May 29, 1895. 



Garden and Forest. 



217 



water while the plants are inactive growth, providing the drain- 

 age is good. They suffer if allowed to become dry during the 

 warm weather, and even in winter sliould be kept moderately 

 moist, the amount of water given being regulated according to 

 the atmospheric moisture of the house. Tiie flowers are useful 

 for wreaths and similar purposes. Nowhere do the large 

 waxy, bell-shaped flowers show to better advantage than when 

 drooping from the roof of the greenhouse, for which this plant 

 is admirably adapted, ft is of slender growth and light foliage 

 and does not obstruct the light from the plants below. 



Stigmaphyllum ciliatum. — This plant is well adapted for a 

 similar purpose, but is of more rapid growth and heavier foli- 

 age. It is of comparatively easy culture and thrives well in a 

 light soil. The flowers, which are produced in panicles, are 

 of a bright yellow color and very showy. They are easily 

 damaged by damp, and on this account the plants should not 

 be syringed when in flower. 



Habrothamnus elegans.— This is another old-time favorite. 

 It is especially useful tor training to a pillar from which the 

 graceful drooping panicles of bright carmine flowers are dis- 

 played to the best advantage. It can be had in bloom during 

 the winter months if it is well cut in about the end of Septem- 

 ber. There need be no fear of cutting it in hard, as it starts 

 very readily and maybe pruned back as close as agrapevine. 



Tarrytown, N. Y. IVilliam Scott. 



Cyperus alternifolius. — For decorative purposes this is an ex- 

 tremely useful plant, and for growing in Wardian cases, aquari- 

 ums or positions where it can have plenty of moisture and not 

 too much sunshine it is unexcelled. Planted in the open 

 ground it makes a very handsome appearance, audit succeeds 

 in either the full sun or a heavily shaded situation. It suc- 

 ceeds best where slightly shaded, and last year grew four 

 to five feet high and three feet in diameter. Tliose who have 

 some old, rather sickly-looking specimens in pots should plant 

 them out, and they will be surprised to note a fine tropical 

 appearance they will have ere the season is over. The varie- 

 gated form, C. alternifolius variegatus, grows less vigorously 

 with us than the green form, but makes a very pretty plant. 

 As young plants are so easily raised from seed and otherwise, 

 it is not advisable to dig up any plants in the fall ; they are sure 

 to lose a large part of their foliage after lifting. 



Taunton, Mass; W.N. Craig. 



Native Violets. — Under cultivation these plants make a rather 

 pretty display of flowers and foliage. Some of them, how- 

 ever, are apt to become troublesome weeds if planted where 

 the hoe cannot be used freely. The principal offender in this 

 line is Viola cucuUata, which goes on producing short- 

 stemmed apetalous flowers all through the summer, and these 

 flowers are very abimdant seed-producers. V. blanda is a 

 good species with white flowers and lots of them ; it is about 

 six inches high. V. Canadensis is a beautiful plant, with leafy 

 stems, and grows over a foot high ; it has also vi'hite flowers, 

 tinged with violet. V. pedata has several forms, every one of 

 which is beautiful. V. pubescens has small yellow flowers 

 and very handsome foliage. V. sagittata has very variable 

 foliage and pale purple flowers ; in masses this looks well. 

 These Violets seem to prefer a heavy loam with the addition 

 of some vegetable mold. V. pedata, in its varied forms, usu- 

 ally grows on hard-baked sandy soil, or gravelly soil, and in 

 such situations flowers sparingly all summer long if there are 

 abundant rains, but usually the plants show best in May and 

 late September. 



Botanic Garden, Washington. 



growing for man)^ years in the grounds of the Department 

 of Agriculture in Washington, shows that, while it can be 

 kept alive there, it has no ornamental or economic value 

 much beyond the limits of its natural range. — Ed.] 



G. IV. O. 



Correspondence. 



The Hardiness of Pinus palustris. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The nole on the hardiness of the Cherokee Rose in a 

 recent number of Garden and Forest leads me to ask what 

 has been done in the way of testing the liardiness of the Pmus 

 palustris ? Two years ago we procured a dozen small plants 

 of this species from a point near its northern limit in North 

 Carolina. One only survived the transportation, but this one 

 has lived through the past two winters here with no protec- 

 tion. Even the severe one just past has not materially hurt 

 it. The uppermost leaves are brown and dead, but the lower 

 ones are green. Further than this it is now making a vigor- 

 ous growth from the crown. The plant is only about fifteen 

 inches high, and it was under the snow part of the time, but 

 there were terms of very severe weather when it was entirely 

 uncovered. 



Germanlown, Pa. Joseph Meeluin. 



[The condition of the plant of this Pine, which has been 



Notes from Wellesley. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Mr. H. H. Hunnewell's grounds are open to the public 

 and they are visited by thousands of plant-lovers every season. 

 The superb collection of rare and beautiful conifers and splen- 

 did specimens of rare trees and shrubs from all parts of the 

 world are tlie main attraction to some of the visitors, while 

 others come to see Lake Waban as it appears when looking 

 over the Italian garden of trimmed trees, the finest in the 

 United States. The exhibition of Rhododendrons and Azaleas 

 i[i June is a special treat to many persons. Mr. Hunnewell 

 has a magnificent collection of Rhododendrons. It may be a 

 question whether the more tender kinds, in which Asiatic 

 blood predominates, will ever be really hardy here. Mr. Hun- 

 newell has, by extreme care in regard to suitable location, and 

 attention to watering during dry weather, succeeded in retain- 

 ing some of the tender ones in excellent health. Years ago 

 crimson shades were rare, now there are several good varie- 

 ties of this color. 



During the late summer the English flower-garden proves a 

 great attraction. It is a flower picture, a mass of color, effec- 

 tively arranged in one part of the garden shut in by a rectan- 

 gular evergreen hedge. The Water-lily tank, heated by hot- 

 water pipes, and containing such tender kinds as Nymphcea 

 Devoniensis, N. Zanzibarensis and N. stellata, as well as some 

 of the handsomer of the hardier kinds, notably N. chromatella, 

 has many admirers. A special bed of Japanese Iris is pro- 

 vided with water-pipes, laid so that it can be overflowed dur- 

 ing the blooming season — an essential condition to the proper 

 cultivation of these plants. A canopy is spread over them to 

 protect the delicate and many-hued flowers from the scorch- 

 ing rays of the sun. 



The conservatory is considered private, but no one is ever 

 refused permission to view the splendid collection of Orchids 

 always on exhibition there. Mr. Hunnev.'ell's Orchids are se- 

 lected mainly for spring and summer effect. There is just 

 now an immense basket — crate, one might call it — of Cattleya 

 Skinneri, and another of its charming white-eyed variety, 

 oculata. The brilliant violet-purple of these flowers is very 

 effective. With its fragrant, lemon-yellow, pendent flowers, 

 C. citrina is here exceptionally well grown. Laelia cinnabarina 

 and Ada aurantiaca give the touch of orange-scarlet needed. 

 Dendrobium nobile, in many fine forms, and D. Wardianum 

 are indispensable here, as elsewhere. Other Dendrobiums in 

 flower are D. fimbriatum, orange-yellow, with dark brown, 

 almost maroon, eye, and fringed lip ; D. Brymerianum, clear 

 yellow, with a still more fringed lip, and D. thyrsiflorum. 

 These add variety and beauty to an attractive group. Schom- 

 burgkia Tibicanis is a rare and most interesting Orchid, very 

 seldom seen. The plant now in flower bloomed two years 

 ago for the first time in this country. It is a somewhat coarse 

 grower, producing but few flowers in proportion to the size of 

 the plant. They are pink and white and finely penciled. 



In the annex to the conservatory, which is open to the pub- 

 lic, there is a fine display of spring-flowering plants. It is 

 interesting to note how effective such old plants as Antirrhinums 

 are for grouping. There are some finely selected kinds, one of 

 wine-purple being very showy. Another effective striped one, 

 Mr. Harris says, he used to know many years ago as Caryo- 

 phylloides. Azaleas are here used to help the display, although 

 there is a special exhibit of these plants in pots plunged to the 

 rim in a tent in another part of the grounds. A. orbicularis is 

 a variety especially worthy of note ; it is a Japanese species, 

 and very nearly hardy. The flowers are small, red and white 

 striped, but produced in immense numbers. This species is 

 being used largely in England for forcing. It suffers in com- 

 parison with a well-gr.own plant of tenderer, larger-flowered 

 kinds, but its hardiness makes it much easier to handle, for 

 which reason it is especially well suited for florists' use. A 

 fine standard Wistaria Sinensis, Lilies and foliage-plants 

 make grouping for the background, while in front there is a 

 blaze of Pelargoniums such as one seldom sees. Among the 

 best Zonal kinds are Clyde, vermilion-red ; Fiery Cross, intense 

 crimson; Belle Poitevi'ne, salmon-pink, and the White Nenie- 

 sis. Show Pelargoniums are in the majority. The collection 

 contains some extra good varieties. Duchess of Albany is a 

 fine dark-flowered sort ; Duchess of Teok. large, white, faintly 

 tinted pink, chaste and beautififl ; Albino, white, with a light 

 purple standard ; Kingston Beauty, with a deep purple stand- 



