230 



GARDENING. 



April is, 



Scilla siberica came in flower March 26| 

 (21 davs earlier than last year) . This is 

 a small showy blue flowering plant well] 

 suited for the edgings of beds although; 

 it is seen at its best when grown in a 

 mass It is of little use for cutting as the 

 flower stalks are too short. 



Puschkinia libanotica compacta was 

 in flower March 27 (20 days earlier than 

 last year). This is a little spring beauty 

 and well worth a place in every garden 

 A large clump of it in the garden has 

 flowered splendidly. Its very dwarf habit 

 makes it excellent for edging beds, but 

 like the Scilla siberica it is more showy 

 when grown in a clump or mass. The 

 flowers i re white, shaded and striped 



Narcissus minimus was our first daffo- 

 dil to bloom, opening its first flower 

 April 1 (13 days earlier than last year). 

 This is the smallest and most dwari, like- 

 wise the earliest narcissus there is. It 

 flowers quite close to the ground, being 

 onlv about two inches high, but it is a 

 little beauty and greatly prized because 

 it flowers so early. It is a gem for edge- 

 ing the taller varieties if planted close 

 together, but like all the rest of our nar- 

 cissus we grow it in a clump. The flow- 

 ers are rich yellow and it lasts for some 

 time iii flower, but it is of no use for cut- 

 ting. 



Narcissus minor is another early one, 

 coming in a day after minimus. This 

 has a larger flower than the preceding 

 one, grows about an inch taller and is 

 one of the finest dwarf varieties. The 

 flowers are yellow and the perianth grace- 

 fully twisted. 



If the weather keeps as it is just now, 

 we will have a fine show of narcissus in 

 ten to fifteen days. All the bulbous stock 

 is showing well and gives promise of 

 bloom. Our narci^sushave now been left 

 undisturbed for six yearsbut thissummer 

 we will lift them all and spread them out, 

 as they are getting a little crowded. 

 Mahwah, N.J. David Fraser. 



Ithe weather is settled plant out. It 

 Igrows only 6 to 9 feet high and can be 

 [grown in many ways. A few plants 

 Iplaced together in a clump and given 

 [brush to climb on do well; or they may 

 [be trained to the house, and can also be 

 'used to screen unsightly places in or 

 around the garden. David Fraser. 



ALSTROMERIAS. 



I have a large lot of alstromerias from 

 Holland which I propose to plant in a 

 permanent bed upon a terrace which 

 slopes towards the south. The soil is 

 the ordinary garden loam, dark and rich. 



I would be glad to know whether any 

 special preparation of the soil is desirable 

 and what is the best mode of winter pro- 

 tection against say 20° of frost. They 

 must remain in the ground if possible. 



R.N. W. 



The position named is a very suitable 

 one for alstromerias, as the drainage 

 should be perfect, especially during the 

 winter months. The soil should be light, 

 not clayey. . . 



Place the crowns from four to six inches 

 below the surface level of the soil, the 

 object being to get the roots as deep in 

 the soil as possible in order that they 

 may stand our winters. See Gardening, 

 November 1, for method of winter protec- 

 tion. Those illustrated there, protected 

 as described, are in splendid shape this 

 spring. 



CANTERBURY BELLS-AGAGIA.-GENTRO- 

 SEMfl. 



Mrs. F. N. B. writes: "My Canterbury 

 bells are a heartrending sight; out ot 

 three dozen plants not over six are alive; 

 they are in a cold-frame covered up with 

 leaves and sash put over this; the plants 

 were raised from seed sown in April. My 

 plants of '95-'96 came out all right with 

 this treatment. What is the trouble.-"' 



You made a great mistake in covering 

 up your plants with leaves. Only the 

 sash should have been used over the 

 plants and the covering put on the sash 

 on cold nights. It was the leaves no 

 doubt that did the harm as the plants 

 could not get enough air. These plants 

 will stand quite a lrost. 



Seed should be sown about the first of 

 luly and planted in the frame about the 

 15th of September. These will make 

 large plants by spring. We have nearly 

 200 of them, fine large plants, and we 

 think they are the easiest plants of any 

 to winter over as they need so little care, 

 for they can be left covered up for a week 

 in very cold weather with no harm to the 

 plants. . 



Treatment for seedling acacia:' Pot 

 them off in small pots; when the plants 

 get a little size pinch out the head to 

 make them break; this can be done sev- 

 eral times to get a shapely bush. They 

 can be plunged out in the garden in sum- 

 mer. They are large rooting plants and 

 require plenty of water at all times? 



Centrosema grandiflora: This is a hardy 

 perennial vine and needs no special treat- 

 ment. Pot off the seedlings and when 



GARDENING IN NEBRASKA. 

 While 1 am writing, a harbinger of 

 spring, a robin, is singing in a cotton- 

 wood tree close by my office. He has 

 been here nearly ten days yet he is still 

 alone. The ice king is slowly loosening 

 his grip upon mother earth. While look- 

 ing over my tulip bed, yesterday, I found 

 the covering of leaves and coarse cow ma- 

 nure still frozen, but the tulips pushing 

 through and showing above ground and 

 covering 2 to 3 inches. This bed is on 

 the east side of the house close to the 

 foundation wall and close to this wall 

 Scilla siberica i^'m bloom. The covering 

 over Clematis Jackmanni, planted against 

 the north side of the house, is still frozen 

 solid, a C. Henryii against the house on 

 the south side, also covered, but frost all 

 out, shows buds pushing out; this loca- 

 tion does not seem to suit, for, while it 

 blooms fairly well for a 5 year-old plant, 

 it holds no comparison with the Jack- 

 manni, which, now about S years old, 

 blooms more freelv with each recurring 

 season. [C. Henryii belongs to the lanu- 

 ginosa type on which the flowers are dis- 

 persed and less freely produced than in 

 the Jackmanni section, which flower in 

 profuse masses.— Ed.] Ampelopsis qum- 

 quefolia is a disappointment; it grows 

 vigorously during the forepart of the sea- 

 son, but all of a sudden the leaves turn 

 brown and fall. A change of situation 

 does not remedv the evil. [Take up the 

 vines, dig the hole three teet deep, cut 

 back the vines to five ieet long and re- 

 plant so that the top of the roots are 

 fully one foot under the surface ot the 

 soil". We imagine that your plant suffers 

 from lack of moisture.— Ed.]. 



I cover all roses with leaves and strawy 

 cow manure, the latter to keep the leaves 

 trom blowing away, except Persian Yel- 

 low, Queen of the Prairie, Baltimore 

 Belle and Seven Sisters; the last one is a 

 failure here, not hardy. The Baltimore 

 Belle, planted against the porch on the 

 east side of the house, eight years ago, 

 then a two year old plant, has not lost 

 much of its vigor, but the Queen of the 



Prairie, of same age, but planted on the 

 south side of the same porch, is getting 

 feebler every year. I planted a Oueen last 

 spring, further north but against the east 

 side of the house; it was a two year old 

 plant and made a growth of about four 

 feet which is still uninjured. I also planted 

 a Baltimore Belle at the same time, 

 on the north side against the house, 

 partially sheltered by a buildingabout 30 

 feet off; the growth on this has been 

 equal to the other one and the wood looks 

 sound so far. Crimson Rambler, bought 

 of Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry last spring, 

 and one of which bloomed and which 

 made a growth of about 5 feet, I feared 

 to risk uncovered, so laid it down and 

 gave it an overcoat. 



Since my residence here, commencing in 

 1871,1 have not passed a winter here 

 when the thermometer did not fall to 20° 

 below zero. I have seen it 28° below at 

 7 a. m. and the snow melting at 1 p. m. 

 on the same day. Such extremes and a 

 nearly bare ground containing little 

 moisture so that it cracks open, showing 

 seams 3 to 4 feet deep, is terribly de- 

 structive to plants unprotected, hence I 

 cover everything that can be covered, it 

 not all over then agood covering over the 

 roots. I have the following hybrid per- 

 petual roses, and some not classed as 

 such, but still hardv: 



Prince C.de Rohan, Sir Garnet Wolseley 

 Earl of Dufferin, Jacqueminot. Marshall 

 P. Wilder, Leveson Gower, Ulrich Brun 

 ner, Captain Christv, Baroness Koth-- 

 cbild, Anne de Diesbach, Paul Neyron, 

 American Beauty, Magna Charta, Souve- 

 nir de Woottoii, Francois Levet, Dins- 

 more, La France. Madame Plantier is 

 the only white rose that showed suffi- 

 cient vigor for a stand-by; all others 

 classed as hardy have so far been a disap- 

 pointment. Sweet Briar and the Rugosa 

 type, also Mme. Georges Bruant, I think 

 hardv enough to stand the winter with 

 little" protection. Persian and Austrian 

 Yellow and the Scotch have no protection 

 except mulch at the roots. All roses here 

 named, with the exception of those named 

 at the beginning of this article, are ex- 

 posed and have the full sweep of the wind 

 in the growing season. The protection 

 given heretofore to roses under conditions 

 the vcrv opposite of the winter just past 

 has not so far been detrimental to their 

 welfare; the winter commenced with zero 

 weather in November, then followed rain, 

 which turned into snow, then a thaw, 

 then more snow, thus alternating, but 

 with sufficient low temperature to pre- 

 vent growth; summing up therefore I have 

 concluded that a change of treatment is 

 not warranted. Wit. Weitzel. 



Albion, Neb. 



[If, as stated, the climbing roses men- 

 tioned as hardy have not been injured by 

 the winter's cold during the eight years 

 they have been planted they should have 

 been vigorous plants by this time. One 

 would infer by their getting feebler every 

 year that they have exhausted the soil at 

 their roots — Ed.] 



PL0WER GARDEN NOTES. 

 The successful flower gardener will have 

 much to do at this season ol the year. 

 Generally our springs are so short that 

 everything is rushed and many times the 

 work is not properly done, for instance 

 the planting of perennial plants in the 

 border. This work should be done with 

 care if the best results are wanted. These 

 plants are not like annuals; when they 

 are planted in the border they are meant 

 to stay for years and it pays to treat 

 them well, as a year or two after plant- 

 ing will show. 



