162 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{JunCy 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



SPRING FLOWER GARDENING. 



BY JAMES MAC PHERSON. 



Among the opportunities which the climate 

 of this country presents, and especially those por- 

 tions of it which lie south of Philadelphia, there 

 are few greater than those which "Spring gar- 

 dening" presents ; and yet how rarely if ever it 

 is attempted. It may be urged thatithe effect is 

 not lasting, but this objection may also be urged 

 against Summer bedding in another degree. I 

 have said that the country south of the Delaware 

 is the most suitable. I may be wrong, yet it has 

 seemed to me that the Spring is longer in these 

 parts; at all events such tlowers as are useful 

 would be over by the tenth of May, thus leaving 

 ample time to prepare the beds for their Sum- 

 mer occupants. 



As a small contribution I append a list of such 

 trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants as are now 

 (May 1st) in flower, and feel satisfied that the 

 latter are very poorly represented. Among 

 trees, Resales cut the most important figure, 

 the most showy being among the genus Prunus 

 and Pyrus. 



Acer laciniatum, etc. 

 Alyssum saxatile. 

 Anemone tanacetifolium. 



" Hepatica. 

 Aratiis alpina. 

 Aqnilegia Canadensis. 



" coerulea, Ac. 



Adonis vernalis. 

 Anielanchier canadensi-s. 

 Berberis aquifolia. 



" fascicularis. 



" repens. 

 Betula pumila. 

 Bellis perennis. 

 Cercis japonicus, &c. 

 Corn us floridus. 

 Cratsegus tanacetifolia. 

 Dicentra Canadensis. 



" spectabilis. 

 Dodecatheon Meadia, 

 Exoehorda grandiflora. 

 Forsythia Fortunei. 



" suspensa. 



" viridissima. 



Helleboriis viridis. 

 Hyacintluis vars. 

 Iberis sempervirens 

 Iris florentina. 



" nanus vars. 

 Kerria japoniea. 

 Magnolia conspicua. i 



" purpurea./ ^^'^' 



Myosotis dissitiflora. 

 Narcissus sp.s. and vars. 

 Ornithogalura unibellatuin. 



Pulnionaria ccBrulea. 

 Phlox divaricatus. 



" perfoliata verna. 



" subulata. 



" s. alba. 



" s. occulata. 

 Prunus domesticus fl. pi. nana. 



" Persica fl.pl.sanguinea. 



" " " " rosea. 



" " " alba, &c. 



" cerassusfl.pl." rosea. 



" " " " rosea. 



" " " " alba. 



" japonicus. 



" '■ albus. 



Pyrus floribundus, &c. 



" japonicus vars. 

 Populus treniuloides pendulus. 

 Rhododendron (azalea) amana 

 Ribes aurea. 

 Spiraea Reevesii. 

 Salix laurina. 

 Syringa sps. and vars. 

 Staphylea pinnata. 



" trifolia. 



Saxifraga cordifolia. 

 " crassifolia. 

 Sedura acre. 

 Tulipa vars. 

 Viola pedata. 

 " striata. 

 " tricolor, <ic. 

 Vinca minor vars. 

 Viburnum sps. 

 Wistaria sinensis vars. 



VARIETIES AMONG RED MAPLES. 



BY E. P. P., CLINTON, N. Y. 



I have in planting some 2,000 Arbor vitses 

 from swamp land, found cropping out of my 

 hedges a large number of swamp or low land 

 maples. No two are exactly alike ; some of 

 them with elegant laciniated leaves, others with 

 coral or scarlet bark, others golden barked. I 

 have spared them, and think them quite equal 

 to the Japanese maples. Some one ought to 

 study them up. 



ANNUAL AND BIENNIAL FLOWERS. 



BY VTALTER ELDER, PHILADELPHIA. 



The fashion of having fine colored leaved 

 plants in masses, helps very much to adorn our 

 flower gardens ; but the pleasure which pretty 

 and fragrant flowers bring is wanting, and it is 

 gratifying to every lover of true gardening en- 

 joyment, that the good old annual and biennial 

 plants are again becoming popular ; fortified as 

 they are by numerous beautiful species which 



have been added to the list, since the rage for 

 mere carpet beds threw them into the far back 

 ground. Of older new things, however, there are 

 few that will compete in fragrance with Sweet 

 Alyssum or Mignonette. Some complain that 

 they are dead before the Summer season is over ; 

 but if the flowers be cut oft' when or before they 

 fade, the blooming season is much prolonged; 

 and this is true of perennial plants as well, to a 

 great degree. The old fashioned Rockets and 

 Larkspurs have been much improved of late 

 years. The accompanying drawing is of a kind 

 of Larkspur sent out by Messrs. Vilmorin of 

 Paris, as the "camellia flowered" Larkspur. 



Among perennials, some of the kinds of Co- 

 lumbines have been wonderfully improved by 



