354 



GARDENING. 



Aug. 13, 



Trees and Shrubs. 



COVERING UP T«B OLD STUMPS OF TREES 

 WITH VINES. 



(Jur first page illustration is engraved 

 irom a photograph taken by us ot some 

 old white pine trees in front of a residence 

 at Flatbush, Brooklyn. It is not given 

 for its beautv or desirableness as a gar- 

 den scene, bu't for its snggestiveness; it is 

 a lesson from life showing how effectually 

 we can cover up the naked trunks of trees 

 with living vines, and render them in a 

 measure less hideous than they otherwise 

 would be in their bareness of death. But 

 the proper thing to do with these trees is 

 to root them out and clear them right 

 awav there is no reasonable excuse so 

 far as'utilitv or good taste is concerned 

 why they should be kept there, and no 

 covering of vines no matter how well 

 done can palliate their presence. 



But there are cases where it may be de- 

 sirable to retain dead stems or trunks or 

 stumps, and of course these stems should 

 be clothed with living green. In many 

 case too the tall bare stems ot living 

 trees mav be beautified by encasing them 

 in vines. ' In the Capitol grounds in Wash- 

 ington many of the trunks of the trees are 

 so clothed, and at Dosoris we covered the 

 bare stems of old cedars in the same way. 

 The vines shown in our picture, and 

 which is the one most used everywhere 

 and best adapted for this purpose is the 

 lapan ivv (Ampelopsis Veitcbii); it clings 

 tight to the bark of the tree, is neat and 

 cleans fast growing, close covenng, and 

 high reaching, in summer it is a living 

 coat ot green, in fall of crimson, and in 

 winter the leaves fall off" completely, 

 leaving the trees as tidy in their bareness 

 as they were in their leafy clothing. 

 When it reaches up into the branches it 

 encases the limbs and a spray drops 

 down from them in elegant drapery, thus 

 eliminating any appearance ot stiffness 

 In winter this drapery can be sheared ofl 

 if necessary. This ampelopsis, like most 

 lapaneseplants,likes good, moist ground 

 to "row in, and as alongside the boles of 

 living trees are generally pretty dry places 

 we must look to it that they are properly 

 furnished with an abundance of food and 



water. 



Besides the plain Veitchii the larger 

 form known as Roylei is also good for 

 this purpose. Next in appropriateness 

 comes our own wild Virginia creeper, 

 especially Engleman's form of it that 

 attaches itself close to the trunks by 

 means of tendrils like the Yeitch's ampe- 

 lopsis. Then comes the trumpet creeper, 

 excellent, beautiful and appropriate, par- 

 ticularly where a drapery among the 

 branches is an object. The English ivy 

 will do in moist, sheltered places, south 

 of New York, and where the sun doesn't 

 blaze on it in winter. Of slower growth 

 .-ind not so high climbing are the climbing 

 hydrangeas; and a little shorter still the 

 cfimljing enonvmus. These last will 

 clinil) up the rough stem of a tree nicely, 

 but make barely any effort to climb if left 

 to themselves away from the tree, they 

 assume more of a bush than vine torm in 

 this case. Clematises may be led up the 

 stems of trees and allowed to fall in fes- 

 toons from their branches, but they have 

 to be tied up or led up to the stems to be- 

 gin with. With a little trouble celastrus, 

 moonseed, honeysuckles, ipomoeas, hop, 

 pipe vine and some others may also be 

 used. Wistaria, silk vine (Peripl()ca),and 

 actinidia may appeal to many as being 

 good subjects for this end, but no, they 

 are apt to be naked at the bottom, just 



where we want them clothed the most, 

 and they twine around the branches of 

 the trees unmercifully, often strangling 

 them. By using low covering vines like 

 honeysuckles, celastrus, and moonseed in 

 company with them, these to cover the 

 trunks, and the wistarias, actinidias to 

 run into the upper parts, a fair effect can 

 be secured. The sterile-flowered grape 

 vine mav be employed much the same as 

 the wistarias, whife it is of very little use 

 for clothing the lower part of the tree 

 trunks it will completely fill the heads of 

 the trees. Altogether, however. Ampe- 

 lopsis Veitchii is preeminent for this pur- 

 pose—covering the naked stems and 

 branches of trees with a solid coat of 

 green from the ground to the summit. 



RflODODBNDRONS: HOW I GROW THEM. 



Four years ago I had imported for me 

 from the nursery of Anthony Waterer, 

 England, one hundred rhododendrons on 

 seventy-six varieties. They were first 

 planted in heavy soil under trees and of 

 course as I had selected them by cata- 

 logue description and not for hardiness I 

 lost some the first winter. In November 

 of the second year I transplanted them to 

 a sandy soil composed largely of sod. 

 They were out ot the ground a week and 

 roughly handled, and transplanted at a 

 season I believe all growers consider fatal 

 totherhododendron. [Ohno. Don't you 

 remember seeing that very large mass of 

 rhododendrons near the old farm house at 

 Dosoris? Well, they were transplanted 

 in October— November a few years ago, 

 and they have done very well. We would 

 not import rhododendrons for outdoor 

 planting at that time, but so far as mov- 

 ing them from one part of our own gar- 

 den to another is concerned we would do 

 it in October or November without any 

 hesitation.— Ed.] The soil was so light 

 and the first summer so dry I had to give 

 them several wettings a week. Of the 

 seventy-six varieties the following plants 

 are thriving with me. I give you first the 

 varieli s I have found hardiest: 



Albu.m Eleg.\ns, lilush, changing to 

 white, good shape. 



Album Granuiflorum, blush, large 

 flower. 



Alexander Dancer, light rose, very 

 fine. 



Atrosanguinei'M, intense scarlet, and 

 one of the best. 



Bacchus, crimson, ver\' large flower, 

 fine plant.' 



Bluebell, blush, purple edge. 



Archimedes, crimson, light center. 



Caractacus, fine, crimson, large flower 

 and foliage. 



Charles Bagley, light red, large 

 flower. 



Charles Dickens, rich scarlet, fine foli- 

 age and habit. 



Ccerulescens, bluish, large flower and 

 good habit. 



Coreaceum, white, not a free grower. 



Delicatissimum, white, pink edge. 



E. S. Rand, fine scarlet, hardy with me. 



Everestianum, pink lilac, spotted and 

 fringed; the best to my mind. 



GiGANTEUM, good rosc, large flower. 



GviDo, dark crimson. 



Hannibal, fine rose. late. 



H. W. Sargent, crimson, very large 

 trus. 



Kettledrum, rich dark crimson. 



King of the Purples, fine purple, and 

 habit. 



Lady Armstrong, brilliant rose, very 

 beautiful. 



Madame Carvalho, blush, changing 

 to white. 



Memoir, scarlet. 



Minnie, blush white, spotted beautiful. 



Maculatum. 



Miss Owen, blush, red spot. 



Mrs. G. W. Heneage, rosy purple, 

 fringed. 



Mrs. Harry Ingersoll, rosy lilac. - 



Mrs. Milner, fine crimson and habit. 



Old Port, rich plum. 



PuRPUREi M Elegans, fine purple. 



PURPUREUM GRANDIKLORlM.fine purple, 

 large flower. 



Rosabel, pale rose. 



RosEUM ELEGANS, verv reliable. 



R. S. Field, scariet. 



Sefton, dark purplish red. 



Lady Clermont, fine scarlet spotted. 



Mr. H. H. Hunnewell I see does not re- 

 gard Minnie as perfectly hardy, but I 

 have found her so here, perhaps because 

 of her situation on the southeast of the 

 house. The varieties that I have found 

 generally hardy but occasionally pinched 

 in a severe winter are: 



F. D. Godman, fine crimson, richly 

 blotched, and splendid habit, one of the 

 rarest to my mind. 



J. M. Brooks, rich scarlet, finely 

 spotted. 



James Macintosh, scarlet, fine foliage. 



[. P. Lade, greyish lilac. 



John Spencer, rose pink edge, large 

 truss. 



James Bateman, scarlet, unsatisfac- 

 tory. 



Lady Goodwin, white spotted yellow. 



Purity, pure white, slow grower. 



Bayanum. 



Barclayanum. 



Delicatum, blush changing to white. 



SiGiSMUND RuCKER, magenta, richly 

 spotted. 

 Mrs. Shuttleworth. scarlet, spotted. 



Mrs. John Clutton, finest white. 



OuEEN, blush, changing to white. 



Charles Harold, purple, greenish, 

 centre. 



Vauban, mauve, yellow spot. 



Sir Thos. Sebright, rich purple blotch. 



NiGRESCENs, darkest rhododendron 

 grown, slow growing, but beautiful. 



Unfortunately many of my plants have 

 lost the labels and I am therefore unable 

 to give you the name of some very hand- 

 some ones, especiallv a splendid scarlet. 



I observe a few rules in growing the 

 rhododendron. I nip out the seed pod 

 when the flower drops. If last year's 

 wood is weak I pinch out all the growing 

 sprouts of new wood but the strongest 

 one. If there are more than three new 

 sprouts I always pinch out all but the 

 three strongest and in this way regulate 

 the shape of the plant and strengthen its 

 growth. As soon as I think the winter's 

 moisture is out of the gi'ound I give 

 the plants a thorough wetting twice a 

 week unless the season is rainy. I never 

 permit the soil to become dry. My expe- 

 rience satisfies me that water is the main 

 essential of rhododendron growing and 

 that severe winters are not to be feared 

 so much as dry summers. Each fall I put 

 several inches of old manure, cow or 

 horse as I can get it, on the soil about the 

 plants. I never disturb the soil, not even 

 using a weeder when weeding the bed. I 

 cut many of the weak plants to the 

 ground in the spring and have been re- 

 warded with a splendid new growth. I 

 moderate the irrigation of the plant when 

 the new buds begin to form as I have 

 found vigorous growth at that time leads 

 to new wood rather than flower bud for 

 the succeeding year. Changingthe words 

 of Dean Hole in his book on the rose, 

 "the man who would have rhododendrons 

 in hisgarden must have them in his heart." 

 Given the attention I have indicated, 

 which even the busiest and wealt-hiest 



