Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-01
HINTS FOR THE GARDEN.
Peonies.

The amateur who desires to make n
garden or improve one already begun will
| surely be moved to envy at this season
Of the year by the sight Of brilliant peony
blossoms.
The peony. or old fashioned ''piney" as
IL is still sometimes called. is one OF the
most satisfactory hardy herbaceous
plants. Paeonia officinalis lis the name or
the old single Towering variety. from
which sprung a thousand or more double
varieties with colors ranging from purest
white to deepest crimson.
The flowers are excellent for cutting.
and make a fine display In the garden.
Cultural requirements are extremely sim
pie. A deep moist loan Is the best soil.
although the plant will thrive almost
anywhere. When making new bed dig
to depth OF two feet and work In plenty
well rotted fertilizer The extra labos
will be well repaid with better growth
and larger flowers
Peonies require lots OF water, especially
during the Towering season.
The corms should be planted two
inches below the surface. Always use
large, strong corms. weak ones will
produce imperfect flowers for two or
three years. A well established plant
will continue to bloom for twenty years
il undisturbed.
Strawberries.
IL you desire to prepare this summer
IOT StTdWDcTTlcS Va souf o"n BIOWlIS
next year. prepare the ground for your
bed now.
The bed should be well cultivated and
small plants set out. Cultivation should
follow planting a few times. then tho
plants may be mulched to retain moist
ure. See that they are well protected
for the winter. II planted now a full
crop OF berries should be produced next
year, whereas il planting were delayed
until next spring no crop would be pro-
duced until the following year.
Select varieties which do we'll In your
vicinity. Set the plants deep enough 10
cover the roots well. but not the crown.
They should be eighteen to twenty-four
inches apart in rows and the rows should
be four feet apart.
Water.
tor In plant growth. Plants can endurs
great extremes in temperature where
corresponding extremes In moisture
would kill them. Water should be
given only when needed. and then in
such quantities that the soil will be
soaked
Always consider the kind of plants
you are watering Soft-stemmed ones.
especially those with large leaves. need
much more water than hard " CODED.
slow-growing kinds. While the former
easily recover from drought. the latte
uSudily suHeT permanent INJURY from
extremes
The character of the soil 10 i'm
portant Heavy clay soils easily sour.
while very light, loamy soils dry out
quickly, and unless carefully watched
the plants will soon wilt. In either
case 1t is better to water thoroughly
when needed than to water sparingly
more often.
Plants not in active growth should
be watered sparingly until they have
regained their foliage. Watering In
the evening just before dark will
greatly encourage the growth OF flung
Gus diseases. 1t also causes ''damping
orr in the case Of young plants and
cuttings and should never be practiced
during heavy. cloudy weather.
Midday watering when the sun
shines on the foliage will burn the foil
age of many of our common house
plants. Shading during excessive heat
will strengthen plants and help them
to retain moisture. An overheated.
humid atmosphere will cause spindly
growth very susceptible to disease.
Best results are obtained when water
about the temperature of the air 10
used