Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-07
Gardening in Washington

AND ITS ENVIRONS

WASHINGTON, although the preferred
home OF both the sweet pea and the
garden pea is in the cool North,
The perennial sweet pea. LathyruS
latifoliuS however, thrives very we'll in
this vicinity and Yields beautiful flow
ers from June to october, Untortu-
nately there is no fragrance to the
perennial sweet pea. but 1t is very sat
isfactorv for table decoration and other
purposes where odor is not an I'M
portant factor. Once established, the
/ perennial pea may be said to almost
! take care of itself. especially II given
some sort of a trellis or arbor upon
which to grow. All told the perennial
sweet pea makes a very satisfactory
substitute for the old garden favorlte.
making up for its lack of fragrance oy
/ its greater resistance TO untavoraoie
conditions and its much longer bloom
/ ing season.
The Vegetable Garden.
This has been an excellent Spring
fnr most forms of vegetables. Garden
peas have done unusually well on &C
count of the abundant moisture and
con,paratively cool weather. Lettuce,
heetS. Chard. spinach and other leafy
vegetables have responded to the favor
able environment and turned III good
records 1t IS not a bit too late TO
plant vacant spaces with beetS, chard.
early beans, cabbage, celery and other
kinds Of vegetables, II this vicinity
one may yet produce very satisfactory
vegetable garden.
New Zealand spinach is useful as
Summer potherb growing vigorously
under dry and hot conditions which arc
destructive to the common spinach,
lettuce and other cool season leafy
vegetables New Zealand spinach is a
trailing plant and should therefore be
Sown in quite widely spaced rows or
hills II is a cut and come again plant.
a few of the tender shoots being re-
moved from each plant at each cutting
Seed OF the New Zealand spinach is
rather slow to terminate and will bene-
st from soaking day or so prior TO
planting. With good culture, New Zea-
land spinach is wonderfully productive
since cuttings may be continued right
up 10 the time Of froStS.
Lima beans need strong supports, for
the vines, when fun grown and heavily
weighted with pods, are easily blown
down if on old or weak stalks. Unless
one has cedar or cypress stakes. it is
usually not advisable TO use the stakes
more than one year. Nothing is more
eAaSpefatIlg imam 10 nave the mature
vines go down in a wind
Overhead irrigation has but little ap-
peal IN season Of ample rain such as
has been experienced TO date After all
there is nothing that can surpaSs an
abundant natural supply of moisture
Yet simple irrigation plant may easily
pay for itself in one dry season.
The Artichokes,
1t is an unfortunate circumstance
that the name artichoke has been ap-
piled to two utterly distinct vegetables
which have nothing in common ex-
cept inclusion in the gigantic composite
family. One, the Jerusalem artichoke.
is a native of America and the other.
the French artichoke, is a native of
southern Europe. The Jerusalem arti-
/ choke forms tuberous root which, al
though edible and sweet has little else
to commend it The French artichoke
forms large flower buds which are har-
vested in the immature stage and used
as food.
The French artichoke is not hardy,
surviving in this latitude only with
careful protection The Jerusalem arti-
choke, on the other hand, is hardy in
northern Canada. Neither vegetable
means much 10 the ordinary home gar
dener: one is inferior and the other
more or less adapted only to epicures
The Jerusalem artichoke has CONNER