358 



• GARDENING. 



Aug. IS, 



light yellow green (that is, the whole 

 leaf) there is no variegation whatever. 

 They are very healthy and are now flow- 

 ering. Is it possible the variegation will 

 come later? [No, the variegation is pres- 

 ent from the first, at least it was so in 

 our plants. We are heartily glad we sent 

 vou the box of leaves, they were living 

 proof of how splendidly variegated these 

 plants are, that is, when you get the 

 variegated ones.— Eu.] 



L. C. L. TORD.VN'. 



Bergen Point, N. J., Aug. lit, 1890. 



DANDELIONS IN LflWNS. 



The lawn about my country residence 

 embraces about twelve acres, it is well 

 filled with young trees and beds of shrub- 

 bery. It was graded and seeded with 

 grass about five years ago. It has been 

 customary to cut this grass with a horse 

 lawn mower about once in ten days, be- 

 ginning about April 20 to 30, each year 

 and stopping about October ] . The first 

 year or two dandelions appeared here and 

 there and were pulled up root, stock and 

 branch, but as there were neglected farm 

 lands adjoining, they came in increasing 

 numbers each year until last summer my 

 1 wn was almost ruined by their immense 

 numbers, there seemed millions of them, 

 and they had become exceedingly wary 

 in their'growth. They seemed to know 

 just when the time came around for the 

 lawn mower to pass over them. Instead 

 of long upright leaves and flower stalks, 

 thev all had long narrow leaves lying 

 close to the ground. The flowers would 

 bloom With such short stalks that the 

 mower passel over them without injur- 

 ing them, and then thenextday up would 

 start the stalk, ripen its flowers irom its 

 ball of seeds and be ready for the next 

 round of the mower to scatter them in the 

 most perfect and aggravating manner. I 

 was in despair, inquired of everyone as to 

 how to eradicate them, and had but one 

 universal advice, dig the roots up. It 

 was absurd; in a little 20x50 garden it 

 might be done; but with millions scattered 

 over twelve acres it was an impossibility. 



When therefore, the present summer 

 opened, I looked at my beautiful lawn 

 with uncomfortable forebodings of still 

 greater disfigurement. The first crop of 

 flowers came in all their beauty, and they 

 are pretty, anywhere but in a well kept 

 lawn, but each successive week their num- 

 ber became less and less, and to-day there 

 is not one to be found in grass or shrub 

 bed. It is almost like a miracle, for the 

 weather has been most favorable for their 

 unlimited increase. 



I can account for it in one way only, 

 and offer the suggestion for what it is 

 worth. The lawn has this summer been 

 cut more frequently, once a week, and as 

 closely as the cutters will work, not 

 enough leaves have been left to keep the 

 roots alive, and mv lawn is clean. 



Wm. H. vS. Wood. 



Malvern, Greenwich, Conn., August I, 

 1896. 



SOME GOOD flflRDY FERENNIflLS. 



Every garden must have some hardy 

 [)crennials, that is law, but what ones to 

 get and have is sometimes a puzzling 

 question. The following are indispensa- 

 ble in every well filled garden; we want 

 them for their own outdoor beauty, also 

 to supply us with blossoms for our dwel- 

 linjjs, and they cover all the season from 

 spnng to fall. 



Spring Adonis {A. vernalis) has large 

 bright j'ellow blossoms in early spring. 



CoRVDALis NOiiiLis, yellow,' blooming 

 in spring, and perhaps the best of its 

 genus for general adoption. 



Trillium grandifloru.m is the large 

 white-flowered trillium we illustrated on 

 front page of Gardening. It is a beauty 

 and well worth growing. 



Lungwort (Mertensia Virginica) with 

 blue panicles of pretty flowers in spring. 



Bleeding Heart {Dicentra spectabilis), 

 arching sprays of pink heart-shaped blos- 

 soms in spring and early summer. 



P.EONIES in variety. Begin with the 

 old scarlet and pink ones, and the double 

 Siberian tenuifolium, and continue with 

 the finest doubles of the Chinese varieties. 



German Iris in variety in May and 

 June. 



36- /y:- 



^'. 



lawn-tennis court. 



Columbines, especially the Rocky 

 Moiintain blue (Aquilegia coerulea) and 

 yellow (A. chrysantha). 



Oriental poppies, large, vividly bril- 

 liant scarlet flowers. 



Fraxinell\ or gas plant (D/ctamnus) 

 blooming in June. Bo til purple and white 

 varieties. A never-dying perennial. 



ToRREv's Scarlet Pentstemon (P. 

 harhatiis var. Torreyi) with long wands 

 of scarlet tubular flowers in July. [Does 

 fine on clay land.— Ed ] 



CiiALKPLANT, often called Baby's 

 Breath (Gypsophila pankulata) big 

 cushions of misty white flowers in sum- 

 mer. 



Gaillardia, the grandiflora forms are 

 the best; their blossoms are large, yellow 

 and brownish crimson, and fine for cut- 

 ting. 



Japan iris (/. Kcernpferi) witn verv 

 large showy flowers from June into July. 



PvRETHRiM roseum, single and double 

 in early summer; beautiful as garden 

 plants, and splendid for cutting. All col- 

 ors from crimson to white. 



Delphiniums. Get the best strain of 

 seed possible of the hybrid delphiniums 

 and raise a goodly number, for they are 

 the best blue flowers we have got and 

 they are bold and beautiful and good for 

 beautifying the garden or for cutting. 



Missouri E^'ening Primrose (CBno- 

 thera Missouriensis), of prostrate form 

 with very large bright yellow blossoms in 

 summer. 



Phloxes (Phlox paniculata). These 

 are now in good bloom and their variety 

 is legion. Get pure white, pure pink and 

 deep vivid pink colored ones, and partic- 

 ularh' avoid purple ones. 



Sunflowers. Get Helianthus multi- 

 tJorus and its double forms, they bloom 

 all summer and are fine for cutting; H. 

 lutifJorus, exceedingly profuse and pretty 

 as a garden plant, but the blooms wilt 

 too soon when cut to be of much avail for 

 this purpose; and for September and Oc- 

 tober use don't forget to have H. Maxi- 

 tnihani, it is fine. 



Lilies are so numerous and beautiful 

 that we can hardly restrict our.selves to 

 a selection. But get the orange lily {cro- 

 ceiim), Thunberg's lily (elegans), Han- 

 son's lily (Hansoni), Bateman's lily 

 (Batemannino), meadow lily (Canaden- 

 sis), American swamp lily (superbtim), 

 .■\scension lily (candidum), auratum lily, 

 though often uncertain, tiger lily. For- 

 tune's tiger lily and Wallace's lily for late. 

 And be sure you get a good many of the 

 Japanese speciosum lilies, as rubrum, 

 roseum, punctatiiw, and album prsecox; 

 they are superb for garden decoration 

 and we have nothing prettier or better 

 than they as cut flowers. 



Japan Anemones (A. Japonica) red and 

 white, especially the whiteoneyoushould 

 have lots of, for they are lovely and in 

 bloom from August till October, a time 

 when we need all the pretty flowers we 

 can get. John Dunbar. 



Highland Park, Rochester, N. Y. 



LflWN-TBNNIS COURT. 



The total length of the court should be 

 7S feet divided into two courtsof each 21 

 feet in length, and two ot each 18 feet in 

 length, on opposite sides of the central 

 line where the net will be stretched across. 

 The width of the court is 27 feet, and 

 together with the outer belts of 4I/2 feet 

 each make a total breadth of 36 feet. The 

 net at the sides should measure 3V2 feet, 

 and in the middle 3 feet in height. Service 

 line is 21 feet distant from net. The 

 above is from the Gardeners' Chronicle, 

 and is exactly what we have been using 

 for many years. 



NEW GflNNAS, NOTES ON. 



Among the red vaiieties, Chicago, 

 Columbia, Flamingo all continue very 

 satisfactory. In addition to these Papa 

 Cannais proving extremely good; its color 

 is fine, height three feet and its enormous 

 clusters of bloom are produced freely and 

 early; its spike droops" in the center of the 

 truss, but I do not consider that this 

 detracts in the slightest from its beauty. 

 Alex Billard is gorgeous, it may be 

 described as asun-proofPierson, for while 

 Pierson washes badly this year Billard 

 retains its brilliant color and has no bad 

 faults of growth or habit. E. G. Hill is 

 also showing up very fine; it is brilliant 

 in color, very erect and sturdy, and is one 

 of the showiest in the parks. In the red 

 and gold class of course Italia leads all 

 others for size and beauty; it is marvel- 

 ous and a delight to the eye; the flower 

 measures 4 to 5 inches across the face, 

 and the petals are deeply overlapping, it 

 is totally new and distinct in form. The 

 only improvement that we can suggest 

 for this gorgeous Signora is a heavier 

 texture. 



Souv. d'Antoine Crozy is making a 

 fine record; it stands the sun well, and is 



