THE V 



Forcing Christmas Roses. — Experiments were made 

 last winter in forcing Christmas roses (Helleborus) for 

 the New York flower market. They appear to sell in 

 England, but do not take at all here, not being suffici- 

 ently showy. Some of them are pretty snough, but a 

 great many are very weedy, the colors being undecided 

 and dingy. They can never compete with brighter 

 flowers. 



Skunk Cabbage {Syinploiarpus fatidits). — This 

 despised native plant has a prominent place in English 

 gardens, not in every flower-garden, but in large borders 

 and shaded places ; and why should it not ? If there 

 is a more beautiful or interesting flower than this, we 

 have not seen it. Besides, its flowers are among the first 

 in the spring, and of a color rarely met — a bronzy pur- 

 ple marbled with green. To be appreciated these must 

 be examined closely, then they present attractions not 

 possessed by the more showy and popular sorts. For a 

 wet situation we should say, by all means introduce one 

 of these noble plants. If it only had a foreign air 

 everybody would grow it. It would not be ' ' Skunk Cab- 

 bage " then. 



Tree Paeonies [Pceotiia Moiilaii). — We shall be 

 obliged to do without these beautiful flowers this season. 

 The warm weather in February, followed by the severe 

 cold weather in March, killed the flowering buds, and to 

 all appearances the plants. We do not despair of the 

 latter, for if there is any plant that cannot be killed it is 

 the paeony. It will resent bad treatment by not flow- 

 ering ; but die it will not. 



Lilies not Hardy. — The open winter has fairly 

 proven our oft-repeated assertion that lilies are not 

 hardy, and that if we want them to come up to their 

 full measure of strength and beauty, we must protect 

 them against freezing. The past winter was so mild 

 that protection was unnecessary, and the plants now 

 show the effects by a unprecedented growth. candi- 

 dum, the finest of all garden lilies, is showing most won- 

 derful strength. We have no doubt but the disease 

 which has been so destructive to this lily the past few 

 years is due to the freezing, which has impoverished 

 the bulbs. In planting one should select a place where 

 there is good drainage, or where the water will not 

 stand around them ; this is as injurious as the cold. 

 Most lilies are indigenous to dry soils, but those found 

 in swampy grounds are benefited by giving them a dry 

 situation. This is particularly true of L. siipLTbiini, 

 which will grow taller and stronger in dry soils, if 

 mulched both summer and winter, than in its native 

 habitat, the swamp. 



Growing Geraniums in Water. — The correspondent 

 whose faith in the difficulty of growing geraniums in 

 water was shaken because his wife had made some 

 successful hits in growing them in old tomato cans, is 

 more easily influenced than I. In spite of his conver- 

 sion, I have concluded to let my potter continue awhile 

 longer to make holes in the bottom of our flower pots. 

 — Thomas Meehan. 



Late Clirysantliemums. — About two years ago I 

 got a dozen chrysanthemums from Mr. Henderson ; 

 amongst them was one the label of which I lost. It did 

 not flower that year, but the next year it bloomed about 

 Christmas. Last year I kept my chrysanthemums in the 

 cold-frames under double sashes until the middle of 

 November. As a result it is blooming a month later 

 than usual, January until now (February 20), and the 

 plants have now from one to two dozen buds and blos- 

 some on them. The plant is erect in growth, rather tall 

 growing; the flowers when half open are discolored in 

 the center, but when fully open are pure white. It is a 

 Japanese variety ; does not take a very large pot, about 

 an eight inch pot being large enough. I have another 

 white variety which bloomed in November, and now it 

 has a second crop on, some two dozen blossoms and 

 buds : it is of a trailing habit and low growth. If any 

 of the readers of The American Garde.x have had a 

 like experience I would like to know. — J. Bebbington, 

 Ndn-aska. 



Climbing Hydrangea {Decuinai-ia barhara). — Oh 

 the beauty of the almost unknown, unappreciated, Am- 

 erican climbing hydrangea ! Why is it that so many 

 rarely beautiful native plants are unnoticed, while less 

 intrinsically good imported varieties sell so readily? 

 Eight years ago I paid $3 per plant for climbing hy- 

 drangeas, which had been imported from Japan at great 

 expense ; while a far superior variety, native to the 

 south, was unnoticed. To-day many plants of this Am- 

 erican variety are in full flower, perfuming the air with 

 their myriads of blooms, Spartanburg is near a bold 

 water-course, on whose banks are found many rare and 

 beautiful flowers, prized in our best gardens ; but none 

 are so beautiful or so little known as the climbing hy- 

 drangea. Over the stream is a long bridge, on whose 

 stone pillars the hydrangea is clinging like a green veil, 

 covering and beautifying the rough stone-work. In time 

 it will, if left undisturbed, cover the whole frame-work. 

 Near this is another which must be fully 50 years old, 

 its trunk measuring at least two inches in diameter; after 

 clambering to the top of a large elm tree it straggles on 

 to smaller trees — hollys, elders, persimmons, etc, form- 

 ing a jungle of beauty rarely met with. Under it grow 

 crow-foot, violets, habenaria, ferns, woodbine, yellow 

 jasmine, chionanthus, kalmia and other wildlings of our 

 forests. To-day the hydrangea from the ground to the 

 topmost limbs is one sheet of bloom, flat-cymed, cream 

 tinted, lace-like and fragrant. For its exquisite beauty 

 and grace this plant deserves to be widely introduced 

 to the flower-loving world, — J. S, R, T,, Spartaubityr^ 

 S. C. 



Jerusalem Artichoke.— This is a peculiar plant, or 

 vegetable, whichever it may be called. In some sections 

 of the country the cry comes ; how can we exterminate 

 it ? from another comes the query ; how can we grow it? 

 It is said to be a valuable crop for stock feeding, a deli- 

 cious salad, or good as a vegetable ; then again it is call- 

 ed a pest, a worthless weed. Which is it ? 



