November 16, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL 01? HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



419 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day 

 of 



Month 



Day 



of 

 Woek. 



NOVEMBER 16—22, 1876. 



Average 



Temperature near 



London. 



Sun 

 RiBes. 



Sun 

 Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon'B 

 Age. 



Clock 

 before 

 Sun. 



Day 



of 



Year. 









Day. 



Night. 



Mean. 



b. m. 



b. m. 



h. m 



h. m. 





m. s. 





16 



Th 



Wimbledon Chrysanthemum Show closes. 



4".9 



33.2 



41.0 



7 23 



4 7 



8 17 



3 41 



O 



14 69 



321 



17 



F 



Brixton Hill Chrysanthemum Show. 



48.1 



33 9 



41.0 



7 24 



4 6 



9 38 



4 14 



1 



14 46 



322 



18 



a 





47 9 



32.9 



40.4 



7 26 



4 4 



10 85 



5 



2 



14 33 



323 



19 



SON 



23 Sunday after Trinity. 



48.9 



33.6 



41.2 



7 28 



i 8 



11 25 



5 68 



3 



14 20 



324 



20 



M 





48.7 



34.6 



41.7 



7 80 



4 2 



0a 2 



7 5 



4 



14 5 



325 



21 



TU 



Loughborough Chrysanthemum Sbow. 



49.6 



86.2 



42.9 



7 31 



4 1 



28 



8 18 



5 



13 49 



326 



22 



W 





49.2 



34.7 



41.9 



7 33 



4 



47 



9 32 



6 



IS 33 



327 



From observations taken near London daring forty-three years, 

 34.1°. 



the average day temperature 



of the week is 48.8°; and its night temperature 



A GARDEN OF HAEDT FLOWERS.— No. 1. 



P%GNORAMUS " asks for instructions how to 

 plant bis garden with flowers so as to in- 

 sure " a maximum of pleasure with a mini- 

 mum of future trouble." Gladly do we 

 respond to his appeal, not only because 

 there are many other owners of small gar- 

 dens to whom such information would be 

 useful, but also that by far too little atten- 

 tion is given to this matter in gardens of 

 every kind, and yet what a mine of floral 

 wealth have we to draw our supplies from ! Surely it 

 must be owing to ignorance that the great value and im- 

 portance of hardy flowering shrubs and perennials have 

 not hitherto obtained the general recognition which they 

 so justly merit. Faulty arrangement has also some in- 

 fluence in this matter, for how often do we see borders 

 of hardy flowers in which the plants are jumbled together 

 ■without any attempt at effect whatever. Now, this is 

 undoubtedly a mistake ; formality may be objectionable, 

 but we would certainly prefer the most angular and stiff 

 design to a confused style totally devoid of expression or 

 a single feature that is graceful or lovely. Let us, there- 

 fore, proceed to the consideration of certain familiar parts 

 or features of gardens large and small, and see if we can- 

 not do something towards the promotion of orderly yet 

 graceful arrangements, free from stiffness and formality 

 on the one hand, and confusion and slovenliness on the 

 other. 



A gently sloping bank — whatever may be its position, 

 whether at the extremity of a lawn or beside a shrubbery 

 walk — affords facilities for a variety of arrangements, any 

 of which will prove just so effective as they are suitable 

 for the position and the size of the garden. In a small 

 garden, where it is desirable to secure as much variety as 

 possible, I would plant the bank with a mixture of dwarf 

 flowering shrubs and perennials. The pink-flowered 

 Escallonia macrantha will form a low shrubby tuft in 

 such a situation, and will also spread its trailing growth 

 over any jutting rocks or crags when such are present. 

 Cotoneaster microphylla is equally effective in its way, 

 with an abundant trailing growth closely set with stout 

 deep green foliage and rich crimson berries. Then we 

 have Pernettya angustifolia, very effective and picturesque, 

 with pink-stemmed branches, deep green foliage, clusters 

 of white Heath-like flowers, followed by a profusion of 

 deep crimson berries. Like the other two shrubs, this 

 shrub is an evergreen, but is not a trailer, the growth 

 being compact, erect, and yet not formal. Mahonia 

 aquifolia, allied to the Berberries, is another good dwarf 

 evergreen with handsome glossy foliage, large compact 

 clusters of rich yellow flowers in spring, with deep purple 

 berries later in the year. It forms a large low-spreading 

 shrub in good soil, and is very ornamental. Berberis 

 Wallichiana and B. dulcis should also have a place here ; 

 the first forming very compact dwarf shrubs, and the 

 last, which is of a comparatively loose growth, is au attrac- 

 tive object when bearing its pendant flowers and berries. 

 Ne ( 816.— Yol XXXI. New Series. 



If peat could be had I would prepare special stations 

 in what appeared to be the most suitable situations, say 

 near the lower margin of the bank, and so be enabled to 

 enrich it with tufts of the sweet-scented Daphne Cneorum ; 

 the Andromedas Catesbsei and floribunda — quite the be6t 

 two of this genus ; the evergreen Chinese Azalea amcena; 

 the tall-growing shrub-like Erica mediterranea ; the bright 

 pink Erica carnea, so charming in early spring ; the best 

 of the Irish Heaths, Menzieeia polifolia, which produces a 

 mass of large purple bells throughout autumn and the early 

 winter months ; Kalmia angustifolia, with its charming 

 varieties rosea and rubra, both of which I have in flower 

 now (November 2nd) ; Skimmia japonica, with glossy 

 evergreen foliage and bright scarlet berries; and the 

 dwarf Rhododendrons dauricum and ferrugineum. 



Flourishing in almost all kinds of soil and most suit- 

 able for the bank are the Spiraa callosa and its white 

 variety callosa alba, with S. Thunbergii and S. arifefolia. 

 The varieties of this charming family are very numerous 

 and constitute an important section among flowering 

 shrubs, but most of the others are somewhat too tall or 

 spreading in habit to be useful here. 



With these few but very choice Bhrubs we may inter- 

 sperse a certain quantity of perennial flowers, taking 

 especial care to select some for all seasons of the year. 

 The Moutan Pasonies are most suitable for such a situa- 

 tion ; they are attractive objects when in full beauty, 

 but the brief duration of the flowers renders them un 

 desirable for planting alone. Mingled with other shrubs 

 as they would be here, they burst into beauty in early 

 summer, meeting the eye like a pleasant surprise, which 

 is all the more agreeable from the fact that the plants 

 have not been offensively conspicuous while out of bloom. 

 There are numerous good sorts, from which I select the 

 following choice dozen: — Cornelia, Athlete, Elizabeth, 

 Lactea, Samarang, Confucius, Emilia, Rubra odorata 

 plenissima, Morris, Osiris, Rienzi, and Madame Stuart 

 Low. 



Pentstemons may also be introduced here advantage- 

 ously ; they are most desirable hardy flowers for beds 

 and borders of most kinds, many of the newer sorts being 

 especially fine. For a choice dozen we may take Crimson 

 Banner, Agnes Laing, Sceptre, W. E. Gumbleton, Cato, 

 Delicatissimum, Monarch, Stanstead Rival, W. P. Laird, 

 Syrian Mantle, Yeoman, and Striata. 



Of other flowers we may take Dielytra speetabilis, 

 Columbines, Chrysanthemums to be selected from a list 

 which will be given in another note, the old Crown 

 Imperial, and the equally familiar old white Lily (Lilium 

 candidum), with such Campanulas as macrantha and 

 pyramidalis ; the blue-flowered Statice latifolia ; Anemone 

 japonica, a most valuable late white flower, some plants 

 of which I can see as I sit at my desk, having even now 

 several unexpanded flowers which a few hours of genial 

 sunshine would bring out ; Tritoma Uvaria and its varie- 

 ties grandiflora and grandis ; Lythrum roseum superbum, 

 and some of the Michaelmas Daisies (Asters), such as A. ele- 

 gans, versicolor, Nova>belgii, and Novae-Anglian. The two 

 last sorts are especially striking with large pink and blue 



No. 1168.— Vol. LVI., Old Series. 



