THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



THE HOME FLOWER GARDEN 



This subject maj' appear somewhat hackneyed, and it may prove difficult 

 to say much that is really new in regards to it, but no two growers or 

 writers have identical ideas, either of a theoretical or practical nature — at 

 least some of our thoughts run in different grooves, and that they may 

 continue to do so is a consummation devoutly to be wished. Variety is 

 admittedly the spice of life, and if the cultural ideas of all growers paral- 

 leled each other, it would surely be distressingly monotonous to handle 

 such a topic as this. 



Soil, location, area, and environment are a few things to consider when 

 we discuss the home flower garden. I am addressing these remarks more 

 particularly to those who belong to the ever-increasing army of amateur 

 horticulturists, many of whom have but limited facilities for flower grow- 

 ing, and are not in a financial position to spend any considerable sum 

 annually on their gardens, but who at the same time are anxious to get as 

 much pleasure as they can, over as large a season as possible, from their 

 garden. 



For the encouragement of small growers, I want to say that while New 

 York and New England are popularly classed as boreal regions of ice and 

 snow for one fourth of the year, my experience two hundred and fifty 

 miles north of your great city for a quarter of a century has proved that 

 in some favored years we can have flowers outdoors from January' until 

 December, and that even under the most adverse climatic conditions there 

 are never more tlian two clear months when we are really without some 

 outdoor flowers. 



In January, on warm southern slopes, we usually have some snowdrops 

 open. One month later winter aconites, crocuses, and some chionodoxas 

 open their flowers. March gives us these, and also Siberian scillas, the 

 early Tulipa Kauffmanniana, and the little Narcissus mijiinms. April 

 yields a wealth of flowers, including early tulips, many narcissi, fritillarias, 

 early irises, such as /. histrioides and /. cristata, English primroses, and 

 quite a few perennials and shrubs. The late narcissi, cottage and Darwin 

 tulips, German iris, Pyrethrum roscuni, Moutan peonies, Hemcrocallis 

 flava, lily-of-the-valley, dwarf phloxes, and many other interesting her- 

 baceous plants, alpines, trees and shrubs are with us in May. During 

 the leafy month of June the regal Japanese iris follows the German, 

 Spanish and English types. Now also come columbines, phloxes, peonies, 

 early larkspurs, Dictammis, foxgloves, lupines, Canterbury bells, Lychnis, 

 Liliuni candidum, and many other herbs, not to mention azaleas, rhodo- 

 dendrons, roses, and a wealth of other trees and shrubs. In July come 

 the larkspurs, foxgloves, hollyhocks, Hemcrocallis, phloxes, such lilies as 

 Lilium Hansoni, regale, Sargentiac, and cxcelsum, and many annuals. 



August charms us with gladioli, montbretias, Lilium spcciosum and L. 

 Henryi, monkshoods, sunflowers, boltonias, early asters, kniphofias, and 



126 



