July 15, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



287 



ous of these are Daybreak, Mrs. Fisher and a scarlet and 

 crimson seedling which we only have under number. None 

 of the introductions of 1895, such as Meteor, Bridesmaid, 

 Alaska and Rose Queen, appear to be of any value as summer 

 bloomers. The hand cultivator and hoe are used after every 

 rainfall to stir up the soil among- the plants ; they will not 

 thrive if it is allowed to become baked and slimy on the sur- 

 face. A few minutes suffice to stir up a good-sized bed with a 

 hand cultivator, and if an iron rake is drawn between the rows 

 to remove foot-marks the beds will have a neat appearance. 

 When to discontinue the tipping of winter-flowering plants 

 depends on the time the plants are required to be in bloom 

 and the date at which they are to be housed. We generally 

 stop topping about August loth ; naturally, late-blooming kinds 

 are best untouched after August 1st, while some vigorous- 

 growing and earlier sorts may be pinched until August 20th. 



Plants under glass are still yielding us a large crop of extra- 

 fine bloom. The most satisfactory bloomers during the 

 present hot weather are Lizzie McGowan, Hector, William 

 Scott and Madame Diaz Albertini ; the poorest bloomers are 

 Bridesmaid, Rose Queen, Meteor, Thomas Cartledge and 

 Bouton d'Or. Alaska is the only one of last year's novelties 

 which is proving itself an acquisition; it has not flowered so 

 freely as Lizzie McGowan, however, taking the whole season 

 through, and we do not think it will supersede the last-named 

 popular variety. Daybreak during hot weather does only mod- 

 erately well, and the flowers quickly fade in color when ex- 

 panded. The same is true, to some extent, of William Scott, 

 which requires picking before being fully expanded to hold its 

 color. Nicholson is blooming rather sparingly, but Tidal 

 Wave continues to flower quite freely. Helen Keller yields us 

 some nice blooms, which are, however, smaller than those 

 produced during the spring months. 



It is well at this time to pay some attention to the compost- 

 heap. The soil for our benches was mixed up early last spring, 

 and was turned over a few weeks ago. Early in August we 

 turn it over again and mix some bone-dust through it. It is a 

 common thing to see compost-heaps grown over with rank 

 weeds all through the summer months. After carefully pre- 

 paring and mixing such heaps it is surely careless to allow 

 weeds to extract a large part of the nourishment from them. 

 A few minutes' labor once in two or three weeks will suffice 

 to remove all weeds, thus making the compost-heap more 

 pleasing to the eye as well as assuring better growth and 

 bloom for the Carnations to be grown in the soil during the 

 coming winter. These items may appear small to many, but it 

 is only by attention to such details that success is attained. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



The Hardy Plant Border. 



(~C NOTHERAS are beautiful and attractive hardy plants, 

 ^J-' most suitable for the front of the herbaceous or shrubbery 

 border, and they are not fastidious as to soil, provided they 

 have a sunny position. The perennial kinds are easily propa- 

 gated by division, seed or cuttings. (Enothera rosea, a Mexi- 

 can species, is one of the best of the half-hardy kinds. It grows 

 to a height of one foot. The toothed leaves are small, and the 

 flowers are about four inches in diameter, of a delicate rosy 

 pink color. This species is also useful grown as a pot plant. 

 O. taraxacifolia is also very useful. The stems are prostrate 

 and the leaves resemble those of the common Dandelion. 

 The flowers are borne singly on stalks six inches long ; they 

 are four inches in diameter and of a pale pink. O. Fraseri, a 

 native of the central and southern states, grows to a height of 

 eighteen inches. The leaves are sessile, lanceolate, from three 

 to nine inches long by one inch wide, and the flowers are 

 about two inches in diameter, orange color, and borne on short 

 stalks in the axils of the leaves. O. fruticosa, var. linearis, is a 

 low-growing, somewhat shrubby species, with small linear 

 leaves and yellow flowers an inch and a half in diameter. This 

 species is, perhaps, the most flonferous of them all, not only 

 in number of flowers, but in the length of time it is in bloom. 

 O. fruticosa, var. Youngi, has larger leaves and flowers of a 

 deeper yellow, and grows somewhat taller. O. tenella, an 

 annual from Chili, grows about one foot in height. The leaves 

 are small and lanceolate in outline. The flowers are about 

 one inch in diameter, of a purplish color, and borne on short 

 stalks singly in the axils of the leaves. 



Lopezia minima is a neat little annual belonging to the same 

 family as (Enothera. It grows to a height of one foot. The 

 leaves are ovate-lanceolate, from one to three inches long by 

 three-quarters wide. The flowers, which are small and pink, 

 are borne on short stalks singly in the axils of the leaves below, 

 but become crowded at the summit. It is a native of Mexico. 



Cuphea Zimapani is now flowering in the borders here. It is 

 a native of Mexico and grows about two feet in height. The 

 stem is much branched and covered with viscid hairs. The 

 leaves are opposite, obovate in outline, an inch and a half long 

 by three-quarters wide, on short petioles. The flowers are 

 much larger than those of most Cupheas, and are of a deep 

 purple color. It is a very interesting plant, though not par- 

 ticularly showy, and is well worthy of a place in the hardy 

 plant border. It is easily propagated either by seeds or 

 cuttings. 



We have seventeen species and varieties of Veronica in the 

 collection here. Of the spicate flowering kinds we have one in 

 flower now under the name of V. rosea, a pink-flowered kind, 

 and an exceptionally good one. It grows about two feet high 

 and the stems are much branched. The leaves are borne on 

 short petioles, lanceolate, two inches long by three-quarters 

 wide and serrate edges. The flower-spikes are two to six 

 inches long. Though it came to us under the name of V. 

 rosea, I suspect that it is a variety of the well-known V. longi- 

 folia. Pink-flowered Veronicas are not common, but this kind 

 ought to become very popular. 1 have not yet tried if it repro- 

 duces itself from seed, but it is easily propagated either by 

 division or cuttings. It has proved itself perfectly hardy here 

 without protection. V. longifolia, var. subsessilis, a Japanese 

 variety, is the best of blue-flowered spicate varieties with which 

 I am acquainted. It grows from two to three feet in height. 

 The leaves are six inches long by two wide, ovate-lanceolate in 

 outline and with serrate edges. The flowers are carried on 

 large terminal spikes and are of an intense blue. It is perfectly 

 hardy here without protection. V. incana has been in flower 

 here for the past three weeks. I consider this species next in 

 value to the one just described. The bright blue spikes of 

 flowers are in striking contrast with the hoary leaves. It is a 

 native of north-western Europe, and is readily propagated 

 either by seed or division. Among the prostrate species I 

 consider V. rupestris the best. It is a native of southern 

 Russia, and is useful both in the rock garden or the front of 

 the herbaceous border. It is spreading, without becoming 

 " weedy,'' and forms a perfect carpet of bright blue flowers 

 toward the end of May. 



Botanic Garden, Northampton, Mass. ±.awa>d J. tanning. 



The Flower Garden. 



THE spotted Calla, Richardia albo-maculata, is verv pretty 

 and satisfactory if properly grown. I remember two beds 

 of these plants on a lawn, each containing about one hundred 

 and fifty plants. They were planted in rich soil and had been 

 well-watered and cared for from the beginning, and formed 

 masses of broad foliage much finer and larger than that of the 

 species commonly seen. The flowers of this Calla are, I think, 

 much finer than they used to be. Ten years ago they seldom 

 opened very wide ; they were always half-closed and appeared 

 unpromising, but cultivation seems to have changed all that. 

 When the flower is past its best it closes up and the spathe 

 turns green, but when in its prime it is as open and as perfect 

 in color and shape as the Calla of older days. I spoke a year 

 ago of some curious formations among these flowers. This 

 year I find several of a new type in which the outer half of the 

 spathe is green, with white spots, exactly like the leaves, 

 except that the texture is like that of the spathes. A handful 

 of the flowers with a number of the leaves makes a handsome 

 ornament in any room. The blossoms last a long time and 

 give a feeling of coolness on a hot day. 



I like to grow a few plants of Hyacinthus candicans in pots 

 every year. They will grow five feet high in a six-inch pot, 

 and yield as good flowers as they would in the open ground, 

 though the foliage is less massive. Potted in January (hey will 

 bloom in May. It is singular that bulbs thus forced and dried 

 off in June are no better for the next year's forcing than those 

 grown in the open ground and dried off in October. 



Lilium Lowi has just passed out of flower. It is a beautiful 

 kind with drooping white flowers thickly spotted inside with 

 rose. These blooms are about three inches long, the seg- 

 ments not at all reflexed nor even turned outward ; indeed, the 

 shape reminds me of Fritillaria pallidiflora. L. Japonicum 

 Colchesteri, so-called, is now in full beauty; it is one of the 

 most beautiful of Lilies, much superior to L. Browni, which is 

 flowering near by, and its fragrance, though strong, is not in 

 the least heavy or disagreeable. L. NepaTense is coming on 

 rapidly, a species of singular coloring, very striking rather than 

 very pretty. 



I was surprised to see in one of your recent issues that Ca- 

 massia esculenta needs covering in winter ; with me it is 



