February, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



11 



The leaves are blotched and striped with 

 white and when young have a tinge of pink. 

 The flowers are borne in July and are fol- 

 lowed in August and September by an abun- 

 dance of purple berries. 



In June and July two varieties of the 

 prairie rose (Rosa setigera, var. foment osa, 

 also known as R. rubijolia), are in bloom; 

 Baltimore Belle, a light pink becoming 

 nearly white, and Queen of the Prairies, which 

 is bright rosy red. These must be grown 

 in the sun. The Crimson Rambler rose also 



An entrance from a courtyard made of pebble 

 dashed walls. All is harmony with the rustic char- 

 acter of the pergola 



blooms during June and July, its bright 

 crimson flowers lasting an unusually long 

 time with us. 



On the shady side of the pergola I have 

 a plant of the sweet brier (Rosa rubiginosa) ; 

 it does well there, attaining a height of thir- 

 teen or fourteen feet, and always has a sweet, 

 pleasant odor. 



To protect the roses from the winter's 

 cold and wind, I cover them by wrapping 

 with common building paper outside of which 

 is a covering of burlap. This is not done 

 until December, when the ground has frozen, 

 and to help keep the mice out a strand of 

 wire is drawn rather tightly around the bot- 

 tom of the covering. 



PLANTS UNDERNEATH THE FRAME 



The question of flowers to be grown be- 

 neath a pergola, in order to make each step 

 of the long passageway interesting and attrac- 

 tive, is a rather delicate one. I have tried 

 perhaps fifty of the favorite garden flowers 

 along the sunny side of the pergola, but our 

 list of standbys has come down to about a 

 dozen. The shady side of the pergola is 

 overhung by trees that form the fringe of an 

 ancient wood, and on this side the appropriate 

 thing is of course the modest little wild 

 flowers, ferns and other shade loving subjects 

 that are native to the woods on the estate. 

 There is no expense for getting the plants, 

 and the cultural problem is chiefly that of 

 providing plenty of woods earth in the beds. 



There is, however, one native plant of such 

 extraordinary decorative beauty that we have 

 propagated it to a great extent, and made 

 it a characteristic feature of our wild garden. 

 This is the spikenard (Aralia racemosa), a 



plant of which is shown in the first of the 

 small illustrations. The old stump in which 

 the aralia is growing was brought from the 

 woods and inserted in the walk with such 

 painstaking care that no guest of the family 

 has ever suspected that it has not been there 

 always. The idea was to reproduce near 

 the end of this rustic walk a living picture 

 that would tempt the guests to explore the 

 woods beyond. 



The spikenard grows from three to five 

 feet high. During the latter part of July 

 and early in August the greenish white 

 flowers are borne on long, slightly drooping 

 spikes. Later these same racemes are 

 densely packed with red berries which ulti- 

 mately change to purple. The plant is easily 

 grown from seed or from root cuttings taken 

 in the fall — October and November. It is 

 perfectly hardy, but prefers a rich soil in 

 which there is an abundance of leaf mold. 



GAY FLOWERS IN THE SUN 



In its season nothing equals the peony, and 

 it needs so little attention after it has 

 been planted. Give it a place in a sunny 

 well-drained border and rich soil. Its season 

 of bloom extends from May to July. 



To keep up a gay appearance all summer 

 in that portion of the border where the peonies 

 are planted, I grow lilies between the plants. 



The China aster is used as a filler, tn the late 

 summer, for vacant places caused by the foliage of 

 the perennials dying down 



Lilium auraium, L. speciosum, and L. speci- 

 osum, var. rubrum all do well and the flowers 

 showing up above the groundwork of foliage 

 make a good show. It is necessary to give 

 the peonies and lilies a mulch of long manure 

 during the winter. 



I have a continuous show of phlox from 

 May until frost. The first one to flower is 

 Phlox glaberrima, var. suffmficosa. This 

 blooms in May but its season may be pro- 

 longed easily by removing the blooms as soon 

 as they begin to fade. This is followed by 

 the many varieties of the perennial phlox (P. 

 panicidata) , which blooms from July to frost. 

 Phloxes like a good rich soil with plenty of 

 manure and full sunlight for best results. 



They may be divided in fall or in spring and 

 in this way are increased very rapidly. If 

 you have a favorite you want a quantity of, 

 lift a plant in the spring and put into gentle 

 heat in a frame or greenhouse; take the cut- 

 tings as soon as large enough to handle, put 

 these into sand and they will root very quickly. 

 Pot up when rooted, and transplant to the 

 open ground as convenient. They will bloom 

 in August and September. 



The best yellow-flowered hardy perennial 

 is Coreopsis lanceolala. Its flowers are two 

 to three inches across and are borne on long 

 slender stems. It is a striking plant, but to be 

 effective must be grown in masses, the plants 

 being set one to one and a half feet apart. 

 It succeeds in any good garden soil and is 

 best grown in the full sun. It is perfectly 

 hardy here and is better off if no mulch is 

 given; mulching causes it to rot in the centre 

 of the crown. The large flowered coreopsis 

 (C. grandiflora) is not perfectly hardy here. 



VALUABLE FOR SHADED SPOTS 



If you want a plant to grow in the most 

 dense shade get the red baneberry (Actaa 

 spicata, var. rubra). It has the additional 

 value of being in good shape all the season. 

 The plant grows one to two feet high, has 

 beautiful dark green foliage and in June has 

 a cluster of white flowers. The flowers are 

 quickly followed by handsome bright red 

 berries which last until September. A later 

 species which grows a little taller and has 

 white fruits with black spots may be had in 

 the white baneberry (Actcea alba). These 

 do not need protection during the winter. 



I have tried the cohosh (Actaa spicata) but 

 so far have not been able to grow it in the 

 shade; it always dies during the hot 

 weather. 



A good white flowered plant for the shade 

 where other things will not succeeed is the 

 giant daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum). 

 Its dark green leaves and white flowers with 

 yellow centres are always attractive. In 

 some of the varieties the flowers are as much 

 as four inches across. It blooms continuous- 

 ly all summer long if the flowers are removed 

 as soon as they begin to fade. If seeds are 

 started in March the plants will flower the 

 first year. Divide old plants every third 

 season, as they are very prone to rotting in 



During the winter the vines need some protec- 

 tion. Tarred paper and burlap shield them from the 

 drying winds. Cover after the ground freezes 



