2l6 



GARDENING. 



April /, 



to flower on the 3rd of March and will 

 last till the end of April. It is of little use 

 for cutting, but for the decoration of the 

 garden in early spring it cannot be grown 

 too largely, and if it is associated with 

 the snowdrops the effect is fine indeed. 



It is of easy culture, only requiring to 

 be planted and left alone. It is fine for 

 naturalizing in the grass, in tact it will 

 grow most anywhere. Planted near the 

 house where it can be seen from the win- 

 dows it makes the surroundings more 

 cheerful, and to those who cannot go out, 

 but who love to see the beautiful, it will 

 be something to look at, and help to pass 

 the dreary early spring more pleasantly. 

 David Fraser. 



ANNUALS FOR SUMMER FLOWERS. 

 A great deal can be done with hardy 

 annuals in the decoration of our gardens. 

 A stock is easily gotten up; even the 



June, and were at their best in July. 

 While in flower they were the showiest 

 annual we had in the garden. Asters 

 only lasted until mid-summer, but a 

 second crop sown in June would flower 

 well in fall. Begonia semperflorens makes 

 a splendid bedding plant and lasts till cut 

 by frost. Dianthus in variety begins to 

 flower in June and lasts into August. 

 They are very showy while in flower and 

 are nice for cutting. Calendulas last all 

 summer and are very free flowering, also 

 good for cutting. Phlox Drummondii is 

 a pretty annual but doesn't last over 

 mid-summer. Gaillardias last all the sea- 

 son and are nice as cut flowers. Verbenas 

 last all summer if they are kept pegged 

 down so they can root at each joint. 

 Scabiosas last all summer and are lovely 

 as cut flowers. Poppies last into July and 

 something should be grown to take their 

 place when past. Corn flowers last the 

 whole season and are greatly prized as 





<SL 



— — 



HMMam^BH 



THE PARROT'S FEATHER 



amateur with no greenhouse can have his 

 display of annuals and of his own raising. 

 If a cold frame can be used to sow the 

 seeds in so much the better, but if this is 

 not to be had they can be sown in the 

 garden with good results. 



There is a great variety of annuals but 

 for the amateur a selection has to be 

 made; something that is showy and will 

 last all summer is what most amateurs 

 like, but theie is a host of lovely annuals 

 which do not last all summer; for instance 

 the ten week stocks are at their best in 

 July; the same can be said of asters and 

 poppies, yet no garden would be complete 

 without them. This canbe remedied to a 

 certain extent if a second sowing can be 

 made about the first of June. The plants 

 can be plunged out till they are needed to 

 replace the ones that are past; in this way 

 the garden can be kept gay all summer 

 long. 



The following list comprises the show- 

 iest of the garden annuals, but by no 

 means includes all that are worth grow- 

 ing. It is taken from my diary of last 

 summer just as I jotted it down. Early 

 sown ten week stocks came in flower in 



cut flowers. Coreopsis lasts well and is 

 good for cutting. Chrysanthemums last 

 till cut by frost and come in handy as 

 cut flowers. Sweet peas don't last after 

 midsummer unless special care is given 

 them in the way of water and feeding. 

 Balsams are quite showy but not much 

 use as cut flowers; they last the most of the 

 summer. Nasturtiums are valuable as 

 cut flowers although they are not very 

 showy, the leaves hiding the most of the 

 flowers. Nicotiana affinis is of little use 

 as a cut flower but as it scents the whole 

 garden at night all should grow a few of it. 

 The antirrhinum is a showy and free 

 flowering annual and lasts the whole 

 summer; it should be largely grown as it 

 is splendid for cutting. Larkspur is good 

 for cutting but don't last after mid-sum- 

 mer. Marigolds, both French and African, 

 last all summer till cut by frost; they are 

 good for cut flowers but some do not 

 like the smell of them. Celosias are showy 

 and last nearly the whole season. Helio- 

 trope is fine for cutting and no garden is 

 complete without it; it is best raised from 

 cuttings although it is easy to raise from 

 seed, and if a good strain is secured the 



flowers are of large size. Sweet Sultan is 

 good for cutting and lasts nearly all sum- 

 mer. Mignonette, if some is sown early 

 and planted out it gives flowers a month 

 earlier than if sown out in the garden; it 

 should be planted both ways to have a 

 succession. Petunias are showy and last 

 all summer; they are of little use for cut- 

 ting. Silene is fine for cutting but don't 

 last long. Candytuft don't last after 

 mid-summer but when in flower it is nice. 

 Gypsophila is good as a cut flower but 

 don't last long. 



The miniature sunflower lasts all the 

 season, and as a cut flower it is very fine. 

 Zinnias last all summer and are useful for 

 cutting. Cosmos ar*; fine as cut flowers, 

 and if they are grown in pots and plunged 

 out they will give much earlier flowers 

 than if planted out in the garden. Pan- 

 sies sown in spring don't flower much be- 

 fore September. Marguerite carnations 

 are free flowering annuals, and should be 

 largely grown where cut flowers are much 

 in demand; they bloom about five months 

 from seed and sometimes before. 



These are only a few of the annuals we 

 grow but they are amongst the showiest 

 and best for the amateur, but if more are 

 wanted there is a large list to draw from. 

 We like to try a little of every thing, not 

 because they are all beautiful, but because 

 they are interesting. David Fraser. 



Mahwah, N. J. 



Aquatics. 



THE PARROT'S FEATHER. 



The accompanying illustration gives a 

 good idea of the use to which one of our 

 aquatic plants can be put. The name of 

 the plant is Myriophyllum proserpina- 

 coides, a name sufficiently repulsive to the 

 ordinary reader to warrant him in having 

 no further connection with the plant. It 

 is better known, however, under the com- 

 mon name of Parrot's feather, which by 

 the way, is a very applicable one, as the 

 fine pinnate leaves resemble to a marked 

 degree the green colored feathers of that 

 bird. 



The illustration is from the fountain at 

 the north entrance of the U. S. Treasury 

 Department at Washington, I). C. Mr. 

 Feast, the gardener in charge, conceived 

 the idea of having the water shed of the 

 fountain fringed with this plant. He had 

 some good rich soil prepared and placed 

 in the upper part of the fountain, or the 

 water shed, which stands some 3*4 or 4 

 feet above the basin. A few dozen robust 

 growing pieces of this plant were then 

 dibbled in and then covered with some 

 fine gravel; after that pieces of rougher 

 stone were placed upon the gravel to pre- 

 vent the soil from being washed out. In 

 a remarkably short time it made a rapid 

 growth, and by the middle of July it had 

 grown to the dimensions shown. The 

 plant covered about 19 feet in diameter. 



Myriophyllum is from two Greek words, 

 myrios, myriad, and phyllon, a leaf, in 

 reference to the numerous divisions of the 

 leaves. It is a native of Brazil and Chili, 

 growing very dense, having an extremely 

 feathery appearance. It requires mud to 

 root in and is easily increased from cut- 

 tings. The stems are weak, but do not 

 require support, all the pretty points of 

 the shoots growing out of the water from 

 6 to 14 inches. In the illustration the 

 shoots are hanging over the water shed 

 from 2 to 3 feet. It is a very handsome 

 and interesting plant and should be in 

 every collection of aquatic plants; it is a 

 fine thing for amateurs. C. I.. K. 



