i8g6. 



GARDENING. 



243 



SALIX. PURPUREA PENDULA: 



wind, would they have done Ijetter? If 

 we have to remove these what other 

 kind would vou advise me to plant? 

 Two Rivers, Wis. J. E. H. 



The trees have been winter killed. Root 

 them out at once, and replace with Colo- 

 rado blue spruce (Picea pungens). The 

 very blue colored varieties of this spruce 

 arc expensive, but the green leaved ones 

 are as cheap as the Norways. Yes, the 

 protection afforded by a board fence be- 

 tween the trees and the wind would have 

 been of great service in saving the trees; 

 still we believe you will like the pungens 

 spruces much better. There is nothing 

 unusual in the trees keeping green and 

 healthy looking all winter and getting 

 red and leafless in April. If you cut off a 

 branch of a fir or pine tree in November 

 and lay it on the ground or wood pile 

 over winter it will look most as gretn and 

 fresh as if it were growing on the tree till 

 March or April, then it would get brown 

 and soon become leafless. 



SflLlX FURPUREft PENDULfl. 



This European shrub, known in Eng- 

 land as the purple osier, in its natural 

 form makes a broad spreading decum- 

 bent bush often nearly ten feet high. Dur- 

 inaireeentyearsit has been grafted on other 

 stock and sent out as the new American 

 weeping wi low. It was a happy thought 

 that caused the experiment, as it is un- 

 doubtedly the most graceful of the smaller 

 weepers. The term weeping does not 

 convey fully its characteristics, as the 

 word implies a drooping nature only, 

 while this plant often, after sending down- 



wards a branch until it sweeps the earth 

 and the terminal bud is broken by rub- 

 bing against the ground, starts a vigor- 

 ous growth from near the tips, sending 

 straight upwards long slender shoots. 

 Other similar shoots extend upwards 

 from the upper surface of the drooping 

 branches, reaching far above the graft 

 and finally producing a most pleasing 

 mass of open foliage. 



The leaves are four to six inches long, 

 lanceolate and glabrous, and at a dis- 

 tance have a greyish olive tone, that 

 renders it an admirable subject to be 

 placed well to the front, where a foil of 

 dark-green foliage behind makes it a con- 

 spicuous, though harmonious, object. 

 For small grounds it is admirable, lor it 

 can be kept to almost any size. It is per- 

 fectly hardy, seems to thrive in any situa- 

 tion, and transplants readily. Thespeci- 

 men illustrated has been planted in its 

 present position four years 



W. C. Egan. 



The Flower Garden. 



UflRDY PLANTS IN BLOOM APRIL 20. 



I have never before seen such a sudden 

 change in the garden in so short a time. 

 Ten days ago in the lower part of our 

 garden, which is shaded by large trees, 

 the ground was frozen hard. To day in 

 every comer of it the buds are opening 

 and the leaves developing and almost 

 everywhere there is something in bloom. 



Large patches of the white rock-cress 

 (Arabis albida) are in full bloom. It is 



one of the finest early flowers we have 

 and blooms best when grown in an open 

 sunny position. In the borders are also 

 masses of grape hyacinths (Muscari 

 hotryoides). It is a bulbous plant, loving 

 to grow in a deep, sandy soil, and it is 

 (|uite hardy, needing no protection what- 

 ever. It grows about nine inches high. 

 The individual flowers are blue and al- 

 though small are produced on slender 

 stems in nice clusters. There is a white 

 variety of this plant in bloom which is 

 even prettier than the type. [A very 

 pretty and very common little spring 

 blooming bulb and one of the easiest of 

 all to naturalize in grassy or wild places; 

 indeed in some old farm yards vvfe know 

 it has run wild with the profusion and 

 strength of a weed.— Ed.] 



The large bright yellow flowers of the 

 spring adonis (Adonis vernalis) are 

 among our most showy, hardy spring 

 blossoms and the bright weather we are 

 having shows them off to fine advantage. 

 This plant should not be disturbed often, 

 as it thrives better if leftalone. Itgrows 

 well here in a sunny border in deep, light 

 soil. 



A very handsome Himalayan primrose 

 now in bloom is P. denticulata. It is 

 (juite hardy here if covered over with 

 leaves in the winter. When grown in 

 single plants it is not very showy, but a 

 little bed of it makes a pleasing effect. It 

 grows about nine inches high and has 

 bright lilac flowers in round clusters on 

 erect stems. Its variety, Cashmeriana, is 

 in bloom also. Both grow best in a 

 slightly shaded position and where water 

 will not lodge around them in winter. 

 [Both are easily raised from seed and 

 bloom full the following year. To have 

 them in perfection winter them in a cold 

 frame planted out as one would pansies 

 or polyanthuses.— Ed.] 



Puscbkinia scillioides is a desirable 

 small bulbous plant and has flowerspikes 

 six inches long or more with delicate blue 

 blossoms. It is hardy if planted in a 

 sunny position and in deep, light soil. A 

 near relative oi Puscbkinia is glory of the 

 snow (Chionodoxa Lucillix), another 

 charming early blooming bulbous plant. 

 There are several clear blue star-shaped 

 flowers on a short stem. The variety 

 gigantea with larger flowers, is also in 

 bloom. They are exceedingly hardy and 

 succeed in any common garden soil. Un- 

 der the shade of trees there are still large 

 patches of Siberian squills in bloom. They 

 are easy to grow and multiply quickly. 



Our native liver-worts (Hepatica tri- 

 loba and acutiloba) are in bloom; so is 

 the European species (Hepatica angu- 

 losa) which has much larger and showier 

 flowers than our native ones. All are at 

 home under the shade of a large hemlock. 



The two dogtooth violets we have in 

 bloom now are Erythronium alhidum 

 and E. grandifiorum. In the rock garden 

 Saxifraga ligulata is in bloom, the flow- 

 ers are pleasing, but the foliage is not 

 good at this time. Blood root [San- 

 guinaria Canadensis) makes a good gar- 

 den plant and at this time its flowers are 

 produced plentifully. The twin leaf 

 (fefTersonia diphylla) is very nice while it 

 is flowering, but its blossoms do not last 

 long. Geum trifiorum is a low growing 

 native plant that blossoms early in 

 spring. Its flowers are not showy now, 

 but later the plant on account of its 

 white plumes of fruit is more showy. In 

 a rich, moist soil and a shady position 

 there is a large bed of bellwort ( Uvularia 

 grandiffora) flowering profusely. It 

 grows about eighteen inches high and 

 has drooping yellow flowers. Pacby- 

 sandra procumbens is a low, evergreen 



