94 



HORTI CULTURE 



July 31. 1920 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



U i.s pleasaiu lo liiid a Kiowing dis- 

 position on the part of nurserymen as 

 well as Uie owners of private estates 

 to open their establishments to the 

 public, and even to invite their at- 

 tendance by advertisements in the 

 papers. Growers of peonies and iris 

 have found people flocking to their 

 places in great numbers this season, 

 and new pilgrimages are being plan- 

 ned by flower lovers to the farms of 

 gladiolus growers. Later, no doubt, 

 the grounds of dahlia growers will be 

 visited the same way. .1. K. Alexander, 

 the well known dahlia expert of East 

 Bridgewater, has arranged drives 

 through his fields so that the owners 

 of automobiles can witness the dis- 

 play without leaving their cars. B. 

 Hammond Tracy, at Wenham, Mass.. 

 always has a great many visitors to 

 see his new and rare gladioli, which 

 flowers are now just coming into 



bloom. Judging from the interest 

 which is being shown in the gladiolus 

 this year, the coming show in Boston 

 will be largely attended and prove one 

 of the most successful ever held. 



I have been interested to find that 

 the box barberry is growing in many 

 gardens this year. This plant, which 

 has been put out in great quantities 

 by the Elm City Nursery Co., of New 

 Haven. Ct.. seems to have met a real 

 need, notwithstanding the fact that it 

 is not evergreen. Apparently the plant 

 stands the extreme exposure of the 

 middle northwest remarkably well. A 

 letter from a nurseryman in Topeka, 

 Kans., says: 



"The weather is very hot and dry 

 here during the summer, while the 

 temperature occasionally reaches 14 

 degrees below zero in winter. Yet 

 the box barberry has done verv well. 



even under these adverse circum- 

 stances." I understand that a large 

 grower in Rochester, N. Y., is planning 

 to border his entire rose garden next 

 year with the box barberry. This 

 should create a very pleasing effect. 

 To get the best result from the box 

 barberry the plants should be set four 

 to six inches apart and kept trimmed. 

 Then it produces a low hedge which 

 is remarkably well adapted to formal 

 gardens. 1 expect to see it used much 

 more widely in the future because of 

 the large buying being done by nurs- 

 erymen. 



1 am pleased to learn that Mr. E. C. 

 Vick, secretary of the American 

 Dahlia Society and also the American 

 Sweet Pea Society, has been made 

 garden editor of the New York Globe. 

 Mr. Vick ouilt up an enviable reputa- 

 tion while he was editor of the garden 

 section of the New York Sun, his 

 weekly page being very widely read. 

 With the constantly growing interest 

 in gardening subjects among ama- 

 teurs, it is not strange that the daily 

 papers find it advisable and profitable 

 to cater to the interests of these people. 



Field of .VlnericaN at the Establisliinent of B. Ilftniniond Tracy, Wenham, >Ias8. 



