iS 97 . 



' GARDENING. 



x 97 



/ 'icw in the " / 'ate oj Cashmere.'* 

 PROSPECT PARK. BROOKLYN. N. Y. 



Some that I intend to name are not new, 

 but they are not among those found in 

 every garden, though they well deserve 

 to be. As it will be of assistance to 

 planters to know the time of flowering, I 

 will name the months in which they bloom 

 in Philadelphia. 



In April there are two that give us their 

 flowers, Amelanchier rotundifolia and 

 Corylopsis spicata. Amelanchier is a na- 

 tive, and this one, rotundifolia, is one of 

 the dwarf sorts. Little bushes not more 

 than three feet high are lull of sprays of 

 white flowers. The fruit which follows is 

 ornamental, being of a red color, and it 

 is edible as well. The corylopsis has pen- 

 dent racemes of yellow flowers, not strik- 

 ingly showy, but quite desirable, espe- 

 cially that they appear so early. Both 

 of these shrubs bloom towards the close 

 of the month. 



Following these, in early May, there 

 are these: Cercis Japonica and Viburnum 

 cotinifolium, followed a little later b3' 

 Azalea amosna, Exochorda grandiQora, 

 Pyrus arbutifolia, Vaccinium corymbo- 

 sum and Xantboceras sorbilolia, and 

 towards the close of the month by Ro- 

 binia bispida, Rosa lucida and Staphylea 

 colchica. 



The rosy pink flowers of Cercis japonica, 

 on the naked stems attract attention 

 wherever the bush appears, and even after 

 its blooming its shining green leaves are 

 beautiful. Viburnum cotinifolium is a 

 most desirable large growing shrub. It 

 has large leaves, which well set off the 

 corymbs of white flowers. The fruit 

 which follows turns from green to red 

 and from red to black, and often the 

 three colors are to be seen on the one 

 cluster of berries. It is of almost ever- 

 green character. 



Azalea amoena has small leaves, which 

 are evergreen, and rosy pink flowers. 

 The racemes of large white flowers of 

 exochorda place it among the very best 

 of shrubs. Prrus arbutifolia is valued 



for its bunches of white flowers and for 

 its handsome black fruit in the fall. The 

 vaccinium, too has pretty white flowers, 

 and when autumn comes there is no shrub 

 with handsomer scarlet foliage than it. 

 Xanthoceras does not look a promising 

 shrub in the winter time, but when its 

 large white, crimson centered flowers 

 expand, but few equal it. Robinia his- 

 pida is the old rose acacia, rarely seen, 

 yet hardy, and lovely when its clusters of 

 rose colored flowers are displayed. Its 

 shoots are like those of a moss rose. 

 Rosa lucida is one of the wild roses of 

 Pennsylvania. The single pink flowers 

 are lovely, but the display of its scarlet 

 fruit, w T hich lasts all winter, is just as 

 attractive. Staphylea colchica is a bush 

 which bears clusters of pretty white flow- 

 ers, unlike those of any other shrub. 



With the close of May the number of 

 shrubs in flower lessens, but the follow- 

 ing thpee are among the uncommon ones: 

 Andromeda Mariana, Azalea viscosa and 

 Itea virginica. These are all white flow- 

 ered. Those of andromeda are large, 

 waxy white, making one of the best of 

 the genus, I think. The azalea is the late 

 flowering one. There is hardly a set time 

 for its flowering. In its habitat while 

 some bloom in May, others do not flower 

 until late in July. It is sweet scented. 

 Itea virginica has upright spikes of flow- 

 ers and it well deserves a place in a collec- 

 tion of shrubs. 



In July the Stuartia pentagyna blooms. 

 The large single white flowers it bears 

 are very pretty. Clethra alnifolia comes 

 towards the close of the month, lasting 

 till August. Its finger-like spikes of white 

 flowers are produced numerously, and 

 they are quite fragrant. 



1 do not remember any shrub, of the 

 class I am sneaking of, for August, but 

 the fruit of the Berberis Thunbergii and 

 that of Pyrus arbutifolia, Rosa lucida 

 and Viburnum cotinifolium already men- 

 tioned make a good display in thismonth. 



September gives three desirable ones, 

 Caryopteris mastacanthus, Lespedeza 

 bicolor and Vitex agnus-castus. Cary- 

 opteris has lovely blue flowers. It be- 

 longs to the natural order verbenaceae. so 

 that the common name, "Verbena Shrub," 

 seems much more appropriate for it than 

 the misnomer "Blue spiraea," which some 

 apply to it. Lespedeza is generally cata- 

 logued as Desmodiumpenduliflorum. Its 

 drooping shoots, laden with rosy pink 

 flowers, form a beautiful bush. Vitex 

 exists in three colors, blue, white and 

 lilac. These and caryopteris are the bet- 

 ter for being pruned in closely with the 

 advent of spring. 



To close the list I will name for October 

 Callicarpa purpurea and Eleagnus um- 

 bellatus, both mentioned for their berries. 

 The callicarpa has long, partly drooping 

 twigs, which are closely set with small 

 purple berries, which last till frost. The 

 eleagnus is known as the late ripening one 

 The berries are mottled red , ripening in 

 October, and usually so thickly set along 

 the branches as to completely hide them. 



Philadelphia. Joseph Meehan. 



The Flower Garden. 



OLD FASHIONED COTTAGE GARDENS. 



In the February 1st issue of Gardening 

 (page 152), Mr. Egan speaks a word for 

 the old lashioned cottage gardens, and 

 having such a garden here, and knowing 

 the pleasure there is in this style of gar- 

 dening we heartily recommend it to all 

 lovers of the beautiful; for that it is beau- 

 tiful and interesting no one can dispute. 

 Just compare a garden of this kind and a 

 garden of more modern style. In the first 

 named we have simplicity and beauty 

 combined, in the other a complicated de- 

 sign of coleus or alternantheras; to some 



