June 11, 1910 



HORTICULTURi: 



881 



Rhododendrons at Holm Lea 



Holm Lea ! The name alone is full of poetry. And 

 when last Sunday afternoon I walked through the shady 

 lanes of Brookline with Holm Lea as my object I 

 thought of how often there is lack of harmony between 

 the name and the place. But Holm Lea holds what it 

 jjiomises and more. 



Professor Charles S. Sargenfs beautiful estate was 

 graciously thrown open to the public for two days, and 

 having heard so much about its attractions I used this 

 opportunity to visit it. 



Tliis fine estate is a revelation to the foreigner and to 

 the plant lover. The Ehododendrons were in their 

 prime and with their masses of flowers offered a sight 

 worth crossing the ocean to see. They are framed in 

 exquisite surroundings of velvety lawns and shady trees. 



Of all the many charmes.of these lovely grounds the 

 trees undoubtedly take the first place. One finds here 

 the most perfect specimens of the noblest kinds and it 

 was a rare pleasure indeed to admire them in this sea- 

 son, when the foliage has still its spring-like freshness 

 and so many floral effects all around serve to enhance 

 the individual beauty of each tree. 



The view from the slope across the pond is one of 

 great beauty, harmony and taste, and it was difficult to 

 tear one's self away from this fairlyland and return 

 to the city's masses of stone and brick. 



Holm Lea leaves an impression of natural beauty, 

 trained and increased by the influence of refined taste. 



Trans-Atlantic Notes 



THE WITHERING OF LILACS 



It is an unusual happening that some varieties of 

 lilac used in the decoration of apartments flag or fall 

 when brought out of the plant forcing house and af- 

 forded a brief period of time in another — a cooler house 

 — say one of 4.5 degrees Fah. Well rooted plants in 

 the best condition are liable to this malady, and that in 

 spite of light overhead spraying. One way of avoiding 

 the fading is to remove, as niucli as possible, the leaves 

 from the flowering shoots and from the non-flowering 

 ones without making the plant bare. With this kind 

 of treatment the plants remain in good, presentable 

 condition for a fortnight and longer; but they must be 

 afforded plenty of water at the root. 



HYDRANGEA HOETENSE 



There were exhibited at the meeting of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society on the 3rd inst. by Messrs. J. 

 Veitch & Sons, two varieties of Hydrangea Hortense, 

 one being raised by M. Ijemoine, and the other by M. E. 

 Mouillere. The name of the first variety is Omement 

 and it was put into commerce in 1908. It is a showy 

 flower, forming a large truss of a bluish tint, the sterile 

 blooms toothed at the edges, a feature due probably to 

 the influence of an old garden variety, H. stellata, one 

 of the parents. M. E. Mouillere's variety has the name 

 of Mme. E. Mouillere, and is nearly white, having a 

 small pink centre. The petals are serrated, but to a 

 smaller degree than those of Omement. T^ese novel- 

 ties received an award of merit at the E. H. S. meeting. 



