io4 



' • ' GARDENING. 



Dec. /s, 



POMPON AND SINGLE CHRYSANTHEMUMS, CHICAGO SHOW 1897. 



tects theif crowns that should the stems 

 get injured D3' frost the roses will prob- 

 ably start strongly from the ground line 

 again. This applies to Bourbon roses 

 especially. In fact, any plant regarded as 

 being a trifle tender should be mulched at 

 the root. 



ZEHNERIfl SUflVlS. 



The above is the name under which an 

 interesting member of the gourd family 

 is registered in Nicholson's Dictionary ot 

 Gardening, although it is stated that its 

 proper name is now Melothria punctata. 

 This vine also bears the name of Pilogyne 

 sua pis, under which it is probably best 

 known. It is a cucurbitaceous plant, 

 closely related to our wild cucumber vine, 

 sometimes called the balsam apple or 

 Canadian mock apple. It is used quite 

 extensively at Lincoln Park, Chicago, in 

 large vases with other material, for sum- 

 mer decoration. It is a free grower, 

 reaching a height often or more feet, pro- 

 ducing many small white star-shaped 

 flowers. It is a Sotth African plant, and 

 therefore not hardy. Cuttings root 

 readily and are easily kept over in the 

 greenhouse. What suggested this article 

 is the use I put the vine to one autumn. I 

 had planted several small vines at the 

 base of the end of a porch. The floor of 

 the porch came to within one foot of the 

 ground. The opening between the floor 

 and roof and the side of the house and 

 porch pillar was about 8x10 feet. I ran 

 strong twine across this opening, both 

 ways, forming a net with a mesh one 

 foot in width. The vine covered the whole 

 space, and was quite ornamental Late 

 in the season, we gave a dinner, and as 

 usual, did our own decorating. I had 

 made the net-work of strings quite strong 

 and so arranged, that by cutting the vine 

 at the bottom, the whole mass could be 

 taken down, as one would a blanket. 

 Securing its greater percentage of light 

 from one side, it had turned all of its 

 leaves and flowers in that direction. It 

 was taken into the dining room, and 

 hung as a canopy over the table. Four 

 young cinnamon vines were attached to 



the latter and carried out to the corners 

 of the room. These had been grown on 

 strings, after the manner of smilax, and 

 the strings retained, but hidden to give 

 strength to the stems. By disconnecting 

 the electric light globes at the ceiling, and 

 parting the vine a little in the middle. We 

 fastened the latter at the center, and let 

 it droop some to the corners. The elec- 

 tric light globes were replaced, thus 

 enabling us to have light underneath. 

 The mass of leaves was so dense, each leaf 

 being turned down towards the table, 

 that nothing could be seen but the pleas- 

 ing green of the foliage, dotted profusely 

 with sweet-scented, small white star- 

 shaped flowers. As the work was my 

 own, I shall not enlarge upon its attract- 

 iveness, leaving that to the imagination 

 of the reader. W. C. Egan. 



NOTES. 



Replying to the inquiry in the last issue 

 of Gardening as to the hardiness of Or- 

 nithogalun, umbellatum, the plant is wild 

 about Philadelphia, having been natur- 

 alized in the meadows for years. The 

 ground is often undoubtedly frozen below 

 where the bulbs are, so that it would 

 indicate favorable chances for its success 

 in Chicago. 



Vitis Coignetise needs moisture, Mr. 

 Beard says. "Yes, thatis what is wanted, 

 I believe, atmospheric moisture." The 

 vine is here, in Philadelphia, in several 

 places, and so far without showing any 

 color. Perhaps in some lavorable season 

 it will surprise us all and color as the 

 Atnpelopsis Veitchii does. The climate of 

 Japan is much moister than ours, and 

 this is why the lovely maples of the poly- 

 morphum type are more beautiful there 

 than they are here. The foliage "burns" 

 in our dry air. We have the heat but not 

 the moisture. » 



Mr. Egan refers to lantanas. In the 

 Philadelphia parks these plants are grown 

 as standards. They are grown to a 

 simple stem to a height of about four 

 teet, then allowed to form a head, in 

 which shape they are very pretty. 



I would add to the list ot satisfactory 

 indoor vines for outside planting in sum- 

 mer parlor ivy, Senecio scandens, and the 

 Maderia vine is useful. Perhaps the 

 moon vine was not mentioned because it 

 is looked on as an annual, but it is more 

 than an annual, as plants taken up in the 

 fall make big, vigorous ones for the next 

 year. This is a much better way to treat 

 this vine, as from the old plants cuttings 

 can be taken through the winter, and 

 these cuttings give stronger plants for 

 spring planting than seedlings do. 



Philadelphia. Joseph Meehan. 



Hardy Trees in Pots and Boxes — 

 A few months ago we went East looking 

 for some special stock of trees and shrubs, 

 and in a certain nursery we came upon a 

 lot of hardy magnolias, daphnes and 

 Japan maples grown in tub-like boxes 

 and pots plunged outside so that they 

 could be handled or planted at any time. 

 The planls were good, the idea excellent, 

 and on the spot we selected the best 

 plants he had and had them shipped to 

 us. Now plants transplanted from these 

 pots or boxes should never feel the change, 

 but go ahead growing as if nothing had 

 happened. In the case of the magnolias 

 and daphnes it was a particularly good 

 plan. Do more of it. We'll willingly pa v 

 more for such stock. 



Asparagus Sprengerii is one of the 

 recently new plants that has been a good 

 deal advertised and boosted especially as 

 a basket plant, and really it has a great 

 deal of merit. But the florists havefound 

 a new use for it. At Mr. C. H. Allen's at 

 Floral Park, N. Y., we saw a largegreen- 

 house filled with this asparagus planted 

 out in benches to give green sprays 

 for cutting. It does not form long 

 vines like plumosus but heavy open 

 leafy sprays 2 to 4 feet long. When cut 

 these sprays are elegant and long-lasting, 

 and "make up" beautifiully with cut 

 flowers. It makes a fine basket plant for 

 the window or veranda, and we find that 

 it flowers and berries very freely. 



