IOO 



* * • GARDENING. 



Dec. /j 



of the wall, but the frost has heaved it 

 somewhat, opening a crack something 

 like an inch wide. I suppose I could use 

 Boston ivy in this opening if I could once 

 get it started. Do you suppose it could 

 be raised from seed in this condition? It 

 is a very warm place, and the walk and 

 wall will keep the ground from drying 

 out where the roots would reach, but I 

 fear that the snow plow in winter would 

 be continually cutting the plants off' at 

 their base. Are there not some vines 

 which I could plant at the edge of the 



berries hang on it all winter. Japan 

 honeysuckles might also be planted in 

 same row to hang over wall, but it would 

 always have a tendency to grow up into 

 the barberry bushes. Yes, you need some 

 planting about your place, especially 

 vines to cover your porch and give the 

 house a cosy home feeling. — Ed.] 



WEEPING NORWAY SPRUCE. 

 The typical Norway spruce is quite well 

 known, having been first described in 

 1548. It is indigenous to northern 



fl GARDEN HEDGE. 



A. J. C, Methuen, Mass , write: 

 "Please inform me what would make 

 good hedge on a lawn that is naturall 

 rather dry as it is made on topofsani 

 filling, but which I have never had an 

 trouble in keeping green, as I have servic 

 water which I used freely in dry weather 

 I have a few Norway spruces which hav 

 done very well. Would the fir balsan 

 answer the purpose? It would have t 

 be sent by freight a hundred miles. Wha 

 season of the year would be best to shi| 



WEEPING NORWAY SPRUCE 



lawn above that would grow down over 

 the wall and hide it, at the same time not 

 interfere with the mowing of the lawn? 



The place came into my hands about a 

 year ago, and there was then a driveway 

 between the large trees and the wall sur- 

 rounded by hedges some eight or nine feet 

 high. These I removed and graded the 

 bank as shown in photo. I intend to 

 work in appropriate shrubbery, etc., as I 

 get light on these subjects from your 

 paper. W. D. W. 



Springfield, Vermont. 



[The "Boston" ivy (Ampelopsis Veitchii 

 or as we believe we should now say A. 

 inconstans) is the best vine we know of 

 for the purpose, that is if it is hardy in 

 your town, and we believe it is. Yes, you 

 may try it from seed sown in the cracks 

 of the wall and at the base of the wall, 

 but the conditions are severe so don't 

 expect much. Can't you take out a 

 stone here and there near base and fill 

 up with good soil behind that part of 

 wall, and plant the vines in the apertures? 

 This is what we would do. More than 

 that we would plant a row of Berberis 

 Thumhergii on top along the edgeof wall 

 so that the branches would spread out 

 and cap the wall. 11 is neat and pretty 

 all the time, never grows high and the 

 leaves color beautifully in fall, and the 



Europe, especially Norway, whence it 

 receives its common name. Botanically 

 it is known as Picea excelsa, the specific 

 term signifying tall. Owingto some con- 

 fusion in the early botanical works, it is 

 often classed as Abies excelsa. The tend- 

 ency to sport is strongly inherent in this 

 species, and consequently we find many 

 varieties of it, sixteen being mentioned by 

 Nicholson. In the type, the branches 

 naturally stand out from the tree at an 

 acute angle, but droop slightly toward 

 the ends by weight of foliage, when some- 

 what advanced in age. 



We illustrate a variety known as Picea 

 excelsa inverta, from a photograph taken 

 on the grounds of the late A. S. Fuller at 

 Kidgewood, N. J., whose well remembered 

 form may be seen standing near it. As 

 the writer remembers it, the tree stands 

 about fifteen feet high, with a spread of 

 branches of over twelve feet, As a rule, 

 these inverted forms are not desirable for 

 general planting, beingmore curious than 

 dignified and effective, but once in a 

 while, some position offers itself where 

 one may be used. They are, when sub- 

 jected to training readily induced to 

 assume many odd forms, ormay be made 

 to take the shape of the one illustrated if 

 trained upright to a stake. If left alone 

 their outlines are weird and fantastic. 

 W. C. Egan. 



the plants? My intention is to keep the 

 hedge well pruned in order that it may 

 grow thick and not very tall. Would the 

 balsam fir stand such treatment?" 



[Don't plant balsam fir at any price J 

 The best thing to plant depends on what 

 thrives well in your neighborhood. The 

 hemlock spruce is the loveliest of all hedge 

 plants, if suitable for your locality use it,' 

 if it isn't, don't. TheNorway spruce will' 

 serve your purpose well enough, give it a 

 ditch of good soil to start in, and prune 

 it before it gets lanky. American arbor 

 vita? probably will answer better than 

 any thing, it is dense from the bottom 

 Give 't a good pit of soil and don't spare 

 water in summer. Plant in soring, and 

 after planting for a couple of weeks 

 sprinkle the plants overhead twice a dav. 

 -Ed.] 



THE HOLLY-LEAVED OLIVE. 

 I send by to-day's mail a specimen of a 

 shrub, of which I should be very glad to 

 have the name. It was sent by a friend 

 from the old St. Paul's church yard in 

 Norfolk, Yirginia. I held it were a speci- 

 men of the American, English or Irish 

 hollies, but my friend said the sexton told 

 her that this was not holly but an olive. 

 As you can see there are tiny white flow- 

 ers at the back, which when they came : 



