Shrubs for Lawns Surrounding Public Buildings' 



IN the Old Land and on the Continent, 

 nearly all grounds surrounding pub- 

 lic buildings are planted with ever- 

 greens. This gives a cheerful effect dur- 

 ing the winter months, as well as during 

 the summer. But in Ontario we must 

 abandon all hope of success in growing 

 such plants unless they are used and 

 treated as sub-tropical plants. This 



could be carried out on a small scale by 

 planting in beds or amongst other shrubs. 

 The methods of caring for evergreens 

 are well known to most gardeners, so 

 that I need not detail them here, but 

 shall proceed to the subject first men- 

 tioned. 



Most buildings look bare in this coun- 

 try when lacking both flowering shrubs 

 and vines about them, and are improv- 

 ed when either are used. A few nieat 

 shrubs, planted in the angles of a build- 

 ing, and a few vines to grow on it, not 

 necessarily to cover it, take the bare 

 look away. If some Tecomas and Cel- 

 astruses are planted along with the Am- 

 pelopsis, particularly in the angles of a 

 building, the one helps the other to re- 

 lieve the sameness. The Tecoma blooms 

 hang out beyond the flat background of 

 the Ampelopsis and give a pleasant 

 effect. The same may be said about the 

 Celastrus, but its beauty begins when 

 winter is at hand. The first frost bursts 

 open the seed-pods, exposing the orange 

 red seeds that hang down on silken-like 

 threads from the pods, producing a warm 

 appearance when the ground is covered 

 with snow. 



Celastrus scandens is our own native 

 plan found in the woods, but better 

 known by the name of staff vine. Cel- 

 astrus paniculatus and Celastrus puncu- 

 latus are both Japanese varieties and are 

 hardy. 



The planting of shrubs around the base 

 of a building depends greatly upon the 

 style of the building, whether it would 

 be an advantage or not. The north side 

 of a building must have shade-loving 

 plants, such as Caragana arborescens 

 (.Siberian Pea Tree), Hydrangea arbor- 

 escens, Cornus spaethii, Cornus variety 

 elegantissima variegata. Corns siberica, 

 Kerria Japonica, Kerria Japonica fl. pi. 

 and Kerria Japonica variegata, as border 

 plants, Philadelphia, Coronarius foliis 

 aurea, Rhodotyphus Kerriodes, or White 

 Kerria, Ribes aureum (Missouri Cur- 

 rant). From the plants mentioned may 

 be selected foliage, bloom and fruit, as 

 well as colored bark to suit the taste of 

 any individual. 



For the east side of a building any of 

 the best flowering shrubs will answer, 

 as it gets the morning sun yet it is 



'Extract from a pai>er read at the recent oon- 

 Tentlon in Toronto of tb« Ontario Bortionltnral 

 Association. 



Roderick Cameron, Toronto 



not too long exposed to the same, and 

 plants in this situation get the moisture 

 when it rains. 



The west side of a building is the diffi- 

 cult one for which to prescribe. It is so 

 protected from all moisture during the 

 summer with high walls and a projecting 

 roof that artificial watering must be re- 

 sorted to almost daily to ensure the de- 

 velopment of the plants. This watering 

 is more effective in the evening than 

 during the day. The plants should be 

 well sprinkled overhead to keep down 

 insect pests such as aphis and red spi- 

 der, the latter being the most destruc- 

 tive pest to plants in such positions. If 

 this watering is well attended to, the 

 same varieties of plants as are mentioned 

 for the east side may be grown here. 



THE SOUTH SIDE 



On the south side of the building, 

 where the sun is blazing hot all day and 

 the heat reflected back from the wall, it 

 is hard to get plants that will not be 

 destroyed by insects, or the foliage be 

 burnt by the sun. 



In this position the more upright forms 

 seem to answer better than the low, flat- 

 headed ones. I find that Aralia spinosa, 

 by some called Japonica, and Tamarix 

 parviflora are two excellent plants. For- 

 sythia suspensa is always clean and tidy. 

 Spiraea prunifolia flore pleno, viburnum 

 plicatium, viburnum tomentosum (both 

 from Japan), can be used with Spiraea 

 Anthony Waterer towards the outside. 

 Philadelphus Coronarius aurea always 

 looks well among the other shrubs on 



account of its golden foliage. Dentzia 

 Lemonei and Deutzia gracilis are about 

 our dwarfest shrubs. Therefore, they 

 must be planted towards the edge. A 

 few of the dark foliaged Canna, King 

 Humbert, would brighten up a border 

 of this sort. 



Strawberry Patch in Quebec 



D. E. Lothian, B.S.A. 



Two of the greatest hindrances to com- 

 mercial strawberry culture in the province 

 of Quebec, are late frosts and long mid- 

 summer droughts. For many years it 

 has been the habit of growers in the Mid- 

 dle States to prevent this late frost by 

 smudging, but they found that the injury 

 resulting from light frosts, such as ours 

 are, may be prevented by spraying. 

 Spraying will also overcome the drought 

 trouble, lately so troublesome. 



At Macdonald College there has lately 

 been installed a long perforated iron pipe 

 which taps the water main running 

 through the farm. This pipe rests on 

 wooden trestles about three to four feet 

 high, and the water pressure is sufficient 

 to cover a considerable area of the celery 

 bed over which it is placed. 



To strawberry growers in this province 

 who are fortunate enough to be located 

 at the side of streams or who have ac- 

 cess to water power, we would suggest 

 that an arrangement similar to that ex- 

 isting at Macdonald College might be ap- 

 plied with advantage to their strawberry 

 patch, causing higher yields and better 

 returns. 



A B«nvh of ChryMnthemum* in th« Con«ervfitorie(, Qu««|i yictori» Purk, Niagaia FalU, Ont. 



?,)3 



