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The Perennial Garden: Pompon

The Pompon varieties are the oldest and hardiest of the out-of-door chrysanthemums, they will stand more neglect than other kinds and are, therefore, excellent for those who want plants that will take care of themselves and are satisfied with a great many small blooms. The larger aster-like varieties have been produced by crossing the Pompon with the tender, large flowering Japanese type, thus resulting in a progeny that combines the hardiness of the Pompon with the larger flowers of the Japanese. As a matter of course they are not so hardy as the Pompons as they have some tender blood inherited from their Japanese parent, and usually winter kill in climates where the thermometer falls below zero. The ideal treatment of these varieties is to lift the stools after bloom and plant them in flats, wintering them in a root cellar or cold frame. In this way they may be carried safely through a severe winter and planted in the garden in early spring. If a greenhouse be available, the roots may be brought indoors in February where the moisture and heat will soon start growth, and cuttings may be taken from the little green shoots as they appear, thus increasing and renewing the stock. Finer blooms are produced from [52] younger plants, and when facilities such as a greenhouse are available this is the best treatment to give the chrysanthemum. When there is no greenhouse, divide the old plants each spring into divisions containing 2 or 3 sprouts each and reset 6 or 8 inches apart. This treatment is a very satisfactory substitute for the greenhouse method. Chrysanthemums are very gross feeders and demand a well-enriched soil. A carefully prepared bed made according to the directions given in Chapter I will supply ideal conditions. In addition to this, however, some extra feeding must be given if the finest results are desired. In the spring, when either the old roots are dug up or the new stock is planted, spread a layer of very wellrotted cow manure over the soil in which the chrysanthemums are to be planted, and incorporate it into the gound to the depth of the spade, rake the soil, and then planting may begin.

About July 1st this feeding may be repeated by digging in a trowelful of rotted manure around each plant; when manure is not obtainable some commercial fertilizer may be resorted to. In this case do not apply it until two weeks after planting, as the plants are not in a condition to absorb plant food from the soil until they are established in their quarters and growth begins. Do not allow the plants to suffer from [53] dry spells; watering, cultivating and fertilizing should all be carefully attended to throughout the season.

Every few weeks pinch off the tips of the shoots in order to encourage the formation of side growths which will make stocky plants from the ground up.

This pinching should be discontinued after the first week in August.

If large blooms are preferred to clusters of smaller ones, remove all the side buds allowing only the terminal or center bud to develop on each shoot. Start disbudding as soon as the buds appear, and repeat every week or as often as the surplus buds grow. In this way the sap that would otherwise be diffused in several is concentrated in one bud, thus increasing very much the size of the flower.

Varieties. Pompons, Golden Climax, yellow, Julia, terra-cotta, Western Beauty, rose pink. Rena, old rose. Double Varieties. Rosea, old rose, Lilian Doty, flesh pink, Cranfordia, rich yellow, Mrs. Vincent, yellow with pink shadings. Mrs. C. Robinson, old rose, Chas Jolly, pink, Hortense Nealgot, old rose.

Single and Double Varieties. Glorianna, salmon with yellow shadings, Portia, old rose shading to flame, Yvonne, pale salmon with yellow shading, Excelsior, burnt orange, Mrs. W. E. Buckingham, pale rose, [54] Isabel Filton, yellow, Larchmont, white. Dainty, pale pink, very attractive, resembles a daisy.

Delphinium, Larkspur. Delphinium blooms in this locality about the third week in June, the tall, handsome flower stalks give a fine effect especially when they are planted in large drifts or masses. They are perfectly hardy and while they stand partial shade, they much prefer sunny locations. Plant in very fertile deeply prepared flower beds and borders. Like the chrysanthemum, they are rank feeders and should be fed at intervals during the growing season. After removing the winter mulch, shake the manure out of the straw and work it into the soil around the plants. If strawy manure is not used for the winter protection a top dressing of rotted cow manure may be applied just after the protection is removed and incorporated into the soil when the bed is dug up. Shredded cow manure, bone meal, sheep manure or wood ashes may be substituted for rotted manure, when the latter is not obtainable.

When the blooms fade, remove the flower stalks to the ground immediately, in order to conserve the energy of the plant for a second crop of bloom. It is very necessary to fertilize again about ten days after the first blooming period is over, to aid the plant in [55] the production of its second crop of bloom. If this is not done, the plant will bloom again and possibly a third time, but it will use up so much of its energy in doing so that it will die much sooner than it otherwise would, from exhaustion. Either do not allow the delphinium to bloom more than once during the season, or give it ample food to strengthen it for its extra work. This feeding may be given by applications of liquid cow manure, sheep manure, shredded cow manure, or very well-rotted cow manure dug in the soil around the plants. Delphiniums are propagated by division, cuttings, and seeds, all of which methods are satisfactory. Root division can be done in either fall or spring, and the old plants should be lifted and divided every two or three years, depending upon the luxuriance of their growth. Cuttings are taken from either the new growth in early spring, or from the second growth which follows the first flowering period. They are easily rooted in cold frames, provided they are kept shaded and the tops well sprinkled with water. Seed germinates slowly and poorly and can be started in a frame, or in a well-prepared seed bed in the open about the third week in May, or after the ground is thoroughly warm. When the seedlings appear transplant them into good garden soil, in rows about 6 inches apart. A little leaf mold worked into the soil [56] supplies a good root bed for them, and when once they are established, a teaspoonful of sheep manure applied to each plant will be of great benefit. Aim to keep them growing steadily by frequent cultivation, watering, and an occasional feeding, so as to secure good size plants by autumn, which will be ready for bloom the following June. They may be moved from the nursery row into the garden in the fall or spring. Before the winter protection is applied, scatter some coarse coal ashes over the crowns of the plants to prevent slugs, which are sometimes destructive. Varieties. Belladonna, sky blue. Amos Perry, semi-double flowers of sky blue suffused with rose, a very fine variety. Willy Obreen, semi double, pale blue flowers with a pinkish tinge, also a very fine variety. Queen Wilhelmina, large, single, sky blue flowers, Formosum, old-fashioned dark blue, combines well with paler blues, setting them off to advantage, Moerheimii best white. Chinensis Species. This is a much lower growing kind of delphinium, blooms a little later, and is excellent for use as a cut flower, or when a lower growing plant is desired.

Varieties. Alba, white, Blue, deep blue flowers.

Digitalis, Foxglove. Digitalis may be grown in sun or partial shade and the blooming period is June. [57] The flowers come in shades of lilac, rose, yellow and white. They are tall and stately looking and are very suitable for old-fashioned gardens. They may be treated as perennials or biennials; finer results are procured from young plants; therefore, when it is possible to do so, it is well to start fresh stock from seed every year or two. If the old plants are allowed to go to seed they will seed themselves prolifically and the little seedlings as they appear may be moved to the nursery row, and replanted into the garden the following spring. Discard the old plants when they finish flowering, and use their space for annuals that will continue the bloom throughout the season.

Varieties. Lanata, creamy white, Grandiflora, yellow, Gloxiniæflora, mixed varieties in shades of lilac, rose and white.