io4 



' ' * GARDENING. 



Dec. 75, 



do not know who in the country has got 

 it for sale. Although an exceedingly de- 

 sirable hardy plant it is a very scarce one 

 with us. 



GROWING TENDER BULBS IN GOLD FRAMES. 



A good many bulbs that are not quite 

 hardy in our northern states can be very 

 successfully grown in cold frames with 

 little trouble. To prepare a frame for 

 bulbs it has to be dug out at least fifteen 

 inches and a box made of boards, having 



Amongst the many bulbs that need the 

 protection of a frame, the calochortus is 

 one of the showiest; the markings in the 

 flowers are truly grand; amongst some 

 of them that we have planted are C. 

 renustus rosevs, C. v. oculatus, C. v. 

 citrinus, C. v. purpurascens, etc. The 

 babianas are another class of rich colored 

 flowering bulbous plants from the Cape 

 of Good Hope. The markings of the 

 flowers, like the calochortus. are very 

 fine. The same can be said of the ixias, 

 and how nice they are for cutting! The 



THE CHEROKEE ROSE. 



the sides come up level with the ground. 

 Coal ashes or small stones can be put in 

 the bottom for drainage and the bottom 

 boards put in. But be sure there are no 

 holes large enough for mice or moles to 

 get in or all your work will be in vain. 



If the soil is heavy a lot of coarse sand 

 and leaf soil can be mixed with it, some 

 old mushroom manurecoulu be used also, 

 but avoid putting in any rank manure as 

 the bulbs may come in contact with it 

 and it is liable to rot them. 



The box should be made the same size 

 as the frame that is to be put over it. By 

 such an arrangement the frame can be 

 taken off the box in the spring when all 

 danger of frost is over. In this way you 

 will have a nice bed of tender bulbs, which 

 you do not often see. 



brodiaeas, sparaxis, tritonias, ranunculus, 

 lachenalias and some of the tenderest 

 anemones all do nicely in such a frame, 

 and well repay any extra labor that may 

 be given them. 



There is another class of plants that do 

 well in such a frame and that is the onco- 

 cyclus irises. These should be more 

 largely grown in this country, as they 

 are the most beautiful flowered varieties 

 of all the iris family. The main point to 

 be observed in their culture is to give 

 them a long season of rest after flowering, 

 which is in May and June. The sash 

 should be put on the frames as soon as 

 the plants are through flowering, tilting 

 the sash at the back to give plenty of air, 

 and in this way kept all summer so not a 

 drop of water gets near them. The ob- 



ject is to keep them so dry as to thor- 

 oughly ripen the roots, and prevent them 

 from starting into growth belore spring. 

 These irises are mostly natives of Pales- 

 tine and imported into this country in 

 the fall with other bulbous stock; but few 

 of our seedsmen catalogue them; Hen- 

 derson, of New York, is the only one I 

 know of and he has only two varieties of 

 them, Lorteti aud Susiana, but these are 

 two of the best, and Susiana is the easiest 

 of all to grow. To have a variety of 

 them an order should be given in the 

 spring so your seedsman can order them 

 with the rest of his bulbous stock. 



This iris stands quite a little frost, but 

 it is best to bank around the frame with 

 some manure the same as with the other 

 tender bulbs and have some covering to 

 go over the frame on cold nights It is 

 well to have the frame prepared for these 

 irises some time before planting and the 

 sash put on; in this way the soil will get 

 dry and they won't be "so liable to start 

 to grow or spring. They should be 

 planted about two inches deep and cov- 

 ered with dry sandy soil. 



Amongst the varieties there are Lorteti, 

 Susiana, Bismarckiana, iberica, flavis- 

 sima, lupina, and a number of others. 



Mahwah, N. J. David Fraser. 



THE HERBACEOUS GARDEN, LINGOLN PARK, 

 CHICAGO. 



No lover of nature can look on this 

 illustration of :he perennial garden in 

 Lincoln Park, and not admire the quiet 

 and peaceful scene before them. It is an 

 admirable lesson, showing that f. heavy 

 border of trees banked up by a judicious 

 selection of shrubs, fringed with herbace- 

 ous perennials and facing an open lawn, 

 is a mo:t pleasing feature in park adorn- 

 ment. 



This beauty spot was the creation of 

 Mr. J. A. Pettigrew when superintend- 

 ent, and here he always brought his inter- 

 ested friends, where with lingering steps 

 and eager interest the merits and demerits 

 of species were discussed. It was in this 

 part of the park Mr. George Nicholson, 

 curator of the Botanical Gardens at Kew, 

 England, was most interested while here 

 in 1893, as in it aretobe found numerous 

 species that adorn the English gardens 

 Here also can be seen nearly all of our na- 

 tive wild flowers, where cultivation has in- 

 creased their vigor and generally enlarged 

 their flowers; where the "weeds" of the 

 roadside become the "pets" of the gar- 

 den; a weed after all is only a plant occu- 

 pying a forbidden place. 



As can be seen there is a long lane of 

 lawn, bordered on either side by flower 

 and shrubbery beds. The irregular out- 

 lines of the margins relieve the eye of any 

 monotony, and form bays and promon- 

 tories, nooks and recesses, and all the 

 charming variations found in woodland 

 borders. 



In the main only hardy perennials are 

 used, but here and there such bold tender 

 plants as ricinus, solanums and daturas 

 are placed to give character to the sur- 

 roundings. While the casual observer 

 obtains enjoyment from the glaring 

 colors of the clipped and formal beds fac- 

 ing the palm house, the true admirer of 

 plants finds in the garden the varied 

 interest that characterizes a choice col- 

 lection of perennials. In marked contrast 

 to the mechanical grouping of color beds, 

 which change not with the advancing 

 season, but remain the same day in and 

 day out until destroyed by frost, the in- 

 terest here is ever varying as each species 

 reaches its time of flowering. 



While carpet bedding is essential in all 

 large parks, as there are a great many 



