226 



' ' GARDENING. 



April 15, 



volves, to be sure, a great deal of labor, 

 but it improves the appearance of the 

 borders, as the plants do not run into 

 each other and become unsightly. It has 

 likewise increased my facilities for obser- 

 vation and aided me in reaching the con- 

 clusion that while they may succeed fairly 

 well in good garden soil.it is equally clear 

 to my mind that peat is beneficial to 

 their healthy growth and vigor, and I 

 have consequently been in the habit of 

 using it very freely for many years, and 

 think I can recommend it with confidence 

 to cultivators. I make a compost of 

 peat and leaf mold in equal portions, 

 occasionally adding a little dry cow ma- 

 nure, when I see a plant is not looking 

 particularly healthy. 



But important as I consider the use of 

 peat to be, I must add that giving the 

 plants an abundance of water in our hot 

 summers is even more of a necessity, for 

 in my judgment drought is by far the 

 greatest difficulty we have to contend 

 with in our climate. Of course, a great 

 deal depends on the character of the soil, 

 lorifitisa reclaimed meadow or natur- 

 ally retentive of moisture, irrigation may 

 not be indispensable; but if we have to 

 deal with ordinary garden soil, I do not 

 believe it is possible to have a perfectly 

 successful plantation of rhododendrons 

 in this country unless the hose is fre- 

 quently applied and the plants kept 

 moist. The injurious effects of drought 

 are not as easily discovered as with de- 

 ciduous plants, but they show them- 

 selves very plainly in the early spring, 

 when we find browned foliage, if not dead 

 plants, or dead flower buds which were 

 not fully ripened, owing to a lack of 

 moisture in the autumn. In my opinion, 

 drought among recognized hardy varie- 

 ties is the cause of the loss of five times 

 as many plants as our cold weather. It 

 may be well to add that some care is 

 necessary in watering, rhododendrons 

 having a large mass of fibrous roots from 

 which, when dry, the water is apt to run 

 off unless a basin is made to hold it, en- 

 abling it to soak in gradually. 



It is also a little mistake, I think, to 

 choose a southern exposure for a planta- 

 tion which has the sun all day, this being 

 done frequently under the impression that 

 the plants are tender. It is objectionable, 

 first, because the rich, lustrous foliage, 

 which is so ornamental, suffers a little 

 from the bright sunshine, and then again 

 it is more liable to become scalded in 

 March, when covered with frozen sleet. 

 I therefore prefer to give my borders a 

 northern exposure when it is convenient 

 to do so. H. H. H. 



Massachusetts. 



NOTES FROM EGflNDALE. 



The comparatively mild winter has 

 treated plant life much more kindly with 

 me than its predecessor, which took 

 occasion to demolish about all the flower- 

 ing buds of the Japanese plums, apples 

 and cherries. Relieved from the demand 

 of maintaining and maturing the flowers, 

 thev made wonderful growth, and now 

 promise a wealth of bloom. 



Heuchera sanguinea suffered badly a 

 year ago, and as a consequence, flowered 

 quite sparsely. The plants had, as I 

 supposed, been well protected. Last fall I 

 took an old hotbed frame and set it 

 around the group, scattering over them a 

 few oak leaves, and then placed a roof 

 over the frame with some old boards. 

 This spring they areas bright and lively 

 as a boy with a new drum. 



Last spring I imported some English 

 varieties of Vyrethrum roseum, The 



plants were in poor condition when 

 received, looking as if they had been 

 heated in transit. I planted a dozen in a 

 bed that was fully six inches higher than 

 the surrounding soil. Nine out of the 

 dozen lived, but bloomed feebly when fall 

 came. I placed a few leaves around them, 

 and inverted a shallow box over them, 

 being sure that the bottom was water 

 proof. This spring they are stronger and 

 more robust than my older plants situ- 

 ated on level beds. Moral: Plant on 

 elevated beds, and keep the water away 

 from them in winter. 



Many inquiries have appeared in 

 Gardening from time to time regarding 

 the hardiness in this region of Kalmia 

 latitolia, the sheep laurel, so plentiful and 

 handsome as anundersbrubin theeast. I 

 have tried six plantings, and in all cases, 

 have failed with it. If protected in winter 

 and a potted plant can be obtained, as 

 my last specimen was, being exhibited at 

 the World's Fair, it may live an unhappy 

 existence a few years, dying by inches. 

 I made up my mind last fall to let my 

 specimen enjoy the bracing air of our 

 winter, and it is now ready for the post 

 mortem. 



The heavy snows caused the numerous 

 rabbits in our vicinity to hustle for food. 

 If there is any shrub on my place they 

 haven't tasted, it was because they 

 couldn't find it. Spirxa Van Houtteii, 

 Rosa rugosa, barberries, any young 

 growths of the different forms of the 

 beech, and even vines of the akebia suf- 

 fered. The prunus family was their 

 delight, not in the way of barking young 

 trees, for they did not do that; but they 

 seemed possessed of a mania to relieve me 

 of the duty of spring trimming, and any 

 shoots, limbs or side branches, not larger 

 than a thick led pencil were smoothly cut 

 back, to suit their fancy, not mine. When 

 one has striven for some time to trim into 

 a shapely, bushy form a Prunus triloba, 

 finally getting it about right and full of 

 bloom buds, his temper is apt to be some- 

 what upset when he finds it mutilated 

 and one-sided. Next fall a wire netting 

 protector shall be placed around choice 

 specimens. A group of about one hun- 

 dred hepaticas, in the shrubbery, but in a 

 more open situation than the natives in 

 the ravines, thus blooming earlier, were 

 entirely stripped of their flowers in two 

 nights, presumably by the rabbits, as 

 thev were seen near them in the moon- 

 light. 



The pleasure of gardening is somewhat 

 alloyed with disappointments, but we 

 forget the latter in the enjoyment of the 

 flowers. The blooming of the hepaticas 

 and the opening of the colony of crocuses 

 has almost obliterated from my mind the 

 fact that the field mice stole over 300 

 Spanish and English iris bulbs from their 

 beds, and piled them up in different parts 

 of a covered rose bed, waiting until the 

 warming earth had started them into 

 growth, that they might feed on the 

 tender roots just forming. 



Last fall I put twenty-eight two-yard 

 loads of well rotted manure on a portion 

 of my lawn. It was manure from the 

 cars bringing stock from the west, and 

 contained a good percentage of soil, as 

 where ordinary bedding is scarce, a light 

 earth is used as an absorbent. This spring 

 it was thoroughly raked over, and all 

 sticks, stones and litter carried away. 

 Eight loads were carted off, thus leaving 

 twenty as residue. The surplus will be 

 used to mulch the raspberry beds. 



Deutzias are in good form this spring, 

 promising a treat I cannot always get, 

 although all of them are furnished with 

 straw overcoats each winter. I>. Pride 



of Rochester seems to be the hardiest. 

 Spirwa Thunbergii is for the first time in 

 my experience here, alive nearly to the 

 tips. It has always been wrapped, but 

 generally winter-killed so badly that had 

 it not recuperated quickly, and furnished 

 such a handsome mass of colored foliage 

 in the fall, I would have discarded it long 

 ago. 



Roses Clothilde Soupert and the pink 

 Soupert, were protected only by coarse 

 straw thrown over them, and held in 

 place by strips of light weight chicken 

 fence wire. They killed back more than 

 in the previous winter, a much more 

 severe one, when they were protected by 

 boards which kept them dryer. The pink 

 form stood it the best. W. C. E. 



RAMBLER ROSES, 



It would seem as if all climbing roses <>) 

 the future are to be called Ramblers, 

 9*ving, probably, to the success of the 

 name given the really beautiful climber 

 sent out by the Turners of England and 

 given the very appropriate and euphoni- 

 ous name, the Crimson Rambler. This 

 variety was introduced from Japan into 

 England over thirty years ago and 

 remained in oblivion until seen by the 

 Turners, nurserymen of Slough, who rec- 

 ognized at once its good qualities and 

 sent it out into the world, where it will 

 ever remain a living example of their 

 genius and enterprise. 



The few plants set out the past two 

 years have done exceptionally well in all 

 parts of the country. 



Asa pot plant for Easter sales it is incom- 

 parable; its hundreds of blossoms all open 

 together and seeming to improve for at 

 least two and even three weeks, make it 

 especially valuable. Nothing has been 

 said yet either by tongue or pen to do 

 this rose justice; it must be seen to be 

 appreciated. 



But of the others, the yellow, the white 

 and the pink which are being heralded as 

 the same except in color, in fact pictures 

 representing them of the same sized and 

 formed flower and cluster are being sent 

 out The accompanying pictures of plants 

 in pots show something of the form of 

 each, in fact flatter them very much 

 except in the case of the Crimson, which 

 is not a good picture. How men who 

 pretend to be honest can make such rep- 

 resentations is past our comprehension. 



The yellow rose Aglaia is a pale lemon 

 yellow with about one-third the number 

 of petals and not more than half as many 

 flowers to a cluster as the Rambler. No 

 doubt it is a pretty climbing rose, but 

 then it is not the same as the Crimson 

 Rambler, only yellow. The pink and 

 white varieties are much inferior to the 

 yellow, the flowers being considerably 

 smaller and very single. K. 



PLORIGULTURAL NOMENCLATURE. 



The nomenclature committee of the 

 Societj' of American Florists is desirous 

 of laying before the society any cases of 

 misnaming or double naming of plants 

 handled by the American trade, which 

 ought to be considered by the society. 

 Any cases coming under the jurisdiction 

 of this committee should be reported to 

 the undersigned not later than the first of 

 July, with full indication of the circum- 

 stances and the parties involved. 



William Tkelease, Chairman. 



Mo. Botanical Garden, St. Louis. 



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