ORNAMENTAL AND PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



279 



Albicatzs , — Large, pure white ; charming in every way. 



Gracchus . — Standards lemon-yellow; falls pale yellow, 

 reticulated purple ; of dwarf, compact habit ; a profuse 

 bloomer. The Royal Horticultural Society of England 

 awarded thi? handsome variety a first-class certificate in 

 1885. 



The new race known as the Japanese or Kaempferi iris 

 is attracting fresh interest 

 with each year, all of which 

 it deserves. The flowers dif- 

 fer from the German type in 

 being broad and flat. They 

 exhibit a wonderful variety 

 of colors and shades, and 

 pear later than the others. 

 The race has sprung from 

 /. la:ingaia and /. sctosa, 

 species common to Siberia. 

 We are indebted to Japanese 

 gardeners for first producing 

 the remarkably large and 

 double varieties. European 

 and American gardeners 

 have lately followed their 

 lead, and are growing some 

 fine sorts. These succeed 

 fairly well in any good gar- 

 den soil, but earth that is 

 somewhat peaty is most con- 

 genial to their growth. They 

 dislike shade, preferring an 

 open exposure. 



The Crimean irises (/. 

 pumila) are a charming 

 dwarf, early-flowering group. 

 They grow from six to nine 

 inches in height, and pro- 

 duce an abundance of lovely 

 flowers. Being dwarf and 

 of vigorous habit in any soi 

 they are well suited to grow 

 in the front line of the bor- 

 der. The type is of a rich 

 purplish blue color, and from 

 this many varieties have 

 arisen, ranging through pur- 

 ple, white and rich yellow. 



The Siberian irises (/. Si- 

 birica) are quite distinct, 

 being distinguished by their 



long grassy foliage, two or Gera\an Iris. Madame Ch 



more feet in height, forming 



dense, erect tufts, with numerous slender stems bearing 

 an abundance of flowers. The type is a light blue, hav- 

 ing a net-work of dark lines. The colors of the varieties 

 range from rich velvety blue to pure white, slightly veined 

 with pale lilac. There are no yellow varieties as yet. 



Work for Sharp Eyes. — Our rambles through the 

 grounds in winter and early spring revealed numerous 



points in tree and shrub-culture requiring attention which 

 passed unnoticed before last season's leaves had fallen. 



The first shrub to attract notice was a flowering- 

 almond, recently transplanted. This shrub had several 

 strong wild shoots growing from the point below where 

 the almond was budded on wild-plum stock. These 

 shoots were fast sapping the very life of the ornamental 

 budded top. They were 

 promptly cut out — a thing 

 that should have been 

 done last season, before 

 they had advanced so far. 

 The plum - shoots were 

 much stronger than those 

 of the almond, and had 

 they not been removed, 

 it is likely that in one or 

 two seasons they would 

 have entirely crowded 

 out the latter. 



In this way many more 

 choice budded trees, 

 shrubs and roses are lost 

 than their owners are 

 aware of. Young stock 

 from the nursery is set 

 out and perhaps grows 

 fairly for a year or two. 

 Then a sprout may start 

 up below the bud, and as 

 it is sure to grow ram- 

 pantly the owner is per- 

 h a p s delighted to see 

 "how fast that shrub is 

 growing this year." never 

 taking the trouble to 

 notice from whence the 

 growth proceeds. A year 

 or two later a strong bush 

 or tree has developed, but the owner "can't 

 see why it never flowers as it did at first." 

 Still later he writes to his favorite journal, tell, 

 ing how varieties change. If an expert were 

 to examine carefully the growth above de- 

 scribed, he might discover somewhere in the 

 interior the dried-up remains of the once fine 

 budded plant, killed in the struggle against the 

 stronger-growing shoots that should not have 

 been allowed to live for a single season. The 

 first illustration on page 280 shows an almond 

 REAU. budded upon plum-stock at A. B is the orna- 

 mental almond top, dying of starvation, and C 

 shows the robber plum-shoots. Kilmarnock willows and 

 other choice weeping trees, budded roses, flowering al- 

 monds, plums and peaches, and all cultivated budded 

 fruits are forms that suffer most from such neglect. But 

 little attention is required to keep wild shoots down, and 

 having planted out choice budded trees and shrubs, no 

 one should deny them this. 



