466 



Garden and Forest. 



[September 24, 1890. 



peted with Mignpnette, Iresine or Oxalis. Specimen Fuchsias, 

 Heliotrope, Plumbago and Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums are 

 grouped about on the lawn near the trees with excellent effect. 

 An enormous bed is entirely filled with well grown specimens, 

 four feet high, of pink-flowered Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, with 

 a few plants of variegated Maize scattered amongst them, the 

 ground being hidden by a blue-flowered Viola. An edging of 

 a narrow-leaved, elegant, variegated Coltsfoot Grass height- 

 ened the effect of a massive bed of crimson-flowered Bego- 

 nias. Adrien Robini is an erect, glossy, crimson-brown 

 Canna of great value for this kind of work. Chrysanthe- 

 mum Precocite entirely fills several large beds, and proves 

 itself a first-rate bedding plant. In another place there is a 

 round bed twenty-five feet across filled with Musa Ensete, 

 Eucalyptus globulus and Castor Bean, margined with a mas- 

 sive broad band of Funkia Sieboldii. Another bed of the same 

 size is planted with the crimson Castor Bean and Abutilon 

 marmoratum, edged with Silver-leaved Pelargonium and blue 

 Lobelia. Erythrina Crista-galli, bordered with Funkia grandi- 

 flora, is an excellent piece of gardening, the vigor of growth 

 and wealth of flower being perfection. Visitors to this park 

 should not miss the fine piece of natural gardening on the east 

 end of the Serpentine. The grouping of the trees and shrubs, 

 the sweep of lawn, the planting of the stream border, which runs 

 from the foot of a cascade — in short, the whole arrangement 

 being delightful ; wild rabbits and wood pigeons feeding 

 quietly on the lawns add considerably to the naturalness of the 

 effect. Large specimen Palms, Bamboos, Musas, Strelitzias, 

 Cordylines and Tree-Ferns are tastefully arranged amongst the 

 permanent shrubs. 



Regent's Park is quite as good in its way. The most attractive 

 beds are filled with Celosia pyramidalis, about a yard high, with 

 heads of flowers as large as those of the Pampas Grass, and 

 varying in color from pale yellow to deep crimson. Nothing 

 could be more beautiful, the habit of the plant is so elegant 

 and the colors so dazzling. These plants are raised from seeds 

 sown toward the end of April, and they are grown under glass 

 until they are in flower, usually about the end of July. They 

 are then planted in the beds, and they continue in beauty until 

 severe frost comes to cut them down. Cockscombs are simi- 

 larly grown and bedded. The borders and beds generally in 

 this park are finer, more tasteful in arrangement and better 

 grown than I have ever seen them. 



The same may be said of Hampton Court. One of the most 

 attractive beds there is filled with a Begonia called Worthiana, 

 which is by far the best bedder amongst tuberous Begonias. 

 It is dwarf, forms a large tuft of branches with narrow foliage, 

 and is heavily laden with bright scarlet flowers, which in form 

 resemble those of B. Boliviensis. 



London. W. Watsoil. 



Cultural Department. 



Notes on American Plants. 



Hibiscus militaris (the Halberd-leaved Rose Mallow) begins to 

 bloom later in the season than the common swamp Rose Mal- 

 low (H. Moscheutas). It isasmootherplant, withdivided leaves, 

 and its flesh-colored flowers are a little smaller than those of the 

 other. Its natural home is on river-banks, while the other 

 grows in marshes along the coast. But both do finely in ordi- 

 nary garden soil, come into flower at a season when they will 

 be most appreciated, and are always admired by lovers of 

 flowers. Now that the Hollyhock disease is becoming so 

 widely distributed, these Mallows, which seem to be less liable 

 to attack, ought to become better known. - 



Gentiana alba (Whitish Gentian) is a fine native perennial 

 for cultivation. It is rather rare, however, and difficult to ob- 

 tain in large quantities. In Gray's " Manual of Botany" it is 

 described as much earlier than the common closed Gentian 

 (G. Andrew sii); but with us in cultivation there seems to be 

 little difference in its time of flowering. The nearly white 

 flowers are open, and in a thick cluster at the summit of the 

 strong, erect stalks. It is a more southern species, and is very 

 rare in New England, if indeed it is found there at all. 



Aster corymbosus is one of the common species of wild 

 Aster, which is useful for planting in dry, shaded localities. It 

 is a low-growing species, seldom two feet high, and bears an 

 ample, but loose, corymb of purple and white or yellow and 

 white flowers an inch wide. The leaf is much like A. cor- 

 difolius in shape, but the zigzag stem is quite different. It 

 is one of the easiest species to transplant. 



Aster puniceus is one of the tallest species we have, often 

 over six feet high, and bearing an abundance of its large, 

 showy, violet-purple, or sometimes nearly white, flowers, over 



an inch wide. There are varieties of this, smaller plants, with 

 much inferior flowers, but in the true type the largest plants 

 make a fine display when in bloom. It seems to prefer cool 

 locations and a moist or wet soil. 



There is a fine display of Golden-rods now in flower. Soli- 

 dago lanceolata, with long narrow leaves and flat heads of 

 small yellow flowers, is one of the earlier species. It seems 

 to prefer moist banks. S. latifolia (Wide-leaved Golden-rod) 

 has broadly ovate leaves and a zigzag stem, about two feet 

 high, and bearing numerous pretty bright yellow flowers. Its 

 wide and abundant foliage is of a dark shade of green, and 

 contrasts well with the flowers. Another pretty plant is 5". 

 puberula, of sandy plain land, growing from one to three feet 

 high, and bearing a dense, prolonged panicle of pretty yellow 

 flowers. Another interesting species growing in cool peat 

 bogs and on mountain-sides is 6". uliginosa. Itsstoutstemsare 

 not rarely four feet high, and the long head or panicle of 

 yellow flowers varies from six to eighteen inches in length in 

 the largest specimens. The Sweet Golden-rod (Solidago 

 odora) in its general appearance differs little from many others, 

 but its leaves when crushed give a pleasant odor and an agree- 

 able flavor when eaten. All of these are easily transplanted 

 in early autumn, and do well in any ordinary garden soil. 



Our native perennial Sunflowers are an interesting genus of 

 plants, most of which are in flower about the first of Septem- 

 ber. There are nearly sixty species and varieties in North 

 America, and no doubt many which have never been in culti- 

 vation are valuable for this purpose. Helianthus giganteus, 

 one of the tallest, has rough and hairy stems, three to ten feet 

 high, and numerous good-sized, pale yellow flowers. It does 

 well in a light loamy soil, though its natural home is in wet, 

 swampy land. H. divaricatus, in favorable localities, is a 

 pretty plant, but in dry and barren soils, where it is sometimes 

 abundant, it is not showy. Its height is from two to four feet, 

 according to the soil from which it comes. Its flowers are 

 good-sized and bright yellow, two inches or more wide. It is 

 not so handsome or valuable a plant as the H. dicapitatus, 

 which has larger and more numerous leaves and flowers. 

 Southwick, Mass. F. H. Horsford. 



The Hardy Flower-Garden. 



n^ HE bedraggled appearance of the borders after a wet period, 

 -*• already reminds us that it is time to prepare for the next 

 year's display of perennials. Where annuals have been used 

 to any extent in the flower-garden, one now realizes more 

 fully the ephemeral nature of their beauty, and deter- 

 mines that for the future they shall take a secondary position 

 to plants of a more enduring character. It has already been 

 noted that Narcissi are best planted at once, and the earlier 

 the better. The same remark also applies now to all the 

 members of the Lily family. To one who is just starting out 

 to grow Lilies, the lists usually found in catalogues are long 

 enough certainly, too long perhaps for a beginner, for many of 

 the sorts included should never be planted by those who have 

 not already had experience with this fickle genus. The list of 

 Lilies which I have found to thrive perfectly in the climate of 

 the eastern states would include Lilium Batemanice, L. Han- 

 soni, L. candidum, L. croceum, L. pomponium, L. tigrinum and 

 varieties, L. uinbellatum, L. elegans, also known as L. Thu?i- 

 bergianum, all the varieties of L. speciosum, often called in 

 English lists and periodicals L. lancifolwm, and, of course, 

 L. superbwn, and L. Canadense, with its pretty varieties. 

 Everyone should also tryZ. auratum, but no one should have 

 great expectations of its longevity ; I have yet to see the place 

 where this gorgeous Lily has become established. In conver- 

 sation with a large Lily-grower the other day he said, "To 

 keep L. auratum raise your bulbs from seed." But this does 

 not give much encouragement to plant the fine bulbs that are 

 annually imported from Japan, which I have never known to 

 increase in size. 



There are other things which should be planted at once, 

 such as Mertensia Virginica, one of the most beautiful of 

 native plants, which will succeed in any soil. The Trilliums, 

 too, are now offered and should be planted at once. Try them 

 in shady places where -other things do not thrive, but remem- 

 ber that they die down early in summer, and give place to 

 something else, which may be planted along with them. 

 There are many Trilliums, and some are not showy or desir- 

 able for garden purposes, but T. grandiflorum, T. stylosum, 

 T. ovatum, and T. sessile, var. Califortiicimi, are sure to please. 

 Those who have not tried Camassia Cusickii certainly should; 

 but remember to plant it deep. It is the best of the Camassias, 

 but C. esculenta and C. angusta are both good border bulbs 

 that need no coddling. Dodecatheons are now coming to the 



