64 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



March, 1919 



haps the best known is Aesculus parviflora, a 

 mid-July flowering kind with a very sturdy, 

 strong-growing habit. Although the plants never 

 grow very tall, they often extend over a wide 

 area. The enormous blossom spikes standing 

 erect and set closely together, make a very con- 

 spicuous display. A newer species, and one 

 which Professor Sargent, director of the Arbor- 

 etum, considers a very useful plant, is Aesculus 

 georgiana, which has compact clusters of red 

 and yellow flowers in late May or June. After 

 several years it has proved to be perfectly hardy 

 in New England, and well adapted to cold cli- 

 mates. Aesculus discolor mollis blooms at about 

 the same time. That it should be hardy in the 

 northern states is rather surprising, for it is na- 

 tive to the South, from Georgia to Texas. It is 

 one of the scarlet flowered Buckeyes, and a very 

 attractive plant. Unfortunately it has often 

 been confused with other species, which may be 

 one reason why it is not better known in culti- 

 vation. Almost the last of the dwarf Buckeyes 

 to flower, blooming late in June, is Aesculus 

 Harbisonii. It seems to be a hybrid between A. 

 georgiana and A. mollis. At any rate it appeared 

 spontaneously in the Arboretum, where it has 

 been flowering regularly for three years. The 

 calyx of the flowers is rose colored while the 

 petals are canary yellow streaked with red. 

 Arboretum tests show it to be well adapted to 

 northern gardens. It has only one fault — its 

 foliage is slow in making its appearance, the 

 leaves having just started when those of its neigh- 

 bors have attained full size. A small Buckeye 

 which bloomed in the Arboretum last summer 

 for the first time is called Aesculus arguta. It 

 comes from eastern Texas and Oklahoma, and 

 probably has never flowered in any garden out- 

 side of the Arboretum, where it was raised from 

 seed. The flower clusters are pale yellow, and 

 the fruit which succeeds the flowers is covered 

 with prickles. These Dwarf Buckeyes, being 

 native American plants, are especially desirable 

 for American gardens. They have many merits, 

 and when given plenty of room are highly de- 

 sirable, for few plants are more easily kept in 

 condition when once established. — E. I. F. 



iS Atll'shsimm 



"Climbing" Roses do 

 not actually climb and 

 some suitable trellis sup- 

 port is necessary 



Excellent Rose Trellis. — 

 Cne of the neatest trellises 

 I have ever seen stands 

 against, but several inches 

 from, the wall of a Nashua, 

 N. H., neighbor's house. 

 It is made of two vertical 

 rods of | x | or i in. flat 

 iron, joined by straight cross 

 pieces of the same material 

 about 15 inches long, and 

 other pieces about3 feet long 

 joined to form inverted Vs 

 with their lower ends at- 

 tached where the cross pieces 

 join the uprights. Alto- 

 gether there are eight cross 

 pieces but only 7 Vs, the 

 uppermost cross piece not 

 being provided with one. 

 The apex of the topmost 

 V reaches above the sill 

 of the second story window. 

 A brace of iron screwed 

 to the trellis and to the 

 wall holds the rack about 

 10 inches away but holds 

 it firmly. The impression 

 is one of grace, simplicity, 

 and strength— M. G. K. 



Inflorescence of the Dwarf Buckeye fPavia) like a miniature 

 Horse Chestnut, very decorative where tall tree* are not suitable 



Chinese Seeds and Bulbs.— Is there any way 

 in which a person may, say, have some financial 

 returns for securing seed and bulbs and sending 

 them to American, Canadian, or English firms? 

 For instance, I have just discovered a plant 

 amongst the West China flowers that would be a 

 great flower for decorative purposes. For dining 

 tables, by electric light, it would far outstrip the 

 Canadian Maple leaf. Is there any way in which 

 our boys in the day school who are in need of 

 assistance could become the sole suppliers or 

 something of the kind? — F. Dickinson, Canadian 

 Methodist Mission, Peughsion, S. Chuau, West 

 China. 



Making the Pumpkin Grow Fast. — I cer- 

 tainly enjoy reading The Garden Magazine 

 when it comes in. It doesn't make any difference 

 how busy I am, everything stops until I have 

 devoured its pages. In the June, 1918, number 

 there is an article or rather a note on making the 

 pumpkin grow fast. I have tried it on several 

 pumpkins but was not successful in getting the 

 pumpkin to take even a teaspoonful of drink. 

 Has any one had better luck than I? — F. Dick- 

 inson, West China. 



Lycoris Japonica as a Garden Flower. — I do 

 not think that it is generally understood that 

 this exquisite flower is hardy in our northern 

 gardens. Known universally throughout the 

 south as Crimson Spider-lily it is seen in clumps 

 in nearly every yard or garden of any pretension. 

 But it is not satisfactory as a pot plant at the 

 north, and so is rarely, if ever, seen, although it is 

 almost impossible to actually kill it. Accident 

 revealed to me its hardiness. A bulb was put 

 into the open border in the spring with some 

 Zephyranthes which it much resembles. When 

 the others were taken up in the autumn the 

 Lycoris, being still dormant was overlooked. 

 Some two weeks after I found it growing so 

 thriftly it seemed a pity to destroy it. As my 

 garden lies on an eastern and southern slope below 

 the terraced lawn I rarely lose any plants or bulbs 

 in winter as the leaves and snow drift down there, 

 making a perfect nature's own protection. So 

 I decided to leave the Lycoris and see what the 

 result would be. It has survived the two last 

 winters (the severest ever known in this locality 

 of Saratoga County), has multiplied, and another 

 season I expect to have flowers. — Mrs. E. B. 

 Murray, Ballston Lake, N. Y. 



Silver Moon as a Hardy Rose. — Some time ago, 

 discussing the newer introductions in Roses, 

 the writer mentioned Silver Moon, and stated 

 that the infusion of Cherokee blood might give 

 it a tendency to be less hardy than some others of 

 its type. I am happy to do what I can to clear 

 this beautiful Rose from any suspicion of delicacy 

 of constitution. A year ago last spring we set 

 out several plants of this variety — first year size. 

 They were in a perfectly open, exposed position, 

 and had no winter protection whatever save that 

 afforded by the snow. They came unharmed 

 through the exceptionally severe winter of last 

 year (when even old established Crimson Ram- 

 bler succumbed), and flourished vigorously last 

 summer. This was a severe test, and considering 

 the small size of the plants, and the trying climate 

 of Maine, would seem to show conclusively that 

 Silver Moon is as hardy as need be. So let no 

 one be deterred from planting this splendid Rose 

 as freely as it deserves this coming season. — C. F. 

 Brassey-Brierley, Belfast, Maine. 



Jewel-weed. — The men thought me a bit 

 queer. I had set them to cut weeds among the 

 timber and here I directed them to let patches of 

 weeds stand. These patches were colonies of the 

 pretty little Jewel-weed (Impatiens biflora), 

 that I wanted to keep for their effect. The plant 

 is only an annual but self sows so freely that it can 



"To water or not to water?" — The Jewel-weed answers the ques- 

 tion by its tell-tale behavior 



be counted upon for years in the same place. I 

 tried some of the plants in the wild garden and 

 in the border and the result was satisfactory in 

 every instance. They crowd in almost anywhere 

 and yet they seem to injure nothing. The flowers 

 are inconspicuous and often hide among the 

 foliage, yet they are pretty. For lack of suffi- 

 cient moisture, the leaves will droop to stand 

 erect again as fresh as ever when moisture is 

 supplied. This characteristic makes it a good 

 indicator of the soil moisture. When the Jewel- 

 weed droops, it is time to water the border.— 

 C. L. Meller, N. D. 



Nebraska Carnation. — Amateur florists who are 

 interested in new varieties will find the Ne- 

 braska Carnation worthy of a trial. In one of the 

 commercial ranges of the West, plantings of the 

 Nebraska are easily distinguished from all other 

 varieties by a higher percentage of flowers, prac- 

 tically all of which come perfect. No split calyx 

 or other physiological trouble is to be found on the 

 Nebraskas. Color of the flower is a bright red. — 

 E. L. K. 



Hotbed Soil. — A. Correction — In the article on 

 Planning your Hotbed in the January issue, page 

 162, the third paragraph should read "hotbed 

 soil" instead of hotbed manure. 



