1 888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



87 



THE COMPLETE GARDEN.* 

 XII. 



BY A WELL-KNOWN HORTICULTURIST. 



Coniinuid from page (V*. 

 I^.MiELS AND Labeling. Directions Un- 

 makiiiK a permanent record of the trees, 

 etc. planted in a garden were given in con- 

 nection vvitli Figure Sti. But in addition to 

 sucti a record every kind of tree, slirub and 

 plant should be plainly labeled. Good la- 

 bels are of great value in promoting that 

 familiarity with kinds which all garden- 

 ers should aim to acquire. To know every 

 tree and plant by its correct name is one of 

 the strongest marks of an intelligent horti- 

 culturist. Then, too, labels have the ad- 

 vantage of being always accessible to ob- 

 servers, as a record (important in its place) 

 cannot be. With having all the 

 plants plainly labeled our grounds 

 become schools of horticulture to 

 all who visit them. The first question 

 we usually ask on seeing line speci- 

 mens of any kind, is "What is it V" 

 and the presence or absence of a plain 

 label often makes just the difference 

 between one's going away informed 

 on that point or not. The importance 

 of correct labeling in the orchard and 

 fruit garden is by far too often over- 

 looked. I venture to say that not one 

 orchard in ten is plainly labeled three 

 years after planting, a thing strange 

 indeed in view of the advantages and 

 slight cost of providing good labels. 



The labels from the nursery seldom 

 answer permanently. Usually they are 

 unpainted, so that the name soon washes 

 out; or the wire may be too light to endure. 

 for more than a few seasons, or the wood it- 

 self be so thin and weak as soon to become 

 detached from the wire. They also are us- 

 ually attached to the tree in a way that calls 

 for a word of caution against leaving them. 

 I refer to the fact of the wire being closely 

 drawn around the branch so that the label 

 may not shake off. If left in this shape the 

 chances are that by the growth of the 

 branch the wire must soon cut through the 

 young bark, and thus cause serious damage, 

 if not amputation of the part eventually. 



Some forms of good permanent labels oc- 

 cur in the accompanying Figure 41, a to d 

 being suitable for trees and shrubs, and c a 

 stake label for low plants. The first one, «, 

 is a common and satisfactory form if it is 

 well made. It consists of Pine, or Ked 

 t'edar wood, five or six inches long, an inch 

 or move wide, and one-fourth inch or .simie- 

 what less thick, punctured with a hole to 

 receive its wire at about three-fourths of an 

 inch from the end. Copper wire. No. 16, 

 should be used in this and other forms of 

 l)ermancnt labels. With painting this label 

 white and writing the name with a soft, 

 black pencil before the paint becomes dry 

 the name will last well for years. The 

 ne.xt three forms are zinc labels with and 

 without wires. These styles are in some re- 

 spects superior to wooden labels for per- 

 manent use. They are cheaper and are prac- 

 tically indestructible. Bestof all the writing 

 on them with a common lead pencil will 

 if exi)osed to the weather last for a life-time. 

 No painting or other preparation is neces- 

 sary beyond roughing the surface a little by 

 exposure to salt water, so as to take a 

 strong mark from the pencil. The forms c 

 and '/, consisting of merely a tapering strip 

 of zinc, about an inch wide at the broad 

 end, and six inches long, are secured to the 

 branch, the first by the simplest manner 

 possible of coiling the narrow end two or 

 three times around the branch, the other by 

 returning the end through a hole about the 

 middle of the label. The zinc label // has 

 the single mlvantage that by having llie 

 wire shorter or longer it can be attached to 



• Copyright, 188!, Popular Gardening PubUshlngCo. 



branches of any size. Refuse .scrap zinc 

 will make such labels by the hundred at al- 

 most no cost. 



In attaching lal)els to trees the important 

 point already hinted at of providing for the 

 future growth of the branch must not be 

 neglected. Style c provides for this for a 

 number of years through the coil 0|)eninK 

 as the growth advances. In the other cases 

 it is only nece.ssary to have the loop of such 

 size that numy years will pass before it can 

 become filled out. Of course in time it be- 

 comes necessary to provide a greater length 

 of wire or size of loop. 



The stake label <■ for low plants is a com- 

 mon form with the addition of a notch at 

 the side to prevent heaving by the frost 

 in winter. A good size to have is from an 



FIQ. 42. A VINE AND SHRUBBERY WALK. 



inch to an incli and a half square, and from 

 a foot to half as much more in length. 

 White Pine without sap is usually used, 

 but Ked Cedar is more durable. Such la- 

 bels should be planed, well painted with 

 white lead and linseed oil, and have the 

 name in lead pencil or black paint. Some 

 gardeners emjiloy a light stake as an up- 

 right and then use a zinc label for the 

 name, tacking this on the top of the stake. 



Selections 



OF Ornamental 

 Growths. 



WOODI' 



In the hardy trees, shrubs and vines 

 are to be found some of the finest and 

 most satisfactory forms of natural garden 

 beauty. As a class they possess a dignity 

 of character not common to any other forms 

 of growth. Planted as single specimens, or 

 in small or large groups, or to cover Viist 

 areas, and the fitness of trees and like 

 woody growths, for contributing nia.jestic 

 beauty to the landscape cannot he ques- 

 tioned, so long as sufficient openness is pre- 

 served to the surroundings for well showing 

 off their forms and charms. With the 

 greatest degree of propriety, therefore, they 

 may always be employed as ma.1or features 

 in the planting of any place of sufficient 

 size to accommodate their development, a 

 thing not as well to be said of most other 

 forms of useful and ornamental growths. 



.Starting out to make a selection of woody 

 growths for fnrni.shing a place, a matter of 

 first importance is to gain an adequate idea 

 of the large variety of materials at our com- 

 mand. In this it may truly be said that all the 

 world, in corresponding latitudes, contrib- 

 utes. The very fact that we may have in 

 our gardens actual representatives of the 

 growths common to other foreign lands, 

 even to the antipodes, should serve to render 

 the planting of our i)laces the more interest- 

 ing. It is eu.sy indeed to have a .lapanese, 

 Chinese, British. Siberian, etc.. etc., branch 

 of the garden by the use of hardy gi'owths 

 alone, say nothing of the chance to de- 

 velop this idea as applying even to tropical 

 lands by the aid of the glasshouse range. 



Not only is the great variety aftorded by 

 the different natural species of hardy trees, 

 etc., to be taken into account in making se- 

 lections, but the improved varieties of these 

 obtained by accident and through culture. 



numbering far up in the hundreds, arc 

 ((uite as imi)ortant to be considered. We 

 find for example no material in Nature so 

 extremely striking to the eye as an im- 

 ])roved Purple-leaved Beech, a Cut-leaved 

 (Jak, a Variegated Cornelian Cherry, and 

 many others. No one indeed can enter up- 

 on a full examination of the sub.iect of 

 material and the varied lieauty afforded in 

 different forms, sizes, habits and colors of 

 foliage and Howers without being impressed 

 with the fact of the too common meagerness 

 of assortments employed in the average 

 grounds of the people. 



As between the two familiar forms of or- 

 namental growths,trees aiidshrubs,too little 

 regard is yet paid by planters to the peculiar 

 value of the shrubs. This is especially 

 the case as regards their fitness for 

 °fc^ embellishing grounds of limited area. 

 'T= In beauty of form and foliage they 

 T equal the larger trees. Most of them 

 V' in addition to other merits produce 

 an abundance of flowers of great 

 beauty and sweetness, and in the dif- 

 ferent species yield a succession 

 throughout the season, while the ever- 

 green kinds are attractive both in 

 summer and winter. As a rule all the 

 shrubs grow easily, and after trans- 

 planting develop a full measure of 

 beauty in much less time than is re- 

 quired by trees. In good soil they take 

 hold quickly, and in a few years show 

 a development of beauty and charac- 

 ter scarcely excelled in after years, 

 though they may increase much in size. On 

 this and yet other accounts I am always 

 free to recommend a liberal use of the 

 flowering and other shrubs in planting 

 both large and small places. 



In deciding upon the trees, shrubs, etc., 

 to be used, a matter of prime importance is 

 to gain an idea of the size they respective- 

 ly will reach in time. If there is space 

 for a Lilac or Purple Fringe tree,for example, 

 an Elm or Walnut requiring many times 

 the space should not be chosen. The same 

 point affects also the distance apart at which 

 to plant. For this reason in bringing be- 

 fore my readers lists of hardy planting ma- 

 terial I have thought it desirable to indicate 



Fly. II. /,«lji/.s' 0/ Varitiux Funns. 



comparative sizes by the use of letters of 

 the alphabet as follows: 



A Indicates Trees, 00 feet and t'pwards High. 



lit) In m feet high, 



15 to ;» 



B to l.'i 



,5 to !l 



!l Id l.l 



r, to 11 



1 to S 



I indicates that the kind may be kept somewhat 

 reiiiiccd in Hize by |iiunin)?. 



J indicates sliglit tenckTiie.s.s in the North, espec- 

 ially when youug. 



It should, however, be understood that 

 such indications as to size can only be ac- 

 cepted as approximately correct, for varia- 

 tions of soil, climate and treatment have a 

 telling effect in causing variations of size. 



In the next issue I will begin an enumer- 

 ation of desirable shrubs, etc., arranged into 

 various clas.ses to facilitate selection. 



{To be continued next month.) 



