Evening star., 1935-10-10

are special problem, and as long as q
| gardener will not study such matters he
must expect failure or semi-failure.
Wild flowers, for instance, cannot be
taken out OF a shady forest, with their
roots growing in old leafmold, and placed
in a sunny garden Of clay with success.
Every one realizes this, but 1t is astonish-
ing how often 1t Is attempted, Just the
same.
The half-failure plant is more of a
| problem, in some ways, than the COM
| plete failure, for the latter dies and is
dug up, but the former puts out a few
leaves each year and leads the owner
on to expect greater things of it next
season.
Only an absolute record. in the form
| of a seasonal check, will show Just how
poor many plants are, and how little
chance they have Of ever doing anything,
either for themselves or us.
Yet it cannot be gainsaid that it gives
considerable of wrench to the garden
| ing heart to throw these things away de-
liberately, when they still come into leaf,
and give one the feeling that somehow,
perhaps somewhere, they would do
good"
That is why one sees so many plants
obviously on their last legs, but sticking
| to life with tenacity which Nature has
implanted in all her creatures. We would
not say happily implanted, for often this
| prelude to dying is long drawn out and
unhappy. Even plant, one must sup
pose, cannot wrest joy from an earth
which does not nourish it.
~
The trouble in all such cases, however,
lies not so much in the earth as in the
very tissues of the plant
Cold, and resultant lack of growth has
| done something to the very fibres of their
| lives.
They no longer are able to make growth
1t is this complete lack of growth, this
| standstill, which worries the amateur
| gardener.
The first remedy he thinks of is the
wrong one.
Heavy fertilization, in such cases, is a
mistake.
Nothing will kill sick plant quicker
than to dose 1t with fertilizer.
A little, yes, but not very much-such
| must be the rule A small amount of
fertilizing elements may do good. whereas
too much is bad, very bad. Even the
amount given well plant is far too much
1t must be kept in mind that the stand
| still plant is incapable of making much
use of food elements in the soil, else it
would long ago have become fiourishing
| again, for even an average soil, with
| plenty of water, has enough already, in
the majority of cases.
| 4 4
If the home owner does not want to dig
up and throw away his hedges and roses
and other plants which plainly show the
marks of adverse Winters, of an intensity
to which previous mild seasons had not
| Injured them, then the only thing to do
| Is to watch them carefully-and give
| them about five years to pull out.
Five years, that is, including the past
two severe Winters. And suppoSing that
another very cold Winter is not at hand.
If it is, there is no telling how many years
| the recovery may take. Below-zero tenn
peratures again might easily cook" all
suffering plants.
There is serious question whether
many varieties of roses are really as hardy
as we had supposed. 1t may be that
long series OF mild Winters units plant
| for really cold weather
Some revision may have to be given
to our favorites, after all, in the plant
world, for plant cannot continue to be
! favorite If it cannot take it."