iSIarch 12, 1910 



nORTlCU LT U R£. 



369 



John Cook in Florida 



Garden of Palms and Crotons at Miami, Fi.a. 

 Growing in 12 inclies of sand on coral rock 



Deal- Mr. Editor: — Thinking that a few lines from 

 this tropical part of Florida would interest some of 

 your readers I will give some of my observations. I 

 also send a photograph of some palms in front of a pri- 

 vate house. The soil — or rather, the sand — is only 

 from 8 to 18 inches deep underlaid with coral rock and 

 it is a mystery to everybody how the plants can grow. 

 Arriving in Miami, Nov. 5th, the first thing that strikes 

 one is that all the gardens are planted with tropical ma- 

 terial. On the porches are Bougainvilleas in full bloom, 

 also Solandra grandiflora, a very striking flower, Alla- 

 manda AYilliamsi, plenty of the beautiful so-called 

 ■'Mountain Eose" Antigonon leptopus, one plant of 

 which reached to the second stoi^ of a house and then 

 grew all over a tree covering it with one sheet of flowers 

 — a sight never to be forgotten. The Bignonia capreo- 

 lata is also largely planted and is always in bloom. Just 

 now the Bignonia venusta is in bloom ; it covers veran- 

 das and stone walls with a mass of flowers. All the 

 gardens of the residential part of the city are planted 

 with crotons, acalyphas, pandanus, both green and va- 

 riegated — some specimens 10 feet high can be seen — 

 magnificent plants of Russelia juncea, 10 ft. in diam- 

 eter, in full bloom ; Aloes, some in bloom ; Chinese hibis- 

 cus in full bloom — all of which gives the city a flowery 

 appearance. Vinca alba and rosea are also everywhere 

 to be seen ; it has gone outside and is acclimated. 



The gardens have hedges mostly of the beautiful 

 Phyllanthus rosea picta; this plant colors up beauti- 

 fully down here. Acalyphas also make beautiful hedges. 

 I saw one of the latter in the country around an orange 

 grove and it was 8 ft. high, also a few hedges of Aralia 

 Guilfoylei. Aralia filicifolia and elegantissima make 

 beautiful single specimens. Euphorbia Poinsettia are 

 largely planted and still in bloom. Asparagus Spren- 



geri also does well amongst the flowering shrubs. The 

 Tecoma stans with its golden yellow trumpet-like flow- 

 ers is very attractive. 



There are a good many flowering shrubs and trees 

 that have been introduced here from the Bahamas and 

 West Indies. In palms the eocoanut predominates 

 because it is both useful and beautiful ; almost every 

 garden has its eocoanut. Next in number is the "Royal 

 Palm" Oreodoxa regia, which is a noble palm, growing 

 to a great height. Going up the Miami River I saw a 

 single volunteer specimen fully 80 ft. high, standing out 

 boldly like a sentinel guarding the Everglades. There 

 are also some Phoenix and Washingtonias to be seen in 

 the gardens. 



The Royal Palm Hotel has about ten acres devoted to 

 gardening. Here are large beds of crotons, 100 feet 

 long and 75 feet wide and plants 4 or 5 ft. high. Here 

 is a very large pandanus in fruit ; it resembles a green 

 pineapple. A splendid avenue of Washingtonias about 

 40 ft. high runs from one end of the place to the other. 

 On each side underneath is a row of tropseolums and a 

 walk between; on the edge is an oleander hedge 

 coming into bloom now. This place has a great variety 

 of trees and rare shrubs, Acalyphas — single specimens 

 and hedges — hedges of the beautiful phylanthus every- 

 where. The long flowerbeds consist of sweet alyssum, 

 geraniums, petunias and tagetes. There are large rub- 

 ber trees, amongst them a Ficus nymphifolia. The 

 Eriodendron or Ceiba tree, called "Silk Cotton," was in 

 full bloom; the flowers look like a scarlet magnolia; it 

 lilooms without leaves. There is a very large lath house 

 filled with a collection of plants, mostly palms, for 

 indoor decorating. This place is in charge of Mr. An- 

 drews, a very courteous gentleman. 



A trip to the U. S. Experimental Station is very inter- 



