oA] Ae % DEC 31 4952 I) Evans & U.S. Department of Aor; C Reeves VOL. 3 NOVEMBER, 1952... NO. 7

IT’S TIME FOR

. . . reviewing the result of earlier ac- tivities, and passing judgment on such subjects as Roses, Dahlias, and Chrysanthe- mums, making notes of those which proved to be good performers, and which particu- larly pleased us in the matter of form, color, etc. Mark such ROSES which for some reason or other you may decide te replace during the coming bare root sea- son. While CHRYSANTHEMUMS are at their peak note which you wish to carry over and increase. DAHLIAS, as they die down, can be lifted and, along with GLAD- IOLI and CANNAS, stored in a dry, cool

place until replanting time.

The unusually heavy rains last spring taught many of us the necessity of check-

_ing up on the matter of DRAINAGE. Much

valuable material was lost, some needlessly, because of too much water. Basins sur- rounding trees and shrubs could have been filled in. Areas where water had a tendency to collect and remain possibly should be regraded, tile or surface drained. Anyway, a check-up will suggest some line of action and prepare you for another lengthy wet period, which can happen again!

In most gardens BULB PLANTING is well under way but there is still time (into December) for more. Good stocks of most varieties are still on hand, including the spectacular LILIES, L. speciosum rubrum (red banded), L. auratum (gold banded), L. regale and L. giganteum. They should be bought while fresh and plump, handled carefully (for the fleshy segments bruise easily and rot sets in quickly thereafter), planted well down immediately. If you did not plant SWEET PEAS in time to have blooms for Christmas, don't let the fact stop you from planting now—you can still have a wonderful show for early spring.

As usual at this time, we are bringing into our sales yard for your selection CAMELLIAS and AZALEAS. Knowing that we have a discriminating clientele for these two deservedly popular items, we offer only

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THE SPACE IS FAMILIAR

THE AFRICAN GREEN

NUXIA FLORIBUNDA, a large ever- green shrub, or a tree, from East Africa, is a welcome substitute for Pittosporum undulatum. Not to belittle the latter old standby, we mean merely to suggest that our newer introduction may well vary the scene where there is need for a rather small evergreen specimen tree, a wide and handsome hedge or screen, or a shrub to 15 feet across and as high.

Nuxia has lance-shaped, very dark green foliage and bears ten-inch trusses of cream white flowers at the branch ends throughout winter and spring. These flower heads are most arresting and may be seen for some distance. While this plant is re- sistant to drought, it tolerates summer watering well and is frost hardy to at least 25 degrees. In fact, it performs creditably almost anywhere except in dense wet shade or in a narrow, cramped spot.

Introduced into Southern California some years ago by Mr. Hugh Evans, Nuxia has been more or less unavailable recently, but we have propagated a new stock with which to supply those who have admired our specimen at the Nursery and those seeking a ‘‘different’’ plant for a familiar situation. Five-gallon cans, $4.50. P.E.C.

IT’S TIME FOR

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the best, both with regard to quality of plant and varieties. If you are a beginner with Camellias or Azaleas, be sure to ask your salesman for planting instructions when making your purchase. Azaleas range from $1.85 in five-inch pots up to $15 in tubs. All are perfect specimens, irrespec- tive of size, carrying plenty of buds.

CAMELLIAS start at $2 in gallon cans. Among the many varieties available now in tive-gallon cans are these heavily-bud- ded, vigorous specimens: BLOOD OF CHINA, large semi-double in deep salmon red, $8.50; JULIA DRAYTON, large scar- let rose form, $8.50; HIGH HAT, very early pink peony form, $9; LADY CLARE, bushy semi-double, deep pink, $7; HOW- ARD ASPER, delicate pink with crepe- paper-like petals, $10; DAIKAGURA, re- liable, early performer, variegated peony, $8.50; VILLE DE NANTES, semi-double, deep red blotched with white, $10; FIN- LANDIA, semi-double with large white fluted petals, $8.50; FIMBRIATA, white formal double with delicately fringed edge, $12.50: DAIKAGURA WHITE, sensational offspring of the original variegated Daika- gura, $16.

Following are a few plants which have not been freely available for some time, and worthy of your consideration: TABER- NAEMONTANA is an attractive, tender plant for part shade with bold evergreen foliage and fragrant white flowers. The

variety we offer is T. coronaria; known also as Grape Jasmine or Nero's Crown, which grows to about six or seven feet. Five-gallon cans, $4.50. Also for shade or filtered sun is LIGULARIA KAEMPFERI (Leopard Plant), a dense mass of round, green leaves resembling water lily pads blotched yellow, and surmounted by 19- inch spikes of yellow flowers—a good addi- tion to most any tropical planting. Five- gallon cans, $4. BAUHINIA GALPINII is certainly one of the better things in shrub- land, with red flowers from spring to late fall, and distinctive two-lobed leaves. A specimen may be seen in bloom at the Nursery now. Five-gallon cans, $5. K.B.

Rhyme in Season

To the many nice people From far and from near

Who graced our gardens Throughout the past year;

To the folks who have helped When the going was rough While our street was demolished, We can't say enough.

So rather than sending Clichés down your way We will all just say ‘Thank you" This Thanksgiving Day.

iH ug I, Cvans

In order to have beautiful plants in your garden, it is imperative that the ground where your plants are to grow be properly prepared; any time and money

Carine

spent in preparation of the soil wil! be -

repaid to you many times over by the health and beauty of your plants and your own pleasure and delight.

The longer | live and observe gardens in Southern California, the more | am im- pressed with the importance of a good mulch all over the garden. Once the plants are in the ground, the less cultivation the better, except for the seasonal digging of borders where perennials, annuals and bulbs are to grow, and a good mulch of manure, peat moss, leaf-mold or leaves keeps the roots of the plants cool ana

moist, saves water and conserves moisture. |

No matter how much some plants revel in hot sunshine, they still like to have their feet cool. Continual disturbance of the soil around growing plants has the eftect of injuring the feeding roots, and, without a mulch, incessant light sprinkling brings the roots close to the surface where they are injured by the action of the sun.

| know | have said all these things be- fore, but they cannot be stressed too much. If genius consists in an infinite ca- pacity for taking pains, genius is useful, indeed indispensable, in gardening. And when your plants are happy you are happy, too.

THE MIXED-FLOWER BORDER

RAINBOW BRIDGE OVER THE SEASONS

One of the greatest sources of enjoy- ment in gardening is the mixed flower border—perennials, annuals, bulbs, a few small shrubs and even a quite small tree or two (all depending upon the size and extent of the bed). Thereby it is possible in Southern California to have some color the year around in approximately the same

position. Never is one's flower bed empty.

Never is it impossible to add a bit of something new to the plan. And then there's the seasonal change, so often lack- ing in Southwest gardens, summer slipping into fall, fall into winter—but not without flowers.

This kind of garden is loved by every- body, but it probably isn't for everybody because it requires an hour or so almost every day of the year—cutting back, thin- ning out, adding here, subtracting there, almost constant fertilizing, and definitely hand watering. And it requires, above all else, a real love for digging in the dirt and watching things grow.

Start a bed of this nature by selecting three or four evergreen long-blooming perennials such as Limonium perezi (Sta- tice), Daylilies (the evergreen lemon), Shas- ta Marconi, and Dianthus Pink Princess. Three plants each of the first three and five of the latter will give you a beginning of permanence. Group each together, the former three toward the middle or rear of the bed, the Dianthus near the edge. Now select about seven Chrysanthemums which are now very much in their seasonal glory, say two pink ones together, three whites in a diagonal line off center, a dark red near one end, a yellow at the other.

Fill in with two clumps of Snapdragons of your favorite color, maybe three of Stocks. Add Ranunculus in same way, some patches of Daffodils overplanted with Violas or English Daisies, and plenty of Dutch Iris in diagonal lines.two or more feet apart (so that you have plenty of room to work next summer without digging into the dor- mant bulbs). And every time you come to the nursery, every month, get acquainted with another new plant or two which may be in bloom or coming along at that time.

Avoid stilted rows of anything. Avoid evenness of height. Learn to blend plants in undulating asymetrical drifts. Be ruth- less about eliminating anything that doesn't harmonize, perform well, or please you. Eventually you'll develop this part of your garden into a source of great pride and satistaction. And your neighbors will prob- ably be envious!

If you start such a border now, here are some of the plants you may have in bloom next November |: Spires of blue Delphin- ium in their last gay performance ot the season; yellow dwart Dahlias you've se- lected in bloom and planted in July; bil- lows of lavender Aster frikarti; the first white flowers of annual Candytuft planted from plant bands in September; pink and white and yellow and apricot pale bronze and deep red Mums from cuttings of this years’ few plants selected flowering in cans now; a mass of lavender Limonium flanked with Ageratum which has been blooming for months; golden Daylilies and white Moraea; the last of summer's Marigolds and Lobelia and the first of winter's Prim-

roses eG?