86 



' ' * GARDENING. 



Dec. i, 



with white flowers, washed or blotched 

 irregularly with reddish pink, is a month 

 later' with its bloom and as robust a 

 a grower as the others. This last one 

 and the two following species seldom 

 retain perfect foliage in winter with us 

 but may be all right farther south; other- 

 wise they are hardy enough, for they 

 flower as freely as the others every year 

 and we never lost a single plant from the 

 effects of the cold. S. ligulata has light 

 rose colored flowers and more oblong 

 foliage, and S. ciliata bears the same 

 flowers, but the plant is more compact 

 and the foliage rather smaller than in the 

 other. 



All these saxifragas have the thick 

 leathery leaves with that peculiar bril- 

 liant lustre at all times. Even at their 

 first appearance in early spring when new 

 growth commences, they shine as if var- 

 nished over and they retain this glossy 

 appearance throughout the year. They 

 may be used to advantage as isolated 

 single specimen plants in the lawn or for 

 the center of small beds planted with low 

 plants, or for edging around taller grow- 

 ing hardy plants and grasses. They are 

 in place along the trout part of shrubber- 

 ies, anywhere in the rock garden or in 

 half hardy situations under high, lofty 

 and spreading trees and are also surely 

 among the best subjects for the spring 

 garden. No skill is required to grow 

 them successfully and ordinary good gar- 

 den soil, light or heavy will suit them 

 equally well and they have a clean and 

 cheerful appearance at all times. An old 

 clump may be divided into single eyes and 

 in a year or two we could then enjoy the 

 beauty of a good sized patch planted in a 

 prominent place of the border where a 

 single specimen would probably escape 

 notice entirely. J.B.Keller. 



Rochester, X. Y. 



CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS FOR THE HOME. 



Quite a charmingeffect can be produced 

 by arranging a good-sized cluster of mis- 

 tletoe in the fashion indicated by the 

 accompanying sketch. 



A DECORATIVE EFFECT IN MISTLETOE. 



The sketch herewith represents mistle- 

 toe hung with a number of tiny tin lan- 

 terns, better known as "Fairy Lamps," 

 which I had obtained in Boston, with a 

 vague Idea that they would produce a 

 pleasing effect among some Christmas 

 greens which I was about to arrange. 

 They did so with excellent results. The 

 lantern, about three inches tall, holds a 

 tiny metal lamp about the size of a thim- 

 ble, in which is packed a bit of sponge; 



this is saturated with illuminating oil, 

 and the lantern burns with an even tiny 

 flame for about two hours. I suppose 

 they were intended for a Christmas tree 

 but their pretty effect hanging amongst 

 the holly and mistletoe I am constrained 

 to recommend. These lanterns cost only 

 nine cents each; they can be painted with 

 gold bronze to improve their appearance, 

 and if they are imbedded in holly and mis- 

 tletoe the pretty effect produced upon the 

 pearly berries of the latter and scarlet 

 ones of the former, it would be difficult to 

 describe. 



AN ARRANGEMENT OF HOLLY AND MISTLETOE. 



Among carnations these little lights are 

 even more pleasing; in fact, in a not too 

 brilliantly lighted room they produce on 

 pink and white flowers a daintv glow 

 which attracts immediate attention. I 

 support the lamps either without twigs 

 or with strong wire inserted carefully 

 among the foliage. F. S. M. 



NOTES FROM EOflNDflLE. 



One of the most imposing and at the 

 same time graceful plants in bloom this 

 past summer among the perennials was 

 the Diplostephium salicifolium. I am 

 unable to give the habitat of this plant, 

 but as most of the species heretofore de- 

 scribed are from the Andes, South 

 America, I fear its abilities to withstand 

 our winters 



The plant strongly resembles tall 

 growing asters, or perhaps, resembles 

 Boltonia latisquama, the false-chamomile 

 but is more graceful in outline, and carries 

 its white aster-like flowers in a still more 

 pleasing manner. This species, like that 

 of the boltonias, is very closely related to 

 the asters. Should it prove hardy it is a 

 charming addition to that useful group. 



Mr. E. L. Beard, President of the 

 Shady Hill Nursery Co., writes me as 

 follows: "I note you refer to Vitis coig- 

 netiw not showing color, (referring to the 

 beautiful coloring of its leaves in the fall, 

 in England). With us under glass at 

 least it is most brilliant and the finest 

 color we have ever seen. How it will do 

 out of doors I cannot say, Under glass, 

 however, it is as good as it can be. Possi- 

 bly moisture has something to do with 

 the coloring in the fall." 



The last sentence undoubtedly tells the 



story. Judging from the articles on this 

 subject in the English horticultural 

 papers, this vine colors best in the damper 

 districts of England and Ireland. Its 

 habitat is one where moisture is predomi- 

 nant. Evidence seems to point to the fact 

 that we, in a comparatively drj' climate, 

 must discard this vine. I did so this fall. 

 Euonvmus awericanus is a rare native of 

 our woods, and when transplanted to the 

 shrubbery makes a dense growing, light 

 green foliaged shrub, extremely orna- 

 mental with its brilliant crimson fruits 

 that gave it the name of "strawberry 

 bush." It seems to drop its leaves much 

 earlier than its European cousin, E. 

 atropurpureus, nick-named the Burning 

 Bush or Wahoo thus showing its beauties 

 in advance. As usual E. elatus outshone 

 all other shrubs thus fall in the vivid 

 coloring of its foliage 



It is well known that narcissus, peren- 

 nial poppies and some other plants lose 

 their foliage some time during the sum- 

 mer, thus leaving a bare spot of ground 

 around them. A group of a hundred of 

 the Poet's narcissus in my shrubbery 

 caused me to look around for some 

 remedy, not requiring annual sowing. I 

 found it by planting near the group a 

 couple of plants of the European Malva 

 Alcea, the hollyhock malva. "The books" 

 quote this plant as being four feet high. 

 They should say four feet long, as it may 

 be described as a bushy sprawler. While 

 the narcissus were blooming, the malva 

 was gaining strength and as soon as the 

 blooms were overitcommenced its march 

 towards the occupancy of the land, and 

 by the time the leaves of the narcissus 

 were faded they were covered by the 

 malva, which freely produced its showy 

 pink flowers all summer. 



I have tried at various times quite a 

 number of tender vines as summer climb- 

 ers, not annual vines, but those of a 

 shrubby character and perennial nature 

 but without much success. Undoubtedly 

 there are many that might do well here 

 out of doors, if grown under gla^s on the 

 place and carefully transplanted at the 

 proper time, but my experiance has so far 

 been confined to plants bought yearly and 

 shipped to me. 



There are, however two exceptions 

 worthy of note, viz., Stigmaphyllon cilia- 

 turn (golden vine) a handsome vine from 

 Brazil, producing very freely, on rather 

 short stems, a tringed orchid-like yellow 

 flowers. 



Theotherexceptionis Passiflora Pfordii 

 which blooms quite freely from small 

 plants readily obtained from the nursery- 

 men. Of course all such plants require a 

 warm, sheltered situation such as a wall 

 facing south affords. W. C. Egan. 



AUTUMN FOLIAGE OF OAKS. 



In the November 15th issue of Garden- 

 ing Mr. Egan refers to the lack of color 

 in the pin oak as it behaves with him. 

 He also speaks of the white oak as pos- 

 sessing much merit on account of its 

 color, especially in the case of young 

 trees. Perhaps it was to let me see this 

 for myself that I received some leaves of 

 both these oaks from him, by mail, some 

 time ago, but as no letter came with 

 them, I was not sureof the object insend- 

 ing them. But [ have classed the white 

 oak among beautiful ones for many. vears. 

 Our trees of it color a purplish red, not a 

 striking color, but I value it among the 

 colors of other kinds. 



But I took up my pen chiefly because of 

 Mr. Egan's remark "especially some of 

 the young trees," speaking of the white 

 oaks coloring. All small oaks turn to a 

 much brightercolor than large ones. Just 



