THE GE!!TESEE EAEMER. 



isr 



with great re<?ularity, with a yeUowish spray which 

 adds to its attractiveness when denuded of its leaves 

 It crows with great facility, bears clipping aswell 

 as the Buckthorn, and, so far as our experience 

 goes, is ciuite free from insects. _ . , ,, 



There are several varieties of the Privet, all very 

 pretty, but that which appears the hardiest and 

 succeeds best, is the yellow-berried, so called, the 

 berries of most of the others being black. As an 

 ornamental hedge, next to evergreens, w-e repeat 

 that this is the finest of all the hedge plants we 

 have yet seen for our climate. _ _ , , 



The Hoenbeam, {Garpinus ietuhis.)—ln England 

 tills is very extensively used for hedges and screens. 

 The growth is very strong, and as it retains its 

 desiccated foliage till spring, it affords a most excel- 

 lent protection from cold winter winds, while its 

 dry hanging leaves give it a warmer and more 

 clieerful appearance. It is perfectly hardy, trans- 

 plants very easily, bears the shears with impunity, 

 may be kept low as readily as the Hawthorn.— 

 It thrives in almost any soil. 



BORDER AND BEDDING PLANTS. 



The beginning of this month is the best time for 

 planting most of those hardy herbaceous perennials 

 commonly Imown as Border Plants, while the end 

 of the month is the proper time for setting out the 

 tender perennials called Bedding Plants. 



Border Plants are generally propagated by divi- 

 eion of the roots, though some, such as the Phlox, 

 may be grown from cuttings. Most of them 

 well deserve more attention than is generally shown 

 them. " 



Foremost among them comes the Phloxes, wmcti 



are divided into two divisions, the decussata and 



the mffruticosa, the one being dwarf and the other 



a tall grower. There are many varieties of colors, 



varying from white to purple or red, all of them 



showy, and very effective against fences or for a 



back ground for the smaller growing plants. 



DiELYTEA spECTABiLisis altogether the most unique 



and beautiful hardy plant yet introduced. It comes 



from China, and was introduced into England by 



Mr. Fortune, who has lately been solicited by the 



American Government to take another journey to 



China for the purpose of introducing those varieties 



of Tea most suitable for cultivation in the United 



States. Its flowers are borne in beautiful droopmg 



racemes, and are rose-colored. It requires the same 



treatment as a common Paeony, which it greatly 



resembles in its leaves and manner of groAvth. 



Fox Glove — Digatalis puri^urea. — This plant is 

 not much known, but is worthy a place in every 

 garden. Its flowers are borne in long spikes, and 

 are white, yellow, various shades of purple, and 

 variegated. 



Tlie PoTENTiLLAS are showy plants, looking very 

 like a strawberry. The flowers are crimson, white 

 and yellow of various shades. 



lEig. — There are many varieties of Iris that are 

 really splendid flowering plants, and they are yet 

 rare in American gardens. The great variety of 

 form and color that exist among them, coupled 

 with their extreme hardiness, makes them very 

 desirable plants, and a collection of them should 

 find its way into every good garden. 



Pansies.— These, if properly treated, are always 

 an ornament to the garden, flowering from early 

 spring tUl late in the autumn. They may be grown 

 from seed, but they are better grown from cuttings ; 

 and in this way, and by division of the roots, good 

 varieties may be perpetuated. They must be grown 

 in good soil, or they will degenerate and the flow- 

 ers become small. They prefer a rather shady spot. 

 Delphiniums.— These are taU-growing plants, 

 producing long spikes of flowers of difterent shades 

 of blue, pink, and white. They are useful for hiding 

 fences, or for interminglmg with flowering shrubs. 

 Besides these, there are many more well worthy 

 attention. They are hardy, and require no specua 

 care in cultivation ; and being once planted, and 

 kept clear of weeds, they come up every year and 

 flower strongly and persistently. Another advan- 

 tage in them is that generaUy their flowers^ are 

 unlike those of annuals and the tender perennials; 

 and by having a weU selected collection of them com- 

 bined with beddmg plants, a better eftect is produced 

 than would be with either class of plants alone. 



Yerbenas.— Among Bedding Plants, the Verbena 

 takes the lead. It is a tender perennial, creeping 

 in habit, and delights in warmth. It flowers pro- 

 fusely during the hottest weather in summer, and 

 the blooms are very lasting. They are borne m 

 trusses or umbles, and are of aU colors but yellow. 

 The plants can be procured of almost any nursery- 

 man, and should be planted the end of this month, 

 in good soil, and as soon as planted should be 

 pegged down, and they will root at the joints. 



The Petunia, too, is a valuable plant for masses. 

 It flowers very freely, and makes a great show 

 during the summer and autumn months, flowering 

 till killed by the frost. It can be grown from seed, 

 but it is better for the grower to get a few good 

 varieties of some reliable nurseryman. 



The Scarlet Geraniums are very useful plants 

 for summer decoration of gardens, and may be kept 

 for many years, if taken up on the approach of frost 

 and kept in the house during the winter. 



The Lantanas, Ageratums, Feverfews, and 

 Heliotropes, will also contribute to the general 

 display, if planted in rich soil and the ground kept 

 clean and mellow, and they may all be preserved 

 through the winter in the house, and planted out 

 again as soon as the weather becomes warm. _ 



Half-hardy bulbs, such as Gladiolii, Tigrideas, 

 and Tuberoses, may be planted the end of this 

 month They should be set in rows two teet apart 

 and six inches apart in the rows, or may be planted 

 in clumps or masses as fancy dii-ects. 



Bochester, K f. W. T. GOLDSMITH. 



THE SILVER FIR. 



Though not so graceful and beautiful as the 

 Norway Spruce, the Silver Fir {Picea pectinata) 

 is one of the noblest and handsomest of evergreens. 

 It rises to the height of from 160 feet to 180 feet, 

 with an erect stem, regularly furnished with whorls 

 of candelabrum-like branches. The trunk, in full 

 grown trees, is from 6 feet to 8 feet in diameter. 

 The branches stand out horizontally. The leaves 

 are of a darker green above than those of any other 

 fir, and underneath they have two white silvery 



