June 22, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



295 



named varieties vvhicli liave Ijeen selected and propagated by 

 gardeners in the course of many years of cultivation. An ex- 

 amination of a large number of plants growing in various 

 places in this region shows that with very rare exceptions they 

 all belong to the so-called common Laburnum (L. vulgare), the 

 species known as the Scotch Laburnum (L. cdpinum) being 

 very uncommon. The latter has smaller flowers of a deeper 

 yellow color than those of L. vulgare ; the standard usually has 

 very faint marks or lines near the base on the inner side, and 

 its lateral edges are often quite strongly reflexed. The Hower- 

 buds before opening are more flattened laterally. The leaves 

 are glabrous on both surfaces, pale green beneath, and usually 



Fig. 53. — Senecio macroglossus. — See page 294. 



wider in proportion to the length, and the branchlets are 

 smooth and shining. 



In the common Laburnum the flowers are larger and lighter 

 yellow-colored than those of the Scotch, the inner central 

 lower portion of the standard is distinctly marked by dark red 

 lines, and the lateral edges are not nearly so much reflexed. 

 The flower-buds do not appear so much compressed laterally. 

 The leaves are glabrous above, but grayish beneath on ac- 

 count of being covered by a minute closely appressed pubes- 

 cence, and they are usually less than half as broad as long. 

 The branchlets and winter-buds are grayish from being cov- 

 ered by a minute close pubescence. There is also a very 

 marked difference in the fruit, the pods of the common La- 

 burnum being thick-shelled and stout, while those of the 



Scotch are thin and flat, the upper edge being prolonged, thin 

 and knife-like. The seeds of both are said to be poisonous. 



There are various forms of L. vulgare, of garden origin, 

 which are often recommended as possessing qualities superior 

 to the type. Of these probably the best variations are those 

 known as Waterer's and Parkes'. There are also forms with 

 abnormal foliage, such as yellow-leaved, curled-leaved, and 

 witli foliage so cut as to suggest diminutive Oak-leaves, but 

 none of these are worth growing here except as curiosities or 

 monstrosities. 



A Lal)urnimi both curious and interesting is that known as 

 Laburnum Adami, famous as having Ijeen the result of a graft 

 hybrid between the common Laburnum and Cylisus purpu- 

 reus, a hardy dwarf, shrubby plant of the same family, bearing 

 a profusion of purplish flowers at about the same season as 

 Laburnum. This graft hybrid plant assumes the habit and 

 stature of Laburnum, but its flowers may be purplish or like 

 those of the typical Laburnum or those of Cytisus, and the 

 foliage of either parent may appear in distinct branches and 

 branchlets of the same tree, thus presentinga curious contrast. 



Cytisus purpureus is well worth growing for its show of 

 handsome purple bloom in the latter part of .May and early 

 June. It is a low, procumbent, spreading, slender-twigged 

 shrub, scarcely rising over a foot above the ground, and on 

 account of its inconspicuous habit European gardeners often 

 graft it on tall stems of the Laburnum. But to many minds 

 such treatment of it seems too artificial and out of harmony 

 with the character of its foliage and blossom, and, besides, 

 the plants do not thrive so well here, and are certainly not so 

 sure of long life as when on their own roots. 



C. nigricans, a later-flowering dwarf species, with slender 

 spikes of l.)right yellow flowers, and several other kinds are 

 often subjected to the same treatment of high grafting, but 

 although they are rendered more conspicuous they are no 

 more pleasant to look at than when growing in the natural way. 



Arnold Arboretum. J . G. Jack. 



The Wild Garden. 



'X'HE sunny side of a large, abrupt mound, beside a pool of 

 -'- water, was absolutely covered with the beautiful flowers 

 of Phlox subulata, the Moss Pink, during the month of May. 

 It was a charming sight, and one that afforded a good illustra- 

 tion of the best place for this useful plant. The flowers are 

 now almost past, except on the north side of the mound, 

 where the plant is still very gay and makes an excellent associ- 

 ate lor the fair Lily-of-the-valley. The reddish purple flowers 

 of Phlox procumbens are also very showy, but this plant pre- 

 fers a cooler situation. 



Antennaria plantaginifolia, the Plaintain-leaved Everlasting, 

 covers a neighboring mound with its hoary foliage, and nu- 

 merous aquatic plants luxuriate in the water beneath. A little 

 tuft of Bluets occupies a quaint position on the root-stump of 

 an Azalea by the watery margin, and Marsh Marigolds are still a 

 beautiful spectacle of orange-yellow flowers and verdant foliage 

 in the rich mud adjoining. The pretty racemes of the Buck- 

 bean, Menyanthes trifoliata, peep above the shallow water a 

 little further along, and the yellow Pond Lily is showing 

 its large, golden Ijalls in the deepest places. On an adja- 

 cent, shady bank. Geranium maculatum thrives beautifully, 

 and its pale, purple flowers are prettier than those of many a 

 more costly plant. 



Ferns and Aquilegia Canadensis make a most effective com- 

 bination among the rocks and earth, forming an irregular 

 mass, the rich red and yellow flowers of the Columbine having 

 an exquisite setting in the varied shades produced by the Fern- 

 fronds. The white flowers of Anemone Pennsylvanica have 

 unfolded. The plant is a robust grower and blooms freely. 

 It thrives best in a dry, open position. The flowers are two 

 inches in diameter, with a pretty cluster of yellow stamens in 

 the centre, and they are produced most abundantly where the 

 plants receive the greatest amount of sunshine. Clematis 

 ochroleuca is interesting on account of its rarity. It is about 

 two feet high, and blooms freely in the sun. The urn-shaped 

 flowers are purplish outside, creamy within, and they are 

 borne singly at the top of the stems. 



The wild Hyacinth, Camassia (Scilla) Fraseri, is strikingly 

 handsome. It has long, linear leaves and scapes more than 

 two feet high. The flowers are pale blue, an inch across, on 

 pedicels an inch long, and arranged closely on the upper por- 

 tion of the scape, covering about a foot of its length. Linlike 

 C. esculenta, it is perfectly hardy in this latitude, and it flowers 

 freely during May and June. It needs a deep rich sod, and plenty 

 of light is beneficial, though the flowers fade rapidly if they are 

 not sheltered somewhat from the sun. This is undoubtedly 



