The Wilmington morning star., 1947-08-10
Garden Calendar

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removed before bloom, the blooms
go with it. Any needed pruning
should be done just after bloom if
you want to avoid destroying your
bloom buds. Even with such prun-
ing, however, there should be
some left Of this ~season's growth
on which you would get blooms
next spring.
When falls are mild and long,
forsythias often come into bloom,
but some BUDS do not open and
should give bloom the follwing
spring, though the number of
blooms will be much reduced. The
only other healthy plants would be
which is hardly likely to happen
that the buds were killed by cold,
which is hardly likely to happen
in your locality, although a severe
late cold does sometimes kill a
certain proportion of the blooms or
buds.
This shrub is OF easy culture
and very reliable as to bloom.
1t calls for no especial care and
blooms well even though neglected.
WHEN TO ROOT
GARDENIA CUTTINGS
Mrs. R. C. B. of huntsville,
Va, writes: Will you please tell
me how and when to root Gar
denia cuttings? I read the Garden
Calendar daily and have found
some very helpful information in
it,"
An article on cuttings and the
cutting bed was published in this
column August 3rd since Mrs. b.
letter was Written, and this in
cluded gardenia (cape jasmine)
cuttings. We hope that Mrs. B.
has the information she wants
from this article.
Gardenia cutting can be made
now or in November with good
success. Take a piece of blooming
wood, make the cutting 4 leaf
nodes long, cutting off all but the
top leaf. Insert the cutting in a
mixture Of sand and peat or plain
sand with 3 ntes underground
and only the top node and leaf
above the soil. Turn over it a
mistened glass jar. Plant in part
shade. When new growth starts,
gradually remove glass cover by
propping up one side on a very
small chip or pebble the first day,
then a larger and larger one I'M
til the jar is removed altogether.
Keep shaded for a few weeks.
Keep moist at all times. Ko not
move until the second fall.
SHRUBS AND TREES
It is when we have been having
plenty of rain that we get care
less about watering newly trans
planted shrubs and trees, espe-
cially boxwoods and evergreens.
summer losses in our climate and
is the reason that nurserymen and
landscape gardeners cannot guar
jntee a new planting over summer
New owners forget SO easily; and
a weeks vacation may prove fatal
to such plants. No amount of
water will do any good after the
roots have once dried out.
For the first year when new
ROOFS and leaves are forming, the
platt needs extA- water, but is
not able to get it beyond the
very limited area of the remain
ing old roots, because the new,
widespread root system in not
yet established. 1t must have water
sooner ater a dry spell sets in,
than a plant which has not been
moved and whose root system,
moister from a very much wider
area.
The only way to tell when to
water is to stick the finger down
several inches Ind if the soil does
feel cool and moist, water at once.
This does not mean sprinkle.
sp,inkling does more harm than
gooa, unless repeated every day,
because it encourage roots to
turn upward to the surface for
and these shallow SUR
face roots dry out quickly when
sprinkling steps.
1t is far better to take the
sprinkler off the hose and let the
water run at the root of the plant,
moving the hose around unit, the
entire circle IL Ger the branches
is soaked down a foot. THIS will
take several h.l.rs, maybe but
should be kept Up until it is moist
ksfoot dc ep. Dlg down w tn a
trowel to make sure. After soak
ing put a n.ulch Of hurnCs o1
just dry earth ever the wet area
to hold the moisture. and co not
water again until your finger tells
you the coil is cry. Then soak as
before. This method will require
a soaking for each plant about
every ten days when there is no
rain. :.
If you are really soaking the
soil and doing a good job OF
it makes little difference
what time of day it is done. The
idea that watering should never
be done when the sun is shining
On the leaves refers to sprinkiing.
This is apt to burn the, leaves,
There is nc waste of wafer in the
soaking method. as there is in
TIE sprink.iGg because OF evapor-