February 8, 1893.] 



Garden and Forest. 



63 



allowed, and everything inferior or lacking in hardiness is dis- 

 carded to make room for something better. It is exceedingly 

 gratifying to find a persistent effort made to get as many plants 

 as possible on their own roots instead of resorting to grafting 

 or budding. Our Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) is 

 raised from seed and is not grafted ; only richly glaucous 

 seedlings are selected, the others being thrown away. It is 

 well known that this species is very variable and sometimes 

 comes out a dull green instead of the highly prized "blue" 

 color of the foliage. Tsuga Pattoniana and the so-called 

 T. Hookeriana, which are maintained to be distinct by some 

 growers, are here both raised from the same lot of seed. 

 Golden Yews are raised from seed, having been found to vary 

 more in their peculiar varietal characteristics and to do better 

 and prove hardier than when grown from cuttings. There are 

 also variegated-leaved forms of our Ash-leaved Maple or Box- 

 Elder raised on their own roots by layering whenever possible, 

 though some budding has to be done to keep up with the de- 

 mand. An attempt is made to grow all the choicer variations 

 and hybrids of Lilacs on their own roots. Thus, all the 

 suckers or new shoots which may come up from the ground 

 will be of the kind originally purchased, a fact which amateur 

 gardeners will appreciate if they have had any experience 

 with hastily grafted stuff which is too often liable to be poor, 

 and eventually to have the place of the scion usurped by 

 strong growths of common Lilac or of Privet, the stocks com- 

 monly used in hasty propagation. For the same reasons some 

 of the peculiar forms of our common Locust (Robinia Pseuda- 

 cacia), such as Bessoniana, are grown on their own roots from 

 cuttings. Such plants should only be planted, in this country 

 at least, where the original stem is too likely to be destroyed 

 by borers. 



A deep red flowered sport of the dwarf Spiraea Bumalda is 

 considered quite an acquisition, and it may be found in bloom 

 from early July until the end of the season. A fine lot of 

 the comparatively new Hypericum Moserianum was at this 

 time, the last week of September, flowering freely and mak- 

 ing a pretty show. This is scarcely hardy enough to with- 

 stand the severity of our northern winters, but south of New 

 England it ought to thrive and be a great acquisition. It orig- 

 inated in France, and is said to be a hybrid between the hand- 

 some dwarf H. calycinum and H. patulum, both of which 

 will live in New England, but it lacks the hardiness of such 

 native American species as H. aureum and H. Kalmianum. 

 The flowers of H. Moserianum are about two inches across ; 

 the petals are broad and rounded, and of a rich chrome- 

 yellow color, with the usual large tuft of yellow stamens red- 

 tipped. 



But while some of these shrubs may be seen in other 

 nurseries, I know of no place where the thoroughly hardy 

 strains of Azaleas and Rhododendrons are so faithfully and 

 so thoroughly grown and propagated as here. Everything 

 tender, everything lacking in foliage, or with imperfect bloom, 

 is set aside to make room for only the very best. Mr. 

 Waterer has for many years given much attention to hybrid- 

 izing and crossing between these plants, with the result that 

 he has originated a great many of the finest forms in modern 

 collections. Many of these hybrids and crosses have proved 

 thoroughly hardy when introduced into our American 

 gardens as far north as any of our native species of Rhodo- 

 dendron can be found growing naturally. This should be 

 expected, because Mr. Waterer depends mainly on R. Cataw- 

 biense in deriving new forms, while R. maximum is also 

 very much used, both plants probably the hardiest of any 

 species of their class in existence, which can be generally and 

 profitably cultivated. Of R. Catawbiense I noted a very large 

 plant, which is said to be between 75 and 100 years old, and 

 which has played an important part in a very large propor- 

 tion of the hybridizations. 



The deciduous Rhododendrons or Azaleas also receive 

 due attention, and apparently those heretofore most used in 

 obtaining the hardiest forms have been such species as our 

 own R. calendulaceum and the Asiatic R. Sinense. Some- 

 thing has been done with R. occidentale and others, and in 

 such skillful hands as Mr. Waterer's we may expect to see 

 some interesting hybrids, from the peculiar, hardy and as 

 yet little-known R. Vaseyi. I was told that this last species 

 has so far not proved altogether satisfactory at Knap Hill, 

 the very early blossoms being nipped by frost. 



Immense quantifies of both Rhododendrons and Azaleas 

 are grown on their own roots, and grafting is avoided as much 

 as possible. The nursery is so old and Rhododendron culture 

 has so long been a special feature of it, that the proprietor is 

 enabled to raise fine stocky plants on roots of their own in a 

 way that cannot be afforded by many competitors. For in- 



stance, great full-grown plants, perhaps six or eight feet high, 

 of some desirable kinds are sacrificed, and almost entirely 

 buried in the rich peaty loam, so that only the tips of all the 

 branches are seen above ground. By this system of 

 layering, two years must pass before the plants are disturbed, 

 and by this time each tip is a fine vigorous bush, ready to be 

 transplanted anywhere, and bearing blossom-buds. Where it 

 is necessary, in order to increase stock, to resort to grafting, 

 the stock and scion are joined at a point well below the 

 ground, so that eventually the scion may put forth roots of its 

 own. Grafted plants answer best for pot-plants for forcing. 

 There is a considerable demand for standard Rhododen- 

 dron plants, that is, grown into tree form with a long clean 

 stem. Such specimens are procured by grafting high on 

 stems of some tall-growing kind ; the variety here found best 

 suited for this purpose is Album elegans, which isof very fast 

 upright growth. Rhododendrons in plants of all sizes are to be 

 had here, and every year in June the firm has splendid exhibi- 

 tions in some of the public paries and gardens of London. 

 Many of our American private gardens which are famous for 

 their Rhododendrons are largely under obligations to this es- 

 tablishment for many of their best and hardiest plants. 



A visit to Knap Hill at any season cannot fail to be of inter- 

 est to all cultivators and admirers of healthy vigorous plants ; 

 but any one so fortunate as to land here in early summer, in 

 the best of the Rhododendron season, will be rewarded by 

 a display of color to be seen in few gardens in any country. 



Arnold Arboretum. J. G. ^ ack. 



Some Texas Plants in a Texas Garden. 



•]\/T"ALVAVISCUSDRUMMONDII is known in Texas as Wild 

 ^^ Fuchsia. It is a perennial, with a long tap-root and nu- 

 merous sub-erect stems two feet high, and branching freely, 

 each ultimate division terminating in a bell-shaped flower, 

 with the stamens extending. Fuchsia-like, beyond the corolla, 

 which is bright scarlet, and makes an agreeable contrast with 

 the deep green of the leaves. The flower is succeeded by a 

 red berry of mawkish taste, relished by children in the south- 

 western part of the state, where this plant grows wild. In cul- 

 tivation it is a free bloomer, the flowers appearing in great 

 numbers from May until the first killing frost. It grows 

 readily from seed, and generally flowers tlie first year. 



Nyctaginia capitata is another fine plant of the dry region of 

 the south-west. It is a perennial, with fleshy roots and nu- 

 merous decumbent stems ; the flowers are dazzling red and 

 produced in dense long-stalked heads from the axils of the 

 leaves ; they are trumpet-shaped, and the stamens, being 

 much longer than the corolla, add considerably to their beauty 

 and singular appearance. The leaves are cordate, and the 

 whole plant is of a grayish color and covered with small hairs. 

 Nyctaginia flowers all summer, and the only objectionable 

 thing we find about it is that the flowers' are too sweet- 

 scented. It may be propagated by root divisions and by seeds. 



Mentzelia ornata is a very remarkable and beautiful bien- 

 nial, or, rarely pereimial, plant. Its long deep root permits it 

 to withstand severe drought ; the main stem is stout and 

 straight, with many branches, which usually form a perfect 

 pyramid some three feet high, covered all summer with im- 

 mense flowers which resemble those of the Night-blooming 

 Cereus ; they are white, with a wealth of beautiful yellow sta- 

 mens, and appear only during the night or on dark days, the 

 corollas opening during two successive nights. I havecounted 

 as many as fifty flowers open at one time on a single specimen. 

 When the plant is in full bloom it is a charming object, and the 

 sweet fragrance of its beautiful flowers adds to its merit. Some- 

 times, however, it is less attractive, for in very dry and hot sea- 

 sons the leaves are apt to shrivel up, when the whole plant 

 presents a dead appearance during the day, although at night 

 the bright and beautiful flowers appear in spite of any drought. 

 It can only be propagated by seed, and flowers only the second 

 year, which it rarely survives. The only spot where I have 

 ever found M. ornata growing wild in Texas was on Fish 

 Creek, in Dallas County, and tliere were only a dozen plants. 

 There are several other species of the genus growing in this 

 state, most of them with yellow flowers. M. nuda, which 

 grows in the upper Brazos country, produces white flowers, 

 although they are not so large as those of M. ornata. 



Callirrhoe involucrata is a good garden-plant ; it is very 

 common in rich sandy soil, and is a perennial with a root 

 which looks like a diminutive turnip ; it produces several de- 

 cumbent stems and large, solitary, red-purple flowers on long 

 stems from the axils of every leaf. Between April and Octo- 

 ber this plant is rarely without a flower. 



Scutellaria brevifolia is a native of Dallas County ; it is a neat 



