GARDENING. 



Sept. 15, 



SOIL FOR PALMS. 

 What mixture of soil is best for repot- 

 ting palms. Mrs. H. G. 



The best soil for repotting palms is 

 chiefly composed of rotted sods from a 

 good pasture, this being prepared for use 

 bv cutting the sods some months before 

 they are needed for the purpose, and 

 stacking them up in a compact pile with 

 an admixture of about one-sixth of thor- 

 oughly decayed barnyard manure, thus 

 making an ordinary compost heap. 



When needed for use this soil is chopped 

 up and thoroughly mixed with a spade, 

 and a little more fertilizer added in the 

 form of bone flour, using about one quart 

 of the bone to one bushel of the soil and it 

 the soil is of a clayey character it is well to 

 add a sprinkling of coarse sand. If such a 

 compost cannot conveniently be procured, 

 the next best substitute is some good 

 garden soil enriched with the same pro- 

 portion of fertilizers. 



Such a soil will answer very well for 

 arecas, latanias, kentias, phoenix and 

 various other palms in common cultiva- 

 tion, providing they are potted firmly 

 and watered carefully afterward, for suc- 

 cess with these plants depends much more 

 on proper care in watering, syringing 

 and \entilation than on elaborate mixt- 

 ures of soil. 



In repotting do not disturb the roots 

 any more than is absolutely necessary 

 and make the soil firm in the bottom of 

 the new pot before placing the plant 

 therein, then ram the soil around the 

 plant, and after the operation is com- 

 pleted give a good watering. A'hen 

 potted too loosely the soil will hold water 

 like a sponge, and is likely to become sod- 

 den before the roots get a start. 



W. H. Taplin. 



THE GflLIFORNIfl VIOLET. 



In spring of 1895 I purchased one plant 

 of violet "California." Without perfect- 

 ing blooms it produced seeds all summer. 

 These seedlings I carried over and they 

 are large and fine plants, but they are 

 going through the same process of seed 

 production. Is this natural, and will 

 they produce satistactory flowers next 

 spring if wintered in a cold frame? Have 

 kept runners cut off all summer. 



C. F. Davis, Jr. 



The California violet has the habit of 

 producing imperfect flowers or undevtl- 

 oped petals but I wasn*t aware that per- 

 fect seed would be formed from the imper- 

 fect flowers. It is certainly not a natural 

 process, but abnormal. I would advise 

 C. F. D. to divide the plants and place 

 them at least 12 inches apart each way 

 in the cold frame or house. And do not 

 cut off the runners. It is from the run- 

 ners that the flowers are produced. When 

 the runners are kept pinched off during 

 the winter the crop of flowers is a failure 

 and that is why many commercial men 

 are so dissatisfied with this beautiful 

 violet. In a temperature of 4-0° to 45° at 

 night I have found it very satisfactory. 

 Wm. Scott. 



The Flower Garden. 



DETAILED PLAN FOR FLOWER GARDEN. 



The accompanying plau is a section of 

 the planting plan made for the grounds 

 (five acres in extent) of C.L. Magee, Esq., 

 of this city. The scheme of this garden is 

 sufficiently explained by the specifications. 



The variety of plants and shrubs used 

 insures a succession of bloom from early 

 spring until November. All the walks in 

 this garden are of green sward which 

 makes it far more attractive than if they 

 had been made of gravel, cement or of 

 any of the materials usually employed. 



There are a few old trees in the garden 

 and the planting near them is suitable for 

 a shady location and vines have been 

 planted to climb over some of them (old 

 cherry trees). 



The beds used for spring flowering 

 bulbs are also used for annuals such as 

 petunias, poppies. Phlox Drumwondi, 

 pinks, nasturtiums, and mignonette in 

 the summer. 



A portion of the planting of tall shrubs 

 and small trees is designed to shut out of 

 view out-buildings on the adjoining 

 property. 



PLANTING SPECIFICATIONS. 



1 . Magnolia soula ngea na . 



2. Spiraea ariaelolia. 



3. Clethra alnifolia. 



4. Rhododendrons and auratum lilies 

 planted among them. 



5. Deutzia gracilis. 



6. Snowberries. 



7. Rhododendrons and auratum lilies 

 planted among them. 



8. Ligustruw ibota. 



9. Cornus rubra. 



10. Hydrangea paniculata grandiBora. 



11. Colotea arborescens. 



12. Spiraea Van Houttei. 



13. Cercis occidentalis. 



14. Viburnum plicatum. 



15. Rhodotypus kerrioides. 



16. Magnolia Soutangeana. 



17. Itea virginica. 



18. Rosa moschata nivea. 



19. Aralia japonica. 



20. Viburnum lantana. 



21. White birch. 



22. Single white althaeas. 



23. Penzance sweet briars. 

 24-. Philadelphus cordifolia. 



25. Euialia gracilhma. 



26. Cydonia japonica. 



27. Rhus glabra laciniata. 



28. Magnolia purpurea. 



29. tl eigclia fJoribunda. 



30. Hydraugeapamculata grandiBora. 



31. ForsythiaFortunei. 



32. Polygonum cuspidatum. 



33. Vitex agnus vastus. 



34. Cornus Borida. 



35. Crataegus oxycantha. 



36. Hydrangea quercifolia. 



37. Weigelia Candida. 



38. Clethra alnifolia. 



39 Corchorus japonica B. pi. 



40. Azalea calendulacea and Lilium 

 superbum plained among them. 



41. Lonicera tragrantissima. 

 42 Spiraea Anthony H'attrer. 



43. Viburnum acenfolium. 



44. ' ' oxycoccus, 



45. " dentatum. 



46. " dilutatum. 



47. " oxycoccus. 



48. " Nepalense. 



49. " nanum. 

 50 Spiraea Lindleyana. 



51. Euonymus radicans variegata. 



52. Cephalanthus occidentalis. 



53. Hydrangea radiata. 

 54 Rubus odorata. 



55. Foxgloves. 



56. Snowberries, red and white. 



57. Euonymus atropurpureus. 



58. Itea virginica. 



59. Corchorus japonica variegata. 



60. Aster novx angliae. 



61. Weigelia rosea . 



62. Berberis Thunbergi. 



63. Clematis paniculata. 



64 Spiraea tomentosa. 



65 Erianthus ravennae. 



66. Azalea mollis and lancilolium lilies 

 planted among them. 



67. Sambucus pubehs. 



68. Hypericum Moserianum. 



69. Ghent azaleas, Canadense, Turk's 

 Cap, Supeibum, Browni and longiBorum 

 lilies. 



70. Mahonia aquifolium. 



71. Spiraea Thunbergi. 



72. Rosa rugosa alba. 



73. Rosa pomilera. 



74. Euonymus atropurpureus. 



75. Ceanothus americanus. 



76. Rosa ruhrifolia. 



77. Spiraea salicifolia. 



78. Berberis Thunbergi. 



79. Assorted flowering almonds. 



80. Rosa rugosa rubra. 



81. H. P. roses. 



82 Aquilegias, single long-spurred. 



83. Hardy pinks. 



84. Japanese iris. 



85. Single early tulips and annual 

 pinks. 



86. Narcissus Sir Watkin. 



87. Orange Phcenix. 



88. ■ Ard Righ. 



89. " bicolor Horsfieldi. 



90. " odorata B. pi. 



91. Sweet peas. 



92. Lobelia cardinalis. 

 93 Campanula Mariesi. 



94. Tiger lilies. 



95. Dictamnus fraxinella. 



96. Tall phlox. 



97. Myosotis semperBorens. 



98. Spiraea palmata. 



99. Japanese iris. 



100. German ii is. 



101. Tall phlox. 



102. Spiraea tilipendula. 



103. Sedum spectabile. 



104. Tritoma grandiBora. 



105 Funkia alba and Clematis panicu- 

 lata to climb tree. 



106. Tall English delphiniums. 



107. Narcissus, single jonquils. 



108. " bicolor HorsBeldi. 



109. " Campernelles. 



110. Emperor. 



111. " Golden Spur. 



112. Single early tulips and Phlox Drum- 

 mondi. 



113. Florists' pinks assorted. 



114. Boltonia latisquama. 

 115 CEnothera biennis. 



116. Iberis sempervirens. 



117. Single hollyhocks. 



118. Single hollyhocks. 



119. Pentstemon Torreyi. 



120. Anemone japonica alba 



121. Phlox subulata. 



122. Anemone japonica rosea. 



123. Desmodium penduliflorum. 

 124 Rudbeckia Golden Glow. 



125. Rudbeckia speciosa. 



126. Cypripedium spectabile. 



127. Viola cornuta 



128. Lily of the valley. 



129. Campanula carpathica. 

 130 Montbretia crocosmaeBora. 



131. Chrysanthemum latifolia. 



132. Liatris pucnostachya. 



133. Viola pedata. 



134. Delphinium formosum. 



135. Gesneriana tulips and gladioli. 



136. Parrot tulips and calliopsis. 



137. Sweet peas. 



138. Late tulips and Shirley poppies. 



139. Narcissus biBorus. 



140. " Silver Phcenix. 



141. "' Von Sion. 



142. " Campernelles. 



143. Single jonquils. 



144. Gaillardia grandiBora. 



145. Tall phlox. 



