286 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[September, 



failed— and this failure often steps in to spoil a 

 gardener's efforts in this climate. The principal 

 plants employed by Mr. Miller in producing his 

 effects we note to be Geranium Lucius and General 

 Grant, Coleus Verschoffeltii, Irisene Herhsti, Glau- 

 cium eorniculatum, Artemisia stellaris, Cineraria 

 maritima, Centaurea gymnocarpa, C. Candida, Py- 

 rethrum aureum, Vinca major, Petunias, Variegated 

 Ai'undo and Cannas. The various varieties of 

 dwarf Achyranthus also enter largelV into the 

 work. 



Mr. Thomas J. McKenzie, of Philadelphia, has 

 a circular bed with four small semi-circular pro- 

 jections. The style of this bed is remarkably 

 well adapted to effective results. The wings are 

 set with Scarlet Salvias and other fall flowering 

 plants, so that full effects aimed at will not be 

 seen till next month, 



Messrs. A. Hance & Son, of Red Bank, aimed 

 to make a star out of Geraniums in a circular 

 bed, using white variegated leaved kinds for the 

 ground color, and different kinds of colors for 

 the limbs of the star, but the heat kept some va- 

 rieties from doing well, and interfered with com- 

 plete success. 



Peter Henderson, of New York, makes some 

 admirable floral displays ; exhibiting one hundred 

 different varieties in one bed, all named. We were 

 about to make a note of those which seemed to 

 stand the sun best, but we notetl that in some 

 corner, or in some one part, all the varieties did 

 well, and in other places all did poorly. It is 

 clear, therefore, that it is not wholly the sun 

 which causes some varieties to do well or ill; but 

 in addition, there is something in the irregularity 

 or regularity of manure, or some other little 

 thing which, when known, may make success 

 out of almost any kind. One of Mr. H.'s beds 

 is a large circle with the plants arranged in the 

 following order : — Centre, dark leaved Cannas, 

 then var. Arundo, Caladium esculentum, Coleus Ver- 

 schaffltii, Golden Coleus of some kind, apparently 

 Queen Victoria, Irisene Herhsti, Cineraria mari- 

 tima, and finally near the grass, AUeriumtliera versi- 

 color. This was a very effective combination, and 

 would have been better if Glaucium had been 

 used for the Cineraria, which was too weak for a 

 heavy circle. 



C. H. Wilson, of Montgomery Co., Pa., has 

 a circle with the following combination : — Cen- 

 tre, of Cannas ; next, of scarlet Geraniums ; then 

 of Coleus Queen Victoria ; then silver Artemisia, 

 and finally a ring of AUemantliera versicolor. For 

 such a combination very large plants of scarlet 



Geraniums should be used. Here they are much 

 too small. The other plants outgrow them. 



Mr. Robert Scott, of Philadelphia, has a mag- 

 nificent rectangular bed of General Grant Ger- 

 anium, and another of Tea Roses. These were 

 blooming charmingly, and show that with a 

 proper selection of kinds for massing, a regular 

 parterre of Tea Roses would be one of the most 

 charming scenes in summer decorative garden- 

 ing. 



Mr. W. F. Boyle, of Philadelphia, has a very 

 pretty circular bed. The centre is Irisene aurea 

 recticulata ; then Coleus Bausei ; next C. Verschaf- 

 feltii, Centaurea gymnocarpa, Irisene Herhsti, Centau- 

 rea ragusina, and finally Alternanthera amoena. 

 All these seemed to come up well in their order 

 as intended. He also has an attempt at a star 

 of Coleus, and somewhat successful. The head 

 and tails are of Coleus Verschaffeltii, while the 

 tails or points are shaded off by varieties of a 

 lighter color. 



Mr. W. C. Wilson, of Astoria, has an irregular 

 bed, but the plants arranged in belts and ribands 

 regular and irregular. The general effect is very 

 fair. There are many plants here not in general 

 use, but would come in well in places. There is 

 a pretty Gauva, perhaps G. Lind hiemeri, a cham- 

 irpcnse, a narrow-leaved silver Gnaphalium, the 

 Santolina incana and some nice Petunias. 



Gibson & Bennett, of Woodbury, N. J., in a 

 very pretty circle, make good use of dark Ver- 

 benas inside a circle of Golden Feverfew. We 

 never saw anything set Verbenas off better. 



Mr. Zeller's Perpetual Carnations, suflered fear- 

 fully from the heat. 



Mr. John Dick, of Philadelphia, makes a very 

 large display, and is chiefly interesting for the 

 great amount of information one may glean 

 from it, as to the rarer plants that may be used 

 to advantage in summer gardening, but are not 

 often seen. Here, doing remarkably well after 

 this dry and hot season, we noted Festuca glauca, 

 Euonymus radicans variegata, Ahutilon vexillarum 

 variegatum, Alternanthera of many varieties, Muh- 

 lenheckiaplatyclcula. Salvia coccinea, Talinuni patens 

 variegatum, Plunihago capensis, and a very dwarf 

 Eupaiorium colxstinum. The effects, too, of his 

 beds of Echeverias, Aloes, and succulents gen- 

 erally, in comparison with other flowering plants, 

 are beautiful in the extreme. 



Mr. Siebrecht, of New York, has a specimen 

 of rock-work. It has the great disadvantage of 

 being surrounded by highly ornate gardening, 

 under which circumstances rock-work never 



