200 



GARDENING. 



Mar. 75, 



de Girardin, double pink; Ernest Lauth, 

 double, amaranth; F. S. Raspial, double 

 scarlet; S. A. Nutt, double dark crimson; 

 La Favorite, double white; Mrs. E. G. 

 Hill, single pink, fine. Six newer varie- 

 ties which are very fine are Mrs. J. M. 

 Gaar, finest white, single; L. Swartling, 

 single scarlet shading to salmon; B. 

 Schroder, rosy pink; La France, double 

 white; Prince" Henry of Orleans, double 

 rose pink; N. Castelina, double red. The 

 three last named are new and grand 

 varieties. 



4. "Also a list of six or twelve dahlias, 

 double, variety of color, early and con- 

 stant bloomers." The following ten vari- 

 eties are all of the large flowered double 

 type and embrace all shades: Ethel Yick, 

 Constancy, Ladv Allington, Oriole, Ron- 

 ald, Sunlight, Yellow Standard, John 

 Walker, James Stephens, Fanny Purchase. 

 W11. Scott. 



VINES FOR VERflNDfl DECORATION. 



To any lover of nature there is always 

 a charm" about a vine-clad bower, be it 

 that of a secluded summer house, a shady 

 nook in the woods, or a well clad veranda. 

 Luxuriance of growth is always essential, 

 as the step from the sublime to the ridicu- 

 lous is but a short one. 



The selection of the proper vine is the 

 most important move towards success; 

 climatic conditions in the immediate 

 neighborhood must be favorable to the 

 subject chosen. There must be no set- 

 back from lack of hardiness to curtail the 

 onward growth, as there must be no gaps 

 in the canopy of verdure. Having been 

 guided by the experience of our neighbors 

 or the knowledge of experts, and chosen 

 one vine, we must prepare for its recep- 

 tion. 



Let us stop and think a moment. 

 What are w e going to demand of these 

 strangers we are bringing to our home? 

 We are going to request them to embower 

 our veranda with a luxuriousness of 

 foliage and a mass of flowers. We want 

 them not only to do it one year, but for 

 many years, in fact within the narrow- 

 space of our lives we want it forever. 



Could the vine reply it would say: 

 "Yes. I can do all that, but you must 

 bear in mind that for every leaf I bear, 

 for every perfumed flower I bestow upon 

 you, I must take from the earth just so 

 much plant food. The earth is my bank, 

 and the rich soil therein my bank account. 

 If you will make, and maintain an ade- 

 quate deposit for me and furnish me with 

 sufficient moisture, for water is the check 

 by which I draw my funds, I will fulfill 

 your expectations and gladden your 



heart." 



We would like to have a plant talk to 

 us that way for we then would always 

 remember that in planting any permanent 

 tree, vine or shrub, they require wide, 

 deep holes, filled with rich soil. 



The subject of our illustration, showing 

 the full length of veranda, fifty feet long, 

 was photographed from a point of view 

 that would show detail rather than pro- 

 duce an artistic picture (The house in full 

 was illustrated in Gardening a few years 

 ago), and shows the full southern and 

 part of the western exposure. 



The openings between the posts average 

 twelve feet, thus allowing plenty of light 

 and air to reach the house windows. At 

 the left of the down-spout the whole space 

 of width of the porch (twelve feet) is 

 entirely covered by the vine in order to 

 shut out the late afternoon sun. In this 

 vine screen, however, is an oval "window" 

 or opening at such a height that one 

 standing on the porch floor can look out 

 unon flower beds. At the base of porch is 



VINES FOR VERANDA DECORATION. 



a bed of rich soil two and a half feet deep 

 and nearly as wide. Had circumstances 

 allowed it would have made it wider. 

 This is well mulched in the fall with 

 rotted manure, and several times during 

 the summer it receivesa thorough drench- 

 ing with weak manure water, choosing 

 an evening when the inmates are absent. 



The main vine seen, particularly on the 

 posts, upper portions and the end, is the 

 Japanese Akebia quinata, a rapid-growing 

 vine when once established, free from 

 the attacks of insects, and withal one of the 

 handsomest foliaged vines we possess. In 

 warmer climates its foliage is evergreen, 

 but here it is one of the first to unfold in 

 the spring and the last in the fall to dis- 

 card its leafage. It flowers early in the 

 season, giving forth clusters of odd- 

 shaped, small chocolate colored and 

 spicily scented blooms, odd and curious 

 but not showy. Some vines have fruited 

 in America but none of mine have yet so 

 favored me. 



It is a twiner, not clinging by tendrils 

 after the manner of the grape, and there- 

 fore should have rods for support. Here 

 is an opportunity to warn beginners not 

 to use wire netting for permanent vines 

 of a twining habit, for the simple reason 

 that the vine in its twisting, twining 

 growth, may get a main stem in one of 

 the sharp, narrow angles of the mesh 

 when young and slender, and when 

 maturing growth enlarges it there is no 

 room for expansion, and strangulation 

 ensues. Round galvanized iron rods one 

 quarter of an inch in diameter, or ordi- 

 nary iron, painted, should be used. Wire 

 netting may be used for annual vines, but 

 if twiners and of strong growth, they 

 sometimes get caught. 



On the porch illustrated the akebia is 

 trained up the posts and across under the 

 eaves. Between the posts is a porch rail- 

 ing. When the akebia had become strong 

 enough to cover the posts well, new shoots 

 from the bottom were carried across 

 along this space, thus making the green 

 back-ground complete. 



The akebias are planted only at the 

 foot of the posts. Between them, and 

 about three feet apart, are planted vari- 

 ous varieties of the clematis. Thunbergia 

 alata is planted between the clematis 

 and akebia, mainly to creep over and 

 cover the ground, but some always find 



their way up among the other vines, 

 quite frequently flowering inside the porch, 

 long after the frost has injured those 

 outwardly exposed. 



Yarieties of clematis are chosen for 

 each section so as to maintain more or 

 less bloom all summer. The white bloom 

 seen entirely encircling the first arch is 

 the well known Clematis paniculata. 

 One plant is set midway between the 

 porch pillars. It had been cut back to with- 

 in a foot of theground the fall prior. Asits 

 growth extended it was carried staight 

 up until reaching the railing, then one- 

 half was carried each way to the right 

 and to the left until it reached the pillars. 

 It is too strong a vine to grow against 

 the akebia. so a strong string was run 

 from railing to the roof, parallel to and a 

 foot from the akebia, and a similar string 

 run across under the roof but below the 

 akebia. On these strings the clematis 

 was trained. After it sends out its bloom- 

 ing laterals it is then allowed to wander 

 at will, it being too late to do much 

 damage to the akebia. 



Near the C. paniculata is a C. coccinea 

 which was kept well down on the spare 

 between the pillars and produced its 

 scarlet blooms in profusion nearly all 

 summer. The sweet scented C. vitalba 

 had been carried up the corner pillars, 

 and in July furnished its fleecy wreath of 

 flowers, and at about the same time the 

 second pillar was covered with the wine- 

 colored blooms of C. viticella var. kerme- 

 sina. 



This corner arch is the only one at 

 which is planted the C paniculata. Be- 

 tween the other arches I used mainly the 

 hybrid large flowering forms. Gardening 

 for October 15, 1896, illustrates one 

 panel covered with C. lanuguinosa. 



The single pillar illustrated shows the 

 C. flammula planted to the left of the pil- 

 lar and near the C. Madame Edward 

 Andre, part of whose blooms may be 

 seen. As can be readily observed the 

 vines of C. flammula have been divided, 

 thus allowing air and light between them 

 for the akebia. 



As it takes some time for any of the 

 varieties of the clematis to grow up to 

 any height, being cut back to near the 

 ground each fall, and cut back as far as 

 the railing when through blooming, but 

 little injurj- is sustained by the akebia 



