October 7, 1905 



H orticulture: 



Hardy Opuntias 



Caftusp? iire. anion:; ]ilanfs. a genera that many yi-ar- 

 ago were held in groat esteem but are much neglected 

 nowadays ; they only can be found in botanical gardens, 

 occasionally in private estates. A few rich-flowering 

 species like epiphyllum and phyllocactus have been cross- 

 fertilized and really nice and useful hybrids have been 

 raised. 



The liardy opuntias. wliich are not yet but soon will 

 be nnicli used in landscai>e gardening, are certainly of 

 great value for decoration when used in the right situa- 

 tion — planted between rocks on a sandy, dry, hot sunny 

 bank where nothing much wall grow; there they will in 

 a short time delight the eye by their vigorous, trailing 

 growth, the diversity of the forms of their joints, the 

 various colors and length of their spines, and in June 

 and Jidy the abundance of their difference .shades of 

 yellow, rose and red flowers; later some of the fruits turn 

 red. 



Some are of erect habit and grow quite tall. They 

 will grow in any sunny place and in any soil where the 

 moisture does not stand on the roots. If planted in low 

 ground the place must be well-drained, but a dry slope 

 is where they grow best. In planting they need space 

 for they soon grow to large-sizod plants, and once estab- 

 lished are not easy to transplant. 



Hardy opuntias need no protection against frost. The 

 sun with alternate thawing and freezing may burn tliem. 

 and a big layer of wet snow will sometimes break them. 

 therefore a little roof built over in winter with boards, 

 hemlock or spruce branches is a good protection. 



There are about forty species and varieties known as 

 hardy which will stand our New England climate, but 

 there are certainly more that liave not been tried or have 

 not been introduced from Colorado where nearly all the 

 hardy ones are from. 



These are a few that arc in cultivation — Opuntia 



*I^ 



r"i^ 





Mini, Ilia, dwarf, joint evlindrieal. short, f uljcreulate, 

 with long dark spines and yellow flower. 0. Camachica 

 and varieties are big growing, some of erect habit, the 

 joints flat, oval, egg-shaped or round and generally very 

 large with long white spines. Albispina, longispina, 

 major, minor, orbicularis and pallida have the flowers of 

 different shades of yellow ; rulira and Salnionea have 

 red flowers. 



rAiUMotXT Park. 



