Katharine got a dictionary and soon she and Eloise had these botanical terms worked out as follows:
A perennial is a plant which lives year after year in the soil. It usually blossoms its second season. Trees and shrubs are hardy perennials.
A biennial is sown one year, blossoms the next and then dies. Biennials should be covered lightly with straw or leaves through the winter.
An annual blossoms and dies its first season. But some annuals sow themselves and so come up again the next season.
The girls worked out a table of planting by months which Ethel called the plant time-table.
Besides the garden which the girls all had together each one did something to improve things at home.
THE FLOWER TIME-TABLE
| NAME | SOWING TIME | BLOSSOMING TIME |
| Ageratum | May | June-October |
| Aster | May | Until frost |
| Balsam | May | June-September |
| Calendula | May | June-October |
| Cal. Poppy | May | August |
| Candytuft | May | June-September |
| Coreopsis | May | June-August |
| Cornflower | April | June |
| Cosmos | May | August-September |
| Four o'clock | May | July-August |
| Foxglove | May | June |
| Gaillardia | May | July-October |
| Helianthus | May | August-September |
| Hollyhocks | August | August |
| Iceland Poppy | May | June-September |
| Larkspur | May | June-July |
| Marigold | May | Until frost |
| Mignonette | May | Until frost |
| Morning-glory | May | July-August |
| Petunia | May | July-September |
| Phlox | May | July-October |
| Scabiosa | May | July-August |
| Stock | May | June-July |
| Sunflower | April | July-September |
Ethel and Dee set up a sundial in Ethel's own backyard. The directions that follow will help other girls and boys in setting up theirs. Sun-time and clock-time are not quite the same. There are four days in the year when, if you work out the sun-shadow time, your dial will be almost accurate. This is because on these days the sun-time and the clock-time practically coincide. These dates are April 15th, June 15th, September 1st, and December 24th.
Before you go outdoors draw on the platform of the sundial a straight line from angle B of the gnomon to the front edge of the platform.