HORTICULTURE, 



Plateau of Plants and 

 Flowers 



The illustration shows a plateau filled with grow- 

 ing ferns. We have small japanned tin tubes that 

 hold water in which we put the stems of flowers. 

 We think this is particularly good for warm weather. 



/h^'^^CL^d^^ 



The Hardy Flower Garden 



II 



Delphiniums are just in. D. Cashmirianum is a 

 little earlier than the D. elatum hybrids. Of the latter 

 there are several named varieties, but with careful 

 selection one can get a good and tolerably perma- 

 nent strain. D. chinensis of the "Butterfly" type is 

 very dwarf and excellent for front lines. Gillenia 

 trifoliata is very light and graceful. It is excellent 

 for cutting and should be useful for florists in bouquet 

 work. Its spray-like panicles of white flowers are 

 very effective. The old garden heliotrope, Valeriana 

 officinalis is rather coarse, but very striking. Heme- 

 rocallis flava is the earliest of the day lilies. H. 

 Middendorffiana is orange colored, and just coming 

 in. Spirasa aruncus has large panicles of white 

 flowers and handsome foliage. S. Knieffii, finely 

 cut, fern -like foliage, and long compound panicles. 

 S. astilboides, the very graceful white we are familiar 

 with in florists' windows in spring, forced for early 

 bloom; S. (Astilbe) japonica, a long time favorite; 

 S. chinensis, long spikes of pink; S. lobata, tall, 

 broad leaved, with corymbs of light pink flowers; 

 S. palmata, pink, and S. Ulmaria, white — all are 

 good border flowers, in bloom at this time. 



Penstemons, in species, not hybrids, give us a va- 



riety of neat plants, and beautiful flowers. P. 

 diffusus has bright purple, open-throated flowers. 

 P. spectabilis, similar in bloom, but different in 

 habit; P. secundiflorus, smooth foliage and one- 

 sided inflorescence; P. ovatus, less showy, but dis- 

 tinct; P. campanulatus, reddish pink; P. pubescens, 

 light pink. Sweet Williams are old-time favorites. 

 There are some very tine strains of these, with white 

 bordered flowers; careful selection is necessary to 

 keep up the standard. Orobus lathyroides is a pe- 

 culiar and showy vetch, with purple, jiea-like flowers; 

 Lilium Hansoni is a delicately orange-tinted kind, 

 evidently related to L. Martagon. It is one of the 

 first to bloom. Violas are always interesting. Those 

 known as Scotch pansies need a half-shaded place 

 with moist soil to succeed well. Then they will bloom 

 the whole season. V. cucullata is a true perennial 

 and accommodates itself almost anywhere. 



Hybrid columbines have lasted a long time; noth- 

 ing is more pleasing than these crosses between 

 Aquilegia chrysantlia, A. coerulea, and A. cana- 

 densis. We get all the combinations possible be- 

 tween blue, yellow, and red. Coreopsis grandifolia 

 is the earliest and the best — superior to C. lanceo- 

 lata. In thalictrums or meadow rues we have very 

 handsome foliage; some very finely divided as in 

 the varieties minus and adiantifolium of T. aquile- 

 gsefolium. T. glaucum has yellow flowers, and 

 bluish foliage. T. Coulteri, white flowers. Achil- 

 laea aurea is a gem in this family, with mossy green 

 foliage and yellow flower heads. A. negyptiaca has 

 hoary foliage and yellow flowers; A. millefolium 

 roseum, pink flowers; A. ptarmica, the Pearl, double 

 white flowers, which latter are excellent for cutting. 



The list is getting long, but we must not omit 

 pyrethrums and potentillas, both old-time garden 

 flowers very common in England, but requiring a 

 little more care here. They are Hable to die in sum- 

 mer, and one has to see that a stock of young plants 

 is kept up. Lupines, both perennial and annual, are 

 charming garden flowers, and always please; fox- 

 gloves and Canterbury bells, not to forget the old- 

 time Campanula pyramidalis, not quite in yet. 

 There are speedwells, mostly of the Veronica Teu- 

 crium type; some V. incana and V. gentianoides. 



CHmbing and bush roses should never be neglected. 

 Among bush forms, there are the damask, the sweet 

 briars, the R. lucida, and its variety alba, R. Caro- 

 liniana, R. Arkansana, R. cinnamomea, R. spino- 

 sissima, R. blanda, the Egan and the Arnold. Climb- 

 ers are the Farquhar, Rambler, Helene, Dawson, 

 Minnie Dawson — a double R. multiflora, Leuchstern, 

 a single, similar to Walsh's Hiawatha, Rubin, pretty 

 deep red, and the prairie, R. setigera. 



Wellesley, Mass. 



