1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



259 



MEMORIALS. 



BY EMMA 15. DUNHAM. 



I think the conceit of planting memorial trees, a 

 very pretty one. Would it not be still more 

 interesting should the initial of the name of the tree 

 correspond with the initial letter of the person's 

 name, whose memory is to be perpetuated? For 

 instance, plant a Linden or Locust for Lily and 

 Lucy; a Mountain Ash for Mary Anna; a Syca- 

 more or Spruce for Samuel. For the memory of 

 parents, if the land will admit of a double row of 

 trees, or an avenue is desired to be shaded, one 

 row might consist of — 



Fir, Ash, Tamarisk, Hickory, Evergrieen, K.ck Maple. 

 The Other of 



Maple, Oak, Tulip, Hawthorn, Ehn, Red Bud. 



Perhaps I have not chosen the. trees which 

 together will be the most effective. I mention 

 them as they come to my mind, that 1 may make 

 clear my meaning. In Southern latitudes most 

 lovely combinations may be found. And in the 

 small gardens of the North, many a pretty fancy 

 can be written in living letters with the hardy 

 flowering shrubs. 



CLEMATIS COCCINEA. 

 BY CHAS. E. PARNELL, QUEENS, NEW YORK. 



The scarlet flowering Clematis, Clematis coc- 

 ci nea, is a very handsome hardy herbaceous 

 perennial climbing plant, belonging to the natural 

 order Ranunculaceae. As the plant is a herba- 

 ceous one, the stems die down every winter. In 

 the spring it throws up from ten to twelve strong 

 shoots which attain a height of from eight to ten i 

 feet, at the same time covering a space of from ten 

 to twelve in breadth; the foliage being deeply 1 

 lobed and of a rich glossy green color. The bell- 

 shaped coral red flowers are produced from the 

 axils of the leaves, on strong wiry peduncles, in I 

 the greatest profusion, from July until frost. Even • 

 if the plant never blossomed it would be well worth ' 

 cultivating for its elegant green foliage alone; but 

 when we add to this an immense number of rich, I 

 deep coral red flowers, which shine as if they were 

 polished, words are wanting to fully describe the | 

 beauties of this magnificent climber. The plant is 

 of robust healthy growth, and as it is a native of 

 our South-western States, is perfectly hardy in this ' 

 latitude. It will grow freely in any moderately en- ' 

 riched deep soil and in any situation, provided it 

 will get the benefit of a few hours sunshine each 1 

 day, in order to strengthen the vine. Another 



point in its favor is its freedom from all insect pests 

 that prove to be so destructive to our climbing 

 vines, to say nothing of the trouble and annoyance 

 they cause to the cultivator. 



In order to keep the plant in a flourishing con- 

 dition it should be given every fall a liberal dress- 

 ing of well decayed manure, and this should be 

 dug in carefully in the spring. Keeping the plant 

 free from weeds at all times and training the shoots 

 to their proper places occasionally, during their 

 season of growth, will do much to increase the 

 beauty of the plant. For the introduction of this 

 desirable novelty into cultivation we are indebted 

 to the enterprising firm of Hallock & Thorpe, of 

 Queens, N. Y. It is customary with many intro- 

 ducers to praise all novelties a little more than 

 their merits entitle them to, but Messrs. Hallock & 

 Thorpe have only told a plain tale, and said but 

 very little concerning the merits of this desirable 

 novelty ; but that they consider it thoroughly re- 

 liable can be seen from the fact that they have 

 offered a liberal series of prizes for the best grown 

 and flowering specimens during the season of 1884. 

 That this competition will do much to further de- 

 velop the desirable qualities of this Clematis I do 

 not doubt, and I trust that some magnificent and 

 well-grown specimens will be reported by our en- 

 thusiastic plant cultivators. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Culture of the English Ivy. — This famous 

 classical plant thrives remarkably well in Virginia. 

 The writer has seen churches and other old build- 

 ings in that State as beautifully covered as in the 

 old world. Further south it is often seen in fair 

 beauty, though generally only on the north side 

 of buildings, or on places where the winter's sun 

 does not strike warmly on them. But they are ad- 

 mirably adapted to use as pot or tub plants, and 

 for this there are many remarkably interesting 

 varieties. It is not generally known that if the 

 fruiting branches are propagated from, the plant 

 will assume an arborescent growth, and they may 

 be trained to a stem which forms a head like a 

 Kilmarnock willow, and then flowers and has a 

 profusion of beautiful black berries, than which 

 nothing can well be more ornamental. A few 

 years ago, the late John Jay Smith, of German- 

 town, had a fine plant of this character which 

 bore yellow berries, and now we hear a red berried 

 variety has been discovered in Europe. If some 

 little trouble were taken by an enterprising florist. 



