2672 



PLANTING 



PLANTING 



work has been undertaken along the shore of Lake 

 Michigan, just north of Chicago. A consistent plan 

 for the development of this particular shore has been 

 advocated. 



There are few books devoted wholly to the problem 

 of seashore planting, and much experimenting is yet to 

 be done. See "Seaside Planting of Trees and Shrubs," 

 by Alfred Gaut (England) and "Gardens Near the 

 Sea," by Alice Lounsberry. WARREN H. MANNING. 



Succulent plants and their culture. 



Succulents are fleshy plants of many kinds, but 

 forming a cultural group well known as such to gardens. 

 They are grown mostly for their striking or grotesque 

 usually condensed form, and not for the verdurous 

 character of foliage and spray; and some of them are 

 notable for their showy bloom. 



Thi? aggregation of plants is comprised of genera 

 and species of several very remotely related families. 

 Cactaceae, perhaps, contains the largest number of 

 genera and species belonging to this group, although 

 not all members of the family are strictly succulent in 



3014. A formal bedding design in succulents. 



habit. Next in point of number is undoubtedly Amaryl- 

 lidacese, represented by Agave and Furcraea, with 

 Euphorbiacese as a close third, represented almost 

 wholly by the great genus Euphorbia, although a few 

 species of Pedilanthus are to be included. Crassulaceae 

 comprises a large number of genera and species, nearly 

 all of which are succulent in habit of growth, although 

 comparatively few genera are common in cultivation. 

 Conspicuous among these crassulaceous things may be 

 listed Bryophyllum, Cotyledon, Crassula, Echeveria, 

 Kalanchoe, Sedum, and Sempervivum. In Asclepiada- 

 cese the group is represented chiefly by Stapelia, 

 although, to a limited extent, one finds in cultivation 

 representatives of Caralluma, Ceropegia, Duvalia, 

 Echidnopsis, and Heurnia. Bromeliacese gives two 

 genera, Dyckia and Hechtia. Liliaceae contributes 

 Aloe, Apicra, Gasteria, Haworthia, and a compara- 

 tively small number of species of Yucca. The great 

 family of Composite has representatives in a section 

 of the genus Senecio. By some authors this group of 

 senecios is considered as having generic standing under 

 the name Kleinia. 



In their wild forms, succulents are native to widely 

 separated geographical areas, for the most part being 

 indigenous to the arid or semi-arid regions of Asia, 

 Africa, North and South America, and the West 

 Indies. They have this in common, however, that the 

 climatic and soil conditions of these remote habitats are 

 comparable and such as to induce just the characteris- 

 tic growths that these plants exhibit. For this reason 

 they are usually brought together, in cultivation, and 

 given the same or very similar treatment. 



The use of succulents. 



Many of the succulents are very attractive and 

 ornamental grown either as single specimens, in groups 

 of one class, or when different genera and species are 

 brought together in mixed planting. For the most part 



the agaves are too large and bulky to be used to 

 advantage other than as single specimens and a few 

 species are not uncommonly employed in this way. 

 Among these may be mentioned Agave picta, the varie- 

 gated forms of A. americana, A. atrovirens, and A. 

 Milleri. They are commonly grown in tubs to facilitate 

 handling. Thus treated, they are housed in winter 

 and in summer are placed in some favorable location 

 on the lawn. Some of the best yuccas are hardy as far 

 north as New England and the lake region. Yucca 

 filamentosa, Y. gloriosa, and Y. glauca have received 

 considerable attention. They are attractive as single 

 specimens, in small groups on the lawn, or when used 

 as border plants with a shrubbery background. In 

 summer they produce large panicles of showy white 

 waxy flowers which are very striking throughout the 

 daytime and are especially so by twilight. The foliage 

 being evergreen gives an added value to the plants 

 for winter effects. A considerable number of this 

 group of plants is well adapted for use in window- 

 gardens. The very grotesqueness of some and the 

 remarkable symmetry of others appeal to one's interest 

 as much as do many gaudy and highly colored flowers 

 of other classes of plants. Furthermore, 

 a large proportion of these plants produce 

 very excellent flowers, and frequently the 

 resulting fruits are equally showy. Among 

 the species valuable for individual pot- 

 plants may be mentioned the following. 

 Nearly all the echeverias are attractive in 

 both foliage and flower characters. The 

 globose and stemless rosette forms of 

 sempervivum, commonly known as hen- 

 and-chickens, are especially noteworthy. 

 The production of numerous offsets and 

 these appearing from beneath the foliage of 

 the parent are very interesting and suggest 

 the application of the common name. 

 A very large number of the smaller cacti deserve 

 consideration. The crown of flowers, followed by a 

 like crown of colored fruits, is particularly pleasing. 

 The numerous species of stapehas are easily grown 

 and in the autumn produce a variety of strikingly showy 

 flowers. Their one objectionable feature is the dis- 

 agreeable odor of the freshly opened flowers, but this 

 passes away in a very short time, while the flowers 

 remain open for several days. 



Not all the succulents lend themselves well to orna- 

 mental planting, although many can be thus used and 

 very pleasing effects are produced. The small globular 

 and short cylindrical cacti, with their great diversity 

 in color of the plant-body and of the spines, give ma- 

 terial for very effective combinations in design work. 

 They have this advantage over foliage plants used in 

 such work, inasmuch as their growth is so slight that the 

 plants may be placed close together at the beginning 

 and, without any special subsequent care, the design 

 thus formed will retain its full outline throughout the 

 season. A suggestion of the possibility of using cacti 

 in this way is to be seen in the accompanying illus- 

 tration (Fig. 3014). For this class of planting echeverias 

 are undoubtedly the best material obtainable. The 

 individual plants are equally as symmetrical and 

 pleasing as the "cacti, and the range of color variations 

 among the species is fully as great. They have the 

 added advantage that they can be propagated more 

 easily and more abundantly than is possible with cacti. 

 When a large number of mixed genera and species of 

 succulents is available, exceptionally attractive plant- 

 ings may be produced by a combination of these hi 

 more natural rather than formal designs. (Fig. 3015.) 

 These appear to best advantage when planted among 

 rocks and the soil surface covered over with gravel and 

 sand. Such treatment not only gives a more natural 

 appearance to the planting but is advantageous because 

 it keeps the plant-bodies from coming in contact with 



