By Way of Foreword 
S EVERAL motives lie behind the presenta¬ 
tion of this short list of hardy native 
American plants. 
First, to make available superior nursery- 
produced specimens as distinguished from 
the more or less unsatisfactory “collected*’ 
stock, thereby enhancing your pleasure and 
success in establishing them in garden or 
woodland and at the same time making a def¬ 
inite contribution to true conservation. Sec¬ 
ondly, to call attention to certain excep¬ 
tionally lovely species, two of which have 
hitherto been considered all but impossible 
to grow successfully. And thirdly, to provide 
adequate cultural details based on exhaustive 
first-hand tests. The whole project has the 
full approval of the Wild Flower Preserva¬ 
tion Society and numerous other organiza¬ 
tions and individuals interested in perpetuat¬ 
ing our too-often vanishing native plants. 
The plants described are all propagated in 
my own nursery and grown on under con¬ 
trolled conditions which promote maximum 
quality without in the least impairing their 
natural hardiness. Their perfect root systems 
and general development make them defi¬ 
nitely superior to specimens collected from 
the wild, and much easier to transplant. All 
are grown and shipped in peatmoss pots 
which you leave intact, with all protruding 
roots, when planting. The successful estab¬ 
lishment of each species is guaranteed when 
the specified conditions and cultural details 
are followed. Failure to carry through these 
directions, on the other hand, will often lead 
to failure. 
In all cases the prices quoted include pack¬ 
ing and delivery to points in the United 
States. For shipments to Canada, please add 
10% to defray the much higher shipping 
expense. 
During the present season I expect to have 
ready adequate stocks of several other par¬ 
ticularly desirable native species which at the 
time of writing are not sufficiently developed 
to be offered. Correspondence about these, 
or concerning still other species with whose 
propagation and culture I am still experi¬ 
menting, will always be welcomed. 
Robert S. Lemmon 
N< iw Canaan, Conn. 
February, 1937 
Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) 
T LIIS delightful prostrate evergreen, native 
to Canada, New England, parts of the West 
and southward as far as Florida, has long 
baffled attempts to establish it in woodland 
and wildflower gardens where it was not 
naturally found. Ninety-nine out of every 
hundred efforts to transplant it from the wild 
have failed, however carefully executed. 
But pot-grown plants raised from specially 
bred seed under perfectly controlled condi¬ 
tions of soil, light and moisture have opened 
a new avenue of salvation for this best loved 
of our vanishing wildflowers. Such plants are 
perfectly hardy and can be set out success¬ 
fully, to grow in beauty and unique spring¬ 
time charm as the years go by. They are 
sources of increasing pleasure not only as 
rarities of strong appeal, but also because 
each one represents an actual increase in the 
sorely depleted ranks of their race—a tangi¬ 
ble forward step in conservation. 
Trailing Arbutus requires an intensely 
acid, well drained soil, practically full shade 
in summer, and a fair supply of water at all 
times. In regions of prolonged summer heat 
it does best on a northward facing slope. 
Lime in any form it refuses to tolerate. It 
likes the sort of soil in which grow other acid- 
lovers like our native Azaleas, Pink Ladyslip- 
per, Twinflower, Dwarf Blueberry, Galax, 
Painted Trillium, Bunchberry, Rhododen¬ 
drons and Mountain Laurel. Even where 
such species are growing, however, it is 
strongly advisable to make up a special soil 
bed which will promote the Arbutus’ best 
development. Such a bed is prepared thus: 
Select a location in light to full shade, and 
preferably on a slope for the sake of assured 
drainage. Do not choose a place directly un¬ 
der large, thick evergreens, where it would 
become too dry in summer. 
For each plant, dig out and discard the soil 
from a space eight or ten inches deep and a 
foot across. Fill this hole with a through mix¬ 
ture of four parts well rotted Oak leafmold, 
two parts coarse sand and two parts crumbled 
peatmoss or sedge peat. Quite as good as the 
Oak mold which you may collect from the 
woods is Maplevale Leafmold, sold in bags 
by the Maplevale Leafmold Co., East Kings¬ 
ton, New Hampshire. Leafmold from Maples 
and most other shade trees is not sufficiently 
acid and should not be used. Be sure and 
follow this prescription closely. 
Because Trailing Arbutus sharply resents 
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