LIBRARY 

 NKW YOUK 

 BOTANICAL 



<1ARDES " 



THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



■ DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 



Yol. XXII. 



JANUARY, 1880. 



Number 253. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



In Philadelphia and many other parts of 

 the eastern section, the month between the 

 middle of November and middle of December 

 was a very mild period for an American win- 

 ter, and the garden in many respects was 

 very agreeable. Coniferous trees, with their 

 great variety of tints and habits were particularly 

 beautiful, and since the introduction of colored- 

 leaved evergreens, suggested possibilities that 

 could not have been thought of years ago. There 

 are now Golden Retinosporas, Arbor Yitses and 

 otherthings,— bronzes, greys and purples,— which 

 would make excellent combinations in the hands 

 'of good artists. Not only are these prettily tinted 

 plants to be found among coniferse; but among 

 Mahonias, Euonymuses and similar evergreen 

 things are much material that would enter gaily 

 into combinations for these elegant winter ef- 

 fects, when snow was not too deeply on the 

 ground. Of course these evergreen gardens 

 would need to have some protection from wind 

 by plantations of larches or some other wind- 

 break. All evergreens in a state of nature are 

 more or less gregarious. They crowd together 

 and shelter one another. They do not mind 

 frost so much as they mind the wind.* "When 

 therefore we stick out plants like a Mahonia 



or a Yew, or an evergreen Euonymus, where 

 the boreal blasts have full sweep against 

 them, we subject them to tests nature never 

 intended for them, and it is not fair when 

 they succumb under such treatment to write 

 to your favorite paper and tell the stor}' of 

 their tenderness under your own wrong. There 

 are no doubt many gardens where shelter for 

 beautiful evergreens cannot be provided, — but 

 those who can have it. know how many hardy 

 things there are. 



The Gardener's Monthly has repeatedly 

 called attention to the advantages of thick plant- 

 ing, not only for the shelter it affords in the win- 

 ter season, but also because it enables one io 

 have pretty scenes in trees, shrubs and garden 

 effects at once, and without waiting a whole life 

 time to see the full effects of the landscape gar- 

 dener's plan. But this thick planting entails the 

 duty of annual thinning out, and pruning, and 

 this is a very good season to think about it. 



Wherever any part of a tree does not grow 

 freely, pruning of such weak growth, at this sea- 

 son, will induce it to push more freely next year» 

 All scars made by pruning off large branches 

 should be painted or tarred over, to keep out the 

 rain. Many fruit trees become hollow, or fall 

 into premature decay, from the rain penetrating 

 through old saw cuts made in pruning. Also^ 



