May 



1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



217 



kinds have a special fascination for me, and new Columbine- 

 seeds are among the things I am always ready to try. I have 

 this year a new yellow one in the way of A. chrysantha, which 

 is much earlier. I am doubtful of its origin. 



The water-garden was beautified ten days ago by the flow- 

 ers of Nympluea Laydekeri, and these were soon followed by 

 the tiny blooms of N. pygmaaa alba ; those of N. alba can- 

 didissima are now opening, and the surface of the tank is 

 dotted with the buds of all the hardy species. All these, as 

 usual, wintered well in my shallow tanks, and are grow- 

 ing with considerable vigor, although they have not been 

 touched or fertilized since last season, the weather hav- 

 ing been too cold to permit of much stirring of the water. 

 Next week we hope to plant out the tender Nympfueas and to 

 make the final setting of aquatics for the new season. N. 

 Laydekeri is a beautiful Water-lily in its different phases, as 

 it deepens in color from day to day. It does not open much 

 before 10 o'clock in the morning, and hence appeals some- 

 what to the imagination, when the grower is a business man 

 and can seldom see it fully expanded. 



Elizabeth, N. J. 7- N. Gerard. 



Some Hardy Plants in Vermont. 



CALYPSO BOREALIS is the first Orchid of the northern spe- 

 cies to flower. I have thus far not been able to induce 

 this plant to bloom the second year in the garden. If it is 

 lifted after flowering and taken to the right location, in a dark, 

 Arbor-vitas swamp, where. the right temperature, shade and 

 moisture are offered, it will come up in the autumn again and 

 form its flower-bud and leaf. But this is the only way in which 

 I have been able to keep it. Cypripedium fasciculatum is a 

 native of the north-western United States, principally Washing- 

 ton and Oregon, I believe. It is the earliest Lady's-slipper 

 to bloom. This little plant has done well with me this spring, 

 and nearly every specimen flowered. It was planted last 

 autumn and protected from severe frost by a covering of dry 

 leaves. Like C. acaule, it has but two leaves near the 

 ground, and a very short stem, with one to five minute 

 green and purple flowers. If these flowers were on a larger 

 stalk and separated from one another more, they would be 

 much more attractive. But the flowers are all in a cluster, 

 just above the leaves, and the small lip, or pouch, is so hidden 

 by the other parts of the flower that this species scarcely 

 resembles a Lady's-slipper. 



Lychnis alpina, six to eight inches high, with pretty heads 

 of rose-purple flowers, is now in bloom. Veronica repens is 

 a pretty little prostrate species, forming dense masses of dark- 

 green foliage less than an inch above the surface. The flow- 

 ers are nearly white, with a trace of blue, and about half an 

 inch wide. Just now the entire foliage is hidden by the flow- 

 ers. A bed of this plant at a little distance resembles a patch 

 of snow. The entire surface of the ground is hidden all sum- 

 mer by its dark-green foliage. It is hardy, and seems to like 

 the sun. V. gentianoides, also now in flower, is a native of 

 the Caucasus, and about fifteen inches high, with loose spikes of 

 pretty light-blue flowers. Viola alpestris shows a complete 

 mass of bloom. This is a desirable species, entirely hardy, 

 and one of the easiest to grow. 



The European Globe Flower (Trollius Europieus) is a fine 

 species for cutting. The flowers not only remain fresh for a 

 long time in the garden, but they are durable when cut and 

 placed in a vase. Aubretia Leichtlini, with rose-purple flow- 

 ers, has been in bloom a long time. It is a low species, three 

 to four inches high. Leucocrinum montanum, from north- 

 ern California, is now in flower. It is one of the Lily family, 

 having white star-shaped flowers about an inch wide, several 

 in succession from a plant. It is of no value for cutting, but 

 is quite hardy and does well in a sandy soil. 



Charlotte, vt. F. H. Horsford. 



Good Varieties of Hyacinths. 



'THE following varieties of Hyacinths have proved to be of 

 -*- distinct colors and superior qualities under careful trials 

 made by Mr. A. M. Kirby, of Jersey City. The selections have 

 been made from 276 varieties imported from Holland in the 

 fall of 1893 by Peter Henderson & Co. 



Pure White.— Single : Alba Maxima, tall, well-furnished 

 spike ; bells very large, of a thick waxy substance ; color, clear, 

 satiny white. Double: Grand Vainqueur, large spike, filled 

 and well rounded at the summit ; bells large ; color, clear ala- 

 baster-white. 



Rosy White.— Single: Grand Blanche Imperiale, fine spike, 

 large thick bells completely hiding the stem ; a charming 



color, rosy or blush white. Double : Triomphe Blandine, 

 spike tall, well filled to the well-rounded top ; color, a dainty 

 peach-blossom pink, showing through a veil of white, and a 

 tinge of carmine stripes in the centres of the petals. This is a 

 variety of exquisite beauty. 



Pink. — Single: Delicatissima, extra large broad-petaled 

 bells; the color waxy blush, tinged with salmon-pink. 

 Double : Sir Walter Scott, large bells and first-class spike ; an 

 exquisite rosy-pink. 



Red. — Single: Bazaine, tall, 'well-filled spike; a bright rich 

 crimson-scarlet. Double : Louis Napoleon, bells and spike 

 large; a showy bright crimson. 



Claret Maroon. — Single : Lord Mayo, a tall, well-filled 

 spike ; color, rich claret-red, with white eye, giving a unique 

 effect. Double : Lieutenant Waghorn, dark red with wine-red 

 centre. 



China Blue. — Single : Blondin, a beautiful, well-filled spike, 

 with large bells ; silvery lavender in color, the outside of the 

 tubes a darker shade. Double: Madame Marmont, tall, slim 

 spike, compactly filled and well rounded at the summit ; two 

 spikes to a bulb. A charming combination of coloring, a 

 blush white ground, shaded with azure-blue, giving a dainty 

 porcelain effect. 



Bright Blue. — Single: Grand Maitre, the clearest blue Hya- 

 cinth on the grounds ; large bells on an immense tall spike, 

 followed by several smaller spikes ; in color a pure ultra- 

 marine shaded violet ; an unusually robust grower. Double : 

 Van Speyk, immense, very double, wide-open bells, entirely 

 hiding a tall, stiff spike ; color, deep lavender, striped and 

 tipped with dark blue; a beautiful Hyacinth. 



Dark Violet Blue. — Single: Von Schiller, very large and 

 showy; rich purplish blue. Double: Robert Burns, a good 

 spike with large bells ; dark indigo shaded purple. 



Black. — Single : Sir Henry Barkley, a good spike ; rich, 

 glossy, purplish black. Double: Othello, broad, short, com- 

 pactly filled spike ; a beautiful deep black-purple. 



Yellow. — Single: Bird of Paradise, compactly furnished; 

 good spike ; a pure yellow in color. Double: Jaune Supreme, 

 the best double yellow with me ; spike tall, stiff and fairly 

 well furnished ; bells extra large; a deep, creamy yellow 

 inside, the back of the bells much deeper. 



Salmon. — Single : Rhinoceros, good spike ; rosy orange in 

 color. Double: Minerva, a beautiful color — rosy ecru, with a 

 broad darker blotch in the centre of the petals. 



Sobralia macrantha. — This is one of the oldest inhabitants of 

 Orchid-houses, having been introduced to cultivation fifty 

 years ago. It has been neglected in recent years, partly on 

 account of shy flowering and partly in favor of other Orchids 

 which take up less space in the greenhouse. Its reputation 

 for shy flowering has not been altogether undeserved, but 

 now that the wants of Sobralias are better understood as 

 more species are introduced, there is no reason why they 

 should not, with one exception, flower with as much regular- 

 ity as a Cypripedium. We have a plant now bearing sixty-one 

 flowering stems, and all of these are showing flowers. Last 

 year we had but one flowering growth on the same plant, and 

 the reason is worth recording. Two years ago this Sobralia 

 was wintered in the warmest house, and did not flower, but 

 kept on growing because it had no resting-period. Last win- 

 ter the plant was placed in a cool house where Cinerarias 

 and Primulas were grown, and the result is every stem is 

 now flowering. The plant makes a fine appearance, and the 

 flowers are as large as those of a Cattleya and very fragrant. 

 The color is rich crimson-purple. Since the introduction of 

 the lovely white-flowered Sobralias, there has been a decided 

 interest taken in the genus. They are not so tall-growing as 

 the older varieties, especially S. Cattleya, a species that has 

 never been known to flower in cultivation, though it is said 

 to be the king of the genus and of very robust habit. The 

 Sobralias are natives of Mexico, Guatemala and various parts 

 of South America, extending as far south as Peru. They re- 

 quire pot-culture, as they are terrestrial Orchids with thick, 

 fleshy roots that reach out a considerable distance in the pot- 

 ting-material, if supplied with a suitable compost. 



South Lancaster, Mass. E. 0. Or pet. 



Pruning Grape-vines. — I wish to call attention to the value of 

 Professor Massey's suggestion (see page 178) that in North 

 Carolina it is not wise to prune Grape-vines until late March. 

 It does not seem to be generally understood that vines, trees 

 and shrubs push into growth sooner when pruned than when 

 untouched. My outdoor Roses, which arc near a dwelling- 

 house, are liable to injury from late freezings. They are left 



