426 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 34S. 



and the color is more desirable than that of the lilac or 

 other red-tinted ones, which is, unfortunately, inclined 

 toward bluish tones. 



Aster Tartaricus. — The perennial Asters are grow- 

 ing in popularity in this country, although they are not 

 cultivated to the extent that they are in England and 

 in some European countries, where, together with allied 

 plants like Boltonia and Erigeron, they are known as 

 Michaelmas Daisies. Our native species are very largely 

 used, and as they hybridize easily, almost an infinite num- 

 ber of forms has been developed, varying from a very 

 dwarf and compact habit to a stature eight feet tall or more. 

 Good species, however, are not all natives of America. 

 Europe furnishes such good types as A. acris, A. Amellus 

 and its many choice varieties. Others come 'from the 

 Himalayas, others still from China and Japan. More than 

 three years ago (see vol. iv., page 196) we described and 

 figured A. Tartaricus, a robust Asiatic species, which is 

 just beginning to come into good flower. Only a few of 

 our native Asters are still in bloom, but A. Tartaricus, 

 when planted in a sheltered position, will keep flowering 

 in this latitude almost until December. Its flowers are 

 large and bright purplish blue, in a huge rather open pani- 

 cle borne at the top of a stem six or eight feet high. A 

 peculiarity of these stems is that they do not begin to de- 

 velop until near the first of September, when they shoot up 

 with great rapidity above the large lower leaves, which 

 are sometimes two feet long. A rich soil is needed to sup- 

 port so rampant a growth, and if the appetite of the plant 

 is humored it will grow into a noble specimen, and its 

 flowers, when cut, will be invaluable for large decorations 

 in this season when outdoor flowers are rare. 



Micromeria rupestris. — Last year Mr. Gerard made a 

 note of this plant, which he had raised from seed obtained 

 from Monsieur Correvon's Alpine Garden in Geneva, and 

 which gave flowering plants the first season. While it is 

 not in any way a striking or a showy plant, it certainly 

 deserves attention on account of its long period of bloom 

 and other useful qualities. A plant of this Micromeria with 

 which we are familiar, and which has been growing in an 

 open border for seven or eight years past, and has never 

 been moved or divided, began to flower in July this year, 

 and now, after severe frost, is showing flowers as bright 

 as ever. This specimen is a low sub-shrub which dies to 

 the ground every winter, but every spring numerous pros- 

 trate stems radiate from it and, turning upward at the 

 extremities, bear spikes two or three inches long of small 

 white flowers with lavender shadings. By September the 

 plant covers a circle two feet across, and its habit makes it 

 an admirable one for a low border, and particularly for a 

 rockery. The Micromerias are labiate plants, and the 

 small leaves and stems of this species taste and smell ex- 

 actly like Pennyroyal. It is perfectly hardy in this latitude. 



Cultural Department. 



Some Hardy Grasses. 



IN former years we grew Eulalia Japonica and its varieties 

 in one large round bed. Early in November, last year, 

 these were all taken up, the clumps of roots divided into small 

 pieces and each sort separately replanted into specially pre- 

 pared beds. The beds were made twelve feet in diameter, 

 dug two feet deep, and heavily manured. The plants grew 

 well last summer, and are unusually handsome at this time, 

 with their large, feathery panicles of Mowers. The type, 

 E. Japonica, is the most vigorous grower, and its light brown- 

 ish panicles are larger than any of its varieties. It is a tall, 

 robust plant, seven to eight feet high, with graceful dark-green 

 leaves over three feet long. The foliage of the varieties is 

 more showy than that of the type. E. Japonica zebrina is a 

 tall, handsome plant, with long arching, variegated leaves. 

 The variegation is straw-colored and appears in transverse 

 bands across the leaves. It is not a very robust plant, but 

 when once established it makes an excellent bed. E. Japonica 

 variegata is a pretty plant, with long graceful leaves, striped 

 lengthwise white and green. E. gracilhma univittata is a 



comparatively new addition to this genus. It surpasses all the 

 others for its neatness and grace. It grows to a height of four 

 feet, and its stems are thickly covered with long, narrow grace- 

 ful leaves. Although its plumes are not quite so large as 

 those of some of the other varieties, they are, nevertheless, 

 quite noticeable at this time. 



All the Eulalias mentioned are quite hardy here, and are 

 especially desirable for planting in round beds on lawns, or 

 for use among subtropical plants in the summer garden. 

 They are easily increased by seeds or by division, either in 

 spring or autumn. The variegated forms are increased by 

 division of the roots, as the plants grown from seed generally 

 revert to the normal green-leaved type. In their native coun- 

 try, Japan, the Eulalias cover immense tracts of land. In 

 summer, when they are in flower, they are very graceful and 

 beautiful, and in autumn their leaves turn to a fiery-red 

 color. 



Arundo donax is a tall, striking plant, but hardly as grace- 

 ful and pleasing as the Eulalias, yet it has quite a tropical 

 appearance, and adds much beauty to the garden when large 

 clumps are used. It produces annually large, thick, Bamboo- 

 like shoots, which attain a height of ten, twelve or fourteen 

 feet. The long canes are clothed from bottom to top with 

 large, lanceolate, arching leaves. There is a variegated form 

 of this plant which is very ornamental, but it does not grow 

 quite so tall nor is it quite so hardy as the type. Its large 

 leaves are ribboned with white, and it is valuable either as a 

 single specimen or when planted in large clumps. The 

 Arundos like deep rich soil, and they are natives of the south 

 of Europe. 



Festuca glauca, often called Blue Grass, is a charming little 

 Grass, and very ornamental. Although it comes from the 

 south of Europe, it is quite hardy here. Its main features as a 

 garden-plant are its distinct blue color and dense graceful 

 habit. The leaves are from six to twelve inches long, and 

 have a beautiful glaucous color. The flowers are not orna- 

 mental, and should be taken away as soon as they make their 

 appearance, as this tends to make the grass more luxuriant 

 and bright. For edging beds, where other tall Grasses are 

 grown, it is especially desirable, and also for the rock-garden 

 or border when used in tufts. It thrives in light rich soil, and 

 can be divided any time during the spring or summer to 

 increase the plants. 



Phalaris arundinacea variegata, or Ribbon Grass, is a very 

 ornamental grass in early summer, but in autumn it is not so 

 pretty, since its leaves then have a rusty appearance. It will 

 grow in any soil or situation, and spreads very' rapidly. It is 

 used here largely for edging beds of tall Grasses. 



Botanic Garden, Harvard University. Robert Cameron. 



Gloriosa superba. 



T N a late issue of Garden and Forest, J. N. G. inquires 

 *■ about the proper treatment of this beautiful climbing 

 plant from Brazil, whose very name suffices to arouse interest 

 and make every cultivator anxious to grow it. We have had 

 Gloriosa superba for four years, and ever since the first year 

 it has flowered annually, gaining strength each year, until now 

 the bulbs occupy a ten-inch pot, and for the past month the 

 plant has flowered abundantly. It is most interesting to watch 

 the development of the coloring in the flowers. When the 

 color first appears it is almost wholly yellow, then the tips of 

 the petals turn to a brilliant scarlet, and finally all the yellow 

 is merged into the scarlet of the upper portions. We also 

 grow G. Plantii, and have flowered it this year, but it is quite 

 inferior to the first-named in coloring, although it flowered 

 early in summer and is now bearing capsules of seeds that are 

 nearly ripe. If its early flowering qualities are constant it will 

 he worth growing for that alone. We have found that Gloriosa 

 tubers are somewhat erratic in their time of starting to grow ; 

 ours seem to take a longer period to start each year, and this 

 makes the flowering time later, so much that they will event- 

 ually become winter-blooming. We have never experienced 

 any difficulty in growing the Gloriosas ; they are essentially 

 warm-house plants, requiring the highest temperature ad- 

 mitted in glass houses, with plenty of moisture to keep down 

 thrips and red spiders. Thrips are especially troublesome; it 

 is easily understood that if the young shoot gets any check it 

 is fatal to success for the current year, as the shoots are really 

 the flower-stems, as in the Alstromerias and Bomareas. After 

 flowering, the pots containing the bulbs are placed in a warm 

 corner under the benches until the time for starting them on, 

 when they are shaken out and put in rich soil to grow again. 

 They are repotted once when well started and fed with liquid 

 fertilizer frequently when about to flower. With rich soil, a 



