Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-26
also used low growing ana trailing plants

also used low growing and trailing plants
to advantage with phlox on thirsty soil.
When cold weather begins to make itself
felt the flowers often lose their individ-
uality. l have gone through my garden
after a few chilly nights and found varie-
ties of phlox that had never seen before,
that is, of course, when judged by the
color Of the freshly opened flowers. Cut
ting the trusses and allowing them to open
in water and shade will also give unknown
shades. There is a deep magenta variety,
the Lord Raleigh, which If cut and allowed
to open in the had will produce a blue
blossom.
Where large trusses with large indi-
vidual blossoms are desired / use young
plants and pinch back the outer stems,
This allows the central stems to bloom and
perfect themselves before the outer stems
have regained themselves. This will not
only increase the size of the truss and
the flowers, but 1t will give a succession
Of blooms.
Another way is to wait until the truss
is completely in bloom, then pinch out
the side shoots that have started along the
stem. This viii start the new growth
simultaneously and will bring the blooms
to perfection at about the same time, and
in that way the effect OF large clusters.
when doing this pinching back it is
well to remember that these side shoots
are as good cuttings as can be had. They
should be planted in sandy loan in a
sheltered location out Of doors or in clean
sand in a frame Or a greenhouse. These
will root easily and quickly and with ordi-
nary care be ready for setting in place
in the autumn in plenty of time to become
strong before cold weather.
IF you want to keep your varieties true
you must take care to keep the seeds from
ripening and being scattered on the beds,
to come up and form a tangled mass in
which it is impossible to tell the old plants
from the seedlings, Either the tops should
be cut off before the seeds mature or the
seedlings pulled up before they grow too
large to be distinguished from the parent
plant.
'Phlox is seldom troubled by insects; this
is one Of its maDy advantages. In par
t~icularly dry seasons a red spider may
become numerous enough 10 make the
leaves look dlscolored and ragged and oc.
casionally TO stunt the growth. Spraying
with she hose will remedy this. The only
other trouble comes from the depredations
of the cutWorms when the shoots are ten
der. 4 good s%prinkling of coal or wood
ashes is all that Is necessary to stop this.
Il am often asked TO give the ten best
varieties. or course il Is largely a question
Of taste in color, as most varieties Of phloX
grow equally wcll. For the pure white.
with large flowers and tall stems 1 always
name the Fraulcin q. Won Laessburg; the
Eclaireur is a bright purple and tall; the
Crepusculc has a grayish white ground
with d bright mauye eye, tall and a very
fine blOOuer, the Eyenement is a dwarf
variety, with large salmon pink flowers.
the Pantheon Is half dwarf, with large
rose pink flowers with a lighter halo.
tine Inspector Elpel is tall, with brigh
violet flowers with crimson eyes; the Der
anger is tall, with large white flowers
streaked with bright rose; the Rayonnant
is white with an eye Of pale rose; the
MaladOr is tall, with an unusually hand
some truss Of large flowers OF light car
dinal with carmine eyes. and the Coque-
licot Is a light vermilion red with q
deeper eye. They are all good varieties
where these particular colors are pre-
ferred."