Fnr April 1021 



SSS 



ORNAMENTAL GRASSES FOR CUTTING 



Ornamenlal grasses impart to an arrangement a lightness and 

 distinctive character which Fern-fronds, handsome as they are, 

 fail to give. Moreover, it is difficult to keep up the needful 

 amount of cut Ferns without disfiguring the plants. Most of the 

 ornamental grasses are easily grown from seeds. We have found 

 the following six kinds to be among the most useful, viz. : 



Aiiiostis ncbniosa and A. f'tlchclhi.— These come into flower 

 early, and are about the very lightest that can be grown ; they 

 are also often sown in pots, and in this maimer are useful for 

 furnishing. 



Brica nm.viiiia and B. gracilis are two of llie best of the 

 Quaking Grasses. We find the former to be especially valuable 

 This sort is also one of the best for cutting and drying for later 

 use. If cut while the deep green tint is in it, it retains its color 

 better than if left till it has assumed a brownish tinge. 



La:^urns ofatiis (the Turk's-head Grass) is one of the most 

 distinct kinds, as well as one of the best for keeping, if treated as 

 just advised in the case of the Bricn. For bold arrangements in 

 association with large flowers this is an excellent kind. Another 

 valuable grass is 



Erogrostis cicgaiis. — This is a later kind than those previously 

 named, and comes in useful for cutting, up to the time when the 

 early frosts spoil its color. It is a somewhat stron.ger sort than 

 the others ; when well grown it attains a height of from 2 feet 

 to 2}/2 feet. It should, therefore, be allowed more room than the 

 others in which to develop. 



These ornamental Grasses are all valuable in their season and 

 for preserving for use afterwards, not, however, after they have 

 been disfigured by drying. When those raised from seed are 

 well above the soil it will be well to thin out any kind that has 

 come up too thickly. This will throw more stamina into those 

 that are left, rendering them more durable. — Gardening Illustrated. 



LILIES FOR MOIST POSITIONS 



Although the fine Liliums of Japan require good drainage 

 and a sunny border, there are various beautiful lilies which do 

 best in a damp place, with partial shade, where their elTect. when 

 in bloom, is n-pst valuable during the later Summer months. 

 Peaty loam or leafmold should be added, with an admixture of 

 charcoal, to the soil for them. Liliiiin gigantniiii, a nolile lily 

 of great height, is one of the best for a shady position ; but it 

 differs from other lilies in many respects, and is not often seen, 

 for the young bulbs do not blossom for several years, and in 

 order to obtain a flowering plant it is best to get an old one in 

 a pot and plant it out without much disturbance of the roots. 

 Such bulbs develop tufts of large, shining leaves and throw up 

 a stetu from 7 feet to 10 feet high, bearing about a dozen long, 

 white flowers (which are fragrant) in .August. After flowering, 

 a large bulb produces many small ones, and these should be 

 planted out in groups at once and allowed lo mature. They are 

 perfectly hardy, and such bulbs form fine groups, after they come 

 to full growth. 



A good contrast to this stately plant is found in L. canadcnse, 

 which produces terminal clusters of bright orange flowers on 

 slender stems about 5 feet high, a mass of these producing a 

 glowing effect of color in August. Another North .\merican lilv 

 is L. su['Crbuin. with spotted red blossoms; this multiplies itself 

 very satisfactorily in a moist corner with partial shade. L. fiar- 

 dalinum. the Panther Lily, is somewhat similar, but a taller 

 grower, reaching the height of 8 feet where full grown. 



/.. llnniitldtii is distinguished by having iniri)le stems about 5 

 feet tall, with drooping, Ijrilliant yellow flowers, spotted with red- 

 dish pur|ile, which persist for a considerable time in beauty. To 

 complete the collection, /,. monadclphiin may be planted ; it .gives 

 fine yellow flowers, the shade varyin.g from rich canary yellow 

 to pale lemon. Il produces a pyramidal mass of over a dozen 

 blos.soms ( n stems which reach S feet in height. The Gardeners' 

 Chraniele (liritisb). 



RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS 



People scimctimes hcsitatr to plant ihrsr, under tin- impression 

 that they will not thrive in ordinary soil, but they really are not 

 very particular, provided one or two recpiireinenfs are observed. 

 One is that they inust not be allowed to .get dry at the roots — 

 a shady or half-shady pos'tion suiting them best — and the ground 



must be free from lime or cl.alk, and have a fair amount of 

 huiuus. They very much appreciate leafmold, and a liberal quan- 

 titi, of this should be mixed with the soil before planting of pos- 

 sible, though if this cannot be obtained they will do without it 

 if the other conditions are suitable. One very important thing to 

 remjember is that while young they should be well mulched with 

 half decayed leaves every year. This mulch not only feeds the 

 roots, but helps to keep them cool, which is a most important 

 factor when the plsnts are young. When they are big enough to 

 furnish their own shade the roots will be protected, but even then 

 tlic nuilch is advisable for furnishing food. As soon as the 

 flowers have faded it is well to pick them off so that seeds are 

 not formed, as this helps the young plants wonderfully by re- 

 lieving them of the strain of seed-producing. — Gardening Illus- 

 trated. 



YUCCAS IN THE ROCK GARDEN 



For the large rock garden the Yucca is very useful and loooks 

 well all through the year. I think the most suitable species for 

 the purpose are )'. flaccida and 3'. Alamentosa. both fairly free- 

 flowering, the latter the more so. When in bloont they are very 

 handsome, and the inflorescence lasts in beauty for a long while. 

 Y. gloriosa is larger and has stififer leaves, and should not be 

 planted in places accessible to children, because of the sharp spines 

 at the tips of the leaves. It has an enormous spike of flowers, but 

 is not very free flowering. The var. 1". recurva glauca, however, 

 is rather more lavish with its blossoms, the spikes being as much 

 as 6 feet high. 3'. angustifolia is distinct, having very narrow 

 grass-like foliage; and 1'. \]'hipf<lei, a somewhate dwarf species, 

 produces a magnificent spike of flowers, which last in good con- 

 dition for several weeks. The Yuccas like a deep, well-drained 

 soil, but otherwise are not all particular. — Gardening. 



RIDDING PATHS OF WEEDS 



Dissolve 254 ozs. of Arsenite of Soda in a little water, and then 

 add water up to 40 gallons; slake lYi lbs. of Quicklime in a 

 little water and then mix it in the above — adding it very gradually. 

 This is a deadly weed-killcr and an occasional sprinkling on paths 

 should eventually kill the most obstinate of grasses. — South Afri- 

 can Gardening and Country Life. 



BERRIED SHRUBS OF UNCOMMON BEAUTY 



Of the many families comprising the order Rosacea- I doubt 

 if there is one that can lay claim to so many decorative virtues 

 or utility as does the subject of these notes. At Aldenham, where 

 we can claim to successfully grow many treasures, the Cotoneasters 

 are a very distinct and outstanding feature in the various portions 

 of the gardens and grounds, and we have made the freest use 

 possible of the various species and varieties, with their great 

 diversity of haliit and appearance. 



It is a widespread fannily, introduced from such different loca- 

 tions as Southeastern Europe. Turkestan and Asia Minor, the 

 vast snow-clad ranges of the Himalayas (from whence have come 

 some of the most beautiful), thence z'ia Thibet, through the 

 various pro\ inccs of China and on to Manchuria and Siberia. 



Not remarkalile for tlieir beauty at the flowering period, yet in 

 good seasons they arc in many cases decidedly pretty and have a 

 charming efi'ect when tlu- bunches of small flowers, mostly snowy 

 white, though in a few cases pale pink, arc fully open. Foliage 

 can. However, claim hi.ghcr meed of apprec'alioii, many of the 

 species Ijeing evergreen or sub-evergreen, and of considerable 

 beauty, but, of course, it is the fruit that comprises the real 

 beauty of the species in the majority of cases, being mostly bri.ght 

 red in color, chiefly borne in bunches of greater or lesser dimen- 

 sions, though in a few cases their color is yellow, and in one or 

 two instances black, or nearly so. 



Very fine introductions have been made during recent years by 

 the various collectors, such as Messrs. R. Ff. Wilson. Forrest, 

 Kingdon Ward, Cooper and the late Reginald Farrer, though of 

 this group I am dispo.sed at present to plump for the first named 

 as that of the man who has sent us the liest representatives of the 

 race so far. This opinion is, perhaps, formulated owiii.g to the 

 fact that, Mr. Wilson being an early starter, we have, to date, seen 

 the best results froni his cflTorts owing to the plants raised from 

 the seeds he sent home having for the most part a few years' 

 seniority over those of the others. 



