1 886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



tends to make it somewhat (•ommon in 

 localities where a raife for it once exists. 

 The object of this article, is to impress 

 the fact, that there are many other species 

 and varieties of the Clematis now offered by 

 our nurserymen and florists. While few, if 

 any of these can produce an cqvially large 

 quantity of bloom with the Jackmanii, they 



67 



and then plants by tliem. Then the won- 

 der very often is, why we lind so little real 

 attraction in our own plantings. 



It is our desire, to show by the aid of the 

 accom]ianying two drawings, and^'a few 

 brief remarks, that it is 



in one or the other of the lists; perhaps .some 

 of our readers with wide e.xperience in plant 

 culture, would .substitute others or change 

 them about in the classes. We invite them 

 to do .so, and at some future time will be 



Fig, 1, Grounds Planted in a Stiff Style, Everything 

 in Straight Lines, 



are all attractive, and some, we think, are 

 even handsomer, because flowering not in 

 such solid sheets of bloom. Our eye finds 

 more satisfaction, for instance, in se\-eral 

 scores of the large white flowers of Otto 

 Fra'bel, or the pale la vander blossoms of Mrs. 

 James Bateman, scattered over a given sur- 

 face, than in several hundred of the smaller 

 flowers of .Jackmanii, over a similar area. 

 This is esjiecially true, after having become 

 somewhat sated with the — in a degree — 

 monotonous beauty of the latter. 



Our growers are offering altogether some 

 dozens of different Clematises that are well 

 adapted to- this country. The colors range 

 from white, through French gray, lavender, 

 reddish purple, claret, violet purple to 

 mulberry black. By employing other col- 

 ors largely, and not the violet purple of the 

 Jackmanii almost alone, you will at 

 lea.st have the satisfaction in time to come, of 

 not having it .said that your Clematises are 

 "like everybody else's," while the greater 

 variety in color will be sure to be pleasing. 



Straight Lines or Not, in Ornamental 

 Planting. 



Nature never arranges trees and plants in 

 straight lines, it is man who does this. Na- 

 ture displays lessons everywhere on how to 

 dispose of the beautiful material she gives 

 us in trees, vines and flowers, for creating 

 effects to satisfy the eye and mind. Man 

 takes of the same material, and .seemingly 

 with a lofty contempt of nature's suggestions, 

 {as if that good dame did not know best how 

 to arrange the material she offers) lays off 

 squares and rows, and circles, and sets slakes 

 exactly in every fair-sized center, and at ex- 

 actly the same distance apart on the lines, 



so utterly disregard the teachings of nature 

 in the matter of arran.ging. We want to 

 impress the idea, that the straight line in 

 general planting should usually be dropped, 

 as being at the bottom of most of our un- 

 satisfactory planting. 



Figure 1 shows home grounds, as often 

 met, and which are planted with ornamental 

 trees, shrubs and flowers, mostly arranged in 

 straight lines. Figure 3 shows the same 

 grounds planted with similar material, but 

 with nothing set in straight lines. This we 

 call the natural style of planting. Even the 

 walk leading from the street to the house, is 

 made to conform to the laws of beauty, as set 

 forth in graceful curves. 



It does not need more than a careful glance 

 at these two plans, to show how well the 

 natural style of arrangement is adapted to 

 small grounds, and how vastly superior it is 

 to the stiff, straight-line style for affording 

 real satisfaction. Study figure 3 and one 

 may find even here on a small plat, that 

 strength of character, that freedom, that 

 breadth and openness, which give to the 

 natural landscapes and woods their greatest 

 charms. In figure 1 these are largely absent. 

 Let another important point be noticed in 

 the two plans shown. While" there is 

 precisely the same breadth of lawn between 

 the house and the boundarj' on each side, in 

 the two, there seems to be a much larger 

 area on all sides (observe especially to the 

 front and rear of the house) in figure 3 than 

 in the other. This is a matter of great signfi 

 cance, for if one can lay out, plant and keep 

 up a lawn of jvist one acre to appear as large 

 as an adjoining plat that is really one and 

 one- half acres, and requiring such a surface to 

 be prepared, mo\\ed and otherwise kept up, 

 that certainly is a great gain, say nothing of 

 the beauty. And such a gain always presents 

 itself in .some degree in natural plantations 

 over more formal styles of arrangement. 



Let us in conclu.siou lay down the three 

 fundamental principles involved in natural 

 arrangement, so that all our readers may be- 

 come familiar with, and apply them in 

 practice. First, absence of straight lines. 

 so far as all leading features are concerned 

 (in .some future number we will take up this 

 matter further, and show where the straight 

 and geometric lines in planting may be ap- 

 plied). Second, arrangements mainly in ir- 

 regular clumps or open groves (.see upper 

 right hand corner), with each class of growths 

 such as shrubs, evergreens, etc., mostly by 

 themselves. Third, the presence of open 

 central areas of lawn here and there in con- 

 spicuous parts. This last matter is one of 

 the most important, that can engage the 

 attention of planters, and yet it seems to be 

 the one most freciueiitly disregarded. 



great mistake to , glad to publish their suggestions. 



At any rate no one can go much amiss, to 

 rely directly upon the selections here ma<!e. 



Fig, 2. The same Grounds Arranged More Naturally, 

 with Nothing Set in Straight Lines. 



Adaptability, ease of management and at- 

 tractiveness, were the leading points kept in 

 mind in making up these lists: 



10 HOUSE PLANTS 



Aspidistras. 



Calla. 



Gt?raniums. 



Ivies. 



Pandanus or Screw Pine. 



WE CLASS AS BEST. 



Begonias, flowering. 

 Fieus or Rubber Tree. 

 Hyacinths. 

 Oxalis rosea. 

 Tradescantias. 



30 HOUSE PLANTS 



Abelias. 



Amaryllises. 



Cobsea .Scaudeus. 



Farfugium grande. 



Laurustinus. 



Myrtle ( Myrtus 1. 



Petunia. 



Pttris Ferns. 



Tulips. 



Narcissus. 



30 



Popular Gardening's Select Lists of 

 House Plants, 



To aid our readers, and especially the in- 

 experienced, in the work of making good se- 

 lections of house plants, lierewith are offered 

 three lists of what we can recommend as 



HOUSE PLANTS 



Abutilons. 



Al,vssuni. 



.\zaleas. 



Carnations. 



Chrysanthemums. 



C.vpe ruses. 



Cytisus. 



German Ivy. 



Hydrangea 



Lemon or Orange. 



Lycopodium. 



Mignonette. 



Palms. 



Peristrophe. 



Solainnns, itc. 



WE CLASS AS 3nd BEST. 

 Agapanthus. 

 Cactuses. 



Dracaenas (Cordyliue,). 

 Fuchsias. 

 Maurandya. 

 Oleander. 

 Primrose. 

 Roses. 

 Vallota. 

 Wa.\- Plant. 



WK CLASS AS 8kD HEST. 

 AraUa. 



.\ucuba~Gold Dust Tree 

 Balsam. 



Catalonian Ja.samiue. 

 Cuphea-Cigar Plant. 

 C.velamens. 

 Eiiouymus. 

 HeIiotroi>e. 

 Lan tanas. 

 Lobelia. 

 Mahernia. 

 Neprolepis Fern. 

 Pittosporum. 

 Richardia. 

 .Stocks. 



Beyond these selections, there are many 

 other plants, which tho.se who are well 

 versed in plant culture woidd succeed with 

 about the house, under fair circumstances, 



among the best, if not the very best plants and which all plant growers might try with 

 suitable for this jjurpose— sixty altogether, some hope of success. Neither has any 

 It may be that we have skipped scmie very 1 special reference been made, to kinds that 

 excellent ones which ought to be included ; are suitable for the fernery orWardian ca.se. 



