Evening star., 1934-09-01

esting information regarding many
well-known and some little-known
dubious plants. How many, for eX-
ample, know that chionodoxa or glory
of-the-snow, forms no bulbs by divi-
sion but always increases from seeds,
which are produced freely. Or who
realized that the dog-tooth violet or
trout lily, Erythronium, which are
gathered as wildflowers, are cultivated
in Europe and might well be used
much more in American gardens?
Gardening Books.
THE number of gardening books has
been noticeably less during these
years of decreased business activity
but now and then there appears new
volume to add to the garden shelf or
at least to borrow from the library
for inspection.
Cactus, by Laura Adams Arner,
classif1es this interesting group of
plants and describes many of the
more important species that are
found in the Southwest.
The Story of Gardening, by Rich
ardson Wright, the editor of House
and Garden, Is a very readable ac-
count of the development of garden
ing through the ages, tracing back
the origins to India, China, Greece
and Western Asia.
Gardens of Delight. by Eleanour
Sinclair Rohde, is a sort of diary of
ornamental gardening operations, in
terspersed with descriptive and COM
mentary notes. Although 1t was
written in England primarily for Eng
lish gardeners, the book contains
much Of interest to local home gar
deners.
Aristocrats of the Flower Border,
by G. A. Phillips, is another English
book that contains much worth
while information for gardeners
everywhere in the temperate zones
and is particularly interesting in
showing the efforts that English gar
deners take in preparing the soil for
planting.
Garden Notes.
TT is interesting to watch the re-
viHng perennials which are awaking
after period of complete or nearly
complete dormancy. Oriental poppies
are sending up new leaves from ap-
parently dead crowns and columbines
and pyrethrums are making new
foliage in response to the shortening
days, cooler nights and increased soil
moisture. The coming of Autumn is
for the perennials almost a second
Spring except they do not flower.
Strangely enough flowers do occa-
sionally appear out of season. A
flower on the japanese SNOWFALL, a red
rose on the Paul Scarlet climber
would almost suggest that the plants
would like to bloom again in earnest
if it were possible.
Seed making seems to be very i'm
portant function of the balsams. The
first thing that one notices is that the
plants are full of seed pods and no
flowers. The seeds appear to require
no rest, for there are already many
young seedlings coming up beneath the
mother plants. There are few species
that reach blossoming age more rap
idly than the balsam. Some of the
new double howered varieties, such as
Salmon Prince and Scarlet, make
brilliant display.
Plants that endure the unsatisfac-
tory conditions of the house during
Winter, for example coleuS, geraniums
and everblooming begonias, do sur
priSingly well in the open garden.
The vigor that enables them to en-
dure the dry air of the home seems
to place them in the front in the
open. The everblooming begonia is
especially beautiful at this time and
will remain so until frost.
Many climbing roses that survived
are failing to make strong growth,
indicating that the root crowns were
injured. Probably it may be neces-
sary to replace these weakened plants
with young thrifty stock.
Black spot, the scourge Of the rose,
is gaining in virulence with the rainy,
humid weather of the last few weeks.
The plants should be busted with any
Of the proprietary forms of sulphur
dust or sprayed with colloidal sulphur
or bordeaux mixture. If the leaves
fall, the flower crop will virtually dis
appear also, for it is in the leaves
that the foods of the plant, assembled
from the air and soil, are manufac-
tured.
Crap grass, with all its faults, has
made some very beautiful lawns
where there were many bare spots
in early Spring. Unfortunately the
crab grass will shortly die, to leave
again the bare areas further in
creased in extent. September is the