8 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



JuxE 9, 1910. 



HARDY PLANTS FOR BORDERS. 



[An extract from a paper by Arthur E. 

 Tliatcher, of Arnold Arboretum, read before tUe 

 Boston Gardeners' and Florists' Club. Continued 

 from the KeTiew of June 2.] 



Favorite Bulbous Plants. 



No plants, and certainly none of a 

 bulbous character, have more devoted ad- 

 herents than the lilies, and though many 

 new ones have been introduced during 

 recent years, I do not suppose there are 

 any so deserving of general cultivation 

 as Mr. Wilson's Chinese introductions. 

 As these have been fully described in the 

 press, I need not deal at length with 

 them, but they cannot be too strongly 

 recommended to those who desire good, 

 hardy, vigorous-growing varieties. Hen- 

 ryi, leucanthiemum, Bakerianum and 

 myriophyllum are additions to any flower 

 border and succeed best in a good loamy 

 soil, with ample' drainage. 



Another beautiful class of bulbs, sec- 



ond only to the lilies in importance, are 

 montbretias, and these, by hybridizing, 

 have been greatly improved of late. The 

 newer sorts will probably not prove so 

 hardy in New England as the older va- 

 rieties, such as crocosmaeflora and Pottsii, 

 but it is a simple matter to lift them and 

 store in a cool cellar for the winter. 

 Such varieties as Hereward, Prometheus, 

 King Edmund, Norvic, Westwick, Lady 

 Hamilton, St. Botolpli, George \ Davison 

 and Lord Nelson all have flat, open flow'- 

 ers, which measure from three to four 

 inches in diameter and are produced 

 freely on strong, branching stems. I do 

 not know of any plants, unless it is the 

 florists ' pentstemons, which produce such 

 a beautiful display through the summer 

 and autumn months. 



Monardas and Oriental Poppies. 



Monarda didyma is an old favorite 

 in gardens, but it must give place now 



The Rainbow Bouquet. 



to a new variety with bright scarht 

 flowers, named Cambridge Scarlet, whiclj 

 is dwarfer in habit but much more floril- 

 erous. 



Oriental poppies are among the mout 

 gorgeous of May flowers, and who docs 

 not admire the gigantic blooms of 

 Papaver Parkmanni? A host of ne^v 

 sorts are now offered to us, embracing 

 a wide range of color, but I think the 

 most desirable are Lady Eoscoe, Marie 

 Studholme, Mephistopheles, Mrs. Perry, 

 Jennie Mawson and Margaret. These 

 should not be planted near the front of 

 the border, as their flowers, though 

 gorgeous, are rather fleeting. 



A remarkable plant from Central 

 Asia, closely allied to the campanulas, 

 which one seldom sees grown success- 

 fully, is Ostrowskia magnifica, but it 

 well repays any care bestowed upon it. 

 This plant should be given a sheltered 

 position under a warm wall, in a well 

 drained, loamy soil, and on no account 

 should the roots be disturbed after it 

 has once become established. The flow- 

 ers are of great size and vary in color 

 from blue to rose and pure white, and 

 under favorable conditions the stems will 

 grow six feet high. 



Thalictrum dipterocarpum is the most 

 desirable of the family and is one of 

 Mr. Wilson's Chinese children. It has a 

 profusion of rich rose flowers, on slender 

 stems five feet 'high, and eleaant foliage. 



Not Hardy, btt Worth Protecting. 



Tritomas, or kniphofias, are not hardy 

 enough to withstand our New England 

 winters unless amply protected, and I 

 believe the best results are obtained by 

 lifting and potting, unless one has a shel- 

 tered position in which to plant them. 

 Id England they are largely used and 

 make most effective beds in well drained 

 loam. They are so distinct and gor- 

 geous in coloring that any extra trouble 

 is well bestowed on them. A consider- 

 able variety of species and hybrids are 

 now obtainable and I can strongly recom- 

 menii Nelsoni and Macowani, two very 

 dwarf, free flowering plants; Triumph, 

 the largest variety yet raised; multiflora, 

 Meteor, Chloris, Ideal and Corallina. 

 The colors vary from the palest yellow 

 to the richest scarlet, and they present 

 an imposing and beautiful appearance in 

 the fall garden. 



The Stately Eremuri. 



A wonderful class of plants, which 

 should be represented in all gardens, are 

 the eremuri, and if single specimens are 

 planted at various intervals along the 

 border, where their stately spikes can rise 

 above the dwarfer subjects, they presenr 

 an imposing appearance, unequaled by anv 

 spring flowering plants. Unlike the other 

 plants I have mentioned, they should be 

 planted early in the fall and the youn^ 

 growths will need slight protection fron. 

 cold winds and frosts in early April. ■ E. 

 Elwesianus, which has pink flowers, anu 

 its pure white variety, albus, will, whet 

 established, grow from eight to nine feet 

 high, with fully, four feet of blossom. E 

 robustus is equally tall, with rosy pink 

 flowers, but E. Bungei does not exceed 

 flve feet and is very attractive, having 

 golden yellow flowers. 



Salem, Mass.— The Ward estate, at 90 

 and 92 North street, including the 

 greenhouses recently conducted by Har- 

 vey E. Ward, has been sold at auction 

 for $6,700. Besides the greenhouses, the 

 property comprises about 28,000 square 

 feet of land and a two-famih- dwelling- 



