June 12, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



829 



Schizanthus Wisetonensis as 

 Basket Plant 



During my visit to the United States I noticed how 

 well you grow the Schizanthus Wisetonensis but did not 

 see any grown in baskets. The accompanying photo- 

 graph of a plant grown by Mr. E. B. Leech, Woodhall 

 Gardens, Dulwich, London, will convey some idea of 

 what can be done with it in this way. The lasting qual- 

 ity of the flower also adds very greatly to its usefulness. 

 The plant measured over two feet each way. 



J-H^^^ 



Notes from the Arnold Arboretum 



Several new species of Deutzia have in recent years 

 been introduced from China, oAe of the handsomest on 

 account of the purplish color of its flowers being the 

 Deutzia discolor var. purpurascens. This species, how- 

 ever, has not proved hardy in this latitude, but some 

 crosses raised by Lemoine between this species and Deut- 

 zia parviflora and D. gracilis seem to be fairly hardy 

 here and have withstood tlie winter at the Arnold Ar- 

 boretum. One of the handsomest of these hybrids is 

 Deutzia discolor var. floribunda with rather large flow- 

 ers about three-quarters of an inch in diameter arranged 

 in dense clusters, carmine pink in bud and becoming 

 nearly white with a slight blush when fully open. Very 

 similar, but slightly more pinkish is D. Lemoinei var. 

 Fleurs de pommier with slender branches covered their 

 whole length with dense clusters of pinkish flowers. 

 Deutzia Lemoinei var. Boule rose also has slightly pink- 

 ish flowers borne in dense clusters along the branches, 

 and there are some other similar hybrids. 



A very recently introduced species is Deutzia Vilmor- 

 inae from southwestern China, a handsome apparently 

 rather tall growing shrub with pure white flowers in 

 large corymbs somewhat similar to those of Deutzia 

 parviflora, but larger. The individual flowers measure 

 more than three-quarters of an inch in diameter and are 

 borne in large twenty to thirty five-flowered clusters. 

 'J'he oblong-lanceolate leaves are about two to four inches 

 lung and resemble those of Deutzia crenata, but have a 

 whitish under side. It is yet too early to say much about 

 its hardiness but it seems to be hardier than some of the 

 other recently introduced Chinese species as D. discolor, 

 D. setchuensis and D. corymbiflora. 



One of the numerous forms of the Mock Oranges 

 wliich merits to be better known and more planted on 

 account of its early appearing flowers is the native 

 Piuiladelphus hirsutus. It is perfectly hardy in this 

 latitude, though its habitat is from Tennessee and North 

 Carolina to Georgia and Alabama. It is the earliest of 

 all the species to bloom and a handsome shrub with its 

 ^lender branches studded their whole length with creamy 

 white cup-shaped flowers. The individual scentless 

 flowers are about one and a quarter inches in diameter 

 and spring usually in short-stalked three-flowered clus- 

 ters from the axillary buds of last year's branches. The 

 leaves which are not yet fully developed while the shrub 

 is in bloom, are rather small, three-nerved and grayish 

 imbescent on the under side. Though this species is a 

 very distinct one and easily recognized, it is not often 

 found true to name in nurseries, usually other forms 

 of this polymorphous genus are grown and sold as 

 P. hirsutus. 



The most attractive feature at the Arnold Arboretum 

 is at present the Khododendrons which will be in their 

 prime the coming week and these iii turn will be fol- 

 lowed by the Kalmias. 



Thrifty French Nursery Practice 



The French cultivator has a good knowledge of the 

 right breakment of the soil with which he has to deal 

 and, compared with his French neighbor, the West Ger- 

 man has much to learn. The working of the soil goes 

 hand in hand with its improvement. Throughout the 

 year the workers by the piece are to be found in the 

 nurseries ; in winter they trench and dig and in summer 

 hoe and chop up the weeds ; and naturally the employer 

 pays a wage upon which these people may live in com- 

 fort. In the spring when the despatch of goods has 

 ceased, and in the quarters of young stuff earlier, the soil 

 is broken with a three-tined "graft", as it would be 

 called in Kent, and then hoed as soon as a weed shows it- 

 self. They do not wait till "goats fodder" can be made. 

 As to manure, it is not so much of the dear stable 

 manure that is used but rather waste from the kitchen 

 of which every big town wants to rid itself, and which 

 the gardener and farmer throws into a heap to decay. 

 The dust and rubbish of the summer months, which con- 

 tains but a small quantity ■ot coal ashes, and therefore 

 the more humus, are the most made use of. This is 

 mixed with stable manure and cow dung to improve it. 

 About Paris this rubbish is put at once on the land, 

 crockery, metals, etc., picking out these latter, after- 

 wards. This compost is not only a manure, but it helps 

 to lighten heavy loamy soils. 



