April 29, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



177 



Flower Garden Work. 



SPRING has opened very late this season, and now, on the 

 tenth of April, frost is still in the ground in many places. 

 Outdoor work has been considerably retarded, but if steady 

 warm weather sets in soon this will make a more prosperous 

 year than early warmth followed by hard frosts. 



It was feared that the losses from severe cold would be 

 great owing to the low temperature early in the winter before 

 much snow had fallen. This fear has proved well founded 

 with the hardy Roses, at least, and many gaps will need filling 

 up. This work should not be delayed longer than need be 

 after the soil can be stirred, and dormant stock is the best to 

 procure. We used to think that Roses on their own roots were 

 best, but subsequent experience of the New England climate 

 has disproved this, and there is no doubt that where a gardener 

 is sufficiently intelligent to distinguish between the brier-shoots 

 that will sometimes sprout from the stock, that the grafted or 

 budded Rose is the most vigorous and the hardiest, and will 

 produce better returns in the garden than Roses that are on 

 their own roots. Another mistake often made is the planting 

 of too many kinds in the hope of getting up a large collection 

 of hardy varieties. Our experience has been that of the known 

 kinds of reputed hardy Roses not more than one in ten is to 

 be relied on year after year in this climate, and it is safer to 

 use fewer kinds and plant more of them. Pruning is again 

 reduced to a very simple operation this season. It consists 

 in cutting out the dead portions and leaving the live ones, and 

 this in most cases is too hard pruning to get the best returns. 



The Narcissus border looks well and promises a good show 

 of bloom soon. We feared that lack of protection had hurt 

 these bulbs, but there is every prospect of as good a show as in 

 former seasons of the kinds regarded as suitable for this cli- 

 mate. It is well to go over the beds and stir the soil up a little as 

 soon as it is dried up sufficiently to close up the surface left 

 open by frost. This will help to retain the moisture that is in 

 the soil for future dry periods. If it is intended to use the 

 blossoms for indoor decoration it is wise to put a slight mulch 

 over the beds to prevent April showers from splashing the 

 flowers with soil. This often happens, and a slight mulch 

 saves the blooms from disfigurement. 



Mixed herbaceous borders should be looked over now to see 

 that none of the smaller growing plants have suffered from 

 frost. It happens frequently that these are raised out of the 

 ground by the action of frosts, and they will need to be re- 

 placed carefully and made firm. Mertensia Virginica has 

 seeded freely here in the borders, and the young plants are 

 often lifted out of the soil in this way. It is one of the prettiest 

 of spring Mowers of which too manv cannot be had, but they 

 need this attention at this season. Primula Sieboldii that are 

 planted outside are covered in the fall as are the Polyanthus, 

 and they then winter over well, but all coverings must now be 

 removed to anticipate growth which will soon follow. 



Beds of Lily-of-the-valley not covered with manure in the 

 fall will be helped now by a covering of some good material, 

 not too lumpy, so that the young shoots can come through 

 freely. This will enable them to build up a strong growth for 

 the next year's flowering. We always cover these plants in the 

 fall, and the covering acts as a mulch as well as a fertilizer. It 

 is not removed in spring, but left to enrich the plants perma- 

 nently. It is surprising how the plants show their appreciation 

 of this little attention. This is a good time to make a bed of 

 the Lily-of-the-valley. The best Berlin pips or crowns should 

 be procured and planted about eight inches apart each way 

 in good soil in a position shady during the heat of the day, and 

 they will be sure to give entire satisfaction in after years. 



Any other planting in the mixed borders should be deferred 

 until the plants already 111 place have made a little start, or 

 some plants will be disturbed that should not be. After such 

 herbaceous plants have made a little growth the root-action 

 will go on with little check and will make a strong growth the 

 coming year, provided the soil is well prepared beforehand. 

 Plants that have been raised from seed with a view to trans- 

 planting in the garden must be well hardened off before setting 

 out, as, though they may be perfectly hardy under normal con- 

 ditions, they have been rendered as susceptible to cold as if 

 they were of tropical origin and are as easily injured at this 

 season. A few weeks in the cold frames, with plenty of air on 

 warm days and nights, will make them sufficiently hardy to 

 plant out in their permanent positions at the end of this month, 

 or a little later in some localities. It is a part of each year's 

 work at this time to look carefully through the borders to take 

 out all self-sown seedlings that are not needed. These will 

 come up in quantity all over the beds, and are usually weedy, 

 poor variations from the type plants, so much so at times as to 

 give rise to the suspicion that good forms of some garden 



plants revert to the original types. But more often it is be- 

 cause the better and weaker plant has been made yet weaker 

 by seeding freely, and its place is soon taken by a host of its 

 progeny that in many cases arc worthless. Phlox, Aquilegias 

 and Larkspurs are plants of this description, and seedlings 

 should be rigidly excluded from the borders other than those 

 in semi-wild places. Here they may be allowed to care for 

 themselves, and it does not take long for them to revert to the 

 original types if left to their own devices. The strongest sur- 

 vives, and in most instances it is the weediest. 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. O. Or pet. 



[This article was written before the untimely warm wave 

 of mid-April, and should have appeared last week. Its 

 sugges'ions, however, are still seasonable. — Ed.] 



Chrysanthemums. 



OUR stock plants of Chrysanthemums in cold frames will 

 now furnish us with abundance of thrifty cuttings, and 

 these will make much more satisfactory plants than stock 

 secured from dealers. No grower ever thinks of getting a 

 specimen bloom from a dealer's plant — that is, by growing it 

 on. What he hopes for is to get his plants early enough to 

 start them into new growth and take fresh cuttings. This he 

 can do if he receives them in March. April is too late. Some 

 of the stock sent out this season has been poor and late. 

 There is no reason why dealers should not send out good 

 strong stock. They know the importance of it as well as the 

 grower does. 



During the first week of May we shall put in our first lot of 

 cuttings for specimen blooms. A month later will do if only 

 medium-sized blooms are required. The cuttings will root 

 easily without bottom-heat. A close propagating-frame is 

 best, and the cuttings should be inserted with as little delay as 

 possible. It will be necessary to shear off a few leaves and 

 the tips of the upper ones. If allowed to lie on the wet sand 

 they will be liable to decay, and damping may set in through- 

 out the bed. Abundant watering' will be required for the first 

 week or so, and, in fact, we keep our cuttings drenched. The 

 frame will be better for being kept closed and well shaded 

 during the daytime and opened at night. Roots should begin 

 to form in a week or so, and gradually the young plants should 

 be more and more exposed to better light and air. They will 

 be ready to pot off in three weeks. No check must be allowed 

 from this time forward, for, whether intended for pots or 

 benches, they must be kept in active growth. 



There is no doubt the growing of large blooms has been 

 overdone and that we shall see more medium-sized flowers. 

 The plants would then be more diversified, and naturally make 

 a more effective display. As cut flowers large blooms are im- 

 posing and very effective for the decoration of churches and 

 other large buildings. They are less suitable than smaller 

 flowers for artistic work in the parlor and for table decoration. 



Our specimen plants will soon be ready for the final shift 

 into ten and twelve inch pots, in which they will bloom. It is 

 important that the drainage be free, and a little broken charcoal 

 helps to keep the soil sweet. The soil recommended for pre- 

 vious transfers will do for this, although it may be heavier. 

 We pot moderately firm, but never pound the soil. Watering 

 must be done carefully until the plants are well started into 

 growth, but on no account should they become waterlogged. 

 Stopping must be done almost daily, and it is important thai 

 the plants be kept regular in outline. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. H. 



Early Spring Flowers. 



THE unexpected is due at any time in the garden, and in the 

 short interval since my last note a few days of untempered 

 sunlight have brought the Lily-pads to Ihesurface of the water, 

 burned up the early flowers and developed a succession ot late 

 spring flowers in abundance. It is, perhaps, not too late to 

 offer a few hints as to the very early plants, which are practi- 

 cally all bulbous ones. The best early color-effects in the gar- 

 den here are to be had from the blue flowers, as this color 

 harmonizes better with the prevailing bare earth. For this 

 color we depend on Scillas, Irises, Muscari, Crocus Imperati 

 (reddish purple) and Chionodoxas. We have earlier flowers 

 than these in the Snowdrops, but, however welcome and I 

 nating these may be, they are not very effective with u 

 garden plants, for at their flowering time the grass, which 

 would prove an effective toil to their beauty, seldom shows a 

 trace of green. There are also white forms of all the blue 

 flowers mentioned, the white Scilla Sibirica and white Chiono- 

 doxas being especially beautiful, but they are, unfortunately, 



