Evening star., 1934-06-03
The Home Gardener
Beautifying Surroundings of the Home.
BY J. w. WELLINGTON.


for the hardy vegetables. The heat OF
June and July is really more of a
menace to these cool season plants
than a belated Spring snow.
Not so much is written these days
about paper mulch Possibly the cost
of the paper and added work in lay
ing it correctly have worked against
its popularity. Paper has been given
exacting trials by several of the State
agricultural colleges and found valu-
able for certain species, particularly
those requiring lot of heat for proper
development.
Lima beans sometimes have diff
Guilty in pushing the large seed leaves
through the soil. especially in heavy
clay soils. This Spring seems to be
more than usually favorable, due to
frequent rains which soften the sur
face and prevent caking. Some home
gardeners with small vegetable gardens
SOW their lima beans in pots or straw
berry baskets filled with prepared soil
and transplant directly into the gar
den without disturbing the roots This
practice saves missing hills.
Pole limaS, for some unknown rea-
son. are much more successful than
the bush varieties in this locality. This
appears strange as the bush kinds are
presumably only variation from the
climbing types. Many times the bush
limaS will set two or three pods and
then persiStently drop all later blooms.
Rarely, if ever, do the pole types be-
have in this peculiar manner and are.
therefore, much more reliable.
At this season, every kind of vege-
table should be in the soil, except, of
course, celery, caulifiower. kale and
other Autumn crops. Sweet corn,
sweet potatoes, tomatoes. cucumbers,
melons and all Midsummer plants will
now have their period of aScendancy
and the cabbages, spinaches and let
tuces their Summer period of rest
New Zealand spinach has been men,
toned in these columns in other years
because of its peculiar ability to thrive
in Midsummer 1t is worth trying but
Withal is not equal to true spinach,
from which it differs to the extent of
belonging to an entirely different bo-
tanical group.
Garden Notes.
4 LESSON in pansy growing may be
learned at the local Spring flower
shows. This is the Importance of
good seed. No matter how good the
culture, one cannot attain perfection
with low-grade seed stock A woman
member of the Takoma Horticultural
Club, who has had unusual success
in exhibiting pansies this Spring,
sends all the way to oregon to secure
her seed. The panSies we're large, of
attractive colors and carried on strong,
stout stems. Good panSy seed is ex-
pensive, but well worth while if one
has ambition to compete successfully
in the shows.
Rarely have peonieS been more
beautiful than this Spring. The cold
Winter and the copious Spring rains
have been very favorable to this North
ern flower Whether the unusual
conditions have played part or not,
certain peony plants that haven I
bloomed since setting several years
d6O dlC O4OOlllill6 OllAo JSoA
Apparently the fondness displayed
by ants for peony buds constitutes
no menace for the buds keep on de-
veloping despite the presence of these
undesirable visitors. One writer has
pointed out that the ants are simply
gathering sweet eXcretion from the
buds.
CrocuS leaves are ripening off and
can be cut or pulled without detri-
ment to the bulbs. Unfortunately for
the crocus, most gardeners have been
unable to delay cutting the foliage
until now. AS a result. crocus dis
appears from the lawn and the home
gardener is inclined to criticize the
species for lack of durability.
Shortly now tulips can be dug with
out injury to the bulbs and their
place prepared for other plants, par
ticularly the Midsummer ANIMALS
Tulip bulbs should be dried in the
open air, cleaned of rubbish and
stored in well marked paper sacks or
in baskets in a dry place
The Garden Clubs.
HOME gardeners of the Takoma
= Park area are manfesting a
greatly increased interest in the
peony. Instead of commercial grow
ers dominating the show. as was often
the case in the past, the exhibition
held May "a in the Takoma Branch
of the Public Library was predomi-
nantly the product of home gardens.
Another interesting fact was that
many of the finest blooms were old
fashioned varieties For example, the
fine old Festiva Maxima led in the
white fowered class This flower was
grown and exhibited by Miss Betty
Patterson, whose father gave the in
teresting information that the orig
inal roots we're brought over from
Scotland by his grandfather. The
particular plants from which the prize
flower was secured were the result of
divisions made in the Autumn of 1882.
Renewal stock, abundant fertilization
and good care brought about the win
ming blooms. Miss Patterson also won
in the pink class with fine bloom of
Philomele. LIE Cygne. a pure white
exhibited by Dr. H. R. Watkins of
Somerset, was very choice, as was also
Richard Carvel. red, included in DR..
Watkins entry of Is varieties. Among
other flowers, a dish of yellow panSies
exhibited by Mrs E F. Lines was ex-
ceedingly fine.
A garden tour on Tuesday will COM
plete the Spring program of the Be-
thesda Community Garden Club. This
tour is held not only for the members
pleasure. but to raise money for the
benefit of parent-teacher work in the
elementary school. Mrs. P. c. Alex
ander is in charge of the tour and
tickets may be procured from Mrs.
F. j. Halliday. Mrs r. B. LOCKER and
Mrs. Dumas Malone.
The Rockville Community Garden
Club departed from its scheduled pro-
gram on Friday, May 25, and, instead
of the usual lecture meeting, jour-
neyed in pilgrimage to various gar
dens in Gaithersburg, Rockville and
FARM AND GARDEN.