136 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 1906 



One of the best of al! alpine plants is the heart-leaved saxifrage {Saxifraga cordifolia^. A vigorous growing 

 plant, with thick fleshy leaves, darK green above, purplish red beneath, and has pinK flowers 



When conditions are right, say when the 

 space is large enough, or when a background 

 has to be formed, the planting list need not 

 be confined to strictly alpine herbaceous 

 plants and a rich variety is available. 



TALL PLANTS FOR BACKGROUNDS 



The great laurel {Rhododendron maximum) 

 a nd mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) are 

 Specially useful for the purpose, as also are 

 the lily-of-the-valley tree (Pieris floribunda, 

 known in the trade as Andromeda floribunda), 

 the Japanese andromeda (Pieris Japonica, 

 known to the trade as Andromeda Japonica), 

 the dwarf, showy azalea (Azalea Indica, var. 

 amana, known to the trade as A. amazna), 

 the flame-flowered azalea (Azalea calendu- 

 lacea), the pinxter flower (Azalea nudiflora), 

 the Pontica azalea (Azalea Pontica) and the 

 Ghent azalea (Azalea Gandavensis) . 



LIME-LOVERS AND LIME-HATERS 



Plants of the pea family and most alpine 

 plants revel in a limy soil; hence in rock- 

 eries it is advisable to use limestone in their 

 construction. 



On the other hand, plants belonging to the 

 heath family (and this includes rhododen- 

 drons, mountain laurel and azaleas) are ap- 

 parently averse to lime. They require a 

 denser, more compact, moisture-retaining 

 environment, with large quantities of hu- 

 mic matter; nor are animal manures suitable, 

 the changes there are too rapid, and the heat 

 given off too severe to suit the slow growth 

 which such plants make. Peat, and well 

 rotted leaf mold answer the requirements 



Ideal Edging Plants for Walks and Flower Beds-B y j ens Jensen & 



FORTY LOW-GROWING FLOWERS THAT WILL 'REMAIN ATTRACTIVE THROUGHOUT THE 

 SEASON: COLORS, HEIGHTS AND SUITABILITY FOR SPECIAL SITUATIONS AND PURPOSES 



[Note. — The author of this article is superintendent of the West Side Park System of Chicago. But the edging plants here recommended are not the 

 conventional "park material," i. e., tender, costly plants ivhich must be replaced after their brief shoiu is past. They are hardy plants for the home garden. 



AS EDGING plants put the finishing 

 touches to a garden, it is of great im- 

 portance that only those plants be selected 

 for edging which remain in good form during 

 the entire season. The next point of import- 

 ance is the selection of colors that harmonize 

 with the surroundings. Edging plants are 

 as a rule not suited to the informal or natur- 

 alistic border planting of mixed plants; their 

 proper place is along walks and more or less 

 formal places. 



For convenience's sake let us classify edg- 

 ing plants for the various purposes for which 

 they are best fitted: 



i. Suitable for walks, open green, and terrace 

 edging. 



2. Suitable for pools and fountains. 



3. Suitable for flower beds. 



4. Suitable for formal shrubbery. 



The well-known evergreen box (Buxus 

 sempervirens) is perhaps more used than 

 any other edging plant, and is admirable 

 where it will thrive; it is not hardy in the 

 northern parts of the prairie states. 



The only hardy conifer of my acquaintance 

 that is adapted for edging of open grounds or 

 terraces is Thuya occidentalism var. Little 

 Gem, a pretty little variety of the arborvitag, 

 but not very plentiful in the nurseries. It 

 has dark green foliage, and grows broader 

 than high. Another desirable hardy plant 

 for this purpose is the well-known Adam's 

 needle, (Yucca filamentosa), always pleasing 

 with its evergreen foliage, and pretty when in 

 bloom. It is one of the most effective plants 

 in cultivation for edging the terrace slope or 

 wall. It has sword -shaped leaves which 

 form a rosette, twelve to eighteen inches 

 high. In July it has a branching stalk three 

 to four feet high, covered with creamy white 

 pendulous flowers. 



The Japanese grass (Miscanthus Sinensis, 

 known in the trade as Eulalia Japonica) 

 makes a large clump, two to three feet high. 

 There are several varieties: var. zebrinus, 

 with yellow banded leaves; var. varicgatus, 

 with yellow striped foliage; and var. gra- 

 cillimus, which has leaves about one half 



the width of the type, or about half an 

 inch 



The pretty annual grasses (Pennisetum 

 villosum, or P. longistylum of the florists, and 

 P. Ruppellii) send up flower spikes one to 

 two feet high which all summer are covered 

 with long feathery tassels of pale brown, 

 almost white. 



FOR EDGING POOLS AND FOUNTAINS 



For edging formal pools or basins, the 

 blue African lily (Agapanthus umbellatus) 

 is one of the most beautiful. In the north 

 this pretty plant is not hardy, so must be 

 lifted every fall, and wintered in the cool 

 greenhouse or dry cellar. It has dark green 

 strap-like foliage about two feet long, which 

 arches over gracefully, and flower stalks 

 bearing from twenty to fifty blossoms of the 

 most beautiful blue color. 



The well-known umbrella plant (Cyperus 

 alternifolms) varies from one and one-half 

 to three and one-half feet in height. It has 

 very straight upright stems which are crowned 

 with tufts of narrow leaves eight inches long. 



