August iS, 1897.] 



Garden and Forest. 



325 



heavy dews are succeeded by hot bright days. We go through 

 the benches as soon as the ground dries sufficiently after 

 watering and lightly stir the surface soil. It is unwise to stir 

 it to any depth, as, owing to the moist summer, the roots are 

 nearer to the surface than usual. This applies to many other 

 plants as well as to Celery. Leeks enjoy similar treatment to 

 that given to Celery, and doses of liquid-manure of good 

 strength are now given them once a week. 



Cucumbers need to have all ripe fruit removed to keep the 

 plants in good bearing condition. Plants of the English frame 

 section under glass take large supplies of water and frequent 

 doses of stimulants, and require some shade, such as white- 

 wash on the glass. Parsley, if grown to be lifted for a winter 

 supply, should be thinned out to a foot apart, the best-curled 

 plants being selected for the purpose. 



It will soon be time to collect manure for the early Mush- 

 room bed. Sometimes in the rush of spring and early sum- 

 mer work the old beds are not cleared off; wet days should 

 be taken advantage of to do this work, and the old material is 

 useful for mulching as well as for mixing with loam for 

 bedding plants, or for lightening up heavy land. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Some Hardy Perennial Plants. 



THE genus Echinops, or Globe Thistle, is not a very large 

 one, but it contains a few species that are worthy of a 

 place in our gardens. They are perfectly hardy and grow and 

 thrive in any good garden soil, but for the best effects they 

 ought to be massed near some bright yellow flowers, such as 

 the early Sunflowers, when their globular heads show to 

 better advantage. One of the species in bloom now is E. com- 

 mutatus, often found under the name exaltatus. It is a vigor- 

 ous-growing plant, and reaches to a height of five or six feet 

 or more. The stems terminate with large, round whitish 

 flower-heads, which are quite conspicuous, and are well 

 clothed with large pinnatifid thistle-like leaves, downy beneath 

 and rough with hairs on the upper side, and margined with 

 small sharp spines. 



Bees are especially fond of the flowers of this plant, and it 

 would seem to be a useful plant for those who have an apiary. 

 Probably the best species in blossom now is Echinops Ritro. 

 This desirable plant is an old-time inhabitant of gardens and 

 is a native of the south of Europe. It never attains much 

 more than three feet in height. The intense blue round 

 flower-heads are always attractive and noticeable. The leaves 

 are also pinnatifid and downy beneath. The neat compact 

 habit of this attractive species makes it a desirable border 

 plant. Another species of desirable habit is E. sphajro- 

 cephalus ; it grows from three to four feet high and has pale 

 blue flower-heads. The Globe Thistles produce seeds abun- 

 dantly, and young stock is easily obtained from seed, or the 

 plants can be readily increased by division. 



The Sea Hollies, or Eryngiums, are umbelliferous plants 

 and are remarkably distinct from any other plants in bloom 

 now. Some are quite hardy and are especially attractive and 

 handsome for the beautiful blue of the stems and leaves. 

 E. amethystinum, as it is grown here, is slightly over two feet 

 in height, and bears amethyst-colored flowers in globose heads 

 abundantly. In an open, sunny position it makes a handsome 

 border plant. Another vigorous species, and which grows 

 slightly taller, is E. giganteum. It is much-branched and the 

 blue flower-headsare ovate in shape. Other equally handsome 

 species now in bloom are E. dichotomum, E. Bourgati and 

 E. campestre. 



Podophyllum Emodi, a desirable hardy herbaceous plant 

 from the Himalayas, is comparatively rare in cultivation. This 

 interesting plant belongs to the Barberry family. When in 

 bloom it is quite ornamental, but attracts most attention when 

 its large ellipsoid scarlet fruits are ripening. I exhibited a few 

 weeks ago some fruits, with the leaves and sterns attached, 

 at a Saturday exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, and a first-class certificate of merit was awarded. The 

 plant is quite hardy here and grows in slightly moist and 

 shaded positions. The plant from which "the fruits were 

 taken was raised from seed four years ago. The herbaceous 

 stem is about a foot in height, has two orbicular leaves which 

 measure six to nine inches across and have from three to five 

 lobes. The cup-shaped white flowers are solitary, axillary, or 

 slightly raised above the axils, nodding, and measure slightly 

 more than one inch in length. Nicholson's Dictionary of Gar- 

 dening, Robinson's English Flower Garden, Hooker and 

 Thomson's Flora Indica all give the measurement of the 

 fruit as from one to two inches long. The fruits on our plant 

 measure three and a half inches in length and slightly more 



than six in circumference. Hooker and Thomson in their 

 Flora Indica state that Podophyllum Emodi is a remarkable 

 plant and one of the earliest spring flowers in the Himalayas, 

 and that the pulpy, tasteless fruits are edible. 



Harvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Mass. Robert Cameron, 



A 1 



Seasonable Suggestions. 



LL bulbous plants that have been at rest during the early 

 - summer should now be looked over, as it is time to pot 

 most of them. We are now putting all the stock of Freesias 

 into pots and pans. They will soon begin to make roots it 

 potted, and they never can be in flower too early. It requires 

 early potting and good culture to get Freesias in bloom by 

 Christmas. It is almost impossible to have the soil too rich 

 for these bulbs, and to have really good flowers liberal sup- 

 plies of liquid-food is necessary after they have begun to grow. 

 We prefer to grow them in pots or deep pans, as they are 

 available then for house decoration. But the best plan, where 

 cut flowers only are required, is to put the bulbs in boxes, and 

 when the shoots are well up to place short twigs of birch 

 between them to keep them erect. We box all small bulbs to 

 grow on to flowering size when it is needed to add to the stock 

 of this fine winter-flowering bulb. 



Lachenalias need potting at this time also. They come from 

 the same country, south Africa, and have been at rest for the 

 last three months in the pots in which they grew. It will be 

 found on examination that there are signs of root-action start- 

 ing, and the sooner the bulbs are put in new soil and given 

 moisture the better will be the results. There seems to be a 

 growing liking for Lachenalias, and there are some tine varie- 

 ties now in commerce, the result of crossing the various 

 species. If it is desired to purchase Lachenalias, it is wise to 

 order early. The Dutch growers last year could not supply 

 many of the kinds, the demand being larger than the supply, 

 especially of the larger-flowered varieties of recent origin. We 

 find that L. pendula makes a fine companion plant for the 

 Roman Hyacinth ; it flowers at the same time of year, and 

 adds variety to the prevailing white of the Hyacinths. Lache- 

 nalias can be grown in the coolest of houses'; they are averse 

 to heat in every case, and a shelf in a Violet-house, where thev 

 can be free from frost and have plenty of air, are conditions 

 they delight in. Lachenalias make the best display when 

 potted in five-inch pots. We have had them in pans, but to 

 see them and use them to the best advantage pots are prefera- 

 ble, filled with rich soil. When planted they should be placed 

 in a cool frame until frost comes, when they may be removed 

 to the greenhouse. 



To have Roman Hyacinths early we must plant early ; in 

 fact, as soon as it is possible to obtain the bulbs. The largest 

 bulbs do not always produce the most flowers, but, preferably, 

 those that are hard and well matured. It is the custom w-itli 

 some growers to rush the crop of bulbs on the market to 

 secure early sales at the risk of maturity. This can be easily 

 detected in the bulb, as it is then not hard and shows signs of 

 premature ripening off at the crown. These delicate and fra- 

 grant flowers are in demand as early as Thanksgiving-time, and 

 the bulbs should be planted as soon as they can be obtained. 



Mignonette is desirable in winter, especially as it is never 

 seen to so good advantage as when well cultivated in a house 

 with a suitable temperature. Our summers are much too hot 

 to favor the growth of good spikes, and it is well to sow some 

 seeds of an approved strain now to have it when flowers are 

 most scarce, just when Chrysanthemums are past. Mignon- 

 ette likes a cool temperature, say a maximum of fifty degrees, 

 such as a Violet house will furnish, and a deep soil. A bench 

 at least a foot deep is best, and though this may seem a great 

 deal of soil, we find it is useful in spring, when hot-beds are 

 being made up for early vegetables, to have the soil from the 

 old spent Mignonette beds ready to hand already warm and in 

 condition for sowing seeds or transplanting vegetables. There 

 are many good strains of Mignonette now^ as Allen's Defiance 

 and Sutton's Giant. We have grown the latter for a number 

 of years and it never has disappointed us. Both these kinds, 

 seem to be fine selections from Machet, which is the best for 

 outdoor culture. 



A word may be said for Browallia speeiosa major, which has 

 proved desirable for pot culture in winter. The older Browal- 

 lias were small-flowered in comparison with this variety, and 

 not very desirable garden plants, but this novelty has all the 

 qualities that go to make a good winter-flowering plant, either 

 for use in pots or as cut flowers. A packet oi seeds sown now 

 will make nice plants for winter use and will flower along until 

 late spring. 



South Lancaster, Mass. E, O. Orpe! . 



