t8g8. 



GARDENING. 



119 



long enough in the market, to be sold at 

 a reasonable figure, and should be in 

 every garden. 



You may trim out branches of decidu- 

 ous trees any time now, choosing mild 

 days. Cut closely to trunk or large 

 limbs, as then the growing bark or wood 

 will cover the wounds. If the wounds are 

 of any size, an inch or more, it is well to 

 paint or wax them in order to prevent 

 decay until covered. In painting them 

 use brown or gray colors. White is too 

 pronounced, and green, sometimes used, 

 presents a miserable contrast to the nat- 

 ural color of the bark. 



Some may have planted trees or shrubs 

 in too small a hole, and they are evi- 

 dently not doing well. This is often the 

 case with amateurs, and if the natural 

 conditions of the soil are not conducive 

 to thrifty growth, poor specimens are the 

 result. While it would have been much 

 better to have made the holes deep and 

 wide at the time of planting, the defect 

 may be overcome to a certain extent by 

 digging a trench two or more feet wide 

 and about as deep, around the outer edge 

 of the old hole, filling it with good soil. 

 This may be done almost any time, 

 although early spring is probably the 

 best, for some roots may be cut. At that 

 season they will heal quickly and produce 

 new feeding roots. Old trees that seem 

 to be on the wane, from a deficiency 

 of plant fopd within their reach, may 

 be benefited by digging holes, here and 

 there, eight or ten feet away from the 

 trunk, and filling them with good soil. 

 Tree instinct will cause the roots to find 

 these deposits. Large trees suffering 

 from prolonged droughts, similar to the 

 dry spells of 1893 and 1894, may be 

 helped by boring holes at different points 

 within the circle of these roots, and insert- 

 ing 3 or 4-inch sewer pipes, standing up- 

 right. Keep these well filled with water, 

 for quite a while, until, from the seaping, 

 the soil has become well saturated. 



W. C. E. 



The Flower Garden. 



flERBflGEOUS PLANT NOTES. 



For low ground or near the water's 

 edge, where the soil is moist or spongy at 

 all times, we frequently find it rather 

 difficult to select an assortment of suit- 

 able plants for the position. Experiment- 

 ing is all right on a small scale, but when 

 we are called upon to plant extensively. 

 we must not run any risk by introducing 

 species which have not been tried success- 

 fully under like conditions. It is not 

 necessary that we should use only the 

 so-called bog plants here and exclude all 

 others, for we have quite a number of 

 subjects which naturally grow on higher 

 ground, yet they will flourish equally well 

 in lower moist soil, as has been proved 

 long ago by experience. Generally there 

 can be no objection to introducing such 

 moisture-loving grass-like plants as 

 Acorus calamus and ,4. gram'meus several 

 of the carices, Parnassia palustris, three 

 or four scirpus, arundos, typhas and 

 butomus, also those semi aquatics like 

 Menyanthes trifoliata, Calla palustris, 

 the arums and arisamas, veratrums, etc , 

 but we need more of a variety in foliage 

 as well as in color and shape of flowers if 

 the planting is to be effective at the differ- 

 ent seasons. The calthas should be 

 introduced in large patches; their bright 

 yellow flowers come out in May and are 

 very lasting, especially those of the 



double varieties; C. leptosepahi is pure 

 white. Alysotis palustris is right at 

 home in such situations, and when taken 

 up and divided every year will bloom 

 until September. Tnlliums, thickly 

 planted make a fine show in the spring 

 months; the various ranunculus can not 

 be spared here either, lor the\- continue in. 

 good shape several months. Pulmonarias 

 are among our first spring flowers and 

 although not very gorgeous in color, their 

 earliness is a strong factor in their favor; 

 the foliage of P. tnaculata is highly orna- 

 mental throughout the season. Mertensia 

 Yirginica is sometimes included under the 

 Pulmonarias; its flowers are considerably 

 larger and of a very rich blue shade, 

 decidedly elegant. 



The epilobiums are tall plants, hand- 

 some in growth with numerous richly 

 colored flowersin longspikes. E. angusti- 

 folium album is a pure white form. E. 

 hirsutum blooms later and lasts longer, 

 though the individual flowers are not so 

 large. Spiraeas of many kinds do admir- 

 ably in moist places; the flowers of all are 

 elegant. When planting them we should 

 not forget the pink flowering S. renusta 

 and palmata. The bright scarlet spikes 



of Lobelia cardinalis and its varieties are 

 very showy when in full bloom. L. 

 syphilitica is not so tall in growth, and 

 the flowers are bright blue. Trollius, 

 both the European and Asiatic speciesare 

 decidedly bright and gay; their globular 

 flowers are larger and retain their 

 freshness longer in moist ground than in 

 the ordinary border. Amsonia salicifolia 

 and M. Tabernxmontana are light blue 

 summer blooming plants, very effective in 

 midsummer when planted in masses. 

 The list given here is not complete, but 

 it represents a fair collection of desirable 

 material for planting in moist situations, 

 where a large share of our hardy plants 

 will not feel at home. The species men- 

 tioned have all been tried repeated ly with 

 success, but I would avoid fall planting, 

 Frost would heave out many of the plants 

 the first winter, even if they had time to 

 take some hold in the ground before hard 

 freezing. The spongy nature of the soil 

 does not afford the necessary resistance 

 and the young roots have not multiplied 

 or traveled far enough to prevent being 

 lifted out by the action of frost, and cov- 

 ering is not always a safe remedy for this 

 evil. J. B. Keller. 



CATALPA BIGNONIOIDBS IN JDLY. 



