102 



GARDEPsERS- CHRO.MCLE 



Foreign Exchange Department 



VARIEGATED FOLIAGE.— One does not regard an.-cmia as 

 an agent enhancing beauty in the human subject; on the contrary, 

 every effort is made to counteract the mischief. Why, then, will 

 florists perversely promote its equivalent— deficiency of chlorophyll 

 — in plants ? The few phanerogams, i. c. flowering plants, which 

 are normally devoid, or nearly so, of chlorophvll. are degenerates, 

 either saproplntes like the Bird's Nest (Neottia) or thorough- 

 going parasites like Dodder (Cuscuta), drawing nutriment from 

 the store honestly accumulated by other plants bv means of the 

 chlorophyll in their foliage. Nevertheless, I ventiire to plead for 

 one exception to the rule in this matter. The Golden Queen Holly, 

 a_ variety of immemorial antiquity, when well set with scarlet ber- 

 ries, is no unworthy companion and ofifset to the natural green 

 tv-pe. — Garden iiig Illustrated. 



VIBURNU.M CARLESI IN POTS.— There are few lovers of 

 sweet-scented flowers w^ho do not long to grow some of the choice 

 Daphnes. Where they fail with the latter the above-named va- 

 riety of \'ibiirnum may be substituted, and certainly both kinds of 

 plants should be included in the collection if this be convenient. 

 Viburnum Carlesi is very free-flowering, pure white, and very 

 fragrant. There is one drawback with regard to the plant itscli", 

 namely, the paucity of leaves at the time of flowering. As a pot 

 plant in the greenhouse the lack of leaves will not be ver\' notice- 

 able if other well-foliaged specimens are judiciously arranged near. 

 I think that more of the free-flowering shrubs that are suitable 

 should be grown in pots specially for the cool greenhouse or con- 

 servatory. — Gardening Illustrated. 



SHIRLEY POPPIES. — These have been improved almost out 

 of recognition, and that they give a magnificent display cannot be 

 disputed. \evy few plants give such a wealth of bloom for cut- 

 ting, and if the blooms be ephemeral, yet, so long as seed pods 

 are not allowed to form, there arc always fresh supplies. ^Iany 

 permit Shirley Poppies to grow too thickly and neglect providing 

 supports for the plants. Let the plants be thinned until every one 

 has at least a square foot in which to develop, and then put Spruce 

 twigs or similar material thickly among the plants. These twigs 

 may be lYz feet in height, and as the Poppies make progress, the 

 supports will soon be hidden from view, and the plants will be 

 protected alike from rain and from gales. — Gardening Illustrated. 



SHRUBS UNDER TREES.— In making a selection of shrubs 

 for such a purpose it is necessary to know whether the trees are 

 of dense growth, under which very few plants will thrive, or thin- 

 headed trees under which numerous kinds may be grown. As a 

 general rule, most shining-leaved shrubs will thrive as undcr- 

 tgrowth beneath the shade of trees, but, in any case, the soil inust 

 be well prepared for them at the outset. If the trees have been 

 planted v.ithin recent years, and the soil is tolerably .good, but 

 little preparation is necessary beyond deep digging; but if the trees 

 are large and old, then the soil will be found overrun with roots 

 and impoverished. In this case fresh soil should be substituted 

 (say. from 9 inches to 12 inches deep), and in this the shnvbs 

 intended for under.growth should be planted. The small shrubs 

 should be vigorous and with plenty of roots, and the best time to 

 plant is during .September and October, allowing the leaves that 

 fall from the trees to remain among them through the Winter. 

 The choice may be made from the fnllnwing list: Common Holly, 

 Berberis .'\quifolium or Mahonia. common Box. Oval-leaved 

 Privet, Portugal laurel, RhodcKlendrnn p<jnticimi (if no chalky 

 matter is in the soil), Cotoncaster .Simonsi, Skimmia oblata. Ber- 

 beris Darwini. Berlxris japonica. and common \'ew. .Ml these are 

 evergreen, and may be obtained at a cheap rate in nurseries. For 

 very dense shade we have found nothing better than the Butcher's 

 Broom CRuscus aculeatus), with an undergrowth of the creeping 

 St. John's-wort ( Hyix-ricum calycinum). Periwinkle, and Ivy. 

 The common English Ivy grows naturally in dense shade, but the 

 Irish Ivy has a bolder effect. Gaultheria Shallon may he planted 

 in light or peaty moist soil, and a good car])et-like growth may be 

 had of Euonymus radicans and its variegated form. There are feu- 

 deciduous shrubs that will grow under trees. — The Gardeners' 

 Chroniele (British). 



FRAGRANT PLANTS IN THE PAVED P.ATH.— For plant- 

 ing iK-twecn the stones of the paved pathway, there is nothing 

 better than some of the fragrant plants. It is nce<lless to enter 

 into detail of the plants which may be so utilized, but the Thymes 

 may be mentioned as invaluable, especially the smaller species and 

 varieties, for there is nothing better than the tiny but highlv per- 

 fumwl Mentha Reciiiieni (syn. Thymus corsicus). It is <lifTicult 

 to keep these paved paths free from grass and weeds if the joints 

 arc left open, and I would suggest cementing the joints, only leav- 

 ing a sufficient number of openings for the plants desired. This 

 will save an immense amount of work in the future, and if more 



plants are desired, additional openings can Ix- easily made. — 

 Gardening Illustrated. 



PRUNING NEWLY-PLANTED TREES.— To prune or not 

 to prune js the question. Is it better to inflict two hardships at 

 tlie same time upon a tree or one hardship? There can scarcely 

 lie a doubt in an impartial and thoughtful mind as to the answer. 

 What are the facts? A number of young trees has been lifted in 

 order tliat they may be replanted 20 yards or 200 miles distant. 

 Some injury or check has been given to tlie root-system of the 

 tree, even if it did not lose a rootlet or part of a rootlet. The 

 mere exposure to tlie air will cause a check to the activity of 

 the root-.system. If that be so in the case of trees lifted with 

 the greatest care and regardless of cost, how much more is injury 

 caused when a tree loses a distinct portion of its root-.system in 

 the act of lifting, as occurs in hundreds of thousands of cases 

 every j'ear ! It is well, therefore, to recognize the fact and to 

 take tliought accordinaly. It is beyond question, tlien, that a tree 

 which has been transplanted has sufi^ered some injury to the roots; 

 and we are dealing with the question of prunin.g that tree and 

 the time of performing the operation. My advice is — defer the 

 operation, at all events, until the sap is circulating from the roots 

 to the branches in Spring, and which is sh<>wn by the distinct 

 swelling of the wood-buds near and at the ends of the shoots of 

 this year's growth Many young fruit trees have perished from no 

 other cause than that of pruning at the time of — or soon after — 

 planting. — Gardening Illustrated. 



Horticultural Jottings 



The fruit of the mayflower, or trailin.g arbutus, is reimted to be 

 of rare occurruice. Certainly it is rarely seen; it has hidden 

 itself for centuries among the leaves and moss. To be found, it 

 must be sought lovingly, if not indeed reverently, upon the knees, 

 b'tirtherniore. it must he sought at tlie right time, and that time 

 is when wild strawberries are ripe. 



It is a curious and remarkable fact that a plant so universally 

 known and so well loved for the beauty, charm, and fragrance 

 of its flowers, should have been miknown as 1o the character of 

 its fruit. Before the year 1913 none of our botanies adequately 

 and correctly described it. The mayflower has not a dry pod, 

 hut a white-fleshed edible fruit as juicy a*'a straw'berry, though 

 of smaller size. 



The Japanese have surpassed us in this matter, fur they class 

 their species of trailing arbutus as one of their edible wild fruits. 



The fruit of the ma-yflower is not in reality rare. I have found 

 hundreds of them in a woodland pasture in New Hampshire in a 

 single forenoon. — h'rederic V. Coville, in "The National Geo- 

 gra/>hie Mapa^sine." 



An old-fashioned flower garden will be .-i feature of the White 

 House grounds this year, in compliance with a request made by 

 .Mrs. Harding. The ga'-den is now beiiii> laid out and will con- 

 tain chiefly the flowers that grew at her Marion home, of which 

 she is especially fond. The new garden will be located in the 

 eastern part of the rear yard, at a point lU't far distant from the 

 \\ bite House Rose garden, and in it will be grown such homey 

 plants as Morning Glory, Pansies. I'orget-me-nots. .X.sters. Snap- 

 dr-i.gons, h'oxgiove. etc. Mrs. Harding is especially fond of 

 Hollyhocks and Lilies of the Valley, and for these two special 

 beds will be arran.ged immediately adjacent to the gardens proper. 

 .\nother feature of the White House gardens <hirin.g the comin.g 

 summer will be the Airs. Harding Rose, which was raised in the 

 Department of .Agriculture grounds. — Tlorists' E.vchangc. 



Old Tut-ankh-.'\men died about 3.00(1 years ago. but in the 

 Xational Park of California aro two Seciuoia trees, the General 

 Grant and the General Sherman, that were born about 1.000 years 

 before the Egypti;ui monarch and they're alive yet. What's the 

 use of going to Egypt to sec old dead things when you can see 

 older live ones in your own country? — .V. )'. Tinies. 



To commence preparations for a centennial celebration fifty 

 years beft^re the actual date would seem a trifle premature in the 

 ordinary instance, but in the C'l^t' "f .'\rbor Day, to he ob.served 

 in 1972 under the auspices of the .American Tree .As.sociation, it 

 is perfectly natural bcrausc it takes at least five decades for many 

 trees to att,iin maturity. Aside allo.gether from the .esthetic 

 aspects of tlie campaign, however, the economic angle should not 

 be forgolUn. What is the value to a citv. that is to say, of many 

 trees planted in ils midst? Springfield, Mass.. which is said to 

 have more trees per inhabitant than any other .American citv. lists 

 its 2.S.000 trees ;iinoiifc a^ financial assets at a total of $2,500,000. 

 This fifty-years-ahead campaign -is one which should exercise a 

 wide appeal and deserves an enthusiastic response. — C. .9, Monitor. 



