Evening star., 1950-12-10

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temperatures made out -of-dool
gardening seem ended for the sea-
son. However, Washington "colc
spells" seldom last for long ano
planting and other work could be
resumed before the week was over
But the freeze was a good warning
and further planting and prepara-
ton for the winter should not be
delayed longer than necessary.
Fall pruning is seldom advo-
Gated in this area for the reason
that most shrubs are of the early
spring Towering kinds and fall
pruning removes next spring S
flowers. Obviously this is not
desirable. However. If its is a
choice of not pruning at all or
pruning this fall, prune now
Shrubs that are neglected and not
pruned soon become bare-legged
produce poor quality blooms, and
outgrow their situation.
The fall pruning of shade trees
is q desirable activity when time
permits. Dead and injured
branches should be removed as
well as those that extend into
areas where they are not wanted
Some trees need to be topped fol
pne reason or another and that
may be done along with the othel
pruning. Weak crotches may be
either corrected or protected with
braces. All Of these jobs can bt
undertaken now that the sap ha!
gone into the roots. In fall prun.
ing, as at any other season Of the
year, the cuts should be made sc
close to the trunk that no sign o1
stub remains. The cuts should
be so made that the wound sur
face is smooth and that the bark
is not torn. Following the re-
moval of limbs and other pruning
cuts, the surfaces should be cov-
cred with a protective coating such
as q prepared tree paint. The
life of a tree may be greatly ex-
tended by following these points:
Avoid stubs, make the cuts smooth
and paint all wounds.
Syringe house plants once q
week with cold water to keep the
red spider mites under control
The forceful application Of water
is also beneficial in removing dust
from the leaves and keeping the
breathing pores Of the leaves open
It Is not too early to purchase
and pot amaryllis bulbs for late
winter bloom. The potting mix
ture for amaryllis bulbs should be
70 garden loan and " well-rotted
COW manure or compost. Peat
moss may be substituted for the
COW manure or compost although
it is too acid for best results. Add
a tablespoonful Of bone meal to
the mixture. In planting amaryl-
lis bulbs the pot should not be
much larger in diameter than the
bulbs-an inch between the bulb
and the edge Of the pot is ample.
And, of course, 2s Of the potted
bulb is above the soil. After pot
ting wet the soil and place the
pot in an out-of- -the-way situation
until the new growth starts. Then
it should be brought into light and
more warmth and watered fire.
quently-supplying all of the wa
ter used without the soils becom-
ing wet. Feeding is recommended
during the period Of active growth.
The display Of fruit on some
dogwoods this season is especially
good. Apparently the flower crop
was much better than usual last
spring due no doubt to the mild
winter. Secondly. insects were
plentiful and the blossoms well
pollinated. These two factors,
abundant bloom and pollination.
were apparently ideal. for many
Of the dogwoods in the Washing
ton area are ablaze with their
bright red fruit. ...
II the rhododendron leaves droop