l62 



GARDENING. 



leb. i£. 



Trees and Shrubs. 



THE ELflTft NORWAY SPRUCE. 



(Picea excelsa var. data.) 



The typical Norway spruce is the most 

 generally planted of all evergreen trees. 

 People buy it because it is cheap, sturdy, 

 bushv, we'll formed, quite hardy, easy to 

 transplant, and with anything like fair 

 treatment a sure and quick grower; in- 

 deed it is the fastest grower of all our 

 conifers. But it has a coarse and com- 

 mon look about it, and except for some 

 particular end other than a garden speci- 

 men ti-ee, such as a shelter nurse forother 

 trees and to be cut out when they get up, 

 a screen to shut incongruous objects out 

 of view, a shelter hedge, and Ihe like we 

 should not advise any one to plant much 

 of it. While it will grow most anywhere 

 it likes good soil, a little stiff if possible, 

 and plenty moisture; then it makes a tall 

 straight stem clad" with branches to the 

 ground. Dry ground, especially when 

 coupled with a bleak exposure, renders it 

 rather homely and v\ oe-begone early in 

 life, and a ready prey in summer to the 

 attacks of red spider. 



Aside from the common Norway spruce 

 we have several garden forms of it. Some 

 of you may know the hideous, sprawling 

 contortion known as P. excelsa var. 

 monstrosa. It is the ugliest tree we 

 know of. Parsons' elata spruce ( the sub- 

 ject of our engraving, which has been pre- 

 pared from a photograph of the Dosoris 

 specimen) in its long bare arms is some- 

 what suggestive of the monstrosa vari- 

 ety; but this one with a little timely care 

 makes ^ pretty and striking specimen. 

 We keep it to a straightstem. Its young 

 bi-anches make a tuft of small branches 

 at the end with a longer and stouter 

 shoot running out from the centerof each 

 tuft. Every year we cut out or shorten 

 these long end shoots so as to encourage 

 the tassels of branches to extra strength, 

 and preserve the good form of the plant. 



The variety inverta is a weeping or 

 ])endulous form, a monstrosity a good 

 deal souglit alter in gardens. It grov/s 

 quite free. 



A variety called conica is, in its way, 

 one of the prettiest little conical pyra- 

 mids we have. It is much sought after 

 for small gardens, and also for winter 

 plants in pots or vases to set outside 

 about fashionable hotels and city resi- 

 dences. 



.\ very dwarf compact variety is called 

 Gregoryatia. It is slow growing and ex- 

 ceedingly dense, twenty year old plants 

 perhaps not measuring more than 4 or 5 

 feet through by 2^2 to 3 feet high; but if 

 not shaded by encroaching neighbors it 

 retains a we'l filled and health\' appear- 

 ance. Another very dwarf variety with 

 more of a compact upright form than 

 Gregoryana is called pygmiea, but it is a 

 homely Httle bunch. 



The varieties Clanhrasiliana, Finedo- 

 nensis and a few others were used consid- 

 erably some years ago, but in view of 

 many other finer evergreens they arelittle 

 sought lor now. 



RHODODENDRONS IN OHIO. 

 H.K.G., Dayton, Ohio, asks: "Wl 



varietiesof rhododendrons would be most 

 likely to do well here? We have zero 

 weather once in a while. 1 am informed 

 some kinds of rhododendrons do much 

 better here than others." 



How about your soil? If it is a lime- 

 stone one rhododendronswill not succeed 



with you except in specially prepared beds, 

 these should be dug out two feci deep and 

 filled up with any good surface soil from 

 land not impregnated with lime. Peat is 

 not necessary, but it is helpful to mix 

 with heavy soil. Leaf mould in large 

 quantity mixed with the soil is good. 

 Manure is not desirable. The ground 

 should be kept mulched, especially in 

 summer, to keep it moist, cool and free 

 from cracking. Rhododendrons are ben- 

 efited by a little shade from hot sunshine, 

 and they love moisture, and at the same 

 time good drainage. Given these condi- 

 tions there are a score or more of varieties 

 that will bear a zero frost. Among the 

 most certain are: 



Abraham Lincoln, rosy crimson. 



Album Elegans, white'lo blush. 



Album Grandiflorum, i^ale blush. 



Alex Dancer, rose, light center. 



Bertie Parsons, lilac blush. 



Bicolor, light, center dark rose. 



Candidissimum, white to blush. 



Charles Bagley, bright red. 



Charles Dickens, dark scarlet. 



Delicatissimum, blush, margin pink. 



Everestianum, ros}- lilac. 



General Grant, rosy scarlet. 



Grandiflorum, dark crimson 



Hannibal, rose colored, late. 



H. W. Sargent, crimson, late. 



King of Purples, dark purple. 



Lady Armstrong, pale rose. 



Mrs. Milner, crimson. 



Purpureum Crispum, purple. 



Roseum Elegans, rose. 



.And don't omit some of our wild Rho- 

 dodendron maximum for late flowers. 



FLOWERING SHRUBS FOR MILWAUKEE. 



".■\ novice" asks: 'What are the most 

 desirabl flowering shrubs for this neigh- 

 borhood?" 



Give them shelter from sweeping 'cold 

 winds in winter, and a heavy soaking of 

 water now and again in summer and 

 early fall in dry weather, and a mulching 

 over their roots till they get well estab- 

 lished and the following should do well 

 with you: Tartarian bush honeysuckles, 

 American snowball, Spirsea Van Houttei, 

 Hydrangea panienlata grandiUora, sweet 

 syringa (Philadelphus coronarws), Pru- 

 nus tr/'/o/ja, purple and common barberry, 

 common lilacs, Japanese tree lilac, Rus- 

 sian tamarix, Rosa rugosa and sweet- 

 brier, purple fringe, ydlow currant, tree 

 psonia. elder. European spindle tree, 

 Clethra alnilolia. and others. 



Landscape Gardening. 



Among thcgrcenhills thai. line ihc beau- 

 tiful Hudson river, and a couple of miks 

 inland from Scarborough, stands Briir 

 Cliff", the home of Mr. W. W. Law. The 

 mansion is built on a knoll and commands 

 views that form a panorama of nature's 

 loveliness. The lawn view illustrated 

 here is looking west from the front of the 

 house. This lawn was but recently 

 masses of rocks and a forest of trees, but 

 after much blasting and clearing it has 

 been converted into a pleasing, sweeping, 

 diversified and beautiful view. Thestatelx 

 firs, cedars and other fine trees shown 

 are the work of nature; while in the dis- 

 tance we get a glimpse of the Hudson 

 river, and across it, forming a misty 

 purple background, are the hills of Rock- 

 land. Awav to the south arc verdant 



valleys and pine clad hills made famous 

 by Washington Irving in his romantic 

 story of "Sleepy Hollow," whereto this 

 day are pointed out the identical trees, 

 the old church and houses, and the mur- 

 muring brook over which the galloping 

 he idless Hessian chased the terrified 

 Ichabod Crane. Mr. Law's estate ex- 

 tends across a portion ol this famous val- 

 ley, in which romance and war and peace 

 have each been immortalized by the his- 

 torian's pen and crystalized by the heroes 

 of American independence. 



The countrv here affords new charms 

 at every season of the year. In winter it 

 has emerald clad slopes with dense back- 

 grounds of pines, here and there glimpses 

 of white and blue sky — in sheltered spots 

 are lingering oak leaves loth to part, and 

 forming as It -ere a touch of .'ad color 

 on the scene which hangs before us like a 

 pieceof tapestry upon which Dame Nature 

 has spread her charms. In the spring- 

 time the atmosphere is laden with the 

 breath of apple blossom, great old or- 

 chards that have stood the tempests of 

 the past century abound here on the 

 southern slopes, some of them appearing 

 as if planted b.v the men of Revolutionary 

 days. In summer we have ah abundance 

 of that North American flora so charm- 

 ingly beautiful, but alas, so little appre- 

 ciated But it is in the autumn, when the 

 country along the Hudson is most grand, 

 the trees seem to vie with each other in 

 beauty of tints that appear to change 

 with even,- gust of wind until they forma 

 symphony of indescribable colors". 



While clearing away the giant rocks 

 and dense forest growth that occupied 

 the grounds immediately surrounding his 

 house Mr. Law has preserved the most 

 beautiful effects. Many fine streams rush 

 laughingly down from the hills and 

 through the glens, here lost in the dense 

 woods, there rippling over rocks until 

 they meet to form a little lake that now 

 supplies the place wi' h water. Some fine 

 roads have been made, and the ground 

 that is intended later to form an exten- 

 sive kitchen garden has been thoroughly 

 drained. 



Mr. Law is a great lover of flowers — 

 immense borders of ro'es, rhododendrons, 

 azaleas and other kinds of ornamental 

 shrubs have been planted withfine effects. 

 A new range of greenhouses have been 

 erected, in which are growing roses and 

 a general assortment of plants and flow- 

 ers intended for home u.se. Mr Charles 

 Weise is the superintending gardener who 

 is transforming this hitherto wild region 

 of wood and rocks into one of the most 

 charming flower decked landscapes along 

 the banks of the Hudson ri%'er. 



T.\.MES IVER.i Do.\L.\.N. 



A FAIRY WOODS. 



.\ subscriber in New Jerscj- has some 

 acres of open woodland which she wishes 

 to convert into a "Fairy Woods," filling 

 it with small or middlesized trees remark- 

 able for their beautiful flowers, gracelul 

 forms, attractive fruit or fine f.liage 

 effects. No big timber trees at all are to 

 l)lanted in it. Shrubs in great variety 

 remarkable for their beautiful flowers, 

 handsome or per.sistent fruit, or fine 

 foliage will also be planted; and, later on, 

 comely, bold, and beautiful hardy peren- 

 nials in telling abundance will be used in 

 wild garden fashion. This piece of wood- 

 l.nid ])rc^cnts a diversified form; part of 

 it is exposed to the open sweep of the 

 bleak northwest wind, other parts are 

 warm and well sheltered, and there are 

 hill, dale and level ground in it, and on 

 one side it grades off into a low or 

 swampy piece of land. The whole, how- 



