144 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



June, 1912 



of sixty feet in height. Interspersed 

 through these are large specimens of the 

 European I-arch Fir, its pale yellowish- 

 green foliage showing up very conspicu- 

 ously against the more sombre-like green 

 of its near relative, the Norway Spruce. 

 Here and there in openings tx-tween the 

 spruce are to be .seen some fine speci- 

 mens of the Kilmarnock or Weeping 

 Willow (Salix pendula). The long pen- 

 dulous racemes of its yellowish-green 

 growth, often four or five feet in length, 

 hanging quite perpendicular, present a 

 very unique and pleasing relief to the 

 dark green of the spruce. 



The foreground of this belt is made 

 up of many varieties of trees that are 

 quite rare. Numbers of the Cerasus or 

 wild Cherry, including C. mahaleb, C. 

 avinum, and others, many of which are 

 seedling varieties of merit, some of 

 which can be seen in the illustrations. 

 These and many others, such as Locust, 

 Weeping Birch, and Maple, help to re- 

 lieve the sombre hue of the evergreens. 

 In the immediate foreground are dotted 

 groups of rare shrubs, such as Forsythia 

 Fortuneii, Weigelas, English Hawthorn, 

 Spireas, Deutzias, Halesia or Snowdrop 

 Tree, and Altheas. The very rare Euro- 

 pean Laburnum alpinum, with its long 

 drooping racemes of bright yellow 

 flowers, can be found among the hundred 

 or so varieties of flowering shrubs to be 

 found scattered about on the extensive 

 lawns. Two nice specimens of the Mani- 

 toba Maple are also to be seen. These 

 trees were brought from Manitoba on 

 the first through train over the Cana- 



dian Pacific Railway when the distin- 

 guished party of some of Canada's most 

 noted statesmen went through to Van- 

 couver for an inspecilxi trip of this 

 gigantic railway enterprise. These trees 

 are now about twenty feet in height and 

 are of more than passing interest for 

 the reasons given. 



One very pleasing feature of these 

 lawns is the naturalization of the wild 

 English Violet. Some years ago some 

 seed of these was obtained from Eng- 

 land by the writer and sown very early 

 in the spring. The lawns are, at the 

 time of writing (May 3rd), literally 



purple with these dainty little flowers, 

 more especially on the partially shaded 

 portions of the lawn. The p)erfume from 

 them is very pleasing and noticeable 

 some distance from the lawns. The.sc 

 violets are specially adapted for this 

 work on partially shaded lawns. 



Winding walks through the ' lawns 

 lead down to extensive vegetable gar- 

 dens and fruit orchards. Alongside of 

 these paths are to be seen .some fine 

 pillar roses and flowering shrubs. 



The vegetable gardens cover a space 

 of about an acre in extent. The walks 

 {Concluded on page 159) 



The PcrciYivial Border and its Best Flovrers 



F. £. Buck, B.S.A., Central 



IF you make a perennial border, plant 

 in it only the best flowers. Don't be 

 satisfied with the inferior kinds which 

 appeal to you personally. 



It may be that you wish to specialize 

 in native plants. That is a worthy ideal. 

 Or you may prefer the old-fashioned 

 flowers. Or, perhaps, to have a little of 

 everything striking in order to get some 

 color effect. Very good ; suit and culti- 

 vate your own taste. Don't attempt to 

 copy other people's borders too much. 

 Remember, the flowers you plant are to 

 be your friends, and, as was said before, 

 choose those you like best. If you are 

 furnishing a house you plan and consider 

 the appropriateness of the furniture. Just 

 so with a border. Remember also that 

 the flowers are to stay where you put 

 them for several years. Choose, there- 



A Section of the East Vinery, "Inglewood" 



Experimental Farm, Ottawa 



fore, the most suitable place in the gar- 

 den for them. Some will want sun, some 

 shade, others light, others shelter from 

 wind. Some will require light soil, others 

 heavy ; all this you can arrange for them 

 simply enough. 



VARIETIES FOE ALL 



You may be very ambitious and want 

 flowers to admire in their places, or 

 flowers to cut for the house, flowers for 

 the buttonhole, flowers for the church 

 jardiniere ; flowers of all colors, flowers 

 of all fragrances, and flowers of all sizes ; 

 all these you may have in a perennial bor- 

 der, because the flowers of a well-planned 

 perennial border will last from the time 

 when winter's snow gives place to the 

 timid whiteness of the snowdrop until 

 that time when the maple leaves glow in 

 the evening of the year. 



Besides the joy of tending and picking 

 the flowers of this long ^season there is 

 also the distinct pleasure of planting, re- 

 planting and re-arranging your plants 

 both before and after their seasons of 

 bloom. Bear in mind that intimate p>er- 

 sonal attention is the key to success with 

 plants of any kind. There is no substi- 

 tute for this. 



The perennial border should add to the 

 beauty and dignity of your home. It 

 should be conspicuous, but not too pro- 

 minent; dignified rather than gaudy. It 

 should reign supreme wherever it is plac- 

 ed, but it must not look isolated. Do 

 not hurry yourself in its making. It 

 takes time to make a good border, and 

 there is infinite pleasure in the making. 



The arrangement of the plants in the 

 border will depend upon the owner's 

 taste, but with one exception the rule is 

 to plant in the order of height, with the 

 tall plants at the back. There is no rule 

 for the distances apart at which the 

 plants should be set, but don't over- 

 crowd. 



When first starting the border, plant 

 without considering color effect. Work 

 out your ideal in this and other ways 

 gradually. 



