The Garden Magazine, February, 1920 



261 



grown for three seasons make grand plants for forcing pur- 

 poses and can be flowered as early as March if necessary. 

 Another plant which does not force so early as the Deutzias is 

 Philadelphus Lemoinei. Of this there are some beautiful 

 varieties, blooming when of small size. 



Nemesias — have become deservedly popular for garden 

 purposes since Sutton (of England) gave us the improved 

 strains of N. strumosa. Valuable as these are for the garden 

 they are also extremely useful for culture in pots or pans in an 

 ordinary greenhouse. Seeds sown in October will produce 

 flowering plants in February, while for a spring crop if seed 

 are sown in February the plants will bloom in May. Separate 

 colors can now be purchased and all are very rich. Use five 

 or six plants in a six-inch pan and seven or eight to a seven- 

 inch pan, using a light rich soil and feeding with liquid manure 

 when the flower spikes start to push up. There is not amongst 

 annuals any more beautiful plant for forcing than the 

 Nemesia. The seeds are very light and all the covering 

 they should have is a little fine sand. Mr. W. N. Craig 

 has saved seed from pot plants and has had excellent 

 germination. 



The Fringe-tree — The proper interpretation of the 

 word Chionanthus is Snowflower, and this would really be a 

 very appropriate name for the shrub which is more commonly 

 spoken of as the Fringe-tree. This is a plant likely to be- 

 come much better known with the growing tendency to use 

 native American subjects because of the plant exclusion rul- 

 ing. This American plant, C. virginica, is really worthy of 



4 



IT LOOKS LIKE A "FRINGE" TREE 



Hence a Fringe-tree it is regardless of the botan- 

 ists having named it Chionanthus for snow 



wide planting. It is very easy to grow, not being very par- 

 ticular as to soil, although preferring perhaps a sandy loam, 

 and it thrives equally well in sun or slight shade. It never 

 seems to be troubled by insect pest or plant diseases and 

 doesn't grow with undesirable rapidity. While many peo- 

 ple have had their attention called to its curious fringe-like 

 blossoms borne in early summer in great profusion, few seem 



LOVELY FOR THE GARDEN AND THE GREENHOUSE TOO 



The colorful Nemesias flutter above their foliage in striking like- 

 ness to the airy butterflies which give the plant its common name 



familiar with the blue-black berries that are produced in 

 August and which give the plant a very attractive appearance. 

 In order to have fruit, though, it is necessary to grow pistil- 

 late plants, as this shrub is dioecious. The staminate flowers, 

 however, are perhaps a little the showier. In the extreme 

 north the plant may not be entirely hardy unless given a 

 sheltered position. In the Arnold Arboretum, however, 

 it grows well and bears a splendid crop of flowers year after 

 year. It is one of the plants which always excites comment 

 and admiration, and no garden maker need hesitate to 

 include it in his planting list for the coming season. 



Gladiolus — There are few flowers so easily increased as the 

 Gladiolus, for well grown corms produce great numbers of 

 " cormlets " which in from one to three years will make 

 corms of flowering size. There are one or two points to be 

 remembered, nevertheless, if success is to be won. These 

 cormlets do not sprout as readily as the more mature corms. 

 It has been found by experience that if they are planted in 

 April, in which month there is usually an abundance of rain, 

 they will come along without any difficulty. If planted 

 later they should invariably be soaked for twenty-four hours 

 in warm water before they go into the ground. It is desir- 

 able to get as much growth as possible during the summer, 

 and this can be obtained only by giving the cormlets a good 

 start in the spring. It is best to remove the cormlets in the 

 fall or winter. Then they can be stored by themselves in 

 sand or in paper bags tied to the cellar beams. When the 

 cormlets are planted they should go in at least two inches 

 deep. There should' be no difficulty about their coming up. 



One mistake which the novice often makes in planting 

 mature corms is in putting them in shallow. These larger 

 corms ought to be at least four inches underground. Then 

 the flower spikes will not fall over, as they often do when 

 shallow planting is practised. 



