June, 1912 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



H5 



The Lily Pond in Mr. Arraitage's Garden, Toronto 



A Simple Aquatic Garden 



J. McP. Ross, Toronto, Ont. 



ANYONE who has even only a small 

 piece of land may have an aquatic 

 garden in it if they so desire, as its 

 construction is simple and the expense 

 light. The illustration on this page 

 shows an aquatic garden created by Mr. 

 and Mrs. Armitage, of Toronto, just 

 .west of Exhibition Park, and was pro- 

 nounced by R. Cameron, superntenderit 

 of parks, to be the happiest effect he 

 ever saw. 



It is just a shallow basin dug out of 

 the earth and similar in shape to a gi- 

 gantic spoon. Over this was a coating 

 of cement to the edge of the pond. The 

 excavation was filled with water from a 

 liose nearby, and in it, as may be seen 

 in the illustration, were placed water 

 lilies and other suitable flowers. A bor- 

 der of rough stones was placed around 

 the edge of the basin to separate it from 

 the flat lawn. 



Around one end of the pond there were 

 grouped a dozen or so Japanese Iris. 

 These were placed in several groups so 

 that one could see through them, and 

 the surface of the little pool reflecting 

 the blue or white of the sky above, while 

 nestling on its placid surface were the 

 nodding crowns of the lilies. The effect 

 was simply sweet, and cost only a few 

 hours' pleasant labour. It was gener- 

 ally surrounded with some birds bathing 

 and drinking, and at all times, from 

 spring till fall was a place of interest. 



VAKIETiES OROWN 



The plants grown in the pond by Mr. 

 Armitage were the Nymphaea Odorata 

 Luciana (rosy pink flowers), interspersed 



with water hyacinths, water poppy (Li- 

 muocaris plumerii), the Common Arrow- 

 head (Saggitarius). Amongst the tall 

 plants were the Common Cattail Flag 

 (Typhea Latifolia), Calla palustris, Eu- 

 lalia Japonica, Eulalia Japonica varie- 

 gata, and the Japanese Iris in several 

 varieties. Bordering on the low edges 

 were the swamp forget-me-not, Myosotis 

 palustris. The soil was rich garden soil, 

 mixed with rotted vegetable muck or peal 

 from the marsh edge, and mixed with 

 rotten cow manure. 



The average depth of water in any 

 lily pond should be two feet, though 

 their cultivation is successful in shallower 

 water. Of course, when shallow, the 

 water must necessarily be warmer. Two 

 feet allows one foot for soil and one foot 

 for water. 



For outdoor cultivation of tender 

 kinds the roots may be planted in pails 

 or boxes, and placed in the pond, and 

 then towards winter the water is grad- 

 ually drained off and the plants are car- 

 ried into a frost-proof cellar till spring. 

 It is not necessary to have any fountain 

 or continuous flow of water, as the plants 

 flourish better and bloom more freely in 

 still warm water. 



MAKING THE POND 



When making a small pond, if the soil 

 is too porous after the bottom is pro- 

 perly smoothed, pound it firmly, then 

 put a layer of blue clay to a depth of six 

 inches, and pound this firmly <ind 

 smooth. If possible, put on a thin layer 

 of concrete right up to the edge and over 



it. Finish up with a crown of small 

 stones around the edge. This is not 

 necessary, but it gives a nice effect. 



Place here and there around the pond 

 a clump of marsh plants with as natural 

 an outline as possible. A hillock of 

 rockwork on one side planted with rock 

 plants, hardy grasses, and an occasional 

 shrub or herbaceous plant, is very at- 

 tractive. Leave spaces through which 

 you can observe the water lilies and the 

 water effect with its sky reflections. 

 Seeds of water lilies enclosed in a ball 

 of clay can be dropped in the pond at 

 various distances. A few plants of the 

 marsh marigold and other water-loving 

 plants will do well, particularly any of 

 the iris family. 



Bulbs After Blooming 



Rev. Joi. Fletcher, Wbitby, Ont. 



If you wish to use the same bulbs year 

 after year, it is important that they 

 should be properl)' cared for after bloom- 

 ing. If they have been planted deep 

 enough, annuals or bedding plants may 

 be grown between the rows or groups of 

 bulbs, or even on top of them, without 

 injury. The bulbs may remain in 'he 

 same bed for about three years, after 

 which they will need to be taken up and 

 divided, or they will deteriorate through 

 overcrowding. 



If preferred the bulbs may be taken up 

 as soon as blooming is over, care being 

 taken not to break the foliage. Place 

 them in a trench or box separating the 

 varieties, and cover well with earth. Let 

 them remain there until the foliage has 

 withered away, and the bulbs are thor- 

 oughly ripened, after which they should 

 be taken up, sorted and stored away un- 

 til required again for planting in the fall. 

 Those who would find the treatment here 

 out-lined too much trouble to undertake, 

 need not be discouraged, as they can ob- 

 tain good results by planting in rich 

 garden soil, if the culture is deep and 

 drainage good. 



A Good Support for perennials, or 

 other plants needing stakes, can be made 

 out of young cherry, elm, or other 

 straight growing saplings. The twigs 

 support the heavy heads of bloom, such 

 as phlox, in a most natural manner, and 

 if the bark shows it looks harmonious. 

 Some double white petunias supported in 

 this way last summer made a fine show. 

 They were three feet high and nearly as 

 broad. Every flower seemed to show. 

 Little or no tying is necessary. — A.T., 

 Queensboro, Ont. 



It is a question whether petunias, an- 

 nual phlox and verbenas ever do badly 

 once they acquire a few leaves, and all 

 three are very brilliant in the late summer 

 and early fall. 



