4^4 



Garden and Forest. 



[August 28, 1889. 



spotted witli crimson. 'I'lie linest forms were tliose much like 

 tlie niagiiilicent L. Farkmanni, raised in America about twenty 

 years ago by Mr. Francis Parkman, and whose stock passed 

 into the hands of Waterer. It has not, unfortunately, been put 

 into commerce yet, so that lovers of Lilies have a treasure in 

 store for them. A fevv of the seedlings now exhibited so 

 much resemble Parkman's that they would pass for them, and 

 perhaps they have the same parentage which is L. aiiratum 

 crossed with a deep crimson form of L. speciosiiin. From 

 these Parkmanni types of seedlings, all having petals tinted and 

 spotted with deep crimson and edged with white, there was 

 ever}' gradation to the forms with white petals thinly spottefl 

 and not possessing the characteristic golden band of L. aura- 

 tuin. One was similar to, if not identical with, the variety 

 Rubro-vittatinn, which is still a rarity. Every one of the seed- 

 lings was beautiful, and we must look forward to the time 

 when Mr. Waterer will be able- to put them, together with 

 Parkman's Lily, into comnierce. Some of the seedlings would 

 undouljtedly have been certilicated by the committee if the 

 regulation ninnber of flowers (three) had been shown instead 

 of one. 



A group of ornamental trees and shrubs from Messrs. Veitch's 

 Coombe Wood nursery included the following noteworthy 

 kinds: A variety of the Hemlock Spruce [Tsuga Canadensis), 

 named Argentea, with the tips of the branches of a silvery hue, 

 though not so pronounced as in other conifers with variegated 

 foliage. A more effective conifer was a golden form of Reti- 

 nospora pisifera, in wliich the whole of the foliage, both old and 

 new, is of a rich yellow tint. It is a favorite plant among those 

 who have a special liking for gold and silver conifers. The 

 golden variety of Ulvius Dampieri vifixs shown in bright condi- 

 tion and displayed well the peculiar erect growth of this Elm. 

 A much admired shrub was the cut leaved, scarlet-berried YA- 

 der^Sainbitcus raceinosa s err atif olio), which, as 3'et, is not gener- 

 ally .known. The elegantly cut leaves, combined with the 

 clusters of brilliant red l:)erries, make it a most beautiful shrub, 

 and, on account of its hardiness and vigor, it may be planted in 

 any locality. But it is to be regretted that this beautiful plant 

 does not produce berries in the south as freely as it is does in 

 the cool and moist parts of Scotland, and I imagine that your hot 

 and dry summers are detrimental to the fruiting of this shrub 

 in America also. Among other good things shown by Messrs. 

 Veitch, were Ceanothiis azureus albica^is, with feathery clusters 

 of whitish blossoms as plentiful as in the blue Gloire de Ver- 

 sailles ; Veronica ligustrifoUa, a narrow-leaved New Zealand 

 shrubby Veronica ; Clematis coccitiea and C. crispa, the latter 

 with flowers larger than those of C. coccinea, and of a pale 

 purple ; Cytisiis nigricans, one of the best of midsummer 

 dwarf shrubs, having long, slender spikes of yellow flowers ; 

 a dark-leaved variety of Spircea callosa, called also Sanguinea, 

 and Philesia Inixifolia, a beautiful little Chilian shrub with 

 flowers like a miniature Lapageria, which is almost nardy in 

 the south of England. 



Some of our florists are doing their utmost to anticipate 

 autumn by showing us autumn flowers at midsummer. 

 One showed a new early flowering Chrysanthemum with large 

 lemon-yellow flowers named Mdlle. Leonie Lassali, and another 

 exhibited a large gathering of Cactus-flowered and single 

 Dahlias. Among the best Cactus sorts that flower early are 

 Panthea, bright orange-scarlet ; Zulu, blackish-crimson, and 

 Mrs. Hawkins, yellow, flushed with pink. The single Dahlias 

 represented some of the new picotee-edged sorts which were 

 much admired last year. Among the best shown by Messrs. 

 Cheal were Duchess of Albany, with fawn-colored petals, edged 

 with mauve ; Victoria, white, edged with scarlet, and James 

 Scobie, yellow and scarlet. These new combinations of colors 

 may revive the waning popularity of single-flowered Dahlias. 



W. Goldring. 



Cultural Department, 



Some August-Flowering Shrubs. 



'X'HE Japanese Hydrangea pajiicidata in this latitude blooms 

 -•- for nearly a month from the middle of July. It has few 

 sterile, showy flowers, but its large panicles of perfect blos- 

 soms with their stamens are much more pleasing when 

 closely examined than the great panicled variety (//". panicu- 

 lata grandiflora) oi\\A\\c\\ it is the parent. The flowers of 

 the Grandiflora variety, which are nearly all sterile, begin to 

 turn white as H. paniailata is about done flowering, and from 

 the middle of August until well into September it is the most 

 conspicuous feature of many modern New England gardens 

 and country places. As they become old the large, dense 

 panicles assume a pinkish hue, and they are often collected 



and carefully dried for winter adornment of the house. 

 These plants like care and good cultivation, as they degen- 

 erate and become straggling if planted in poor soil and not 

 cared for, or if early spring pruning is neglected. 



The many varieties of the Althea, or Rose of Sharon [Hibis- 

 cus Syriacns), are popular August and September-flowering 

 shrubs. They are shrubs which seem to thrive very well in 

 small yards of city dwellings as well as in more open gardens. 

 They are, as a rule, remarkably free from insect pests or dis- 

 flgurement by fungus diseases, and they retain their smooth, 

 shining, dark green leaves until late autumn. It would be 

 almost useless to name varieties here, as the names and de- 

 scriptions given in catalogues are so conflicting, but varieties 

 with single or tloulsle white, purple, red, pink and variegated 

 flowers are offered, and of these the single-flowered varieties 

 are the most beautiful. The blossoms are odorless. In the 

 climate of Boston the plants are not hardy if planted on low 

 or wet ground, where growth is continued too late in the sea- 

 son and the wood does not get thoroughly ripened before se- 

 vere frosts occur. If planted on dry ground, growth will not 

 be so rapid, but success and hardiness may be assured. For 

 fragrance as well as beauty, the terminal white racemes of 

 flowers of the Sweet Pepper Bush ( Clethra alnifolia) are the most 

 prized at this season. Plants growing in moist, shady woods 

 often continue blooming freely in September. Clethra acumi- 

 nata from the mountains in the Southern States is hardy, and 

 blossoms with our native species, but is not as attractive. 

 Although seldom seen in gardens, both species are easily cul-- 

 tivated, and will do well in those regions where plants of the 

 same class grow spontaneously. 



While some species and varieties open their first flowers 

 earlier in the summer, the low-growing Heaths are also relia- 

 ble bloomers in August. Double, white, red and other \'arie- 

 ties of the common Heath or Ling [Calluna vulgaris) are now 

 cultivated, but they are almost unknown in American gar- 

 dens. In this latitude they require a slight covering of leaves, 

 coarse hay, or evergreen branches to protect them from the 

 direct rays of the sun and the conseqeunt alternate freez- 

 ing and thawing which is so fatal to so many plants. 

 Among other species of the family in full bloom the l')est 

 are Erica vagaiis, E. stricta and Dabcecia polifolia. These 

 are more tencler than Calluna vulgaris, but generally do very 

 well when given the same protection. The story is often told 

 by immigrants, or those who loved their native " moors " in 

 the " old country," of their efforts to introduce the Scotch 

 Heather or the Heath about their new homes, and the in- 

 stances are rare when their treasures have grown and thrived. 

 A limestone region, or a clay soil and limy water is often the 

 cause of failure,, for most plants of this family, Droseras, Sar- 

 racenias and sofne others, rarely flom-ish in districts where 

 there is much lime. 



There are two types of Tamarisk which bloom freely in Bos- 

 ton and vicinity, although they are by no means common in 

 gardens. There is much confusion in their nomenclature. 

 Plants of the first type pass under the names of Tamarix 

 Africana, T. Gallica, T. Anglica, T. tetrandra, T. elegans and 

 T. parvijlora, and alb flower at about the same time, in the 

 latter part of May and in June. If they have speciic differ- 

 ences, they are so slight or inconspicuous to the general ob- 

 server as to be unnoticed in the garden. 



The second type is the most desirable. It comes into full 

 bloom about mid-August, and then the masses of delicate, 

 tiny, pink buds and blossoms among the fine foliage are v ry 

 beautiful, and, when well grown, the whole aspect of the plant 

 is unsurpassed in gracefulness by any other shrub at this sea- 

 son. This is the T. Indica of some writers, but, among other 

 names, it is often found in commercial catalogues under 

 the name of T. Chinensis. In the climate of Boston it is 

 hardy where not too much exposed, and thrives best in a por- 

 ous soil, especially in the vicinity of water. It will grow fif- 

 teen or twenty feet high, and, if cut back occasionally, it be- 

 comes wide-spreading and bushy. When planted in masses 

 it gives a soft, pleasing effect, even when not in bloom. 



On acco.vmt of their minute leaves and pliant branches and 

 stems, the Tamarisks are well adapted to withstand severe 

 storms, and, for this reason, they are much planted along 

 banks and sea-coasts in southern England, where they may 

 be called evergreen. They are also much planted on the 

 Bermuda Islands, where the fine, dense foliage is said to forn^ 

 a perfect shelter against the strong winter gales. They are 

 among the best sea-side shrubs in this country. The Tamar- 

 isks are propagated more easily than Willows, and cuttings 

 readily take root in any ordinary moist soil. 



The shrubby Pptentilla [P. fruticosa), with its yellow blos- 

 soms averaging nearly an inch across, has the merit of giving 



