May 26, 1S97. ] 



Garden and Forest. 



2g 7 



flowers, which have narrow petals, light lilac in color, are 

 borne on short stems among the leaves. I rather enjoy this 

 species, despite its tendency to weediness, but as no one else 

 seems to fancy it, it is, perhaps, better not to recommend it. 



It is very difficult, perhaps impossible, to convey to the 

 reader correct impressions of the colors of Irises as so many 

 of them are purple. As this is a compound color, ranging 

 from the reds to the blues, it has innumerable hues which one 

 can only hint at as they appear in the various flowers. Not all 

 of these hues are pleasing to me, and perhaps others might 

 not fancy forms which might be commended, but I have no 

 hesitation in noting the beauty of I. Kochii, which is of a most 

 intense purple color of a reddish tint. This bears large 

 flowers, and is among the most desirable of garden Irises. 



None of these Irises offer the slightest difficulty in cultiva- 

 tion in ordinary garden borders, the intention of these notes 

 being to indicate only the useful, easily grown and effective 

 kinds. This note, it will be observed, mentions two types of 

 Irises, those with thick rhizomes which creep at or near the 

 surface, and those with thin underground rhizomes — I. Sibirica 

 and I. ensata. The latter may be planted, like any herbaceous 

 plants, with the crowns at the surface. The others should be 

 planted with the thick rhizomes only half-buried. These may 

 be planted at any time when the ground is warm, but I prefer, 

 if possible, to move them just after flowering, as they soon 

 thereafter make a new growth, and by autumn are strongly 

 established and will be effective the next spring, which they 

 seldom will be if planted in the fall. The exception to this 

 would be when plants are only moved a short distance and are 

 not checked. In such cases it really is of little importance if 

 planting is deferred to that time. Ordinarily, however, one 

 receives the plants from a distance, and they have become 

 dormant. In such cases, if received in the late year, I prefer 

 to winter them in frames. 



Iris notes for the middle of May would not be complete 

 without calling attention to some other species which are by 

 no means to be considered as reliable garden plants. At this 

 time commence to flower those curious Asiatic Irises which, 

 being natives of countries with rainless summers, require 

 special and careful culture. They are to be classed among 

 those which the gardener considers "interesting" plants, by 

 which is usually understood those which give more trouble 

 than flowers. Regelia and Oncocyclus Irises are, however, 

 amenable to rational treatment, which will vary somewhat 

 according to latitude of the garden. Here where we have very 

 severe weather sometimes and only occasional snow for pro- 

 tection, it is necessary to retard the growth of the foliage till 

 early spring, say April. By planting the roots, about four inches 

 deep, at the end of November, the leaves appear above ground 

 after hard frosts have ended. They are planted out in fully 

 exposed borders and care is taken that they are well supplied 

 with water while growing. Soon after flowering the old leaves 

 show signs of maturing. At this time it will be found that 

 new buds are well formed. The plants are then lifted, planted 

 out in Lily-pans and kept perfectly dry and warm during the 

 summer. Care must be taken in the fall to keep them cool, 

 to prevent their starting prematurely. Under such treatment 

 fair success is had here. All the species are quaint and odd in 

 form and coloring. For instance, I. Suwarowi has standards 

 lined with blue and edged with golden-brown ; the styles are 

 also brown, the crest a bright blue and the falls also lined with 

 blue and with a dark blue signal. I. Korolkowi concolor is of 

 a pure heliotrope hue. I. lupina has a curious combination 

 of yellowish green with black dots and linings. I. nigricans, a 

 new species, is somewhat in the way of I. lupina in coloring, 

 varying in hue and in forms of petals. Professor Forster and 

 others have hybridized many of these Irises and the hybrids 

 are as quaint as the parents. One of these, I. parkor (paradoxa 

 x Korolkowi), blooms very freely here and has richly colored 

 dark purple flowers, the hairy signals being a rich plum-purple 



Elizabeth, N.J. J.N.Gerard. 



Flower Notes. 



FLOWERING plants of Primula Japonica in crimson and 

 white have been the prettiest things for table decoration 

 we have had this spring. They were raised from seed last 

 spring and grown in six-inch pots. When autumn came they 

 ripened crowns and were kept with a limited supply of water 

 in a cool pit until spring, where they have been brought into 

 bloom without heat. In sheltered spots these Primroses are 

 hardy. The broad handsome foliage resembles that of the 

 common Primrose and has a distinctly rosette-like arrangement. 

 The flowers are borne in successive whorls on lofty scapes, 

 sometimes over two feet in height. It is a giant among Prim roses. 



Compared with this, Primula cortusoides is u. gem. '. Its 

 small, rounded, slightly hairy, sinuate leaves hug this ..— 'ind, 

 and from this mat of leaves arise slender scapes of lo^ 1 

 bellate rose-colored flowers. There are several nameu 11 jTrie- 

 ties, but so far the type has proved the hardiest, r^ has 

 rhizomatous roots, which creep over or very near the sur 

 and on this account the plants need slight protection in winter. 

 A few forced plants of the double white English PrilVfose 

 bloomed nicely in the cool greenhouse during the late \. inter 

 months. They make two or three new crowns durii.'g the 

 winter. After the blooming season we divide them to single 

 crowns and plant them out in a shady corner. Care should be 

 taken that the long fleshy roots go as deeply into the soil as 

 their length allows, or they will suffer during dry weather. 



The double Lychnis Flos-cuculi, Ragged Robin, has proved 

 a most useful winter bloomer. The attractive, semidouble 

 pink flowers are borne abundantly all winter ; in fact, it is 

 scarcely ever out of bloom. It is quite hardy with us, and 

 increases freely, as any bit of stem will root. In this way it 

 would be possible to get up a large stock of it in a short time. 



The rock garden and its surroundings in the grounds be- 

 longing to Professor Sargent, of Brookline, Massachusetts, are 

 very attractive just now. The adjacent shrubbery, wooded 

 and grassy slopes are covered with an undergrowth of Nar- 

 cissus Poeticus, Squills and wild Tulips. Large numbers of 

 bulbs have been used in an effective, yet most natural way. 

 On the rock garden conspicuous are large patches of Daphne 

 Cneorum, which, owing to the mildness of the past winter, is 

 looking fine everywhere. Orobus vernus, the spring Vetch, 

 with rosy Pea-like flowers, changing to purple, is evidently 

 well suited as to location. We have found it hard to establish, 

 though succeeding well enough with other species. The 

 white and blue Grape Hyacinths are remarkably neat. Trol- 

 lius Europaeus, with large incurved Buttercup-like flowers, is 

 interesting at all times. It has a long season of bloom, ripens 

 seed freely, which germinates slowly. Seed sown last spring 

 did not come up until this, while the bulk of a lot sown last 

 autumn is up at the same time, but not all, and probably if we 

 hold over the seed-box until next spring there will be another 

 installment to come up. It is the same with many species of 

 Clematis, Hellebores and other members of the Ranunculus 

 family to which the Trolhus belongs. Fritillaria gracilis resem- 

 bles our common F. meleagris, odd, if not beautiful. Stellaria 

 Holostea is pretty when in bloom, large sheets of white star- 

 shaped flowers, a rapid grower and a good carpet plant for 

 shady places. If obtrusive it can easily be disposed of. and so 

 does not become a nuisance in the way Anemone Penn- 

 sylvanica does. The double Vernal Anemone remains in 

 bloom when the single form is long past. Ajuga reptans, with 

 spikes of blue, is not as showy as its deeper-tinted relative 

 from the Alps of Europe, A. alpina, but is a better carpet 

 plant, and capital for covering bare spots in shady places near 

 water. Alyssum saxatile in the sun are sheets of yellow. 

 Ibens sempervirens is a mass of white cruciform flowers. 

 Vernal Snowflakes remind one of the cottage gardens of 

 England. Primula cortusoides is even better this year than 

 last, is well established and blooming profusely. Its rose- 

 colored flowers are as neaily perfect in tint as one could 

 imagine. 



Wcllesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



Notes from the Rock Garden. 



"|^T O part of the garden is so interesting at this season as the 

 ■^ ' rock garden. Last winter was favorable for hardy plants, 

 and with abundant rains recently and warm weather now no 

 nook or crevice is without blossoms to delight the lover of 

 early-flowering hardy herbaceous or alpine plants. Perhaps 

 none of these plants has greater interest than Dryas octopetala, 

 especially to me, for during the past six or seven years I have 

 several times raised plants from seed, but have never been 

 able to have them live long enough to come into flower. At 

 last, however, I have been successful, and now there is a 

 beautiful patch of this lovely, modest plant well covered with 

 flowers. The plants were raised from seed some two years 

 ago and were grown in pots until the beginning of last Sep- 

 tember. They were then transferred to the rock garden where 

 they grew during autumn. They came through the winter in 

 perfect condition. They are in a slightly elevated position in 

 rather deep light soil, where I expect they will grow and spread 

 rapidly. The name was taken from the wood nymphs to whom 

 the Oak was sacred and applied to the plant because the young 

 leaves of D. octopetala, on which the genus was founded by 

 Linnaeus, resemble small Oak leaves. The plant is low, 

 shrubby and evergreen, with simple, obovate or subcordate, 

 crenately serrated leaves, white and downy beneath. The 



