126 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 318. 



Crocuses and the bursting spathes of the first Daffodils tell of 

 the spring in earnest. The earliest Snowdrops are beyond 

 their prime, as are the early Scillas. The Grape Hyacinths and 

 various Chionodoxas are advancing rapidly, and the typical 

 reticulata Irises in full flower indicate that the season for the 

 group is nearly at an end. Mostly equal in sturdiness and 

 earliness to the Snowdrops, the early-flowering bulbous Irises 

 merit more attention than they generally receive. With 

 few exceptions they are perfectly hardy, their flowers are 

 showy and very enduring if only protected from storms by an 

 overhead covering. They seem to revel in any temperature 

 except a warm one. Usually, at or near freezing, the flowers 

 will remain in good form for ten days or a fortnight, and I 

 have seen them endure zero weather without apparent dam- 

 age to form or color. 



The flowering time of plants under conditions which prevail 

 here in winter is very uncertain, of course, but when the frost 

 releases its hold to the depth of four to six inches, at which 

 these bulbs are planted, activity at once commences, and they 

 make progress at every successive loosening of the ground 

 after successive freezings. The different species and varieties 

 do not flower in the same order every year, but their flower- 

 ing time here this year is a fair indication of their general 

 habit. Iris Histrio, a Palestine Iris, flowered early in February. 

 This is a bluish-purple flower with creamy centre and blue 

 markings on the falls. It is among the most charming of the 

 reticulata section, but, unfortunately, is the tender member of 

 the family and is not a satisfactory winter plant for this lati- 

 tude. It seems to endure safely ten degrees of frost, but is 

 badly injured at a lower temperature. Both the leaves, which 

 in this species are more forward than others of the netted 

 Irises, and the buds were injured by zero weather, though 

 expanded flowers survived. 



About the same time appeared Iris Kolpakowskiana, a 

 dainty flower, whose diameter could be covered by its name 

 printed in fair-sized type. This species has narrow linear 

 leaves and flowers of a light maroon color. I. Danfordise 

 opened next, a very dwarf little deep yellow flower, whose 

 color is particularly welcome at this season. This species has 

 not proved free-flowering here. I. Bakeriana, on the contrary, 

 has never disappointed me since its arrival, and increases at a 

 fair rate. It is a favorite for its quaint finished beauty of petal, 

 with deep royal purple and light blue markings, though there 

 are forms much lighter. It has peculiar rounded channeled 

 leaves, instead of the four-sided channeled leaves of the I, re- 

 ticulata type. I. reticulata, var. histrioides, is the noblest in 

 stature and size of the family, and the flower sometimes 

 pierces the ground before any sign of leaves appears. The color 

 is a blue-purple, sometimes light and in other forms dark. 

 It may be said here that as the typical I. reticulata ranges 

 through shades of reddish purple, naturally the blue forms are 

 rarer and more valued. 



Iris Cyanea is one of the best of these, a small flower, about 

 the size of the best forms of the type, of a light indigo-blue 

 tint. I. reticulata, J. Nelson, is also a blue form, lighter and 

 bluer in tint than the variety histrioides. There are lew plants 

 in which there is more choice than in I. reticulata. Growers 

 of this are often disappointed by receiving bad forms from the 

 dealers. Many of these are very small flowers, weak in color, 

 and not worth growing. How much dull reddish purple 

 (magenta) any one is content with in his flowers is a question 

 of taste, and not an occasion for discussion, but it seems to me 

 that the coloring of I. reticulata major, the large-flowered 

 form, leaves little to be desired. This is a very deep rich pur- 

 ple with reddish reflections, on which the bright yellow signals 

 appear as brilliant markings. The Major form, which is an 

 English seedling, is slightly earlier than the type. 



Aside from the reticulata Irises, there are two other most 

 charming species now in flower. I. Rosenbachiana, from 

 Bokhara, is a most peculiar species. The white bulbs have 

 very short persistent roots, which appear almost as reversed 

 bulbs. The flower-spathes appear before the leaves, and are 

 usually two or three flowered. These flowers are on long 

 scapes, and in my specimen were in two varieties, light and 

 dark shades of the pinkish purple known to ladies as helio- 

 trope, deep on the fall, and shading to nearly white on the 

 style ; on the claw is a knife-like ridge of yellow. There are 

 said to be many forms of this flower, even pure white kinds. 

 I. Persica is a well-known old species of the same family, and 

 there are few small Irises more beautiful than the old forms 

 with the dark purple blotch on the broad fall and the pale blue 

 tinge of the claws. Other Irises are rapidly perfecting their 

 flowers to continue the season of these interesting and often 

 charming plants. 



The subject of Bulbous Irises has been most exhaustively 



treated from both a garden and a structural point of view by 

 Professor Michael Foster in a monograph published by the 

 Royal Horticultural Society. As is well known, Professor 

 Foster's conclusions about Irises are considered final by all 

 growers. His monographs are models of special literature, 

 which record simply and clearly the thoroughly complete ob- 

 servations of the grower and the scientist, a combination 

 unhappily too rare. 

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



The Hardy-plant Garden. 



\A/'ITH the Snowdrop, Crocus, Siberian Squills and Chiono- 

 * * doxas in bloom, and English Primroses, Violets, Lenten 

 Roses and Alpine Forget-me-nots in bud, we may safely say 

 spring is here. In clearing away the winter's covering, pre- 

 paratory to trimming and dressing over the borders, shrub- 

 bery and rock garden, I note, among many plants which have 

 come through unusually well, the lovely Japanese Ferns, 

 Asplenium Goringeanum, var. pictum. This is the second win- 

 ter it has stood the test. With a similar northerly exposure, 

 the rare and beautiful Ramondia Pyrenaica, often considered 

 tender in English gardens, has also proved hardy. 



I wish again to protest against the prevalent custom of dig- 

 ging over borders in early spring. Newly planted borders 

 will, no doubt, be benefited by a light digging, especially on 

 heavy soils ; but in established shrubbery, vastly more harm 

 than good will result. Incalculable harm may be done by an 

 inexperienced person in the herbaceous border with a spade. 

 Only a fork should be used, and in the hands of one ac- 

 quainted with the plants and interested in them. Otherwise, it 

 is better left untouched. With the exception of an overhaul- 

 ing once in two or three years, all that is done to our borders 

 is to cover them with manure in the autumn, clearing off only 

 the loose litter in spring; and on our light soil this plan works 

 well. 



The flowering shrubs which need spring pruning are only 

 those which bloom on the current year's growth. Some Roses, 

 notably the hybrid-perpetuals. Hydrangea paniculata and Rose 

 of Sharon (Althaea rosea) are examples. The majority of the 

 flowering shrubs in gardens make flower-buds on the previous 

 year's growth, such as Spiraea Thunbergii, Philadelphus coro- 

 narius (the Mock Orange), Wiegelia rosea and Deutzia gracilis. 

 Most of these shrubs are of naturally graceful habit and need 

 pruning seldom, or at least only in the way of thinning out 

 weak stems. Whatever pruning is necessary should always 

 be done just after the flowering season, when no flower-buds 

 will be cut away, but a growth of new wood encouraged, upon 

 which next year's flowers will appear. 



Clematis paniculata is a strong-growing species, easily climb- 

 ing fifteen to twenty feet. If allowed to'have its way there will 

 always be a space of several feet near the ground barely cov- 

 ered, and with very few flowering branches, with something 

 like congestion at the tops. As the shoots, to a greater or less 

 degree, are killed each winter, probably because they are not 

 sufficiently matured in autumn, it is advisable to wait until the 

 buds commence to show life, and then select enough of the 

 best growth to cut it back to within six feet of the ground. 

 The result will be healthy growth, well down. Seeds of this 

 Clematis are better sown in the autumn in boxes and wintered 

 in a cold frame. They will then come up in spring, rather 

 sparingly at first, and not to any extent until July. As seeds 

 are offered by dealers in their spring catalogues, it can be 

 sown now in boxes and kept in a shady place, but must be 

 well watered. Some will come up, but toward the end of the 

 summer. The seed-box must be held over, as before, when 

 the majority will germinate the second spring. It is not un- 

 usual for seeds of many plants belonging to the same natural 

 order as the Clematis to lie over a whole season without ger- 

 minating. Pasonies, Hellebores and some Anemones may be 

 noted as examples. I have known some Trollius and Ranun- 

 culus do the same, but they were exceptions, rather than the 

 rule, with these genera. 



Wellesley, Mass. ' T. D. Hatfield. 



A Few Neglected Apples. 



'THE Spitzenberg has gained a notoriety of late as "a worn- 

 *■ out Apple." It is true that the Spitzenberg trees grafted in 

 the root are not able to endure our climate well. The trees are 

 damaged up and down the body by sap-blight, or late wet 

 snow-storms in spring, which check growth and rupture 

 cells. But Spitzenberg grafts set high up on seedling trees, 

 as our fathers grew them, are as hardy as ever. Like many 

 other varieties it is subject to attacks of trypheta pomonella 

 and codlin-moth. 



