THE GARDENER'S ALMANAC

In the midst of all our pondering and scurrying and pausing to reflect here in the Bullis Room this past week, Spring arrived and turned our attention to the horticulture books in this collection. There are so many good ones to choose from that it's a challenge to focus on just one, but we thought we'd start with The Gardener's Almanac, first published in 1939 by the Massachusetts Horticulture Society. Edward L. Farrington wrote this book to "serve as a valuable reminder, making it less likely that the garden maker who uses it will leave undone the things which he ought to have done or perhaps to have done the things which he ought not to have done."

To accomplish this goal, Mr. Farrington composed a calendar with information on garden work for all twelve months of the year. He offers good advice to those of us who live in the north as well as gardeners in the south. So what should we northern gardeners be doing now, as March comes to a close? Here are a few of his suggestions:

1. The Winter coverings of boxwood and evergreen plants can be taken off by the end of the month. It is better to do this work on a cloudy day.

2. Do not be hasty in uncovering protected shrubs, or perennials and bulb beds.

3. Give the asparagus bed an early dressing of complete commercial fertilizer.

4. Keep an eye out for insect cocoons, caterpillar nests, and insect eggs and destroy them.

5. Charcoal placed in the water in the jars where Spring blossoms are being forced will help to keep the water sweet.

There are lots more hints for those of us who like to get our hands in the dirt. We'll share more of them in a future posting.