'i8g6. 



GARDENING. 



325 



w th leafage as ele ant as the maiden- 

 hair fern and tall branching heads of 

 feathery bloom. 



The spiraea family, too, offers several 

 noble species that in snch a spot find con- 

 ditions conducive to their strongest 

 growth and greatest floral beauty. 

 Wherethe globe flowers above mentioned 

 are growing there is also a long-spread- 

 ing colonyofthedouble-flowered meadow 

 sweet {Spirxa Ulmaria ff. pi.) that f\\\s the 

 ditch with a drift of white blossoms from 

 midsummer onwards for several weeks. 

 Add to this the great Sp/ra?a Aruncus and 

 the giant Asiatic meadow sweet {S. gi- 

 gantea) whose great snowy plumes of 

 blossoms are poised on leafx stems 6 feet 

 or more in height, when the plant is 

 grown near water and you have a trio of 

 the finest of this family, all white, how- 

 ever. Equally essential and just as much 

 at home in the situation is the queen of 

 the prairies {Spinea renusta), a lovely 

 plant with handsome plumes of rosy 

 flowers, also S. pa/mata, the latter usu- 

 al!}' coddled because thought tender, but 

 as hardy as the rest and as well able to 

 take care of itself. Last, but very far 

 from least in this present selection, are 

 several members of the great iris family, 

 than which no more important group ex- 

 ists of flowers for the outdoor garden. It 

 would take all the available space of a 

 number of Gardening to do justice to the 

 iris group, even then one could only mar- 

 shal and pass them in brief review from 

 the lovely sorts that set their cushions of 

 leaf and flower on the ground up to the 

 stately species that reach the height of 

 man. ' 7ns Gerwanica is easily natural- 

 ized in a moist spot, but the species that 

 has given me the greatest satisfaction 

 and the most graceful and delightful 

 effects is Jris Sibirka. A quantity of this 

 was planted beside a ditch among very- 

 coarse grass, and never after tended, yet 

 every year there comes up hundreds of 

 tall,'slender, erect stems bearing numbers 

 of its rich blue flowers. Only when flow- 

 ering is the presence of this iris visible, as 

 its ample tufts of narrow grassy leaves 

 are when flowerless hardly distinguisha- 

 ble from the grass that grows on the spot. 

 That gorgeous iris from Japan /. Kccmp- 

 feri now attracting attention is pre-emi- 

 nently adapted to the conditions we have 

 under notice; in fact ten times happier 

 there than when gasping for water in the 



open sunn\- border. Iris ochroleuca is 

 one of the giants of its tribe, loving to 

 have its roots in perpetual moisture, and 

 the finest group of it I know is in a wood 

 among sedges and other vegetation in- 

 dicative of a water-logged soil. 

 Madison, N. J. A. Herrincton. 



DELFfllNIUIHS. 



The illustration h re given represents a 

 bed of garden hybrid larkspurs (delphin- 

 iums) when in their prime early in June 

 of the present year. The flower spikes of 

 some are over a foot long and reach a 

 height of 6 feet. Th s is one of the most 

 showy and easily trown perennials we 

 have, embracing many colors, ranging 

 from a light to a rich metallic blue. Some 

 of the English double forms are most ex- 

 quisitely colored, presenting indescribable 

 dainty hues of porcelain blue and indis- 

 tinct shell pink, forming spikes of flowers 

 as compact as the spike of the cat-tail. 



Being tall growers and subject to the 

 havoc of wind and rain they require secure 

 staking. 



These stools are nearly three feet apart 

 from centre to centre, each plant having 

 four cane stalks about three feet high 

 placed in the form of a square around 

 them. Strong string is then run around 

 them from stake to stake and occasion- 

 ally a string is run through the plant to 

 an opposite stake in order to divide the 

 flower spikes more evenly. One good 

 stem is left outside the string at each 

 stake and then tied to it— thus hiding 

 nearly all traces of their support. It is 

 now a month since this picture was 

 taken, yet they still present a favorable 

 appearance. When through blooming 

 they will be cut to within a few inches of 

 the ground, and while looking a little 

 ragged for a week or so they will send up 

 new shoots and again bloom in the fall, 

 but not as profuseh-. tinless well watered 

 they are apt to become somewhat naked 

 at the base, and it is best toprovidesome 

 pleasing border. In this case the Alle- 

 gheny plumy bheding heart, Dicentra 

 exlmia is used, its fern-like foliage being 

 fresh and clean the whole season through. 

 Handsome and attractive as these lark- 

 spurs are one must not be without the 

 more delicate appearing Delphinium Chi- 

 nense in its single forms. The clearness in 

 tone of its colors are without a parallel, 



especially the deep blue form. Both of 

 this class of larkspurs are perfectly hardy, 

 but repav a good winter mulching of 

 manure. ' W. C. Egan. 



Illinois. 



FLOWER GARDEN NOTES. 



(U'lLLAiu's Carnations. I have not 

 seen these catalogued except bv a Boston 

 firm (Schlegel & Fottler), While they do 

 not bloom the first year from seed, they 

 are perfectly hardy with a slight covering 

 of leaves. The plant it.self and the calyx 

 of the flower are exactly like carnations, 

 but I have not found anj' double flowers 

 among mine. The handsome colors and 

 delicious perfume make them a desirable 

 .•ie()uisition to the garden, and they are 

 tar more beautiful, in my estimation, 

 than the Marguerite carnations, with 

 which personally I have never had any 

 striking success. 



Pink, Her Majesty. While it is true 

 that he flowers are large and full, they 

 are worthless to me on account of split- 

 ting the calyx. I have several large 

 clumps which bloomed profusely, but I do 

 not think there was one perfect flower 

 among them. Is this usual? [Alas, ithas 

 been our experience too. — En] 



Pink New Mound. Although the flow- 

 ers are small and single, yet I consider it 

 much superior to the above. 



Nasturtiu.ms, Mme. Gunther's Hy- 

 brid. I bought several packets of seed 

 from a very reliable house, and ought to 

 have got the genuine article. If I have, I 

 cannot see that they are any better than 

 many of the finer sorts of the ortlinarj' 

 climbing nasturtiums. [Again this has 

 been our experience too, in fact, after hav- 

 ing the plants come into bloom we could 

 not help exclaiming "What on earth is all 

 the fuss about!"— Ed.] 



Citrus trifoliata. Ought these to 

 blossom when they are 5 vearsold, about 

 3 feet high, planted in light rich soil, get- 

 ting about three or fourhours sun a day? 

 Only the tip ends hurt during the winter. 

 [We have seen plants 3 or 4 feet high in 

 the neighborhood of New York bloom 

 nicely, but how oldthev were we couldn't 

 tell. Plants we had at Dosoris 3 feet 

 high and bushy, and much older than five 

 years didn't blossom. Although it can be 

 had to live over winter about New York, 

 it is not reliably hardy there, no matter 

 what mav be written to the contrarv — 

 Ed.] 



CiMICIFUGA racemosa. I know of kw 

 plants which would make a more effect- 

 ive art study than this. The plant itself 

 IS about 18 inches high, of graceful ap- 

 pearance and pretty foliage. The flower 

 stem is from 2 to 3" feet taller, with two 

 clusters of leaves at equal distances up. At 

 the end of the stem appears a cluster of 

 serpentine racemes of very fine white 

 flowers, hanging in all directions. The 

 fragrance is agreeable to some, to others 

 not. The root was planted last April, 

 and it has grown well in a moist spot, 

 with only a few hours of the morning 

 sun. I have yet to discover any insect 

 enemies it may have. [It is one" of the 

 most effective and easily grown of all our 

 native plants, in bloom now, long lived, 

 and easily transplanted. But verj- few' 

 people have it in their gardens. A few- 

 miles out of Long Island Citv, in a wet 

 wood, on the left hand side of'the railroad 

 going east, you will find this plant in 

 great abundance. It also grows in our 

 dry clayey, hilly woods near Pittsburg, 

 and we have a good deal of it in Schenley 

 Park, both wild and in a cultivated state. 

 It grows both in damp and drv places, 

 but in dry exposed situations it" needs ;i 

 little shade; in ordinarily damp ground it 



