2l6 



Garden and Forest. 



[April 30, 1890. 



planting them under trees where other things would not suc- 

 ceed. For naturalizing in such places Trilliums are invalua- 

 ble. If the growing of hardy plants under glass were advisable, 

 Trilliums might be so treated and flowered a month earlier, as 

 is often practiced in England. But, as a rule, plants that are 

 thoroughly hardy are more enjoyable when flowering at their 

 own sweet will than when forced into attenuated and prema- 

 ture bloom under glass. 



Doronicums have lately come into favor for cut tlowers, and 

 justly so. They are not only well adapted to this purpose, but 

 thev rank among the choicest of early summer border-Mowers. 

 We have tried five species and varieties, all of which are per- 

 fectly hardv. D. Caucasicum, D . plantagineum excelstem^and, 

 where it will thrive, D. Clusii, are three of the best sorts. Of 

 the variety Harpur Crewe we have had no personal expe- 

 rience. Regarding the culture of Doronicums, one thing 

 should be borne in mind — they do not like any soil other than 

 that of a retentive nature, and this was noticeable even in a 

 summer like the last. 



-With the first appearance in April of its elegantly cut 

 foliage, Dicentra eximia commences to bear deep rose- 

 colored, nodding flowers on stems a foot long, which may 

 be gathered from April to the end of October. D. eximia is a 

 native of the southern Alleghanies, but it is perfectly hardy, and 

 without the disagreeable odor so noticeable in others of the 

 genus. There are few other hardy plants that flower continu- 

 ously six months of the year. Helenium Hoopesii, another 

 native plant and a composite, is a showy and useful border- 

 plant, not so well known as it should be. H. Hoopesii grows 

 two feet high, and bears numerous bright orange, Daisy-like 

 flowers in early summer; its culture is of the simplest ; any 

 ordinary border-soil will suit it. Daphne Ctieorum, though not 

 a herbaceous plant, is usually included among collections of 

 such, and certain it is that there are few plants so worthy of 

 being in every garden, both for the fragrance of its blossoms 

 and the freedom with which they are produced nearly all sum- 

 mer. We have noticed, however, that this Daphne is a trifle 

 more exacting than many other plants as to the soil it is to be 

 grown in. We are told that it is indigenous to southern 

 Europe among rocks, in gravelly soil with plenty of humus, 

 and it will be found that if, when planting Daphne Cneorum, 

 this is borne in mind, and anything approaching a heavy, 

 wet soil avoided, the plants will" grow rapidly with no further 

 attention, and yield abundantly its delicate pink blossoms. 

 The Trollius, or Globe-flowers, resemble gigantic Buttercups, 

 and flower in the early days of summer. T. laxus is common 

 in wet meadows in the Eastern States, and is well deserving of 

 cultivation. The sepals of this and the next species are concave, 

 forming a kind of globe, hence the common name. T. Euro- 

 peans grows a little taller than the last, and is usually eighteen 

 inches to two feet high, and has very large yellow flowers. T. 

 Japonicus has bright orange colored flowers, and is a distinct 

 species. The above three form a pretty group in a moist soil 

 in the open border. We have found that Trollius-seed sown 

 under glass, and carefully protected, does not germinate in two 

 years. The next seed was sown when gathered, and was well 

 frozen in a frame in winter, and it germinated promptly with 

 the coming of warm spring weather. These remarks apply to 

 many other seeds, such as those of Antherictim Liliastrum, 

 Gentianaacaulis, Gillenia stipnlacea and Allium Karataviense. 



Passaic, N.J. . E - °- 0r P et - 



Notes on Wild Flowers. 



Asarum Virginicum (Wild Ginger), which has been in flower 

 for more than a week, is a valuable plant for a shady location. 

 The flowers are not conspicuous or showy, but the foliage is 

 very pretty, and it endures through the winter, appearing as 

 fresh in early spring as at any season. The leaf, nearly round- 

 heart-shaped, is shiny above, often mottled with white, and of 

 a thick, leathery texture. The plant is hardy, easy of culture 

 and conspicuous in early spring because of its fine foliage. 

 It is a native of Virginia and other southern States around and 

 among the mountains. A. arifolium is another species from 

 the south with much the same kind of foliage, but not so thick 

 as that of the former. The leaves are larger, halberd-heart- 

 shaped, dark green, often blotched with white or lighter spots. 

 They endure through the winter, as do those of A. Virginicum, 

 and should be grown in the same location. 



Few of our native plants reward the cultivator more bounti- 

 fully than the Hepaticas (Anemone Hepatica and A. acutiloba). 

 Both are hardy, are not difficult to grow, and give a profusion 

 of flowers of various shades and colors in early spring when 

 there are but few other plants in bloom. The foliage is also 

 fine on strong, well established plants and endures through 



the winter. Hepaticas can be grown in the shade where most 

 plants would not thrive, or in a fine loamy soil they do well in 

 full sun light. 



The Pasque flower (Anemone patens, var. Nuttaliana), just 

 flowering, is one of our finest native Anemones. It is a na- 

 tive of the western prairies, but thrives well in any moist, well 

 drained soil in the sun. Its earliness makes it the more valu- 

 able. In strong, well established plants the flowers are three 

 inches wide, light purple or almost white in color. They open 

 in the warmest portion of the day and close at night, and en- 

 dure for several days. They appear before the leaves, and a 

 bed of these plants has a strange appearance when covered 

 with large, erect flowers without foliage. 

 Southwick, Mass. " F. H. Horsford. 



Orchid Notes. 



Maxillaria lepidata. — In a descriptive note on this Orchid 

 (see page 127), Mr. M. Barker asks if the plant he describes is 

 the same as what is grown at Kew under this name. His de- 

 scription might' have been made from the Kew plant, except 

 in regard to size, the latter being a large one, over a foot 

 across ; it flowers freely every year in March. Lindley's de- 

 scription, referred to by Mr. Barker, appears to have been 

 made from imperfect material, but he used the word acaulis 

 as indicating the section of the genus to which M. lepidata be- 

 longed — i.e., those species characterized by the pseudo-bulbs 

 being clustered, and showing no distinct stem or rhizome. To 

 this group belong all the best of the garden Maxillarias — 

 namely, M. luteo-alba, M. grandijlora, M. nigrescens, M. 

 picta, M. venusta and M. Sanderiana. All these have ovate 

 pseudo-bulbs, large strap-shaped leaves and erect one-flow- 

 ered racemes. 



A second group has the flowers in short, compact racemes, 

 and is represented by M. hyacinthina, M. leontoglossa and M. 

 elongata. These have lately been removed from Maxillaria 

 into a separate genus — namely, Xylobium. The third group 

 includes all those with distinct rhizomatous stems, such as 

 M. variabilis and M. purpurata. Altogether there are about 

 120 species of Maxillaria known, but only a few of them are 

 of any value as garden plants. 



Angrjecum CITRatum is one of the prettiest of small 

 Orchids. It has short, tongue-like, bright green leaves resting 

 on the soil, and, springing from their axils, the most elegant 

 spray-like spikes of flowers, some spikes being a foot long. 

 The flowers have long spurs and a flattened arrangement of 

 the segments, which are nearly an inch across; their color is a 

 pale cream, almost white, with a pale bluish shade on the 

 labellum. They are arranged in two perfectly straight rows, 

 one on each side of the spike, and they are so pure, so elegant, 

 and, withal, so lasting in freshness, that we know of no plant, 

 Orchid or other, with which to compare them. The species is 

 a recent introduction from Madagascar. 

 Kew. w. W. 



Heuchera sanguinea. — Lovers of beautiful rock-plants will be 

 pleased to learn through Mr. Orpet's note of the hardiness of 

 this plant. I have still further evidence of its hardiness. 

 Seedlings raised during 1887 withstood the winter of i887-'88, 

 which will be remembered as a severe one. Considering the 

 ease with which this plant may be propagated, it should be- 

 come common, and be sold cheaply for forcing, for which it is as 

 well adapted as the common Astilbe Japonica. Seeds sown as 

 soon as ripe and wintered in boxes in a cold frame come up 

 early the following spring. I have adopted this plan of sow- 

 ing seeds over winter with much success, especially with 

 slowly germinating species of Columbines. A. glandulosa, if 

 sown in this way, germinates freely and is just as easy to man- 

 age as any of the common kinds, while if sown in spring 

 sometimes three-fourths of the seed will lie over, or come up 

 stragglingly all summer. 



Gromwell. — I am also pleased to be able to record the hardi- 

 ness of the Gromwell, Lithospermum prostratum, a trailing, 

 semi-shrubby Boraginaceous plant, with pretty blue flowers, 

 exceeding in intensity of color the Forget-me-not, and rivaling 

 the Virginian Cowslip, Mertensia Virginica. This plant is 

 easily propagated by soft-wood cuttings. It will not thrive in a 

 wet place. 



Lenten Roses. — We set out a number of these plants in grass 

 under a spreading Hickory last summer after being forced, 

 and were delighted to find all in bloom on April 3d. A splen- 

 did effect could be produced by planting in this way some 

 of the fine hybrids like Willy Schmidt, Hofgarten, Inspector 

 Hartweg, Commissioner Benary, Frau Irene Heinemann, 

 Helleborus colchicus, H. purpurascens and others. I should 

 not care to risk H. niger. 



