254 



HORTICULTURE 



September 20, 1919 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



Not long ago I had the pleasure of 

 visiting the Crane estate in Ipswich, 

 Mass., which is now under the super- 

 vision of Robert Cameron, formerly of 

 the Harvard Botanical Garden. This 

 is one of the most extensive estates 

 in New England, but has been de- 

 veloped in a quiet way, inasmuch as 

 Mr. and Mrs. Crane dislike too much 

 publicity. All the work has been dono 

 during the last twenty-five years, 

 which is difficult to realize when one 

 views the many large evergreen anl 

 other trees to be found scattered over 

 the place. 



The so-called Italian garden is more 

 like an English walled garden. There 

 are no bay trees or similar plants 

 such as one finds in the average Ital- 

 ian garden. The borders of perennials 

 are well arranged, and a water garden 

 at one end has great possibilities. 



Ornamental Horticulturists some years 

 ago. 



The most interesting plants which I 

 saw in this garden were a number of 

 Pleroma Macranthum in tubs on the 

 wall. This is a climbing shrub which 

 is occasionally seen in greenhouses 

 and which has handsome violet-purple 

 flowers. I have never seen it grown 

 as a standard before. The vines are 

 trained over a wire frame on a stand- 

 ard about three feet high. In a quiet 

 garden like that on the Crane place 

 the effect is most satisfactory. The 

 idea is one which is worth the atten- 

 tion of other gardeners who are fa- 

 miliar with the plant. Of course the 

 specimens have to be taken into the 

 greenhouse when cold weather comes 

 on. The plant its easily grown from 

 cuttings, flowering quickly. 



Mr. Cameron, who made something 

 of a study of sedums at Harvard is 

 planning to use them extensively in 

 the crevices of a long wall at the side 

 of a road. There seems to be an oppor- 

 tunity here for a most interesting ar- 

 rangement of sedums, the number of 

 which is much greater than is com- 

 monly realized. The one stone crop 

 with which everybody is familiar is S. 

 spectabile, which is in bloom now in 

 hundreds of gardens. This is really 

 an excellent border plant, and can 

 be used nicely in a rockery, although 

 not so well adapted to that purpose, 

 perhaps, as some of the other sedums. 



in flower Schizophragma is more In- 

 teresting, although not as showy as 

 the Hydrangea, for instead of the sur- 

 rounding ring of neutral flowers there 

 are only two neutral flowers to each of 

 the divisions of the large compound 

 inflorescence; these neutral flowers 

 are white, ovate, often an inch or 

 more long, and hang on long slender 

 stems an Inch in length. Schizo- 

 phragma appears to be an exceedingly 

 rare plant in American gardens in 

 which Hydrangea petiolaris often 

 passes for it. 



It is a little surprising that more at- 

 tention has not been given to the blue 

 salvias, which, while not pretentious 

 flowers, give a color to the garden. Of 

 all the salvias, though, it seems to me 

 that the comparatively new uligino- 

 sum is the one to be most favored. 

 This plant, which I believe came 

 from South America, is a remarkably 

 fine perennial, having a shade of blue 

 not surpassed by that of any other 

 flower. It is perhaps unfortunate that 

 it is so tender that it doesn't winter 

 over very successfully. Still this is 

 no great drawback, because it is very 

 easily started from cuttings, rooting 

 almost as readily as coleus. I know 

 of one instance where a woman with- 

 out a greenhouse made some cuttings 

 in the fall and stuck them into a pot 

 where they made good plants which 

 were set out in the spring and bloomed 

 nicely that season. 



Some annuals have been used in the 

 garden and other places around the 

 grounds, among the most conspicuous 

 being the deep purple petunia, which 

 came to this country from Germany 

 just before the outbreak of the war. It 

 is called Veitchenblau. I doubt very 

 much if this seed has been widely dis- 

 seminated in this country, but the 

 plant is certainly most attractive and 

 excellent for cutting. If I am not mis- 

 taken it was used to some extent in 

 the Fenway garden at Boston on the 

 occasion of the convention held by 

 the Society of American Florists and 



NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



Manual of American Grape-Growing, 

 by U. P. Hedrick, published by the 

 Macmillan Co., of New York, price 

 $2.50. 



It seems safe to claim that this is 

 the most complete popular book on 

 grape-growing in North America 

 which has yet been published. Be- 

 cause it is a book which can be read 

 and understood by the amateur, how- 

 ever, does not mean that it lacks in 

 any way accuracy or detail. It dis- 

 cusses the practical questions of 

 climatic limitations, choice of site, 

 land and its preparation, fertilizing, 

 tillage, planting, pruning, training and 

 marketing. What else would one ex- 

 pect to find in a book of this sort. The 

 very fact that Professor Hedrick, who 

 is in the New York Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station, is the author, is 

 sufficient warrant for the statement 

 that it is authoritative, for Professor 

 Hedrick has had long experience in 

 the study of the grape in all its 

 aspects, his reputation being more 

 than national. This book, therefore, 

 is a very valuable addition to the 

 library of all who are interested in 

 fruit growing. 



Not long ago I saw an excellent 

 speciment of Schizophragma hydrau- 

 geoides. It was a much larger plant 

 than the one at the Arnold Arboretum, 

 and apparently it blossoms later than 

 hydrangea petiolaris, another climbing 

 form with which it is often confused. 



It is a matter of satisfaction at the 

 Arboretum that this beautiful plant, 

 after forty-three years of failure, is at 

 last established on the Administration 

 Building where it has flowered this 

 year for the first time. It clings as 

 firmly to the brick wall as Hydrangea 

 petiolaris; the leaves are smaller, 

 more circular in shape, more closely 

 toothed and of a darker color. When 



SEED TRADE REPORTS 

 The proceedings of the 37th annual 

 convention of the American Seed 

 Trade Association, held at Chicago in 

 June, have just come to hand. They 

 are very attractively bound and make 

 a report which will be of no little in- 

 terest and value to all who are con- 

 cerned with seed production or the 

 sale of seeds. The frontispiece is an 

 excellent photograph of Frank W. 

 Bolgiano. 



PEONY SEED. 

 Peony seed for planting must be 

 picked as soon as it is brown. If al- 

 lowed to dry it will take much longer 

 to germinate if it will germinate at 

 all. As soon as picked, put in sand 

 or soil until time to plant — this pre- 

 vents its drying. 



Wisconsin Hobtictiltubist. 



