June, 1911 



THE GARD E N M A G A Z I N E 



2!)!) 



fully cramped and distorted and require 

 the most careful manipulation." 



There are many flowers so common 

 along every woodland byway that it is 

 not worth while to shelter them. Notably 

 in this class grows Geranium maculatum, 

 whose soft clouds of lavender are fine for 

 mass planting. This is of great value 

 planted in connection with iris, as it blooms 

 at the same time and may be used most 

 effectually to relieve the solid mass of 

 iris flower and foliage which is so con- 

 spicuously ugly along herbaceous bor- 

 ders in the gardens of most of our city 

 outskirts. 



The sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) which 

 came to our woods from over seas is a fine 

 plant where fern-like foliage is desired. Its 

 flowers are valuable for cutting, belonging 

 in the decorative line of gypsophila. It holds 

 its graceful leaves all summer if occasionally 

 cut back. Although the stems and roots 

 possess a sweet aromatic flavor, it is not 

 safe to taste them unless you are quite 

 sure, as their counterpart is the deadly 

 poison hemlock. For this reason alone 

 the sweet Cicely should never be col- 

 lected, but grown from nursery stock or 

 seed. 



I grow Phlox divaricata in nursery rows, 

 as by regular hoeing a heavy root can be 

 obtained from a small offset in a single 

 season. In a sunny border it shows forth 

 in great beauty, but to me it seems best 

 to catch and hold the light in deep shade. 

 Its keeping qualities, when it is cut, are 

 excellent, and its fragrance commends it 

 for house decoration. In my rock garden 

 I grow it in combination with snow-in- 

 summer (Cerastium tomentosum), as I like 

 the soft, gray foliage and white flowers 

 with pale lavender. Its growth is some- 

 what stunted among dry rocks unless the 

 soil receives deep preparation. 



For dry, poor soils in sunny borders 

 nothing equals the butterfly weed (Ascle- 

 pias tuber osa). I use it in connection with 

 tritoma, meadow lily (Lilium Canadense) , 

 scarlet bee balm {Monarda didyma), with 

 full green background of eulalia. This 

 gives the most brilliant combination im- 

 aginable, the butterfly weed outrivaling 

 all other flowers in gorgeous coloring. 



Herein lies a suggestion to color lovers 

 who buy, plant, dig, store, and annually 

 lose hundreds of cannas. Butterfly weed, 

 meadow lily, and scarlet bee balm gain in 

 beauty for at least fifteen years and in 

 occasional instances outlive a generation. 



A border of asters is easy to arrange. 

 The roadside gives the keynote. Among 

 asters introduce boltonia, Joe Pye weed, 

 bouncing Bet, iron weed, and Eupatorium 

 ageratoides. Make this bed a well spaced, 

 carefully staked collection of choice Amer- 

 ican, late-flowering perennials. 



Among tall native flowers in general, 

 free use should be made of grasses, among 

 the best of which are found spike grass 

 (Uniola latifolia) and Dactylis glomerata, 

 var. aurea elegantissima, which, however 

 incomprehensible its name, is really a very 

 pretty border grass. 





FOR EARLY 



SPRING BQRDER AMONG BULBS 



COMMON NAME 



STANDARD NAME 



1 OLOB 



PROPAGATION 





Celandine 



Chelidonium majus 



Yellow 



Seed or division 



Valued lor early foliage 



Dutchman's 

 breeches 



Dicentra Cucullaria 



White 



Div. of bulbs in 

 spring or fall 



Foliage dies in -ummer. 

 Supplement with hardy 

 ferns 



Bloodroot 



Sangiiinaria Cana- 

 densis 



White 



Div. in spring 

 or fall 



Foliage dies in summer 



Wild sweet wil- 



liam 

 Bluebells 



Liverwort 



Phlox divaricata 

 Mcrtcnsia Virginica 

 TIepalica triloba 



Lavender 



Lavender, shad- 

 ing to pink 

 Lavender, white 



Div. in spring 



Div. in spring 



or fall 

 Div. in spring 



Evergreen, creeping foli- 

 age. Fragrant Sowers 



foliage dies in summer. 

 Do not transplant often 



Evergreen foliage. Hand- 

 some border for early 

 bulbs 



FROM MAY UNTIL JULY — COLOR SCHEME: LAVENDER, WHITE, PURPLE, AND YELLOW 



COMMON NAME 



STANDARD NAME 



COLOR 



PROPAGATION 



RLMAKKS 



Crane's bill 



Geranium maculatum 



Pale purple 



Div. in spring 



Most useful in iris border 



Double butter- 

 cup 



Ranunculus acris, 

 var. fl. pi. 



Yellow 



Div. in spring or 

 fall 



Escaped from Europe. 

 Spreads rapidly. Good 

 for cutting 



Early meadow 

 rue 



Thalictrum dioicum 



Purplish 



Division only 



Excellent for mixed hardy 

 border 



Common blue 

 flag 



Iris versicolor 



Purple 



Div. in spring or 

 fall 



Grows freely in common 

 soil 



Great Solomon's 

 seal 



Polygonatum gigan- 

 teum 



Greenish white 



Division or seed 



Handsome drooping flow- 

 ers. Showy foliage 



Canada violet 



Viola Canadense 



White, pale 

 purple 



Div. in spring 



Makes good edging. Best 

 for common soils 



JULY AND AUGUST — A GLORIOUS COMBINATION 



COMMON NAME] 



STANDARD NAME 



COLOR 



PROPAGATION 



REMARKS 



Butterfly weed 



Asclepias tuberosa 



Orange-red 



Seed 



Flowers keep two weeks 

 in water. Tlant in dry 

 soil 



Bee balm 



Monarda didyma 



Cardinal-red 



Div. in spring; 

 never in fall 



Fine for massing. Will 

 grow in any location 



Cardinal flower 



Lobelia cardinalis 



Scarlet 



Divide shoots 

 every year. Old 

 plant biennial 



Will grow in good garden 

 soil 



Tickseed 



Coreopsis lanceolata 



Yellow 



Seed or division 



One of the best flowers for 

 cutting. Blooms con- 

 tinuously 



Meadow lily 



Lilium Canadense 



Red-Yellow 



Bulbs in fall 



Best lily for common 



Tiger lily 



Lilium tigrinum 



Orange 



Bulbs in fall 



Var., splendens best 



AT THE CLOSE OF THE SEASON 



COMMCN NAME 



STANDARD NAME 



COLOR 



PROPAGATION 



REMARKS 



Star wort 



Aster spss. 



Lilac, purple, 

 white 



Div. in spring 

 or fall 



Feed heavily. Stake care 

 fully 



False dragon's 

 head 



Physostegia Virgin- 

 iana 



Rose, purple 



Div. in spring. 

 Seed 



Handsome tall spikes of 

 flowers. Plant in back- 

 ground 



Joe Pye weed 



Eupatorium purpur- 

 cum 



Pale purple, 

 shading to rose 



Div. in spring. 

 Seed 



Four to ten feet high. 

 Keeps well for large de- 

 coration 



Iron weed 



Vernonia Novebora- 

 censis 



Showy purple 



Div. in spring 

 or fall 



Effective in large 

 clumps 



White snake- 

 root 



Eupatorium ager- 

 atoides 



White 



Div. or seed 



Desirable for cutting. 

 Keeps long in water 



Pearly everlast- 

 ing 



A ntennaria Margar- 

 itacea 



Pearly white 



Division or seed 



Can be kept all winter 

 if cut early and dried 



