174 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
April, 1917 
Asia, his plant trails over the ground and 
forms Inroad mass of glossy dark green. It 
thrives equally well in the open and in partial 
shade. There are forms with white and pur- 
ple flowers but none is better than the type 
with its clear blue flowers. 
A very pleasing little evergreen is Pachy- 
itima Canbyi, native of the mountains of 
North Carolina and Virginia, which forms 
neat little clumps six inches or more high. 
The foliage is dense, small, and rather shining 
pale green. The western P. Myrsinites is a 
taller plant with much larger leaves but the 
habit is less good and it often suffers in winter. 
These plants have inconspicuous flowers and 
are related to the Spindle- trees (Evonymus). 
The Cowberry ( Vacciniutn Vitis-idaea) is a 
northern, circumpolar plant which grows a 
few inches/ high and forms dense, broad 
mats. The leaves are shining green, the 
flowers white or pinkish and the fruit dark 
red. At any season of the year this little 
plant is pleasing. A closely related evergreen 
is the Box Huckleberry ( Gaylussacia brachy- 
cera), one of the rarest of American plants. 
It is a spreading plant growing from six to 
ten inches high and has shining green Box-like 
leaves. 
The Mayflower or Trailing Arbutus {Epi- 
gaea repens) common on the borders of rocky 
woods and hillsides of New England and 
southward, is a lovely plant but alas! not very 
amenable under cultivation. Its sweet- 
scented white to delicate pink flowers open 
beside the remnants of snowdrifts in early 
spring. It is regrettable that this plant, a 
favorite with everybody, is so coy and hard 
to please in gardens. An allied plant, the 
Wintergreen or Checkerberry ( Gaultheria 
procumbens), however, grows readily in any 
garden soil. This common shrub, so abund- 
ant in woodlands and wild places generally 
from Maine southward and west to Michigan, 
grows from three to six inches high and has 
lustrous dark green ovate leaves clustered on 
the top of a ruddy stem and tiny urn-shaped 
white flowers which are followed by pure red, 
hanging, aromatic fruits. 
The Crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum), abund- 
ant in cold, temperate, and sub-arctic regions 
throughout the Northern Hemisphere, has 
insignificant leaves, yet it forms neat mats 
of dark green in the vicinity of eternal ice and 
snow. Its relative, Corema Conradii, is a 
more conspicuous plant with broader leaves 
and forms compact clusters about six inches 
high. 
GROUND COVER FOR OPEN PLACES 
As a ground cover in the open there is noth- 
ing better than the Bearberry ( Arctostaphylos 
uva-ursi), with its long trailing shoots and 
gray-gretn leaves forming a dense carpet. 
I he flowers are white or pinkish, urn-shaped, 
and borne several together at the end of the 
lateral shoots; the fruit is globose and wine- 
red. Like many other members of the Heath 
family, the Bearberry is not only native of this 
country but is spread over the colder regions 
of the Northern Hemisphere. This prostrate 
evergreen can be used to good effect in many 
ways, but I never saw it more appropriately 
employed than in a private cemetery on Long 
Island, N. Y., where, in an opening in a thin 
wood, it carpets a basin or bowl round which 
nestle flat graves in clearings of the native 
vegetation. 
The Creeping Snowberry ( Chiogenes ser- 
pyllifolia), with thread-like stems and white 
fruits is pretty on rocks and tree stumps in 
shady places. So, too, is the well-known 
Partridgeberry ( Mitchell a repens), with a sim- 
ilar habit and scarlet fruits, though belonging 
to a widely different family. 
HEATHER AND IVY 
Twice previously in these pages reference 
has been made to the Heather ( Calluna vul- 
garis) and certain Heaths ( Erica spp.), but I 
may again emphasize the fact that these 
charming plants are perfectly hardy provided 
they be grown in the open where they may 
enjoy the full sun and wind. 
For climbing plants with evergreen foliage 
we are badly off. The Ivy ( Hedera Helix), so 
celebrated in poetry and folklore, is not 
hard}', although here and there rambling 
over an old tomb in a shady part of some 
cemetery, a plant may be found more or less 
indifferent to the winter’s severity. No other 
plant can exactly take the place of the Ivy, 
but we are really fortunate in having so good a 
substitute as the Japanese Evonymus radicans 
and its variety vegetus. These are invaluable 
plants with good foliage, are quite hardy, and 
admirably adapted for covering walls and 
the north and west sides of buildings. On 
Mountain Spurge (Pachysandra terminate) is indeed an all 
around ground cover growing both in the open and in shade 
boulders or even in the open border they form 
a fine tangled mass of green. They are root 
climbers and have small white flowers in 
clusters and attractive white fruits which open 
and display the seeds with their orange- 
scarlet covering. The juvenile stage, of the 
variety vegetus is sold under the name of 
Evonymus radicans, var. minimus and also as 
Evonymus kezvensis. It has prostrate stems 
and prettily marbled rounded foliage and is a 
charming cover and rock plant. In China 
grows E. radicans, var. acutus and the baby 
stage of this plant has ovate, marbled leaves 
and from the manner of its growth in the 
Arnold Arboretum promises to be a very use- 
ful addition to the best of evergreen climbers. 
ONE HARDY EVERGREEN VINE 
The only hardy and really evergreen twining 
vine we have is Lonicera Henryi, a recent 
addition from China. Over walls and rocks 
this plant makes a delightful tangle and, w'hilst 
the flowers are not showy and the fruit is dull 
black, the leaves are of good size and dark 
green throughout the winter. 
There are a few other broad-leaved Ever- 
greens whose hardiness in New England is 
not yet fully established and a number of the 
low-growing plants mentioned here are better 
suited for the rockery than for the open 
border. 
Lawns: Cutting Old and Seeding 
New 
TX/’HEN cutting the lawns use a sharp mow- 
ing machine. A poor “ mower” pul^s out 
the young grass roots and all, instead of cut- 
ting it. Never let the grass grow more than one 
inch high. Regular cutting stimulates root ac- 
tion. Roll the lawn after cutting — it pays 
to do it at least once a week, but only when 
the surface is moderately moist. Never roll, 
when surface is wet, especially on clay soil. 
Always use a grass catcher or rake off clip- 
pings carefully with a lawn rake. Grass 
cuttings scattered over the lawn are apt to 
mildew. This, in turn, is apt to cause acidity 
in the soil. Where grass is cut twice a week, 
it may be left to “fly” during July and * 
August. But always catch your clippings, 
when crab grass is in sight, since no amount 
of raking the clippings will remove the crab 
grass seeds which are Bound to drop. 
Io keep the lawns in perfect condition dur- 
ing the dry spells of summer, judicious water- 
ing is essential. Always remember that one 
good soaking is preferable to frfequent sprink- 
ling. The latter tends to bring the roots to 
the surface — to the detriment of the life of the 
lawn. Constant sprinkling weakens the 
young grass, all watering done after sunset 
is twice as beneficial as that done during the 
day. 
A FEW HINTS ABOUT SEEDING 
Thick sowing of grass mixtures — especially 
those composed of fine-bladed grasses — is 
absolutely essential. 1 he backbone of every 
good turf are the Agrostis, Fescue and Poa 
types. In order to thrive, their roots should 
mingle quickly. If they don’t, they are apt 
to draw together in “areas,” leaving small 
“pockets.” A conservative suggestion is to 
use one pound of thoroughly recleaned seed 
to 200 square feet, or for larger areas, six 
to eight bushels per acre. 
Here are a few mixtures that will be found 
particularly suitable for the purposes men- 
tioned. It should be borne in mind, how- 
ever, that no two soils are exactly alike, hence 
the need of selecting mixtures useful for your 
own specific needs. 
FOR RENOVATING OLD LAWNS 
30 % Kentucky Blue 
30 C ( Redtop. Fancy 
20 % Chewing’s N. Z. Fescue 
10 % Rhode Island Bent 
IO % Crested Dogstail 
FOR PUTTING GREENS 
45 % Rhode Island Bent 
40 % Creeping Bent 
15 % Redtop, Fancy 
FOR TURF TENNIS COURTS 
40 % Chewing’s N. Z. Fescue 
30 % Rhode Island Bent 
30 % Red Top, Fancy 
FOR POLO GROUNDS 
30 % Redtop, Fancy 
20 % Rhode Island Bent 
20 % Chewing’s N. Z. Fescue 
10 % Meadow Fescue 
10 % Kentucky Blue 
10 % Crested Dogstail 
These are average mixtures. Seedsmen offer 
ready-made mixtures of grasses, each under a 
sort of proprietary name. The leading houses 
do not differ essentially from each other in 
these “standard” mixtures, which are gen- 
erally satisfactory over a large territory. Spe- 
cial mixtures will be made up on request to 
suit special conditions or peculiar require- 
ments, and for any very large undertaking 
or for unusual conditions it will often be best 
to consult a grass seed expert or lawn making 
specialist. For be it always remembered, a 
good lawn is the very foundation of a garden 
of delight. 
