The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-08
What FLOWERS NOW need.
The Best Results Only Achieved
by Constant Care.

| Timely Suggestions From One of the
! FIoricuIturists at the Botanical
Csardcns-The Wedding Season At
Its Heieht-Nuch EyorI, TO BE Done.
There is still considerable wedding to
! be done" said one of the forfcuIturists
/ of the Botanical Gardens, this morning.
/ although the hardest work in that line
/ ended with June. Weeds are persistent
( in their efforts to secure a foothold
among the flowers and it's surprising
( TO see how much they can do. in q short
/ time to accomplish their designs. Make
/ it a rule to pull up every weed as soon
/ as you discover It If you do this. the
I garden can be kept comparatively free
( from them with but little labor, and you
/ viii be saving yourself a great deal of
( future hard work by preventing them
/ from going to seed
! If the season is d dry one, dahlias
/ and cannas will need watering daily. Not
/ simply d quart or two, but at least
/ pailfuI to a plant All the soil about
/ their roots should be saturated Apply
this at night, that it may have chance
/ to soak into the soil before the sun gets
! at it and hastens evaporation If you
! have not provided supports for your
! dahlias, DO it at once They are brittle
| plants. and a sudden strong wind breaks
/ them down Tie the stalks to whatever
support you provide with strips Of soft
cloth. instead of strings, as the latter
/ often cut into the tender stalks.
Keep the faded flowers removed from
!! your sweet peas and pansies This is
necessary if you would have flowers
} from them during the season Let seed
form. and ali the energies of the plants
thwart the process of nature by pre-
/ venting this. and the plants will at once
/ make a fresh effort toward the perpetual
ton of their species, and the first step
! in this direction is the production Of
/ flowers. which is exactly what you want
of them.
If aphides attack any of your plants
make an Infusion Of the ivory soap in
daily use in the household quarter Of 8
pound TO a paiIfuI of water viii be about
| the right proportion-aRd apply it with an
/ ordinary garden sprayer. Be sure that 1t
gets to She under side Of the Raves
where the insects are found in largest
numbers
Keep the ground wen stirred about
your plants Some persons fail to 90 this.
thinking that loose soil must allow the
plants in it TO dry out rapidly If the sea-
son is one of drought Such is not the
case. however. A light. open soil acts
like a sponge and absorbs whatever mojs-
ture there is from dew and light showers,
while a cTusted soil prevents it from pen
Grating below its surface The farmer
understands the benefit to be derived
from frequent STRINGS Of the soil in his
! CornffeId and cultiyates his crop two or
three times week ia. dry weather.
/ --PetuHias. phiOx, and ether anauais
2 },
Co over the beds aGd thin out all TN
necessary plants. If you find any that
are unsatisfactory as to color. pull them
up and set o. hers in their place Shade the
/ transpIanted plant for a day or two and
keep it well watered until It begins to
grow. Do not allow ANNALS to crowd each
other They are never 1t their best IN
less they have ample elbow room
IF the soil was not well MANFRED in
! spring he sure 10 give some good fertilizer
now. You cannot expect fine plants to
grow from o soil lacking in aUtTiment-
Those living in the country AMI in small
villages can no doubt procure plenty Of
/ weIl-rotted COW manure This, after be-
ing made fine. can be worked into the soil
about the plants. Those living in the cit
les VIII have to depend on prepared fer
( tiIizers Some of these are excellent,
( preferable, in fact, 10 barnyard manure.
because they contain no weed seeds, but
many worthless kinds are on thu market
/ Be sure to get something reliable, and to
use il according to the directions which
accompany it Being highly concentrat-
, ed, a small amount viii answer for a
g0od-sized garden; therefore. the cost is
slight Use whatever fertilizer you de
eide on while the plants are young. as
much depends on the start they get.
giving them q mulch in hot dry weather.
/ Grass clippings from the lawn viii be
found very useful for this purpose. Spread
them about the plants to the depth of
I three or four inches When they begin
to decay dig them into the soil about
the plants that they may help to fertil-
ize it.
In order to secure a large quantity OF
! flowers from tea roses. they must receive
( frequent and severe pruning Their flow
/ erS are always produced on new branches,
therefore il VIII be readily understood by
the amateur gardener. that some treat
I mcnt must be adopted which VIII keep
the plants making constant growth if
one would have 9 Ste@dy supply OF bios
SONS from them The treatment required
is this Make the soil rich, and keep it
SO. for the rose is q grass feeder Each
new branch VIII bear from three to half
a dozen flowers As soon as these have
developed. cut the branch back TO some
strong eye, or bud. and in a short time
} another branch viii start from this bud,
and this viii in its tUTl bear flowers BY
y keeping UP this treatment during the en-
! tire season we may have roses from juno
to November.
, If YOU have planted your chrysanthe-
, NUNS, keep watch Of them Tie each
plant 20 a stake TO pTeevnt its being bro
/ ken. Feed them well, for you cannot
grow good plants in poor soil. and the
! Chrysanthemum Is great eater And
E keep the soil always moist, FOR no plant
| suffers more from drought than this If
[ aphideS attack the plants spray them
daily with an infusion of fiTe-trec oil soap
. suds. until the pests disappear. If midew
= / appears, and you will know it by white
fOWeTy look on the foliage. dust the
plants with sulphur. Don't neglect your
ChTySanthemUms at this season. for YOU
are ROW laying the foundation for fall
work and 1t must be done thoroughly. Z
never pays to neglect any plant when *
is in its formative period. Then is the
Z very time when * ought TO receive the
best care Bear in mind the old saying
r about the tree being the result Of the at
te@tIOn given the twig. and treat your
plants accordingly, while they are young
and tTaCtabIe'