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Soil preparation should be thorough when the home gardener grows their own fruit and, if necessary, started a year or two in advance of planting, particularly if perennial weeds must be eliminated and the soil improved. When stable manure is not available, turning under a heavy growth of clover or alfalfa is an excellent preparation for the berry plantation. In well-managed gardens, where crops have been grown regularly and the soil maintained in a high state of fertility, no special soil improvement is necessary before planting berries.

Shrimp-plant (Beloperone) quickly fills a window with nice clean foliage and brilliant splashes of color. All they ask is a large pot, rich sandy soil, a night temperature of around 55 degrees and an occasional drink of water. My plants are not bothered by insects and seem immune to disease of any sort. Beloperone receives its common name from the resemblance of the over lapping bracts to that of a shrimp.

Like hundreds of other plant lovers, spend many happy days in their flower garden. But, always when the last chrysanthemum had been cut down by killing frost there was the dreary time, between late fall and spring, when all growing things were withered and no flower bloomed.

Whether the container garden consists of a single tub or window box, a set of matched urns, or many modular units grouped in various ways, the container is an integral part of the decorative design. It should, of course, be pleasing to the eye, but not so striking that it becomes the main object of interest at the expense of its plants. Its design – line, size, shape, color, texture – should be in harmony with both plants and setting. It should have an air of “belonging,” not of having been placed willy-nilly simply because a plant needed something to grow in.

There are some ways to help intensify light in a window, or inside a room especially during winter. Pass up heavy drapes in favor of transparent curtains. Color the walls in pale tones, so less light is absorbed and more is bounced back. Supply added light from a table or floor lamp, particularly on dark wintry days.

Too often called a hardy perennial, the garden chrysanthemum has not proven to be so in the North, especially the far North. Some gardeners claim that their plants have lived for several years, then along came one of the so-called “test winters.- and they are wiped out. True, there are times when they survive the winter nearly 100 per cent but there also are winters when the mortality rate is nearly 100 per cent.

One of the stout-hearted lilies found in Korea thriving among grasses and low-growing shrubs was Lilium amabile. Bulbs were first available in 1905. Amabile means pleasing or lovely. The single thing not pleasing is the somewhat offensive odor of the flowers which is not too apparent in the garden, but practically disqualifies this species for cutting material.

Practically all varieties of trees and shrubs prefer a well drained location with plenty of water. Poor subdrainage is frequently the correct diagnosis for trees or shrubs presenting small bronzy foliage that droops and appears unhappy. The proper installation of drain pipes is the best cure for these sick trees or shrubs.

The fact that hanging plants look well dangling down from hanging baskets or wall brackets is obvious. Plants and containers should be harmonious with each other and with their setting. But the wide variety of hanging plants available is not so well known. From pendant begonias to fuchsias, ivy geraniums to fiery-flowered columneas, verbena to the “basket miniature” orchid cacti, you have a wide, wide choice of sizes, colors, textures, and contours. There’s nothing to keep you from leaving the beaten path and growing something new and different.

Since evergreens retain their leaves during the winter and some evaporation continues, it is necessary to water them thoroughly before cold weather arrives, and to give them an occasional watering during dry mild spells. A two- to three-inch mulch of peat moss over the root areas of the evergreens helps to retain moisture; keeps the soil warmer during early winter, permitting later root growth; and by keeping the soil cooler in early spring, the growth is held back and there is less danger of injury from spring freezes.