Some of the small ones that you will particularly enjoy are the many different kinds of crocus, both spring and fall blooming, grape hyacinths, snowdrops, glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa), species of wild tulips, guinea hen flowers (Fritillaria meleagris), bulbous irises such as reticulata and Danfordi and the various squills. Since many of these are early blooming and rather small, plant them where you can enjoy them from the windows of your home or see them as you go in and out of doors.

We get great enjoyment from the dozens of kinds of these little bulbs in the wall garden just back of our home. As they are a couple of feet above the ground we don’t have to get down on our knees to see and appreciate them.

News About Lilies

Have you kept up with the progress on lilies? It’s been tremendous. Some that you may have overlooked are the many varieties of current hybrids. These are in yellows, oranges and reds, some upright flowered, some with flowers facing sideways, some hanging down. They will grow from two to about three feet in height and will bloom in June. And a little later will come the modern forms of regal lilies called Olympic hybrids. They are larger flowered and more showy than the original regals. For July blooming try some of the many Aurelian hybrids. Some of them are similar to one of their parents – Henryi; others go over to the other parents – a white trumpet lily. And there is everything under the sun in between, they are tall, usually four to six feet in height, in yellows, oranges, and salmons, some curved petaled, some trumpets, some fragrant, some not fragrant. They are wonderful. And now there are hybrids of the regals that are yellow or pink. Just like lilies, philodendrons have also many varieties for example is the philodendron prince of orange.

Send away for the catalog or search online for one of the lily specialists and “blow yourself away.” Remember, lily bulbs are perishable; don’t put them away in the kitchen pantry and say “I will plant them next week.” If you can’t plant them today put them in damp peat moss in the refrigerator, and plant them just as soon as you possibly can.

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Design-wise, supports and structures of all kinds should be kept on the simple side, conforming – not competing – with the architecture of the house or other buildings. Painting the supports the same color as the house helps tie the two together, with the vine to create the contrasting color and pattern. The best supports neither compete with their vines for attention nor outshine them.

Good construction is also important. A support should be strong enough from the start to bear the weight of the vine when it is fully mature – and even when it is whipped by strong wind. The bases of the support should be sunk below the frost line; and all wood, even durable cypress or redwood, should be treated with a rot-preventive. (Don’t use creosote or anything else that is poisonous to plants.) Copper nails and galvanized iron bolts also help make sure the whole thing won’t collapse when the vine has grown lush and heavy.

Most supports need periodic painting or refinishing. Plan ahead for this just like planning for the stages of tissue culture. Make the structure accessible; and train and prune the vine to keep it under control, so the stems can be removed and laid down without the job of unraveling a hopeless tangle, or even cutting the plant back to the soil.

For the sake of unity and balance in garden design, structures and supports need a reason for their appearance – to connect one building, area, or level with another; display a specimen or accent vine; keep the vine shapely and upright against a wall; lead the eye to an object of interest, like a fountain; integrate a restful bench or an outdoor living area with its surroundings.

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When I recently visited the state forest tree nursery, I learned that the more than sixteen million seedlings grown last season did not nearly meet the demand.

Our towns and cities are growing so fast, they are literally bursting their seams. Real estate developers have to reach far out beyond the suburbs, taking in large areas where there are either no trees to start with or where, in the process of preparing for construction, it is necessary to remove most, if not all, of the trees. Most builders and developers are apparently doing what they can to save the trees, but in many developments most trees ore sacrificed.

Fast-growing trees for the home – Fortunately there are several fast-growing trees well adapted to planting around the Southern home. A lot, after being planted with a few of these trees, will soon lose its bareness and also be considerably shaded from the hot sun.

Mimosa – One of the best is the mimosa, but in some areas it is subject to a wilt that causes the tree to lose its leaves and finally die. There seems to be no cure for the disease. Your only safety is to procure trees grown in a disease-free area.

Chinese parasol-tree – This species, known botanically as Firmiana simplex, is a large-leaved, tropical-looking small tree that grows rapidly to 25 or 30 feet, but then stops at that height. It has large heads of interesting cream-colored flowers, followed by bladder-like seed pods.

Goldenrain-tree – Another fast-growing small tree well suited to the small lot is the goldenrain-tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). Its compound leaves and great profusion of small yellow flowers add to its attractiveness. Unfortunately, neither the Chinese parasol-tree nor the goldenrain-tree is easily had from nurseries, as only a few concerns in the South handle them.

Chinese elm – For the larger lot, where a mature tree 45 feet high would be in scale, the Chinese elm is a good choice. It grows rapidly, thrives in poor soil and endures much dry weather.

Dogwood and redbud – Two native trees that are lovely and fit well into any home landscape or backyard landscape ideas are the dogwood and the redbud. We can hardly have too many of them. Many of the numerous tree-planting projects sponsored by garden and civic clubs have featured these two trees, and as a result tens of thousands of them have been planted in the South during the last five years. In a few years they will transform many of our now-uninteresting streets and roadways into avenues of great beauty.

Red maple – The red maple is another medium-sized tree that is well suited to home-grounds planting in the South.

Pine – The native pines continue in strong demand for planting on home grounds in the South. We did not realize how very rapidly these trees grew until we began growing them under cultivation. A pine’s growth is comparatively slow in the forest, but on the home grounds, where it is fed and watered, it is rather exciting. If you are planting for heavy shade, loblolly pine is preferable to slash or yellow pine.

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This is true in houses of all types of architecture or interior decor, and particularly true when the style is strictly contemporary. Planning for minimum maintenance makes use of building materials, fabrics, and finishes that are smooth and stark, but also sometimes monotonous and glaring. The clean, uncluttered look provides not only the opportunity but also the need for the kind of decoration vines can provide.

Straight, plain contemporary lines call for a softening effect. Large, bare areas are superb backgrounds for the play of light and shadow, for contrasts in color and texture. With the trend toward living, working, and eating areas instead of sharply separated rooms, vines can be used to give the effect of a screen or divider without actually closing off space. And the contemporary emphasis on “oneness with the outdoors” expressed in large windows becomes more emphatic when a vine makes a soft transition between inside and outside view.

Spanish or Oriental; Georgian, Tudor, or Victorian; Northern Colonial or Southern plantation – there is hardly a house that is not made more attractive by vining plants. By their very nature they are in character with the country cottage or farmhouse. To the prototype suburban home, vines contribute individuality. In many older homes they are useful in modifying, modernizing, or screening what we now consider defects in design, making all rooms more refreshing and livable.

A vine trained along certain lines can make a large room seem smaller and more friendly, a small room seem larger and more airy. Grown up or down a wall, a vine will heighten a low ceiling; horizontally, it lowers a high ceiling. Effective use of vines will pull the three windows of an old-fashioned bay into one homogeneous indoor garden decoration. Used in a single window where a variety of plants appear, vines help achieve decorative unity. Vines can be used to help balance a design for interior decoration, to give it rhythm, to create a center of interest or call attention to a focal point, to achieve any or all of the requirements of good design.

In the incredible variety of vining plants, there is almost unlimited choice of color, texture, structural form and size, and character with which to create any desired effect. Some vines make a dark room look brighter; others can be arranged for coolness and shade; and still others will produce either effect, depending upon how they are used. Today we have available a fascinating array of foliage vines that will flourish on indoor walls and in other places where the light is too dim for flowering plants, and we’re learning to love the beauty of fresh green foliage, the intricate tracery of twining stems, and the fascinating effect of the shadows of both.

There are vines in tune with the restful mood of the living room, the happiness of a kitchen or playroom, the femininity of a bedroom. There are small vines in scale with small rooms, large ones bold enough for great drawing rooms; vines effective when used alone, or in combination with other plants, or both. Some vines grow fast, some slow. Some climb up a support, some dangle from a wall bracket or hanging baskets. In using vines for indoor decoration, you can indulge your adventurous spirit and ingenuity to the limit, and at little cost.

There is one obvious condition upon which this is all possible – that the vining plants are healthy, colorful, and fresh-looking. This may require making some provision for light and sunlight, humidity, and other cultural requirements just like how to care for an aloe vera plant. Some plants can adapt to indoor life more readily then others; some are of such rare beauty that pampering is more than worth the trouble. In addition to optimum cultural conditions, Chapter 5 contains suggestions for some easy ways to keep a constant supply of thriving plants for decorative use.

So much for generalizations; now, let’s get specific. Here are a number of ideas for using vines and hanging plants for indoor decoration – in planter gardens, in windows, on walls and other vertical surfaces, in baskets and other hanging containers, and in small table-top compositions. Each idea is meant to be adapted to suit your house and your personal taste, and to inspire you to create your own completely new effects.

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A single hanging container displayed at eye level – a luxuriant tuberous begonia or fuchsia spilling cascades of glowing flowers; the silver-patterned, plum purple Cissus discolor; or the brilliancy of an ivy geranium – will stop visitors in their tracks. Or use a matching pair of wall brackets, one at each side, to soften the straight lines and sharp corners of the window frame, with a flowering or foliage variety that drifts down or climbs up the casing. Or set a fast-growing specimen like velvety Cissus in an urn on the floor at one side of the window, and let it scramble up cords strung inside the frame.

Use vines to unify and frame a group of potted plants in a window garden, or to tie two or more windows together. Replace an old-time bay window with floor-to-ceiling glass, and arrange plants for an eye-catching focal point in living or dining room. Or install a window greenhouse – ready-made or do-it-yourself – and arrange vines to frame it inside or dangle from the shelves.

When plants are to inhabit a window for some time, select varieties according to the cultural conditions they need and you can provide. There are vines that will thrive in almost any combination of temperature, sunlight or shade, and humidity. Then look for the decorative qualities that suit your setting – size, leaf texture, color, contour, and method of climbing or dangling (some vines will do either or both). Small vines of a delicate nature are best in small windows in small rooms. Rough, pebbly leaves show up best against a smooth wall. The color of flowers should not fight with the wallpaper or rug, or make the area look “busy.”

Above all, try something new and different – the garden annuals, for example. Plant seeds of morning glories or thunbergia in pots, and let them fill or frame the window with flowers. Fill a basket with a sweet potato; or find some of the colorful new tropical foliage vines; or see what you can do with a bougainvillea. Or adapt some of the following suggestions.

Attach a series of brackets of the same design up each side of the window – a different dangling plant in each pot, or all the same variety to connect the containers into one frame.

In a small recessed window of an old farmhouse I saw a quaint garden of potted plants. A made-to-size metal tray on the sill held a layer of moist peat. Small baskets with small-leaved ivies were accents at the side.

Like a “bead curtain,” hoyas will climb cords strung up a sunny window. Ceropegias will look the same, dangling down.

informal composition calls for one vine and container of proper proportion and style at one side of the window. The weight of the untrimmed area at the other side achieves balance.

An airy arrangement of small, softly dangling plants like some philodendrons on shelves set into a high window where stairs turn at a landing is a delightful surprise in an otherwise difficult, drab stairway.

In a large window, hang a “chandelier”–a large basket in the center, and several smaller ones around it.

Create a vertical line with several small baskets strung together, one under the other.

There are plenty of better-known window-garden vines and hanging plants, by also first choose, according to the amount of sunlight the plant needs and you can provide, and then according to other cultural requirements like temperature and humidity.

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Principles of capitalizing, italicizing, and otherwise distinguishing plant names in most books and printed material are based on the system used in many horticultural books and magazines. For spelling, the authority is Hortus II, except for a number of indoor and tropical plants classified since its publication. For these the authority is Exotica, by A. B. Graf. For the sake of simplicity and easy pronunciation, the double “i” ending is reduced to a single “i”. And there are other modifications.

Unless a plant name is complete (genus plus species – plus variety, if any), it is neither capitalized nor italicized. (On rock walls clematis, makes a beautiful display.) Complete botanical names are italicized, but only the generic name has an initial capital letter, even when the specific name has been derived from the proper name of some person or place. (For fall flowering, Clematis texensis is outstanding.) When you see a plant name in italics, you will know that this is a recognized botanical species or one of its varieties, and not a man-made hybrid.

The names of recognized hybrids, seedlings, and mutations of either or both are not italicized, but are capitalized and enclosed in single quotation marks. (Clematis ‘Crimson Star’) Common or popular names are set in regular type like janet craig compacta plant with initial capital letters only for proper nouns, when they appear in text. In separate listings each word is capitalized.

Hopefully this provides you with a clearer understanding of botanical names and their usage and allow you to communicate and “speak plants” better.

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We have gone through a rather difficult summer season of extremely hot weather and severe droughts in many areas. This has left garden soils badly compacted, enough to restrict root growth of lawn grasses and garden plants. This calls for deep preparation of the soil and pulverizing it thoroughly. Ample quantities of peatmoss should be added to heavy clay and sandy soils to improve their texture and moisture-holding capacities.

Some bulbs such as Madonna lilies, freesias, ornithogalums, zephyranthes and leucojums must be planted immediately. Get these in first. The latter part of the month will be too late.

Dutch bulbs are ready for planting the latter part of October: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, fritillarias, muscari, galanthus, scillas, crocus, anemone, ranunculus and many others. Plant your tulips deeper than is normally recommended, 8 inches in fairly heavy soils and 10 inches in sandy ones.

In the Lower South tulips can be grown only when the bulbs are placed in refrigeration for about a month before planting. This applies to North Florida, and the Gulf Coast through Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Plant paper white narcissus and Soliel D’Or in the garden for generous blooms in mid-winter.

Sandy, well-drained soils are best for bulbs. Add sand or vermiculite to heavy soils to provide good drainage and make a good, friable soil.

Perennials like variegated yucca have finished most of their growth, except the hardy asters and chrysanthemums. To get the most out of your mums give them a last feeding with a complete plant food, preferably a liquid. They will provide many more weeks of color.

Clean up perennials that have finished blooming. Remove dead flower stalks and leaves. Destroy to prevent re-infestations of insects and diseases.

Louisiana Iris – That state is a gardener’s paradise in early spring when gardens and swamp lands are a blaze of color from millions of iris. This month plant some of these varieties with blooms 7 and 8 inches in diameter. The Louisiana iris are among the few that can be grown on boggy, wet lands, although they can also be grown on upland soils. They are very versatile plants. They grow in full sun or semi-shade, acid or slightly alkaline soils. Every color in the rainbow, but green, can be found.

Bearded Iris can still be planted. Select some gorgeous new colors to replace the old, off-whites that have taken over the garden.

For water-edge plantings you will find the Spanish iris colorful. They are grand around pools and along streams where they naturalize quickly. Another great iris for wet, lowland soils is the Oriental or Japanese iris with its giant petals of every hue.

Still another for October planting is the popular Dutch or bulbous type which must be planted in light, sandy soils. It is well suited to all sections of the South and makes a beautiful cut flower. Try some of the giant bronzy varieties which have been developed.

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To keep the plumber from reaching deep down in your pocket, better shut off and drain all irrigating systems and other exposed water lines, if the job has not already been taken care of. In the basement, turn off the water to the outside foundation faucets. Open the faucets outside to permit proper drainage.

Rose Chores

This is the proper time to prepare roses to withstand the rigors of winter. The best agent to protect the stems of the hybrid teas from drying out and to prevent rapid alternate freezing and thawing has been found to be the earth itself. The plants should be practically buried to a depth of six to eight inches by using the soil in the bed around the plants or by the addition of other soil brought in. If the plants have been spaced too closely to permit mounding without exposure of roots, some loose, mellow soil should be added. Frequently, additional soil can be borrowed from a nearby shrub bed.

Tie the tops of the individual plants together with strips of cloth before beginning the mounding operations. This allows more room for working among the rose plants and will prevent the tops from becoming unruly when buffeted by winter winds.

After the rose bushes have been mounded, a 12- to 15-inch mulch of hay or straw should be applied over the bed. This double protection keeps the soil warmer in the fall until really severe weather arrives. The mulch also aids in preventing the soil from warming up too soon in the spring. New growth thus held back frequently escapes the late freeze injury occurring to unmulched plants. Some local gardeners have successfully wintered their roses by mulching them with an eight- to ten-inch layer of wood shavings (about one bushel per plant). The shavings are removed in the spring and broadcast on the shrubbery beds.

Standard or tree roses should be bent over and covered with soil. If the stems are too stiff to be bent over without danger of breaking, dig up the roses carefully, lay them on the ground and cover completely with several inches of good, loose soil. Dig up the plants and reset them next spring.

The roses should not be pruned this time of year but any unusually long canes should be cut back to the average height.

Young climbing roses may be removed from trellises, pegged to the ground and covered with soil, leaves, hay or straw. Older plants with stiff, entwining canes may be wrapped in straw held in place with burlap. It is difficult to get an overcoat that will fit the strong growing roses on fences or walls, consequently we simply wish them the best of luck during the winter season. But unlike growing roses, we can still give dracaena fragrans massangeana an indoor care.

Roses may be set out during this month, provided good, strong dormant plants can be obtained. Few roses are available here in the fall, since they arc brought in from growers on the West Coast or in Texas and do not arrive until early spring. Roses planted now should be watered thoroughly, pruned back to about 12 inches, mounded with soil eight to ten inches high, and mulched with hay or straw.

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After spreading the roots on top of a small pyramid of earth, additional rotted manure and compost and good soil, mixed with a teacup of bonemeal, is pressed around the roots until the hole is full. Water the plant well and add buckwheat hulls for a mulch.

The location for Christmas roses should be east to north so that the handsome evergreen foliage will flourish the year round without burning. Sun or a late spring freezes and lack of quantities of fertilizer and water will cause injury. The best plants I have seen in a Louisville garden were on the northeast side of the house between the base of a picture window and a small fish pool’ inches away. Here dozens of blooms enliven the winter scene two to three months each year.

My plants are against the brick edging of the northeast side of a small rose plot, just outside my study window, where the lovely design of the foliage all year-round and the blooms in winter are a constant source of pleasure.

Success in Michigan

When my mother sent me several small plants of Christmas roses a number of years ago, I knew nothing about them and was frankly unaware of any plant that would flower through the winter months, with the snow on the ground.

To try them out, I selected a moist site in the partial shade where the drainage was good and placed some well rotted manure in the soil which was alkaline. They were planted in early spring, but I have since learned that the fall is a better planting time. When winter came, each plant produced two or three flowers, but the following year they bloomed profusely.

When cut for use in the house, I select any type of evergreen foliage like golden pothos plant, since the plant needs its own leaves for proper development. Blooms may be cut when frozen, then thawed out in the basement. I personally prefer to leave the blooms outside and buy flowers for the house, as the real thrill of a Christmas rose is to admire it in bloom in the snow. The plants actually need little care and no cultivating is necessary, though watering in summer is required.

I have tried dividing my plants, but they resent disturbance, which sets them back several years. I move them only when they are not doing well, being careful to take a large ball of soil. The late summer or fall is best.

The Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis) has greenish white or purplish flowers, which hold very little thrill for me, as they appear in the spring with crocus and other early flowers.

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Protecting roses for the winter – North of the Ohio River there are few areas where roses will survive the winter without protection. No one has found (so far) a material that protects roses as well as soil. But don’t make the mistake of scooping out soil from between the rows of roses; this would merely put all last summer’s blackspot and mildew spores to bed with the roses. Bring in fresh soil for the hilling job, piling it between bushes until needed.

Lifting gladioli and dahlias – Most of the gladiolus corms can be dug now for storage. This will leave only the last planting to ripen while freezing weather threatens. Also dig dahlias for storage as soon as frost blackens their tops. Both the gladiolus corms and dahlia roots should be dusted with fungicide after digging to reduce losses from disease during storage.

Moving trees and shrubs – After the first killing frost, trees and shrubs can be moved. The sooner this can be done, the sooner new roots will begin to develop. Don’t forget to mulch the transplanted materials to keep frost out of the ground as long as possible. Also wrap the bark of newly transplanted trees with special tree wrap or burlap to prevent sun scald.

Starting a compost heap – The first leaves falling in autumn should remind you to start a compost pile. This is a good time to do it, for there will be plenty of material from the trees and garden to use. And don’t hesitate to use weeds; the heat that is generated by the decaying organic matter should kill the weed seed.

Storing root crops, pumpkins, squashes and other vegetables – In the northern areas of the Midwest these crops should go into storage this month. Though storage can be delayed until November in areas farther south, it is hardly worthwhile, for so little growth is made in cool weather like growing plumbago plant. Instead of waiting, begin this operation as soon as convenient after the first killing frost.

Planting daffodils and tulips – There is still plenty of time to plant narcissi; and tulips really do better if planting is done in October rather than earlier.

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