GARDENING. 



Sept 15, 



was freshly put in my garden last fall, 

 and are well watered every day, as seems 

 necessar}' for all flowers and grass in this 

 dry climate." 



Outdoor roses are apt to mildew in 

 summer in defiance of all preventives. 

 We have three large rose patches here, 

 two have been planted for several years, 

 and one was planted a year ago, the 

 latter being in the best ground. In the 

 first two patches we had a little mildew 

 in July and August, but it has mostly 

 disappeared now, and without an3' pre- 

 ventive measures having been taken; in 

 the new beds mildew set in in June very 

 badly, and notwithstanding spraying and 

 watering it has continued without cessa- 

 tion. Sulphur checks and in a measure 

 prevents mildew, but it does not cure 

 affected parts. The same with Bordeaux 

 Mixture and ammoniacal carbonate of 

 copper. However, you cannot do better 

 than use these, the sulphur as a powder 

 dusted on the plants from a bellows, the 

 others as a liquid spray applied from an 

 atcmiizer orfine-rose syringe. But it isn't 

 the downy mildew that is causing the 

 lower leaves to fall off, they must be 

 troubled with anthracnose, black spot or 

 some other of the countless fungus evils 

 peculiar to the rose (Dr. B. D. Halsted 

 says 165 kinds are recorded). But the 

 treatment given above will help the roses. 

 Or, let us give Dr. Halsted's prescription: 

 Black spot "may be held in check by the 

 carbonate of copper compound, using 

 three ounces of the carbonate of copper, 

 one quart of ammonia, and 50 gallons of 

 water. The spraying should be done 

 once week, using a hose and a nozzle that 

 gives a fitie spray. The point should be 

 to wet every part of the plant and yet 

 not drench it. If manj' leaves have fallen 

 from the plant they should be gathered 

 up and burned." 



No, don't cut down your plants at this 

 time of the year. Cutting them now 

 would cause them to start into fresh 

 growth, and thus render them rather 

 tender in winter, besides it might start 

 the very eyes that should be preserved for 

 next summtr's blossoms. 



The Flower Garden. 



FLOWERS IN BLOOM AT EOflNDflLE, AUGUST 

 20, 1895. 



Otic of the earliest dwarf asters to 

 bloom is A. Amellus var. Uessarabicus, a 

 Russian introduction growingabout two 

 feet high, producing freely large deep pur- 

 ple flowers with a yellow eye. 



The Kansas gay feather, bearing the 

 easily pronounced botanical name of 

 Liatris pycnostachya is one of the rather 

 showy Howers available for dry places. 

 When grown in masses it is quite efiect- 

 ive. It has stiff sessile lanceolate leaves, 

 from which spring tall stems, bearing 

 cylindrical spikes of pale purple flowers, 

 reaching a height of three or more feet. 

 Not choice enough for a select position. 



The recently introduced fleabane (Inula 

 ensifolia) grows six inches high, bloom- 

 ing quite freely. Flowers, a bright yellow 

 and an inch and a half in diameter. It 

 promises to be useful border plant. 

 Erigeron speciosus, often catalogued as 

 Stenactis speciosa, has showy aster-like 

 flowers an inch and a half across, the ray 

 florets are violet, numerous and very 

 narrow, the center disk is yellow, foliage 

 inclined to be tufted. The plant grows 

 about eighteen inches high and is quite 

 attractive. This is a second crop, its flush 

 of flowers is in June. 



The showy stone-crop {Sedutn specta- 

 bile) an admirable member of the live-for- 

 ever family from Japan, is a splendid bor- 

 der plant for a bed of perennial phlox, 

 that in dry weather are apt to lose their 

 lower leaves, which feature of untidiness 

 the sedum hides. It comes into full bloom 

 when the phlox is about through and 

 remams in perfection a long time. It 

 forms a broad almost glaucous colored 

 plant some eighteen inches high, bearing 

 numerous broad flat heads of handsome 

 small rose colored flowers. 



The cardinal Hower (Lobelia cardinalis) 

 is indigenous in our swamps, where it 

 passes the winter more safely than in our 

 gardens. In heavy soil its shallow grow- 

 ing roots are upheaved by alternate freez- 

 ing and thawing, but in' its habitat, the 

 roots of neighboring plants protect it. In 

 the light soil of Lincoln Park, Chicago, it 

 winters well. Otherwise it takes kindly 

 to cultivation with ordinary moisture, 

 growing about three feet high and pro- 

 ducing long flower spikes of a deep cardi- 

 nal red color that are very showy at a 

 distance. Its blue flowered companion 

 L. syphilitica, a coarser and»-l«6s-6howy- 

 plant, is also indigenous and improves un- 

 der cultivation. 



The giant ox-eye daisy (Pyrctbrum 

 uliginosutn) is as its specific name implies 

 another moisture-loving plant. Under 

 good cultivation it soon forms large 

 clumps, bearing terminal, daisy-like flow- 

 ers two or more inches across. It comes 

 from Russia and is a choice acquisition. 



Phlox subulata, the American moss 

 pink, is bearing its second crop of flowers, 

 and while not as profuse as in early 

 spring it gives us a color that is not com- 

 mon at this time. It has handsome moss 

 like foliage only a few inches high and 

 bears pinkish flowers in great profusion. 

 It makes a capital edging and is hardy 

 where water does not stand in winter. 



Heliopsis Issvis, the false sun flowerand 

 also known as ox-eye is the only member 

 of the family indigenous with us and "the 

 woods are full of them." They improve 

 under cultivation and are admirable for 

 cutting. Thej' grow from three to five 

 feet high, bearing golden yellow flowers 

 about three inches in diameter. [But keep 

 it in check, for it self sows so freely that 

 it soon becomes a weed.— Ed.] 



The sweet pepper bush (Clethra aini- 

 /b/j'a) is weaker in flower this year than 

 usual, probably on account of the last win- 

 ter being so severe. It is an attractive 

 shrub about four feet high, with dark green 

 foliage, and showy upright spikes of 

 creamy white fragrant flowers. [Abund- 

 ant in swamps in the Atlantic States, but 

 a verv desirable garden plant for all that. 

 —Ed.'] 



Hydrangea paaiculata grandiflora, in 

 standard and bush form is nearing its 

 prime. It is so well known that a descrip- 

 tion is unnecessary. It well repaj's good 

 soil and copious watering. A severe cut- 

 ting back eachspringandthinnincoutthe 

 weaker shoots in July tend to large pani- 

 cles of bloom. These make fine winter 

 bouquets for large vases. Just when to 

 cut them is hard to tell. If too soon the 

 sterile flowers (theonly ones we generally 

 see) shrivel up and if we wait too long 

 the}' assume a withered look, but if 

 we choose just the right time we 

 preserve that delicate sea-green shade, 

 and the early pinkish hue that comes to 

 them. I make three cuttings. One about 

 September 20, when I think it is nearly 

 the right time, one later on, when I feel 

 sure it is the right time, and again in 

 about a week "for luck." These are hung 

 heads down in a dark room to dry the 

 sterns straight, some being put heads up 



in an empty vase to produce drooping 

 heads for front and sides of bouquet. 

 When needed the best are chosen. 



Clematis apiitolia, a Japanese species, 

 C. vitalba from Britain and Western Asia, 

 and our native C. Virginiana resemble 

 each other, superficialty in leaf and 

 flower so closely as to all lay claim to the 

 host of common names such as Lady's 

 bower. Maiden's Honesty, Old Man, 

 Traveller's Joy, Virgin's Bower, etc. All 

 grow about fifteen feet high, and bear 

 panicles of small greenish white flowers 

 followed by feathery seed pods. C. Virgin- 

 iana is the best of the lot, being 

 more showy in foliage, flower, and 

 especially in its fetbtry s ed pods. 

 The sweet scented Virgin's bower, C. 

 Flammulais one of the oldest known and 

 the best. Although indigenous to South- 

 ern Europe, it is hardy here. It is not 

 quite as strong a grower as those men- 

 tioned above, but its flower spraj-s are 

 larger, whiter, and dcHciously scented. I 

 have one trailing up against an akebia 

 vine, whose rich green foliage makes an 

 admirable foil for the delicate tracery in 

 white. [In localities where it is not quite 

 hardy cut it down to theground in fall as 

 you would a herbaceous p:Eony or lark- 

 spur, and heap a shovelful of coal ashes 

 over its crown; on top of this spread a 

 square yard of tar paperto ward off wet, 

 then pile on some tree leaves one or two 

 feet deep, according to the severity of the 

 climate, with some litter over them to 

 keep them in place. Remove the covering 

 of leaves and paper in early spring and 

 spread the ashes.— Ed.] 



But the queen of all the small flowered 

 type is C. paniculata, which is just begin- 

 ing to favor us. It is a strong growing 

 vine with handsome foliage, and climbs 

 up some eighteen feet, throwing out 

 laterals two or more feet long, and pro- 

 ducing very freely at the axils of the leaf 

 stalks long stems bearing large clusters 

 of medium sized sweet scented white 

 flowers that last in bloom a long time. 

 These on an established plant, are pro- 

 duced so freely that were we looking for 

 a common name — it has none yet — I 

 would suggest "snow in August." If any 

 reader has not this vine, let not another 

 season pass without it. Keep it well 

 watered, and as its season of bloom ap- 

 proaches feed it with manure water. 

 When established, and well grown, if it 

 does not please you, then thereis nothing 

 this side of Heaven that will. In winter, 

 cut it down to withinafootof theground 

 and mulch well with strawy manure. 

 The type of C. viticella has net so far 

 bloomed with me, but its various hybrids 

 have. 



One word about where to grow these 

 small flowered clematis. C. paniculata 

 and C. F/ammu/a are suitable lor porch or 

 house-wall decoration, in with the large 

 flowered varieties, as they possess the 

 added charm of loading the surrounding 

 air with perfume, but the others belong 

 in the shrubbery near strong growing, 

 low headed bushes over which they may 

 be allowed to scramble at their own 

 sweet will, and a comparison of their 

 method of "training" with that of man 

 will convince any skeptic that Nature 

 resents restriction. These forms lend 

 themselves with good will to interior 

 decoration either when in flower or seed, 

 but they need a special training for it. I 

 have a reserve stock jjlanted at the inner 

 base of the vegetable garden fence. Tall 

 poles are set in the ground about two 

 feet from the outside of the fence line, and 

 eight feet apart. These slant so as to 

 rest upon the fence top and lean over in 

 the gai-den some eighteen inches. Between 



