The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-05-13

section by Maxcine Williams
 regarding what is best to
 plant.)
 The largest and one of the best kept gardens in Juneau is that of Miss Ann Coleman in the Scatter tract. She has used a blending of native wild plants and cultivated plants to form most attractive garden. Now the last thing that l would want to start, would be general rush to the woods, fields or mountains to tear up the coun- tryside gathering native wild flow CTS. In some cases in the States, notably California, they have had to pass laws prohibiting gathering wild flowers, at least in certain sections, to keep MT and Mrs. John Q. Public from running the land scape. Let us hope that this never happens here. We have a great. unspoiled country now and with Q little care and thoughtfulness we can keep it so Alaska s main charm, to outsiders is it's wilder ness beauty so close around. To AL askans this wilderness beauty holds greater fascination as the years go by
 So it is with some hesitation that I mention native plants. Miss Cole man has given me list of some that she has used, so will pass it on to you. The yellow Marsh Mari gold, that will soon be in full bloom, is good for pool or wet place. Bluebelis, of which there are sev- eral species. dwarf dogwood, mist maids, star flower blue-eyed grass, clintonia, potentilla. spring beauty, birds bill, moss campioii, prostrate azalea, anemone, twinflower and violets are all good in, the rock garden. Some taller species that are useful in other parts of the garden are aoldenfod. asters, twisted stalk, iris, monkshood, Aerigeron. wild ger- aniunl, columbine wild hellotippe, 1 thilictrum and alum root Some na- tive shrubs and trees are goats beard or spirea,- the various blue berries, the three wild currants, thimbleberry, nienziesia, high bush cranberry, redltwigeed dogwood, native mountain ash, Kenai Birch and maple This is by no means h complete list but should give you some idea of the possibilities of native material iiltss ei
 4. Dahlias Do We'll Dahlias do very we'll here and are planted quite extensively. Inc dwarf Coltness and Unwin hybrids make fine, buslly plants not over two feet tall, and bloom very pro- fusely. The flowers of these hy- brids are single, about three to six inches across, and come in some beautiful shades Of yellow and red. They bloom earlier than the large daflias and just as late, making their blooming season longer Ex- cellent cut flowers. although they have the dahlia stiffness of stem and do not make as graceful 'bo4 i iuet as most simmer flowers. You
 tan get these hybrids from your Focal dealers, either as seeds, small ootted tubers or second year tubers They will do well from any of these three ways. The larger dah- lias are used mainly as specimen | plants, at the back of border or
 IS complete border by themselves Your local dealers have the started or unstarted tubers.
 GIadi0lus Good
 Gladiolus are ancSher excellent lower for this section. The corms ;an be started indoors and then set put in May or they can be plant d directly without starting. J. P. Anderson tried them one year to ee if starting helped to get bloom 5ooner. He planted both started md unstarted corms outdoors at the same time and they bloomed at practically the same time. Quite few gardeners keep log or diary of their garden. They jot Town such information as what they plant, when planted, when
 each kind of flower bloomed, what
 success they have with new flow
 ITS and any other observations that will be of help in the future. This
 good habit and gives one some hing to go on each year in plan ming and planting their garden. | In scouting around I've found that Daphne mezereum has win tered for at least three years for local gardener and is doing very we'll, with very little encourage ment. Primula neglecta, fine rock | garden plant, has been succeeding he last few years in several local gardens. Funkia is a plant grown