20 



GARDENING. 



Oct. /, 



favorable. Beginning to bloom in June, 

 it lasts until October generally, covering 

 the ground with a dense cushion-like 

 mass of foliage at all times. The flower 

 stems form a very loose panicle and sel- 

 dom grow taller than 10 inches. The 

 bells stand erect on thin win- peduncles; 

 various shades of blue and pure white are 

 represented among them. I know of no 

 other campanula which is so clean look- 

 ing throughout the season; but very little 

 attention is required, the old stems soon 

 dry up and falling over are hidden from 

 view among the many leaves. Good rich 

 garden soil will grow this plant to per- 

 fection. When very dry weather sets in, 

 an occasional watering should be applied, 

 else the plants might stop growing and 

 blooming. 



Dividing every second year is advisable 

 unless the plants have been allowed plenty 

 of room when first set out and are not 

 crowding each other. Either fall or 

 spring will do for this operation, no diffi- 

 culty being experienced in keeping the 

 young plants alive if we only treat them 

 half way decent. Fully exposed to the 

 sun their growth is usually more dwarf 

 and compact, while a little shade part of 

 the day will tend to elongate the flower 

 stems, but otherwise does not hurt their 

 blooming qualities, providing, however, 

 that the soil is not too poor and dry. 

 We ma}' plantthesecampanulaswherever 

 we like, in the border or in a bed by them- 

 selves; they are highly satisfactory in any 

 position and look well throughout the 

 season. 



The deep purplish blue Astea Mme. 

 Soymier and the white A. ptarmicoides 

 grow to about the same height (18 

 inches) and will produce a good effect 

 from the latter part of August until Octo- 

 ber; or the lighter colored A. amellus bes- 

 sarabicus may be substituted for Mme. 

 Soymier. A. ptarmicoides is a very pro- 

 fuse bloomer and lasts exceedingly well; 

 the flowers are pure white and small but 

 there are hundreds of them on the stems. 

 Mme. Soymier is one of the best dwarf 

 sorts, of good color and very floriferous, 

 grows very compact and continues in 

 good shape until severe frost. It is not 

 very often found in collections, but will 

 surely come to the front when its many- 

 good qualities are better known. A. 

 amellus bessarabicus is everywhere con- 

 sidered one of the best in the family. The 

 flowers are large and well shaped, of a 

 pleasing shade of purple and the habit of 

 the whole plant is neat and erect. It 

 blooms abundantlj' and lasts as long as 

 the others. None of these asters show 

 any bareness of stem near the ground as 

 many of our native asters do; they are 

 branchy and fully furnished right from 

 the base up, neither have they a loose or 

 straggling appearance in any stage of 

 their growth. 



The ever blooming double white Lychnis 

 vespertina Q. pi. has been mentioned in 

 these columns some time ago. Its flow- 

 ers are large and as full as carnations, 

 but are of no value for cutting because 

 they drop too easy. It is irregular and 

 loose in grow th and habit, but neverthe- 

 less a first-class plant for a bed or border. 

 Combined with the light blue Salvia far- 

 inacea a fine show can be maintained 

 throughout the summer and fall months. 

 Where S. farinacea is not quite hardy the 

 darker colored Salvia pratensis might be 

 used instead, but the latter does not 

 flower so profusely and continuously as 

 the first, though there is always some 

 bloom up to the end of September at 

 least. 



None of the above plants are fastidious 

 about soil and do well in open sun or in 



slightly shaded places; all are increased 

 readily by division in fall or spring. 

 They only require watering when the 

 ground is very dry and anybody can 

 manage them without any difficulty. 



[. B. Keller. 



OUR GARDEN TODAY. 



Our garden today, the 15th of Septem- 

 ber, still has a fine floral display, and the 

 June sown annuals will keep the garden 

 gay till frost pays us a visit. The garden 

 never looked better at this season than it 

 does this year. Our sandy soil needs 

 abundance of rain and this summer we 

 have had plenty of it. 



Among the most conspicuous plants in 

 bloom Clematis paniculata takes the 

 lead. Too much praise cannot be given 

 this vine. We have it growing over the 

 roof of the thatched cottage in the garden 

 and a beautiful sight it is. Again we 

 have it covering old walls and dead trees, 

 over arbors, and planted along the 

 picket fence which encloses the cottage 

 garden, and we think no vine could be 

 used with better effect than this rapid 

 growing, free flowering clematis. It is 

 easy to grow, in fact we give it no atten- 

 tion. It is quite hardy although it some- 

 times gets killed back a little on the roof 

 of the thatched cottage, where it is ex- 

 posed to the full sweep of the cold west 

 winds. It is an excellent vine for ama- 

 teurs as it needs so little attention. 



The dahlias are now a mass of flowers 

 and are the best we have ever seen, no 

 doubt due to the wet cool season we have 

 had. 



The new branching asters are a valua- 

 ble addition to this late blooming class 

 of plants and are the best asters we have. 

 They grow two to three feet high and are 

 extremely free flowering, and every bloom 

 is perfect. The stems are long and for 

 cutting purposes nothing could be better. 

 This is the only kind of aster we will grow 

 in the future, as with us they are far 

 superior to the other strains of asters we 

 have, and we have many. 



The miniature sunflower (Helianthas 

 cucumerifoliiis) is the showiest yellow 

 flower we have for fall decoration. 

 Masses of this sunflower are very effective. 

 It forms a tree like bush and from July 

 till frost it is always laden with a wealth 

 of flowers. It is easily raised from seed 

 and no garden however small should be 

 without it. 



The dwarf and tall French marigolds 

 did not flower much through August, the 

 wet weather causing them to go all to 

 growth, but now they are making up for 

 it, as one could not wish them to flower 

 better than they are doing now. The 

 African sorts, like the French, are flower- 

 ing splendidly, and showy plants they are 

 when a good strain of them is had. 



The zinnias have been in flower since 

 June and today appear just as good as 

 they ever were. For massing they are 

 very useful as we do not have many 

 annuals that last the whole season as the 

 zinnias do. Ageratums, blue and white, 

 have flowered all summer long. For an 

 edging plant that will last the season out 

 it would be hard to find a more suitable 

 plant as they are always a mass of 

 flowers. 



The California mimulus (Af. cardinalis) 

 has done extremely well this season and 

 its pretty scarlet flowers are still plentiful. 

 It is easily raised from seed, whichshould 

 be sown early, say in February, to have 

 it do its best. It can also be raised from 

 cuttings, and we have a lot propagated 

 in this way. These we will winter over 



in a frost proof frame, as they are not 

 hardy. Torenia Fournieri, T. Bailloni 

 and T. White Wings are elegant free flow- 

 ering plants and last the most of the sea- 

 son. They like a partly shady place to 

 grow in and make a nice edging plant if 

 planted thickly. They also make nice pot 

 plants for the decoration of the green- 

 house in summer. 



In the bulb beds dwarf nasturtiums are 

 giving us plenty of their dainty flowers. 

 We cannot grow a great variety of plants 

 in such a place it is so dry, but these nas- 

 turtiums seem to flower better here than 

 in any place in the garden. The same can 

 be said of the portulacca, both plants do- 

 ing better in beds that are raised a few 

 inches above the level. The annual 

 lupinus makes a nice plant for the mixed 

 border. They flower freely and their long 

 spikes of pea-shaped flowers are very 

 pretty; they last a long time in flower. 

 The Marguerite carnations are now past 

 their best, although they are quite good 

 yet and give us some verv good flowers 

 for cutting. 



The hardy asters in great variety are 

 now in fine shape. Too much cannot be 

 said of these simple and easily grown 

 plants. For naturalizing purposes in 

 shady parts of the garden nothing could 

 be better. They will grow most anywhere, 

 in shade or open, or under trees where 

 scarcely anything else will grow, but the 

 choicer varieties should find a place in the 

 perennial border, as they are well worthy 

 of it. They are all easily raised from 

 seed. At this season, when they are in 

 flower, if a day is taken among them in 

 their native wilds it will astonish you to 

 see how many different varieties you can 

 get together in a short time. They make 

 fine cut flowers for large vases and are 

 the last of the flowers to leave the garden 

 as a light frost won't hurt them. 



Another showy plant, and one wegrow 

 a great many of, is the goldenrod 

 (solidago). This, like the asters, can be 

 naturalized in shady parts, and if a few 

 varieties are grown they are very showy 

 indeed. To associate with the asters, 

 either as plants or in cut flower work, 

 nothing could be better. 



The Japanese anemones are now at 

 their best and will last till frost. They 

 are beautiful flowers, especially the white 

 one. They seem to do best in partial 

 shade in well drained soil. They increase 

 very fast and are easily raised from seed. 



Rudbeckia speciosa has been in flower 

 nearly all summer and a pretty flower it 

 is. It is as hardy as a rock. We use it 

 largely in the borders as its free-flowering 

 nature and showy appearance makes it 

 indispensable as a border plant. It should 

 find a place in all perennial borders. 



The tall blue and white spikes of the 

 chimney bell flower (Campanula pyra- 

 midalis) are quite conspicuous in the gar- 

 den. This is the tallest of all the bell 

 flowers and a noble plant it is. It lasts 

 in perfection a long time. We have some 

 of the spikes over six feet high. It is 

 easily raised from seed and proves quite 

 hardy, but I like to winter the young 

 plants in a cold-frame as sometimes they 

 will not otherwise flower the second year, 

 unless the seeds are sown early in spring. 



The second crop of flowers from the 

 delphiniums are now making quite a 

 show. Although the spikes are not so 

 large as the first ones were they come in 

 quite handy for cutting as there is always 

 a scarcity of blue flowers at this season 

 of the year. Sedum spectabile from seed 

 last year is now in good flower. It is 

 only about ten inches high and is very 

 nice. The old plants are just passing out 

 of bloom. This plant is easily,|raised 



