I 70 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



The Aster — Its Culture for the 

 Greatest Beauty. 



For brilliancy and gorgeousness of color 

 and display, few easily cultivated flowers 

 equal, and none exceed the modern Aster. 

 In the production of new and improved va- 

 rities during the last 15 or 30 years, special- 

 ists really have done wonders, and the gen- 

 eral public should learn to realize the fact. 



A bed of choice Asters, arranged vrith 

 taste, and with a judicious blending of 

 colors, is in its season, an object of never 

 ceasing admiration, the only drawback 

 being its naturally somewhat late and short 

 season of bloom. This can in a measure be 

 remedied by starting the plants under glass, 

 if very early 

 (in March) 

 with heat; if 

 not until 

 April, in cold 

 frame. If but 

 few plants 

 are needed, a 

 pan of good 

 rich loam in 

 a sunny 

 kitchen win- 

 dow will do 

 for starting 

 inem. 



The plants 

 when a few 

 weeks old 

 may be trans- 

 pi a t e d in 

 small pots, 

 or in other 

 boxes, given 

 them more 

 space, the 

 aim being to 

 make them 

 grow stocky, 



and to har- 



denthem ~^ ^' 



enough for 

 outdoor life. 



When danger from freezing is past, the 

 plants should be set in the open ground. 

 A deep and very rich loam and plenty of 

 moisture alone can support them well 

 enough to bring out the desired profusion 

 of bloom during the season; and since the 

 roots run rather near the surface, a mulch 

 of forest leaves (best after having been used 

 as absorbents in the stable) or other litter, 

 is of great benefit, and in a dry season next 

 to indispensable. Applications of liquid 

 manure will be of considerable help, and 

 weak solutions of nitrate of soda, as bloom 

 producing applications, deserve a trial. 



Of the numerous varieties the Dwarf As- 

 ter, especially the pure white, is above all 

 of interest to the commercial florist as a 

 prolific source of handsome and delicate cut 

 flowers, which he can produce at any time 

 at will, by sowing seed at the corresponding 

 time. To this class belong the Dwarf 

 Bouquet, Pompon, Dwarf Chrysanthemum- 

 Flowered, Pyramidal Bouquet, etc., type 

 shown at the right of our illustration. 



Another class shown at the left, is repre- 

 sented by Paeony-Flowered, Perfection, Vic- 

 toria, Giant Emperor, and other fine Asters, 

 some with petals incurving to the center, 

 others recurving to the edge, and all in 

 every imaginable tint of color. In center 

 of illustration we see the elegant and state- 

 ly Crown Aster, its white center sur- 

 rounded by a broad margin of color. 



The general public, when speaking of 

 " Asters," have in mind the rather inferior 

 flower of 35 years ago, and have no inkling 

 of the beauty of the Asters of to-day. They 

 deserve a fair trial, and the person who con- 

 sents to give it, will not regret it. 



We are also glad to note that the time 

 when foreign florists had a sort of mono- 



poly on the~ Aster and its improvements, 

 is now past, some of our own'specialists 

 having taken hold of the matter with great 

 energy. We believe in home production, and 

 shall not fail to^give every encouragement 

 to people, who, like Faxonfwith Asters and 

 Pansies, or March with Cauliflowers, at- 

 tempt to free us from the necessity of de- 

 pending on foreign seeds, that might be 

 grown here as good, and as cheap as a broad. 



A Word fori ourVNative Hemlock 

 (Abies Canadensis.) 



L. F. ABBOTT, ANDROSCOGGIN CO, ME. 



I fully agree with Mr. Reed as to the 

 beauty of our native evergreens when trans- 



SPECIMENS OF WELL GROWN ASTERS. 



planted to the lawn and properly trimmed. 

 One of the most satisfactory trees for a com- 

 pact^growing hedge or for individual speci- 

 mens singly or in eliimps, occupying a cor- 

 ner or center of an area, is our native Hem- 

 lock Abies Canadensis. Closely set and 

 properly trimmed it forms a handsome 

 hedge, an object of beauty winter and sum- 

 mer. The Hemlock is what may be termed 

 a slow grower, yet by proper attention to 

 shortening the side growth, and allowing 

 the terminal shoots to grow their own way, 

 three or four young trees grouped upon a 

 space two or three feet in diameter, will 

 make a beautiful broad-based column of 

 dark-green foliage, 10 to 15 feet in height, 

 in a few years, in congenial soil. 



Trimmed in conical form, giving the lower 

 branches access to light and air, thus en- 

 couraging twig-growth, the graceful habit 

 of slightly drooping foliage will be retained 

 without the fault of bare lower trunks. 

 Young trees set in clumps should have the 

 branches pointing to the center of the circle 

 cut back close enough at time of setting so 

 as not to crowd each other, but leaving the 

 outer branches nearly intact. By a little care 

 in selecting trees for this form of planting, 

 the necessity of cutting may be obviated by 

 setting the side with greater amount of 

 branches outward. 



Any form of trimming our native ever- 

 green trees (Norway spruce, Abies exceJsa 

 also) which departs from the conical, 

 favoring a broad base with a graceful oval 

 shape to its top, will be at the expense of 

 beauty and the desirable feature of hedge- 

 solidity, and close branching to the ground 

 which are so very desirable. 



In our nothern latitudes, spring is the only 

 time to set evergreens with a surety of suc- 



cess. Nursery-grown trees are far surer to 

 live than those from the forests or pastures, 

 although, with care in digging and re-set- 

 ting, 85 per cent, of the latter will live, pro- 

 viding trees are selected not larger than 

 from one foot to two feet and a half in 

 height. If possible, choose a cloudy or 

 damp day to remove evergreens, never a 

 clear or windy one, unless properly prepared. 

 As a rule little earth will adhere to the 

 roots of evergreens when taken up in the 

 pastures, hence greater necessity of afford- 

 ing all the protection to the roots possible, 

 as the roots of the Hemlock and Spruce are 

 long and fine, and quickly efllected by a 

 drying atmosphere. As fast as the little 



trees are dug, 

 let them be 

 carried to the 

 cart and 

 covered with 

 damp straw 

 or cloth satu- 

 rated for the 

 purpose. 



The most 

 satisfactory 

 results will 

 be attained 

 by making 

 the ground 

 mellow and 

 fine for sever- 

 al feet in 

 width where 

 your line of 

 trees are to 

 be set, then 

 open a shal- 

 low trench 18 

 or 30 inches 

 wide; and it 

 a liberal 

 amount of 

 rotten leaves 

 and surface 

 soil from the 

 woods can be 

 covered in Immediately upon the roots of 

 the evergreens, it will be found congenial 

 to their wants in starting. This kind of 

 soil thoroughly saturated with water will 

 hold its moisture for a long time, and 

 covered in by the soil from the trench will 

 afllord excellent conditions for the trees to 

 start and their continuance afterwards. 



But little cutting will be necessary the 

 first two years other than to clip old strugg- 

 ling growth, and if any individual trees 

 push upward faster than their companions, 

 the top should be shortened to keep the 

 whole fairly on a level. A mulching of 

 leaves, Piue needles and soil taken from the 

 woods will be an advantage to the young 

 trees if applied each fall for a year or two. 



A Valuable Bedding Plant.— Acalypha 

 musaica. 



JAMES CURBIE, MILWAUKEE CO., WIS. 



Of the hosts of different plants cultivated 

 for ornament but a very limited number are 

 thoroughly adapted for outdoor decoration 

 in our climate. Every year we see an in- 

 crease in the number of flower beds around 

 private houses and in our public parks and 

 cemeteries. Still it is always desirable to 

 add to the varieties of plants so used. 



For two or three beds only we have no 

 better plants than the many excellent Gera- 

 niums, Verbenas, Petunias, Coleus, Alter- 

 nantheras etc.; but when more extensive 

 bedding is done stiU others are needed to 

 prevent monotony. 



A few years ago my attention was directed 

 to Acalypha musaica as a bedding plant. I 

 obtained some plants and gave them the ex- 

 posure and treatment bedding plants are 

 ordinarily subjected to. The result was most 



