PARK AND CeMRTERY 
4 (, 
them, often destroying the shrubs which were really 
beautifnl and turning- what was a beautiful bit of 
nature into desolation. I have seen ponds and bays 
where all the natural shrubbery and native planting 
was cleared up to the water's edge and the trees in 
the park ground trimmed up like so many sentinels, 
thus destroying all the charm of the once natural 
woods and river banks. We know, of course, that in 
public places we cannot have all such places decorat- 
ed, but we could have more than we do. We surely 
have material enough to plant such places with per- 
fectly hardy plants, and when once p'anted I am sure 
the public will appreciate them. A lake or pond 
properly planted can be made a thing of beauty from 
spring to fall, and even into the winter. These places 
need not all be planted ; mossy openings can be left, 
but when it is planted the planting should be massive 
and so planted that a continuance of bloom could be 
had from spring until the middle of autumn. Trees 
and shrubs gracefully grouped with herbaceous plants 
on edges and aquatics in the water presents at once 
a beautiful contrast with water not so decorated. I 
have seen many fine natural effects which might well 
be copied, for instance, a group of flag, Typha lati- 
folia, with Hibiscus palustris and cardinal flower and 
white water lilies on the surface, along the Hudson ; 
a large rock at the edge of a wood with pool in front, 
Helenium autunmale, ferns and cardinal flower; a 
ditch in a brackish march, Phragmites communis. 
Hibiscus palustris, Lilium superbum. Lobelia cardi- 
nalis ; a river bank with buttonbush, Clethra and Alder, 
with huge masses of Lythrum Salicaria and white 
water lilies in the eddies. The Lythrum in such quan- 
tities that it dazzled the sight. A river with over- 
hanging trees and shrubs, Clethra and Lobelia card- 
inalis, Mimulus ringens, arrow heads, pickerel weeds 
in groups. A swamp of cardinal flower, fire weed and 
Bidens, etc., etc. I could enumerate groups with- 
out number, all beautiful and offering you object 
lessons so that you might make hundreds of com- 
binations out of chiefly native plants. Add to these 
many fine herbaceous plants and aquatics that are 
hardy and a water garden could be made the finest 
feature in many of our gardens and parks. The fol- 
lowing list, all hardy and mostly native are fine for 
the water garden : 
Shrubs : Azalea viscosa, Rhodora Canadensis, 
Rosa setigera and lucida. Ilex verticillata. Ilex 
Laevigata, Ilex glabra, Cornus stolonifera, Clethra 
alnifolia, high bush blue-berry. Viburnum dentatum. 
Benzoin Benzoin, Cephalanthus occidentalis. Spiraea 
salicifolia. Clematis Virginiana, and many others. Of 
herbaceous plants we have Hibiscus palustris and oth- 
ers, Lobelia cardinalis and syphilitica, Lythrum Salica- 
ria, Caltha palustris, different fall bloom asters and 
Solidagos, several hardy Coreopsis, Asclepias purpur- 
ascens, Eupatorium purpureum and perfoliatum, 
Rhexia virginica, Mimulus ringens, Chelone glabra 
and Lyoni, Sabbatia, chlorides. Iris versicolor and 
Pseudacorus, and if wanted all the forms of the Jap- 
anese Iris. Of truly aquatics we have all the nymphaea 
both native and hardy hybrids, Nelumbium luteurn 
and speciosum, the pretty little floating heart, Lim- 
nanthemum, the pickerel weed, Alisma Plantago, 
Calla palustris, the Utricularis, the Sagittarias, several 
species, the Nuphar advena,the water shield, the water 
poppy, the flags, Kalmias, many of the rushes, and 
Lednms all come in and can be used to great advan- 
tage, and when judiciously combined form a most at- 
tractive garden ; besides these there are numbers of 
varieties of foreign aquatics, both tender and hardy, 
that can be used to advantage. 
Jackson Dawson. 
SOME OF THE NEWER WATER LILIES, 
I regard Nelumbium Shieoman as the best late in- 
troduction in lotuses. The flowers are perfectly dou- 
ble, pure white, freely produced and the most valu- 
able of all for cutting. 
Nymphaea gloriosa, a large dark red; N. ignea 
and N. flammea, beautiful bright red, are the best of 
the newer French hybrids that I have grown. The 
two latter propagate very slowly. 
( )f the late American hardy nymphaea there are sev- 
eral. N. candidissima rosea=N. alba candidissima 
X N. odorata rosea=a pink form of the grand old 
candidissima, is very choice. For free and continuous 
bloom I do not believe it has a superior. N. erecta 
= N. odorata alba X N. alba candidissima is a 
pure white variety the size of N^. alba. The flowers 
and often the foliage stand up nearly a foot above 
the water — a characteristic peculiarly its own. It 
also is an unusually fine bloomer, N. constans=N^. 
odorata rosea X FI. superba. I have known this 
lily for three years. It is of the Odorata type, much 
larger than Orasia and colored somewhat lighter 
than O. luciana — a distinct flesh pink. This variety 
will produce three times as many flowers as Orasia. 
N^. Superba rosea is another promising new nym- 
phaea. The true N. Superba has no Odorata blood in 
it, but is a distinct type originating by a series of 
crosses between N. alba candidissima and N. tube- 
rosa. It is easily the largest hardy nymphtea grown. 
N. Superba rosea is a sport from this variety, and 
is the largest pink hardy nymphaea I have ever seen. 
Geo. B. Moulder. 
The water surfaces of a park need more study and care to make them 
appear natural in outline than does the general ground surface of the park. 
John C. Olmstead. 
