34 



HORTICULTURE 



January 10, 1920 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



With the gradual coming of normal 

 conditions there is sure to be a great 

 advance in landscape work. It is 

 known that many estate owners are al- 

 ready planning for improvements on a 

 large scale. In some instances the 

 plans have been drawn and the work 

 is only being postponed until labor 

 costs become somewhat lower. It is 

 to be hoped that greater attention will 

 be given to water gardening, for the 

 opportunities offered for such work 

 liave not been taken full advantage of 

 in this country. If water gardening is 

 to be as pleasing and effective as 

 across the water, the details must be 

 carefully thought out. A famous Eng- 

 lish gardener, R. W. Wallace, in a pa- 

 per read before a prominent horticul- 

 tural society, has outlined some of the 

 requirements for making a water gar- 

 den of the better sort. In part this 

 paper is as follows: 



For formal water-gardens the cir- 

 cumstances I should characterize as 

 satisfactory are: 



1. A liberal supply of water avail- 

 able, in such a position that it can 

 l)p turned on or off at will. 



2. The pool should form a part of 

 some larger garden scheme, such as a 

 main or central feature in a flower 

 garden, be it devoted to roses or any 

 other plants. 



3. It should be in such a position 

 that it can be emptied quickly, and 

 without any undue expenditure of la- 

 t>or. by an outlet valve. 



4. It should be of sufficient area 

 to achieve its object, viz. the cultiva- 

 tion of aquatic plants, and deep enough 

 to meet their requirements. Finally, 

 In design it should be obviously part 

 of the garden, not an isolated creation 

 that involves resort to all sorts of ex- 

 travagance to justify its existence. 



An artificial cemented pond or lake 

 of Irregular design is not always a 

 pleasing feature, because of the hard 

 outline which is very difficult to hide 

 In a satisfactory manner; again, be- 

 cause of the difficulty in planting 

 moisture-loving and semi-aquatic 

 plants around the edges. Generally 

 speaking, the best effects are obtained 

 by masses of shrubs, generally rhodo- 

 dendrons and azaleas, planted some 

 way from the edge. Of course, in such 

 a piece of water, water lilies may be 

 grown very successfully. It Is not 

 generally speaking, worth while to 

 form an artificial piece of water, but 



if there is an overflow from some 

 source to be dealt with, and the lay 

 of the land suggests an expanse of 

 water, then the construction Is, I 

 think, Justified, especially if it comes 

 well into the landscape from the house, 

 and if it is suitably planted it should 

 he an addition to the garden. 



Where a water course has been 

 dammed many fine sheets of water 

 have been formed, and this can only 

 be carried out successfully when the 

 surroundings are such that the newly 

 formed sheet of water appears to fit 

 Into the landscape naturally. Such 

 water would always be found at the 

 foot of a slope or hill. The planting 

 around such lakes and those that are 

 natural is generally of a bold nature 

 — large masses of rhododendrons and 

 azaleas for summer effect, and scarlet 

 dogwood and golden and crimson- 

 barked willows for winter effect, are 

 typical of much planting which in the 

 past has been generally of an ever- 

 green nature, and therefore rather 

 sombre when the flowering season is 

 over 



Many of the larger-fiowering shrubs 

 and trees may be used to advantage, 

 such as viburnums, spiraeas, sambu- 

 cus, catalpas, magnolias in the moist 

 sheltered comers, liquidamber for au- 

 tumn effect. Cercis Siliquastrum (the 

 Judas Tree), and Clethra alnlfolia (the 

 Virginia Sweet Pepper bush), flower- 

 ing in late summer with feathery 

 spikes of sweet scented white flowers. 



For a long distance effect the white 

 poplar, when properly grown, is a 

 striking object of July beauty. The 

 effect of a large tree against a dark 

 background is as though it were a 

 mass of burnished silver. The bat 

 willow (Salix alba coerulea) Is of 

 similar appearance, and of course is 

 worth planting on account of its com- 

 mercial value. 



I will now draw brief attention to 

 some of the bolder-growing herbace- 

 ous plants which thrive amongst 

 moist surroundings. Astilbes and 

 Spiraes form, I think, the most 

 important group we have; easy of 

 growth and increase, free-flowering, 

 they are indispensable during the 

 summer months. The unique crimson 

 color of S. palmata is superb, and 

 when well established this species 

 reaches 3 or 4 feet in height. Tall 

 plants of fine statue and superb foliage 

 to be seen from a distance are the 



white-flowered S. glgantea and its 

 pink variety, and S. venusta, with 6 

 to 8 feet high spikes of soft rosy-pink 

 flowers. These two Spiraeas may be 

 well grouped together with Gunnera 

 and Senecio Clivorum at some distant 

 point seen across the water, and I 

 might also add Rheum palmatum for 

 .early effect. The introduction of 

 Astilbe Davidii has given rise to a 

 number of hybrid forms partaking of 

 the strength of A. Davidii, but with a 

 more subdued range of color. 



Astilbe grandis, one of Wilson's 

 Chinese plants, is delightful in its 

 early growth: the ruddy tinted stems 

 covered with hairy growth contrast- 

 ing effectively with TroUius in creamy 

 shades close by. In fact, many of the 

 Astilbes are worth special grouping 

 on account of their foliage in the 

 young state, which acts as a delight- 

 ful foil to such plants as already men- 

 tioned, Trollius, Minulus, etc. Boccon- 

 ias are fine in foliage and flower, es- 

 pecially when escaping late frosts; so 

 are Lythrums, especially the variety 

 Rose Queen and roseum superbum, 

 also Eupatorium purpureum, a unique 

 and handsome plant, whose fine tall 

 heads of fiowers are very effective 

 from a distance. I have noticed a 

 grouping of the Eupatorium and 

 Senecio Clivorum, and the cream Ar- 

 temisia lactiflora against silver-grey 

 Rosemary-leaved Willows — a charming 

 effect of purple and orange, cream and 

 silver. 



So far in these remarks I have 

 omitted all reference to what I think 

 may be called amongst hardy plants 

 the chief glory of the water garden in 

 July, the Japanese Iris (Iris Kaemp- 

 feri ) . 



There is a general desire to grow 

 the.se fine plants, and having been par- 

 ticularly successful in their cultiva- 

 tion, I may perhaps refer here to what 

 I regard as the main conditions for 

 success. They will do well in any 

 well-worked soil and that which is 

 rich in vegetable matter, but avoid 

 planting in heavy clay by water-side. 

 On meadow pasture land along side 

 ditches and small ponds, planted just 

 above the water line, in soil that has 

 been well dug and manured, they will 

 thrive splendidly and often seed them- 

 selves about. 



Another point; division after flow- 

 ering in August is best. You will flnd 

 in early autumn quantities of new 

 roots pushing, so that by early plant- 

 ing you gain all this new root action. 

 Again, in spring countless fibrous 

 roots are pushed out. Division of the 

 clumps every two or three years is 

 good, and planting in fresh soil, such 

 greedy rooters quickly exhaust their 

 surroundings. 



