176 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



must be sprayed and the plant itself placed in a cool place. 

 After blossoming it should receive less water. 



JMany species of Tillandsia can be attached, together 

 with moss and fern roots, to some rough barked branch 

 or they can be hung in lattice framed boxes which should 

 be surrounded with a glass cage in order to give them a 

 moisture laden atmosphere. They propagate through side 

 shoots which should be left on the plant as long as pos- 

 sible since these are colony forming species. These young 

 shoots should only be removed from the larger plants. 



True sons of the soil are the species of Pitcainiia which 

 thrive in a mixture of wood mold, leaf mold, hotbed 

 soil, and lawn soil to which a little sand should be added 

 to allow the water to drain otf freely. The plants should 

 be placed in diffused light, the direct rays of the sun are 

 injurious. Shoots, which serve to increase this species. 



should be renuned as soon as they have developed since 

 these only prevent the plant from producing flowers. 

 All species of Pitcainiia should be well watered during 

 the Summer months, in Winter they recpiire but little 

 moisture and should be watered accordingly. 



Many lovers of plants enjoy placing the tops of pine- 

 apples in flower pots where they can easily be cultivated. 

 But before the leafy crown of the pineapple is planted, 

 it should be thoroughly dried to prevent the decay of the 

 leaves. If the top is now ]:)lanted, the roots will develop 

 with exceeding rapidity. The older plants often produce 

 shoots which are used to propagate this species. If the 

 pineapple is cultivated like other soil BroincUacecc, it is 

 likely to produce its fruit in the livingroom where its 

 development, before it ripens, can be observed from day 

 to day. 



The Flowers of June 



FLORUM AMATOR 



((' I ■'HE flowers that bloom in the Spring, tra-la-la'' have 



I cast ofl:" their pretty gowns and within their ovaries 



are growing for the perpetuation of their species. 



June is now here and June weather, June whose thirty 



days are the loveliest of all the year, so beautiful indeed 



as to make us wish there were thirty-one, June of which 



Lowell says in "The Vision of Sir Launfal" : 



"And what is so rare as a day in June? 



Then, if ever come perfect days ; 

 Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune. 



And over it softly her warm ear lays ; 

 ^^'hether we look or whether we listen. 



We hear life mumier, or see it glisten; 

 Every clod feels a stir of might, 



An instinct within it that reaches and towers. 

 And groping blindly above it for light, 



Climbs to a .soul m grass and flowers." 



Lowell was "country born and bred'" and he knew well 

 that the soul of June is grass and flowers and leafy trees, 

 a blue sky and a balmy air and singing birds. 



June flowers display a riot of colors and appear in many 

 exquisite forms and exhale delicious odors. We hardly 

 need to remind that June in the Xorth is the month of 

 roses. The Hybrid- Perpetuals this month bloom so pro- 

 fusely that they seem to say to us: "We are .going to 

 make such an imjvression on you by onr numbers and 

 beauty that you will remember us till we come again next 

 June." We do remember them — both their beauty and 

 their fragrance; we have not smelled of a Jac(|ueminot 

 rose for a year, but we can recall its delicious scent now 

 as we are writing. The cliilibing roses resting on trellises 

 and pergolas are offering to us their thousands of blooms. 

 The Moss, the Periietiana, the Polyantlia, the iirier, the 

 Riii;osa, and the IVicliuriaiana roses are contributing tlieir 

 wealth of flowers. The more modest but no less beautiful 

 Tea and Hybrid-Tea are giving their lovely and dclicious- 

 ly scented blooms for June's I'cstival of Roses. 



Not in a solitary sjilendor, however, reigns the rose in 

 June; there are other flowers which enter into the lists 

 against her for the prize of the "golden a])ple," which a 

 god once offered as the prize for beauty, and ui)on which, 

 therefore, he caused to l)e inscribed the word "pulcher- 

 rimje." 



Not all these rivals of the rf)se can we metxtion : tlure 

 are so many. Here are the lilies: "I-'.ven Solomon in all 



his glory was not arrayed like one of these:" Liliiiui can- 

 didum, variously called JMadonna, Annunciation and St. 

 Joseph's Lily, whose sweetly scented flowers are of purest 

 white ; Lilium Canadcnsc. var. rubruin and flamim, the 

 red and the yellow Canada Lilies: Liliitiu macnlatnm, 

 Hanson's Lily, a stately and handsome species with pur- 

 ple spotted orange flowers; Lilium pubcrulum. the grace- 

 ful and tall Humboldt's Lily, whose large golden-yellow 

 flowers are dotted with pale purple ; Lilium Parryi. con- 

 sidered by some the best of the yellow flowered species, 

 whose flowers are marked with brown. These are some 

 of the Lilies which June offers us. 



The many species and varieties of Campanula, the "Bell 

 Flowers,'' the "Canterbury Bells" and the Hare Bells 

 hold aloft on their flower stalks bells of blue and white 

 and pink "for verger bees to swing"' for June weddings. 



The Peonies are a dominant feature in Hora's kingdom 

 from early to mid-June. This is a glorious flow'er ; no 

 other in its season makes a handsomer or more command- 

 ing show in our gardens. In form they present many 

 types, the "Rose,'' the "Half-Rose,"' the "Japanese," and 

 so on, and in color they embrace all shades except blue. 



For dazzling brilliancy of color no flower in June sur- 

 passes the Oriental Poppy, Fapai'cr oricntalc. whose im- 

 mense orange-scarlet flowers with purple stamens and 

 dark purple eyes are he'd well up above the foliage on 

 long strong stems for our ardent admiration. There are 

 horticultural varieties of this poppy embracing other col- 

 ors, Init we like the lyiie the best. Like the Peony this 

 poppy is one of the hardiest of all our herbaceous peren- 

 ni;ds. but is unlike the pc'ony in its habits in tliat its 

 foliage disappears after its season of bloom, ,inil. being 

 renewed in .Autumn, is evergreen through the Winter. 



In mid-June the Japanese Iris, Iris fta-i^^ala, the most 

 beautiful of all Irises, begins to unfold its large showy 

 tlowers, sf)me sinijle, others double, in shades of color 

 ranging from while to dee]) jnirple, and sometimes beauti- 

 fully veined riiid mottled. This Iris continues to bloom 

 till mid-July. .M.issed bi'side a water course or ])(inil or 

 m the ek;e of >hrubi)ery, it makes a si)lendi(l show anil 

 its flowers borne on long erect stalks are excellent for 

 cutting. 



.Some of the Columbines. .\i|nilegias. are in bloom this 

 month. l)oth the wild species. C anadcnsis. and the culti- 

 v.iied. We wonder why I larlequin called his love Co- 

 lumlime: wa^ il because shf was as unii|nelv preltv in 



