The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-02-03
THE FLOWER GARDEN
(By Georgia Berger, Dept Botany
Hillsborough High SCHOOL,

Hillsborough High Scnool)
| Pansies, cosmos and nasturtiums
should be blooming now. But BIOS
SONS often to prevent seeds forming
Don't you feel repair for effort put
forth in raising them? Did you ex-
perience real pleasure in picking the
first blooms?
Sweet peas should be climbing and
showing buds. Keep blossoms plcKeu,
as for pansies. Small weeds are
making their appearance under the
pea vines. Pull them out, being care
full not to injure the plants.
Notice caland aheads for green
worms. The warm days are ones
when the butterfly lays her eggs on
the bud.
Cut worms are getting in their
work now. Petunia plants are their
special food just now. If leaves have
been eaten look under the plant 1or
the worm. The soft earth is a nice
hiding place, as the worm is the color
of the soil.
Ground should be prepared now for
the spring garden. Spade deep and
use dairy fertilizer, as for the fall
garden. Leave no fertilizer exposed.
| Sweet alyssum, candytuft, cosmos,
lmarigolds, saliva seeds may be plant
ed now. Plants of snapdragon, lark
spur out now.
Poinsettis have about completed
their work for this season. The
lplants should be cut back within eigh-
|teen inches from ground. The cut
lstems can be used for cuttings.
Pieces eighteen INCHES otwo feet
make good plants. They should be
placed where they are to grok. Plant
them from four inches to six inches
lin depth. Water when necessary.
| If rose bushes are not putting on
new growth prune them. Rank grow
ers should be pruned severely, and
others not so much. All shrubbery
not in state of activity should be
pruned now. Cuttings of these may
be made. Use cutting box or plant
in trench on north side of house or
fence.
This spring improve the parking in
front of your home by planting hibis-
! Gus, cleander and thumbergia erecta
Two or three plants are are all that
are needed in the space of the aver
age home, and they add so much to
the beauty of the street. If some one
has planted pink oleander somewhere
on block, plant the same color in
your parking. A block planted in the
same color is far more attractive than
when there are various cOlors.
Porch and window boxes should be
renewed at this season. Select plants
for foliage or blossoms. If the lat.
ter have the colors to harnonize
Some plant for background is neces.
sary Sprengerli is usually used, and
when combined with dwraf nastur.
fiumc mr. potunioc molo on offaot;yo
box. The most attractive box | ever
saw was composed of blue /achimi
nese and selaginella uncinata or rain
bow moss. The selaginelia is shall
low rooted creeping planting, which
covered the soil and hung over the
box. A box just as effective could be
made by using the purple achiminese
and selaginella. These boxes would
b chest on the north side, as both
plants are shade loving.
Achiminese is successfully grown in
: pots and blossoms from May until
September. Bulbs should be planted
in February. Very rich soil is neces.
sary for this plant. When one can
have only few pot plants this one
should be in the collection.
! was asked to suggest four plants
for as many pots; achiminese pur.
purea, ivy geranium pink, gloxima
pink, and maiden hair fern. The
gloxima would blossom first, the
achimineses next, and tn eivy geran.
ium last. With proper attention
there should be continuous flowers
until September or October.
Four roses that are successfully
: grown here are: pink maman l,.chet
white maman cochet, Duchess de Bra.
. ban and Minnie Frances. If only two
,plants can ebought now, ge the pink
cochet and the white cochet You
will never rgret your selection.
II Any questions will be cheerfully