April 3, 1909 



HORTICULTUKE 



BOTANICAL 

 QARDBN. 



467 



Rhodora canadense L, 



Rliodora canadense is a native shrub, from 2 to 3 

 feet high, found in rather moist locations from Canada 

 to the mountains of Pennsylvania. As one of the many 

 beautiful representatives of the large plant family, Eri- 

 -caceae, it is one of our prettiest harbingers of northern 

 spring. When in May, after long and patient waiting, 

 the sun has melted the thick ice and snow in the Cana- 

 dian forests and birches and alders in the Maine low- 

 lands begin to leave out, then this shrub, on still bare 

 brant'hes, uiifolds it;^ masses of bright, purplish pink 

 blossom.s. Stand. ng in elustei's their vivid tints lend 

 life to the, for the largest part of the year, dreary, 

 conifoiiless aspect of the northern bogland. Confront- 

 ed with thif: bush of fire in the real wilderness the 

 human eye in wondering gaze realizes the fact that 

 Nature in lier kindness sometimes strikes the gaye.si 

 color notes where otlierwise tlic general character ol 

 the vegetation scorns to be bare of all CilOerl'ulne^^. 

 Wherever 1 met Rhodora canadense in masses and haii 

 the good fortune to see their waves of blossoms in lull 

 glory, be it along the edge of tlie woods, in glades, or 

 on open pastures, they always impressed me as part 

 of the strong tunefvil floral interlude of the brief, and, 

 while brief, amazingly active and productive, growing 

 period characteristic to all vegetation of the North. 



Seeing this shrub among tlie more pretentious mem- 

 bers of its family, noteworthy tlie mollis and pontica 

 azaleas or the evergreen C'atawbiense varieties of rhodo- 

 dendrons on the shrubbery borders of cultivated gardens 

 we are apt to think very little of it. In the wilderness 

 we at once perceive its true significance. Here we 

 . understand Ealph AValdo Emerson's beautiful poem on 

 Ehodora at a glance. 



Tlie aforesaid makes it sufficiently evident that our 

 Ehodora canadense is not an ornamental garden shrub 

 in the common meaning of this term. It end ares, how- 

 ever, on its native home, the inclemencies of our long 

 winters without the least harm and grows under condi- 

 tions and in a soil where very few of our more tender 

 ^> flowering garden shrubs will thrive. For tliis reason it 

 ^ merits its space in wild gardens of our northern states 

 I where it is easily naturalized and generally appears well 

 irt in keeping with the native vegetation. The bright and 

 rr- cheering colors of its masses of little blossoms as floral 

 D- greetings of the spring are so charming that if seen once 

 "^ they will seldom leave the memory of a true plantlover. 



Northeast Harbor, Me. 



European Horticulture 



NEW LILACt 



KAISED BY THE 

 STUTTGART 



LATE W. I'FITZEH, 



For many years efEorts have been made by hybridists 

 and others to improve the blossom of this harbinger of 

 spring, and handsome shrub. Foremost in the ranks of 

 liybridists is Mr. Victor Lemoine of Nancy, France, who 

 lias put into commerce many single and double- flowered 

 varieties. Herr Louis Spath Baumschulenweg, Berlin, 

 is another successful raiser of lilacs who has been es- 

 pecially fortunate in single-flowered varieties. Still 

 more successful was the late Wilhelm Pfitzer of Stutt- 

 gart, who carried out his crosses in his private garden, 

 situated at the foot of the Stuttgart Hasenberg, with 

 tlie newest and best known beautiful varieties. Hun- 

 dreds of seedlings were selected in flowering time, care- 

 fully transplanted, and put under observation in the 

 following years. These were sorted, the best chosen for 

 propagating purposes and the rest throwTi away. After 

 repeated selection three varieties, color plates of which 

 are given in Die Garten welt for March 11, are to be 

 ]mt into commerce next autumn. Perle von Stuttgart 

 is double flowered, pearly rose in the bud, passing to 

 Ulac rose with a white reflex, with spike of great size 

 and graceful form. .Fran Wilhelm Pfitzer is single- 

 flowered, of a fine rosy lilac tint, the bloom making a 

 pyramidal slender spike that is verj^ ornate. It is a 

 free bloomer. Kate Ilarlin is likewise single-flowered, 

 of an alabaster wliite. The flowers are of a large sizo', 

 stand at an equal distance asunder, and tliis gives the 

 spike a light, elegant appearance. 



BEOKEN BRICK IN POTTING SOILS 



Much has been said in recent years about the 

 i-ultivati(in of Odier (Englisli) Pelargoniums in the 

 (lerman gardening press; and M. H. Seeger, writing in 

 Mollers Deutsche Gartner Zeitung, No. 11, 1909, con- 

 tributes the following advice regarding potting for 

 these plants: "I plant my English Pelargoniums in 

 ■rich, turfy loam, leaf mould, sand and a good propor- 

 tion of brick dust mixed with those ingredients. Ac- 

 cording to my belief the dust is a means of warding 

 off attacks of green fly, at least the fly does not appear 

 as abundantly. I supjjose the brick dust imparts a bit- 

 ter taste to the juices of the plant whicli the fly does 

 not like. The flowering of the plants is more abund- 

 ant. 1 use the brickdust as early as the month of Au- 

 gust for the cuttings; and it is my opinion, that the 

 young plants come better through the winters by its 

 use." 



FAVORITE VARIETIES OF FUCHSIAS 



There are several varieties of the Fuchsia which arc 

 great favorites in the neighborhood of the Hartz motin- 

 tains which are regarded by the public as being inval- 

 uable, and have been cultivated in that region for many 

 years by the market growers in masses. The plants 

 are favorites with the florists and those who supply the 

 markets for the reason that they grow with rapidity and 

 come to the flowering stage quickly, besides being very 

 free to bloom. February cuttings develop with proper 

 culture into capital market plants by the month of May. 

 these varieties are Emile de Wildman, a double wliite 

 or robust growth and very floriferous. La Coree, double, 

 calyx carmine, corolla white: the flower large and long 

 enduring. Mad. Eva Boeg, single flowered, calyx flesh 

 colored with green points, corolla magenta, and of great 

 length. A good variety for hanging liaskets etc., is 

 A'oltaire, semi-double, calj'x scarlet, corolla plum col- 



