Growing Dahlias for fun and prizes! Other than an important place in perennial borders and beds, dahlias have a definite place of their own … grown In gardens by themselves, carefully staked, fed, watered, and disbudded with extreme care, they will produce relatively few flowers of overwhelming size and perfection. They have become known as the Man’s Flower. – Today’s […]
A few weeks ago I went to the garden center to buy some pansies to put in decorative pots by my front porch. In my experience pansies hold up even after the mums bite the dust, and they provide color just about as long as anyone has a right to expect color from a garden plant. I arrived and found […]
THE FEW REQUIREMENTS for primroses are easily met and are found in practically every garden. They do require shade throughout Mid-America, but this is always available on the north side of the house or in the shade of shrubs, evergreens or trees. Primroses not only offer a variety of form, size, color, habit of growth, but bloom (depending upon the […]
Broccoli, Sprouting This is another variety, italica, of Brassica oleracea. Both purple and white sprouting produce a profusion of young shoots invaluable for prolonging the supplies of winter greens. Purple sprouting is the most hardy and will safely overwinter in most open situations. Young shoots may be produced for Christmas, but it is in March and April that the vegetable […]
The flower form resembles an eagle’s claw, hence the probable origin of this name from aquila the Latin for eagle (Ranunculaceae). Columbine. Hardy herbaceous perennials for the herbaceous border and rock garden. The flowers and leaves are very dainty. Unfortunately, they are inclined to be short lived in heavy wet soils, but they are easily increased by seed. The flowers […]
From the Greek mimo, ape ; the flowers were thought to look like a mask or monkey’s face (Scrophulariaceae). Monkey flower, monkey musk, musk. A genus of hardy annual, half-hardy perennial and hardy perennial plants, grown for their showy flowers. They are found in many temperate parts of the world, particularly in North America. Species cultivated Annual M. brevipes, to […]
The description bedding plant is not an exact one and only means that the plant is grown elsewhere in some quantity and then planted out as a temporary occupant of the bed; this being known as `bedding out’. The bedding plant in private gardens has, in general, had its day, since this style of gardening entails much expense. In public […]
SPRING PRUNING of established roses is always a gamble. If you prune too early, late spring frosts can kill all the canes. If you prune too late, some of the plants’ strength will be lost in the growth of the top shoots (spinach). You and you alone must be the judge of when to prune your roses. All roses must […]
One of the exciting stages of garden construction is the marking out of beds. The sites for the flower displays are marked out in the garden in the form of beds or borders. These may be of various shapes and sizes and much will depend on the character of the garden as to the exact shape which is used. Formal […]
Fall planting of strawberries has its advantages to home gardeners in some areas, particularly to those who want to have a bearing bed as soon as possible in their own back yard. We have been familiar for many years with the feasibility-in fact, even the distinct and feasibility in planting in some northerly areas. Fall planting of strawberries may be […]