April 23, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



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of the petals, is very attractive. Alba 

 fl. pi. and grandiflora should also be 

 included. Many new varieties of 

 Chrysanthemum maximum have re- 

 cently been produced, and though 

 mere size is not always a desideratum 

 I think in this case it has improved 

 this useful plant. They are capable 

 of making good masses of white and 

 the long, stiff flower stems render 

 them very serviceable for cut pur- 

 poses. The Speaker and Mrs. Lothian 

 Bell are the largest, and a variety 

 named Robinsoni, with fimbriated 

 florets, is one of the most pleasing. 



For midsummer flowering, the her- 

 baceous clematises are a useful and 

 beautiful family worthy of inclusion 

 in all gardens. C. erecta makes a 

 fine bush, four feet high, covered 

 with a multitude of white blossoms, 

 but the variety mandschurica, which 

 is larger in all its parts, is evei' su- 

 perior, and erecta flore pleno, with 

 very double flowers, is of great merit. 



C. integrifolia Duraudi has large blue 

 flowers on robust stems, "and C. coc- 

 cinia, which is seen to the best ad- 

 vantage if grown on sticks in the 

 same way as sweet peas, has scarlet 

 and yellow flowers. Everyone is 

 probably familiar with the Americ;an 

 Snakeroot, Cimicifuga racemosa, and 

 a beautiful plant it is, but those who 

 need a more grp.eef'i! species jhouM 

 plant C. simplex, which is, as yet, 

 rare in gardens. It is smaller gen- 

 erally than its American congcnor, 

 but the flowers are much v.-lii'er and 

 the foliage more elegant. Delphini- 

 ums in their multitudinous variety do 

 not need any recommendation from 

 me to commend them to you, but 

 there are some varieties v/hioh mav 

 not have come under your notice. 



D. Belladonna is one of the very few 

 plants with sky blue flowers, and 

 though it will not withstand a sever-i 

 winter, it should always be grown, 

 even if one has to pot it up. It has 

 the desirable quality of sendi'ii; up 

 new flower stems for a 'ong period, 

 and the beautiful coloring is ai-ure- 

 ciated by all. Several xarietios are 

 now obtainable, the best of them be- 

 ing Belladonna grandiflora. which is 

 larger generally than the type; B. 

 semi-plena, sky-blue flushed lavender, 

 and Moerheimi. a very excellent 

 white form. For many years nursery- 

 men have been endeavoring to evolve 

 a pure white, tall-growing delphin- 

 ium, and they have at last succeeded 

 in producing a variety appropriately 

 named Nulli Secundus, which is cer- 

 tainly second to none, being very ro- 

 bust and of the finest white. 



Two excellent plants specially for 

 dry positions are Ephorbia poly- 

 chroma and E. corollata, the latter a 

 North American species seldom seen 

 in cultivation. E. polychroma forms 

 a symmetrical bush. completely 

 covered with conspicuous yellow 

 bracts, and E. corollata bears white 

 flowers in the greatest profusion. 

 Few hardy plants are more popular 

 than the charming Gypsophila pani- 

 culata. with its fleecy cloud of blos- 

 soms, but equally beautiful is the now 

 double form, which is one instance 

 where the doubling process has im- 

 proved a plant's beauty. 



Heucheras are among the most 

 useful of small growing herbaceous 

 plants, and many are familiar with 

 the beautiful scarlet, H. sanguinea. 



Quite a few good hybrids have been 

 raised recently, the finest of which is 

 undoubtedly H. Shirley, which grows 

 three feet high and has very large 

 scarlet flowers. Pageant is also fine, 

 a strong grower, rich, bright crim- 

 son in color. Rosamunde, Margaret, 

 Firefly, Coralie. Flambeau and Luci- 

 fer should all be included. 



Heleniums are among the most 

 useful of tall flowering plants too 

 well known to need any reference, 

 and I will only mention one, a new 

 variety raised in this country. This 

 is Riverton Gem, which has golden 

 yellow flowers largely suffused with 

 crimson. 



Everyone is acquainted with the 

 old Day Lily, Hemerocallis fulva, 

 which is a decidedly ornamental 

 plant for many positions, but for the 

 select flower border the newer hy- 

 brids are superior. The most note- 

 worthy of them are: Dr. Kegel, with 

 large flowers, rich orange in color; 

 Sir Michael, a beautiful soft yellow; 

 Queen of May, a wonderful plant, 

 three and a half feet high, deep 

 orange colored flowers, often carry- 

 ing eighteen on a single stem, and 

 Baroni, with sweetly scented orange- 

 yellow flowers. 



Incarvillea Delavayi and grandi- 

 flora are two remarkable new species 

 from China, the former having deep 

 rose flowers about the size of a 

 gloxinia, and the latter is rich car- 

 mine in color with a yellow throat. 

 These succeed best in a position 

 shaded from the hottest sunlight. 

 Two desirable new Lupines of the 

 polyphyllus section, both with rose 

 colored flowers, are Lupinus poly- 

 phyllus roseus and L. Moerheimi, and 

 an excellent variety of the double 

 Lychnis chalcedonica is Cripps var. 

 which is not affected by the sun. 



No plants, and certainly none of a 

 bulbous character, liave more devoted 

 adherents than the Lilies, and though 

 many new ones have been introduced 

 during recent years, I do not suppose 

 there are any so deserving of gen- 

 eral cultivation as Mr. Wilson's 

 Chinese introductions. As these have 

 been fully described in the press, I 

 need not deal at length with them, 

 but they cannot be too strongly rec- 

 ommended to those who desire 

 good, hardy, vigorous-growing varie- 

 ties. Henryi, leucanthemum, chlor- 

 aster, Bakerianum and myriophyllum 

 are additions to any flower border 

 and succeed best in a good loamy 

 soil with ample drainage. 



Another beautiful class of bulbs, 

 second only to the Lilies in impor- 

 tance, are Montbretias. and these, by 

 hybridizing, have been greatly im- 

 proved of late. They will probably 

 not prove so hardy in New England 

 as the older varieties such as crocos- 

 miflora and Pottsii, but it is a 

 very simple matter to lift them and 

 store in a cool cellar tor the winter. 

 Such varieties as Hereward. Prome- 

 theus, King Edmund, Norvic, West- 

 wick, Lady Hamilton, St. Botolph, 

 George Davison and Lord Nelson all 

 have flat, open flowers, measuring 

 from three to four inches in diame- 

 ter and are produced very freely on 

 strong branching stems. I do not 

 know of any plants, unless it is the 

 florists' pentstenions, which produce 

 such a beautiful display through the 

 summer and autumn months. 



Monarda didyma is an old favorite 

 in gardens, but it must give place 

 now to a new variety with bright 

 scarlet flowers named Cambridge 

 Scarlet, which is dwarfer in habit hut 

 much more floriferous. Oriental Pop- 

 pies are among the most gorgeous of 

 May flowers, and who does not ad- 

 mire the gigantic blooms of Papaver 

 Parkmannii? A host of new sorts 

 are now offered to us embracing a 

 wide range of color, but I think the 

 most desirable are Lady Roscoe, 

 Marie Studholme, Mephistopheles, 

 Mrs. Perry, Jennie Mawson and Mar- 

 garet. These should not be planted 

 near the front of the border, as their 

 flowers, though gorgeous, are rather 

 fleeting. 



A remarkable plant from Central 

 Asia, very closely allied to the cam- 

 panulas, which one seldom sees 

 grown successfully, is Cstrowskya 

 magnifica, but It well repays any care 

 bestowed upon it. This plant should 

 be given a sheltered position under a 

 warm wall in a well drained loamy 

 soil, and on no account disturb the 

 roots after it has once become estab- 

 lished. The flowers are of great size 

 and vary in color from blue to rose 

 and pure white, and under favorable 

 conditions the stems will grow six 

 feet high. 



Thalictrum dipterocarpum is the 

 most desirable of the family and is 

 one of Mr. Wilson's Chinese children. 

 It has a profusion of rich rose flow- 

 ers on slender stems flve feet high 

 and very elegant foliage. 



Tritomas, or Kniphofias, are not 

 hardy enough to withstand our New 

 England winters unless amply pro- 

 tected, and I believe the best results 

 are obtained by lifting and potting, 

 unless one has a sheltered position 

 in which to plant them. On the other 

 side they are largely used and make 

 most effective beds in well drained 

 loam. They are so distinct and 

 gorgeous in coloring that any extra 

 trouble is well bestowed on them. A 

 considerable variety of species and 

 hybrids are now obtainable and I can 

 strongly recommend Nelsonii and 

 Macowani, two very dwarf free flow- 

 ering plants. Triumph, the largest 

 variety yet raised; multiflora, Meteor, 

 Chloris, Ideal and corallina. The 

 colors vary from the palest yellow 

 to the richest scarlet and they pre- 

 sent an imposing and beautjful ap- 

 pearance in the fall i,a>den. 



The most useful of all herbaceous 

 plants for producing fine autumnal 

 effects are undoubtedly Asters or 

 Michaelmas Daisies, and to some who 

 are acquainted with the miny wild 

 species which beautify our Now Eng- 

 land woodlands it may seem un- 

 necessary to draw attention to them, 

 but during the last ten years a great 

 deal has been done by cross fertiliza- 

 tion and selection 'o pioduce varie 

 ties better suited for garden cultiva- 

 tion. The species to which the most 

 notable additions have been added 

 are Novi Belgi, Novae Angliae, Amel- 

 lus, cordifolius and Vimineus, but the 

 best results have been obtained by 

 crossing Novi Belgi and Vimineus. 

 These produce small flowers in great 

 abundance on long pendulous branches 

 right from the ground and for 

 Ijorder decoration or using in a cut 

 state there is nothing to surpass. 

 Nearly all the varieties to which X 



