338 



GARDENING. 



Aug. i, 



about the only way to get up a stock ot 

 it; as it makes sucb long roots it is hard 

 to divide. 



Hypericum aureum is a small growing 

 shrub generally used in the herbaceous 

 border. It grows about three feet high, 

 forms a dense globular head and gives a 

 succession of bright yellow flowers in the 

 greatest abundance. A choice and good 

 plant. 



Echinops sphxrocephalus is a stately 

 growing plant attaining a height of seven 

 feet. The flowers are blue, in globular 

 heads, more odd than beautiful. E. Ritro 

 grows about three feet high, the foliage 

 handsome, the flowers blue, in globular 

 heads; an odd and beautiful border plant. 



Bocconia cordata is an attractive plant 

 growing six to eight feet high, with large 

 deeply cut handsome foliage and long 

 spikes of small creamy white flowers. A 

 fine plant for the sub-tropical garden, or 

 well adapted for single lawn specimens. 

 In the herbaceous border the plant is a 

 little too large unless the border be very 

 wide. Campanula lactiflora makes a 

 compact plant about a foot high, the flow- 

 ers white and bell-shaped, but it does not 

 seem to be very hardy as we lost the 

 most of ours last winter. 



The dahlias are now flowering freely 

 and will last all summer. The large 

 double show ones are giving some very 

 large flowers, but for cut flower purposes 

 the cactus varietiesare farabead of them. 

 These are not so stiff, the flowers being 

 more open. The singles are also flowering 

 freely and if good colors arc got they are 

 fine. Seedlings are mostly poor and the 

 best way is to get a few good sorts and 

 propagate from them. Hemerocallis 

 Thunbergii is one of the last day lilies to 

 flower. It is a handsome plant when in 

 flower and lasts for some time. The 

 color is yellow and the flowers are very 

 sweet scented. Funkia lancifolia has long 

 spikes of bell-shaped lavender flowers. 

 F. orata has dense spikes of lilac flowers. 

 F. Fortuneii has oval foliage and long 

 spikes of mauve flowers. All the funkias 

 are good and will grow most anywhere. 



F. grandiflora is one of the best but it is 

 not yet in flower. Malra moschata alba 

 makes a low branched bush with a 

 wealth of beautiful pure white bell-shaped 

 flowers and is very choice for cutting 

 purposes. Although only a mallow it is 

 one of the showiest white flowering plants 

 we have in the garden. 



Among bulbous plants Hyacinthus can- 

 dicans is now in fine shape. Big clumps 

 of them planted here and there in the gar- 

 den have a telling effect. The}' prove 

 perfectly hardy here and should be grown 

 largely in every garden. Tbe tall spikes 

 of pure white bell-shaped flowers last for 

 some time in perfection and are all that 

 could be desired. Gladiolus Childsii in 

 many choice varieties helps to keep the 

 garden gay. Too many of these cannot 

 be grown, as for massing nothing could 

 be better. If some are planted very early 

 in spring far enough apart so another 

 planting can be made between them the 

 show will last the most of the summer. 



G. brenchleyensis, the old scarlet, we use 

 in large numbers for massing around in 

 the borders, and how rich it makes the 

 garden look! Nothing could be better 

 and nothing showier than these cheap 

 gladioluses. 



Early started tuberoses have been in 

 flower for some time. We grow them 

 largely as they are one of our pet plants. 

 The dwarf Pearl is the best one; the spike 

 is compact and stands up better than 

 that of the tall one. T. albino is the 

 single form; the spike is well filled, but to 

 our taste it is not so good as the Pearl, 



though some might like the single one. 

 It is all a matter of taste. Zephyranthes 

 rosea is a pretty bulbous plant that 

 grows only a few inches high. The flow- 

 ers are large, three to four inches across, 

 color pink. Cooperia Drummondii is an- 

 other pretty bulbous plant. The flowers 

 are star-shaped with long tubes, pure 

 white and very fragrant. These two 

 bulbous plants are not hardy and have 

 to be taken up after they ripen in the fall. 



Lilium auratum and some of its choice 

 varieties are now quite conspicuous in 

 and around the garden. There are many 

 varieties of this lily and all are good. Of 

 the choice ones in flower L. a. Wittei has 

 very short petals and is not so large as 

 auratum usually is; it is a rather scarce 

 variety; the flowers white with a central 

 band of yellow. L. a. rubro-pictum is a 

 fine large flower beautifully spotted, with 

 crimson tipped petals. L. a. rubro-vitta- 

 tum, the red banded variety, is strong 

 growing and seems to grow better than 

 the type, a lovely flower and very large. 

 L. cbalcedonicum grows about three feet 

 high and has bright coral red flowers. 

 L. Krameri is two to four feet high, flow- 

 ers varying in color from pink to blush, 

 of good size, in every way a good lily. 



Mahwah, N.J. David Fraser, 



DWARF PERENNIALS FOR EDGING. 



Mrs. L. S. R. would like us to recom- 

 mend some dwarf perennials suitable for 

 edging the beds in a geometrically planned 

 flower garden with gravel walks. We 

 would advise to edge each bed with a dif- 

 ferent plant, to bloom at various seasons, 

 the smaller beds with the very dwarfest, 

 and the larger ones with some more 

 robust growing plant. 



There is a great variety of material to 

 select from, but we should first of all con- 

 sider the height and character of the 

 plants in the body of the bed and let the 

 bordering be in perfect harmony with 

 them. In large beds, where taller plants, 

 thrust their flower spikes out near the 

 front, a very narrow and low edging 

 would be out of place; in those of smaller 

 dimensions, planted with dwarfer plants 

 a clean sharply defined edge in more suit- 

 able. We also should use mainly such 

 things as can remain undisturbed for 

 several successive years without replant- 

 ing and can stand an occasional trimming 

 with knife or spade, whenever they grow 

 beyond their limits into the walk or too 

 far into the beds. 



For a bordering of only about three 

 inches high or less we can use the yellow 

 spring flowering Erysimum pulchellum, 

 the white arenarias in several sorts, the 

 blue flowering Ajuga reptans var., the 

 yellow and red Lotus corniculatus, orthe 

 charming Silenc aeaulis with pink flowers, 

 and the free blooming aubrietias are most 

 beautiful in this position, also the little 

 Astragalus hypoglottis with its pea- 

 shaped flowers. 



A little taller, up to six inches or a little 

 more, are Arabis albida, which during the 

 spring months is literally covered with 

 its white flowers; the pink armerias in 

 several kinds; Erinus alpinus, with purple 

 flowers; several of the variegated funkias; 

 Iris pumila; Linaria alpina, with its 

 pretty blue or violet flowers; the subulata 

 section of rhloxes in various shades, the 

 lovely blue Polemonium reptans; Sapo- 

 naria ocymoides; which in its time is 

 covered with a mass of rosy pink flowers; 

 Silene alpestris, white; the late blooming 

 S. Schafta, with purplish pink flowers, 

 and the beautilul everblooming Viola 

 cornuta in various shades of blue or pure 

 white; Iberis sempervirens and /. correw- 



folia are both good plants for the purpose 

 and when trimmed in annually after 

 flowering time is over may remain undis- 

 turbed for many years. Tunica saxitraga 

 is also a first-class edging plant but should 

 only be used where a wide bordering is 

 required. Aster alpinus is covered with 

 large blue star-like flower heads in the 

 earlier part of the summer. The blue 

 Plumbago Larpentxis one o( the best late 

 blooming plants and the variously 

 colored Campanula carpathica flowers 

 nearly all summer. 



With very little care any of the above 

 plants may be kept in bounds, an occa- 

 sional trimming being required by some, 

 but most of them will naturally form a 

 well defined sharp edging without the 

 repeated use of shears or spade. 



The best time to transplant ordinary 

 perennials is early in the fall, early enough 

 to allow the formation of young rootsbe- 

 fore cold weather sets in; fall plantings 

 start more vigorously the following 

 spring and give generally better satisfac- 

 tion; especially is this noticeable in early 

 flowering species, while the difference is 

 not so marked in the later blooming 

 plants, because these have a longer sea- 

 son to gain strength and perfect their 

 growth on which they are to flower. 



As to the next question: When to plant 

 magnolias, we usually have the best suc- 

 cess with late spring plantiug. Wait 

 until the buds are well out, even when 

 some of the flowers have opened out it is 

 not too late. They should be planted 

 firmly and a good liberal watering, 

 administered when the tree is planted but 

 the excavation not yet filled in to the 

 proper level, will settle the soil in a solid 

 mass around the roots and then there is 

 but little danger of losing such a tree, 

 even if it be above the ordinary size. Late 

 transplanting is advised for magnolias 

 because root action is necessaiy to keep 

 the top from drying out too much and 

 we usually can count on quick formation 

 of new roots when the tree is in a some- 

 what advanced state, ready to make its 

 summer growth. K. 



HEDGE OF ROSA RUGOSA. 



This rose, as a shrub, has been men- 

 tioned quite often in Gardening, but not 

 oftener than its merits warrant. I intend 

 now to speak of it as a hedge plant. The 

 illustration here given does not do it 

 justice for two reasons. The white and 

 deep pink forms are used, and the latter 

 color is one that seldom "takes" in a 

 photograph, consequently only about 

 one-half of the blooms are seen; again, 

 two years ago the shape of the roadway 

 was changed, and the hedge replanted in 

 a slip-shod manner during my absense, 

 causing an unevenness of form that will 

 take this season's growth to overcome. 



To appreciate this rose as a hedge 

 plant one must have a sentimental long- 

 ing for a hedge of roses, must have seen 

 or heard of those unrivaledlong stretches 

 of glowing beauties that the climate of 

 southern California produces, and must 

 then remember our cold and bleak winter 

 winds, our scorching summer suns, and 

 worse almost than either, our rapidly 

 changing climate, producing mildew, 

 black-spot, rust and numerous other ills 

 that our roses are heir to. Having all 

 these in mind, and discarding such minor 

 eccentricities as are executed in such a 

 thorough manner by the rose chafer, the 

 rose slug "and sich," one certainly cannot 

 help appreciating a rose that laughs at 

 all these enemies of their weaker sisters 

 and seem to say to you, give me root and 

 head room, food and drink, and you 



