For August, 1922 



237 



EARLY-SPRING PANSIES 



W'lien pansies are mentioned we think of the famihar 

 Viola tricolor sorts, which have long belong among the 

 most treasured of vernal plants in the garden. These, in 

 the course of many centuries, have, through breeding of 

 conscious aim, been ]3erfected in extraordinary ways in 

 form and in color and will perhaps alwavs maintain their 

 place in the garden. 



Since a few years before the war, however, the pansy 

 has met with a very noteworthy rival in the new forms 

 of the horned violet, or tufted or bedding pansy, Viola 

 cornnta. which not only strives, in form and in color, de- 

 ceptively to imitate it. but in profusion and lasting quali- 

 ties of bloom and in vigor also is superior to it. Up to 

 the present w^e have for the most part learned to value 

 the horned violet, only in its small-flowered forms, as a 

 flowering plant of long continuance. Kinds like G. Wer- 

 mig, in their deep violet-blue coloring and in their ful- 

 ness of blossoming, which lasts from spring until into 

 the autumn are quite unsurpassable. Rut the Wermig 

 viola and similar sorts like Papilio still completely de- 

 serve the name violet, while the newer productions take 

 on all the time more and more the character of pansies. 

 The horned violet is a genuine shrub, and in these new 

 forms are inherited all the good qualities of their ances- 

 try. Even in an early spring as cool as that of this year 

 the flowering of the early kinds began even in March, so 

 that in more favorable years they right well deserve the 

 name of "winter-blooming.'' 



To these early sorts we should like for the present to 

 direct attention. They are happy in any fresh garden 

 soil, most so in porous loam and in a sunny site: only 

 in places too dry and where the sun becomes hot is their 

 culture not to be recommended. If it is desired to have 

 them flower quite early in the spring they must be planted 

 in good time in the early autumn in order that they may 

 enter the winter as well rooted and vigorous plants. They 

 may be left possibly three or even four years in the same 

 place, if they are given annually, before their blooming, 

 good liquid manure and in the fall a little mulching of 

 well rotted manure. The growing of them from seed is 

 just as easy and just as satisfactory as in the case 

 of the Viola tricolor forms. .\lthough the cornnta 

 sorts are not vet so noble in structure of flower 

 and in the gradations of coloring they are neverthe- 

 less being improved year by year. Had not the 

 endeavors at breeding been disturbed by the war 

 these new horned violets too would have been so per- 

 fected in every way that they would supplant the best 

 pansies. But even as they are today they surpass true 

 pansies not inconsiderably in their beginning to bloom 

 earlier and in the longer continuance of their period of 

 blooming. Their play of colors is not yet quite so rich, 

 but at the same time the following list of sorts contains 

 a rich selection of colors, to whose charming design and 

 appealing form of flowers the pictures give testimony : 



Cyclops, a quite new sort of dark and brilliant violet 

 color, with white eye marked with black ; Ice King, white 

 with dark eye; Half-iMourning, a peculiar novelty, whose 

 upper petals show a deep pansy-blue, while the lower 

 ones are white; with a cream-yellow gleam and light 

 blue lines ; Jupiter, purple-violet, upper half of the flower 

 whitish: March \\'izard, soft velvety dark blue: Mars, 

 ultra-marine blue : North Pole, snow-white : Winter Sun, 

 golden yellow, with dark eye : Wodan, almost black. The 

 growth of most sorts is compact as with the Horned 

 Violet, whose characteristics especially come to the fore 

 in kinds like Cyclops. In part the influence of Viola tri- 

 color is more strongly expressed ; in the rise of these new- 

 sorts it has had a part to such an extent that they may. 



rightly be called the pansies of the spring. They ought 

 to be adopted everywhere into our gardens. — Tr. from 

 Gartcnschocnhcit by F. 1!. M. 



GARDENING IN SOUTH CAROLINA 



{Continued from page 233) 



progress, and this can be said of N ordmanniana and con- 

 color fir, sciadopitys white and Austrian pines and certain 

 varieties of RetmsporR^, sqnarrosa J'citcliii in particular. 



The perennial border gives a lot of worry — a good many 

 choice varieties such as delphiniums, Canterbury Ijells, 

 aquilegias and anemones do not feel at home. The holly- 

 hock is the grandest of them all and perfectly free from 

 disease. Fairly good success can be had though with the 

 greatest care, if you see to it that the flowering period 

 comes in as early as possible, April and May, which are 

 the best months for perennials and the time to enjoy them. 



Now for the lawn. An absolutely perfect lawn is next 

 to inipossilile. but with a large percentage of white clover 

 and a mixture of Kentucky blue grass, red top, fescue and 

 bent. I manage to have a fair all year round evergreen 

 lawn, sprinklers running all of the time. 



Let me say finally that one of the main secrets in this 

 section for success is to take advantage of a good season 

 for planting and with great care your work will be suc- 

 cessful — if I have been partly so it is because I have fol- 

 lowed these rules, but after all the real pleasures of gar- 

 dening are to be looked for in the more moderate climates. 



SEMPERVIVUM 



(Continued from page 236) 



Ccrastiuni, frequently called "Snow in Summer,'' may 

 be raised from seed or propagated by cuttings or divisions 

 during Spring or Fall. 



Light covering throughout northern States. 



Sempervivum — House Leek 



Scmpcrvi^nim, a genus of the order Crassulacese, with 

 numerous greenhouse and hardy species, mostly of low 

 growing rosette shape is a special favorite of collectors. 

 Of the hardy kinds quite a portion endures our most 

 frigid Winters without any protection. Nestling between 

 the stone work of old walls or in the crevices of rocks on 

 sunny mountain slopes and ledgy plateaus we wonder how 

 they can exist and grow with hardly any soil. 



Sempervivums today represent a strikingly interesting 

 material of odd character for both the rockery and the dry 

 wall. For a minimum of care we luay sometime enjoy the 

 quaint picture of a plantation in full bloom, such as de- 

 picted by our illustration. 



The number of species listed in trade catalogs of 

 course is limited. Of those I have seen, I mention; 

 Scmpcrvk'mn arachnoideum, calcareum, globifcrum, Wul^ 

 fcni, Funkii, tectoruin, pittoni and robustum. Of the very 

 attractive red-leaved species Semperinz'um riibens, or 

 rubicundum. triste and violaccum seem to be obtainable.' 



The nomenclature of the Sempervivums is in a chaotic 

 state. 



F"ather had been cleaning the bedroom windows outside, 

 when little Muriel came in from the garden, and said: 

 "Mother, did you hear the ladder fall down just now?" 



"No," replied the mother. 



"Well,'' said the child, 'it fell down and broke three 

 flower-pots. I told daddy you'd be cross.'' 



"Oh, dear,'' said mother ; "I hope your daddy hasn't 

 hurt himself !" 



"I don't think he has yet,'' said little ^luriel : "he's still 

 hanging on to the window-sill." — Exchange. 



