iS 97 . 



GARDENING. 



149 



THE WHITE PLUME SPIR.&A {.Spiraa tomentosa alba.) 



seen here in its wild state, the trunk being 

 2 to 3 feet in diameter, bearing a large, 

 spreading head. And most all boys know 

 the sweet birch, the twigs affording them 

 a dainty morsel in the spring. 



In the yellow birch, B. excelsa, we have 

 another large and vigorous growing tree, 

 and it is fast growing as well. It is not 

 as twiggy a grower as the last named, 

 but perhaps exceeds it in height when full 

 giown. The silvery yellow of its outer 

 bark makes it a much admired tree. 



As already suggested, these pretty 

 barked trees aflord a great deal of pleas- 

 ure in the winter season and now is the 

 time to judge of what they are like, and 

 to decide on where one or more of them 

 would be in place. 



In regard to the time to plant birches, 

 while with good care fall planting is 

 usually a succes, spring is the preferred 

 season. They are not the easiest trees in 

 the world to move, but when a good 

 pruning goes with the transplanting, 

 failure rarely comes. Joseph Meehan. 



[The European birches, especially the 

 cut-leaved weeping form, do not do well 

 along the north shores of Lake Michigan, 

 from Chicago up to above Milwaukee at 

 least. As a rule they die at the tops after 

 reaching a height of fifteen to twentv 

 feet.— Ed.] 



"WHITE FLUME" SPIRAEA. 

 {Spim-a tomentosa var. alba). 

 This promises to becomea very popular 



shrub, both for decoration of the lawn 

 and for producing cut flowers. Unlike the 

 pink form of the species, the spikes are 

 open and loose, making delicate plumes, 

 while the flowers are a dainty white. 



Being a low-growing shrub, and flower- 

 ing most freely in the heat of mid summer, 

 it is a welcome addition to the always 

 too limited list of showy shrubs availa- 

 ble at that season. For massing it is 

 unusually attractive. 



The picture shows only small spikes, 

 cut at the end of the season, when the 

 plants were nearty out of flower. The 

 lasting qualities of the flowers was well 

 illustrated by the fact that the sprays 

 shown were left for nearly an hour in the 

 hottest noon sunshine before being photo- 

 graphed. Wm. H. Harrison. 



Lebanon Springs, N. Y. 



VIT1SG0IGNET1AB. 



In answer to the suggestion of M. A. in 

 a recent issue of Gardening that those 

 who have had experience with Vitis Coig- 

 netia? give their experience with it, I 

 would say that it has been in the collec- 

 tion here for several years past, and so 

 far, though there are plants of it in differ- 

 ent situations, not a leaf on any one of 

 them has ever taken on any bright color. 

 When autumn comes, they change just as 

 those on a Concord grape does, that is 

 turn brown, and drop off. 



Last summer when Mr. Veitch, of the 



famous English nursery firm, was here he 

 told me this vine colored splendidly in 

 England. He was much surprised tofind 

 that the vines I showed him of it did not 

 color. I learned from him that plants 

 from his stock had been sent to this 

 country, and perhaps those who have 

 them would report on them. The plants 

 here came through the Arnold Arboretum, 

 and there is no question as to their 

 genuineness. Joseph Meehan. 



Philadelphia. 



The Flower Garden. 



HARDY PLANTS FOR SHADY OR PARTLY 

 SHADED POSITIONS. 



Where any part of an herbaceous bor- 

 der is shaded by large trees planted near 

 by, many of the plants will not succeed 

 as well here as in the more open portion 

 of the bed. This state of affairs should 

 not discourage any one and there is no 

 need of cutting down one or more fine 

 trees in order to have the border plants 

 do well, for we have a goodly number of 

 hardy plants which really need just such 

 a shady position to fuliv develop their 

 beauty, and if the trees' are not close 

 enough to admit of their roots running 

 into the border, where thev would be 

 likely to exhaust and impoverish the soil, 

 I should consider it rather an advantage 

 to have some shady places in the border 

 tor the accommodation of such species or 

 varieties which would only thrive fairlv 

 well, or not at all, in the more exposed 

 situations. 



Adonis vernalis and A. pyrenaica sel- 

 dom do well in a very sunnv position. 

 They are very pretty yellow-flowering 

 plants with much divided and lacerated 

 foliage. Neither of them grows higher 

 than 12 inches or so. The former blooms 

 in early spring, the latter in June or July; 

 no special soil is required, but a too dry 

 situation should be avoided. 



Aster alpinus, is a low compact grow- 

 ing perennial not over 9 or lOinebeshigh 

 bearing a profusion of bright purplish- 

 blue large-sized flowers, beginning to 

 bloom about June 1st and lasting well 

 into July; sometimes a second crop will 

 appear in the tall but this can not be 

 relied upon every year. Although this 

 plant will usually do well when fully 

 exposed to the sun, it? flowers, when 

 growing in partial shade increase in size 

 and last much longer in perfection- its 

 flowering season is also prolonged by 

 being protected from the hot July sun. " 



Geum montanum and G. coccineum fl 

 pi. require shar'e; the foliage in the open 

 will usually be burned and becomes un- 

 sightly before the summer is over. The 

 first named has large yellow flowers and 

 grows about one foot high; it blooms 

 during the spring months. The second 

 has attractive double red flowers bright 

 and shiny, freely produced on 'slender 

 branchy stems 15 to IS inches high and 

 continues to bloom from fun; to the mid- 

 _dle of August. 



Lychnis tulgens and L. Haageana are 

 very showy, but we have always had 

 trouble to keep the plants in healthy con- 

 dition until we decided to try them'in the 

 shade. The former bears large bright 

 scarlet or vermillion flowers in spring 

 and during the summer months The 

 latter has the same handsome shaped 

 flowers ranging in color from white to 

 deep scarlet. Both are compact growers 

 and seldom grow over 10 inches high 



GlobnlariatrichosanthavtiM do admira- 

 bly in shady places; sending upits numer- 



