34 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



\Fehruary , 



gardener is kept, — where the owner and liis 

 family do their own work, with the occasional 

 help of a laborer to do the rougher work. They 

 find before the year is gone that they have marked 

 out too much to do, and the neglect is worse 

 than if nothing had been done. At tliis season 

 of the year one may profitably contemplate 

 what they propose to do in gardening, but be 

 sure not to plan out more than can be very easily 

 done. 



We are glad to repeat what we have before 

 had occasion to refer to with praise, namely, the 

 growing tendency to have pretty flowers in one's 

 gardens, as well as carpets and mosaics of colored 

 leaves. We do not go so far as to condemn this 

 style of gardening completel}', as some of our 

 contemporai'ies do, but it certainly has done 

 much to destroy the chief pleasure of a garden, 

 which is flower culture. In real flower garden- 

 ing we have new pleasures with every opening 

 bud; in carpet and "mass" gardening we have 

 something to surprise our friends when they 

 visit us, but very little more. There is no objec- 

 tion to a little of it, only do not let it crowd out 

 the pretty flowers. 



In the Southern States, where our magazine 

 has many friends, the first of February finds 

 planting time arrived. In these localities it is 

 not so much what trees or shrubs will stand the 

 Winter, but what shall we plant that will endure 

 our hot, dry Summers? In almost all these 

 cases the catalogues of local nurserymen will 

 supply the needed information, except in the 

 cases of new things that may be so far untried. 

 It will pay everyone at this season to get the 

 lists of the best nurseries that are near to them. 

 As a general rule Pittosporums, Japan Privet, 

 Euonymus, Gardenias, Pomegranates, Crape 

 Myrtles, and above all the Magnolia grandiflora, 

 are the favorite evergreens for the central and 

 lower Southern States, while such things as Rho- 

 dodendrons and coniferse generally, except those 

 of the CupressiniB class, are unsuited to a 

 Southern summer climate. 



In Northern gardens we do not plant much 

 till March, though the weather may be open. 

 Here much use is now made of the dwarfer 

 kinds of evergreens. Since the introduction of 

 so many golden forms, all of which have proved 

 more hardy than the silver tints, they are grown 

 in masses, and make excellent features. The 

 common evergreen Ivy, with its numerous varie- 

 ties, are grown in masses for bordering. When 

 growing up against the walls of our houses, they 



are often injured or destroyed in the Winter ; 

 but when trained, or left to trail on the ground, 

 dry leaves, with some brush on to keep them 

 from blowing away, make an efficient protection. 

 The new Euonymus radicans variegata, is ah 

 excellent thing to match with Ivy grown in this 

 way. 



Every one likes to have Hollies and Magno- 

 lias, but they have the reputation of being hard 

 to transplant. But if cut in severely when 

 moved they always do well, and are amongst 

 the most successful of transplanted trees. This 

 little hint about pruning at transplanting may 

 be applied to most things. There are very few 

 kinds of trees that are not benefited by the 

 practice, though often trees will get through 

 very well without it. 



It is sufficient to dig garden soil only when the 

 garden is warm and dry. Do not be in a hm-ry, 

 or you may get behind. When a clot of earth 

 will crush to powder when you tread on it, it is 

 time to dig — not before. 



If perennial plants have stood three years in 

 one place, separate the stools, replacing one- 

 third, and give the balance to your neighbor who 

 has none. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



HYDRANGEA PANICULATA. 



BY ME. CHAS. H. MILLER, CONSULTING LAND. 

 SCAPE GARDENER, FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILA. 



Mr. Parsons in his "notes on the October 

 Monthly," page 355 December number, says 

 the first plant of Hydi'angea paniculata intro- 

 duced to tliis country, was received at Flusliing 

 from Japan, in 1862. Mr. Parsons then goes on 

 to say he has a plant of it trained six feet high, 

 the flowers of which are pendent from it in grace- 

 ful cm-ves. I think Mr. Parsons means H3'dran- 

 gea paniculata grandiflora, as liis description is 

 very characteristic of this well known plant. 

 Hydrangea paniculata is verj' different in habit 

 from H. paniculata grandiflora ; its panicle of 

 flowers stands erect, without any disposition to 

 droop and does not need support. The distinc- 

 tion in the foliage is however very slight, it being 

 perhaps a little darker in the paniculata, but the 

 flower standing well above the foliage, like the 

 common lilac, makes it in my opinion much the 

 more desirable plant of the two. Either is ver}^ 

 eftective when planted among Rhododendrons, 

 where their late blooming qualities are especially 



