sweet Pea is a frivolous flower and […]
PANSY The Pansy, it would seem, is one of the most alluring of all garden flowers. It’s little faces make most of us laugh when we look at them. The English have given the Pansy many nicknames, such as Call-meto-you, Love-true, Three-faces-under-a-hood, Pink-eyed-John, Tickle-my-fancy, Bird’s-eye, Jump-up-and-kiss-me, God-father, Godmother, Love-in-idleness, Kiss-me-in-the-buttery, Rob-run-the-street, and Heartsease. With such names, it is not strange […]
Annuals Hardy annuals are easy to grow and will give a quick and brilliant display provided they are grown in an open, sunny position in any good garden soil. Many annuals are tender and easily killed by frost, so these kinds are sown under glass in the spring and planted out when all danger of frost is over. Some hardy […]
PAPAVER – Poppy (Papaver, the old Latin name) Why should we extol the Poppy? Why note It was the favorite of the old gardens; it is the same choice flower in the newest gardens today. Dancing upon long, wiry stems, the single blooms remind us of hoop-petticoats of silk. The doubles also delight us, as we watch them open day […]
California-poppy (Named for Dr. Eschscholtz as the result of an expedition to explore the botany of what is now California in 1815. Named by Chamisso, a companion naturalist) The silky, golden-yellow blossoms of this, the state flower of California, are borne in profusion. Gardeners have greatly improved the plant until now we have both singles and doubles in a great […]
PENTSTEMON – Bearded tongue (From Greek for five stamens, the fifth is sterile and bearded) Persons who are familiar with the Gloxinia Pentstemon, Pentstemon gloxinioides, already know its beauty; to others who are not, we would say that the price of a packet of seed is entirely out of proportion to the pleasure of bringing these flowers into bloom. The […]
EUPHORBIA Spurge (Named for Euphorbus, physician to the King of Mauritania) This is an interesting genus of plants, which give off a milky juice when any part is bruised or broken. The upper leaves are in many cases showy, while the flowers are inconspicuous. It is to this group of plants that the popular Christmas Poinsettia belongs. SPECIES. Painted Spurge […]
Many plants which we call half-hardy annuals are natives of much warmer lands where frost is unknown or a rare occurrence. Some are perennial in their native conditions. It is necessary therefore in some colder areas of the country to germinate the seed with the aid of artificial heat in a greenhouse or frame. It is also advisable to sow […]