284 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER. 
March 4, 
Perennials for the Home Garden. 
It is difficult for the busy woman, 
with many cares, to make her garden 
beautiful with annuals land bedding 
plants, without spending a great deal 
of time and waiting through the early 
Summer for the blossoms. For this 
reason the herbaceous border is most 
satisfactory if a judicious selection is 
made and plants put in for succession. 
The first thought is the planting, which 
is best done in Autumn, especially if 
the soil is dry and sandy, but it should 
be done early while there is warmth 
in the ground. Dig deeply, and allow 
a few days before planting for the 
ground to settle. Tap-rooted plants 
are best set out in Autumn, but the 
soil should be in a friable condition 
and good working order. After planting, 
the soil should be gently pressed around 
the crowns; this being most important 
on freshly turned land, while it is very 
necessary all through the Summer that 
the ground of the surface soil be kept 
locse, as this will save watering, and 
fewer plants be lost in dry weather, the 
evaporation of moisture from the - soil 
being much reduced. In this Province 
of Quebec, where nature takes a long 
sleep, it is very important that we should 
have plants that are early to bloom and 
hardy, and for these reasons it has been 
my fancy to experiment with some of 
the early herbaceous perennials, in order 
to have them in bloom as soon as pos¬ 
sible after the snow leaves the ground. 
Arabis or rock cress is a charming 
dwarf border plant, and gives a good 
effect mixed with Alyssum saxatile, the 
brilliant golden yellow of the latter com¬ 
paring well with the white Arabis, and 
making a charming combination round a 
bed or border of violets that make the 
air fragrant with the first Spring warmth. 
Up from the earth come the pinky 
brown fern-like leaves of the Dicentra, 
a spray of the pink and white bleeding 
hearts being curled up within each frond, 
and by this time the Anemones are in 
full bloom with their white starry flowers 
and the Phlox subulata or moss pink 
surprises one with a pink and white car¬ 
pet. The double buttercup (properly 
Ranunculus acris) is a gay addition to 
the border, and so is Doronicum or 
leopard’s bane. These earliest peren¬ 
nial should be set out near the house, 
that the amateur gardener, often busy 
with domestic duties, may see them from 
the windows, or in passing, especially if 
there are sufficient plants of one va¬ 
riety to be massed so as to give a bit of 
color. This massing of plants where 
there is room prevents a spotty appear¬ 
ance, a full bed of one specimen being 
most effective. 
Let the beds or borders be along the 
margin of the lawn, or the walks beside 
the house. Never cut into the lawn, 
but give the plants the benefit of sun¬ 
shine, far away from the roots of trees, 
that are far-reaching robbers. There 
are, however, some perennials that thrive 
in shady places, if watering and fertiliz¬ 
ing are attended to, and among them 
are forget-me-not, Vinca, columbines, 
foxgloves and the hardy primroses and 
Polyanthus. As the season advances the 
Campanulas send up their flower spikes; 
the dwarf varieties are very pretty and 
cheerful, and the taller sorts are numer¬ 
ous and fine. How wonderful are their 
pink or white or blue saucers, on slender 
stems, while the numerous blossoms on 
a spike of C. pyramidalis is truly mar¬ 
velous. 
An old favorite is the double yarrow, 
now called Achillea “The Pearl,” and 
another is the scarlet Lychnis that has 
many names. A sudden blaze of red 
takes us by surprise in a distant border 
and we find that the great buds of the 
Oriental poppy have opened. They do 
not last long in hot weather, but are 
brilliant while with us, and much gayer 
than their little sisters of the snow, the 
Iceland poppies that come upon us un¬ 
awares in Spring. No perennial garden 
is complete without its Sweet William 
and hardy pinks, while we find the 
Pyrethrum with its colored daisies is 
good for cutting, if we can get them 
without the magenta tints. 
Queen of perennial plants is the beauti¬ 
ful peony; they seldom fail to give a 
glow to garden while they remain with 
us. The clear rose tints are lovely, 
while the white “Festiva”, marked with 
a carmine splash in the centre, is a beau¬ 
tiful flower. The peony is truly the 
busy woman’s flower, for it grows with¬ 
out special care, and if care is made in 
selection will last a month, from the 
early crimson “piney” of olden days to 
the dark crimson and pink that come 
late. Water they must have or the buds 
will blast, but they are very floriferous 
and dependable and are best planted 
about the end of August so as to give the 
roots a chance to get firm hold of 
the soil before growth ceases. Some 
of the Chinese varieties are very frag¬ 
rant and they almost supply the place 
of Rhododendrons where those plants 
fail to thrive. But they require rich 
soil, and if the season is hot and dry 
should be mulched as soon as buds are 
set. 
A pleasant flower for the background 
to a border is Dictamnus fraxinella, the 
white especially being interesting; the 
foliage is graceful and has a spicy frag¬ 
rance suggesting lavender. It is some¬ 
times called the gas plant on account 
of the volatile oil generated by its flow¬ 
ers, and is a marvel to those who are 
not familiar with the fact that if you 
hold a lighted match a few inches above 
the plant when in bloom on a calm 
evening, a flame will appear. The monks¬ 
hood is an old favorite, but it has danger 
lurking in its stalks that I had never 
dreamed of until a small boy of our 
family ate some of the seeds, thinking 
them black currants, and required prompt 
attention, for Aconitum, which is the 
proper name, tells us its properties. For 
this reason care must be taken that 
monkshood is never planted in or near 
the kitchen garden, for their roots are 
tuberous and spreading and being poison¬ 
ous might be used by accident, as food. 
The foxglove is another flower poison¬ 
ous, but beautiful, an old garden favorite, 
stately and elegant. 
If you are walking through a garden 
where old-fashioned flowers live, you 
will meet the bergamot (Monarda), 
with its whorls of crimson-scarlet flow¬ 
ers, and fragrant foliage, that responds 
to your touch. Larkspurs and Rud- 
beckia and then the Helenium tell the 
story that Summer is on the wane, and 
(Continued on next page.) 
I-Am 
■ JM . , . 
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# i • f .< 
%'S 
Unusual Seed Offer 
To get our Spring Catalogue to as 
many flower lovers as possible, we will 
send Three Large Packages of seeds 
with the catalogue if you will send us 
your name and address, with 10 cents for 
packing and mailing. 
We will send enough Firebrand Salvia seed 
i Scarlet Sage) for two beds, enough Great 
)ouble Spike Hollyhocks for both sides of 
the fence, and a Large Packet of Rainbow 
Mixture Sweet Peas. The Salvia shows its 
dazzling, scarlet color early in the summer and 
lasts till frost. The Hollyhocks are the grand, 
old-fashioned summer flowering kind, rich in 
tone and variety. The Sweet Peas are the new¬ 
est shades and show perfect galaxy of color. 
This is an offer you cannot duplicate anywhere. 
Our catalogue contains the largest assortment 
of seeds, is beautifully illustrated, and contains 
much information for flower growers. 
” WILLIAM ELLIOTT £» SONS 
Established 66 Years 36 Vesey St., New York 
GRAPE 
VINES 
can be bought right this year. Send us a 
memorandum of your wants for prices. 
MINER & MINER 
Grape Vine Growers, Sheridan, /V. V. 
mm GRAPEVINES 
6D Varieties. Also Small Fruits, Trees, etc. Best Root¬ 
ed Stock, Genuine, cheap, i sample vines mailed for 10c. Peso, 
price-list free tun IS KOE9CII A SON, llox K. Krcdonla, N. ¥. 
RAPEVINE 
Large stock. Best varieties. Best Grade. 
Guaranteed true. 
SPECIAL OFFER. 
We will send, postpaid, 10 strong, hardy, two- 
year-old GRAPEVINES — best varieties, red, 
white and black —for $1.00. Just the kind 
for planting around the house, along fences, or 
in the garden. We also offer Five Three-Year- 
Old Vines For $1.00. Will bear year after 
\ planting. Our valuable hook, how to plant 
and prune, free with every order. Mention 
this paper and we’ll add free one new, ' 
large, red currant. 
T. S. HUBBARD COMPANY 
Grapevine Specialists 
.860Central Ave.,Krcdunlu,S.Y. 
Established 11 years. 
ROSES 
Guaranteed 
to Bloom 
ftnpHE BEST ROSES IN 
1 AMERICA.” This is 
not an idle boast. Our vice-presi¬ 
dent is the foremost rose propagator 
of this United States. Ever since the 
Civil War, when this business was first established, 
he has been developing rose culture and produc¬ 
ing the newest and best. His genius, combined 
with the rich soil of this unequalled rose country 
and our mammoth modern greenhouses, has made 
Conard & Jones Roses 
excel in form, vitality and 
guarantee every one to bloom. 
loveliness. We absolutely 
We cannot tell you here all about their wondrous beauty and endless variety, nor about 
our many other flozvers, but we zvill with pleasure send you our handsome illustrated 
Free Floral G-uidLo 
from which you may easily select at your leisure. By all means drop us a postal for 
it today! 
We also issue that famous little book, “ How to Grow 
Roses” (1911 edition, revised), on selecting, planting, 
pruning and cultivating. Enclose 10c when you write 
for the catalogue, and we will mail the two books. 
Here is our popular “ Five Point Set ’’-Win. R. Smith, 
pink ; Mme. Eugene Marlitt, rich red ; Usman Cochet, 
white; Kirdie Blye,light carmine; Lady Roberts, yellow. 
All for $1.00—1-year size ; $2.50—2-year size ; delivered. 
*lhe Conard & Jones Co. 
Rose Specialists—50 Years’ Experience 
Box 4-C, West Grove, Pa. 
Seeds, Plants, Roses, 
Bulbs, Vines, Shrubs, etc. 
Hundreds of car lots of 
FRUIT and ORNA¬ 
MENTAL TREES. 1,200 
acres, 50 in hardy Roses, 
nonebettergrown. 44 green¬ 
houses of Palms, Ferns, 
Ficus, Geraniums and 
other things too numerous 
to mention. Seeds, Plants, 
Bulbs, Roses, Small Trees, etc., by mail, post¬ 
paid. Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. 
Immense stock of SUPERB GANNAS, the 
queen of bedding plants. Acres of Paeonias and 
other Perennials. 50 choice collections cheap 
in Seeds, Plants, Roses, etc. Elegant 168-page 
Catalog FREE. Send for it today and see what 
values we give for your money. Direct deal will 
insure you the best at first cost. 57 years. (12) 
The Storrs & Harrison Co., Box 158 Painesville, 0. 
Blue Rambler Rose 
(VEILCHENBLAU) 
A seedling of the famous crimson Rambler. 
It bears semi-double flowers of medium size in 
large bunches, and in color is Violet-Blue. If 
you want something to make people stop and 
take notice the Blue Rose is just the thing. 
40c each. 8 for $1.00 
MISS MARY E. MARTIN, Floral Park, New York 
Fruit Trees, Ornamental Trees, 
SnRUBS and ROSES, 
SMALL FRUIT PLANTS 
of all kinds from the famous Lake Shore re¬ 
gion of northern Ohio. Send for catalogue. 
MAPLE REND NURSERY, 
T. B. West, Lock Box 287, Perry, Ohio. 
>- 
Grow this Beautiful Rose 
In Your Garden 
It is the American Beauty Rose, but very 
much improved. Instead of being a plant 
that will only flower in the 
hothouse, it will thrive and 
bloom wherever a climb¬ 
ing or pillar rose will. 
It lias the same 
exquisitely fra¬ 
grant, rosy-crim¬ 
son flowers 3 to 4 
inches in diameter 
—but instead of a 
few flowers it is 
one mass of bloom 
inj tine,and contin¬ 
ues to bloom occa¬ 
sionally through¬ 
out the season. 
The leaves of our 
Climbing 
American 
Beauty 
We Have Over Fifty Million Evergreens 
All hardy,tested, nursery grown stock. We ship 
to all parts of the world. Large as well as small 
trees supplied, $4.00 and up per thousand. Our 
prices are lowest of all. Quality the highest. 
Hill’s Trees Grow 
because they are hardy and have good roots 
You can have a beautiful windbreak, hedge, 
slielterbelt or screen with the hardiest of ever¬ 
greens at a very low cost. Our beautiful catalog, 
illustrated In colors, is a mine of information on 
evergreens, shade, ornamental and fruit trees, 
shrubs, roses and vines. Don’t buy until you 
get free catalog and sheet describing 50 won¬ 
derful bargain lots. Send for them today. ' 
D. Hill Nursery Company, Box 21*2, Dundee, Illinois 
Evergreen Specialists 
50,000 WILDER CURRANT 
Plants, 1 year, at $14.00 per M; in lots of f>,000, $12.00 
peril. J. P. WYGANT, Marlboro, N. \ r . 
are large, bright, glossy green and the foli¬ 
age remains bright and attractive through¬ 
out the entire growing season. The illus¬ 
tration shows a small part of a photograph 
ofoue Climbing American Beauty in bloom. 
Rose-lovers will certainly take great delight 
in this wonderful new rose. We will be 
pleased to send you, by mail, postpaid, one 
or as many more as you like of these beau- 
tiful roses. One-year-old plants $ 2.00 each. 
Write for complete descriptive literature. 
HOOPES. BRO. 8 THOMAS COMPANY, West Chestei. Pm. 
BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME 
GROUNDS WITH A PRIVET HEDGE 
I will sell you enough good, strong, heavily rooted 
California Privet hedge plants to go around your I 
home grounds, planted six inches apart, for 9c per 
yard, packed to carry anywhere, delivered to R. R. | 
station at Salisbury, Md. Measure distance around j 
your grounds, see how little it costs ami send your 
order to W. F. ALLEN, Salisbury, Maryland. 
Try our seeds this year. They will more 
than please you. Fo r only 10c. in U. S. 
stamps pr coin we will send a regular 
full size packet of 
Beet, Improved Blood Turnip, 
Lettuce, May . 
Radish, Scarlet Turnip, White Tipped, 
Aster, Queen of the Market, mixed, 
1 Sweet Peas, Finest mixed, and a copy ol 
the best Catalogue we ever Issued. 
Remember, these are regular size packets and should not be 
compared with those sent out in some collections. Send tor 
the catalogue anyway. It's free and better than ever. 
M. H. BRUNJES & SONS. iYIuIokcvn ATr: 
