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If you have room in your garden for more shrubs and want a splurge of spring color, grow some of the named hybrid brooms, which are handled by several nurseries in the Fog Belt. They do well in this area. Try to see the brooms in bloom before making your choice, for they vary in color, size and vigor.

Strawberries may be planted at various times. Home gardeners often plant in August, but this is not the best time. Commercial growers, who must obtain high yields, usually plant in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. Early planting is very important, as the plants then get off to a good start under favorable moisture conditions during the cool weather of early spring and produce early runners, which are more productive than those growing in late summer and fall.

All manner of men find birds diverting. Children, shut-ins and even very busy folks find their chirps, calls and hammerings sweet and their flashing ways instructive. Some while away dull hours watching birds. Others, besides getting entertainment, also add new facts to our knowledge by making notes on bird behavior and migration.

Like every other garden flower, the dahlia has its special pests, and reknowned Dahlia grower Conrad Faust has been fighting them every year. During past seasons he found malathion spray to be very effective against most dahlia pests. He reported, however, that there was a serious outbreak of red spider in many dahlia gardens in the Atlanta area. Sprays seemed to be ineffective, but upon recommendation of the state entomologist the plants were sprayed or dusted with sulfur and this brought the trouble under control. Mr. Faust says this same sulfur is also excellent for the control of mildew which often attacks dahlia foliage in hot, humid weather.

Most plant diseases which may be caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses are far more easily avoided than cured. Fungus and bacterial diseases breed in unhealthful conditions of atmosphere. Proper control of greenhouse ventilation, temperatures, watering and sanitation are the important factors in preventing infestation, but, since these details are also vital to healthy plant growth, you’ll want to give them careful attention in any event.

One of the things that makes greenhouse growing pleasant and productive is the ease with which insects can be controlled. Unlike growing in the open, the enclosure of glass or covered plastic greenhouse makes it possible to carry on control measures which are not practical out of doors.

The trees that produce fruit or seeds which are useful in attracting birds include the apples, cherries, mulberries, mountain ash, Intwthornes, crabs, hack-berry, sour gum, buckthorne, box elder, birches and hollies. Many of the annual and biennial weeds of the garden and the borders of the flower beds produce the greatest crops of acceptable food for the seed-eaters. Evening primrose, fox-tail grass, lamb’s quarters, ragweed, mullein, goldenrod and sweet clover, retain their seeds and are strong enough to project through the snow. Juncos, tree sparrows, goldfinches, siskins, purple finches, and redpolls enjoy these seeds.

Do you know what the pH of your soil is? Checking a soil’s pH has become so much easier today with new tools.

The landscaper must decide whether deciduous plants (those that drop their leaves) or evergreens should be used in the foundation planting. Your taste and your climate will be the key factors. But remember that a mixture of the two is rarely, if ever, desirable – although an evergreen ground cover can well be used with whichever type of plant you decide on. Indeed, such a ground cover might be even more useful and effective around deciduous material than around evergreens. It will keep the planting from looking sparse and bare after the shrubs go dormant and drop their leaves.

Have you ever come home from work dog-tired on a cool evening and smelled fried potatoes and onions? In my book, they belong alongside freshly baked bread as a “welcome-homer.”

Success in grape growing depends greatly on pruning. Best time for this is the early months of the year. A warm day in January or February when the ground is clear of snow is ideal, but the job should be accomplished before the middle of March when the sap rises.

The Augustine elm is well adapted to street tree planting. Its compact, deep root system lets it flourish and support itself in a limited area. At Winnetka, Illinois, several trees which were planted in a four-foot square of soil chiseled out of solid concrete have made satisfactory growth during the last five years.