March 25, 1916 



HOKTICULTUEE 



401 



from all walks, for watering all the way across the 

 bench will knock a good deal of mulch over the edge and 

 into the walks. The only time to water all the way 

 across is when the plants are real dry and then they can 

 be watered from all the walks, watering across the whole 

 bench, which will give the plants water twice, and will 

 make sure that there are no dry spots. In doing this, 

 however, it is best not to use too much pressure, so the 

 surface is not disturbed at all, or very little. When 

 watering on clear days from now on it will not hurt 

 to wet the bottom leaves or the plants themselves pro- 

 viding they are not too dry. If not dry, and the water 

 is allowed to come into contact with the lower portion 

 of the plant it will help soften the wood somewhat and 

 will thus induce them to break from the bottom. On 

 cloudy days it should not be done, however, as it will be 

 better for the plants to be dry, especially in houses that 

 are damp under the benches, or that leak badly. This 

 will apply to all roses, save the Beauty. With these we 

 would rather not wet the foilage except when it is abso- 

 lutely necessary, as this rose is more apt to get spot than 



any variety we know of, and with plenty of wood on the 

 plants vei7 little sun will reach the lower part and the 

 result will be that they will not dry off well and in time 

 blackspot is sure to appear. 



Supplies for the Summer 

 Materials for reiiairsi. and other supplies such as bone, 

 manure and tobacco, will- not be any cheaper later on, 

 and the grower who is wise will figure out his needs 

 now and place his orders so that if anything happens to 

 the supplies while they are traveling, and they happen 

 to be delayed a long time owing to congestion of the 

 railroads or some other trouble, they will still arrive on 

 time. Greenhouse liuildcrs will be busier this spring 

 than they have been for a long time, owing to the severe 

 weather, and if there is any lumber, glass, putty, etc., 

 to be bought, order it now, and have it on the place, sa 

 that it will be right there when it is wanted. The list 

 should be complete, right down to nails, which by the 

 way have already advanced and will no doubt go up 

 still more as the companies manufacturing these can 

 get other work which is far more profitnhlo. 



Saxifraga II 



The question whether it is possible in our climate to 

 succeed with the low growing alpine saxifragas, form- 

 ing dense evergreen tufts of very attractively lobed or 

 clefted small foliage, seems still an open one. For the 

 northern boundary states I have no doubt that the an- 

 swer will turn out in the affirmative. South of New 

 York my experiences with plantations exposed to the 

 full sun were not encouraging. Placing them on slopes 

 or inclines facing northerly or otherwise shaded by 

 nearby shrubs or trees during midday and the early 

 afternoon hours improves conditions. Plants I kept 

 on trial in favorable situations) grew normal at Glenside, 

 Pa., during last summer. With a more thorough study 

 of the particular requirements on our part I believe the 

 American rock garden of the future can be made the 

 display ground of saxifragas. Their bright sheets of 

 myriads of graceful white, pink and red blossoms lit- 

 erally covering the vivid gi-een carpet of foliage beneath, 

 possess a charm of their own. Being at their best dur- 

 ing April, May and early June, they greatly add in 

 bringing the total aspect of a rock garden up to a vernal 

 beauty which has no comparison. 



Saxifraga Camposi merits out attention for it is the 

 largest flowering early white species. Of the other 

 white representatives in this class recommendable for 

 trying I mention hypnoides, Stansfieldi, muscoides and 

 Sternbergi ; the latter being the best large flowering late. 



According to European reports of recent years the 

 red, pink, and white forms of Saxifraga decipiens rank 

 among the showiest in cultivation. Their usefulness is 

 not limited to rockeries. We see them frequently em- 

 ployed for edging purposes in herbaceous flower gar- 

 dens. Our illustration, a reproduction of a photograpli 

 of the rock garden of George Arends in Eonsdorf, Ger- 

 many, shows the effect of his latest improved forms of 

 decipiens grandiflora in the foreground of the picture. 



WTiile in Maine your correspondent tried Saxifraga 

 Ehei and Rhei superba. The climate being exceptional- 



S.VXIFRAGA DECIPIENS GBANDIFLOBA. 



ly favorable the result was a very satisfactory effect 

 from the seedlings in their second year. Rhei flowers 

 very freely, so does Rhei superba. The large sized blos- 

 soms of the latter are deep rose-pink and in their abun- 

 dance extraordinarily showy. 



With our native wild mountain deni2ens alone we 

 shall not be able to produce and maintain the richness 

 in color desirable for the rockery as an occasional fea- 

 ture of refined home grounds. The consequence will be a 

 steadily increasing demand for choice and effective rock 

 garden plants. Our northern growers have the great 

 advantage of favorable climatic conditions. It is now 

 for the wide-awake to study opportunity and in time 

 avail themseves of it. 



Glenside, Pa. 



-^l^JwClAydi <^<Mji/ 



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