iS 97 . 



GARDENING. 



231 



With us this has been an exceptionally 

 early spring and much work has already 

 been done as the soil has been in fine 

 working order. Sweet peas, annual pop- 

 pies and mignonette have already been 

 sown. The first planting of gladioli has 

 also been put in. By planting every two 

 weeks up to the end of June a succession 

 of flowers can be had the whole summer. 

 Montbretias can be treated in much the 

 same way and should find a place in 

 every garden. Another fine free flowering 

 bulbous plant that can be planted now 

 is the summer flowering hyacinth (Hya- 

 cinthus candicans). When grown in a 

 group the effect is very fine; it will grow 

 most anywhere but will repay any little 

 extra care that may be given it. The 

 bulbs are quite cheap and it proves hardy 

 here without protection. 



Lifting and dividing perennial plants 

 that have become too large is now in 

 order. Only the outside pieces should be 

 kept; as the hearts of old plants are gener- 

 ally weak; they might as well be thown 

 away. If the plants are large rooting 

 ones, such as phloxes or funkias.it is well 

 to give them new soil or plant in a differ- 

 ent part of the garden. 



All the borders should now be gone 

 over and any plants that have been 

 heaved by the frost should be pressed 

 into the soil or taken up and reset. All 

 rough manure should be raked oft; the 

 finer parts can be left to work in around 

 the plants, but the digging of a herba- 

 ceous border is better left till mostly all 

 the plants have started into growth, as 

 the young shoots coming through the 

 ground are liable to be stepped upon 

 which greatly injures them. An inexperi- 

 enced person should not be allowed to 

 walk into a border of perennial plants as 

 he is sure to play sad havoc amongst 

 them, more especially if bulbous plants 

 have been largely used in the make-up of 

 the border. 



Plants in the cold frames will now need 

 plenty of air and water. Allourfoxgloves, 

 forget-me-nots, Canterbury bells, daisies, 

 pansies and such stock have already 

 been planted out in the garden. They 

 were well hardened oft" and any little frost 

 won't hurt them. We now have the 

 frame room for the annuals and other 

 tender plants. 



Annuals in the seed boxes will now need 

 much attention for if left too long before 

 pricking off they get weak and drawn. I 

 generally prick them off just as soon as 

 they are large enough to handle, using 

 3-inch pots to hold the seedlings, putting 

 7 or 8 plants around the sides of the pot. 

 This I find the best way to treat seedlings 

 of all sorts; it takes up less room in the 

 greenhouse in early spring than boxes 

 would do and when you come to prick 

 them off into boxes you have nice little 

 plants with balls of roots that can be put 

 in the cold frame right away, which could 

 scarcely be done if they were taken from 

 the seed boxes. The frames should be kept 

 shut for a day or two and the glass 

 shaded, giving water sparingly till they 

 take hold of the soil. With this treatment 

 I hardly ever lose a plant and we grow 

 annuals by the thousands. But be sure 

 and have covering enough for the frames 

 as these little tender plants will not stand 

 a breath of frost; it is well to close up the 

 frames early in the afternoon so as to get 

 the frames warmed up before covering. 

 Watering should be done in the morning 

 just as soon as it is safe to open the frame. 



Dahlias can be started towards the end 

 of the month. A frame is a good place to 

 start them but if only a few are grown 

 deep boxes can be used. The old roots 

 should be divided up so as to have about 



two eyes to each plant. These are better 

 than planting out the old plants as they 

 were lifted, and give larger flowers and 

 not such ragged plants If any of the 

 plants have started into growth cuttings 

 can be put in; these will make nice plants 

 by fall and will flower nicely. 



Before the lilies come through the 

 ground it is advisable to give a mulch of 

 manure; this feeds them a little and helps 

 to retain moisture. The same can be said 

 of the Japan iris. David Fraser. 



Mahwah, N.J. 



PflSSlFLORfl FFORDTII. 



One of the freest out-door bloomers 

 during the summer months among the 

 passion flowers is Passifiora Pfordtii. 

 Small plants set out in a warm sheltered 

 place after all danger from frost is past 

 will bloom freely. They cost but little, 

 and it is well to place two plants within 

 six inches of each other and treat as one. 

 They will grow ten or more feet during 

 the season, blooming on the younger 

 wood, so that in time the flowers, which 

 only last one day, are placed out of reach 

 of close observation. Therefore instead 

 of allowing the vines to run straight up 

 it is best to train them in a zig zag man- 

 ner and thus confine their beauty to 

 within a close range of vision. 



The name was applied from the resem- 

 blance afforded by the parts of the plant 

 to the instruments of Our Lord's cruci- 

 fixion and its attendant circumstances; 

 thus the three nails, two for the hands 

 and one for the feet, are represented by 

 the stigmas; the five anthers indicate the 

 five wounds; the rays of glory, or some 

 say, the crown of thorns, are represented 

 by the rays of the corona; the ten parts of 

 the perianth represent the apostles, two 

 of them absent, Peter who denied, and 

 Judas who betrayed, our Lord; and the 

 wicked hands of His persecutors are seen 

 in the digitate leaves of the plant, and 

 the scourges in the tendrils. 



GflNNflS. 



For those who have no greenhouse it is 

 best to start their cannas in the hot-bed. 

 The tubers should be examined and any 

 rotted or decayed portions cut out. Di- 

 vide them and then plant closely. In a 

 climate similar to that of Chicago the 

 last of April to the first of May is early 

 enough to start them. Give them plenty 

 of air, endeavoring to have stocky plants 

 rather than spindly shoots run up quickly 

 under too much heat. 



Provisions should be made to raise the 

 glass as the plants grow up. Th : s can 

 be done by raising up the frame and 

 placing bricks under the corners, but 

 when this method is pursued, care should 

 be taken that no cold air or winds get in 

 from below. 



Another way is to have an extra frame 

 made to set on top of the original one, 

 high enough to raise theglass fully a foot. 

 The soil in the original frame should be 

 nearly a foot below the glass at time of 

 planting. 



GflNNfl IRIDlFLORfl EHEMflNM. 



When making out your orders for can- 

 nas thisspringdonotoverlook Ehemanni, 

 provided you have a suitable position for 

 it. It should always stand alone where 

 its musa-like habit can be admired. 



First of all give it a wide and deep hole, 

 and after allotting for its use all the ma- 

 nure you think advisable, add one-third 

 more. Naturally the plants you buy 

 are small and you want effect, therefore 

 put two plants to a hole, and water well. 



Placed in full sun, under the above condi- 

 tions it will grow upfive to six feet, send- 

 ing out very broad leaves so similar to 

 those of the banana plant that it readily 

 takes its place in sections where the wind 

 splits and tears the leaves of the musa. 



The flowers are suspended from tall 

 drooping whip-like stems in shapeentirely 

 unlike Mine. Crozvand are of a light car- 

 minecolor. E. 



Roses. 



ROSE GLOIRE DE DIJON. 



On page 209 of last issue of Gardening 

 Mr. Joseph Meehan tells us how this 

 beautiful climbing rose behaves in the 

 vicinity of Philadelphia. I can say that it 

 proves perfectly hardy here in Bergen 

 County, N. J., where the winters are 

 sometimes quite severe. This winter we 

 had 12° below zero, and when I uncov- 

 ered this rose the other day it was in fine 

 shape. I may state that previous to this 

 winter this rose had no protection, but 

 last summer it made such a fine growth 

 of some 14 feet that I wrapped some bur- 

 lap around the canes, and in this way 

 scarcely any of it died back, only the points 

 of the shoots, which were not ripened 

 enough to cairy it through. 



We have this rose planted on the south 

 side of the cottage in the garden close up 

 to the wall, and as the thatch on the cot- 

 tage overhangs the border it is planted in 

 it keeps it very dry in winter, and per- 

 haps this has something to do with the 

 hardiness of it here. It is well worth a 

 trial in every garden, as it is one of the 

 loveliest roses there are. David Fraser. 



RESULTS OF IMPROPER WINTER PROTECTION. 



In the March 1st issue of Gardening I 

 gave the results of a proper method of 

 winter protection of roses supposed to be 

 somewhat tender. The final uncovering, 

 April 10, fulfilled all the promises shown 

 two months ago. All but one late un- 

 ripened shoot was fresh and plump to the 

 tips. 



We should record our failures as well as 

 our successes, that, the readers of Gar- 

 dening may profit from both experiences. 

 In one bed where four Crimson Ramblers 

 are grown, all were laid upon theground, 

 a few evergreen boughs laid over them and 

 then coarse straw placed over the ever- 

 greens. The winter proved on an aver- 

 age milder than usual (although having 

 one cold snap to 25° below zero) and we 

 had quite a number of "wet" snow storms 

 where the snow melted within a few days. 

 At one spot there was a defect in the rain- 

 shedding qualities of the covering, which 

 allowed the melted snow water to drip 

 down upon the wood of the roses, and I 

 found them rotted at this point. Beyond 

 this spot the wood was fresh and green. 

 One plant, some twelve feet long, had 

 only its tips at this point so that no dam 

 age was done to it. for I can easily spare 

 a foot or so there, in fact would cut back 

 that much anyway, but three plants were 

 so much injured that I can look for but 

 few blooms from them this year. 



A large plant of the Empress of China, 

 well wrapped with straw, but unfortun- 

 ately laid over on the ground instead of 

 t\ ing up to the post, was completely 

 ruined for a space of eighteen inches ex- 

 tending from within six inches of the 

 ground to two feet above. Beyond this 

 point the wood was in good condition. 

 The laying over of the "bundle" opened 



