Garden Topics. 327 



When shrubs are grouped in masses they are not tied up in any formal figure. 

 Pendant branchlets or low growing sorts placed in front of erect ones hide the stems, 

 and present to the sight only leaves and flowers, as in natural boscage. 



Roses, American Culture. 



The rose never wearies us, we enjoy every mention of it, and though not a new 

 beauty, yet its beauty never wears out. Read what The American Rural Home says 

 about planting Rose-beds: 



The rose likes a virgin soil, and the nearer the composition of our rose-beds 

 approximates to that, the greater will our success be likely to be. Hence decayed 

 sods, and leaf-mould from the woods when it has been sweetened by the sun, are good 

 fertilizers. 



The old-fashioned way of scattering roses about the lawn is not the best way. 

 Their culture, thus isolated, is apt to be neglected, and grass works in and chokes 

 them ; besides the efi"ect is not equal to where they are grouped in a round, or oblong 

 bed, highest in the center. 



Suppose that we decide to plant a bed of Hybrid Perpetuals. In the center we 

 would want a white rose, or a cluster of white roses, according to the size of the 

 bed. Madame Alfred de Rougemont is one of the finest whites. Portland Blanche 

 is another fine one. Next we could have a row of flesh color and light pink. Caro- 

 line de Sansal is one of the finest of the former, and Sydonie of the latter. Auguste 

 Mie — rosy pink, would pretty nearly correspond with this shade. The next row 

 should be still deeper, rose or deep rose. Of this shade, we have Barronne Prevost, 

 Victor Verdier, and Madam Victor Verdier. In the next row we could have rosy 

 crimson, rosy lilac, rosy carmine and vermilion. Among those of these shades, 

 Anne de Diesbach, General Washington, John Hopper, L. Reine, Mad. Fremion, 

 Maurice Bernardin and William Glriffith, rank the highest. On the outside we could 

 have the deepest shades, as deep red, crimson, and velvety. Dr. Arnal, Francoise 

 Arago, Giant of Battles, General Jacqueminot, Jules Margottin, Pius the Ninth, 

 Prince Camille de Rohan, and Triomphe do I'Exposition would fill the outer ring. 



We do not say that this order should be strictly adhered to, but we think the 

 highest eff"ect would be produced by having white in the center, and gradually shad- 

 ing deeper to the circumference. All that we have named are first-class roses, and 

 our readers may be assured that in selecting from them they will get no inferior rose. 



Supports for Iflowers. 



A correspondent of The Journal of Horticulture, remarking that there are many 

 gardens in or near cities, the cultivators of which have not the easy facilities of 

 getting an abundance of serviceable sticks, to which' to tie their pet plants, proposes 

 a plant, the growing of which will solve the difiiculty. It is of easy culture, and 

 within the reach of most gardeners, and a great quantity can be grown in small space. 

 The plant is a common one in most gardens, but not grown so much as it deserves. 

 It is the Halesia, or Snow-drop tree which entwines our shrubberies with its beau- 

 tiful snow-white drops in winter. 



Procure plants or suckers ; select a piece of ground ; they are not particular as to 



