34 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



November, 



Evergreens as a Home Background. 



L. B. PIERCE, SUMMIT CO., O. 



The evergreen protection of my home is 

 in the form of a windbreak, the remains of 

 some evergreen nursery rows set about 11 

 years ago. There were four rows each of 

 Norway Spruce and American Arbor Vitie, 

 the latter being to the east of the former. 

 The sketch shows tlie group as it now e.xists, 

 separating the north side of tlie dooryard 

 from an orchard in the rear; its present form 

 comes from digging and selling trees at 

 random, as customers wanted them, until 

 too big to transplant; then the Spruces were 

 sawed for Christmas trees, and the Arbor 

 Vitse cut for evergreen trimming in summer. 

 The result is quite a pleasing variety of 

 ground outline on the eastern or doorway 

 side, and the sky outline, not shown in the 

 plan, is sufficiently varied not to be monoto- 

 nous, the path going to the back yard along 

 a nursery of Apple trees, f , to be removed. 



The space between the path and the ever- 

 greens, I propose to grade with a slight rise 

 to the west, and make the trees a background 

 for displaying flowering trees and shrubs, 

 and perennials. As shown by the lines, it is 

 nearly all in sight from the two windows on 

 the north side of the house, and also from 

 the street, I'i rods to the east. 



The planting is not all decided upon; it 

 includes a cut-leaved Weeping Birch at o ; 

 a variety of Syringas at c ; Chionanthus, 

 double Deutzia, and two white-flowered 

 Deutzias, at d; just north of the latter, I will 

 plant a white-flowering Dogwood between 

 the Arbor Vitajs, allowing it to push its 

 branches out here and there between them. 

 The si.x Arbor Vitses at h will be trained to 

 a single top, thus fonuing an arbor or sum- 

 mer house. Between the shrubbery at d, 

 and the path, will be a bed of double Holly- 

 hocks; skirting the shrubberry on the south- 

 east a narrow bed of double Zinnias. 



The rest of the space from d down past c, 

 will be kept in lawn / , while a bed of Chinese 

 Pasonies will come just north of /), and 

 other shrubs and herbaceous plants will be 

 planted in the nook southwest of c. No 

 attempt will be made to have everything 

 show from the house, but some planting 

 will be done with a view of affording pleas- 

 ant surprises, and giving added interest to a 

 ramble along the walk. 



At m, a group of Lilacs has been planted 

 with a plant each of E.xochorda grandiflora 

 and Clethra alnifolia; f, is a group, consist- 

 ing of Scotch Pine, Hemlock and an Ameri- 

 can Arbor Vitfe, planted ten years ago to 

 break the north wind, and, while the com- 

 bination is not to be recommended, it is now 

 too valuable to be cut down; g is a little 

 ornamental group put out six years ago, 

 and is composed of various evergreens of 

 unequal habit of growth, and has always 

 been pretty, the Fir being now about nine 

 feet high; by annual cutting back, I hope to 

 maintain a suitable relative height, as be- 

 tween the Fir and Hemlock, and the others, 

 for several years more, after which the 

 group will be remodeled or removed. 



It will be observed, that such a combina- 

 tion of windbreak and ornamental planting 

 might form the side of a half-acre lot instead 

 of the back, where accident has in this in- 

 stance located it, and where, including the 

 path, it occupies but 37 rods of ground; the 

 most of this, however, is lawn, as the trees 

 only use about 20 feet, for nearly one third 

 of the distance. 



If the house were at the Intersection of the 

 walks, and the street at n, then the wind- 

 break would form part of the ornamental 

 planting of the grounds. Of course the 

 present accidental arrangement could be 

 varied for the better, and other evergreens 

 substituted for the Arbor Vit»; Hemlock 

 corresponds better in color with the Norway, 

 but does not present quite as good a setting 



for the beauties of the small shrubs and 

 herbaceous perennial plants. 



Some Good Window Plants. 



E. P. POWELL, ONEIDA CO., N. T. 



Abutilons. The Abutilons have once more 

 come intostyle tor window plants, and there 

 is no reason why they should not stay in 

 style. Among the best varieties are Iais- 

 trous, a bright red; Boule de Neige and 

 Purity, white; Rosa^florum, pale Rose, and 

 the .splendid Thompsonil. But the value of 

 any plant depends on the opportunity it 

 offers to originate new sorts. Seedlings of 

 Abutilon grow easily and are interesting. 



Begonias. I wish every one would try a 

 ease of Begonias— a window case or a War- 

 dian case. Among the choicest new sorts 

 are Louis Chretien and Roi Leopold. The 

 tuberous rooted are also fine in variety— 



EvetureDis a« a Biuh(jnniu:l in Laun PUitiliii(i. 

 many of them double. Metallica is a noble 

 sort; but many of the older varieties are 

 exceedingly line. Rex Begonia is a clean 

 plant, seldom infested with insects and not 

 hard to grow. They can all be kept in the 

 shadier part of the window or conservatory. 

 Propagate by pressing a leaf into the surface 

 of the soil, and cut the spines partly through. 

 Fuchsias. The Fuchsia has never been 

 surpassed for grace and loveliness, both of 

 growth and color. This also may be propa- 

 gated from seed readily. Perhaps, however, 

 the ease of propagating the best older sorts 

 will detract from raising novelties. The 

 least bit of cutting of Fuchsia plant on wet 

 dirt or sawdust under a hand glass, or in a 

 Wardian case, will root. The Fuchsia is 

 easily managed, and prefers a back seat in 

 window or conservatory. Let them over- 

 hang the Lycopods or be among the Ferns. 



Philodendron. Oneof the finest vines for 

 the window is the Philodendron, a rope-like 

 vine that will extend itself for fifty feet 

 above your window or ceiling, bearing Palm- 

 like leaves with slits in, of half their length. 

 It bears a fine fruit, but will not be likely 

 to bloom in ordinary heat. I have seen it 

 in fruit in Shaw's garden at St. Louis — 

 under cover of course. It is curious, rich in 

 foliage and easily grown. 



Wax Plant. The Hoya is not nearly com- 

 mon enough. If well grown, and then left 

 without repotting for twenty years, it will 



summer. I have had one twining about the 

 ceiling of my conservatory with 1.50 clusters 

 of flowers at a time. Set the pot high up 

 and let it remain there. Water profusely 

 while in growth. The Hoya carnosa is the 

 best for common culture. 



Ageratu.m. The Ageratum is delightful 

 under all conditions— as a vase plant, a bed- 

 der, or a window plant. The Blue Sage 

 (Sidvio patens) is a flner blue, but not a 

 profuse bloomer. 



GEUANiitMS. Let us go back and get once 

 more in love with the dear old Pennyroyal, 

 Rose, Apple, and other sorts of scented Ger- 

 aniums. They have the advantage of be- 

 longing to health-giving plants— ozone 

 breeders. I am sure they are sanitary agents. 

 The Apple scented Is most delicious. 



Hydrangea. With these, why not bring 

 into vogue again the old Hydrangea horten- 

 sis. I have a distinct remembrance of two 

 boxes of this grand flower with over forty 

 clusters on each. It has the advantage of 

 being beautiful for two months. First it is 

 pink, then passes into a mottled green, not 

 at all lacking in beauty. Set it away in a 

 cellar during winter, watering lightly. 



Bridal Rose. The Bridal Rose, or double, 

 blooming Blackberry, a member of the 

 Rosacwa family, is incomparably beautiful. 

 I do not always succeed in bringing it to 

 perfection, but when it is at its poorest it is 

 fine; at its best it is a grand boquetof double 

 white Roses. Its name is appropriate. I 

 have had them to be one mass of elegant, 

 pure white bloom. 



Lilacs, Etc. But if you wish for real joy 

 in winter, fill your windows with Lilacs. 

 These should be small compact bushes, dug 

 in October or November, after the leaves 

 fall, and placed in the cellar. I cannot do 

 without a dozen of them. When one is 

 wanted, I box or pot it in clean garden soil 

 and water it well. It will do no harm to 

 prune back the roots and crowd them in 

 potting. Still you will need 12 to 15-inch 

 pots. Water with warm water daily and 

 freely, and in about three weeks you will 

 get the delicious odor through all the house. 

 It will pay also to have a few bushes of 

 Clethra, Deutzias, and Syringas. 



Window plants are a source of health if 

 they are themselves healthy; but if diseased, 

 you may be sure it is wiser to pitch them 

 out-of-doors. The dirt must also be free 

 from poisonous qualities, for not seldom 

 there is malaria in a flower pot. The pots 

 also should be thoroughly cleaned from 

 mildew, inside and out. 



A Few Good Bulbs for Under Glass. 



MAItY R. SPAMFIELD, CUYAHOGA CO., OHIO. 



To the many people who have but the 

 most ordinary means of caring for anything 

 in the line of flowers, during the winter, I 

 will explain how I managed to have the 

 small bit of glass I had, bright with bul- 

 bous blooms, from early February until 

 those from outside came along. 



My conservatory is simply a narrow lean 

 to on one side of the house.with two windows, 

 and a door opening into it from a warm 

 room. My object does not include forcing 

 anything, but to have them come along 

 naturally, so I find it quite easy to keep 

 frost and dampness out of the house, suffi- 

 ciently, to have my plants in very fair condi- 

 tion. 



The best early bulbs for my house are 

 Roman Hyacinth, Roman and Paper-white 

 Narcissus; some are potted as soon as they 

 can be obtained, and by this means flowers 

 can be had without using much artificial 

 heat. The Hyacinth being planted six, and 

 the Narcissus four in a pot. First to bloom 

 are the Hyacinths, then the Roman Narcis- 



sus, following which are the Paper-white, 

 repeat its grand florescence each spring and | As it has been impossible for me to do any- 



