June 27, 1901. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



J25 



No. 2. Outdoor use of Foliage Plants. 



OUTDOOR USE OF FOLIAGE 

 PLANTS. 



The outdoor use of foliage plants is 

 by no means a novelty to the gardener 

 in this favoring climate, but is a method 

 of beautifying the garden that is doubt- 

 less growing from year to year, and 

 from the interesting and beautiful ex- 

 amples that are presented in the accom- 

 panying illustrations (reproduced from 

 "Holler's Deutsche Gartner Zeitung) 

 we have evidence that our German breth- 

 ren also practice and appreciate this 

 branch of the art. Indeed, it is said 

 that the first use of what are termed 

 sub-tropical plants for outdoor plant- 

 ing was made in continental Europe, 

 and in France and Germany in par- 

 ticular, after which we find that sub- 

 tropical bedding became a notable fea- 

 ture in some of the parks of London, and 

 in Battersea Park in particular fully 

 thirty years ago, under the management 

 of Mr. John Gibson, a gardener of the 

 old school and one who was deservedly 

 renowned. 



In the early European practice of 

 this kind of gardening it was tliought 

 necessary to build up the beds that were 

 to be used for these tender foliage 

 plants, using a considerable quantity 

 of drainage material beneath them, and 

 also raising the sides of the beds with 

 brick or stone work. Such a course 

 may have been well to follow in the less 

 favorable climate of some of those coun- 

 tries, but here rather an opposite course 

 is usually found to be desirable, from 

 the fact that we are so bountifully en- 

 dowed with bright sunshine that it 

 would be almost an impossibility to keep 

 the plants wet enough if the beds were 

 raised above the surrounding gnnind. 



Rich soil and an abundance of water 

 are among the essential cniidifinns for 

 the welfare of these pliuit- « lirii |il,\c(il 

 in the outdoor garden, Mini linii may 

 be lost rather than gained by I'i'i larly 

 planting, June 1st being quite early 

 enough as a rule, though an excrption- 

 ally warm season may permit uf an 

 earlier start than this. 



Strong contrasts in form, color and 

 foliage are quite permissible in this 



style of gardening, provided that a 

 harmonious irregularity be produced, 

 such as that shown in illustration No. 

 1, in which we find a large clump of 

 Arundinaria japonica (Bambusa Me- 

 take) as the most prominent feature 

 of the background, that is, unless we 

 consider the trees in the distance as 

 being the background proper. In front 

 of the arundinaria a fine mass of the 

 Egyptian papyrus, Cyperus Papyrus, 

 and a clump of tall growing cannas are 

 seen, these in turn being more closely 

 connected with the surrounding sod by 

 a planting of smaller cyperus and as- 

 sorted plants. 



Toward the right side of the picture 

 another strong contrast appears between 

 the massive leaves of the Abyssinian 

 banana, Musa ensete, and the foliage of 

 some grass-like species, among which 

 appear Arundo dnnax and Pennisetum 

 (or Gymnothrix) latifolium, while the 

 fine specimen of Eouicroya gigantea in 

 the foreground forms another pleasing 

 and distinctive feature in this arrange- 

 ment. 



Picture No. 2 is less distinct, but dis- 

 plays a pleasing arrangement of foliage 

 among which finely cut forms predomi- 

 nate. 



Picture No. 3 evidently shows the 

 clever combination of permanent and 

 transient plantings, the splendid bam- 

 boos at the back and also the large- 

 leaved plant at the right of the picture 

 (probably Gunnera seabra) being 

 among the permanent occupants of the 

 garden, while the musas, cyperus, dra- 

 caenas and various other plants in the 

 foreground and also the fan palm in the 

 extreme left of the picture are among 

 the transient members of the combi- 

 nation, the completed effect being a very 

 pleasing one. 



A very striking effect is that secured 

 in till' hiruc bed of foliiiuc |,l,iii(s shown 

 in picture No. 4, tlir iiiu-;i~ ;ind Calad- 

 iuni esculciituni sh.>« in;;- a n.ihic growth, 

 while the pennisetum also gives proof 

 of having found congenial quarters. 

 Tlie smaller groups around the large 

 bed seem to be of doubtful advantage 

 in this case, and in the opinion of the 

 wi'iter the large bed would be even more 



(ffective without them, though it may 

 be that they have been so placed to 

 secuie some particular color effect. 



The musas shown in this picture have 

 unu'-ually good foliage, and it would 

 seem that they must be protected to 

 some extent from strong winds, the 

 liM\es of this musa being often much 

 toin by the wind during our breezy 

 summei weather, though the plants will 

 ii)ntinue to grow quite rapidly notwith- 

 standing this di.sadvantage. Musa su- 

 peiba is possibly a little tougher in the 

 tohage than M. ensete, but even this 

 also 'gets torn quite badly at times. 



But these pictures by no means ex- 

 hiust the list of available subjects for 

 -■ub liiipical bedding in our climate, and 

 He may also include various ficus and 

 aialias^ Grevillea robusta, crotons and 

 acaljphas, ricinus, abutilons and many 

 citheis, without considering those de- 

 sinedly popular plants, the improved 

 (.iiin.is' W. H. Taplin. 



THE PAST CENTURY. 



We reprint below a very interesting 

 and comprehensive review of the wonder- 

 ful progress of floriculture during the 

 nineteenth century, written by Mr. R. 

 Dean and published last January in the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle, of London, Eng- 

 land. It will no doubt surprise many 

 who have not stopped to give this mat- 

 ter thought to learn that practically all 

 of the present favorites were introduce'd 

 or developed during the past hundred 

 years. And as only by the accomplish- 

 ments of the past can we realize the 

 possibilities of the future, we feel sure 

 this record cannot fail to deeply interest 

 every thovightful member of the profes- 



The first thirty years of the century 

 which has just closed were passed in a 

 time of great political excitement at 

 home; the pepple were groaning under a 

 heavy load of taxation; political liberty 

 was restricted, and penal laws cruel in 

 the extreme. During such a time horti- 

 culture was at a low ebb. It was scarce- 

 ly a period to spend money on pleasures ; 

 there were dangers abroad, and unrest 

 at home. In Lancashire, at Norwich, 

 and elsewhere, where they formed little 

 colonies, the Flemish weavers were 

 tending their auriculas and tulips, which 

 their forefathers had brought with them 

 at the time of the immigration, as things 

 too precious to leave behind them; and 

 they, living somewhat apart from the 

 peoples among whom they settled, kept 

 alive their love for such subjects by 

 carefully tending them. 



THE GREENHOUSE. 



Glass erections for the culture of 

 plants, such few as existed, were heavy 

 in design and uncouth in appearance; 

 cumbrous woodwork and fanciful eleva- 

 tions operated to make such houses ill 

 adapted for the successful cultivation 

 of plants. Heating by means of •Tiot- 

 water apparatus was unknown until 

 some years afterwards; the old brick or 

 tile Hue, and the Polmaise system, which 

 was based upon the principle of drawing 

 the cold air from the house or pit, and 

 forming a chamber around the stove, 

 were in operation. It is curious to note 

 how steadily the introduction of heating 

 by hot-water pipes was resisted in some 

 rmarlers. John Abercrombie, in 1820, 



