iS 97 . 



GARDENING. 



229 



SUB-IRRIGATED BED OP FOLIAGE PLANTS. 



lion shows the bed as it appeared on 

 August 6. Many of the eannas at that 

 time measured 9 1 L> feet in height and 

 many of the ealadiums 4' 2 feet. Some of 

 the leaves of the caladium measured 34 

 inches long by 24 inches broad. 



The objection maj- be raised that a bed 

 prepared in this manner is very expen- 

 sive. This objection would be quite per- 

 tinent if it were necessary to perform the 

 work every year. But the tiling is ex- 

 pected to remain intact from year to 

 year, so that a bed once prepared in this 

 manner requires no further care than the 

 ordinary bed receives. It should be re- 

 membered also, that the plants in such a 

 bed are necessarily expensive, and a slight 

 additional outlay that will make them 

 fully satisfactory even in the driest sea- 

 son is fully warranted. 



It is possible that half the number of 

 branch lines of tile would have answered 

 the purpose quite as well. In localities 

 having a sandy subsoil, it would proba- 

 bly be necessary to cement the bottom of 

 the excavation, and a short distance up 

 the sides to prevent the water from rap- 

 idly wasting through the porous subsoil. 

 Frederic Cranefield, 

 Agric. Exp. Sta. Madison, Wis. 



SPIRAEAS- DESMODIUM. 



E. M. C, would like to know, 1st, 

 whether a bed situated on the north side 

 of a house would be a suitable place for 

 various varieties of spiraeas; house about 

 18 feet high and the bed 6 feet away 

 from it; 2nd, Does Desmodium penduli- 

 fiorum spread or make a large bush? Is 

 the white variety any good? 



The first question we may safely answer 

 in the affirmative, as I suppose Mr. C. 

 has reference to herbaceous spiraeas of 

 various varieties, in fact I should prefer 

 such a situation to a southern exposure; 

 the free circulation of air is not percepti- 

 bl\- interfered with at the given distance, 

 6 feet away from the house, and the 

 somewhat shaded position tends to pro- 



long the flowering season, provided how- 

 ever that the ground is kept moist enough 

 for the plants; this latter point is most 

 essential in the successful management of 

 all the herbaceous spiraeas; they dislike 

 the heat and also the diy soil. I have 

 never tried a bed of these plants alone 

 and without other later flowering hard v 

 plants, but where a display of flowers is 

 only required during June and July, and 

 perhaps up to the middle of August, 

 spiraeas of various kinds would answer 

 the purpose. In August many of the 

 species will begin to ripen their foliage 

 and become rusty looking; if the cheerful 

 appearance of the bed is to be keot 

 up in the fall months, I should advise 

 the introduction of a few scattering 

 plants of either aconitums, hibiscus, helio- 

 opsis, rudbeckias or thelike, which would 

 hide the decaying foliage of the spiraeas 

 from direct view and at the same time 

 keep the bed in presentable condition. 



In answer to the second question I can 

 say that Desmodium penduliflorum, or as 

 some call it, Lespedeza bicolor or L. Sie- 

 boldii, is a most desirable shrub-like 

 hardy plant of tall and upright growth 

 and elegant habit, from 4% to 6 feet high 

 with pinnate leaves oblong in form and 

 it bears deep purple flowers in branched 

 long drooping or arching panicles. It is 

 very effective along the edge of a shrub- 

 bery or in the border and blooms in late 

 summer. The white variety I have not 

 seen and cannot say anything about it. 

 J. B. Keller. 



SPRING FLOWERS. 



The fine spring weather we are having 

 just now is bringing along the spring 

 flowers very fast. Already our garden is 

 quite gay at this writing (April 1). 

 Everything is two to three weeks earlier 

 than the spring of 96' excepting the 

 snowdrops, which were only two days 

 earlier; they opened their first flowers the 

 7th of February and were about at their 

 best on March 25, the ones planted last 



fall being the latest ones to flower. A 

 fine effect was obtainedby plantingsnow- 

 drops on a small terrace which is covered 

 witli periwinkle. The bulbs were planted 

 quite close together, a sharp pointed 

 stick being used to make the holes, put- 

 ting the bulbs about two inches deep and 

 a little sifted soil over each bulb. Scillas 

 were also planted amongst the snow- 

 drops to give a succession of flowers. 



The winter aconite was about at its 

 best March 23. although in some shady 

 nooks it is still in fine flower. Naturalized 

 in this way it makes a nice showing 

 where scarcely nothing else will grow. 



Leucojum vernum (the spring snow- 

 flake) came in flower Mareh22 (17 days 

 earlier than last year). This is one of the 

 choicest early spring flowers we have. In 

 appearance it resembles a large snow- 

 drop It sends its flowers well above the 

 foliage, the Dlooms being pure white 

 except the point of each petal which is 

 tipped with green. When grown in a 

 mass it is very showy and does well 

 naturalized amongst deciduous shrubs 

 where it is not disturbed as it likes to be 

 left alone. It does not increase so fast as 

 many bulbs do but it is quite cheap, and 

 should be in every garden. 



Bulbocodium vernum opened its first 

 flowers on the 22d of March and at this 

 writing is at its best. It has scarcely any 

 foliage and the flowers open close to the 

 ground. In color thev are bright rose- 

 purple and last for some time, but they 

 are of no use as cut flowers. 



The crocus opened its first flowers 

 March 20 (12 days earlier than last 

 year I, although in some sunny parts of 

 the place, where sheltered from the north 

 and west, it was in flower two weeks be- 

 fore we had them in the garden. Of these 

 flowers we grow many. Last fall we 

 naturalized four thousand in the grass 

 but these are not yet in flower. We do 

 not expect a great deal of bloom from 

 them this season as it generally takes 

 them a vear to get established. 



