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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 
OF AMERICA 
Devoted to the Science of Floriculture and Horticulture 
| Vol. xx. 
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JUNE, 1916. 
No. 6. 
Things and Thoughts of the Garden 
Bv The Onlooker 
NO one can doubt the value of the double flow- 
ered English Daisies ; they are sold as numer- 
ously as the beautiful and bright flowered 
pansies. Curiously, these English Daisies were first of 
all raised and developed on the Continent, and really 
fall into two sections, the broad, flat petaled type, 
and the round quilled petaled type, best seen in the 
old bright crimson-red variety, one of the neatest and 
prettiest flowers of the year. This, with Scilla sibirica 
are two of my favorite flowers, both very humble, 
but both of much merit in many ways. It was not 
long before names were given to special varieties of 
these double daisies, but few bother with names now- 
a-days, although there is one that really deserves to be 
kept apart. It is named Alice and is a very bright 
rosy-pink double daisy, distinctive and charming. An- 
other old-fashioned variety is the "Hen-and-Chickens" 
Daisy, grown by those who love old flowers and which 
is represented by a central plant which throws out a 
wheel-like array of daisy flowers around it, these 
forming little plantlets. The great value of these 
flowers is their brilliancy, continuity, as well as their 
early flowering. They come in almost as soon as the 
frostleavesthe ground, and continue until well in June, 
when the heat seems to wear them out. Once plants 
are obtained they can be divided and are easily carried 
over in cold frames if protected sufficiently from the 
frost, or can be sown indoors in pans and brought on 
for early planting. 
Our Spring season is so comparatively short that 
planting has to be done in a hurry, and those who do 
much outdoor gardening have long ago learned the 
value of early planting. This is where the advan- 
tage of having one's ground prepared the year before 
is most emphasized. Roses, and a large variety of 
hardy plants must be got into the bed or border while 
the ground is still cool and before the sun has be- 
come powerful, as it is even in May. Not all the 
mulching and watering that one can give to the plants 
makes up for the loss of a good early start. At tin- 
same time, if plants are put in late the mulching and 
watering are most essential. 
We have seen two examples recently of attempted 
early Summer shows, neither of which proved to be 
really successful. They were held in the East, and 
had every advantage, but it would appear that garden- 
ers are too busy with the work in hand at this season 
to be able to give attention to the exhibition that 
is held at the end of May or early in June. 
* * * 
Sometimes Privet hedges grow very tall, and the 
owner wonders whether he dare cut them back. There 
need be no fear as to the cutting back, even if the 
limbs are inches thick. They can be cut or sawn back 
with every assurance that given a little time they will 
break in the Spring. This work should be done during 
the Winter, or certainly before the sap starts to rise. 
The Privet is very tenacious of life. I planted some 
Golden Privet recently which evidently had got a bad 
drying in transit, although the roots seemed in good 
shape, and thinking that some of the plants had really 
died, as they showed but little signs of life, I pruned 
them hard back. These plants are going to make 
much the best of the lot, as the stems of a quarter of 
an inch or more are simply bristling with neat little 
buds, while those that were not pruned or cut back, 
have growths at the tips, but are bare otherwise. 
Talking of pruning hedges: Beech and Holly can 
be cut back very hard also with every assurance that 
they will break. To see some of the daring work that 
is done in this respect almost staggers one, and of 
course for one or two years there is a considerable 
bareness, but if the plants are healthy they will over- 
come that deficiency. Speaking of Holly brings to 
mind the fact that this is a bad tree to transplant, and 
when trees have to be removed, the utmost care should 
be taken to keep the ball of soil intact, and to water 
well after replanting. This, it might be stated, applies 
to most shrubs and trees, but to the Holly very par- 
ticularly. 
# # * 
A friend recently had the offer of some large clumps 
of Oriental Poppy that were in full vigor. He took 
the utmost pains with them, but as the initiated would 
expect, the plants collapsed as soon as they were 
planted in their new situation. He wonders whether 
they will recover and flower. Alas, this assurance 
could not be given him, although it was pointed out 
that there was every chance of the plants becoming 
established in time. Doubtless they would go into that 
quiescent state that Oriental Poppies assume after 
the flowering, and might be expected to throw up their 
crop of Winter leaves by the end of Summer. These 
remain evergreen, the plant of course starting into 
its Spring growth the next April. September is about 
the only good time to try to transplant Oriental 
Poppy, which at all times is a bad subject to shift. 
265 
