THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



HYDRANGEAS. 



These are hardy or half-hardy shrubs, one 

 species of which has long been a popular 

 flower. B. Hortensia, a native of China, in- 

 troduced to cultivation nearly one hundred 

 and fifty years ago, is one of the plants we 

 most commonly see in country cottage win- 

 dows, or grown in tubs which stand around 

 the door, where it produces its great heads 

 of rosy flowers which last many weeks in 

 beauty, and are always attractive. The 

 plant is not hardy in the Northern States, as 

 the tops are killed every winter unless well 

 protected. True, it will shoot strongly from 

 the root, but gives little flowers. If the 

 points of the old shoots are killed, the in- 

 cipient flower-buds are destroyed and the 

 season's bloom is lost. "When the plant sur- 

 vives the winter, it soon forms a low spread- 

 ing bush which all summer is a mass of 

 showy rosy flowers. As the plants can be 

 moved easily, a good plan is to take them up 

 in the autumn, with as much earth adhering 

 to the roots as possible, and to winter them 

 in a cellar, pit, or deep frame. Thus they 

 can be replanted in the shrubbery or garden 

 in early spring and they are well worth the 

 trouble. 



We often see in the markets little plants 

 of Hydrangea in small pots with immense 

 heads of bloom. This is done by striking 

 shoots on which the flower bud was already 

 set, which, if well rooted and cared for, at once 

 develop the flower without making growth. 

 The cuttings should be taken off in July 

 from the strongest shoots and rooted in sand ; 

 potted into about five-inch pots, in a rich 

 peaty loam ; some of the cuttings will branch 

 and make pretty shrubby plants, while those 

 whose growth is confined to a single shoot 

 will in all probability make a large head of 

 bloom. If a succession is required, cuttings 

 may also be taken in autumn when the plants 

 drop their leaves, and by a little care in this 

 respect, Hydrangeas may be had in bloom 

 at any season. 



The plants show better bloom when young 

 then when grown several years, for though, 

 in the latter case, the plant is larger and has 

 more heads of bloom, the heads and the in- 

 dividual flowers are smaller. We often see 

 the fiowers a pale blue, which color is pro- 

 duced by mixing iron filings with the soil. 

 Though not as showy as the bright, rosy pink 

 color, the variety is pleasing. All the half- 

 hardy species may be grown in the same 

 way. 



One of the most valuable plants of recent 

 importation is the white Japanese Hydran- 

 gea, Thomas Hogg. The heads are very 

 large and pure white ; the plant is of vigor- 

 ous habit and blooms freely. It requires 

 the same treatment as H. Hortensia. 



B. paniculata, grandiflora is perfectly 

 hardy, and should be in every lawn. The 

 flowers are pure white, turning to pink be- 

 fore fading. It blooms in August, just when 

 flowers are most needed in the shrubbery, 

 and the plant fairly covers itself with snowy 

 blossoms. H. Otaksa has very pretty whitish 

 pink flowers, varying much in shade ; it is 

 only half hardy. B. quercifoliu, as its name 

 implies, has very large, oak-leaved foliage, 

 for which it is ornamental ; the flowers are 



not especially showy. B. Tfownbergii and ! 

 B. Lmdleyii have pink flowers, and are very j 

 pretty species. 



Every lawn should have three Hydrangeas, 

 the hardy parriculata and the half-hardy Bor- 

 tensia and Thomas Hogg, for no plants will i 

 make a better summer display. All the j 

 half-hardy species force well, and the white j 

 Thomas Hogg is for this very valuable. 



R, S. E. 



EVERGREENS IN THE SHADE. 



The valuable article in the Garden for 

 December, on the growth of evergreens in 

 the shade calls up an experience of my own 

 which corroborates the views expressed in 

 the Garden, and may be of interest to its 

 readers. A few years ago, I planted for 

 nursery purposes, several hundred Small 

 American Arbor Vitas. On the south side of 

 the lot was a row of Cherry trees that shaded 

 a strip about twenty feet wide for the greater 

 part of the day, so much that we had con- 

 sidered the strip useless for growing pur- 

 poses, and had kept a heap of manure there. 



At the time of planting the young ever- 

 greens alluded to, the manure had been 

 nearly all removed, and in my absence the 

 men spread what remained, and planted the 

 trees over the space. When I saw what they 

 had done, I decided to have the trees re- 

 moved, thinking they would not do well. 



However, for the want of time they were 

 left for the present, — and as they seemed to 

 grow as well as those in better light, they 

 were left until they had attained the height 

 of six to ten feet, at which time those in the 

 shade were taller, better furnished (as the 

 nurserymen say), and more vigorous, as well 

 as of a better color, than the others. 



I attributed this unexpected growth to the 

 better nourishment the roots received, and 

 taking the hint have since, by feeding small 

 evergreens planted in my lawn under larger 

 trees, kept them vigorous and well furnished, j 

 Dr. O. R, Willis. 



WINTER WORE ON THE LAWN. 



It becomes frequently desirable to im- 

 prove a lawn, without going to the expense 

 and inconvenience of plowing up and cul- 

 tivating it during a whole summer. Of course 

 a first-class, drought-resisting lawn can only 

 be produced by thorough and deep prepara- 

 tion of the entire ground ; yet many old, 

 neglected, and uneven lawns could, with 

 comparatively small expense, be so im- 

 proved that they would produce a pleasing 

 effect and answer all requirements. Winter 

 is a favorable season for making such im- 

 provements, as when the ground is frozen 

 no injury will be done by the teams passing 

 over it. 



All lawns deteriorate if not top-dressed 

 occasionally. Where the surface is smooth 

 and even, a light dressing of fine yard manure 

 or bone-dust is all that is required ; but on 

 worn-out and very uneven ground, sufficient 

 fine soil should be carted on to level all 

 inequalities. Early in spring all should be 

 carefully leveled, and where the grass has 

 not been covered more than one or two 

 inches it will grow through the earth in a 

 short time ; but where it is covered deeper, 

 some grass-seed will have to be sown over 

 these spots, raked in, and rolled or packed 

 down. 



he ^finiW j|urlei 



AND GREENHOUSE. 



HEATING SMALL PLANT-HOUSES. 



To the many who would enjoy having a 

 small greenhouse for the keeping of a select 

 collection of plants, without incurring a 

 great expense, the mode of heating is a 

 great consideration. Stoves of any kind 

 placed within the house are always more or 

 less deleterious to the plants, from their con- 

 sumption of oxygen necessary for a proper 

 combustion of the fuel. However, much of 

 this evil may be overcome by evaporating 

 pans of water placed on the stove, saying 

 nothing of the dust which cannot be entirely 

 avoided. 



The crying want is for a simple and cheap 

 apparatus that would be effective. Assum- 

 ing that the circulation of hot water through 

 pipes is the easiest controlled and best med- 

 ium for heating small houses, why cannot 

 those whose business it is, get up something 

 that would meet this public want. They 

 have, indeed, small boilers and apparatus for 

 small greenhouses, but still too powerful for 

 those I have in view, say from fifteen to 

 twenty-five feet long. In these days of cheap 

 petroleum oil, it appears to me that a proper 

 apparatus could be made for warming pur- 

 poses as well as for cooking. 



I have no plan of my own, but simply 

 throw out the suggestion to persons more 

 expert in mechanical contrivances than my- 

 self. In placing such a boiler, heated with 

 oil, I should not place it within the house 

 directly with the plants, but would enclose 

 it in some convenient place against the ex- 

 terior wall with a brick enclosure, with a 

 small door from the outside, at the bottom, 

 that could be opened and shut at pleasure, 

 in order to produce proper combustion, and 

 a small opening above, through which to pass 

 a pipe to carry off all odor and smoke. This 

 boiler apartment need only be a trifle larger 

 than the boiler itself, with a door opening 

 on the inside, in order to give access for the 

 filling and trimming of the lamp. I would 

 have this door made of sheet iron, in order to 

 avoid the risk of fire. An arrangement of 

 this kind would do away with the necessity 

 of a boiler shed or vault and save all the 

 labor of handling coals and ashes, and pre- 

 vent any damage arising from deleterious 

 gases. , , , 



A NEGLECTED ROSE. 



La Princess Vera is a Tea Rose, sent out 

 by Nabonnand in IS 78, which has not met 

 with the recognition from Rosarians that its 

 merits call for. This is not to be wondered 

 at, because the raiser's ideas of a good Rose 

 seem to be at variance with those held by 

 the rest of the world. Nabonnand has sent 

 out more than seventy varieties, but La 

 Princesse Vera is the only one of his raising 

 tested by me (except Duchess of Edinburgh, 

 purchased and sent out by Veitch) that I 

 deem worthy of a name. The Rose in ques- 

 tion is a large, full, globular flower, with 

 pointed buds; the color, flesh, tinted with 

 coppery rose. It is of excellent habit, pro- 

 ductive and beautiful, both under glass and 

 bedded out. It is almost as good for bed- 

 ding purposes as Homer or Coquette tie Lyon. 



H. B. Ellwanger. 



