Evening star., 1934-09-15

| Der Sn0ulQ nnQ NOME SdIuclleIS
busily at work planting bulbs
IL of various kinds. This is also
the ideal season for setting out
peonies, the Incompatible flowers 1or
Memorial day. Strong roots well
planted will bloom next Spring and
every wear thereafter for six or seven
seasons or more, when it may become
necessary to lift the clumps and sepa-
rate them into smaller divisions. One
of the major causes of disappointment
| in peonies is a failure to blom and
| this is very often traceable to too deep
planting. The roots should be placed
so that the crowns are covered with
about 2 inches of soil. Other failure
causes are poor stock, inadequate food
and too much shade. Often one may
see a peony plant set directly in the
lawn with only few inches OF titled
soil about the base. AS a result,
growth is weak and disappointing.
1t is interesting to hear some OF our
excellent peony growers like DR.. H. r.
Watkins of Somerset or DR.. Earl White
of Kensington, describe the painstak-
ing efforts that they take to make the
plants succeed. A hole deeper and
wider than actually required is ex-
cavated and the bottom filled with
rich soil well reinforced with some
good plant food such as bone meal or
complete fertilizer. Then a layer OF
soil Is placed over the fertilized Sec
ton and the new root division set on
this so that the live buds stand only
q couple of inches from the soil level.
Each year after this the plants are
fertilized in Autumn with bone meal
worked into the soil about the plant.
The peony is large plant and re-
quires ample seeding to support its
mass of foliage and large flowers.
Propagation by Cuttings.
THE coming of Autumn forecasts
1 the end of the growing season and
the imminent killing of tender plants
such as coleuS, lantar1a, geranium and
heliotrope that may be located in out
side beds or porch boxes. There are
still considerable number of home
gardeners who preserve these plants
from year to year by taking cuttings
at this season. Years ago before
Horticulture was commercialized, home
growing of cuttings was the only
means of carrying over these types of
plants that produce no seed, and it
apparently takes an old custom a
long time to die out. The sunny win
dows in the living room of the home
were often filled with potted cuttings.
Now that florists make business of
propagating geraniums and other
tender herbaceous species there is
really no longer the necessity of home
culture.
Glancing into Hotties practical
Plant Propagation. we find cutting
defined as any part that has been !
severed from plant with view to
roofing Even though certain species |
do produce seed, the cutting has the
advantage of producing a plant ex-
actly like the parent. Autumn is a |
particularly favorable time to take |
cuttings because the growth is 20
longer soft and succulent as in the
Spring and hence less apt to decay. |
The cells of the cutting are gen.
orally we'll filled with reserve foods
such as starch which better enable
the severed portion to initiate and
support its initiate growth. The
best material for cuttings is the first
two or three inches of the tip of
shoots. Where there are flower buds
present, these should be removed, but
the tip leaves should be left to help
manufacture food for the new plant.
Coarse sand has generally proved the
most satisfactory soil In which to start
the cuttings, but as soon as roots at