July i, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



267 



plant. The innumerable white flowers are produced in loose 

 airy panicles. G. paniculata is a handsome plant, but this 

 Gypsophila has a belter habit and has larger and. more showy 

 flowers. Its long roots penetrate deep, and it needs a deep 

 light soil and an open sunny position in the border, or an 

 exposed position in the rock garden. G. Stevenii is another 

 plant with a light and graceful habit. It is about a foot and a 

 half high and has panicles of small white flowers at this time. 



Phlox ovata of Linnaeus and P.Carolina are now both classed 

 under the name P. ovata. They are excellent garden plants 

 and distinct enough, especially for garden purposes, to retain 

 their specific names. P. ovata is a neat showy plant with erect 

 stems not much more than a foot high, and terminated with 

 crowded, showy, reddish purple flowers. Its radical leaves 

 are ovate, acute, rather fleshy, and the cauline ones are ovate- 

 oblong. This plant blossoms here from two to three weeks 

 earlier than the plant we used to know as P. Carolina. The 

 Phlox formerly known as P. Carolina is just beginning to open 

 its flowers. It is quite a distinct plant, growing several inches 

 taller than P. ovata, and has longer and more tapering 

 leaves and light purple flowers. Both kinds are easily grown 

 in a light rich soil and a sunny position, where they increase 

 rapidly. A collection of hardy plants is not complete without 

 both forms of this plant. 



Lindelofia spectabilis is a neat compact Boraginaceous 

 plant. It is about eighteen inches high and has oblong- 

 acuminate leaves, and at this time rather showy racemes of 

 sky-blue flowers. It grows in a sunny position and in light 

 sandy soil. It is easily raised from seed and blossoms the 

 second year. 



A piant that makes a good companion for Clematis recta in 

 the back row in the border and that blossoms at the same time 

 is Phlomis tuberosa. This noble labiate plant is very show,y 

 when properly grown and well placed. It is tall-growing, with 

 stout, leafy, erect stems, which attain a height of five feet, and 

 it needs no stake. The purple-rose flowers are borne plenti- 

 fully in dense whorls along the upper part of the stems. It is 

 quite hardy and produces an abundance of seeds annually, 

 from which plants are easily raised. 



Linum flavum makes a neat border-plant and grows well in 

 the rock garden, where it makes a yellow mass of color at this 

 time. It has slightly woody stems at the base, which are 

 about one foot long and are nicely clothed with narrow 

 lanceolate-acute sessile leaves. The showy yellow flowers are 

 in corymbs and are most bright on sunny days. Near the 

 front of the border it makes a welcome color at this time. 



In a slightly raised and sunny position in the rock garden a 

 large bed of the double form of Lychnis viscaria, with bright 

 red flowers, is now conspicuous. This plant is useful and 

 attractive also near the front of the border, where its bright 

 flowers can be seen from a distance. The erect stems of the 

 well-known L. Chalcedonica are now crowned with dense clus- 

 ters of scarlet flowers, which are prominent among other flow- 

 ers. There are several good varieties of this plant, one 

 with white flowers ; but the form with double scarlet flowers 

 makes a handsome perennial. 



Thermopsis Caroliniana has blossomed well in the border 

 this season. It is effective placed at intervals in the back row 

 of the border. Its habit is good, and if not crowded too much 

 by other plants it will make strong stout stems that need no 

 staking. The stems grow four feet high and are terminated 

 by dense erect racemes of showy yellow flowers a foot in 

 length. A deep and partially moist soil suits it well, and it 

 makes stronger stems if it is not shaded by trees. 



Botanic Garden, Harvard University. Robert Cameron. 



I 



Rhododendrons at Wellesley. 



T is only during recent years that the Rhododendron has 

 taken its proper rank in the garden. As an evergreen flow- 

 ering shrub it has few equals. For planting along avenues, for 

 belting trees, for massing or for forming a single specimen on 

 the lawn it is especially appropriate. Its bold rounded corymbs 

 of broadly campanulate or rotate flowers, surrounded by an in- 

 volucre-like whorl of handsome leaves, are borne in the greatest 

 profusion wherever the plants succeed. During the last few 

 years the number of available varieties and range of coloring 

 has been constantly extended. 



In the cultivation of Rhododendrons the location and the 

 composition of the soil are matters of considerable importance. 

 It is a mistake to suppose a sheltered southern aspect is abso- 

 lutely necessary, and the reverse is nearer the truth, as even a 

 slight experience will show. Many years ago Mr. H. H. Hunne- 

 well enclosed a portion of his garden, planting dense hedges of 

 Spruce-trees as a shelter from northerly winds and to protect 



the choice tender varieties, especially those brightly colored 

 kinds in which there is a considerable infusion of the Hima- 

 layan R. arboreum. After many failures, he at last found 

 that such varieties as he expected to grow there did better in 

 more exposed places, screened to some extent by belts of 

 trees or taller varieties of hardier Rhododendrons. 



The composition of the soil is also important. A cool, moist 

 subsoil should be secured wherever this is possible. A good 

 peaty, though porous, loam, with a fair admixture of leaf-soil, 

 may be recommended as best, and this should, at least, be four 

 feet deep; would be even better deeper. This, however, must 

 be largely a matter of experience. Rhododendrons may, and 

 often do, succeed well in good common loam and leaf-soil, 

 providing they are we'll watered and mulched during the sum- 

 mer. For mulching, a good coating of well-decayed cow- 

 manure will answer well. A heavy clayey loam, in which the 

 natural drainage is poor, appears to be the worst of all soils for 

 these plants. Moisture at the roots is absolutely essential 

 during summer, and in dry spells of weather it must be arti- 

 ficially applied. Any evidence of suffering may not be seen at 

 once. The roots penetrate far below the frost-line, and if 

 when winter comes they lack the proper supply of moisture, 

 the damage resulting will be seen before spring in injured 

 foliage and dead flower-buds which have failed to properly 

 ripen in the autumn. It is only by close study that these facts 

 are discovered. An ordinary observer would be sure to assign 

 the cause to the severity of the winter. By carefully examin- 

 ing the weather records in regard to this matter, Mr. Hunne- 

 well has always found that Rhododendrons suffer most 

 after a very dry summer and autumn. On the approach 

 of winter a covering of Oak-leaves about a foot in depth will 

 afford protection to the roots, equalizing the thermal condi- 

 tions of the soil throughout the winter ; and these leaves when 

 decayed fertilize the soil. If there is objection to the un- 

 sightly appearance of the leaves during summer, a covering of 

 pine-needles will smooth over the surface. Lacking these, 

 sweepings of short grass from the lawn will answer the same 

 purpose. 



It is upward of forty years since Mr. Hunnewell began a col- 

 lection of Rhododendrons. At that time only seedlings were 

 imported, and it was not thought possible to grow any of the 

 choicer named varieties in this country, especially in the 

 New England states. Some of these seedlings to-day are 

 noble plants, upward of fifteen feet in height and as 

 much in diameter. R. Everestianum was one of the first 

 really good varieties to prove thoroughly hardy. With 

 good cultivation the plants increased in size and beauty, 

 and there was a desire for more variety of coloring, especially 

 an admixture of scarlet shades. These could not be obtained 

 without some degree of infusion with the R. arboreum type. 

 In his endeavor to acclimatize the beautiful large flowers, 

 common in Europe, Mr. Hunnewell had the cooperation of 

 the noted English specialist, Mr. Anthony Waterer, who has 

 made a particular study of raising varieties for the New Eng- 

 land climate. R. Ponticum, which is tender here, but hardy 

 in Europe, had hitherto been used as a stock for these hybrids', 

 in most cases entering into their parentage also, andthis is 

 why so many plants imported years ago did not stand well. 

 Mr. A. Waterer substituted our native R. Catawbiense from 

 the hill regions of the south, as that is hardy in New England. 

 It does not appear that our northern R. maximum has 

 been used to any extent, though, no doubt, it is just as 

 well suited for this purpose. It is a late bloomer. With 

 only partial success at first, and with failures enough to 

 discourage all but the most persevering, the work of acclima- 

 tization has been continued until now a score or more of the 

 choicest and best Rhododendrons once thought tender here 

 have proved themselves hardy. All hybrids in which the 

 Himalayan type is well marked may be set down as unre- 

 liably hardy. The narrow, sharply tapering foliage is a sure 

 indication that the weight of parentage lies with the more 

 tender kind. There are many fine plants of this class, 

 healthy in every way, which are uncertain bloomers, and only 

 a few trusses open, often with but few flowers. But it doe's 

 not count much with a true lover ot these grand plants if a 

 few do not bloom every year. Many kinds bloom too much, 

 and it is surprising that they can continue to do so. 



Recent experience has again shown that the loss of flower- 

 buds may not be altogether due to extreme cold, for on plants 

 of some tender varieties, lit ted and stored in well-protected 

 cellars, the buds remained apparently intact, but the flowers 

 within the sheaths were killed. Perhaps tin' buds wire not 

 thoroughly ripened, or even advanced too much, Hushed by 

 autumn rains and bright days. 1 merely suggest this question 

 for consideration, as it is only on the leading and most vigor- 



