1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



2^7 



dark red. The peeuliar depressions of the veins 

 give the leaves a eraiw-like appearance. The 

 plant is a free bloomer, produeinp: flowers that 

 are waxy white when opened, but in the bud the 

 color is bright red with a surface like plush. 

 The blooin appears in panicles which give the 

 plani a most attraetive appearance. 



Wintering Plants out doors, told frames for 

 wintering plants, unless covered so to keep out 

 snow and niin, are no protection, but on the 

 contrary, worse than useless. I once lost a lot 

 of line Pansy plants in this way: Not hartng 

 glass ready in the fall, poles were laid across the 

 frames and then covered with fine boughs; the 

 snow sifted through these and the heavy rains 

 that followed helped to form a solid cake of ice 

 inside, the frames acting like a vat to hold water. 

 The sash was put on early in the spring but not 

 soon enough to save the plants. The proper way 

 js to cover the frames with boards, or put on the 

 sash" in the fall when the weather becomes 

 cold, and then cover with straw or straw 

 matting to keep out the sun, till ready to 

 start the plants to growing in the spring.— 

 Jcnniaon. 



Bailroad Station Gardening. This should 

 be heartih- eneouraired. I believe it made 

 its start in the east, but it is becoming notice- 

 able in the west, especially at suburban 

 points. As yet, anything more than foliage 

 plants, in massing and ribbon gardening, is 

 rarely used; but the foliage plants are much 

 to be thankful for, and more pretentious 

 efforts will surely follow. I think it is real 

 nice to have 'the name of the station in 

 plant-letters, though the foliage may not 

 be grouped quite so well as perfect taste 

 would have it; it is a refreshing sight to the 

 traveler; it makes "looking for the stations'' 

 a decided pleasure. And when one has to 

 wait for the train, he isn't half civlhzed if the 

 foliage lettering and massing does not make 

 him an enthusiastic convert to railroad 

 station gardening.— John M.StaM. 



The Queen of Antamn. The Chrysanthe- 

 mum is truly the people's flower, and every- 

 body may grow and bloom it to perfection. 

 The beginner should procure some good 

 old early sort of dwarfish habit, plant them 

 out in good rich soil on the east or south 

 side of a fence or building, keep them 

 cultivated by stirring the soil, and watered, 

 never too wet, never too dry, and by September 

 25th build a harbor about them, which may be of 

 any ordinary boards, line it with paper, and pro- 

 vide a cover of windows or boards protecting 

 from night frosts, removing the cover early ev- 

 ery morning, watering early in the morning, and 

 being sure the leaves are dry before covering in 

 at evening. Dwarfish sorts may be planted one 

 foot apart in May or June, cut back once to six 

 inches high and thereafter allowed to grow. 

 I/eave the strong growers, late bloomers, new 

 comers, and novelties for those with experience 

 and better prepared for growing them.— Joh)! 

 Lane, cliicayo. 111. 



Chryaanthemums in a Snuer Harbor. Calling 

 upon a neighbor to see his Chrysanthemums, I 

 was led up to a rough-looking box about 16 feet 

 long by 4 feet wide and same height. Said he: 

 " See my snug harlior, just rough boards, lined 

 with old carpet, lining paper tacked on at the top 

 only, the end bottom boards removable and down 

 during the day time to allow airing below, boards 

 covering it at night and keeping the frost away 

 — alK)ut fifty plants, all one sort, set in June, cut 

 back once only; don't they look fine ? " 'Tis a 

 sight to behold, the many hundreds of buds just 

 opening showing color, above the bright green 

 leaves lielow them— a perfect success— the flow- 

 ers will be very fine. "Yes, I had the same last 

 year, the flowers came large and perfect, and 

 they kept coming. As we cut the first blooms, 

 others came from lower down— last year they 

 came into bloom about October 12th and kept 

 coming for six weeks." Earlj- kinds can be grown 

 thus with success and this kind seems at home 

 here — 'tis Chrj'santhemum " Mary Edd,'' of 

 dwarfish growth, profuse blooming, pure white, 

 medium size. It is largely grown here by the 

 florists for cut flowers. It is an old sort, was 

 brought here IH years ago. No new comer equals 

 it for early cut blooms.— Joftii Lane. Chicago. Ill, 



Ivy Geraniums. These beautiful plants are 

 growing more and more in popularity, and de- 

 servedly so; for they have been so improved 

 that some are real beauties. They are alike use- 

 ful for hanging baskets to droop, or In pots to 



train on trellis. Some have got so used to grow- 

 ing them in pots and baskets, that they never 

 think of liedding them out like other Geraniums. 

 Vet they are splendid plants for bedding pur- 

 poses, and grow very comi»act when set in the 

 open ground There is a freshness about them 

 that makes them charming, and the peculiar 

 scent of the leaves is a pleasure in itself. As 

 house plants they want good light, good soil, and 

 well-drained pots, and they should not be allow- 

 ed to become pot-bound. The following are 

 some good standard varieties : Jeanne d'Arc. 

 Pretty double white flower. A good growing 

 variety. La Bosiere, like the above except in 

 color which Is a beautiful rose. Galilee, a fine 

 sort with very large florets, color a lovely salmon 

 pink. Eden Marchi. This is a perfect gem semi- 

 double, and ought to lie in all collections of 

 plants. JIme. Thebaut, another grand variety- 

 L'Elegant, prized for the beautiful leaves'it has. 



METALLIC-LtAVED BEGONIA. 



and its white bloom is also pretty. Horace du 

 Cholseul ; Josephine Hohenzollern; La Prin- 

 temps ; Gem ; Segrier ; Anna Phitzer ; and Rob- 

 ert Fortune are all good.— G. Basting Diemer. 



A Convenient Potting Bench. It is surprising 

 how many ladies that keep plants get along 

 without any arrangement on which to do their 

 potting, but will year after year get down on the 

 ground in search for dirt to pot their plants. 

 Now this is a disagreeable way of doing what 

 might be a real pleasure. For I enjoy repotting 

 plants when everything necessary is at hand, but 

 what a bother when one must go for a pot here, 

 and some broken crock there, and so on for the 

 different Ingredients for potting soil, and then 

 no place to do it handily. A simple contrivance 

 will save a good deal of ve.xation and facilitate 

 the work greatly, and a better job can be done. 

 Have four posts I pieces of scantling or some- 

 thing lighter ) cut as high as you want to stand 

 up comfortly; then nail boards eight inches 

 wide around. It will then have the appearance 

 of a table with the top taken off. Then put in a 

 bottom, and then you have a bench. Now if you 

 want a place for soil and pots etc., nail some 

 boards around the legs. And it you want some 

 shade you can run up four posts and nail boards 

 around and on top. Drive some nails inside of 

 this to hang a pair of scissors and strings and a 

 hammer and one on which to hang a hanging 

 basket while filling it or making it over. This 

 position will prevent the chains from getting 

 tangled, and prove quite a satisfaction. Have 

 your potting bench in a handy place, in a shed or 

 summer kitchen or arbor, and whenever you 

 have good soil, pots, or broken crockery, put it 

 there, and when you have potting or repotting 

 to do can find things ready.— G. Baiting Diemer. 



New York Floral Notes. 

 Trade is begiiuDing to look up a little now, and 

 flowers are improving in price as the cool weath- 

 er drives stragglers back to town. The street 

 venders selling Golden Rod and Asters have been 

 crowded out by the autumn leaf man, and the 

 same gorgeous foliage decorates some of the 

 florists' windows. Roses are greatly improved in 



quality, as well as price; prospects are favorable 

 for good crops, in spite of the unfavorable season. 

 There is complaint of a good deal of loss in 

 Carnations; the excessive damp has in many 

 cases rotted the roots. More than one grower 

 has seen his Carnation beds regular swamps for 

 the greater part of thesummer. Another trouble 

 which resulted in loss among Koses was the rav- 

 ages committed by cock-chafer grubs; when in 

 the fresh sod used in Rose borders they eat off 

 the newly set-out plants. One grower com- 

 plained of having re-planted a bed of Perles three 

 times, because of this pest. The third time the 

 sod was carefully scrutinized, and the grubs de- 

 stroyed. Insects of all kinds have been particu- 

 larly annoying this season, as is usually the case 

 when there is wet weather. 



As for flowers, it looks as if there would be a 

 very large crop of Roses, and there is no sign of 

 their diminishing in popularity. A good many 

 Papa Gontiers will be grown in spite of the 

 objection to its habit of dropping its leaves; 

 a good many consider that this fault only 

 occurs when spider is present. 



It is noticeable now that very few women 

 ^re wearing flowers on the street; where one 

 woman wears a corsage bunch, a dozen men 

 wear single Carnations in their coats; a re- 

 versal of three or four years ago. 



Some of the autumn weddings have, as 

 usual, displayed a graceful use of autumn 

 foliage in their decorations. But it is im- 

 possible to mix flowers with this foliage, 

 without destroying the grace of both. Dec- 

 orations, so far, have shown no decided 

 originality; there is the usual mixture of big 

 Roses, Smilax, Asparagus, and Palms. Earlier 

 in the season, the most effective work was 

 done with big masses of Otaksa Hydrangea, 

 which was finer this year than ever before. 



Some very pretty wall or screen decora- 

 tions this summer have been made by twin- 

 ing tennis nets with flowers, vines and 

 blossoms being stuck into the meshes of the 

 net. Probably this originated in the brain 

 of some festhetic but frugal woman who 

 wished to do her own decorating, but the 

 Idea is quite pretty enough to be gratefully 

 regarded by the florists. The prettiest way is 

 so to arrange the flowers that the meshes of 

 the net are occasionally seen. This was done 

 at the Blaine-McCormick wedding. 

 Nothing very novel has teen noted In table 

 garnishing, but the custom of confining the dec- 

 oration to one variety or one color of flower stUl 

 continues. Although not at all new, a flat basket 

 or bowl of Allamanda bordered by Ferns, is still 

 recognized for its beauty, especially where yel- 

 low is the prevailing color in the table apoint- 

 ments, Perle Roses and Buttercup Carnations 

 may be used as favors with the Allamanda. 



Some teautif ul decorations have been arranged 

 with Cattleyas, Heliotrope and Purple Pansies. 

 Such an arrangement on a table lighted by can- 

 dles with Violet >hades is the perfection of re- 

 fined elegance. Luncheon arrangements are 

 rather more simple than they were; ostentatious 

 decoration at such a would-be simple entertain- 

 ment is regarded as vulgar. A single bowl of 

 flowers, with flower favors for the guests, is the 

 recognized style. 



It is noticeable that while floral fashions in the 

 great cities, such as New York, Boston, and so 

 on, change greatly year by year, they remain at 

 the same dead level of commonplace in smaller 

 towns, even among those regarded as important. 

 That crowning horror for a bouquet, a paper 

 frill, is often demanded by people who surely 

 ought to know better, and it is of no earthly use 

 for the florist to protest against it. Again one 

 would surely think it time that lettering on de- 

 signs was done away with, but it seems in demand 

 as much as ever, out of large cities, and indeed 

 city florists are called on to do a good deal of it, 

 except those whose trade is only among people 

 of exclusive taste. Among out-of-town florists, 

 the pillow is the design most called for, and 

 almost invariably people want it disfigured by 

 letters. 



A beautiful funeral wreath recently seen was 

 entirely made of loosely arranged pale purple 

 Heliotrope, with a knot of Perle Roses at one 

 side. Next to the plaque or pall, the most beau- 

 tiful design for laying on the eoflin is a flat bou- 

 quet about three feet long, made of Roses and 

 other flne flowers laid on a back ground of Ferns 

 and Palm-leaves. It is tied together with a sash 

 of white ribbon. 



Emilt Locise Taplis. 



