Evening star., 1942-09-26

Late Towering varieties, eSpecl
they normally do not start to bloom
until late october or early Novem-
Der. However, most gardeners dc
not wish to 60 to the trouble tt
shade their chrysanthemums te
bring them into early bloom. Fol
them there are a number of varie.
ties which under normal conditions
blossom in late September and early
October. While these newer varie-
ties do not provide all the colors
and petal formations of the later
blooming varieties, they do serve tc
extend the Towering season ano
because of this they are we'll worth
adding to the garden.
The Koreans CVenus. Saturn
Mars, Appollo. Ceres. etc) gained
considerable popularity when they
we're first introduced because they
came into flower earlier than the
varieties which we were then grow
ing. Then the Department of Agri-
culture released a Dozen Indians,
early Towering hardy chrysanthe-
NUNS named after American In
dian tribes. While these new vari.
eties have not been widely planted
enough of them are In local gardens
to indicate their value.
Strange as it may seem, these
hardy varieties which we're devel-
oped within the shadow of the
Capital, do not seem to withstand
our winters as we'll as those of the
much colder North and Middle
West. Our winters are usually wet
with frequent changes of tempera-
ture. Warm sunny periods often
times stimulates their growth ac-
tivity during the day while freezing
weather during the night, or day
or so later. will injure them.
Sensitive to Changes
In Temperature
Because chrysanthemunls are SEN
sitive to fluctuating winter tempera-
lures as well as resenting poorly
drained soils the winter survival Of
many varieties will depend upon the
care given them. Some varieties
suffer so greatly that they should
be lifted and stored over winter ir
the cold frame. Wee Dot seems tc
be in this group as are many OF the
anemone type. But even the more
resistant varieties require some care
Nearly all varieties of chrysanthe.
NUNS benefit by having the sol
pulled over their crowns before the
ground freezes. Ordinarily this
work should be done In late Novem.
ber. 1t serves to protect the dor.
mant plants from changes of tenn
perature. Also, the mounding OF
the soil helps to improve drainage
conditions, especially If the dirt is
removed from a trench which viii.
carry excess moisture away from
their crowns.
The removal of the old stalks ir
the fall is a matter of some dis
agreement among gardeners. Some
-.7gue that the stalks hold leave,
and thus protect the crowns. Other.
say that we should remove ane
burn them as one means of con.
trolling the nematodes "a destruc'
tive little pest that causes tn.
browning and death Of the leaves
It would seem that the removal o.
the stalks is preferable since mulch.
ing is unnecessary in the majorit,
of cases. Mounding Is far more
important.
Reports indicate that the re
moval and burning of stalks ant
leaves as early In the fall as posi-
BILE seems to offer the most practi
cable approach to the control o
the nematode. So far an effectiv
spray for their control has not beer
found.
Home Gardens Badly
Infested
Speaking of nematode injury, tn
experts report that so far as the.
have been able to determine mos
commercial paintings are infecte'
with the pest. However, judging b
the number of dead leaves to b
observed on the plants in our gar
dens, home gardens are also badl
infested. Since we seemingly ar
unable to buy uninfested plants o
even to get them from our neigh
bors, the best procedure would b
to reduce the infestation through
burning leaves and stalks as earl
In the winter as possible.
Spacing the plants two feet o
more apart in our gardens is de
sirable. The nematodes swim-ye
swim In the dew on the leaves, fror
one plant to another. Another gar
den practice that helps to reduc
nematode infection is to take onl
strong, healthy shoots from tn
outside of an old clump when dig
ging and resetting.
The comments given above hardl
do justice to Our most importan
fall lowering perennial, Actual,
the chrysanthemum is the mos
widely planted of the fall bloomer
There are varieties of chrysanthe
NUNS which flower in the summe
It is possible to depend upon the,
for color and cutting material frol
August to mid November.
The wide variety Of petal forma
tions as we'll as the extensive rang
of colors snakes the selection
varieties from Towering displays de
sirable. While many gardenel
have excellent displays, most ga
deners depend upon local displa,
for an opportunity to see lars
numbers of varieties. The ia
flower shows featuring chrysantht
mum displays are seldom held b'
fore mid d-October, although tn
year we will have an opportunit
to see some of the earlier flowerir
varieties at the Victory Garde
Harvest Show next week.