i8g6. 



GARDENING. 



135 



DEDTZIA LEMOINKI 



part, you will soon have a pretty tree 

 without any clipped or trimmed appear- 

 ance. Or set in a tall post where you 

 wish to have the tree and plant trumpet 

 creeper to run up and cover it. The top 

 of a red cedar tree makes a fine post for 

 such a purpose; shorten in the branches 

 to 12 or 20 inches of the trunk, to give it 

 rustic effect and help support the creeper. 

 White cedar and native larch also make 

 good posts lor such a purpose Be sure 

 you peel the bark off of them before set- 

 ting, it helps to preserve them, and don't 

 use them when thty are green or fresh 

 cut, wait for six ortwelve months till the 

 woo I gets dry and seasoned and they 

 will last in the ground Viilhout rotting 

 much longer. 



MflPLB TREE BORER. 



I'-or the past two summers we have no- 

 ticed a maple tree on our place not doing 

 viell, the foliage turning yellow and drop- 

 ping during midsummer. Last Monday 

 night (December 30) we had a severe gale, 

 and the tree was blown over, not broken, 

 but torn up by the roots, although a tree 

 of good size, more than a foot in thick- 

 ness. Examination shows that the roots 

 are somewhat decayed, and that it was 

 killed by borers. Another tree (maple) 

 lost a large branch last winter from the 

 effects of an ice storm, and the past sum- 

 mer has not seemed to grow, the foliage 

 falling earlier than it should. We fear 

 borers are killing that also. Is there any 

 help for it? If not, is there any prevent- 



ive? Will there be danger of others being 

 affected? It seems such a pitv to have 

 them so killed. H. E. L. 



Conn. 



Without having one or two specimens 

 of the borers for identification, or a piece 

 of the perforated wood showing their 

 work, we cannot tell much about it. But 

 we suspect that the work is done by the 

 ordinary maple tree borer (Glycobius 

 speciosus). It is figured and described in 

 Gardening, page 56, November 1, 1894. 

 The beetles abound about or a little 

 after midsummer, and lay their eggs 

 in the crevices and holes in the bark on 

 the trunks and main branches of the 

 maples. Methods of prevention or cure 

 would be so laborious as to be practically 

 impossible, for instance keeping the 

 trunks and stout branches scraped 

 smooth, especially in the crotches, so as 

 to give the beetles no good place to lay 

 their eggs in; sponging or painting these 

 parts over once or twice in August with 

 kerosene and whale oil soap, say one 

 gallon of kerosene, two gallons of water 

 and two pounds of soft soap, mixed to- 

 gether. This is to kill the eggs. 



BBRBERIS THUNBERGII. 



Who has not a hedge of Berberis Thiiii- 

 hergii, or at least a group of them? He 

 that answers "not I" has yet some hap- 

 piness in store. How many its virtues, 

 how few its faults! If faults there be, it 

 has kept them a secret from mc, for T can 



discover none. It greets you in early 

 spring with a most delicate leafage, being 

 among the first shrubs to don its summer 

 garb, and then it hangs a row of creamy- 

 white bells along the under side of its 

 arching branches as if to ring in merry 

 tones the promise of its autumnal glory. 

 In spite of drouth and insect pests it 

 keeps its garments fresh and bright all 

 summer long and has a habit of sending 

 its branches at such peculiar, yet graceful 

 angles as to indicate its nativity and say 

 to you "am I not Japanese in effect." All 

 through the Indian summer it joins the 

 nias(|uerade of coloring that glorifies the 

 dying foliage of the woods and decks 

 itself in coral berries that almost glisten 

 in the sun, and they hang as vivid pend- 

 ants all thr ugli the winter months. The 

 reds and browns and sunset tones its 

 leaves assume are fitting foils to its bril- 

 liant berries, and blind is he to Nature's 

 charms who can look on them without 

 intense admiration of this modest little 

 shrub Never rank growing, never verv 

 large, in sun and heat and winter's cold 

 it thrives and blooms and docs its share 

 in the adornment of our grounds. For a 

 low hedge or an under shrub, or for low 

 grouping it stands without a peer. 

 Highland Park, III. W C Egan 



The Flower Garden. 



QUESTIONS ABOUT HflRDY PLANTS. 



C. M. C. Washington, I). C, asks the 

 following questions: 



1. "Has Gentianaacaulis much merit, 

 and can it be made to bloom the first 

 year? Are there any other good gentians?" 



.4ns. Gentiana acaiilis is a hardy her- 

 baceous perennial, a low growing, tufted 

 or mat-Hke plant from the Alps and 

 Pyrenees, and withal a most beautiful 

 little blue flower. In the northern states, 

 on rockwork or as an edging in the mixed 

 flower garden, in moderately moist soil it 

 may be grown in fair condition, but we 

 have grave doubts of its thriving at 

 Washington. G. rerna, another high 

 mountain gem, will be worse still. And 

 don't bother with our native fringed gen- 

 tian; although it is a charming little 

 plant in its wild state, few people can 

 grow it in their gardens. Try the strong 

 growing kinds like the blue and white 

 formsoftheclosed gentian (G..4nrfreu-s//), 

 G. asckpiadea, G. cruciata, G. calycosa 

 and G. Saponaria. While all of these are 

 good border plants, and will probably do 

 well with you if not in a too sunnvordry 

 place, they are not as beautiful or inter- 

 esting as the little alpine kinds that, most 

 likely, won't grow with vou. 



2. Campanulas.— "Are there anv cam- 

 panulas among the perennials that are 

 striking and effective? Ditto among the 

 annuals?" 



.4ns. There are lots of fine perennial 

 campanulas, for instance the white and 

 blue, single and double persicsefolia also 

 nohihs, wacrantha. celtidifolia and glom- 

 erata, and others of tall growth, but the 

 first named only is a refined plant. Car- 

 pathica grows in bunches; and many lit- 

 tle tufted kinds, such as wuralis. pulla, 

 isophylla, garganica, turbinata and cics- 

 pitosa, which, if we give them proper 

 conditions, as a north or east facing rock 

 garden, plenty moisture in summer and 

 shade trom bright sunshine will grow 

 with us well enough. Then there are Bar- 

 re//criand fragilis, which make nice spread- 

 ing tufts in the rock garden or are fitted 

 for planting in baskets or bracket pots. 

 The platycodons are also campanulas, 



