Vintage Garden Advice

Where flowers bloom so does hope. ~Lady Bird Johnson

This winter I thought I would share some garden advice from old garden magazines I've been given over the years. The following tips are from Home Garden, August 1969.

In a small article some advice is given on fighting off the moles when they attack your bulbs and other roots. I'm assuming the writer did this in the area she was noticing the mole damage.

I perched a piece of bacon on a mousetrap and crossed my green thumbs. The next day I was rewarded with a captured mole. Within a week, I had captured a colony of moles. My problem seemed to be solved.

Plant narcissus bulbs among crocus, tulips or whatever type of spring flowering bulb you may have...the odor discourages moles from munching on surrounding bulbs.

This was interesting. I've always wondered about the seeds on peonies. I usually dead head the blooms when they fade. It takes four to eight years to develop peonies from seeds! Needless to say this is a project for a very adventurous gardener.

The seeds should be gathered as soon as they are ripe and kept moist until November when they are sown in a coldframe or in a very protected spot outdoors. It is a good plan to mulch the seed bed so that it stays evenly moist. It normally takes 18 months for the seedlings to appear above ground and then a few more years before the plants bloom.

How to Water a Tree During Drought

The Shallow-rooted ones such as dogwood, beech, birch, maple (especially Norway and red), hemlock and spruce are the first to suffer.

One good soak a week is far better than letting the sprinkler spray the area beneath a tree for an hour or two a day. If possible water a tree by letting the water trickle over the root area overnight. Trees should be watered at night when possible,not a midday.

Plan ahead; learn how to attract hummingbirds: http://oldfashionedliving.com/hummingbirds.html

~Brenda