238 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



ing out coarse gi'owing weeds are atten- 

 ded to for the first season or two, the 

 lawn will come out all right in the end. 

 — E. A. Long, of N. Y., in American 

 Agriculturist for September. 



TREES WITH ATTRACTIVE FLOWERS. 

 Under this heading I ]M'opose to enu- 

 merate a few trees desirable on account 

 of their flowers. In the selection of trees 

 this characteristic is often overlooked, 

 and some of the best flowering trees are 

 but little esteemed. I name first the 

 Virgilia lutea, which undoubtedly is the 

 finest flowei'ing tree we have. Its long 

 white racemes of pure white flowers 

 hang gracefully about the tree, and foi'm 

 a picture the admirable ])oints of which 

 it is difficult to describe. The Cihinese 

 Magnolias ai'e so well known that it is 

 not necessary to refer to them, except 

 in a general way. The Judas tree may 

 be associated with them in groups with 

 tine results. The large double-flower- 

 ing Cherry, white flowering Dogwood, 

 double scarlet and double white Thorns, 

 white Fringe, and the Lindens are all 

 admirable trees, and merit prominent 

 places in ornamental gi-ounds. The 

 double-flowering Horse Chestnut is 

 justly admired for its elegant form and 

 magnificent inflorescence. The absence 

 of fruit, by which much litter is avoid- 

 ed, is an important argument in favor 

 of its employment. The red flowering 

 Horse Chestnut is surpassed by few or- 

 namental trees. Koelreuteria pan- 

 iculata, with its golden yellow flowers, 

 and Catalpa syringfefolia, producing 

 great clusters of white and purple 

 flowers, cannot be too highly prized, as 

 they blossom at a season when flowers 

 are very scarce. The double-flowering 

 Peaches, which flower immediately 

 after the Primus triloba and dwarf 

 double-flowering Almond, are very de- 

 sirable. One variety produces double 

 rose flowers, another double white, and 

 another double red. At the flowerine; 



season eveiy branch of these trees is 

 thickly studded with blooms, remark- 

 able for size, beauty, and the length of 

 time during which they remain fresh. 

 The three are a trio of flowering trees 

 which deserve to be extensively planted. 

 The scai-let Maple yields a profusion of 

 seai'let flowers early in spring before the 

 leaves appear. It is very showy and 

 ornamental. — W. C. Barry, Rochester, 



:^. Y. 



sow NOW FOR SPRING FLOWERS. 

 While our gardens pi*esent a much 

 greater variety than did those of a half 

 centujy ago, there are some plants in 

 which the old-time gartleners excelled. 

 We do not see such beds of Pansies, 

 or of Rocket Larkspurs, as were then 

 the pride of the gardeners. Success 

 with Pansies is mainly due to sowing 

 the seed in autumn. If the seed is sown 

 in soring, by the time the plants begin 

 to bloom hot weather comes, and the 

 flowers become fewer and smaller. In 

 order to have flowers in spring, sow 

 the seeds early this month. Make a 

 spot of rich soil fine, and level the sur- 

 face by pressing it with a board. Sow 

 the seeds, sift a little soil over them, and 

 press down firmly with the board. 

 When the plants are an inch high, trans- 

 plant them to the place where they are 

 to flower. The plants are quite hardy, 

 and all the winter pi'otection they need 

 is a little brush to keep the snow from 

 pressing too heavily upon them. The 

 Rocket jjarkspurs ai-e unlike the tall 

 ones, annuals. A bed of them is as 

 showy as one of Hyacinths. Sow in a 

 well enriched bed this autumn, but leave 

 them to flower where they were sown. 

 The bed may be covered with brush 

 during the winter, and if the plants are 

 too much crowded in any part of the 

 bed next spring, thin them by cutting 

 out the surplus. They do not trans- 

 plant satisfactorily. — American Agri- 

 culturist for September. 



