l62 



GARDENING. 



Feb. /J, 



that it occupies. What other vine that 

 you know could fill that place so aptlj', 

 so fully, or so beautifully? Just as lux- 

 uriant a growth and as great a profusion 

 of blossoms are within the reach of every 

 one of us who cares to plant this clematis 

 and give it generous treatment. If you 

 have not got it, as soon as the spring 

 opens get a plant or two, and set them 

 out and give them good rich soil and 

 plenty of it. As a rule right up against the 

 walls of the residence the filling in has 

 been sand, gravel, brickbats, etc , from 

 the cellar when it was dug and rubbish 

 from the builders with loam enough over 

 it to raise grass on: now you cannot ex- 

 pect that vines or other plants will lu.xu- 

 riate in such dry and impoverished dirt 

 as that is; dig that out and fill up with 

 good surface loam. It needn't be fatted 

 earth surfeited with manure, surface 

 earth from a field, peeling from the road- 

 side or the like will do very well; if it is 

 soddy, chop it up a little with the spade 

 and pack it down with the feet on the top, 

 for planting the roots in the earth should 

 be fine. 



This clematis is a Japanese plant, and 

 we find that not only it but plants in 

 general from that country like shelter 

 from cold sweeping winds, at the same 

 time it will grow on any side of the house 

 or any exposure in the garden providing 

 there is some shelter given it from the 

 north ornorthwest sweep by neighboring 

 trees, buildings, fences, or undulations of 

 the land. In common with other plants 

 from the country in whichitis indigenous 

 to have it luxuriant in summer it should 

 have abundant moisture. The open gar- 

 den as a rule is moist enough; about the 

 housfe is apt to be rather dr>' unless a lit- 

 tle extra water is given in the way of the 

 washing from the veranda floor or help 

 from the faucet or watering pot. 



The plant is hardy enough. Here about 

 New York the old wood of mature vines, 

 10 or 12 feet high, lives perfectly well, but 

 we prefer cutting it back every year to 

 near the bottom so as to keep it well 

 filled up near the ground. This won't 

 detract from its height at all for strong 

 plants will throw out young shoots that 

 will grow fifteen feet long in a season and 

 bloom beautifully to the top. In localities 

 where there is any fear of its hardiness 

 the plant may be cut clean over at the 

 ground in the fall and mulched heavily 

 with tree leaves or litter as we would 

 any herbaceous plant, then uncovered 

 in spring and allowed to grow, when it 

 will rush up as luxuriantly as the plant 

 you see in the picture and bloom as full. 

 it is simply a question of treatment. A 

 position for it against the dwelling house 

 isn't imperative at all, it will grow up 

 against any out building just as well if it 

 has a sheet of chicken wire netting, trellis 

 or other support to climb upon, over any 

 fence, up a pole or pillar, over bushes or 

 stumps or anywhere else we wish; or fail- 

 ing to get any upright support, it will 

 spread out over the ground and bloom 

 beautifully too, just as we often find our 

 wild clematis doing on the fringe of woods 

 and over embankments. 



This clematis may be increased from 

 division of the old root clumps, but this 

 is not to be recommended, from layers of 

 the shoots, by grafting on the roots of 

 other species, notably C. Stans, but best 

 and quickest of all from seed. But the 

 seed is slow to germinate. Whenever old 

 plants are grown and mature seed and 

 this seed falls on the ground, the follow- 

 ing summer young seedlings are apt to 

 appear in quantity, now these natural 

 seedlings are just as good as their parents, 

 and if transplanted and tepded carefullv 



they will bloom the second year and the 

 following season become strong plants. 



The Flower Garden. 



T«E MflROUERlTE CBNTflUREfl 



described on page 147 is not new with us. 

 Two years ago we got seeds of it from 

 Vaughan's seed store, and sowed them in 

 the greenhouse early, then pricked them 

 into flats, and from these transplanted 

 them out of doors in April into the open 

 ground in full sunshine. The dry heated 

 atmosphere of this interior place proved 

 hard upon it, and the plants started to 

 die off early, but we saved some seed from 

 them. We sowed these in the greenhouse 

 last spring, potted the seedlings, and 

 planted them out in April in ground 

 partly shaded from the afternoon sun- 

 shine, and they grew much better than 

 they did the previous year, but as we 

 wanted all the seed to ripen they again 

 gave way by the middle of July. They 

 appear to suifer by transplanting from 

 flats, and we will put the seedlings again 

 in pots, and keep them cool and near the 

 glass, then plant them out by the middle 

 of April in partial shade and keep the 

 ground moist. The blossoms are very 

 beautiful and last a long time as cut 

 flowers. I am very anxious to grow 

 them so as to prolong their season of use- 

 fulness, and enclose a few seeds to you, 

 hoping you may grow them and maybe 

 help me. Daniel K. Herr. 



Lancaster, Pa. 



Thank you for the seeds. Most all annu- 

 als that are raised indoors earlyin spring 

 and planted out, and in fact most annu- 

 als sown veo' early out of doors in spring 

 may grow and bloom very well in the 

 early part of the season, but they are apt 

 to succumb to drouth, heat and enerva- 

 tion about midsummer. There are excep- 

 tions to this rule, however, for instance 

 globe amaranths, verbenas, salvias, 

 cclosias, French marigolds and a few oth- 

 ers. We would suggest that you make a 

 second sowing between the first and mid- 

 dle of June in a cool, somewhat shaded cold 

 frame, prick off"or pot off" the seedlings, and 

 transplant them early in June into faintly 

 shaded moistish ground. These will prob- 

 ably bloom from August till frost; at 

 least the j-ellow sweet sultan does so with 

 us, and as the Marguerite centaurea is its 

 near kin it is but reasonable to expect 

 that it will too. We make a large second 

 sowing of many annuals in May, and a 

 third one in June, so as to give us a con- 

 tinued supply of cut flowers in late sum- 

 mer and fall,' and we find that from these 

 later sowings of some annuals, China 

 asters, for example, we get more and bet- 

 ter seed than from the early ones. 



TflE NEW ENGLAND flSTER 



(.Ister Novw Angliw). 

 This is one of the showiest of our wild 

 asters, makingour prairies gay in Septem- 

 ber with its bright blossoms. And how 

 beautiful they look in their wild state. 

 But wouldn't they look pretty in our 

 gardens too? Yes, certainly. Lift a few 

 of them in the fall or spring and plant 

 them among your shrubbery or in your 

 border of perennial plants and you will 

 find that they improve considerably 

 under cultivation, indeed any extra care 

 bestowed upon them will be well paid. 

 They are also very effective in groups on 

 the lawn, but when grown in this way 



they should be pinched back just as you 

 would pinch chrysanthemums. Don't 

 allow them to get over two feet high and 

 they will form a dense mass of flowers 

 when in bloom. To make such a bed more 

 showy gladioli should be planted amongst 

 the asters, and if planted early they will 

 be through flowering before the asters 

 start. Also plant some early blooming 

 lilies, with narcissus and crocus for spring 

 blooming this would make the bed attrac- 

 tive during the whole season, and all 

 could remain untouched, save a good 

 mulching every year. The heavy growth 

 of the asters if left over winter would 

 give ample protection for the lilies and 

 narcissus during cold weather. Naturally 

 /Ister Novc'e Anglia: is very tall growing 

 and if well cultivated will attain a height 

 from 6 to 7 feet; when in a wild state it is 

 not often found higher than 4- to 5 feet. 

 But by attaining this height it becomes 

 naked below, which gives it an unpleas- 

 ant look when not covered by other 

 plants, and should therefore only be used 

 among the shrubbery or for background 

 in the perennial border unless it is kept 

 down by trimming. The violet and pur- 

 ple varieties are the ones commonly seen 

 on our prairies; the rose colored being 

 more rare and the white form is extremely 

 rare. 



Of late years several hybrids have been 

 introduced that are quite an improvement 

 on the type and should be found in every 

 garden where perennials find a home. 



The rosea variety seems to differ very 

 Httle from our wild rose-colored variety; 

 its flowers probably are a little larger. 

 William Bowmann lias large violet flow- 

 ers. Grandiflorus is like the type but has 

 larger flowers. Rubra (or coccineus) has 

 almost red flowers and is a beautiful 

 variety. The last three named are like- 

 wise good keepers, and they are useful as 

 cut flowers. Jas. Jensen. 



Chicago, 111., January 8, 1896. 



ClEMflTIS BREVIGflUDftTfl. 



A reader finding this clematis among 

 the new plants mentioned in Siebrecht & 

 Wadley's catalogue asks us what it is 

 and what good for. We may say this is 

 a new and desirable Japanese hardy vine 

 and a welcome addition to our gardens. 

 It has small, white, "fleecy" flowers not 

 unlike those of C. Flammula, and borne 

 in large pubescent cymose panicles about 

 the end of August and into September; its 

 leaves are ternately divided, the pinn;e 

 being deeply and sharply cut and not un- 

 like those of our wild virgin's bower (C. 

 Virginiana) . How well it maj' be adapted 

 to general cultivation we know not yet, 

 it is so new; but we have every reason to 

 believe that it is quite hardy and has 

 come to stay as a happy companion to 

 Flammula and paniculaia. By all means 

 get it and try it. It came to this country 

 first a few years ago under the erroneous 

 name of C. ' P/'eroti (a different species). 

 The specific name quoted by our corre- 

 spondent, namely, "brevicordata" is 

 wrong, hrerkaudata is right. 



VINES FOR VERflNDfl BOXES. 



L. E. W., Gordon Park, O., writes: 

 "Would the Cupid sweet pea do reason- 

 ably well in boxes round an east porch, 

 inside the rail, where it is sunny and 

 light? What vine could I grow next to 

 the rail in the same box with the Cupid 

 in front? The boxes are 2 feet from the 

 floor of the porch and there is a rail with 

 spindles 2 feet 6 inches higher which I 

 wish to cover as a screen from the street." 



Ans. The Cupid pea is too new for us 

 to speak definitely of its behavior undev 



