244 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



October, 1913. 



Wild Flowers in a City Garden 



A lover of wild flowers who has had success in their cultivation Ln her gaxdeu is Mrs. 



Ctowan, of Peterborough. The illustration, shows a corner of her erarden In which may 



be seen fej-ns, trillium, jax;k-in-the-pulpit. anemone, violets, golden-rod, orchids and 



Dutchman's breeches. The little blossoms in the foreground axe a species of 



the wood geranium. Herb Eobert. 



quarters than when in the nursery. The 

 surface soil mark can usually be seen on 

 the stem of the plant. Stake all tall 

 plants at once if tops are very heavy, 

 rather than allow the wind to constantly 

 blow them around in all directions. In 

 tying plants or trees, tie them so that 

 the tree cannot be chafed or rubbed. 



Take off all wire fastened labels from 

 the stems of plants or trees when plant- 

 ing, or they will, if neglected, cut the 

 stem almost asunder in time. 



In planting trees, use finely pulver- 

 ized soil in and around close to the roots. 

 Sand half an inch in depth sprinkled 

 over the roots is a good material to in- 

 duce a quick, strong root development. 

 Never put manure of any kind in direct 

 contact with the roots when planting. 

 Pack the soil fairly firm around the roots 

 so as to leave no air spaces. All of the 

 roots should be in close contact with 

 fine soil or sand. Puddling the roots 

 before planting in a thick mixture of clay 

 soil and water is useful, especially when 

 the soil they are to be planted in is very 

 dry. 



Prune off sufficient of the growth of 

 deciduous trees, shrubs, or rose bushes 

 so as to give a proper balance of top and 

 roots. A too large proportion of top to 

 the root means slow development at the 

 best. It is better to have the roots to 

 overbalance the top in quantity, than 

 the reverse. Rose bushes especially 

 should have the tops pruned down to 

 as small a proportion as possible, as 

 they often have but a very small quan- 

 tity of fine fibry roots. Cut off or 

 shorten the large thick roots especially 



where broken or damaged. The fibry 

 roots are the roots that start dormant 

 plants quickly into gowth again. Plants 

 or shrubs taken from fairly heavy soils 

 usually have a better root system, and 

 transplant more successfully than do 

 plants taken from light, sandy soils. 

 Plants or trees set out in very early 

 spring, seldom require any water when 

 planted . 



Wild Flowers in The City 



E. Ayletwortli, Crichton Gowaa, Peterborough, Oat. 



Being impressed by the beauty and 

 variety of wild flowers which grow 

 in profusion within our city limits, 

 I felt curious to know the extent of 

 their beauty before man began to inter- 

 fere with the soil. I accordingly search- 

 ed for a record of them in pioneer liter- 

 ature, and found the following by Col. 

 S. Strickland: "Several hundred acres 

 of open plain were dotted here and there 

 with clumps of oak and pine. In the 

 spring these openings were gay with 

 wild flowers. Amongst the first to show 

 their varied beauties might be seen the 

 red, white and blue hepaticas or liver- 

 wort, the white and yellow violet, and 

 many others indigenous to the country. 

 Later in the season the cardinal plant, 

 lobelia (this plant grows wild in the 

 woods, especially in damp places. It 

 is used extensively among the settlers 

 as an emetic), lupin, and tiger-lily, and 

 a profusion of flowery gems, lent their 

 aid to adorn the charming scenery of 

 this sylvan spot. " 



The place here described by Mr. 

 Strickland is the site upon which the 



city of Peterborough stands. Peter- 

 borough is, therefore, by nature, en- • 

 titled to its appellation, "The City Beau- 

 tiful." I have seen old walls and banks 

 near the river covered with wild flowers 

 and vines of brilliant hue, more beauti- 

 ful than anything under cultivation. Our 

 city furnishes evidence of how persist- 

 ently wild flowers cling to their native 

 soil even when disturbed by cultivation. 

 The flowers which appear in the ac- 

 companying illustration were gathered 

 within the city limits in July, about 

 thirty different kinds being represented. 

 The original, in addition to being a 

 beautiful artistic photograph, is interest- 

 ing to examine through a magnifying 

 glass, the flowers being easily recog- 

 nized in this way. 



Little attention seems to be paid to 

 the preservation of wild plants and 

 flowers, yet an acquaintance with them 

 is necessary in the study of botany, art 

 and scientific floriculture. Therefore, 

 should not our school teachers, school 

 boards, and horticultural societies be in- 

 terested in the preservation, where pos- 

 sible, of trees, plants and flowers? 



.As to the responsibility of parents in 

 the matter, the admonition of Mrs. 

 Traill is worth repeating here : ' ' Mo- 

 thers of Canada, teach your children to 

 know and love the wild flowers spring- 

 ing in their path, to love the soil in 

 which God's hand has planted them, 

 and in all their after wanderings through 

 the world their hearts will turn back 

 with loving reverence to the land of 

 their birth : to that dear country, en- 

 deared to them by the remembrance of 

 the wild flowers which they plucked in 

 the happy days of childhood." 



A collection of wild flowers and ferns 

 pressed by the late Mrs. Traill is one 

 of the cherished possessions of our city 

 museum. 



Climbing Roses 



Wm. Hnnt, O.A.C., Gue'ph, Ont 



The best way to keep climbing roses 

 from being killed back by frost in win- 

 ter is to take them from the trellis and 

 lay them down as near the ground as 

 possible about the end of October. About 

 the end of November, or early Decem- 

 ber, three or four inches of strawy man- 

 ure or some pine or cedar boughs should 

 be placed over them. Tying them down 

 in the way mentioned keeps them below 

 the snow line, as a rule, during the 

 winter. The covering protects them 

 after the snow has melted late in winter 

 or early spring. Take the covering off 

 when the weather is dull, warm, and 

 mild about the beginning of April. 



Acid phosphates should not be sown 

 with the seed or too near the roots of 

 growing plants, as injury may result. 



