298 



Garden and Forest. 



I June 18, 1890. 



my Currant-bushes.' Set rows of Currants and Raspberries 

 alternate with Grapes and Strawberries. The Strawberries do 

 not injure the Grapes and give a fair crop. The Raspberries 

 do not injure the Currants if not grown too thickly. It is 

 ahvavs easy with the hoe to keep red Raspberries within 

 reasonable bounds. 



The increased acreage of berries does not any more than 

 keep up with the increase of demand; and it will not. About 

 one-half of the experiments made are very temporary, as 

 berry culture to be profitable must be clean. E. P. Powell. 



Clinton. N. Y. 



Notes on Trees and Shrubs. 



THE Laburnums in the vicinity of Boston have been unusu- 

 ally laden with their bright yellow blossoms this season, 

 even very small plants bearing flowers in profusion. The 

 Laburnum is not quite hardy enough to give general satisfac- 

 tion in this climate, and, to succeed at all, it requires a some- 

 what sheltered situation, and more particularly a dry, well 

 drained soil — a poor soil on a dry bank being preferable to a 

 rich and moist one where growth would be rankand continued 

 late in the season. Another trouble with these plants in this 

 latitude lies in the fact that the bark of the main stems is some- 

 times liable to become destroyed or blighted in winter if the 

 plants are in a position where the direct heat of the sun strikes 

 upon them. Similar injuries are not uncommonly produced 

 in some tender varieties of Pear and other fruit-trees as well 

 as some other of simply ornamental value. Consequently, it 

 is noticeable that the Laburnums which do best are those on 

 the north side of a group of other trees, or even partly under 

 their shade, so that the stems are not subjected to sudden 

 thawings from the direct rays of the sun in midwinter. Since 

 the Laburnum is commonly used in Europe as a standard 

 stock upon which to graft Cytisus purpureas and other allied 

 hardy ornamental species, and these grafted plants are some- 

 times imported into our northern gardens, care should be given 

 to provide some shade in winter for the tall, bare stems. 



In striking contrast to the floriferous aspect of the Labur- 

 nums is the barrenness of the Yellow-Wood-trees {Cladrastis 

 luted) this season. In all sorts of situations, as under high 

 cultivation or growing on lawns, these trees are entirely with- 

 out Mowers. This species usually blooms regularly every 

 year, and its behavior this season is unaccountable, because 

 the last year's growth was vigorous and healthy and was not 

 injured in the slightest degree during the past winter. The 

 Locusts, however, are as full of bloom as usual. The hardi- 

 ness of the Yellow-Wood and its hitherto general freedom 

 from insect attacks and other diseases, seem to make it worth 

 testing as a stock upon which to graft other species and varie- 

 ties of the Pea family. In this country, when the Locust is used 

 as a stock, the stems are often rendered almost worthless in a 

 short time by the attacks of boring larva? of several species of 

 insects. 



The Chinese Deutzia parviftora, of which an illustration ap- 

 peared in the first volume of Garden and Forest (p. 365), has 

 flowered as profusely as usual this season, and seems to be 

 quite as hardy as D, scabra or D. Sieboldiana when growing 

 under the same conditions. The tips of the branches are 

 sometimes destroyed in winter, but the injury is rarely so 

 severe as to seriously affect the blossoming. The flowers 

 appear somewhat earlier than those of the hardy, common 

 D. gracilis, and they fade away before the last species has 

 passed its period of greatest beauty. The flowers of D. par- 

 viftora are very different in appearance from those of any 

 other Deutzia in cultivation, although they may not surpass 

 some of them in beauty and interest. While they would 

 properly be described as white, the flowers of this species, 

 when compared with those of D. gracilis, have not the pure 

 snowy whiteness of the latter, but are slightly tinged creamy 

 white, in some cases as deeply as the blossoms of Philadel- 

 plius coronarius, the most common "Syringa" or Mock 

 Orange of our gardens. The flowers are prettily arranged in 

 large corymbs, and they are as interesting when closely ex- 

 amined as when seen at a distance on the plants. They are 

 of very uniform size on any plant, but on different plants they 

 vary from a little over a third to over half an inch across. They 

 are flat, with rounded petals, in general appearance resembling 

 small Hawthorn blossoms more than any other familiar ob- 

 ject. The fragrance, also, is strongly suggestive of the Haw- 

 thorn, though not so intense. D. parviftora is a stiff, upright 

 growing plant, which attains a height of six or eight feet about 

 Boston ; and the flower-bearing branchlets are also rigidly 

 erect and not flexuous. This species appears to be very rare 

 in cultivation, but is likely to be much advertised in the near 



future. The variations noticeable in the size and color of the 

 flowers of seedling plants indicate that the species is capable 

 of much improvement by selection and cultivation. Seed is 

 produced on the plants here, and any peculiar form which 

 may arise can be easily propagated by cuttings of ripe wood 

 taken in the autumn or winter, or by green cuttings from the 

 plants in June and July. , 



Arnold Arboretum. /• u - J^Ck. 



Notes on American Plants. 



Brodicza multiflora, from the Pacific coast, bears a close, 

 round umbel of sessile, bluish purple flowers half an inch 

 wide. But they are so close together that they have a different 

 appearance from most of the Brodiseas. The long naked 

 stems grow about twenty inches high from a bulbous root, 

 and the leaf is long and grass-like. It is a strong-growing spe- 

 cies, but should be protected in winter. 



Iris longipetala, from Oregon, blooms about the same time 

 as our common I. versicolor. Its leaf is long and narrow, and 

 the stem, usually, two-flowered, is almost naked, a foot or 

 more high. The flower is a trifle smaller and paler than that 

 of I. versicolor, but a casual observer might think it the same 

 if he did not compare the leaves of the two. It needs at least 

 two years to become thoroughly established, and then it 

 makes a pretty plant. The flowers are useful for bouquets. 



Lilium parvum and L. Columbianum are both from the 

 Pacific coast, and come into flower about the same time with 

 the first of the Lilies. The former is a California plant, while 

 the latter comes from the vicinity of the Columbia River, in 

 Oregon and Washington. Both have reddish yellow flowers, 

 with dark red spots in the centre, but the divisions of the 

 flower turn back in L. Columbianum, which gives the flowers 

 a different appearance. L. parvum seems to thrive best in a 

 light loamy soil, while L. Columbianum needs a heavier clay 

 loam or a mixture of clay. The leaf of the latter seems to dry 

 up and die even before it is in bloom when set in a light soil. 

 Both species have small flowers, but they are a little more 

 numerous in L. Columbianum, and the plant is a third taller 

 than the other. 



Vancouveria liexandra is now in flower, and is a charming 

 little plant. Its delicate dark green foliage, which in color 

 and appearance somewhat resembles that of Thalictrum 

 anemonoides, would alone make it worth growing. But the 

 small waxen-white flowers, on long stem's in a loose raceme, 

 are delicate and pretty, peculiar in shape and valuable for cut- 

 ting. It needs time to become established, but it soon spreads 

 from underground stems and forms dense beds. It does 

 fairly well in the open sun, but our plants that are placed in a 

 thin shade do the best. 



Allium f ale atum, from Oregon, grows only four inches high, 

 but its umbel of dark rose-purple flowers is very large for its 

 height. The flowers are about half an inch wide. The divi- 

 sions of the flower are very narrow, which gives it an odd ap- 

 pearance. Its very short stems make it worthless for cutting, 

 but it is an interesting garden plant, remaining a long time in 

 flower. It is probably not hardy. 



Mimulus Lewisii, another native of Oregon, a foot or more 

 high, has numerous crimson flowers, an inch long and nearly 

 as wide at the mouth of the flower, very showy and durable. 

 Open sunlight and a light soil seem to suit it. 



Southwick, Mass. F. H. Horsford. 



Hardy Flowers in June. 



APRIL and May are the brightest months in the rock gar- 

 den, when Moss Pinks [Phlox subulata) in variety, Au- 

 brietias, Arabis and Hepaticas are at their best. June is the 

 brightest for the borders. Columbines are among the earliest 

 and most beautiful, I think, of all border plants; and the 

 handsomest of these is the Siberian species, Aquilegia glandu- 

 losa. It is quoted at high prices by dealers, but it is very easy 

 to raise. There is some question as to the probability of ob- 

 taining the species true; but there should be little danger of 

 its becoming hybridized, as it is nearly past blooming when 

 the other species come in, with the exception of A. Cana- 

 densis, which does not seem to affect it. My plants from seed 

 saved by myself are perfectly true. One-year-old seedlings bloom 

 better than the best imported plants. This may be accounted for 

 partly by the fact that all Columbines are impatient of removal. 

 In our case they suffer very little from it, being removed from 

 the nursery directly into the border. 



The hybrids between A. ccerulea and A. chrysantha are 

 beautiful, having the graceful curving spurs so well de- 

 veloped in Chrysantha. The blue and yellow varying in lighter 

 and deeper shades harmonize splendidly. The " Munstead 



