Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06
QUEEN OF AUTUMN FLOWERS
The Chrysanthemum and Other Fall
Beauties.
This is the Time for Setting out New
Plants-The Soil and Care Needed
Other Late Blooms.
Written for The Evening Star.

! Written for The Evening Star.
| Now is the time for setting out new
chrysanthemum plants taking up and
separating the old ciumps from previous
years. Young plants of excellent varieties
can be obtained low cents each,
| though the novelties of course, come much
! higher. But for and 10 cents very fine
| ones, known hardy and beautiful, may
be bought, putting these queenly flowers
| within reach of all.
| For potting, select strong young plants,
| direct from the florist, or off-shOots of Old
| clumps that have a good bit Of root at
| tached. Set them in three or four-inch pots
at first in ordinary garden soil, well drain
| ed, as previously directed, and place the
pots on boards in a shady place. Water
| thoroughly, and never allow them to get
| dry When the plants are six inches high
| pinch out the tips, after which new shoots
will start. Repeat this process when these
| are four inches long. Remove all shoots
| below the top or near the root as they APP
pear, until well-shaped, stocky plant is
| secured. When the pots are filed with
| roots, which can be discovered by turning
! them from the pot transfer to others two
| inches larger in diameter. Repeat this I'M
| til the plants are in eight or ten-inch pots.
The last pottins use very rich SOIL and
| from then on water at least once week
| with liquid manure. If this Is not con-
venient little bone dust or plant food
!
| as often as once a. week.
| One Bud to Each Stalk.
Another way to grow NUNS in pots is to
| let them run up to one stalk only, and allow
one bud to develop at the tip. This is done
| by not removing the tip, but every shoot
| that shows itself below the top. Tie to
| strong, slender stake, and, as before said,
| never let the plants get dry even for
| day.
For planting out of doors the main points
| to be observed are rich soil, plenty of wa
| ter, and piuching back as described above,
! until August; then, when the buds are as
| large as French peas, the disbudding must
| begin. With very small pair of scissors
or sharp penkuife cut away every bud
| that starts from the axles of the leaves
These never make good flowers, and are
therefore worse than useless. From the ter
| ninal buds remove all but one-the strong
est iooking-if one large bloom stalk
| is desired. If two three smaller ones
are preferred, leave that number of buds
This applies to all sorts but the pompons,
| which are much prettier in clusters. In
| setting out any plants at this season fill the
! hole With water, and protect during the day
| from the sun.
| In regard to separating clumps of pre-
| Vious years plants, the best way is 10 lift
| the whole root and separate carefully, dis
ca1ding the old woody roots. The portions
| broken off with roots attached viii d D finely
Those with no roots may be treated cut
! moist sand and then pOtted OF set out of
doors.
Enemies to Guard Against.
| The great enemy of the chrysanthemum
| is the black aphis, which may be confidently
| expected and must be vaIanuy and per
| sistently attacked. The treatment most re-
| lied upon is sp. aging twice day with to-
| bacco tea, which is said to finally vanquish
| the nuisance. Such is not the writer's eX-
| perience. Hard spraying with the garden
| hose twice day and spOnging off with
| suds of whaleOil soap when the pest is too
troublesome suffice to check the inroads of
| the aphis, though he never really gives up
| the fight.
The cold winds and rains Of autumn are
very injurious to the finer sorts of NUNS,
| and whenever possible the plants should be
| protected. Those in pots should be housed
| in cool quarters during storms and frosty
nights. Those in beds, by awnings of heavy
| cotton attached to frames and secured to
| the house fence back of the borders, or
| fastened to stakes driven into the ground
about the beds. OF course this is laborious,
| and only the enthusiast Will be willing to
| take so much trouble. But there is salts
| faction in the result that amply repays If
| one has strength and time and means for
| the work. 1t is rare sort Of pleasure to
| be able to decorate the house and table on
Thanksgiving day with a wealth of gor-
geous flowers from ones own garden beds.
The Best Varieties.
And now as to the best sorts. Following
Is a brief list of such as have been proved
to be both beautiful and hardy: White, the
Queen, Ivory, Mrs. Alpheus Hardy tostrtch
plume, VIM. H. Chadwick, Yellow, Golden
Wedding, Major Bonnafon, Australian Gold,
Liberty, Goriosum, Pink. Mrs. Perrin, Mrs.
E. G. Hill, Autumn Glory, Glory Of the Pa
citic, Maud Dean. VIM. Falconer Ostrich
plume) and Louis Boehmer (also ostrich
plume). In reds and mixtures of red and
yellow or red and pink there are Baron
Hirsch, Garnet, G. W. Childs. J. G. Blaine
Black Hawk and Ffscher's Torch, all fine.
All these are reliable and most of them low
priced. Any florists catalogue will contain
them, with price and description, and most
of them can be had of local florists, no
doubt.
OId-Fashioned Beauty.
The dahia is an old favorite which has
come into favor again. and. like many
other flowers been improved" almost in
credibly. 1t retains its old characteristics
of velvety texture and magnificent color
infinitely diversified. The single dahlias are
peculiarly striking. with their great golden
centers and round velvet petals. A row
Of dahliaS makes brave show, and their
culture Is easy.
Another late fall flower, very little known,
is the whrlwind anemone. 1t sends up tall
slender stems from the ground. branching
out and biossomnS in exquisite waxy
white flowers. somewhat like daisies,
though with fewer and larger petals. The
coolest nights of autumn have no terrors
for these beautiful star-like blooms. The
plant Is perfectly hardy and inexpensive
and the only wonder is that it Is not more
widely known and cultivated. 1t is one of
the plants to be commended to those busy
people who want border of hardy peren-
nlals that Will come up and take care of
themselves, and such a border or bed every
garden should contain.