j 66 



GARDENING. 



Feb. if, 



do not mind the heat, they get this in 

 their own country, but with it is much 

 moisture. A good heavy mulch about 

 the plants favors the preservation of the 

 foliage, promoting coolness and moist- 

 ure Planted in situations partially 

 shaded in the afternoons, their leaves 

 suffer but very little. 



LABELING TREES AND SHRUBS. 



In embellishing one's home surround- 

 ings with trees it is often interesting in 

 later years to know just when certain 

 ones were planted and the growth they 

 have made. Many planters are careless 

 in remembering even the varieties, and 

 friends admiring them can gain no infor- 

 mation from the owner other than that 

 it is an ash or a maple. There are so 

 manj' varieties of the ash and maple in 

 cultivation that this information is almost 

 useless. A" garden memorandum book 

 should be one of the household treasures 

 and guarded with jealous care 



If the place is small, so that each tree 

 planted can be readily singled out by a 

 description of the location it occupies, a 

 memorandum describing such location, 

 giving-the botanical and common name 

 (easily obtained from the nurseryman) 

 should be written down, thedateot plant- 

 ing, its height and the diameter of its 

 trunk at the base should also be recorded. 



Where a place is extensive and numer- 

 ous plantings are made.it is well to adopt 

 a system of permanent identification by 

 means of recorded numbers. In- this case 

 a book is kept in which the numbers are 

 recorded with date, height, etc., but as a 

 safeguard against loss of the book the 

 records of date, etc., are also permanently 

 fixed with the numbers. 



LABELING TREES AND SHRUBS. 



This label which we illustrate is easily 

 made and inexpensive. A piece of thin 

 sheet lead two and one-half inches square, 

 with a piece of heavy galvanized iron wire 

 eighteen inches long makes one label. A 

 hole is punched in the lead through which 

 the wire is put and then looped over it. 

 This wire is inserted in the earth at the 

 base of the tree and pushed in so far that 

 the lead label is hidden an inch or so 

 under the soil, thus putting it out of the 

 sight of mischievous boys 



On this sheet lead is stamped with a die, 

 first and at the top, and occupying a line 

 by itself, the recorded number which 

 identifies the tree. Then below comes F. 

 '96 or S. '96, indicating the fall or spring 

 of 1896; then h — 7, d — 2, signifying height 

 seven feet, diameter two inches. 



This label is almost indestructible. It 

 is well to choose some side of the tree, sav 



the north side, and always place it there. 

 This will save time when hunting for it. 

 This system of labeling can be extended 

 to trees and shrubs and even perennials. 

 In case the two latter are in beds the 

 labels should always be placed in front 

 of the plant, and a memorandum should 

 be made in the record book stating the 

 rule you followed in placing them. Of 

 course for shrubs and perennials the height 

 and diameter is not required. 



It is a good plan for those not entirely 

 familiar with the new material they plant 

 to have written labels on them and each 

 time the}- pass a treeorshrub and cannot 

 call it by name, step up and examine the 

 label, and soon one will become familiar 

 with the identification of all his belong- 

 ings. 



A thin copper sheet label made by the 

 Cheshire Manufacturing Co., West 

 Cheshire, Conn , where the name is writ 

 ten bv a steel stvlus is excellent. 



W. C. Egan. 



VINES TO COVER DEAD TREES. 



What vines would you plant if you 

 wished to have them grow and cover 

 dead oak trees about thirty feet in height? 

 Who can I buy them of and how many 

 should be planted for each tree? I want 

 something that will cover the trunk and 

 grow up and spread over the top. 



Wisconsin. J. W. F. 



It is going to take a few years for 

 almost any permanent hardy vine to 

 reach a height ol thirty feet and spread 

 over the top. Special culture and a rich soil 

 hasten growth, but often, just at thetime 

 a vine is well established and in good 

 form at the top, the "dead oak" has be- 

 come so rotten that a heavy storm top- 

 ples it over. We would rather see a tree 

 fifteen or twenty feet high well clothed 

 with vine verdure than a taller one, nat- 

 urally less coveredon account of its extra 

 height, requiring more age to the vine. 



If the trees have but recently died and 

 are sound in wood they may last long 

 enough to produce the desired effect, and 

 when decay approaches the vine may be 

 taken down, laid away from the tree, the 

 latter felled in the opposite direction and 

 in its place an artificial support of gas 

 pipe constructed. 



Whatever vine is chosen ample feeding 

 ground must be provided, for it must be 

 remembered that all thesoil now nearthe 

 oaks has been exhausted of plant food 

 bv them. Choose a place near the trunk 

 where the main roots leave the tree at 

 wide enough angles to allow a hole fully 

 three feet deep and as wide. This holt- 

 may be round, square or any shape as 

 long as its width is equal to nine square 

 feet. It need not be made right close up 

 to the trunk, especially where the Vir- 

 ginia creeper is used, but can be placed if 

 necessary two feet away — that is the 

 nearest side to the tree may be two feet 

 away, but in this case the soil between 

 the tree and hole should be removed for 

 six inches to a foot, and the vine carried 

 from the hole along the bottom of this 

 excavation to the tree. Fill this hole 

 with good soil, made rich with well rotted 

 manure, but unless the manure is very 

 well rotted keep it more to the outer 

 sides of the hole so the roots of the vine 

 may not come in contact with it the first 

 year. Newly planted trees or vines are 

 like convalescing patients to whom over- 

 rich food is dangerous. 



If the bole of the tree is two feet or 

 over in diameter, make a hole each side, 

 if luxuriance of growth is desired. 



What vine to use? All things consid- 

 ered we advise planting the Virginia 



Creeper (. I mpelopsis quinquefolia). It is 

 perfectly hardy, transplants easily, clings 

 to the tree if the bark is rough, and when 

 established in good soil is a rapid grower. 

 Its beautiful leaf-coloring in the fall is 

 well known and admired All nursery- 

 men advertising in Gardening have it. 

 If you can obtain strong plants with the 

 vines long enough so that when cut back 

 the requisite length to compensate for 

 root disturbance about 2% to 3 feet 

 remain; place the roots to a depth that 

 the crown is fully one foot below the sur- 

 face of the soil when filled in, the object 

 being to place the roots where ample 

 moisture can always be obtained, even 

 without artificial watering. All plants 

 will not stand this treatment, but this one, 

 even if planted too deep, throws out roots 

 from its buried stem. It may, however, be 

 planted in the usual manner. Two plants 

 to a hole will produce quicker effect and 

 manure placed at the roots in the fall and 

 lightly forked in in the spring will mate- 

 rially aid its after growth. 



Should the trees be thin and the bark 

 smooth, then this vine may require some 

 training and tying up, and even on large 

 trees winds sometimes blow loose a 

 leader, in which case it is well to run a 

 strong string around the tree or drive 

 staples in and fasten to them. 



For variety's sake the silk vine (Peri 

 ploca grxca) may be used on the shorter 

 trees, but this needs help in attaching to 

 the trees. 



If you have any trees that you can head 

 down to about eight to ten feet in height, 

 and cut in to a head five or six feet in 

 diameter, plant two strong plants of 

 Clematis paniculata at their base, mak- 

 ing same hole as above described and 

 water freely in summer, cutting back to 

 one foot in the fall and covering with 

 ashes. You will in a few years have a 

 sight worth seeing. Only the Virginia 

 Creeper is to be planted deep, and have 

 the vine itself covered by soil. 



GLOSSY-LEAVED EVERGREENS FOR VIRGINIA. 



1 want to plant about thirty glossy- 

 leaved evergreen shrubs this spring, and 

 would be glad of some advice about them. 



One reason for planting this place is to 

 shut off, at least partly, a rough field on 

 the east, from the front road, barn and 

 shrubbery on the west, but I expect un- 

 real reason is simply a love of planting. 



The evergreen euonymus, mahonia, 

 all the hybrid teas (as far as I know 

 them), and many tea ros> s are quite 

 hardy here, none but the last ever requir- 

 ing protection, and even the last will gen- 

 erally live without it. 



The soil is red clay, with a bluish clay 

 sub-soil, standing drought very well, and 

 wet too, if properly sub-soiled. M. N. 



Virginia. 



There are a nice lot of broad-leaved 

 evergreens with good foliage which would 

 answer admirably for your purpose. 

 Your situation will permit the planting 

 of many things which could not be recom- 

 mended much further north. 



For setting where the tallest are re- 

 quired select from these: Magnolia grami- 

 idora, English holly, American holly, 

 Ligustrum Japonicum and L. ovalit'olium. 

 These ligustrums are privets, are very 

 nearly evergreen, and are excellent for 

 screening purposes. 



For the next largest growers try Pho- 

 tinia serrulata, Cephalotaxus Fortunei, 

 Osmanthus ilicitolius, Ilex crenata, Cistus 

 laurifolius, Enonymus latifolius, the other 

 broad leaved euonymus you mentioned 

 and rhododendrons. 



