November 19, 1890. 



Garden and Forest. 



563 



but straggling- rather than compact, a habit rendering it an ad- 

 mirable subject for the rock-garden. The flowers vary from 

 light to dark rose, with darker band in the centre. They are 

 pleasantly fragrant and sometimes measure almost two inches 

 across. They are flat in general, and invariably single, with 

 the edges irregularly toothed. The mass of bright glaucous 

 foliage forms an appropriate ground for their more brilliant 

 colors. But the best quality of the plant is the freedom and 

 persistence with which the flowers are produced. Since early 

 summer, through storm and drought, up to this first week of 

 November — and we have had several frosty nights — flowers 

 might have been picked any day from the same plants. They 

 are of a deeper color and smaller, but still beautiful and fra- 

 grant in this colder weather. Any of the forms may be per- 

 petuated by propagating from cuttings, and, subject to the 

 slight variation already mentioned, the plant may be readily 

 raised from seed. Our plants were raised from seeds for- 



Tricyrtis hirta.— This is an interesting Liliaceous plant, 

 commonly called the Toad Lily (in reference to the profusely 

 spotted flowers), and introduced from Japan in 1863. In this 

 locality it is perfectly hardy, with simple or distichously 

 branched hirsute stems from three to four feet high; alternate, 

 stem-clasping, ovate, deeply veined, hirsute leaves, and shortlv 

 paniculate axillary inflorescence. The bell-shaped flowers, an 

 inch or more across, are borne on pedicels about an inch long, 

 the divisions being- white densely spotted with purple on the 

 upper surface. The conspicuous filaments are similarly 

 marked. The flowers are extremely pretty at short range, 

 produced in large numbers during October and November, 

 and they last until destroyed by severe frost. Those at the 

 top of the stem are the first to develop, and they open down- 

 ward in succession. The plant likes partial shade and good 

 soil, and will extend rapidly if left to its own way under these 

 provisions. It is most effective in masses of a dozen or more, 



A Michigan Forest of the Present Day. — See page 559. 



warded by Mr. W. Thompson, of Ipswich, England, some two 

 years ago. It is a new plant to this country, and, consider- 

 ing the severity of the climate, one with a most promising- 

 future. 



Solidago Urummondii. — This species is the last of the 

 Golden-rods to flower. It is a highly ornamental plant, com- 

 mencing to bloom early in October, and still in flower, though 

 fading somewhat early in November. The stems are rather 

 slender, three to four feet long, and from the weight of the 

 flowers frequently prostrate if not secured by staking. The 

 dark green of the ovate, serrate leaves contrasts well with the 

 vivid yellow of the abundant flowers. Planted freely on a 

 steep bank, that from its situation will not be allowed to get 

 very dry in summer, and allowed to grow in its own way, 

 without tie or prop, the effect is strikingly beautiful. The 

 flowering-stems impart unmatched elegance to floral decora- 

 tions. The plant likes partial shade and good, retentive soil. 

 It is found from Illinois and Missouri to Louisiana. 



and when these masses attain large dimensions, as they will 

 in a few years, the roots may be separated late in autumn for 

 fresh plantations. It is possible to propagate more closely by 

 removing the offsets yearly. 



Cambridge, Mass. 



M. Barker. 



Notes on Shrubs. 



I 



T usually happens in this latitude that at least three-fourths 

 of the deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves by the 

 first week of November. Sometimes, however, there is con- 

 siderable variability in persistence of foliage even among 

 plants of the same species, although, as a rule, all of a kind 

 mav be fairly judged by the behavior of two or three healthy 

 individuals growing under normal conditions. 



After several severe frosts the best foliage of all the species 

 of Clematis in the collection is that borne by the Japanese Cle- 

 matis paniculata, which still appears as fresh and green as in 



