98 



GARDENING. 



Dec. 75, 



YELLOW WOOD IN BLOOM. 



over the roots, the soil trod in while the 

 plant is held straight, and then the rest 

 of the soil thrown in andthesurfacemade 

 level. Where thousands of little trees are 

 to be planted tubs may be placed here 

 and there to hold the water, or even 

 "mud holes" formed in the soil. When 

 treated in this way but few losses will 

 occur. 



There are planters who are quite suc- 

 cessful who never puddle the roots, but 

 they are careful men who do not let the 

 roots dry out. Puddling obviates extra 

 care, the roots cannot dry, and laborers 

 can be intrusted to do the work who 

 could not be so trusted under any other 

 system. 



Much the same plan may be followed 

 with larger evergreens. A good puddling 

 settles the soil about the roots firmer 

 than could be done in any other way. 

 And when roots have not been allowed 

 to become dry, to have the soil in close 

 contact with them, makes transplanting 

 almost sure work. 



Large trees should have the soil trod or 

 pounded in about the roots, and when 

 they are large they should be staked or 

 supported in some way until new roots 

 have got good hold. When the tops are 

 blown about fibres are torn off the roots 

 and the soil loosened about them, and 

 trees die. This is especially the case with 

 pines, which, having but few small roots, 

 require more care than such evergreens 

 as arbor vitses, for instance, which are 

 abundantly supplied with them. 



Philadelphia. Joseph Meehan. 



central states. The other (C. amurensis), 

 from the Amoor Valley, rarely grows 

 over six feet high and can therefore be 

 classed as a shrub. The American species 

 has borne the name C. tinctoria and Vir- 

 gilia lutea, but is commonly known as 

 the Yellow Wood. 



While perfectly hardy in the northern 

 states, blooming freely in Wisconsin, it is 

 rarely found in cultivation. It seems in 

 most instances to make but little head- 

 way for the first few years after planting 

 and its tender young growth burns and 

 curls in the sun. Age rem dies this ten- 

 dency and in time it becomes a medium- 

 sized round headed tree. In early June it 

 is profusely covered with drooping pani- 

 cles of white, sweet-scented blooms. 



The illustration is from a photograph 

 of a tree grow ingin the nursery of Messrs. 

 W. S. Little & Co., Rochester," N. Y. 



CLflDRflSTIS LUTEfl. 



(Yellow wood.) 

 This member of the leguminosa; family 

 is one of the only two species known in 

 cultivation, and is a native of the south 



VASE OF HARDY TREE AND SHRUB BLOOM. 



A glance at this vase shows how easy 

 it is to get up a simple and effective 

 flower decoration when hardy trees and 

 shrubs are in bloom. Here are shown 

 only three kinds of flowers, namely, 

 spring blooming tamarisk ( Tamarix 

 Africana), wild cherry (Prunus serotina) 

 and hybrid magnolia (M. Soulangeana), 

 but a hundred others are just as avail- 

 able. 



A word about tamarisk shrubs: The 

 catalogues record a good many names; 

 even the "Dictionary of Gardening" has 

 several, and we have got and tried plants 

 of most every name given, but among 

 them all I fail to recognize more than two 

 species, namely, T. Africana, the spring 

 blooming one, and T. Chinensis, which 

 has glaucous foliage and blooms in August 

 and September. 



The African tamarix forms a tall, wil- 



lowy shrub, and its last year's growth is 

 featherf d all along with racemes of very 

 small pink flowers that appear before the 

 foliage and are in their finest condition 

 with us about May 20-25. After the 

 plants have done blooming we cut them 

 hard back to keep them stocky and 

 shapely, and then let them grow at will 

 for a year. As the Chinese tamarix 

 blooms on the current season's wood and 

 never on the old wood, we prune it in 

 winter and never after growth begins in 

 spring. 



These tamarisks strike from cuttings 

 of the ripe or old wood as freely as do will- 

 lows. And in either case we always save 

 the tamarisk primings for stakes, for the 

 growths are long, very clean and even in 

 size, and the wood, unlike one j-ear old 

 shoots of most anj'thing else, is hard, 

 wiry and lasting when cut. 



The wild cherry is abundant every- 

 where, and is in its finest bloom about 

 May 25. The European bird cherry 

 (Prunus Padus) is much like our wild 

 cherry, but blooms fully a fortnight 

 earlier, being at its best with us about 

 May 10; and there is a double flowering 

 variety of this that for cut flowers is 

 more showy than the t pical form. 



The magnolia belongs to the obovata 

 section; that is, the class that blooms in 

 April before the leaves appear, but for 

 some reason or other, probably its hybrid 

 origin, this one (M. Soulangeana), which 

 is at its best with us about April 25, con- 

 tinues to bloom more or less after the 

 leaves appear till June. And this is why 

 we find it — flowers and leaves as well — 

 associated with the tamarix and wild 

 cherry in the vase. W. 



NATIVE SHRUBS. 

 Like Issac Hicks I have often wondered 

 whv we so seldom see our native shrubs 



