440 



Garden and Forest. 



[November 7, 1888. 



as Teas, than wlieii grown by the methods adapted to 

 Hybrid Perpetnals. II'. 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



Schizostylis cocciiiea. — We are now enjoying the flowers of 

 tliis lieautiful South African plant. It Ijelongs to the Iris 

 family, and is commonly known as Crimson Flag or Kaffir 

 Lily. It always Ijlooms in fall, especially from October till 

 December. During the winter months it requires the protec- 

 tion of a cool green-house or warm frame, but throughout the 

 summer months out-door treatment. Rich, moist soil and a 

 sheltered, slightlv shaded place suits it best, and it may be 

 grown in pots or planted out in summer, and lifted and potted 

 in September. In order to liave it in its greatest lu.xuriance, 

 however, it shoidd lie planted out permanently in a frame 

 from which frost is excluded at all times. The flowers are 

 crimson, one and a half to two inches across, and closely 

 arranged on spikes after the fashion of some Gladioli. 

 Propagation is easily effected by means of division in spring 

 or early summer. 



Heliaiithus Maxiniiliani. — This is the finest hardy perennial 

 SunHower now in bhiom. It grows from seven to ten feet 

 high, and just now (in late October) its long, wand-like 

 stems are terminated for two to three feet of their length with 

 bright golden-yellow Mowers closely set to the stems. The 

 whole plant is rough-hispid ; the leaves are alternate, scab- 

 rous, lanceolate, acute. Tlie species is indigenous to the 

 " Prairies and plains west of the Mississippi, and from the 

 .Saskatchewan to Te.xas." It spreads a good deal at the root, 

 but not nearly to the extent that most other perennial species 

 ilo. There is a current idea that it is not quite hardy, but we 

 have never known it to sliow any signs of being tender. We 

 find that growing it for several successive years in one jilace 

 in the garden debilitates it, no matter how much manure we 

 give it. It should be transplanted to fresh groiunl every 

 second or third vear if it is to continue at its l.iest estate. 



C. C 



Notes From the Arnolcl iVrboretuiii. 

 A SEVERE and sudden frost in the middle of Septcniher, 

 ^^ following six weeks in which the rainfall was almost with- 

 out a parallel in amount in eastern New Englantl, and during 

 which the sim was rarely seen, destroyed the foliage on many 

 plants, and has greatly impaired the beauty of many others, 

 which, ordinarily, at this season of the year, are more lieauti- 

 ful than at any other. Fruits, too, have ripened badly, and 

 many shrubs, native and foreign, are almost destitute of ber- 

 ries, which are often more attractive than the flowers preced- 

 ing them. It is probable, moreover, that the damage inflicted 

 by the unusual wetness of the season will not be fully felt until 

 ne.xt year. Unripened wood, and the wood of comparatively 

 few plants is thoroughly ripened, means that manv plants will 

 be killed back during the winter, and that those which bloom 

 upon this year's growth, even if it is not k'illed, will not pro- 

 duce many flowers next spring and summer. Plants, there- 

 fore, of doubtful hardiness, should be protected this winter 

 with unusual care; and even those which have shown them- 

 selves perfectly hardy for years will be all the better for a little 

 protection during the cold weather, in view of the unusual 

 climatic conditions of the past season. There are some plants 

 in the collection, however, which are very beautiful now, a'lid 

 it is perhaps well to mention them, for if a plant assumes a 

 l.irilliant autumn coloring this year, it may be depended upon 

 to do so under the most unfavorable conditions. 



The foliage of the common Barberry (B. 7iii/i;an's), of Euro- 

 pean origin, loses its leaves late, and after a very slight change 

 of color. This plant, naturalized in North America, has not 

 changed its character in this particular with its change of 

 home, and in New England still lacks autumnal Ijrilliancy of 

 leaf. But the common Barberry is a plant of wide geographi- 

 cal distribution. There are growing in the Arboretum speci- 

 mens of Manchurian and of Japanese origin. The former, 

 which in some gardens is known as B. Ainurensis, is now- 

 bright with orange and scarlet, while the Japanese plant is still 

 more brilliant and more beautiful. The fruit of this last is 

 smaller, and borne in shorter racemes than upon the European 

 plants. For its foliage, if for no other reason, the Japanese 

 Barberry should be better known in our gardens. Still more 

 brilliant is tlie autumn coloring of Berberis einarginata, a 

 -Siljerian plant, closely related to the common Barberrv, and 

 perhaps to be considered as a mere geographical variety of it. 

 This is certainly one of the most desirable of shrulis, consid- 

 ered with reference to the autumnal coloring of the foliage. 

 Berberis Thu)ibergii is very beautiful, however, at this season 

 of the year, and the large and conspicuous fruit, solitary, or 

 more rarely umbellate, remains unshriveled upon the branches 



until the appearance of the new leaves in spring. The grow- 

 ing popularity of this plant is certainly well merited. Berberis 

 Chincnsis, the most graceful of all the Barberries in this collec- 

 tion, is still perfectly green. Later it will be clothed in bril- 

 liant hues. There is a difference, however, in the autumn 

 coloring of different individuals of this group, the plants 

 which originated in the mountains of northern China Ijeing 

 the most valuable in this respect. The fruit of this species is 

 unsurpassed in sizeand brilliancy of coloring and in thelength 

 of the long, graceful racemes, which now fairly weigh down 

 the slender, pendulous branches. The pretty little Himalayan 

 Berberis concinna has turned f)rilliantl\-, too, to orange and 

 scarlet, and so has our only eastern American representative 

 of the genus, Berberis Canadensis, a rather rare Alleghanv 

 plant. 



Many of the North American Erieacecs are now striking and 

 beautiful objects. None are more beautiful than the common 

 high-liush Blueberry, F(i:t77'«/«/« corymbosiini,\\'\\\c\\,w\\(tn well 

 grown, is sometimes eight or ten feet high, and a stout, thick, 

 wide spreading bush. It is impossible to describe the splen- 

 dor of the scarlets with which, at this time, its leaves are 

 tinged. They are fairly dazzling. This plant is beautiful when 

 in fl(.)wer ; its fruit is handsome, abundant and of excellent 

 quality, and among North American shrubs there is none 

 more brilliant in late October. It is easily transplanted from its 

 native swamps and hillsides to the garden, where it thrives in 

 good soil and grows with more rapidity than most plants of 

 its class. More than other Blueberries, too, it shows a ten- 

 dency to v.-iry in the size, shape and ([uality of its fruit. Any 

 attem|it \o improve the Bluelierry by selection, with the view 

 of adding it to the list of cultivated fruits, should naturally 

 begin with this species. Simply as an ornamental garden 

 ].ilant, it deserves a place in every garden, and it is surprising 

 that gardeners have so long and so generally neglected it. 

 Two Hucklel)erries, Gaylussacia frondosa and G. diiiiwsa, are 

 very brilliant just now, and, like all the Vaccinicr, should find 

 a place in gardens where attention is paid to planting for 

 autuiiiii eh'ects of color. And very brilliant, too, is the Sour- 

 wen id, Oxydendrum arboreuin, which is hardly sin-passed in 

 color at this season of the year by any American tree. Here 

 it is scarcely more than a tall bush, but in the forests, which 

 cover the sides of the southern Alleglianies, it becomes a fair- 

 sized tree, rivaling the Flowering Dogwood and the Tupelo in 

 its scarlet leaves, the effect of which is increased by the long 

 compound racemes of yellow fruit hanging from the extremi- 

 ties of all the firanches. This tree is often planted and greatly 

 esteemed in Europe, where it has been known for a century at 

 least. Here it is little known by gardeners and rarely seen in 

 gardens. 



The leaves of Rhododendron I'aseyi, recently figured in this 

 journal, have now turned to a deep, dark crimson, a character 

 which will increase the value of this beautiful and interesting 

 addition to our garden flora. The wood, in spite of the wet 

 season, seenis thoroughly ripened, and the plants are well set 

 with flower buds. 



Cornus florida has, as usual, turned to a deep, rich scarlet, 

 and Cornus sangiiinea is hardly less attractive, with its broad 

 leaves now the so-called old gold color, with the margins of 

 a deep scarlet. The habit of this plant is exceptionally good 

 when it is given room for the free development of all its 

 spreading branches; and the bright color of its bark makes it 

 an agreeable object in winter after the leaves have fallen. 



Jlburniun aeerifoliuni, one of the commonest of the native 

 species in hilly and in northern regions, shows some pink in 

 the prevailing scarlet of the autumn tints of its leaves, which 

 are not surpassed in brilliancy by those of «iny other Vilnir- 

 nuni. This plant has a neat and compact habit of growth 

 and handsome black fruit, which make a pleasant contrast 

 with the foliage. The foliage of Viburnum pubescens, which 

 is another rather small growing native species, worthy of a 

 place in every garden, turns to a deep and very rich dark pur- 

 ple, which is quite unlike that of any other shrub in the col- 

 lection. It contrasts admirably with some of the species, like 

 the last, .with brighter foliage. 



The Witch Hazel, the latest of all our shrubs to flower, is 

 now in full bloom, the pretty yellow flowers being partly hid- 

 den by the ample leaves, which have turned to orange, and 

 will tall before the petals. This autunin color of the lea\-es of 

 this American plant does not appear in those of its Japanese 

 congener {Hamatnelis Japonica), which shrivel and fall while 

 still green. Fothergilla alnifolia has brilliant golden leaves 

 just now, while those of the Japanese Photinia iiiliosa, figured 

 in an early issue of this journal, are now of a brilliant scarlet. 

 A better acquaintance only confirms the value of this plant for 

 garden decoration. 



