November 2, 1918 



HORTICULTURE 



OBSERVATIONS AND VISIONS 



At the la.st Seiiteiaber meeting of the Germantown 

 Horticultural Society tlie writer had the pleasure of 

 list-enino- to an illustrated lect-ure by Alexander 

 MacElv.ce on : "A Botanical Trip into the Low-land 

 Regions of New Jersey'" the object of the excursion 

 being the study of the native flora. As one of the 

 many educative features of this -lecture I noticed that 

 the yellow and orange colored flowers thrown on the 

 screen were by far the showiest of the collection dis- 

 played. Occasional researches iu nature's realm have 

 a varied effect on liuman mind and vision. As hor- 

 ticulturist I never returned without the benefit of some 

 valuable object lessons. Tlie emotion stirring beauty 

 of wild flowers has been inspiring the poets of all 

 nations; it has frequently proved an alluring subject 

 for the master-brush of the painters; we see beautiful 

 forms of foliage and flowers serving as motif for the 

 ornaments of the sculptors and if we want to dive into 

 the past we find even the aborigines of remote ages in 

 their crude attempts to beautify home and apparel 

 being guided by the leading color notes of their flowers 

 in the field. Or does not the picture of the Indian 

 village and the favorite coloring in garments of the 

 inhabitants bespeak the lessons obtained by the color 

 brightness of our native flora? And after all is not the 

 picturesque Indian village just as much a work of art 

 as the ancient Greek City ever was? 



We all seem to be well aware of the fact that in- no 

 other calling of life is the study of nature more 

 essential than in gardening and yet very few of us 

 are today interested in botany, the science which Goethe 

 once called "the amiable." Our native flora is unusu- 

 ally rich in beautiful flo^vering herbs of a type com- 

 bining in habit of growth, grace with stateliness. One 

 of the characteristics in the total picture of the Ameri- 

 can landscape is the conspicuous wealth in blossoms of 

 bright yellow hues late in summer and during early 

 fall. These are the golden rods, rudl>eckias, hardy 

 sunflowers and heleniums 1 am referring to. Evoking 

 the earlv attention of plantsmen, numerous garden 

 forms and varieties thereof are standard items on the 

 trade lists of perennials for nearly half a century. 



A few years ago a popular European family journal 

 under the title, "Flowei- (iroves," jiublished an article 

 pointing out tlie jjossibilities for imposing floral mass 

 efl^ects by emploving tall growing perennials. Scruti- 

 nizing the diffeient compositions on the accompanying 

 color plate I noticed the rich golden waves of blossoms 

 produced by the above mentioned natives of our coun- 

 try standing out very prominently. \ plant material 

 which we are only too apt to look at as '''rubbish" I saw 

 oup fellow craftsmen abroad had been cultivating and 

 using to marked advantage. Properly staked — how 

 many of our tank and file men can do that — their many 



tall branching stalks bearing myriads of blossoms lie- 

 came part of a highly artistic floral garden arrange- 

 ment in general contours resemliliug the grove forma- 

 tion in miniature very admirably. It was the result of 

 careful selection of tall growing plant species, not neces- /w 4(i 

 sarily of equal height, but as near as possible in bloom -fl^ 't- 

 at the same time. As boltonias tall phloxes. ])urple ^ ^■^. ' 

 coneflowers, Michaelmas daisies, Pyrethnim uligi- ''v<», 't; 

 nosum and hardy salvias, in addition to what has been ^/y 



referred to above, made up the essential part of the 

 material used, the displays evidently were timed for 

 the latter part of August and the month of September. 

 The pernsal of the article brought back into my memory 

 the lingering jiicture of artistic floricultural exjdoits 

 of some advanced garden amateurs in Maine summer 

 resorts. Spacious tall plantations on open lawn ex- 

 panses standing out in vivid contra-st against a dark 

 evergreen background of northern spruce and pine, the 

 latter serving as windbreak and protection from driving 

 rainstorms. True, a fleeting beauty, but in its phe- 

 nomenal color radiance leaving the longing desire to 

 jn-oduce and enjoy it anew. 



There is reason to believe that iu the near future 

 humanity will more than ever be in need and disposed 

 to enjoy' the beautiful in life. Beanty in art, in ideals, 

 in apparel and last, not least, in home and home sur- 

 roundings. Eesearch within the realm of Xature 

 reveals the generosity of our Creator in bestowing to us 

 as precious gift a most enchanting native flora. Xot to 

 a:o out and ruthlessly uproot wild flowers in the vain 

 attempt to fill city and suburban gardens with, domesti- 

 cating and cultivating attractive inhabitants of wood- 

 land.'^field and meadow is a problem better to be left 

 to the plantsman to solve. Designed for our enjoyment 

 we pay homage to the Divine Maker wlien giving our- 

 selves up to grateful admiration. 



" As cultured people it is our moral duty, to, a* mu<-h 

 as possible, protect wild flowers. The sunny sloi)e 

 aglow with the bright yellow panicles of golden rods: 

 the countiy roadside lined with the graceful forms of 

 fall asters in white, purple and delicate lavender hue' 

 and way up within the depth of our mountain recesses, 

 the shining green thickets of rhododendron and moun- 

 tain laurel Tiedecked with their incomiiarable wealth 

 of bloom are there first and last to instill the love for 

 our beautiful land deeply into our hearts. All the 

 most famous works of the ma.sters of fine arts dro|i 

 into naught as soon as we look at the creative genius 

 of the Divine iVrcbitect of the Universe who for the 

 enjovment of hunianitv on earth designed his sublimely 

 lieautiful and piecious gift— the flower. Therefore, to 

 thinking minds it is self-evident that our native flora 

 suggests the imperative necessity for flowers as one of 

 the'' essential means for happiness and contentment 

 within American homes. The desire for beauty within 

 home and honie-su}-roundings is an attribute of civilized 

 nations. By nature we are defstined for a leading jiart 

 in anv advance work in the given direction. 



^B^Xoyt^ ..SBt^ 



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Glensidp, Pn, 



