2IO 



GARDENING. 



April 



lots seemed enclosed in a low hedge of rose 

 flowers. 



I find this rose needs pruning much 

 as other running roses do. The strong 

 shoots of last season should be preserved 

 as from each dormant bud on them will 

 come the shoot to give the first flowers. 

 And like other climbers its best growth is 

 on the top, and it needs wise pruning to 



drooping character, the central shoot of 

 which still ascends. The eut-leaved weep- 

 ing birch and the weeping dogwood rep- 

 resent this class. Then there are those 

 which are usually grafted on tall stems 

 and which practically get no taller, the 

 branches drooping at a moreor lessacute 

 angle to the ground. There are repre- 

 sentatives of this class in Tea's mulberry, 



SPIR&A VAN HOUTTEI. 



some 3'ears ago under the name of Par- 

 mentieri seems to be the same as argentea 

 unless it be perhaps of rather stronger 

 growth. These weepers are formed by 

 budding or grafting on a strong stock, 

 preferably our native one, americana. 

 Being of a stronggrowththis, the weeper, 

 should be worked on a stem not less than 

 9 feet in height, which is about the height 

 of the one represented here. The branches 

 push out almost horizontally at first, 

 drooping but little until the second or 

 third year. The smaller twigs are more 

 pendulous than the larger ones. It will 

 be conceived what an excellent arbor such 

 trees make. Nursery grown trees are 

 sometimes met with which are grafted on 

 stocks no more than six feet in height. 

 Such trees are not nearly so useful as 

 taller ones. The lesser height may do for 

 less robust growers, such as the mulberrr 

 and the Kilmarnock willow, but the ash, 

 the elm and the linden must be worked on 

 taller stems. 



Two summers ago, when in England, I 

 was much pleased with the many droop- 

 ing elms met with on many publicgrounds 

 and in cemeteries The sort used seemed 

 to be a variety of our native fulva. Being 

 mostly grafted at a height of about ten 

 feet from the ground, they had formed 

 splendid heads, and the branches swept 

 the ground. Persons standing within the 

 canopy were entirely shut out from view. 



Referring again to the propagation of 

 the linden, grafting should be done as 

 soon as the buds show signs of swelling, 

 and budding towards the close of sum- 

 mer, before the sap ceases to run. Two 

 grafts or buds to a stock is better than 

 one, a more even head resulting. 



Philadelphia. Joseph Meehan. 



keep sufficient shoots for flowering near 

 the ground. Joseph Meehan. 



Philadelphia. 



Trees and Shrubs. 



SPIRAEA VAN HOUTTEI. 



This is certainh' one of the handsomest 

 spring blooming, perfect!}' hardy shrubs 

 that our gardens possess. It is an im- 

 proved form of S. trilobata, a species 

 from the Altai mountains that form the 

 boundary between China and Siberia. 

 While the type, originally described in 

 1801, is a pleasing shrub, this improved 

 form far surpasses it. 



At its time of blooming in May a well 

 grown specimen presents a charming 

 sight. Every pendulous arching branch 

 is so completely covered with small white 

 flowers, that at a distance but little foli- 

 age can be seen, so well covered is it with 

 blooms. It should stand alone on the 

 lawn with plenty of room around it that 

 its pendulous habit may be fully seen. 



When through blooming it should 

 receive good pruning, cutting out consid- 

 erable of the oldest blooming wood. This 

 will induce vigorous new shoots that will 

 bloom the following year. While it en- 

 joys an open sunny position and good 

 cultivation, it does fairly well in half 

 shade. 



The specimen illustrated is on the 

 grounds of Mr. M. Neville, Pelham, Wel- 

 bourne, Va. 



THE WEEPING LINDEN. 



Planters find the various kinds of weep- 

 ing trees of great use to them in their 

 landscape work. There are those of 



WEEPING LINDEN. 



Kilmarnock willow, ash, cherrv and 

 many other sorts, as well as in the Iinder. 

 Of the latter we present an illustration of 

 an exceedingly fine specimen in Prospect 

 Park, Brooklyn, N. Y. There are but few 

 finer specimens in this country than this 

 one, and readers can see how nicely it fits 

 the position it occupies. 



The most of the weeping lindens in this 

 country are of the variety argentea, called 

 alba in most nursery catalogues. One of 

 this character coming here from France 



THE GUT-LEflVED BIRCH. 



I think that the recent discussion re- 

 garding the failure of the cut-leaved birch 

 as a permanent ornamental tree in the 

 region bordering Lake Michigan from 

 Chicago toat least asfarnorthas Wauke- 

 gan, may be misleading in that the want 

 of hardiness or ability to stand the de- 

 grees of cold prevailing during our win- 

 ters, might be inferred as the chief cause. 

 I do not consider that the cause when 

 viewing that feature in the same light 



