352 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



July 1909 



Protecting Roses in the Northwest 



IT IS perfectly possible to carry roses through 

 the winter in the Northwest — that is, the 

 Dakotas, Montana, Nebraska, northern Minne- 

 sota, and northern Wisconsin — where the tem- 

 perature may fall to 40 degrees below zero and 

 the wind cut like a whip. I have carried roses 

 through the winter so that scarcely the tips of 

 shoots four feet in length were injured. 



If the fall has been a dry one give the rose bed 

 a thorough drenching when you are certain that 

 all growth has ceased. Then after the ground 

 has dried somewhat bank about six inches of the 

 surface dirt around the base of the rose bushes. 

 Wait until a slight crust of frost has formed over 

 the ground, after which bury the entire rose bed 

 to the top of the bushes in dry leaves, which, of 

 course, should have been procured beforehand, 

 and must be dry when applied. I much prefer 

 oak leaves for this purpose, and would avoid 

 ash leaves altogether, as they soon crumble to dust. 

 However, on our northwestern prairies we do not 

 have a large variety of leaves from which to choose, 

 and therefore we are often compelled to take what 

 we can get. In regions where not enough leaves 

 are obtainable — and there are such regions — 

 I should recommend the use of loose straw, though 

 personally, I have never tried it. Hay might 

 also serve the purpose. Climbers and roses with 

 bushes over three feet high will have to be bent 

 over and tied down — not necessarily down to 

 the ground, but just enough so that, with three 

 to four feet of leaves, they will be nicely covered. 

 In bending the bushes be careful to produce a long 

 arch, never making a sharp bend that might break 

 the canes. 



After the leaves are in place cover them with 

 boards arranged so that they will shed water; 

 likewise support them in such a manner that their 

 weight will not rest upon the leaves. Over this, 

 like a roof to cover the entire rose bed, even the 

 sides, spread an even layer of horse manure from 

 six inches to a foot thick. Take all possible 

 precaution so that the leaves underneath may 

 remain dry all winter. 



I am well aware of the fact that this method 

 involves much laborious detail, but without work 

 you cannot have roses, especially in this climate. 

 Furthermore, it is best to place all your roses in 

 one bed, or at least to mass them as much as is 

 consistent with your scheme of planting, for this 

 greatly facilitates winter protection on which rose 

 culture in the Northwest depends. 



North Dakota. C. L. Meller. 



Bees and Fresh Flowers 



THAT bees have a decided influence on the 

 keeping qualities of flowers is a fact that is 

 very easily demonstrated. It is simply a question 

 of pollination. The ultimate object of the flower 

 is, of course, seed production, and as soon as fer- 

 tilization has been effected the mission of the 

 flower has been accomplished and the energies of 

 the plant are then immediately turned to the de- 

 velopment and perfection of the seed. Commercial 

 florists have adopted a practice which to my mind 

 is much more important than they know. 



Practically all growers of the Easter lily remove 

 the anthers from the blossoms at an early stage 

 of their development, preventing the pollen from 

 maturing and falling upon the petals, and thus 

 disfiguring and injuring the flowers. The golden 



grains of pollen scattered upon the white petals 

 are a disadvantage to the commercial quality of. 

 the flower, but aside from all this the emasculation 

 of the flowers in this way has a very decided in- 

 fluence upon their keeping qualities. If the 

 flowers are allowed to become pollinated their 

 usefulness as cut flowers or ornamental plants is 

 very greatly decreased by the shortened life which 

 they possess. 



This was brought to my attention very emphati- 

 cally as much as twelve years ago by some studies 

 which were being conducted with Easter lilies and 

 Hibiscus. It was found that flowers which were 

 pollinated, either purposely or accidentally, lost 

 their beauty and usefulness very much more 

 quickly than those emasculated or prevented 

 from becoming pollinated, so that from the stand- 

 point of the florist the exclusion of bees, or any 

 means which contributes to the pollination of 

 Ihe flower, is a very important matter. 



Washington, D. C. L. C. Corbett. 



A Bamboo Seventy Feet High 



POSSIBLY the tallest bamboo in America, 

 grows in Arcadia, Florida, and is about sev- 

 enty feet high. The clump has a spread of fifty 

 feet, and the diameter at the ground is twelve 

 feet. The specimen is only eight years old. 



This is the common bamboo of India (Bambusa 

 vulgaris). I believe it was brought to South 

 Florida from the West Indies. In Jamaica it has 

 become naturalized, and is popularly supposed to 

 be indigenous. 



This bamboo makes an astonishing growth dur- 

 ing our rainy season, the canes often attaining 

 their full height in six weeks, after which they 

 begin to put out leaves. The canes are from 

 four to five inches in diameter at their base. 



Unfortunately, this species cannot stand low 

 temperatures, and the specimen in Arcadia has 

 frequently been damaged by cold. 



It is the largest of the bamboo family that is 

 grown to any extent in Florida. 



In propagating any of the large bamboos, I cut 

 the canes in four to six foot lengths, and plant 

 them in a trench about six inches deep. Thev 

 root readily, and send up two or three small shoots, 

 six to ten feet long, the first season. 



Arcadia, Florida. C. S. Bushnell. 



Do You Know this Plant ? 



Ill — A Vivid Maple 



ACER GINK ALA is a maple found in Man- 

 Sl- churia, China and Japan. It is a shrub 

 or small tree, seldom growing to a height of more 

 than eighteen or twenty feet. In habit it is grace- 

 ful, particularly during its earlier years. 



The leaves are three-lobed and from one and 

 one-half to three inches long. In summer the 

 foliage is thoroughly good, and in autumn, when it 

 assumes its customary splendor, it is most charming. 

 It turns earlier in the season than do the other 

 maples, with the exception of the red maple, and 

 keeps in good appearance for a long time. 



The flowers are borne in early June in panicles, 

 which are about three inches long. The individual 

 flowers are yellowish green and fragrant, an 

 occurrence uncommon among the maples. Thus 

 it depends for its value chiefly upon its neatness 

 of habit and charm of autumnal coloring. It is 

 perfectly hardy and vigorous. 



As to use it is desirable for planting when a 



Foliage of Acer GinncUa turns bright red in autumn 

 and keeps in good condition for a long time 



small short-lived tree is desired in the background 

 of a large shrubbery, and perhaps it might be 

 useful as a nurse plant. 



Massachusetts. Daniel A. Clarke. 



A Plant to Grow on Stone Walls 



THE accompanying photograph shows a stone 

 wall on which the wall pepper (Sedum acre) 

 is growing. This plant is also known as stonecrop 

 and love entangled, and is one of the commonest 

 of all sedums in cultivation. It is often used in 

 edging flower beds and also as a carpeting plant 

 for bare spots. The variety aureum is cultivated 

 for spring bedding, the bright yellow tips of the 

 new shoots furnishing a dash of color in an other- 

 wise dull season. 



The flower stems of Sedum acre are about two 

 or three inches high, and the flowers about one- 

 half inch across. The leaves are very small — 

 less than one-quarter of an inch long — and are 

 crowded together. They are thick and have an 

 acrid taste. This plant thrives even in poor soiL 

 and usually blooms from June to July. 



Connecticut. G. S. Jones. 



The wall pepper (Sedum acre) is one of the com- 

 monest sedums in ctiltivation 



This Month's Cover 



THE lily shown on this month's cover is the 

 white form of the Japanese spotted lily 

 (L. speciosum, var. alba), and is probably the best 

 white lily for general cultivation, being very thrifty 

 although not so rugged as the red colored form, 

 commonly known in gardens as Lilium rubrum. 

 The habit of the plant is very free and informal, 

 and it makes a splendid subject in the mixed hardy 

 border and in shrubberies. It is not only valued 

 as a garden plant, however, but is extensively 

 grown for cut flowers by florists. Specialists in 

 lilies offer several named varieties of the speciosum 

 lily, the best known being Melpomene and KraH- 

 zeri, in both of which the coloring is very intense. 



