1895. 



' GARDENING. 



323 



A VINE-CLAD WINDMILL DERRICK. 



they are most numerous. Its charm is in 

 its " graceful, finely-cut fern-like light 

 green foliage. It is perfectly hardy. 



The Carpathian bell flower {Campanula 

 carpathica) in its white and blue forms 

 grows about ten inches high and flowers 

 freely from now on, mailing a useful border 

 plant. Its upright bell-shaped flowers 

 are attractive. The Chinese bell flower 

 (PUitycodon grandifforuw) is a gem in 

 any collection after it becomes well estab- 

 lished, and it blooms freely from now 

 until September, standing three feet high 

 and carrying its flowers well above the 

 foliage. The buds are like an inflated 

 balloon, opening out into large star like 

 flowers. The type is blue, but the white 

 form is more effective when there is a 

 back-ground of shrubbery. This plant is 

 often catalogued asaCanipanuIaor Wali- 

 Icnhergia 



Alstromeria aurantiaca, sometimes 

 called the Peruvian lily, is a native of 

 Chili, and although it has been long iti 

 cultivation it is but little grown. It is 

 precariously hardy, but if in well drained 

 light soil, well covered with dry leaves and 

 an inverted box placed over it to exclude 

 the moisture, it winters well. Plants so 

 treated last winttr are doing better than 

 those wintered in a cold Iranic. Thcv 



flower all summer, bearing on terminal 

 stalks three feet high orchid-like flowers 

 of a rich orange color, that last well 

 when cut, each bud opening out 



The newer forms of the perennial lark- 

 spurs, if a good strain has been obtained, 

 are grand. With good cultivation they 

 rank with our showiest perennials. Any 

 person seeing the semi-double forms, and 

 not loving flowers torever afterward, does 

 not belong to this world, and should 

 depart— below. The most delicate shades 

 of blue and pink are blended and com- 

 mingled as only Nature's brush can paint. 

 The plants send up their brilliant spikes 

 five or more feet, crowded with blooms 

 often over two inches in diameter, form- 

 ing a flower spike nearly two feet long, 

 reeiuiring staking to prevent damage by 

 wind or storm. They will bloom more or 

 less all summer if not allowed to ripen 

 their seeds. Mulch them well with 

 manure in the fall and they will repay you 

 with interest next .summer. The showy 

 larkspur (Delphinium formosum) must 

 not be overlooked, with its fine spikes of 

 indigo-blue flowers freely produced on tall 

 stems, or the more dwarf Chinese varie- 

 ties, among which is a charming shade of 

 light blue. [White also, and semi double. 

 There are likewise tall and dwarf varie- 



ties. The delphinium known as Breckii, 

 is a variety of this species— D. grandi- 

 /lontm.—Un.] 



Among the spiraea shrubs in bloom we 

 have the extrcmelv dwarf .S'. hiillata, S. 

 liumahla, S. nill.inln. .S\ ^.,rl,il„lia. S. 

 calUisa and S. /,n(,//,r.//;./. t lir latter is 

 fine with its white I. .Vihri x ,M.iicles, held 

 like upright plumes .-.hnvc tin- loliage. 



The golden elder and its variegatcil 

 relative are in theirbest form. The former 

 is particularly handsome. The flat 

 corymbs of white flowers resting upon 

 the' golden-green foliage is striking. It 

 requires rather a dry sunny position to 

 bring out its best color, and it should be 

 severely cut in each spring to insure 

 density. 



Deutzia Pride of Rochester, a form of 

 D. crenata, has large double flowers ex- 

 ternally tinged with pink; it is one of the 

 best of the species, but the other varie- 

 ties Watci-cri and Wcllsii are all good. 

 This genus requires winter protection 

 here. Hypericum Moserianum requires 

 the protection of a cold frame, and a 

 severe cutting back when planted out, as 

 it blooms on the new growth. Its beau- 

 tiful large yellow flowers on pendulous 

 branches, freely produced all summer, 

 fully repay any care bestowed upon it. 

 W. C. Eg.\n. 



fl VINE-COVERED WINDMILL DERRICK. 



Mrs. F. Norton Bi.-gs, one of our sub 

 scribers in Indiana, sent us the beautiful 

 photograph from which our illustration 

 has been engraved. Now if there is one 

 structure more than another about our 

 homes that seems to be forgotten it is the 

 windmill Go where we will, east or 

 west, it is very seldom indeed that we 

 find the least attempt to adorn the wind- 

 mill derrick; still there it stands, an ex- 

 cellent trellis for vigorous vines, and 

 shameful in its nakedness. But our illus- 

 tration is a pointed suggestion, a happy 

 picture of the usesuch derricks can be put 

 to. And we earnestly hope our other 

 readers who have such'buildings at home 

 will go and do likewise. There are many 

 vines fitted for this work, for instance, 

 Virginia creeper, trumpet creeper, pipe 

 vine, akebia, wistaria, silk vine, flowering 

 grape vine, actinidia, the fleecy clema- 

 tises, and others. Before planting them, 

 however, make abundant provision for 

 their welfare by digging out and remov- 

 ing the poor soil to two feet deep and re- 

 placing it with good loam. 



We shall now let Mrs. Biggs tell us 

 about her beautifully ornamented derrick. 

 She writes: 



"I send you a photograph of our wind- 

 mill derrick, which supports some very 

 fine vines. You are looking at the north 

 side. On the northwest corner is a mass 

 of the European Traveller's Ipy (Clematis 

 Viialba) whose creamy white flowers — 

 no fruit— were in glorious bloom when 

 the picture was taken (in August, '94-). 

 On the southwest corner are wistaria and 

 trumpet creeper, the latter had just 

 ceased blooming after six weeks of 

 splendor. I have neverseen a more vigor- 

 ous bignonia north of Philadelphia. On 

 the southeast corner is a purple clematis 

 (C. Viticella) with flowers nearly the 

 color oijackmanni, but only three inches 

 across. I had a Belgian honeysuckle 

 there too, but it having died it was re- 

 placed, temporarily, with coba^a. The 

 northeast corner supports a coral honey- 

 suckle, and the dainty yellow-flowered 

 Clematis graveolens. ' To realize the 

 height of these vines compare them with 

 the sweet peas at the right of the derrick. 

 They were six feet high. This beautiful 



