154 



HORTICULTURE 



January 31. 1914 



GIANT ONIONS 



Cranston's Excelsior, Ailsa Craig, Gibraltar Giant 



Each of the foregoing sorts .... Packet, 25c.; Ounce, 50c. 



BOSTON 



R. & J. FARQUHAR & CO., ^Silll 



Snapdragons-New and True Winter Flowering 



I now offer this tested strain for the first time, in two distinct colors — Pure White and Golden 

 Yellow. This novelty has been grown and developed for the past ten years by me and has proved to 

 be continuous and profitable Winter Bloomers, producing a rt liable mid-winter cut-flower crop. 



Well rooted cuttings $10.00 per 100, to the trade only. Stock limited. Orders booked now, for deliveries 

 in rotation after March 1st. Can also be obtained from J. Breck & Sons, Boston, Mass. 



M. MLJEBIMER, Oro-ton, IVI 



PERENNIALS AND WHAT THEY 



MEAN FOR THE AMERICAN 



GARDEN. 



i'.\ iiapei- by Richard Eotbe. read before 

 tlie Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, at 

 tbe January meeting.) 



Under hardy perennials we under- 

 stand herbaceous plants of marked 

 longevity, distinguished by ornamen- 

 tal foliage and flowers. As such we 

 l^now they have been cherished in the 

 gardens of the ancients and, centuries 

 later, we notice their prominent part 

 on the terraces of the Italian Renais- 

 sance. The rigid formality of the 

 French epoch and the stiff lines of the 

 succeeding Dutch gardens left little 

 room for their use, while the following 

 era of the free naturalistic English 

 park, though, at the beginning appre- 

 ciative and liberal in granting space, 

 soon indulged In the carpet-bedding 

 fad to an extent to render the hardy 

 herbaceous border a side issue of sec- 

 ondary importance. 



The Revival of Interest. 

 The first impulse for the present 

 general revival of interest In her- 

 baceous plants was given by Great 

 Britain, with Germany as a close sec- 

 ond. Ideal climatic conditions, and a 

 traditional perception and love for the 

 beautiful in floral garden effects re- 

 sulted in examples well worth envy. 

 Old-time favorites, for a long period 

 Inmates of modest country peoples' 



front yards, re-entered the gates of 

 the gardens of the ari.stocracy. We 

 witnessed the beginning, not of a fad. 

 but of a new era. As its morning 

 chime we heard the plea for the love- 

 ly treasures of our grandmothers' old- 

 fashioned flower gardens. The move- 

 ment found ready enthusiasts on this 

 side of the Atlantic and has steadily 

 gained in strength. Today we find 

 ourselves face to face with the peren- 

 nial flower garden as a distinct branch 

 of modern garden art. 



Nursery catalogues are handed over 

 to us year after year, but we rarely fuUy 

 appreciate the immense work entailed 

 in their make-up and the meaning of 

 well-selected illustrations which in 

 many instances convey excellent sug- 

 gestions for artistic arrangements. To 

 be just, we cannot overlook the im- 

 portant part of missionary work done 

 by enthusiastic amateurs. "The high edu- 

 cative value of the books of Miss Ger- 

 trude Jeckyl, published in England, 

 have fructified the conception of ar- 

 tistic use of hardy perennials of home 

 owners and gardeners both here and 

 abroad. There are also popular works 

 of American writers on the same sub- 

 ject which are well worth serious 

 study. 



Popularity Growing. 



The herbaceous flower garden as a 

 modern feature of American home- 

 grounds has become a fact and as to 

 its future there is no doubt. Of course 

 the skeptic still points at the brief 

 flowering period of many of the best 

 plant species in this class. It is some- 

 times asserted that the hot summer 

 climate of our middle Atlantic and 

 Central States is a serious obstacle 

 for a venture in the given direction. 



We are also reminded of the difficul- 

 ties in' keeping up the neat and tidy' 

 appearance of such gardens through- 

 out the season. Nevertheless, those 

 gardens continue to steadily gain in 

 general popularity. There must be a 

 reason tor this state of affairs. Com- 

 pare the customary formal parterre or 

 the conventional shape and looks of 

 the better class of flower beds on our 

 lawns with the advanced type of mod- 

 ern herbaceous gardens and you will 

 find it. 



Entering the modern herbaceous 

 flower garden, preferably the one of 

 regular formal design surrounded by 

 the greenery of hedges, or protected 

 by moderately high walls or white 

 wooden fences, there is nothing of 

 imposing grandeur in it, but we very 

 soon feel that sheltered atmosphere of 

 a private home. We notice different 

 ground levels of various divisions; 

 retaining walls crowned by balus- 

 trades, connecting stairways with 

 white wooden arches overhead, serving 

 as support for Rambler roses, wis- 

 tarias and clematis vines. I mean the 

 formality which, in resorting to a few 

 architectural additions for artistic ef- 

 fect as sun dials, statuary, Japanese 

 stone lanterns, seats, garden houses 

 and i)er.golas. does so, without falling 

 a prey to the pergola epidemic of to- 

 day. What we aim at, is a fitting scenic 

 setting for an ever-changing floral 

 coming and passing away; a setting 

 to give background and tuneful reso- 

 nance for a beautiful harmony in rich 

 and glorious color accords. 



( To l'€ co'itinui'd) 



As an Advertising Medium Horticul- 

 ture has NO superior. Because they 

 ALL read it and they read it ALL. 



