274 



GARDEISERS' CHRONICLE 



Notes From An Old Country Garden 



ARTHUR T. JOHNSON, F.R.H.S. 



OXl-l uf tlu- mi)>t trustworthy little plants in giving us 

 masses of color as we pass into Winter is Polygonum 

 viiccinifuliuni. which in almost any clamp, open spot 

 in woodland or rockyarden makes hummocks of rosy-pink 

 flowers that are very attractive and last several weeks. 

 Though a Himalayan this is tiuite hardy anywhere with 

 us, as is its "big brother" from liokhara. 1'. baldschuani- 

 cum. This latter is also a late bloomer and is not only 

 valuable on that account but its extraordinary vigor as a 

 climber has earned for it a great reputation. The Rus- 

 sian \'ine. as it is sometimes called, will often make 20 

 feet of growtli in a single season, thus soon adorning a 

 pergola, wall, or old tree with its abundant pale green 

 foliage and tleecy panicles of i)inky-white Mowers. It en- 

 joysa rich, loan'iy soil with full e.\pi)sure and, given the 

 right conditions, there are few climbing plants that will 

 so quickly cover its support as, this one. 



Of the ornamental currants and gooseberries in cultiva- 

 tion here, mostly of American origin, a good word must 

 be said at this season for Kibes aureum. the I'.uffalo Cur- 

 rant. This, despite anything it may lack as a flower- 

 ing shrub, makes the fullest amends by assuming a most 

 brilliant color before the leaf fall — an intense crimson 

 scarlet. Nor is it to be despised at blossoming time, for 

 its comparatively large golden yellow blooms are unusual 

 and pleasantly I'ragrant. \\'e also grow a variety of this 

 called aurantiacum whose inflorescences are a l)ronzy- 

 orange tint. 



The l^est of the whole genus Ribes. however, is un- 

 doul;te<lly the old l-'lowering Currant which was dis- 

 covered in western Xorth .America by .Menzies in 1793 

 and sent over by Douglas in 1826. Though one of the 

 commonest it is still regarded among the choicest of our 

 early-flowering shrubs. There are many good varieties 

 of this fine old currant but it is questionable whether they 

 are much superior to the type. Of these the white one 

 (albiduni) and the almost blood-red form (s])lendens) are 

 perhaps the most noteworthy. We grew the above in our 

 woodland garden under thin deciduous trees, and, in a 

 sunnier, warmer place, the bcautifid R. spcciosum of Cali- 

 fornia, with its drooping, fuchsia-like flowers, is given a 

 home. 



The various meml^ers of the Pieris (.Andromeda) group 

 are interesting at this time of year for they are now put- 

 ting forth their elegant si)rays of buds which will break 

 into flower in early .Sjjring. The most striking ()f these is 

 undoubtedly !'. formo.sa, a shrub of some S feet, with 

 large leaves like a rhododendron and wonderful racemes 

 of urn-shaped flowers, like magnified Lily-of-lhe-\ alley. 

 This splendid subject, which comes from the Himalayas. 

 is, unfortunately, not quite hardy, but it will, nevertheless, 

 jnit up with what nre to us fairly severe \\ inters. The 

 pink-flowered P. jajjonica, a very lovely si)ecies. is more 

 sturdy, but even it is liable to gel its flowers nii>iK"d by 

 .*^pring frosts. 



The hardiest of the above genus commonly grown with 

 us is undoubtedly P. floribunfla which came to us from 

 the .southeastern States of .\merica in IS(X). and this can 

 always be dcjiended on as an every-year bloomer. Tlie 

 dark green foliage and terminal s[)rays fif iiure white blos- 

 soms of this species are very eflfective, but the latter, as 

 is the case with those of most others, should Ik- seen in 

 doors as cut flowers to be a])i)rcciated at their full value. 

 P. nitida. also a native of the .Southeastern States, is an- 

 other sjiecies f>f alH)Ut the same stature (6 feet) as flori- 

 bmida iiut it is too tender for most ])laccs with us. hence 



its comparative rarity here. Then there is I', mariana of 

 the Eastern United States. This, unlike the rest of the 

 genus, is a deciduous shrub and one of considerable merit. 

 T'.ut though long known to a few gardens it has never 

 become really popular with us. This is difficult to ex- 

 plain, for P.' mariana would seem to be absolutely hardy 

 since it is, or was, largely grown at the Arnold .Arbor- 

 etum. Boston. Mass., and it is a late bloomer, not opening 

 its pink-tinted, white flowers until June. 



That delightful little evergreen shrublet from the lofty 

 mountains "of Central Europe, Polygala Chamaebuxus, 

 can always be depended on to produce a good crop of 

 bloom in the Fall as well as in Spring. We grow it in cool, 

 shad\- ijlaces in the woodland and rockgarden where it 

 makes cheerful carpets of dark, glossy-green, box-like 

 leaves, the plant varying in stature from 3 to 9 inches. 

 The pea-shaped flowers in the typical species have creamy 

 white "wings"' and a lemon-yellow "keel." Liut the va- 

 rietv. purpurea (grandiflora), is not only more robust and 

 larger in all its parts, but its blossoms have wing-petals of 

 bright rosy-lilac, the "keel" being orange-yellow, often 

 shaded with a pink flush. This charming little wood- 

 lander is c|uite hardy and thrives in any well-drained 

 loam, vegetable soil, or sandy peat. It has a preference 

 for a cool root-run and in its native home flourishes on 

 calcareous formations.- 



The Chinese Leadwort (Plumbago larpentie) is an- 

 other dwarf, sub-shrubby plant that is a regular yearly 

 bloomer from September to Winter. This plant enjoys a 

 warm corner of the rockgarden where the soil is light 

 and where there are stones under which it can send its 

 wirv roots. In such conditions it has lived in this garden 

 for years, on one occasion enduring as much as 27 degs. 

 F. of frost, and every F\-ill it crowns its 8-inch growths 

 with a cluster of flowers, each nearly as large as a 5-cent 

 piece, and of a most vivid cobalt-blue. Then, as the blos- 

 soming season passes, the foliage assumes brilliant shades 

 of crimson and orange. This i)lant is now botanically 

 known as Ceratostigma plumbaginoides and there is a 

 bush form. C. Wilmott;e, which grow's to a branching 

 shrub of about 2 feet. 



Enjoying a similar kind of root hold and situation as 

 the Leadwort. and not unlike the latter in habit, is the 

 Californian l'"uchsia (Zauschncria californica ). This 

 beautiful plant also helps to give color to our autumnal 

 garden, its bright crimson-scarlet flowers and gray-green 

 foliage being very attractive. Those readers who know 

 the tlora of California w-ill not need reminding that in its 

 n.'itive land Z. californica grows under very diverse ctm- 

 ditions and that it varies very considerably in habit, foliage 

 and flower. 'Che form which we in P>ritain usually try to 

 obtain is an carly-flowerer (July onwards) with silky, 

 pale green leafage and blossoms of an intense scarlet. 

 Like the Leadwort, Z. californica m.iy be cut to the 

 ground at the end of the season which enables one to give 

 il protection without difficulty where this seems desirable. 

 The Sweet ( Iiuns ( Li(|uidaml)er ) are well worth a place 

 in any garden where they can be given sufficient room, 

 for the foliage is extremely brilliant at this sea.son. The 

 most ])oi)ular species over here is L. styraciflua from the 

 eastern L'nited .States. This assumes such vivid tints tliat 

 it is frequently taken to be a maple. The shape of the 

 leaves is .'dso luuch like that of a maple and a well-grown 

 •ree is an object f>f great be.'uUv. 



.Another tree of much sm.dler stature which is (leservinj< 

 {Continued (1)1 pajic 281) 



