THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{January ^ 



description should be collected whenever possi- 

 ble, and stored in suitable places, where they 

 will not be oftensive by their littery appearance. 

 For flowers, generally leaf mould from the 

 woods is very acceptable — not the half-rotted 

 leaves that are immediately on the surface, but 

 such, as have been powdered by age, and 

 amongst which the roots of the trees have al- 

 ready penetrated, and rendered of a spongy con- 

 sistence. We like all manures to be thoroughly 

 decomposed before using, if the garden soil is 

 already light and friable ; and to this purpose 

 the manure heap should be occasionally turned 

 over and lightened, to assist fermentation. This, 

 also, is aided by watering the heap with a solu- 

 tion of potash, and which also gives additional 

 value to the manure. 



It is a very good practice to cover lawns with 

 manure at this season. Two good results flow 

 from this course : the frost is prevented from 

 penetrating so deeply, and the ground being 

 warmed much sooner in Spring, is green and 

 cheerful some time before unprotected lawns, 

 and then the grass itself is strengthened, and its 

 color brightened by the operation. But stable 

 manure has the objection of introducing many 

 coarse kinds of weeds, that would not otherwise 

 exist on the lawn ; and so where the grass grows 

 poorly, and strength and luxuriousness are de- 

 sired, guano and the phosphates are preferred. 

 Many use bone dust, ashes, etc.; but the mowers 

 are apt to feel somewhat indignant, in mowing 

 time, thi-ough this material taking the edge off" 

 their scythes and mowing machines. 



Manure for flower beds, borders, etc., may be 

 hauled convenient to where it is likely to be 

 wanted in Spring. Many spread it on at once — 

 but if the soil is frozen very thick, it prevents 

 the early thawing of the soil in the Spring, and 

 so no time is gained. 



Evergreens set out last fall in .windy or exposed 

 situations, will be benefited by a shelter of Cedar 

 branches. Corn stalks, or mats set against them. 

 Whether hardy or tender, all will be benefited 

 thereby. 



only lead to greater disappointment. It is by no 

 means new, as it was very well figured fort}' 

 odd years ago by Siebold and Zuccarini in their 

 Flora of Japan; and if it is new to gardens it is 

 only because it has never seemed worth intro- 

 ducing into them before. The foliage is by no 

 means striking. The infHvidual flowers are small 

 and arranged in loose long-branched cymes, but 

 without any of the show}' sterile flowers which 

 make Hydrangeas desirable garden plants. In 

 Schizophragma, a few of the outer pedicels are 

 very much lengthened out, and in place of flow- 

 ers, bear small wliitebracts, which however char- 

 acteristic and curious, a-dd no beauty to the in- 

 florescence. Thanks to Colonel Clark, Presi- 

 dent of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. 

 I received some years ago, a supply of seed of 

 Schizophragma, of which I had a large number 

 raised for distribution among European botanic 

 gardens and other correspondents. No plant is 

 more easily raised either from seed or from cut- 

 tings. Some of Colonel Clark's other Japanese 

 introductions are of far greater value and interest, 

 notably >Scm(:Zo/)i7;/5, of which, thanks to him, there 

 are now seedlings by the hundred-thousands in 

 the country. To him too, we are indebted for 

 the first introduction of the anomalous Cercido- 

 pliyllum Japonicum^ in which there is good pro- 

 mise of an ornamental deciduous tree of the very 

 first importance. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



THE CLIMBING HYDRANGEA. 



BY PROF. C. S. SARGENT, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



Too great expectations as to the horticultural 

 value of this much-heralded plant will. I fear, 



THE CLIMBING H YDRANCEA-Schizo- 

 phragma Hydrangeoides. 



BY PETER HENDERSOK, JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS, 

 NEW JERSEY. 



In the December number, Mr.Edwin Lonsdale, 

 I makes inquiry of me if I had found the above 

 I plant to be hardy throughout the whole of last 

 j Winter, as when I described it in my catalogue 

 I we had only then got to 25th of December. I 

 am happy to inform him and your readers gener- 

 ally, that it proved entirely hardy, not a twig 

 I being injm-ed. To be sure last Winter was an un- 

 usually mild one, the lowest point it touched 

 with us being zero, and that only for a day or 

 ] two, twice during the entire Winter, but the Hy- 

 j drangeas were planted on a bleak north-western 

 exposure on a stiff" clayey soil — conditions such 

 as to well try the hardiness of any plant. Erom 

 the result I have no hesitation in jjredicting that 

 j this new climbing Hydrangea, will be hardy in 

 I every situation where Hydrangea paniculata 

 proves to be hardy, and like that grandest of all 



