The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-11
Gardening for Pleasure and Profit.
FLOWER GARDEN AND
LAW1N Nv MARCH AND APRIL


Mrs. A.. S, Hanson, 1882
With the first warm sunshine and
spring thaws come thoughts Of bud
ding trees and flowers to the flower low
er, and we are impatient to get at our
gardens, In our climate there is not
much that can be done in March. OF
course we do all our planning and or
so that we are ready for work when
spring opens. If the lawn needs fer
tilizing, we put on barnyard manure
and let it get March snow and April
showers. If there is little rain, we use
the garden hose freely and are sure
to rake the refuse off before it rots
the grass. I start all my flower seeds
or expense by using storm sash,
which can now be spared from the
house. 1 prefer growing my plants in
a hotbed to sowing in the open ground.
l can make my garden neater by trans
planting my plants in beds nicely made
and evenly planted ante n ana get tie ea1e5
of xpTl x Asss in SEQ Bloom the hd week
in July. ~. =@1
The last of March or the first Of
April we begin to partly. uncover, first
the tulip beds and then the rose bushes
and vines and hardy perennials. If we
have spring such as we had last year,
we will not do much of this work until
the middle Of April. I watch nature,
and when she begins to uncover, so do
I. When the children bring in the GRO
Gus blooms / uncover my garden, not
all at once, but a little at a time as the
thing, no matter how hardy it is sup.
posed to be, and when uncovering |
dig the good rotted manure in around
the roots Of roses, shrubs and peren-
malls.
Now is the time to prune. begin
on the hydrangea, first, That trim
SMALL small weak branches. II I then get fine,
large panicles of bloom instead of nu-
merous small, inferior blossoms. The
lilacs, SNOWFALL and syringas, we do not
prune in the spring, they. having set
their blossom buds in the fall.
Now. the, hybrid perpetual roses are
ready for their pruning These l prune
to about foot from the ground, as the
we want to have as much new wood
sent out as possible. If you are new
hand at growing roses you will not like
to trim so severely, but it is roses we
want, not bushes. Most roses bloom
on the new wood. It took me three
years to learn that the Persian Yellow
doomed on the old wood, and when 7
Instead of five or six blooms, l had over
a hundred. The climbers we tie up to
the trellises-but do not trim any but
dead wood, for they bloom on the side
shoots. ~
We plant the roses when the ground
has warmed, usually the latter part of
April. Roses are sociable people, they
do not do well planted singly: I plant
in rows, and I prefer the budded stock.
not crowd them, lay them out naturally.
In using the budded plants sets the
plants so the bud will be fully an inch
! below the ground-no matter how deep
| you put the roots so the bud is under
the ground. Be sure and have good
rich earth under the roots. I learned
when child to always press the earth
well under the main stalk or heart.
think my father called it shrub OF
tree. Now press the earth firmly with
your foot and water. Do not water toe
much, as it keeps the earth too cool
and the rootlets cannot grow =
We now uncover the clematis vines
which come thru the ground about thu
first Of May. The clematis Jackman
will BE full of bloom the first part O.
June, but the clematis paniculata bios
SONS in the fall. Some experience diff
ficulty in getting the clematis to grow
I have none. dig hole plenty larg
enough for the root, I spread the root
make the earth very fine with m,
hands and fill in around the roots frml,,
and then tramp it firmly with my foot
Planted this way I do not see VIII,
they will not always grow, mine dc
J Sometimes the clematis paniculata
tardy about appearing in the spring. D
not dig it up for dead, but wait. ha
one five years old which did not com
last spring until the Oath Of June
( Sometimes they come even later tina
: that, but this is not. common. I wis
! paniculata. They are hardy, very fire
I growers, clean, never troubled with il
{ sects and beautiful beyond description,
I is my sweet peas. These I plant in tn
{ ground as near the first day of April :
I can work the ground. I dig out th
I earth about foot, often picking til
{ frozen ground with the pickax; then
: put in plenty of well-rotted manu-
: and then earth to nearly fill the trencl
now plant the peas, cover about tw
around the seed. Some will say, "Wh
do you plant SO early? They will nj
| grow They will grow, and even
snow and frost come it will not har
them. The secret of growing swe
peas well is to have the roots dow
deep where it is cool and moist, and (
early planting the vines make de-
| root growth, which helps much in tt
hot months Of July and August. I ha,
had peas planted in this way grow eig
: feet high and blossom continuous
! from the 18th of June to the 9Th
I November, when killed by frost. 4
( ways plant early no matter what t.
) neighbors say. It is such a satisfacti
to have the earliest, largest and be
( Of everything we grow. -
! The hardy perennials are now rea,
! for attention. The first to be u
! covered is the peony. The peony is t
=. foremost hardy perennial Of the da
1t is absolutely hardy, and its ease al
culture suggests it at once as the pla
" above all others for busy peop
Hardy without protection, they a
greatly benefited by mulching of W
b rotted manure after hard freezing sc
in. This forked in the ground in cal
spring insures heavy crop Of howe
They may be planted any time after t
= first of September, which is the b.
- time, or in the spring as soon as
- ground can be worked, and once plant
should not be disturbed, for the PEG
resents interference with its roo
5 They are entirely free from disease a
! insect pests. Each year the hardy p
{ ennials increase in beauty and varie
Especially are they recommended
s ) flower lovers with limited time a