306 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 336. 



the blotches are of cinnamon-brown. About two-thirds 

 of each sepal are occupied by what seems to be two or 

 three large blotches which have run together, and the 

 petals have one large blotch above the middle and two or 

 three small ones near the margin below. 



Cultural Department. 



Notes on Trees and Shrubs. 



COME correspondence has recently appeared in two or three 

 •^ of the Boston newspapers regarding the Woad Waxen, 

 Dyer's Broom, or Genista tinctoria, as it is known botanically. 

 This plant is an introduction from Europe, and probably it is 

 not to be found growing so naturally and abundantly any- 

 where in the United States as in the region about Salem, Mas- 

 sachusetts, although it is also said to have become naturalized 

 in eastern New York, and may be found in other isolated 

 patches. 



The newspaper correspondents have expressed the fear 

 that the plant is likely to become a most troublesome weed if 

 it is too freely planted in new localities, and the suggestion has 

 been made that its spread should be checked. There may be 

 cause for this apprehension, although, when compared with 

 some obnoxious weeds, this plant seemsslow in disseminating 

 itself. Considering that it is more than two centuries and a 

 half since Governor John Endicott was popularly credited with 

 having introduced it into the colony at Salem, the area now 

 covered seems relatively small. As proof that the plant has 

 been long established we read in Dr. Jacob Bigelow's Plants of 

 Boston and its Environs, published in 1815, that "this plant 

 has overrun the hills on the south side of Salem, so as to give 

 them in the month of July an uniformly yellow appearance at 

 a distance." Genista tinctoria is also mentioned by earlier 

 writers. At the end of June and in the early part of July, when 

 the Woad Wax is in full bloom, some of the Essex County 

 hills present a most beautiful sight with their covering of rich 

 yellow color. Here the plant has taken almost complete pos- 

 session of the ground, few other flowering plants ever gaining 

 and holding a place with it. It is not easy to eradicate the 

 Woad Wax when once it gets firmly established in the soil, 

 especially where it is so rocky as the region of its present 

 home. Few animals care to eat it while other vegetation is to 

 be obtained, so it generally remains comparatively unmolested 

 in the pastures. 



The means of natural distribution of the plant seem to be 

 few. It may throw its small, hard and heavy seeds several feet 

 by the sudden opening of the ripe pods, the seeds may be 

 washed along hill-sides by heavy rains, or they maybe carried 

 considerable distances by browsing animals, by rodents, or 

 possibly by birds, and be left in places where they can germi- 

 nate and grow. It spreads also by the roots, so that a single 

 individual may ultimately cover a good-sized piece of ground. 

 The plant is likely to be found in abundance in other parts of 

 the country before many years have passed. The popular ad- 

 miration for its blossoms and an erroneous idea that it is free 

 from disfiguring diseases have caused the Woad Wax to be 

 distributed largely both in the form of plants and seed. It has 

 been planted in parks, cemeteries and private grounds in dif- 

 ferent states. In such new localities it would be well to watch 

 it and guard against its spreading where undesirable. 



It has been suggested that the state undertake the extermi- 

 nation of the weed, but such an unwise course is not likely to 

 be seriously considered. The state's experience in the case of 

 the gypsy moth has convinced many persons of the folly of 

 special legislation of this nature and under such conditions, 

 and some of those foremost in advocating the work are now 

 glad to be rid of responsibility for it. 



One writer, after referring to the danger of allowing the 

 Genista tinctoria to spread and add one more to our list of im- 

 ported weeds, mentions the Sweet-brier Rose as an example 

 of a most troublesome pest in this state. There must be some 

 mistake about this, however, for the Sweet-brier is by no means 

 abundant, even in neglected pastures and fields. Probably 

 some or all of our common native Roses are included in the 

 general condemnation. And in this part of the country Roses 

 of any kind are easily enough destroyed if there is any desire 

 to do so. In some parts of Australia, however, where the 

 Sweet-brier Rose has been introduced from Europe, it is said 

 to have become a serious pest, the climatic conditions ena- 

 bling it to propagate rapidly and grow luxuriantly. The name 

 of pest might be urged against many other foreign shrubs or 

 trees by those opposed to the naturalization of foreign impor- 



tations which are not directly useful. The common Barberry, 

 Berberis vulgaris, is an example. This is more abundant here 

 than the Sweet-brier Rose and delights in similar situations. 

 Some of our states have passed laws against the existence of 

 this Barberry because it was found to be the host plant of a 

 certain fungus which, in another stage, affected wheat. 



The common Privet, Ligustrum vulgare, has been regarded 

 as a nuisance under some circumstances ; the Buckthorn, 

 Rhamnus catharticus, has been found fault with because it oc- 

 casionally escapes from cultivation and crowds other natural 

 shrubbery ; and there are people who would banish the Chi- 

 nese Ailanthus, or Tree of Heaven, because of the disagree- 

 able odor of the flowers and its free, reckless habit of throw- 

 ing up suckers. 



Arnold Arboretum. J. G. Jack. 



Climbers for Garden Fences. 



THERE is one thing in which we suburban gardeners 

 1 usually fail to make the most of our opportunities. We 

 have generally many yards of fences, which at best are not 

 ornamental, serving only to give a more contracted, formal 

 look to our small gardens. We usually are content to leave 

 these mostly bare, and we seldom plant our gardens so that 

 these enclosures will be thoroughly well covered and oblit- 

 erated as structures. Yet there is a wealth of material avail- 

 able for such purposes, and this is not only mostly beautiful in 

 itself, but while draping the fences with foliage enlivened with 

 bright flowers, they also serve two especially useful purposes. 

 In the first place, the special boundaries are thereby made less 

 prominent, and the gardens are thus practically enlarged. And 

 they play a still more important part in making effective 

 backgrounds for the borders. The importance of beautiful 

 backgrounds cannot be too strongly urged, and I fear we 

 usually give them too little study. We grow many plants with 

 much care, often to be disappointed, simply because, while 

 they may be handsome in themselves, there is no foil against 

 which their beauties are thrown. A garden in which impres- 

 sions are only secured from a view overhead, is, of course, 

 not as effective as one where the same material produces pic- 

 tures from all points of view. 



It is not much trouble to cover the fences with annual vines, 

 many of which have a marvelous capacity of growth. It is 

 sufficient to mention the Ipomceas, of which there is a great 

 variety, the Gourds, Japanese Hops, Cobaeas, etc. But these 

 must be replaced each season, besides which there is a wealth 

 of material, mostly hardy, which is rather more effective, and 

 which will increase in beauty from season to season. Roses 

 must not be omitted, of course, and some of the original spe- 

 cies are especially effective, though the foliage will require 

 some care to keep it in good condition during the season. 

 Garden and Forest has given full descriptions of all these 

 Roses. The thriftiest is Rosa multiflora, with myriads of small 

 white single flowers, borne on graceful sprays. A plant of this 

 Rose will quickly cover a large space. Mr. Dawson's hybrid 

 of this species, the Dawson Rose, produces strong long shoots 

 filled with clusters of exquisite pink flowers, small and double. 

 Probably the new Rose, Crimson Rambler, will prove a darker 

 flower with the same habit. Later, Rosa setigera will delight 

 any grower who can enjoy an informal mass of simple flow- 

 ers. The climbing Hermosa is a valuable plant in this latitude, 

 and it will be well with such plants as this to heighten the 

 fence with a trellis. The Gloire de Dijon is the most prolific 

 of the running Roses, but needs a little protection here, or the 

 stems will be ruined, though it is perfectly hardy at the root. 

 Old-fashioned gardens used to have strong-growing Cabbage 

 or China Roses, which were very effective ; but these seem to 

 have disappeared, crowded out by the newer strains, of which 

 few seem to have the climbing habit. 



The variegated Grape (Vitis heterophylla) is one of the 

 cleanest and most effective low-growing vines of perfect har- 

 diness. At present it is thick with foliage borne on graceful 

 sprays, this being daintily variegated, and not offensively so, 

 as is too often the case with such plants. Later it will be fur- 

 nished with an abundance of violet-colored berries. 



The Clematis family furnishes many varieties for a pleasing 

 selection, all beautiful, and some with very thrifty habit of 

 growth. Personally I prefer the small white-flowered kinds, 

 like C. flammula andC. paniculata. The former sweet-scented 

 variety has just finished giving a wealth of its delicate sprays. 

 A similar species with smaller leaves is just succeeding it, 

 while C. paniculata will carrythe effect forward to September. 

 C. crispa andC. coccinea are curious and interesting climbers, 

 with larger closed flowers. The latter plant seems to have 

 been crossed recently with a large-flowering species, produc- 



