354 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[December, 



year at little cost. It is often as easy to have 

 change at a small expense, and as pleasing, as 

 when a large sum is involved. 



It is a pleasure to note the progress of taste in 

 ornamental gardening. Railroads and public es- 

 tablishments were at one time the leading exem- 

 plifications of beastliness in their horticultural 

 surroundings ; now they often lead off in garden 

 beauty. Summer boarding-houses for fashionable 

 people were also until recently far back among 

 barbarians, but many of these now have beautiful 

 gardens and grounds. Altogether, we feel proud 

 of our twenty-eight years of labor; for surely we 

 must have had a hand in this progress. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



A LADYS ROCK GARDEN. 1 



BY MRS. J. S. R. THOMSON. I 



My rockery, which I at one time believed could 

 not be excelled, was built with long, irregular moss- 

 covered gray boulders — so large that but one 

 could be hauled at a time — old stones that looked 

 as if they had weathered the storms of a century. 

 I have two large bay-windows to my two finest 

 drawing rooms. The house is full four feet from 

 ground, which gives me a brick foundation under 

 the bay-windows, eastern and western exposure. 

 Here, thought I, will I build a rockery, not like 

 masons build a stone fence, but irregular and 

 picturesque. I went about it heart and soul, 

 hauled my rock and soil, occasionally getting fine 

 specimen ferns, all native. When everything was 

 completely collected, 1 got three big strong negroes, 

 and crow bars, and went to work. First I took 

 my very biggest and roughest stones and made a 

 circle, conforming somewhat to shape of bay 

 window with them — d gging out deep holes to 

 sink a side of rock in to make steady. When that 

 was arranged to my satisfaction, I had the earth 

 dug deeply inside of a circle about two feet, and 

 fertilized exceedingly rich, knowing full well that 

 I would never again be able to do it, so I did it 

 well at first ; then threw in wagon-loads of soil. 

 Mind, this was a big rockery — bay-window is 

 large, and this was four feet larger outside — which 

 gives me a generous space to work on which 

 filled to almost top of lowest rocks, being fully 

 two feet. On this I began an inner circle, like 

 a terrace, of smaller rocks than for first course, 

 but still large, none smaller than a bushel measure. 

 When arranged, filled in with rich soil. Again in 

 centre, directly under middle window of the bay- 



window, I hoisted my largest and choicest boulder, 

 leaning it up against the wood work of the house, 

 and then was ready to begin my planting. I took 

 my man servant, horse and wagon, baskets, and 

 went for our native plants, collected it full of 

 Sanguinaria, anemones, butter cups, wind flowers, 

 Osmundia regalis, Adiantum and other ferns, seven 

 varieties, I do not know name of, in every crackand 

 crevice where a plant would grow. 1 planted 

 Thrift, Sedums, Saxifraga, Lily of the Valley, 

 Violets, Lycopodiums, Mosses, and my feins and 

 a great many roots of Ampelopsis Veitchii, myrtle 

 or vinca. Oh ! my flower-loving friends ! that is 

 the only real picturesque spot in my vast yard. It 

 has been made for ten years, and every year the 

 stones have grown gayer and mossier, and more 

 attractive. Lily of the Valley is fairly outdoing 

 itself, ferns for every time 1 want them, Violets 

 that waft sweet perfume to our eager senses ; not 

 only every rock with delicate sprays of the Am- 

 pelopsis clinging to them, but it has left that and 

 gone on up the wood work of the bay-window — 

 between the sash— high up to the top of windows, 

 whence it clambers to other portions of the house. 

 It took two or three seasons to get well established, 

 and now "it's a thing of beauty and a joy forever," 

 does not require much work to keep in order — 

 hand picking and a gentle forking amongst plants 

 with thick mulch in winter make it continue to be 

 beautiful to date. Spartanburg, S. C. 



THE BEST NEW ROSES TO BE SENT OUT 

 NOVEMBER ist, 1885, IN FRANCE. 



BY JEAN SISLEY. 



Tea, Marquise de Vivens (Dubreuil).— Very 

 free bloomer ; beautifully shaped, large buds ; 

 very dark bright rose, edged yellowish white. 

 Outside of the petals white, slightly yellowish ; 

 semi-double, fine scent; only very fine in buds. 



Tea, Comtesse de Frigneuse (Guillot). — Free 

 bloomer ; very fine shape, medium size ; nearly 

 full, fine scent ; very bright pure yellow ; very 

 fine buds. First rate. 



Tea, Souvenir de Madame Helene Lambert 

 (Gonod). — Yellowish pink, centre darker ; medium 

 size, full, fine shape ; free bloomer. Sarmentous. 



Tea, Souvenir de I'amiral Courbet (Fernet). — 

 Medium size, nearly full ; dark rose, free bloomer. 

 Not very vigorous. 



Tea, Madame David (Pernet).— Vigorous, 

 flowers large ; nearly full, delicate rose, sometimes 

 shaded light salmon, edged white. 



Tea, Edmond de Biduzat (Levet). — Flowers 



