May 30, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



797 



SOME MAY FLOWERING SHRUBS. 



rrom Arnold Arboretum Bulletin No. 54. 

 The Korean Viburnum Carlesil is un- 

 injured by the winter. Tliis Is one of 

 the most beautiful of the exotic Vibur- 

 nums and is particularly interesting 

 from the fact that the flower-buds are 

 bright orange-red while tlie inner sur- 

 face of the corolla Is white, and as the 

 flowers open the color of the outer sur- 

 face gradually fades to pink and then 

 to white. As the buds do not always 

 expand at the same time there are in 

 the flower-cluster pink buds among the 

 white flowers; the flowers are very 

 fragrant. This plant, although it is 

 still comparatively little known, well 

 deserves a place in every collection of 

 shrubs. 



As usual, the earliest Barberry to 

 flower in the Arboretum is Berberls 

 dictyophylla which, although it comes 

 from the southern part of China, is 

 perfectly hardy here. The flowers are 

 solitary or occasionally in pairs in the 

 axils of the leaves, rather less than 

 half an inch in diameter and pale prim- 

 rose yellow in color. The peculiar 

 beauty of the plant, however, is in the 

 leaves, which, although not large, are 

 silvery white on the lower surface and 

 in the autumn turn brilliant scarlet on 

 the upper surface while the lower sur- 

 face retains its spring and summer 

 color. 



Prinsepia sinensis is uninjured by 

 the winter and the plant has flowered 

 more profusely than ever before. This 

 north China shrub is one of the flrst 

 plants in the Arboretum to unfold its 

 leaves in the spring, and when these 

 are nearly fully grown the clear yellow 

 axillary flowers appear. This beauti- 

 ful and interesting shrub does not seed 

 at all freely in the Arboretum and is 

 still rare in American collections. 



Fothergilla, which is a genus of the 

 Witch Hazel Family, confined to the 

 southeastern United States, has fur- 

 nished gardens with some beautiful 

 shrubs. All the species bear small 

 white flowers in compact clusters, at 

 the ends of the branches, and hand- 

 some leaves resembling those of the 

 Witch Hazels; they are now in bloom. 

 Fothergilla major and F. montana are 

 large, vigorous and very hardy shrubs, 

 while Fothergilla Gardeni, which is a 

 small plant and a native of the coast 

 region, is less hardy than the moun- 

 tain species. 



The form of Rhododendron praecox 

 known in gardens as "Little Gem" Is 

 usually the flrst of the evergreen 

 Rhododendrons to flower in the Ar- 

 boretum. The pale rose-pink flowers 

 are too often injured by late frosts, 

 and this year the flower-buds have 

 been killed by cold, so that this spring 

 the earliest Rhododendron in flower is 

 a dwarf plant received several years . 

 ago from Germany under the name or 

 R. Jacksonii, a name which does not 

 appear in catalogues. It is evidently 

 one of the forms or hybrids of R. cau- 

 casicum, although it flowers two or 

 three weeks before any of the other 

 forms of this species in the Arbore- 

 tum. It is a low compact plant with 

 clusters of large pale pink flowers and 

 has not been at all injured by the win- 

 ter. They are well worth the attention 

 of lovers of dwarf early flowering 

 Rhododendrons. 



A VISIT TO HAWTHORN HALL. 



Friday, May 22, was a delightful 

 holiday for the members of the Horti- 

 cultural Club of Boston, when they 

 visited South Lancaster as the guests 

 of Mr. and Mrs. Bayard Thayer at 

 their beautiful estate. Hawthorn Hall. 

 This estate which we described in part 

 last year on the occasion of the visit 

 of the Gandeners' and Florists' Club 

 of Boston, comprises about 1000 acres 

 the villa occupying an elevation com- 

 manding views of wooded hills and val- 

 leys and typical New England villages 

 for many miles. Crataeguses are a 

 feature of the decorative planting 

 about the house and from these comes 

 the name Hawthorn Hall. Of equal im- 

 portance and interest are the lilacs of 

 which a vast number of old and new 

 varieties have been planted and an 

 idea of their luxuriance may be drawn 

 from our cover illustration in this is- 

 sue. 



There are extensive nurseries in 

 which tens of thousands of pines, kal- 

 mias, callunas, etc., are raised for 

 planting on the estate. 1000 white 

 pines have been set out this season; A 

 field of 12,000 2-year-old Rhododendron 

 Vaseyi, all to be planted in the woods 

 was especially admired by the visitors. 



At this season the tulips and late 

 narcissi are the dominant features of 

 the flower garden. German irises in 

 many varieties and lilies will quickly 

 follow. We described these tulip 

 beds quite at length last year. They 

 are simply gorgeous and the plantings 

 this year are an improvement over 

 last year's arrangement. Exochor- 

 da Wilsoni, which came in for so much 

 admiration last year is again a sight 

 worth a long trip to see. William An- 

 derson, the superintendent is recog- 

 nized as one of the most competent 

 and skillful gardeners in outdoor and 

 indoor work and he is as popular as 

 he is skillful. He escorted the vis- 

 itors all over the grounds and none 

 will ever forget the delightful stroll, 

 through meadows and glades, spark- 

 ling with myriads of Poet's narcissi 

 growing at random through the grass. 



Luncheon was served on the veranda 

 and everything possible to make their 

 guests happy was done by Mr. and Mrs. 

 Thayer. 



The place was thrown open to the 

 public from 2 to 6 o'clock last Satur- 

 day afternoon and there were no less 

 than 3000 visitors from all over Wor- 

 cester County. 600 autos were there by 

 actual count. 



simplest, sweetest offices of grace? 

 They will not be gathered, like the 

 flowers, tor chaplet, or love token; 

 but of these the wild bird will make 

 its nest, and the wearied child his 

 pillow." — Kuskin. 



THE MOSSES. 



"Mosses — meek creatures! the first 

 mercy of the earth, veiling with hushed 

 softness its dintless rocks; creatures 

 full of pity, covering with strange and 

 tender honor the scarred disgrace of 

 ruin, laying quiet finger on the 

 trembling stones to teach them rest. 

 No words that I know of will say 

 what these mosses are. None are 

 delicate enough, none perfect enough, 

 none rich enough. How is one to tell 

 of the rounded bosses of furred and 

 beaming green — the starred divisions 

 of rubied bloom, fine filmed, as if the 

 rock spirits could spin porphyry as 

 we do glass — the traceries of intricate 

 silver, and fringes of amber, lustrous, 

 aborescent, burnished through every 

 fibre into fitful brightness and glossy 

 traverses of silken change, yet all sub- 

 dued and pensive and framed for 



SPOTS ON CHRYSANTHEMUM 

 FOLIAGE. 



Deitr Sir: — 



Will you please tell me in the next num- 

 ber of "Horticulture" or by mail all about 

 the dark brown spots on the leaves of 

 young chrysanthemums and how it can 

 be prevented from spreading? I am a 

 reader of HORTICULTURE. 

 Very truly yours, 



California: W. W. 



In regard to the brown spots on the 

 chrysanthemum, the conditions in Cal- 

 ifornia are quite different from those 

 in the east, so that the diseases also 

 differ greatly. The only black spot we 

 have here on the chrysanthemum come 

 on in the fall on greenhouse plants 

 when they are grown too closely to- 

 gether. This spot is known as Cy- 

 lindrosporium. It seldom affects pot- 

 ted plants or where the leaves receive 

 sufficient light and air. The spots may 

 occur singly or cover a large part of 

 the leaf, and they are always confined 

 to the older, lower leaves. 



I should advise writing to the patho- 

 logical department of the University of 

 California, Berkeley, California, for ad- 

 vice. Yours very truly, 



(Dr.) G. E. Stone, 



Mass. Agri. College, 

 Amherst, Mass 



A CONFESSION. 



What a glorious profession is that 

 of the true gardener! 



He enjoys all the beauties of nature 

 which his employer only glimpses be- 

 tween times! 



He gets all the effulgence and none 

 of the worries of paying for it! 



I have been crying like John the 

 Baptist for more pay for the gardener. 

 I take it all back. 



The gardener ought to work for 

 nothing and pay a premium! 



G. C. Watson. 



CARNATIONS. 



CMargaret Widdener in May Everybody's.) 

 Carnations and my first love! And he was 



seventeen. 

 And I was only twelve years — a stately 



gulf between ! 

 I bought them on the morning the school 



dance was to be. 

 To piu among my ribbons in hopes that 



he might see: 

 .\nd all the girls stood breathless to watch 



as he went through 

 With curly crest and grand air that swept 



the heart from you ! 

 And why he paused at my side is more 



than I can know — 

 The shyest of the small girls that all 



adored him so. . . . 

 I said it with my prnyer-times — I walked 



with head held high — 

 "Carnations are your flowers!" he said as 



he strode by. 



Carnations and my first love! The years 



are gone a score, 

 And I recall his first name, and scarce an 



eyelash more; 

 And those were all the love-words that 



either of us said — 

 Perhaps he may be married— perhaps he 



may be dead. 

 And yet ... to smell carnations, their 



spicy, heavy sweet 

 Perfuming all some sick room, or passing 



on the street . . . 

 Then still the school lights flicker and 



still the lancers play. 

 And still the girls hold breathless the 



while he goes his way: 

 And still my child-heart quivers In that 



first ecstasy — 

 "Carnations are your flowers!" my first 



love said to me! 



