DSVOTED TO 



j^orfifulfurp, 3SrborlruHurp, |Ss!ang %• Jiare! HfPairs. 



THOMAS MEEHAN, Editor. 

 W. G. P. BKIJSrCKLOE, Publisher. 



AUGUST, 1867. 



VOL. IX. -3?fO. 8. 









^inh for HugusK 



FLOWER-GARDEM AI^^D FLEASUHE- 

 GROUNB. 



Landscape Gardening has not quite the same 

 idea to an American as it has to an European. In 

 the old world it appeals to the eye and to the mind. 

 It is an intellectual art. But our wants are more 

 material ; and the art must look after our creature 

 comforts somewhat, as well as afford us pretty sights 

 to see. 



For a month or two in spring, when all nature is 

 gushing forth joyously into life, we are content to 

 look on and enjoy the wondrous sights; and when in 

 fall the whole universe sparkles in autumnal tints, 

 we gaze on the splendid pageant passing away Avith- 

 out a selfish thought ; but broiling, sweltering, 

 roasting under our August suns, we feel that our 

 garden art must do something more for us than show 

 us beautiful sights like these. 



We have learned to protect ourselves from cold 

 wintry winds, but the art of making a place cool in 

 summer is yet in its infancy. There is nothing ac- 

 complishes this better than plenty of grass ^ and the 

 neat deciduous tree foUage, The making of flower 

 beds with box edgings and gravel walks suits Dutch 

 and French gardening, but it is too hot for us. 



The beds should be cut in grass. The walks round 

 about a place should also be in grass as much as pos- 

 sible ; only those likely to be frequently used should 

 be gravel walks. Even these where tan can be ob- 

 tained, are much cooler when this material can be 

 used, than when gravelled. In the planting of roads, 

 art, as we read it in the books, plants only in cor- 

 ners, and makes its most striking effects to be seen 

 from the drives ; but American art, as it should be, 



plants all the chief drives with deciduous shade 

 trees, and yet allows you to look through beneath 

 them to the beauties beyond. 



The best kinds of deciduous trees for this purpose 

 are the Silver, Sugar, Sycamore, and Norway Ma- 

 ples; American, and where the borer is not trouble- 

 some, the English Linden, American and Europe- 

 an Ash, Horse Chesnut, Magnolia tripetela and 

 acuminata, with its first cousin the Tulip tree ; the 

 sweet Gum, Elms, Kentucky Coffee and Oaks of all 

 kinds. For farm roads the Cherry, Black, English, 

 and White Walnuts, Chestnuts, and even the Pear 

 may be employed. Besides these in the South there 

 are the Mimosa, the Melia Zsderack, Magnolia 

 grandiflora, which, though an evergreen, has the 

 lightness of a deciduous tree, besides Live 

 Oaks, &c. 



But besides the selection of trees for drives, weep- 

 ing trees should be liberally introduced, some of 

 which like Weeping ashes, make cool and shady 

 arbors preferable to any the carpenter's hand could 

 make. Of these are the large varieties of Weeping 

 Willow, Weeping Sophora, Weeping Birch, Lin- 

 dens, Elms, &c., though none equal the Ash for 

 arbor purposes. 



Then again very much may be done by planting 

 two or three trees together so that as they grow up, 

 they will form natural seat backs. For this purpose 

 there is nothing like the Oak tribe. 



Sometimes we cannot get the coveted shade be- 

 cause we have planted slow growing trees — gener- 

 ally the prettiest and well worth waiting for, — this 

 may be effected by planting liberally of Alders, Pop- 

 lars and similar ephemeral trees, to be cut away as 

 they gradually interfere with the permanent kinds. 



The planting season will soon come around, and 

 now is the time to look about and select the desir- 

 able kinds, and to decide on the proper places to set 

 them. 



The latter end of August is one of tlie test sea- 

 sons of the year to transplant evei greens. The 

 young growth of the past season has got pretty well 

 hardened, so as to permit of but very little evapora- 



