Dorothy If. Dell--Editor
PAIIIK, ALASKA
Published once a week at Palmer, Alaska, for the liatanuska Valley Farmersi Cooperating
Association for the purpose of giving news of the Associations work, problems, and
Ac compli shr tent s.
'Subscription Fate 01.75 per year Cl.00 for six months 10* a copy
CLEAN-UP & BEAUTIFY
While the weather has been most discouraging this spring-especially the past few
days--we can always hone for better days to come and be quite sure that we will have ,
some sort of a summer. We always have had in spite of all the set-backs we do seen
to get the past few years. Perhaps we don't live right, but most of us who have been
here for 15* years and more are not fibbing when we say that the first years hero in
the Valley were far different from these past few years since the Ifer.
In spite of it all, however, Alaska has good reason, to be justly proud of her gardens.
Vie can raise delicious and attractive vegetables, Ue can also raise beautiful flowers
and we don't need to take a.back seat to anyone in this field. For some reason Alaskan
flowers are large and the colors are'vivid. Perhaps it is our cooler climate that
they like, but whatover it is, we can really produce the prize winners with a little
effort.
Since this is true it i3 too bad that noro of our hones are not landscaped-not nec
essaril3r by professional landscape artists—but by the owners and occupants of the
homes. Huch can bo done by following a few simple rules in laying out the borne grounds.
Wo found.these holpful hints and vail reprint them here for your information.
1; Establish a good lam, or add'more seed to the present lam, if needed. Use
2,4-P to keep out the weeds,
2, Do not plant trees or shrubs in the front lam or in any place /where they will
obstruct, the view of the hone or a pleasi.ig landscape from the home,
3, Screen unsightly objects with tall shrubs, ‘ '
4, Use shrubs to screen from view the foundation of the house. Use shrpbs--tnat do
not grow tall enough to obscure the windows. Taller shrubs may be used at comers or
between windows,
5, Plan a back yard picnic area. This would include an outdoor fireplace and lam
furniture,
6, Flowers should.be used as borders around walks and fences or at the edge of shrub
bery around the foundation of the house, -A regular flower garden in the back yard is
also nice if tine is available for its proper care,
7, Use'of several native shrubs is usually a good idea, because they are hardy and
Veil adapted to the climate.
8, In addition to dative shrubs, other recommended shrubs are spircas, lilacs, hardy
hydrangeas, honeysuckle, Japanese barberry and the hardy ropes.
9, Trees recommended for beauty and shade :arc the native evergreens, junipers, blue
spruce; dwarf pine, American and Siborir.n arbarvitaes and the deciduous trees such as
locust, birch, red oak, black walnut, maple, haplierry, white ash, and the hardy
fruit trees, . _ ■
borne of tins latter group nay not do so noil in Alaska, but did you know that we have
an excellent variety of native shrubs uhicli'.can be used around homes. Among those
that can "be found in the Valley are the Silver Berry which lends a beautiful foliage
contrast, the Mountain Ash makes a beautiful tree, Hi; h Bush Cranberries make fine
shrubs and so do the Elderberries. Wild rosos can also be used, but it is necessary
to keep the suckers trimmed down or they will spread all over the yard. There are
some native spireas in the mountains surrounding the Valley.
If you con find a corner in your hotbed to start a fen flowers which can later be
transplanted.to a permanent location, you rill find that you rill be greatly repaid
in earlier blooms. Do not crowd flowers. Give them"plenty of. room to spread out,and
you will be repaid by more'profuse and larger blooms. A dozen pansy plants for ex
ample, if properly planted, will yield more flooors than you can keep picked. Snoot
peas should always bo planted as early as possilbe. The ground should be preparod in
the fall and as soon as an inch or two of frost is out, they should be planted. The
early' Sweet Beas you see in the Valley come from plants seeded the first part of April-.
Dahlias and Gladiolas should be started indoors in order to insure blooms before frost.
Dahlias can be laid out in a shallow box, covered lightly with dirt and kept warm and
moist. By the time the weather is warm enough, they will have some good healthy shoots.
The same thing can ,be done with Glads.
Dontt onvy those who have beadtiful flower gardens. You can have one too. It is not
so difficult as you may think. * ,