i8g8. 



' ' ■ GARDENING. 



215 





flowering wood, besidesit is scarcely pos- 

 sible to see what is dead until some 

 growth is made. Hypericums, Hydrangea 

 paniculata, and othershrubs which bloom 

 on the current year's growth, are better 

 for being cut back to within three or 

 four buds. In this way they can be kept 

 in a neat bushy form. Yellow-barked wil- 

 lows and red-skinned dogwoods require 

 shortening every year to keep up a good 

 supply of bright, attractive growth, for 

 which alone they are valued. Clematis, 

 wistarias, loniceras, aristolochias, forsy- 

 thias and other climbers need going over 

 as soon as the buds begin to swell, so 

 that we can detect the difference between 

 live and dead wood. Clematis, especially 

 C. paniculata, we cut down to at least 

 six feet. This we do so as to get a good 

 break of growth low down on the old 

 stems. If all the live shoots were left to 

 develop in their own way we should be 

 likely to get a congestion of shoots near 

 the top of the trellis and barrenness be- 

 low. 



Indoors we have nearly finished propa- 

 gating our stock for summer bedding. 

 Coleus and ageratums we can put in 

 later. A gentle hotbed would be bene- 

 ficial lor alternantheras, double alyssum, 

 Vinca rosea and other plants of delicate 

 growth, and here also we may sow seeds 

 of tender summer annuals. Roots of 

 gloxinias and tuberous begonias need 

 overhauling, and the most forward may 

 be potted; cannas and dahlias should be 

 potted up and placed in a well protected 

 frame. Old plants of Poinsettia pul- 

 cherrima, at rest, should get a little water 

 now and again in order to induce the 

 growth of material suitable for cuttings. 

 Those growths showing now, taken with 

 a heel, root better than tips taken later. 

 Bulbs of freesias and lachenalias should 

 be put in a good light place to ripen and 

 not cut too short of water. Ripening 

 bulbs well after blooming is as important 

 a part of their cultivation as any. Nerines, 

 vallotas and other bulbs of the amaryllis 

 family may be started into freer growth 

 by an increased allowance of water, and 

 as time goes along an occasional dose of 

 liquid manure would help them. Cuttings 

 of winter flowering begonias should go 

 in as the plants pass out of bloom, and 

 towards the end of the month an early 

 sowing of Primula Cbinensis should be 

 made. T. D. Hatfield. 



Massachusetts. 



The Flower Garden. 



DAHLIA NOTES. 



If you are growing dahlias on an exten- 

 sive scale you are now busily occupied in 

 potting, hardening oft and all the neces- 

 sary details for preparing the cuttings for 

 the ground. If, however, their cultiva- 

 tion is only a side issue, the clumps of 

 roots may now be awaiting your pleas- 

 ure in their olace of winter storage. It is 

 time to be forwarding them for early 

 work. A cold frame or a mere bedding 

 out of the roots in a warm, sunny situa- 

 tion with a covering of light earth, litter 

 or horse manure will do the work. Per- 

 haps y-ou will find them already starting 

 freely when you take them out. You will 

 be very certain to do so if their place ot 

 storage has been quite warm. In this 

 case you can safely divide them at once 

 before bedding out, making as many 

 divisions as there are starting buds. If 

 the crown of a root shows two or three 

 buds run the knife lengthwise so as to 

 divide the root into an equal number of 



HOME GROUNDS AT SPRINGDALE FARM 



pieces. If the buds are still dormant when 

 taken out of storage, ten days or a couple 

 of weeks' exposure in a warm starting 

 bed will set the buds into a free growth, 

 and then the roots may be divided as 

 described above. 



After division the roots may be bedded 

 out in the open ground, proper precau- 

 tion being taken against frost at night 

 and cold stormy weather. Exposure 

 during all suitable weather will produce 

 a strong, stocky growth, and at planting 

 time you should have a stock of thrifty 

 plants two or three inches high, backed 

 by a considerable amount of tuber which 

 can be safely sent to almost any required 

 distance. In case the growth should 

 become too rampant before the plants 

 can be disposed of, cut back the shoots, 

 and the buds already formed at the base 

 of the stalk will start into immediate 

 growth. It requires but a short time for 

 plants grown in this way to become 

 established in their permanent quarters 

 and to start into rapid thriftv growth. 

 Hi F. Burt. 



SOME NEW AMERICAN CANNAS. 



Everybody admires the grand additions 

 to the canna family, by M. Crozy; flowers 

 with large broad petals, full large heads 

 and beautiful colors, but when some of 

 the new American cannas become better 

 known their desirable qualities and new 

 colors will be appreciated. Thefollowing 

 are a few striking varieties: 



Klondike is a true pure orange with a 

 glisten and sheen that cannot be described 

 or reproduced, very large full heads with 

 many trusses; the petals are two inches 

 wide, rounded at the apex and incurved, 

 foliage large and handsome. It is an 

 early and profuse bloomer, and in the 

 winter the flowers last a long time; one 

 head was in bloom from the middle of 

 December until March 1. Whilethere are 

 a few good orange varieties of foreign 

 origin there is not one that approaches 

 Klondike in size and clearness of color. 



Champion is a very fine red. There are 

 scores of red cannas, and many are little 

 different one from another, but this vari- 

 ety has several very decided characteristic 

 features. It is immense in individual 

 flowers, and the spikes are massive, each 



having four and five trusses; the petals 

 are broad (two and one-fourth inches) 

 and rounding. The ground color is a daz- 

 zling crimson-scarlet overlaid with a rich 

 golden lustre, which gives the flower a 

 very brilliant appearance. 



Duchess of Marlborough is a pure pink. 

 This is a color that has been sought after 

 by specialists. While we have several 

 varieties of a pink shade there is only one 

 that is the exact shade of pure pink of 

 Mr. Schuyler Mathew's color chart, pub- 

 lished by the American Florist Co., and 

 this is Duchess of Marlborough. Mile. 

 Berat is one of the finest varieties of a 

 pink color, but it is a darker shade than 

 pure pink. The petals of the Duchess are 

 long and gracefully curved, making a 

 very v\-ide flower; each spike produces 

 four to five trusses and each truss enor- 

 mous quantities of flowers, making a 

 very floriferous variety. The foliage is 

 long and a bright green color. The above 

 varieties grow to a height of four or five 

 feet. 



Duke of Marlborough is a dark velvety 

 maroon, shading towards purplish black, 

 the color heightened by the contrast of 

 the bluish, metallic green foliage; compact 

 erect spikes, branching and very florifer- 

 ous. A bed of the Duke on a bright day- 

 looks almost black, the color is so velvety 

 and rich ; height three and one-half to four 

 feet. 



Cuba is a new variety of the Queen Char- 

 lotte type, which bears immense flowers 

 of a deep chrome yellow color with a 

 blotch of deepest vermilion covering 

 more than half the center; obtuse petals, 

 flowers of fine form and good substance; 

 large branching spikes. 



Lorraine is a fancy variety with bright 

 pink petals broadly edged with creamy 

 white which changes to white as the 

 flower develops. 



Philadelphia is one of the best bedding 

 cannas grown to-day; the bright gloyving 

 crimson-scarlet flowers are borne on large 

 dense spikes, well above the bright green 

 foliage; the flowers as they fade drop 

 from the spike, leaving the plant clean 

 and fresh. The growth is very even, 

 about three and one-half feet. A large 

 bed of Philadelphia at Mr. Craig's place 

 last summer was an attractive sight. 

 Harold Otter. 



