Baptisia Australis

Baptisia australis is one of our good dependable blue perennials. Plants are available or one may grow them easily from seeds sown in late fall or the very early spring.

The plants grow to a uniform height. If they are spaced thickly in the row, they make a pleasing hedge to form a background for such things as Hemerocallis, pink Penstemon grandiYorus or yellow Iris. It is a leguminous herb and has nice green leaves on well-branched plants growing 40 inches or more high. I have mine in full sun where they thrive wonderfully well but some authorities recommend partial shade.

Baptisia is commonly called False- or Wild-indigo. B. australis has showy spikes resembling Lupines in rich indigo blue. These cut well. After the blossoms are gone, the plants are still valuable for vases because the foliage is ideal when other foliage is lacking. The seed pods are short and plump, many to a stem, that turn black upon maturing. These may be used in winter bouquets.

Can you think of any other plant that can be used as both a specimen plant or a quick-growing erbaceous hedge - that will grow in sun or shade - have both blossoms and foliage ideal for vases as well as having material for winter bouquets? Best of all it is free of disease and insect pests and requires no special soil or care.

How Long Will Potentilla Warrensi Last In Bloom?

Glossy, intense, yellow-petaled Potentilla warrensi is a delight in itself, but perhaps its most valuable characteristic is its effectiveness in combination with various other plants. It makes a neat, compact, 1-1/2-foot clump showered with a profusion of bright saucer-like flowers. Last year a couple of plants of this potentilla were placed in front of the soft orange star lily (Lilium concolor), which in turn was in front of two large clumps of Memorial daisy and yellow sundrops, and then at the back and to one side of these was the blue of Anchusa azurea Dropmore. The grouping was in the full sun and was a wonderful burst of color for a month.

Fertilizing Soil For Young Strawberry Plants?

Blueberries grow best on a naturally acid soil and need no liming. They benefit from an abundance of organic matter.

All berry plants will benefit from applications of good garden fertilizer. Soil for young strawberry plants should be fertilized after they are set since strawberries are sensitive to chemical fertilizers and are easily burned. Apply the fertilizer in a ring around each plant but several inches away from it.

Where Did Bauhinia Trees Originated From?

Bauhinias are spring bloomers and are unequaled as backgrounds for lower growing flowers. B. purpurea, a small tree from India and well named the orchid tree, has pink or orchid flowers which look like newly released butterflies poised for happy flight - quite the proper feeling for spring. If you know banhinias, you are already familiar with the delicate grace and interesting shape of their foliage. The very charming white variety is also in the trade.

Protecting Cherry Trees From Sun-Scald

Young cherry trees often suffer from sudden drops of temperature in the fall before they have become fully dormant. The greatest danger, however, comes from the winter sun shining on the bare trunks, causing sun-scald. The best protection from such injury is to retain low branches. For this reason the gardener does best to buy small trees so that ho may encourage growth of all branches near the ground, although nurserymen in their desire to show handsome specimens are likely to cut off the lower branches to a height of 3 feet or more. Anything that tends to prolong late growth and activity, such as late watering or fertilizing during the summer, should be avoided.

Distinguishing Different Types Of Cherries When Buying

How to buy cherries. It is unfortunate that the names of the flowering cherries are so confused in many nurseries and that there are so many synonyms. At present it is best, therefore, not to try to buy them true to name through a catalogue from any but the most reliable growers. If a group is wanted to give a particular range or combination of color, it is best to choose varieties when the plants are in bloom in the nursery where they are to be bought.

There is a tendency for the white cherries to be neglected. Yet a white blossoming tree near one or two of the pink varieties makes a wonderful picture. A background of evergreens sets off the cherries to great advantage, and those who have seen the Washington plantings know how lovely they are near water.

The Garden Contributions Of AE Wohlert

Before the plant quarantine act of 1919, many nurserymen imported trees and sold them to their customers. Only one eastern nurseryman, however, took them up as a specialty. That was the late A. E. Wohlert of Narberth, Pa., who worked nearly twenty years selecting the finest varieties. He propagated them in great numbers and sold them to parks in many sections of the country and to thousands of enthusiastic gardeners.