July, 1914 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



173 



Some Impressions of a St. Catharines Garden 



ST. CATHARINES is a city that can 

 boast of many fine gardens and 

 lawns. Situated as it is in the 

 heart of the best tender fruit district of 

 Canada, one might expect to find, and 

 does find, gardening brought to a high 

 state of perfection. 



Probably the most extensive and in 

 many respects the finest garden in the 

 city, is that of Dr. Merritt of Rodman 

 Hall. Last summer a representative of 

 The Canadian Horticulturist had an op- 

 portunity to visit and admire the Rod- 

 man Hall gardens. The training that 

 Mr. S. Clark, the gardener, has receiv- 

 ed in the Old Land is evidenced in the 

 careful cultivation and attention which 

 the grounds receive at his hands. At 

 the 1913 St. Catharines Fruit and Flow- 

 er Show fourteen firsts were awarded to 

 the products of the Rodman Hall gar- 

 dens. These included a collection of ten 

 foliage plants, six foreign ferns (among 

 which was a fine bird's nest fern and also 

 a stag's horn), adiantums, dracenas, be- 

 gonias, and collections of annuals. 



NATURAL ADVANTAGES 



The grounds are admirably adapted for 

 a residence and when originally laid out 

 full opportunity was taken of the natural 

 advantages. Extending to one side and 

 back of the house are four acres of lawn 

 and garden. From the flower garden one 

 obtains a magnificent view overlooking 

 the Twelve Mile Creek. 



The lawn proper is about two acres in 

 extent. Among the trees are some fine 

 specimens of tulip tree, catalpa and pau- 

 lonia. Directly behind the house is a 

 smaller expanse of lawn. Extending be- 

 yond and to one side of the latter is the 

 flower garden. From the house a walk 

 winds among the beds which contain 

 some of the finest examples of bedding to 

 be found in the city — sub-tropical bed 

 ding, carpet bedding and the more gen- 

 eral run of carpet schemes. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



From the flower garden we passed 

 through an archway in the neatly trim- 

 med privet hedge, which surrounds the 

 vegetable garden at the rear. This- kit- 

 chen garden of one and a half acres, is 

 laid out in English style. It is a splen- 

 did example of intensive cultivation as 

 the ground is cropped twice each sea- 

 son. Extending through the centre of 

 the garden is the main walk which is 

 edged on either side by an herbaceous 

 border. The other walks are edged with 

 the old fashioned box hedge. 



All the herbaceous plants are in the 

 two borders mentioned which are one 

 hundred and twenty-five yards long. .A 

 plant being tested out is the Montbretia. 

 Its hardiness is being ascertained, and 

 should it prove resistant the Montbretia 



will be a valuable acquisiton. At the 

 corners of some of the beds pyramid 

 trained pear trees effect a relief. 



TOMATOES A SPECIALTY 



A specialty is made of tomatoes, which 

 are trained on trellises. About one hun- 

 dred and fifty plants, giving half a ton 

 of fruit, are grown each year. Onions 

 are another specialty. This season an 

 exceptionally good crop of peas was 

 raised. Sutton's Excelsior proved 

 the most satisfactory variety. Some fine 

 English gooseberries also figure in the 

 selection. 



An interesting novelty was a tomato- 

 potato combination. A tomato stem was 

 grafted on a potato plant. The former 

 bore several trusses of fine tomatoes, 

 while the roots of the latter produced a 

 number of fine tubers. We believe the 

 practice is fairly common among French 

 gardeners. The fact that both plants 

 belong to the nightshade family accounts 



for the readiness with which they may 

 be grafted. 



THE GBEENHOUES 



In the kitchen garden are three green 

 houses, each one hundred by twenty feet, 

 which are devoted to the culture of ferns, 

 foliage and flowering plants. Recently 

 more attention has been paid to the 

 growing of roses. Two smaller houses 

 are utilized during early spring for the 

 growing of bedding stock and in the 

 summer for the production of English 

 cucumbers. These houses produced the 

 cucumbers that won first prize at Ottawa 

 last year. 



Grapes are grown under glass in two 

 graperies, each thirty feet long. From 

 these houses come the grapes which were 

 so well commented upon at the Canadian 

 National Exhibition last year, and which 

 were judged by some to be the finest ever 

 shown at Toronto. At the St. Cathar- 

 ines show fruit from these graperies was 

 first in its class. — B.H.C.B. 



Preparations for the Perennial Border 



H. Gibson, 



THE latter half of July is a suitable 

 time to sow seeds of any plants 

 that are required for planting to 

 permanent quarters, the latter part of 

 September. A shady corner containing 

 good earth or a cold frame is the best 

 place in which to sow the seed. The 

 soil should be of a friable nature and 

 worked up finely. Sowing in drills is 

 preferable to broadcasting the seed, as 

 the different varieties are less likely to 

 cet mixed. 



Tuxedo Park 



Draw the drills an inch deep, and 

 sow as evenly and thinly as possible. 

 Thick sowing tends to overcrowding aj 

 an early stage. Cover the seed with 

 fine earth, and then water with a fine 

 rose on the watering can. Care should 

 be taken to label each variety correctly 

 so as to avoid future disappointment 

 and delay. 



During the hot, dry days some shade 

 from the direct rays of the sun will be 

 necessary to prevent too rapid evapor- 



