THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. 



Volume XVIII. 



SEPTEMBEE, 1876. 



Number 213. 



Jlower ^arden and Pleasure Jround. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



With- September we think of the bulbs which 

 flower in spring. We have an idea that as soon 

 as the bulbs from beyond the Rocky Mountains 

 come into culture and under improvement, we 

 shall have races that will vie in beauty with those 

 of Europe. 



In most of the countries of Europe, summer 

 gardening is the most attractive, and most that 

 is done there is with that view. With us the 

 spring and autumn are more enjoyable, and if 

 American gardening is ever to have a distinctive 

 feature of its own, it will be from efforts specially 

 directed to one or both of these. Our summers 

 are usually hot and dry, and people are either 

 " away," or very much indisposed for out-door 

 enjoyment, except such as may be found in 

 shady woods, or on some heights where the cool 

 breezes blow. At any rate we shall not go wrong 

 by doing our best for good effects with spring 

 flowers, and it is time to think about these things 

 now. There is scarcely anything more beautiful 

 in spring than a bed of Hyacinths and Tulips 

 well intermixed. The Hyacinths go out of flower 

 just as the Tulips come in. In the spring Gladi- 

 olus and Tuberoses can be placed between these ; 

 or if desirable, some flowering bedding plants, 

 and in this way the gaiety and interest can be 

 preserved from spring to fall. Crown Imperials 

 are capital things for the centre of small beds, 

 and the regular bedding plants can go around 

 them. Narcissuses keep their foliage too long 

 after flowering, as does the Snowdrop. These 



can hardly be made available where regular bed- 

 ding is desirable for summer. They are best in 

 odd patches by themselves. Crocus does well 

 anywhere. It may even be set in the grass 

 about the lawn,as it is generally over before the first 

 mowing takes place. But it would not be ad- 

 mitted into our best kept lawns. The vast tribe 

 of lilies come in rather late for spring gardening, 

 but few will care to be without them. Besides 

 these there are many little items which are noted 

 in almost all bulb catalogues, from which many 

 interesting spring blooms can be had. No one 

 will go amiss in looking well to this class of 

 plants. The best time to plant is from now to 

 frost. Mice and vermin are very liable to attack 

 these roots. Poisoning is the best remedy. 



Spring gardening, however, need not be con- 

 fined to bulbs. There are other spring flowering 

 things. 



Shrubs for this kind of gardening we have 

 alluded to, should of course be of free flowering 

 character. Of those which can be made very 

 effective, the following may be used : Pyrus ja- 

 ponicct, the red and white; Spirxa prunifolia, S. 

 Reevesii, S. Billardii ; Deutzia gracilis, scabra, 

 and a-enata pleno ; Weigela rosea and W. amahilis, 

 Philadelphus coronarius, and P. Gordonianus ; 

 Forsythia viridissima; Hypericum prolificum ; Al- 

 theas in variety ; Persian, and even the common 

 Lilacs; Tartarian and Fly Honeysuckles ; Haw- 

 thorns, Double Almonds, and perhaps some oth- 

 ers. But all these are common in most nurseries ; 

 are very easy to grow, and very pretty effects 

 may be had at a small outlay. 



