

THE 



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GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 



Vol. XXIV. 



SEPTEMBER, 1882. 



Number 285. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



There is no more frequent question than how 

 to have good lawns under trees. Grass requires 

 food and moisture. Trees take the food and dry 

 the ground. It is a difficult problem how to get 

 grass to grow under these circumstances. The 

 best grasses for these places is Poa compressa, the 

 flat-stemmed Poa ; and the sheep-fesque, Festuca 

 ovina. The drying out by the roots of the trees 

 can scarcely be prevented ; but a good top dress- 

 ing of manure or compost should be given the 

 grass under trees every autumn. 



Then it is often asked, What evergreens do 

 best \inder trees — especially evergreens for 

 hedges? Of the coniferse there is none that likes 

 to be dry and shaded. The American yew is, 

 perhaps, as little injured as any. It is best to 

 employ deciduous plants where we must have 

 growth under large trees. The different kinds 

 of Privet do pretty well. The old fashioned 

 burning-bushes-— varieties of Euonymus, and the 

 Tartarian and Fly Honeysuckles do well. The 

 Hardy Hydrangeas and Viburnums also do fairly 

 well in dry shade. 



The experience of the last few summers has 

 made much change in the popular ideas of the 

 best time for planting trees and shrubs. The 



teaching of the Gardener's Monthly has always 

 been that the chances of success are about equal 

 at either season. If a favorable winter follows 

 the fall, or a favorable summer follows the 

 spring, either season is pronounced the best ; 

 when an unfavorable season follows, people say 

 they will never plant at that time again. It is 

 the cold drying winds of winter, or the hot dry- 

 ing winds of summer, and not the season of 

 planting which decides. The last two summers 

 have been dreadfully trying to spring-planted 

 trees, while the very best success has been with 

 those of the fall planting. It is remarkable that 

 all the old theories of the best time for pruning 

 were at length resolved into " Prune when you 

 are ready," and it will have to be that the best 

 time for planting is when you are ready to 

 plant. Get trees with good roots, those which 

 have been several times transplanted, if you 

 can ; get thrifty and not half starved trees from 

 poor soil ; do not let the roots dry before plant- 

 ing ; prune the tops of the trees a little, and 

 hammer the earth well in when planting, and 

 we can jifford to let the "the best season for 

 planting?" rest with the village debating socie- 

 ties. 



Lilies, Hyacinths, Tulips— indeed all the hardy 

 kinds of bulbs should be planted or replanted 

 at this season. Herbaceous plants also do a 



