CHAPTER VII

THE GROWING OF THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS--THE CLASSES OF PLANTS, AND LISTS

In choosing the kinds of plants for the main grounds the gardener should carefully distinguish two categories,--those plants to compose the structural masses and design of the place, and those that are to be used for mere ornament. The chief merits to be sought in the former are good foliage, pleasing form and habit, shades of green, and color of winter twigs. The merits of the latter lie chiefly in flowers or colored foliage.

Each of these categories should be again divided. Of plants for the main design, there might be discussion of trees for a windbreak, of trees for shade; of shrubs for screens or heavy plantings, for the lighter side plantings, and for incidental masses about the buildings or on the lawn; and perhaps also of vines for porches and arbors, of evergreens, of hedges, and of the heavier herbaceous masses.

Plants used for mere embellishment or ornamentation may be ranged again into categories for permanent herbaceous borders, for display beds, ribbon edgings, annuals for temporary effects, foliage beds, plants for adding color and emphasis to the shrubbery masses, plants desired to be grown as single specimens or as curiosities, and plants for porch-boxes and window-gardens.

Having now briefly suggested the uses of the plants, we shall proceed to discuss them in reference to the making of home grounds. This chapter contains a brief consideration of:

• Planting for immediate effect,
• The use of "foliage" trees and shrubs,
• Windbreaks and screens,
• The making of hedges,
• The borders,
• The flower-beds,
• Aquatic and bog plants,
• Rockeries and alpine plants;

and then it runs into nine sub-chapters, as follows:--

• 1. Plants for carpet-beds, p. 234;
• 2. The annual plants, p. 241;
• 3. Hardy herbaceous perennials, p. 260;
• 4. Bulbs and tubers, p. 281;
• 5. The shrubbery, p. 290;
• 6. Climbing plants, p. 307;
• 7. Trees for lawns and streets, p. 319;
• 8. Coniferous evergreen trees and shrubs, p. 331;
• 9. Window-gardens, p. 336.

And then, in Chapter VIII, the particular cultures of plants needing special care are briefly discussed.

Planting for immediate effect.

It is always legitimate, and, in fact, desirable, to plant for immediate effect. One may plant very thickly of rapid-growing trees and shrubs for this purpose. It is a fact, however, that very rapid-growing trees usually lack strong or artistic character. Other and better trees should be planted with them and the featureless kinds be gradually removed. (Page 41.)

The effect of a new place may be greatly heightened by a dexterous use of annuals and other herbaceous stuff in the shrub plantations. Until the shrubbery covers the ground, temporary plants may be grown among them. Subtropical beds may give a very desirable temporary finish to places that are pretentious enough to make them seem in keeping.

Very rough, hard, sterile, and stony banks may sometimes be covered with coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara), sacaline, Rubus cratœgifotius, comfrey, and various wild growths that persist in similar places in the neighborhood.

However much the planter may plan for immediate effects, the beauty of trees and shrubs comes with maturity and age, and this beauty is often delayed, or even obliterated, by shearing and excessive heading-back. At first, bushes are stiff and erect, but when they attain their full character, they usually droop or roll over to meet the sward. Some bushes make mounds of green much sooner than others that may even be closely related. Thus the common yellow-bell (Forsythia virdissima) remains stiff and hard for some years, whereas F. suspensa makes a rolling heap of green in two or three years. Quick informal effects can also be secured by the use of Hall's Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera Halliana of nurserymen), an evergreen in the South, and holding its leaves until midwinter or later in the North. It may be used for covering a rock, a pile of rubbish, a stump (Fig. 236), to fill a corner against a foundation, or it may be trained on a porch or arbor. There is a form with yellow-veined leaves. Rosa Wichuraiana and some of the dewberries are useful for covering rough places.

Many vines that are commonly used for porches and arbors may be employed also for the borders of shrub-plantations and for covering rough banks and rocks, quickly giving a finish to the cruder parts of the place. Such vines, among others, are various kinds of clematis, Virginia creeper, actinidia, akebia, trumpet creeper, periploca, bitter-sweet (Solanum Dulcamara), wax-work (Celastrus scandens).

Of course, very good immediate effects may be secured by very close planting (page 222), but the homesteader must not neglect to thin out these plantations when the time comes.

The use of "foliage" trees and shrubs.

There is always a temptation to use too freely of the trees and shrubs that are characterized by abnormal or striking foliage. The subject is discussed in its artistic bearings on pages 40 and 41.

As a rule, the yellow-leaved, spotted-leaved, variegated, and other abnormal "foliage" plants are less hardy and less reliable than the green-leaved or "natural" forms. They usually require more care, if they are kept in vigorous and seemly condition. Some marked exceptions to this are noted in the lists of trees and shrubs.

There are some plants of striking foliage, however, that are perfectly reliable, but they are usually not of the "horticultural variety" class, their characteristics being normal to the species. Some of the silver or white-leaved poplars, for example, produce the most striking contrasts of foliage, particularly if set near darker trees, and for this reason they are much desired by many planters. Bolle's poplar (Populus Bolleana of the nurseries) is one of the best of these trees. Its habit is something like that of the Lombardy. The upper surface of the deeply lobed leaves is dark dull green, while the under surface is almost snowy white. Such emphatic trees as this should generally be partially obscured by planting them amongst other trees, so that they appear to mix with the other foliage; or else they should be seen at some distance. Other varieties of the common white poplar or abele are occasionally useful, although most of them sprout badly and may become a nuisance. But the planting of these immodest trees is so likely to be overdone that one scarcely dare recommend them, although, when skillfully used, they may be made to produce most excellent effects. If any reader has a particular fondness for trees of this class (or any others with woolly-white foliage) and if he has only an ordinary city lot or farm-yard to ornament, let him reduce his desires to a single tree, and then if that tree is planted in the interior of a group of other trees, no harm can result.

Windbreaks and screens.

A shelter-belt for the home grounds is often placed at the extreme edge of the home yard, toward the heaviest or prevailing wind. It may be a dense plantation of evergreens. If so, the Norway spruce is one of the best for general purposes in the northeastern states. For a lower belt the arbor vitae is excellent. Some of the pines, as the Scotch or Austrian, and the native white pine, are also to be advised, particularly if the belt is at some distance from the residence. As a rule, the coarser the tree the farther it should be placed from the house.

The common deciduous trees of the region (as elm, maple, box-elder) may be planted in a row or rows for windbreaks. Good temporary shelter belts are secured by poplars and large willows. On the prairies and far north the laurel willow (Salix laurifolia of the trade) is excellent. Where snow blows very badly, two lines of breaks may be planted three to six rods apart, so that the inclosed lane may catch the drift; this method is employed in prairie regions.

Persons may desire to use the break as a screen to hide undesirable objects. If these objects are of a permanent character, as a barn or an unkempt property, evergreen trees should be used. For temporary screens, any of the very large-growing herbaceous plants may be employed. Very excellent subjects are sunflowers, the large-growing nicotianas, castor beans, large varieties of Indian corn, and plants of like growth. Excellent screens are sometimes made with vines on a trellis.

Very efficient summer screens may be made with ailanthus, paulownia, basswood, sumac, and other plants that tend to throw up very vigorous shoots from the base. After these plants have been set a year or two, they are cut back nearly to the ground in winter or spring, and strong shoots are thrown up with great luxuriance during the summer, giving a dense screen and presenting a semi-tropical effect. For such purposes, the roots should be planted only two or three feet apart. If, after a time, the roots become so crowded that the shoots are weak, some of the plants may be removed. Top-dressing the area every fall with manure will tend to make the ground rich enough to afford a very heavy summer growth. (See Fig. 50.)

The making of hedges.

Hedges are much less used in this country than in Europe, and for several reasons. Our climate is dry, and most hedges do not thrive so well here as there; labor is high-priced, and the trimming is therefore likely to be neglected; our farms are so large that much fencing is required; timber and wire are cheaper than live hedges.

However, hedges are used with good effect about the home grounds. In order to secure a good ornamental hedge, it is necessary to have a thoroughly well-prepared deep soil, to set the plants close, and to shear them at least twice every year. For evergreen hedges the most serviceable plant in general is the arbor vitae. The plants may be set at distances of 1 to 2-1/2 feet apart. For coarser hedges, the Norway spruce is used; and for still coarser ones, the Scotch and Austrian pines. In California the staple conifer hedge is made of Monterey cypress. For choice evergreen hedges about the grounds, particularly outside the northern states, some of the retinosporas are very useful. One of the most satisfactory of all coniferous plants for hedges is the common hemlock, which stands shearing well and makes a very soft and pleasing mass. The plants may be set from 2 to 4 feet apart.

Other plants that hold their leaves and are good for hedges are the common box and the privets. Box hedges are the best for very low borders about walks and flower-beds. The dwarf variety can be kept down to a height of 6 inches to a foot for any number of years. The larger-growing varieties make excellent hedges 3, 4, and 5 feet high. The ordinary privet or prim holds its leaves well into winter in the North. The so-called Californian privet holds its leaves rather longer and stands better along the seashore. The mahonia makes a low, loose hedge or edging in locations where it will thrive. Pyracantha is also to be recommended where hardy. In the southern states, nothing is better than Citrus trifoliata. This is hardy even farther north than Washington in very favored localities. In the South, Prunus Caroliniana is also used for hedges. Saltbush hedges are frequent in California.

For hedges of deciduous plants, the most common species are the buckthorn, Japan quince, the European hawthorn and other thorns, tamarix, osage orange, honey locust, and various kinds of roses. Osage orange has been the most used for farm hedges. For home grounds, Berberis Thunbergii makes an excellent free hedge; also Spiræa Thunbergii and other spireas. The common Rosa rugosa makes an attractive free hedge.

Hedges should be trimmed the year after they are set, although they should not be sheared very closely until they reach the desired or permanent height. Thereafter they should be cut into the desired form in spring or fall, or both. If the plants are allowed to grow for a year or two without trimming, they lose their lower leaves and become open and straggly. Osage orange and some other plants are plashed; that is, the plants are set at an angle rather than perpendicularly, and they are wired together obliquely in such a way that they make an impenetrable barrier just above the surface of the ground.

For closely clipped or sheared hedges, the best plants are arbor vitae, retinospora, hemlock, Norway spruce, privet, buckthorn, box, osage orange, pyracantha, Citrus trifoliata. The pyracantha (Pyracantha coccinea) is an evergreen shrub allied to cratægus, of which it is sometimes considered to be a species. It is also sometimes referred to cotoneaster. Although hardy in protected places in the North, it is essentially a bush of the middle and southern latitudes, and of California. It has persistent foliage and red berries. Var. Lalandi has orange-red berries.

The borders.

The word "border" is used to designate the heavy or continuous planting about the boundaries of a place, or along the walks and drives, or against the buildings, in distinction from planting on the lawn or in the interior spaces. A border receives different designations, depending on the kinds of plants that are grown therein: it may be a shrub-border, a flower-border, a hardy border for native and other plants, a vine-border, and the like.

There are three rules for the choosing of plants for a hardy border: choose (1) those that you like best, (2) those that are adapted to the climate and soil, (3) those that are in place or in keeping with that part of the grounds.

The earth for the border should be fertile. The whole ground should be plowed or spaded and the plants set irregularly in the space; or the back row may be set in a line. If the border is composed of shrubs, and is large, a horse cultivator may be run in and out between the plants for the first two or three years, since the shrubs will be set 2 to 4 feet apart. Ordinarily, however, the tilling is done with hand tools. After the plants are once established and the border is filled, it is best to dig up as little as possible, for the digging disturbs the roots and breaks the crowns. It is usually best to pull out the weeds and give the border a top-dressing each fall of well-rotted manure. If the ground is not very rich, an application of ashes or some commercial fertilizer may be given from time to time.

The border should be planted so thick as to allow the plants to run together, thereby giving one continuous effect. Most shrubs should be set 3 feet apart. Things as large as lilacs may go 4 feet and sometimes even more. Common herbaceous perennials, as bleeding heart, delphiniums, hollyhocks, and the like, should go from 12 to 18 inches. On the front edge of the border is a very excellent place for annual and tender flowering plants. Here, for example, one may make a fringe of asters, geraniums, coleus, or anything else he may choose. (Chap. II.)

Into the heavy borders about the boundaries of the place the autumn leaves will drift and afford an excellent mulch. If these borders are planted with shrubs, the leaves may be left there to decay, and not be raked off in the spring.

The general outline of the border facing the lawn should be more or less wavy or irregular, particularly if it is on the boundary of the place. Alongside a walk or drive the margins may follow the general directions of the walk or drive.

In making borders of perennial flowers the most satisfactory results are secured if a large clump of each kind or variety is grown. The herbaceous border is one of the most flexible parts of grounds, since it has no regular or formal design. Allow ample space for each perennial root,--often as much as three or four square feet,--and then if the space is not filled the first year or two, scatter over the area seeds of poppies, sweet peas, asters, gilias, alyssum, or other annuals. Figures 237-239, from Long ("Popular Gardening," i., 17, 18), suggest methods of making such borders. They are on a scale of ten feet to the inch. The entire surface is tilled, and the irregular diagrams designate the sizes of the clumps. The diagrams containing no names are to be filled with bulbs, annuals, and tender plants, if desired.

It must not be supposed, however, that one cannot have a border unless he has wide marginal spaces about his grounds. It is surprising how many things one can grow in an old fence. Perennials that grow in fence-rows in fields ought also to grow in similar boundaries on the home grounds. Some of garden annuals will thrive alongside a fence, particularly if the fence does not shut off too much light; and many vines (both perennial and annual) will cover it effectively. Among annuals, the large-seeded, quick-germinating, rapid-growing kinds will do best. Sunflower, sweet pea, morning glory, Japanese hop, zinnia, marigold, amaranths, four o'clock, are some of the kinds that will hold their own. If the effort is made to grow plants in such places, it is important to give them all the advantage possible early in the season, so that they will get well ahead of the grass and weeds. Spade up the ground all you can. Add a little quick-acting fertilizer. It is best to start the plants in pots or small boxes, so that they will be in advance of the weeds when they are set out.

The flower-beds.

We must remember to distinguish two uses of flowers,--their part in a landscape design or picture, and their part in a bed or separate garden for bloom. We now consider the flower-bed proper; and we include in the flower-bed such "foliage" plants as coleus, celosia, croton, and canna, although the main object of the flower-bed is to produce an abundance of flowers.

In making a flower-bed, see that the ground is well drained; that the subsoil is deep; that the land is in a mellow and friable condition, and that it is fertile. Each fall it may have a mulch of rotted manure or of leafmold, which may be spaded under deeply in the spring; or the land may be spaded and left rough in the fall, which is a good practice when the soil has much clay. Make the flower-beds as broad as possible, so that the roots of the grass running in from either side will not meet beneath the flowers and rob the beds of food and moisture. It is well to add a little commercial fertilizer each fall or spring.

Although it is well to emphasize making the ground fertile, it must be remembered (as indicated at the close of Chap. IV) that it can easily be made too rich for such plants as we desire to keep within certain stature and for those from which we wish an abundance of bloom in a short season. In over-rich ground, nasturtiums and some other plants not only "run to vine," but the bloom lacks brilliancy. When it is the leaf and vegetation that is wanted, there is little danger of making the ground too rich, although it is possible to make the plant so succulent and sappy that it becomes sprawly or breaks down; and other plants may be crippled and crowded out.

There are various styles of flower-planting. The mixed border, planted with various hardy plants, and extending along either side of the garden-walk, was popular years ago; and, with modifications in position, form, and extent, has been a popular attachment to home grounds during the past few years. To produce the best effects the plants should be set close enough to cover the ground; and the selection should be such as to afford a continuity of bloom.

The mixed flower-bed may contain only tender summer-blooming plants, in which case the bed, made up mostly of annuals, does not purport to express the entire season.

In distinction from the mixed or non-homogeneous flowerbed are the various forms of "bedding," in which plants are massed for the purpose of making a connected and homogeneous bold display of form or color. The bedding may be for the purpose of producing a strong effect of white, of blue, or of red; or of ribbon-like lines and edgings; or of luxurious and tropical expression; or to display boldly the features of a particular plant, as the tulip, the hyacinth, the chrysanthemum.

In ribbon-bedding, flowering or foliage plants are arranged in ribbon-like lines of harmoniously contrasting colors, commonly accompanying walks or drives, but also suitable for marking limits, or for the side borders. In such beds, as well as the others, the tallest plants will be placed at the back, if the bed is to be seen from one side only, and the lowest at the front. If it is to be seen from both sides, then the tallest will stand in the center.

A modification of the ribbon-line, bringing the contrasting colors together into masses forming circles or other patterns, is known as "massing," or "massing in color," and sometimes is spoken of as "carpet-bedding."

Carpet-bedding, however, belongs more properly to a style of bedding in which plants of dense, low, spreading habit--chiefly foliage plants, with leaves of different forms and colors--are planted in patterns not unlike carpets or rugs. It is often necessary to keep the plants sheared into limits. Carpet-bedding is such a specialized form of plant-growing that we shall treat of it separately.

Beds containing the large foliage plants, for producing tropical effects, are composed, in the main, of subjects that are allowed to develop naturally. In the lower and more orderly massing, the plants are arranged not only in circles and patterns according to habit and height, but the selection is such that some or all may be kept within proper limits by pinching or trimming. Circles or masses composed of flowering plants usually cannot be cut back at the top, so that the habit of the plants must be known before planting; and the plants must be placed in parts of the bed where trimming will not be necessary. They may be clipped at the sides, however, in case the branches or leaves of one mass or line in the pattern grow beyond their proper bounds.

The numbers of good annuals and perennials that may be used in flower-beds are now very large, and one may have a wide choice. Various lists from which one may choose are given at the end of this chapter; but special comment may be made on those most suitable for bedding, and in its modification in ribbon-work and sub-tropical massing.

Bedding effects.

Bedding is ordinarily a temporary species of planting; that is, the bed is filled anew each year. However, the term may be used to designate a permanent plantation in which the plants are heavily massed so as to give one continuous or emphatic display of form or color. Some of the best permanent bedding masses are made of the various hardy ornamental grasses, as eulalias, arundo, and the like. The color effects in bedding may be secured with flowers or with foliage.

Summer bedding is often made by perennial plants that are carried over from the preceding year, or better, that are propagated for that particular purpose in February and March. Such plants as geranium, coleus, alyssum, scarlet salvia, ageratum, and heliotrope may be used for these beds. It is a common practice to use geranium plants which are in bloom during the winter for bedding out during the summer, but such plants are tall and ungainly in form and have expended the greater part of their energies. It is better to propagate new plants by taking cuttings or slips late in the winter and setting out young fresh vigorous subjects. (Page 30.)

Some bedding is very temporary in its effect. Especially is this true of spring bedding, in which the subjects are tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, or other early-flowering bulbous plants. In this case, the ground is usually occupied later in the season by other plants. These later plants are commonly annuals, the seeds of which are sown amongst the bulbs as soon as the season is far enough advanced; or the annuals may be started in boxes and the plants transplanted amongst the bulbs as soon as the weather is fit.

Many of the low-growing and compact continuous-flowering annuals are excellent for summer bedding effects. There is a list of some useful material for this purpose on page 249.

Plants for subtropical effects (Plates IV and V).

The number of plants suitable to produce a semitropical mass or for the center or back of a group, which may be readily grown from seed, is limited. Some of the best kinds, are included below.

It will often be worth while to supplement these with others, to be had at the florists, such as caladiums, screw pines, Ficus elastica, araucarias, Musa Ensete, palms, dracenas, crotons, and others. Dahlias and tuberous begonias are also useful. About a pond the papyrus and lotus may be used.

Practically all the plants used for this style of gardening are liable to injury from winds, and therefore the beds should be placed in a protected situation. The palms and some other greenhouse stuff do better if partially shaded.

In the use of such plants, there are opportunities for the exercise of the nicest taste. A gross feeder, as the ricinus, in the midst of a bed of delicate annuals, is quite out of place; and a stately, royal-looking plant among humbler kinds often makes the latter look common, when if headed with a chief of their own rank all would appear to the best advantage.

Some of the plants much used for subtropical bedding, and often started for that purpose in a greenhouse or coldframe, are:--

Acalypha.

Amarantus.

Aralia Sieboldii (properly Fatsia Japonica).

Bamboos.

Caladium and colocasia.

Canna.

Coxcomb, particularly the new "foliage" kinds.

Grasses, as eulalias, pampas-grass, pennisetums.

Gunnera.

Maize, the striped form.

Ricinus or castor bean.

Scarlet sage.

Wigandia.

Aquatic and bog plants.

Some of the most interesting and ornamental of all plants grow in water and in wet places. It is possible to make an aquatic flower-garden, and also to use water and bog plants as a part of the landscape work.

The essential consideration in the growing of aquatics is the making of the pond. It is possible to grow water-lilies in tubs and half barrels; but this does not provide sufficient room, and the plant-food is likely soon to be exhausted and the plants to fail. The small quantity of water is likely also to become foul.

The best ponds are those made by good mason work, for the water does not become muddy by working among the plants. In cement ponds it is best to plant the roots of water-lilies in shallow boxes of earth (1 foot deep and 3 or 4 feet square), or to hold the earth in mason-work compartments.

Usually the ponds or tanks are not cement lined. In some soils a simple excavation will hold water, but it is usually necessary to give the tank some kind of lining. Clay is often used. The bottom and sides of the tank are pounded firm, and then covered with 3 to 6 in. of clay, which has been kneaded in the hands, or pounded and worked in a box. Handfuls or shovelfuls of the material are thrown forcibly upon the earth, the operator being careful not to walk upon the work. The clay is smoothed by means of a spade or maul, and it is then sanded.

The water for the lily pond may be derived from a brook, spring, well, or a city water supply. The plants will thrive in any water that is used for domestic purposes. It is important that the water does not become stagnant and a breeding place for mosquitoes. There should be an outlet in the nature of a stand-pipe, that will control the depth of water. It is not necessary that the water run through the pond or tank rapidly, but only that a slow change take place. Sometimes the water is allowed to enter through a fountain-vase, in which water plants (such as parrot's feather) may be grown (Plate X).

In all ponds, a foot or 15 in. is sufficient depth of water to stand above the crowns of the plants; and the greatest depth of water should not be more than 3 ft. for all kinds of water-lilies. Half this depth is often sufficient. The soil should be 1 to 2 ft. deep, and very rich. Old cow manure may be mixed with rich loam. For the nympheas or water-lilies, 9 to 12 in. of soil is sufficient. Most of the foreign water-lilies are not hardy, but some of them may be grown with ease if the pond is covered in winter.

Roots of hardy water-lilies may be planted as soon as the pond is clear of frost, but the tender kinds (which are also to be taken up in the fall) should not be planted till it is time to plant out geraniums. Sink the roots into the mud so that they are just buried, and weight them down with a stone or clod. The nelumbium, or so-called Egyptian lotus, should not be transplanted till growth begins to show in the roots in the spring. The roots are cleaned of decayed parts and covered with about 3 in. of soil. A foot or so of water is sufficient for lotus ponds. The roots of Egyptian lotus must not freeze. The roots of all water-lily-like plants should be frequently divided and renewed.

With hardy aquatics, the water and roots are allowed to remain naturally over winter. In very cold climates, the pond is protected by throwing boards over it and covering with hay, straw, or evergreen boughs. It is well to supply an additional depth of water as a further protection.

As a landscape feature, the pond should have a background, or setting, and its edges should be relieved, at least on sides and back, by plantings of bog plants. In permanent ponds of large size, plantings of willows, osiers, and other shrubbery may set off the area to advantage. Many of the wild marsh and pond plants are excellent for marginal plantings, as sedges, cat-tail, sweet-flag (there is a striped-leaved form), and some of the marsh grasses. Japanese iris makes an excellent effect in such places. For summer planting in or near ponds, caladium, umbrella-plant, and papyrus are good.

If there is a stream, "branch," or "run" through the place, it may often be made one of the most attractive parts of the premises by colonizing bog plants along it.

Rockeries, and alpine plants.

A rockery is a part of the place in which plants are grown in pockets between rocks. It is a flower-garden conception rather than a landscape feature, and therefore should be at one side or in the rear of the premises. Primarily, the object of using the rocks is to provide better conditions in which certain plants may grow; sometimes the rocks are employed to hold a springy or sloughing bank and the plants are used to cover the rocks; now and then a person wants a rock or a pile of stones in his yard, as another person would want a piece of statuary or a sheared evergreen. Sometimes the rocks are natural to the place and cannot well be removed; in this case the planning and planting should be such as to make them part of the picture.

The real rock-garden, however, is a place in which to grow plants. The rocks are secondary. The rocks should not appear to be placed for display. If one is making a collection of rocks, he is pursuing geology rather than gardening.

Yet many of the so-called rock-gardens are mere heaps of stones, placed where it seems to be convenient to pile stones rather than where the stones may improve conditions for the growing of plants.

The plants that will naturally grow in rock pockets are those requiring a continuous supply of root moisture and a cool atmosphere. To place a rockery on a sand bank in the burning sun is therefore entirely out of character.

Rock-garden plants are those of cool woods, of bogs, and particularly of high mountains and alpine regions. It is generally understood that a rock-garden is an alpine-garden, although this is not necessarily so.

In this country alpine-gardening is little known, largely because of our hot dry summers and falls. But if one has a rather cool exposure and an unfailing water supply, he may succeed fairly well with many of the alpines, or at least with the semi-alpines.

Most of the alpines are low and often tufted plants, and bloom in a spring temperature. In our long hot seasons, the alpine-garden may be expected to be dormant during much of the summer, unless other rock-loving plants are colonized in it. Alpine plants are of many kinds. They are specially to be found in the genera arenaria, silene, diapensia, primula, saxifraga, arabis, aubrietia, veronica, campanula, gentiana. They comprise a good number of ferns and many little heaths.

A good rock-garden of any kind does not have the stones piled merely on the surface; they are sunken well into the ground and are so placed that there are deep chambers or channels that hold moisture and into which roots may penetrate. The pockets are filled with good fibrous moisture-holding earth, and often a little sphagnum or other moss is added. It must then be arranged so that the pockets never dry out.

Rock-gardens are usually failures, because they violate these very simple elementary principles; but even when the soil conditions and moisture conditions are good, the habits of the rock plants must be learned, and this requires thoughtful experience. Rock-gardens cannot be generally recommended.

1. PLANTS FOR CARPET-BEDS

(By Ernest Walker)

The beauty of the carpet-bed lies largely in its unity, sharp contrast and harmony of color, elegance--often simplicity--of design, nicety of execution, and the continued distinctness of outline due to scrupulous care. A generous allowance of green-sward on all sides contributes greatly to the general effect,--in fact it is indispensable.

Whatever place is chosen for the bed, it should be in a sunny exposure. This, nor any kind of bed, should not be planted near large trees, as their greedy roots will rob the soil not only of its food, but of moisture. The shade also will be a menace. As the plants stand so thick, the soil should be well enriched, and spaded at least a foot deep. In planting, a space of at least six inches must be left between the outer row of plants and the edge of the grass. The very style of the bed requires that lines be straight, the curves uniform, and that they be kept so by the frequent and careful use of the shears. During dry periods watering will be necessary. The beds, however, should not be watered in the hot sunshine. Foliage plants are most in use, and are the ones which will prove the most satisfactory in the hands of the inexperienced, as they submit to severe clipping and are thus more easily managed.

The following list will be helpful to the beginner. It embraces a number of the plants in common use for carpet-bedding, although not all of them. The usual heights are given in inches. This, of course, in different soils and under different treatment is more or less a variable quantity. The figures in parentheses suggest in inches suitable distances for planting in the row when immediate effects are expected. A verbena in rich soil will in time cover a circle three feet or more in diameter; other plants mentioned spread considerably; but when used in the carpet-bed, they must be planted close. One cannot wait for them to grow. The aim is to cover the ground at once. Although planted thick in the row, it will be desirable to leave more room between the rows in case of spreading plants like the verbena. Most of them, however, need little if any more space between the rows than is indicated by the figures given. In the list those plants that bear free clipping are marked with *:

Lists for carpet-beds.

The figure immediately following the name of plant indicates its height, the figures in parentheses the distance for planting, in inches.

1. LOW-GROWING PLANTS

A. FOLIAGE PLANTS.

In Fig. 240 are shown a few designs suitable for carpet-beds. They are intended merely to be suggestive, not to be copied precisely. The simple forms and component parts of the more elaborate beds may be arranged into other designs. Likewise the arrangement of plants, which will be mentioned as suitable for making a given pattern, is only one of many possible combinations. The idea is merely to bring out the design distinctly. To accomplish this it is only necessary to use plants of contrasting color or growth. To illustrate how varied are the arrangements that may be used, and how easily different effects are produced with a single design, several different combinations of color for the bed No. 1 will be mentioned:

No. 1.--Arrangement A: Outside, Alternanthera amœna spectabilis; inside, Stevia serrata variegata. B: lobelia, Crystal Palace; Mme. Salleroi geranium. C: lobelia, Crystal Palace; scarlet dwarf phlox. D: sweet alyssum; petunia, Countess of Ellesmere. E: coleus, Golden Bedder; Coleus Verschaffeltii. F: Achyranthes Lindeni; yellow dwarf nasturtium.

No. 2.--Outside, red alternanthera; middle, dusty miller; center, pink geranium.

No. 3.--Outside, Alternanthera aurea nana; middle, Alternanthera amœna spectabilis; center, Anthemis coronaria.

No. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 may each be filled with a single color, or given a border of suitable plants if the planter so chooses.

No. 9.--Ground, Alternanthera aurea nana; center, Acalypha tricolor; black dots, scarlet geranium.

No. 10.--Ground of Centaurea gymnocarpa; circle, Achyranthes Lindeni; cross, Golden coleus.

No. 11.--Border, Oxalis tropæoloides; center, blue heliotrope, blue ageratum, or Acalypha marginata; cross about the center, Thymus argenteus, or centaurea; scallop outside the cross, blue lobelia; corners, inside border, santolina.

Designs 13 and 14 are, in character, somewhat in the style of a parterre; but instead of the intervening spaces in the bed being ordinary walks they are of grass. Such beds are of a useful type, because they may be made large and yet be executed with a comparatively small number of plants. They are especially suitable for the center of an open plot of lawn with definite formal boundaries on all sides, such as walks or drives. Whether they are to be composed of tall-growing or of low-growing plants will depend upon the distance they are to be from the observer. For a moderate-sized plot the following plants might be used:--

No. 13.--Border, red alternanthera; second row, dwarf orange or yellow nasturtium; third row, Achyranthes Gilsoni, or Acalypha tricolor; central square, scarlet geraniums, with a border of Centaurea gymnocarpa; intervening spaces, grass. Instead of the square of geraniums, a vase might be substituted, or a clump of Salvia splendens.

No. 14.--Composite beds like this and the former are always suggestive. They contain various features which may readily be recombined into other patterns. Sometimes it may be convenient to use only portions of the design. The reader should feel that no arrangement is arbitrary, but merely a suggestion that he may use with the utmost freedom, only keeping harmony in view. For No. 14, the following may be an acceptable planting arrangement: Border, Mme. Salleroi geranium; small dots, dwarf scarlet tropeolum; diamonds, blue lobelia; crescents, Stevia serrata variegata; inner border, crimson achyranthes or coleus; loops, Centaurea gymnocarpa; wedge-shaped portions, scarlet geranium.

No. 15.--Suitable for a corner. Border, red alternanthera; second row, Alternanthera aurea nana; third row, red alternanthera; center, Echeveria Californica.

No. 16--Border, crimson alternanthera (another border of yellow alternanthera might be placed inside of this); ground, Echeveria secunda glauca; inner border, Oxalis tropæoloides; center, Alternanthera aurea nana. Or, inner border, Echeveria Californica; center, crimson alternanthera.

No. 17.--Another bed intended to fill an angle. Its curved side will also fit it for use with a circular design. Border, dwarf blue ageratum; circle, blue lobelia; ground (3 parts), crimson alternanthera.

Other carpet or mosaic beds (after Long), with the plants indicated, are shown in Figs. 241, 242.

2. THE ANNUAL PLANTS

The annual flowers of the seedsmen are those that give their best bloom in the very year in which the seeds are sown. True annuals are those plants that complete their entire life-cycle in one season. Some of the so-called annual flowers will continue to bloom the second and third years, but the bloom is so poor and sparse after the first season that it does not pay to keep them. Some perennials may be treated as annuals by starting the seeds early; Chinese pink, pansy and snapdragon are examples.

The regular biennials may be treated practically as annuals; that is, seeds may be sown every year, and after the first year, therefore, a seasonal succession of bloom may be had. Of such are adlumia, Canterbury bell, lunaria, ipomopsis, Œnothera Lamarckiana; and foxglove, valerian, and some other perennials would better be treated as biennials.

Most annuals will bloom in central New York if the seeds are sown in the open ground when the weather becomes thoroughly settled. But there are some kinds, as the late cosmos and moon-flowers, for which the northern season is commonly too short to give good bloom unless they are started very early indoors.

If flowers of any annual are wanted extra early, the seeds should be started under cover. A greenhouse is not necessary for this purpose, although best results are to be expected with such a building. The seed may be sown in boxes, and these boxes then placed in a sheltered position on the warm side of a building. At night they may be covered with boards or matting. In very cold "spells" the boxes should be brought inside. In this simple way seeds may often be started one to three weeks ahead of the time when they can be sown in the open garden. Moreover, the plants are likely to receive better care in these boxes, and therefore to grow more rapidly. Of course, if still earlier results are desired, the seed should be sown in the kitchen, hotbed, coldframe, or in a greenhouse. In starting plants ahead of the season, be careful not to use too deep boxes. The gardener's "flat" may be taken as a suggestion. Three inches of earth is sufficient, and in some cases (as when the plants are started late) half this depth is enough.

The difficulty with early sown seedlings is "drawing up," and weakness from crowding and want of light. This is most liable to occur with window-grown plants. Vigorous June-sown plants are better than such weaklings. It must be remembered that very early bloom usually means the shortening of the season at the other end; this may be remedied to some extent by making sowings at different times.

The "hardy" annuals are such as develop readily without the aid of artificial heat. They are commonly sown in May or earlier, directly in the open ground where they are to grow. Florists often sow certain kinds in the fall, and winter the young plants in coldframes. They may also be wintered under a covering of leaves or evergreen boughs. Some of the hardy annuals (as sweet pea) withstand considerable frost. The "half-hardy" and "tender" annuals are alike in that they require more warmth for their germination and growth. The tender kinds are very quickly sensitive to frost. Both these, like the hardy kinds, may be sown in the open ground, but not until the weather has become settled and warm, which for the tender kinds will not commonly be before the first of June; but the tender kinds, at least, are preferably started in the house and transplanted to their outdoor beds. Of course, these terms are wholly relative. What may be a tender annual in Massachusetts may be a hardy annual or even a perennial in Louisiana.

These terms as ordinarily used in this country refer to the northern states, or not farther south than middle Atlantic states.

Some familiar examples of hardy annuals are sweet alyssum, ageratum, calendula, calliopsis, candytuft, Centaurea Cyanus, clarkia, larkspur, gilia, California poppy, morning-glory, marigold, mignonette, nemophila, pansy, phlox, pinks, poppies, portulaca, zinnia, sweet pea, scabiosa.

Examples of half-hardy annuals are: China aster, alonsoa, balsam, petunia, ricinus, stocks, balloon-vine, martynia, salpiglossis, thunbergia, nasturtium, verbena.

Examples of tender annuals: Amarantus, celosia or coxcomb, cosmos, cotton, Lobelia Erinus, cobea, gourds, ice-plant, sensitive-plant, solanums, torenia, and such things as dahlias, caladiums, and acalypha used for bedding and subtropical effects.

Some annuals do not bear transplanting well; as poppies, bartonia, Venus' looking-glass, the dwarf convolvulus, lupinus, and malope. It is best, therefore, to sow them where they are to grow.

Some kinds (as poppies) do not bloom all summer, more especially not if allowed to produce seed. Of such kinds a second or third sowing at intervals will provide a succession. Preventing the formation of seeds prolongs their life and flowering period.

A few of the annuals thrive in partial shade or where they receive sunshine for half the day; but most of them prefer a sunny situation.

Any good garden soil is suitable for annuals. If not naturally fertile and friable, it should be made so by the application of well-rotted stable-manure or humus. The spading should be at least one foot deep. The upper six inches is then to be given a second turning to pulverize and mix it. After making the surface fine and smooth the soil should be pressed down with a board. The seed may now be sprinkled on the soil in lines or concentric circles, according to the method desired. After covering the seed, the soil should be again pressed down with a board. This promotes capillarity, by which the surface of the soil is better supplied with moisture from below. Always mark with a label the kind and position of all seed sown.

If the flowers are to be grown about the edges of the lawn, make sure that the grass roots do not run underneath them and rob them of food and moisture. It is well to run a sharp spade deep into the ground about the edges of the bed every two or three weeks for the purpose of cutting off any grass roots that may have run into the bed. If beds are made in the turf, see that they are 3 ft. or more wide, so that the grass roots will not undermine them. Against the shrub borders, this precaution may not be necessary. In fact, it is desirable that the flowers fill all the space between the overhanging branches and the sod.

It is surprising how few of the uncommon or little known annuals really have great merit for general purposes. There is nothing yet to take the place of the old-time groups, such as amaranths, zinnias, calendulas, daturas, balsams, annual pinks, candytufts, bachelor's buttons, wallflowers, larkspurs, petunias, gaillardias, snapdragons, coxcombs, lobelias, coreopsis or calliopsis, California poppies, four-o'clocks, sweet sultans, phloxes, mignonettes, scabiosas, nasturtiums, marigolds, China asters, salpiglossis, nicotianas, pansies, portulacas, castor beans, poppies, sunflowers, verbenas, stocks, alyssums, and such good old running plants as scarlet runners, sweet peas, convolvuluses, ipomeas, tall nasturtiums, balloon vines, cobeas. Of the annual vines of recent introduction, the Japanese hop has at once taken a prominent place for the covering of fences and arbors, although it has no floral beauty to recommend it.

For bold mass-displays of color in the rear parts of the grounds or along the borders, some of the coarser species are desirable. Good plants for such use are: sunflower and castor bean for the back rows; zinnias for bright effects in the scarlets and lilacs; African marigolds for brilliant yellows; nicotianas for whites. Unfortunately, we have no robust-growing annuals with good blues. Some of the larkspurs and the browallias are perhaps the nearest approach to them.

For lower-growing and less gross mass-displays, the following are good: California poppies for oranges and yellows; sweet sultans for purples, whites, and pale yellows; petunias for purples, violets, and whites; larkspurs for blues and violets; bachelor's buttons (or cornflowers) for blues; calliopsis and coreopsis and calendulas for yellows; gaillardias for red-yellows and orange-reds; China asters for many colors.

For still less robustness, good mass-displays can be made with the following: alyssums and candytufts for whites; phloxes for whites and various pinks and reds; lobelias and browallias for blues; pinks for whites and various shades of pink; stocks for whites and reds; wallflowers for brown-yellows; verbenas for many colors.

A garden of pleasant annual flowers is not complete that does not contain some of the "everlastings" or immortelles. These "paper flowers" are always interesting to children. They are not so desirable for the making of "dry bouquets" as for their value as a part of a garden. The colors are bright, the blooms hold long on the plant, and most of the kinds are very easy to grow. My favorite groups are the different kinds of xeranthemums and helichrysums. The globe amaranths, with clover-like heads (sometimes known as bachelor's buttons), are good old favorites. Rhodanthes and acrocliniums are also good and reliable.

The ornamental grasses should not be overlooked. They add a note to the flower-garden and to bouquets that is distinct and can be secured by no other plants. They are easily grown. Some of the good annual grasses are Agrostis nebulosa, the brizas, Bromus brizæformis, the species of eragrostis and pennisetums, and Coix Lachryma as a curiosity. Such good lawn grasses as arundo, pampas-grass, eulalias, and erianthus are perennials and are therefore not included in this discussion.

Some of the most reliable and easily grown annuals are given in the following lists (under the common trade names).

List of annuals by color of flowers.

Useful annuals for edgings of beds and, walks, and for ribbon-beds.

Annuals that continue to bloom after frost.

This list is compiled from Bulletin 161, Cornell Experiment Station. Several hundred kinds of annuals were grown at this station (Ithaca, N.Y.) in 1897 and 1898. The notes are given in the original trade names under which the seedsmen supplied the stock.

List of annuals suitable for bedding (that is, for "mass effects" of color).

A list of this kind is necessarily both incomplete and imperfect, because good new varieties are frequently appearing, and the taste of the gardener must be consulted. Any plants may be used, broadly speaking, for bedding; but the following list (given in terms of trade names) suggests some of the best subjects to use when beds of solid, strong color are desired.

List of annuals by height.

It is obviously impossible to make any accurate or definite list of plants in terms of their height, but the beginner may be aided by approximate measurements. The following lists are made from Bulletin 161 of the Cornell Experiment Station, which gives tabular data on many annuals grown at Ithaca, N.Y. Seeds of most of the kinds were sown in the open, rather late. "The soil varied somewhat, but it was light and well tilled, and only moderately rich." Ordinary good care was given the plants. The average height of the plants of each kind at full growth, as they stood on the ground, is given in these lists. Of course, these heights might be less or more with different soils, different treatments, and different climates; but the figures are fairly comparable among themselves.

The measurements are based on the stock supplied by leading seedsmen under the trade names here given. It is not unlikely that some of the discrepancies were due to mixture of seed or to stock being untrue to type; some of it may have been due to soil conditions. The same name may be found in two divisions in some instances, the plants having been grown from different lots of seeds. The lists will indicate to the grower what variations he may expect in any large lot of seeds.

Seedsmen's catalogues should be consulted for what the trade considers to be the proper and normal heights for the different plants.

Plants 9-12 in. high

Plants 13-17 in. high

Plants 18-23 in. high

Plants 24-30 in. high

Plants 31-40 in. high

Plants 41 in. and above.

Distances for planting annuals (or plants treated as annuals).

Only an approximate idea can be given of the distances apart at which annuals should be planted, for not only does the distance depend on the fertility of the land (the stronger the soil the greater the distance), but also on the object the person has in growing the plants, whether to produce a solid mass effect or to secure strong specimen plants with large individual bloom. If specimen plants are to be raised, the distances should be liberal.

The distances here given for some of the commoner annuals may be considered to represent average or usual spaces that single plants may occupy under ordinary conditions in flowerbeds, although it would probably be impossible to find any two gardeners or seedsmen who would agree on the details. These are suggestions rather than recommendations. It is always well to set or sow more plants than are wanted, for there is danger of loss from cut-worms and other causes. The general tendency is to let the plants stand too close together at maturity. In case of doubt, place plants described in books and catalogues as very dwarf at six inches, those as medium-sized at twelve inches, very large growers at two feet, and thin them out if they seem to demand it as they grow.

The plants in these lists are thrown into four groups (rather than all placed together with the numbers after them) in order to classify the subject in the beginner's mind.

6 to 9 inches apart

10 to 15 inches apart

Those marked (ft.) are examples of plants that may usually stand at twelve inches.

18 to 24 inches

About 3 feet or more

3. HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS

There is a rapidly growing appreciation of perennial herbs, not only as flower-garden and lawn subjects, but as parts of native landscapes. Every locality yields its wild asters, golden-rods, columbines, iris, trilliums, lilies, anemones, pentstemons, mints, sunflowers, or other plants; and many of these also make good subjects for the home grounds.

It is important to remember that some perennial herbs begin to fail after one to three seasons of full bloom. It is a good plan to have new plants coming on to take their place; or the old roots may be taken up in the fall and divided, only the fresh and strong parts being planted again.

Perennial herbs are propagated in various ways,--by seeds, and by cuttings of the stems and roots, but mostly by the easy method of division. On the raising of these plants from seeds, William Falconer writes as follows in Dreer's "Garden Book" for 1909:--

"Hardy perennials are easily grown from seed. In many cases they are a little slower than annuals, but with intelligent care they are successfully raised, and from seed is an excellent way to get up a big stock of perennials. Many sorts, if sown in spring, bloom the first year from seeds as early as annuals; for instance: gaillardia, Iceland poppies, Chinese larkspur, platycodon, etc. Others do not bloom until the second year.

"The amateur may have more success and less bother growing perennials from seed sown in the open ground than from any other way. Prepare a bed in a nice, warm, sheltered spot in the garden, preferably not very sunny. Let the surface of the bed be raised four or five inches above the general level, and the soil be a mellow fine earth on the surface. Draw shallow rows across the surface of the bed three or four inches apart, and here sow the seeds, keeping the varieties of one kind or nature as much together as practicable, covering the seeds thinly; press the whole surface gently, water moderately, then dust a little fine loose soil over all. If the weather is sunny or windy, shade with papers or a few branches, but remove these in the evening. When the seedlings come up, thin them out to stiffen those that are left, and when they are two or three inches high, they are fit for transplanting into permanent quarters. All this should be done in early spring, say March, April, or May. Again, in July or August perennials are very easily raised out of doors, and much in the same way as above. Or they may be sown in early spring indoors, in the window, the hotbed, the coldframe, or the greenhouse, preferably in boxes or pans, as for growing annuals. Some gardeners sow seed right in the coldframe. I have tried both ways, and find the boxes best, as the different varieties of seeds do not come up at the same time, and you can remove them from the close frame to more airy quarters as soon as the seed comes up, whereas, if sown in a frame, you would have to give them all the same treatment. When the seedlings are large enough, I transplant them into other boxes, and put them into a shady part of the garden, but not under the shade of trees, as there they will 'draw' too much. About the fifteenth of September plant them in the garden where they are to bloom, or if the garden is full of summer-flowering plants, put them in beds in the vegetable garden, to be planted out in the early spring, and give them a light covering of straw or manure to keep sudden changes of the weather away from them."

Hardy perennial herbs may be planted in September and October with excellent results; also in spring. See that they are protected with mulch in winter.

Perennial herbs suitable for lawn and "planting" effects.

Some of the striking plants that are valuable for lawn planting in the North, chosen chiefly on account of their size, foliage, and habit, are mentioned in the following brief list. They may or may not be suitable for flower-gardens. It is impossible to give to this list any degree of completeness; but the names here printed will be suggestive of the kinds of things that may be used. The * denotes native plants.

Yucca, Yucca filamentosa.*

Funkia, Funkia, of several species.

Peltate saxifrage, Saxifraga peltata.*

Rose mallow, Hibiscus Moscheutos.*

Elecampane, Inula Helenium (Fig. 251).

Wild sunflowers, Helianthus* of different species, especially H. orygalis, H. giganteus, H. grosse-serratus, H. strumosus.

Compass-plants, Silphium* of several species, especially S. terebinthinaceum, S. laciniatum, S. perfoliatum.

Sacaline, Polygonum Sachalinense.

Japanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum.

Bocconia, Bocconia cordata.

Wild wormwood, Artemisia Stelleriana* and others.

Butterfly-weed, Asclepias tuberosa.*

Wild asters, Aster* of many species, especially A. Novae-Anglae (best), A. laevis, A. multiflorus, A. spectabilis.

Golden-rods, Solidago* of various species, especially S. speciosa, S. nemoralis, S. juncea, S. gigantea.

Loose-strife, Lythrum Salicaria.

Flags, Iris of many species, some native.

Japanese wind-flower, Anemone Japonica.

Goat's beard, Aruncus sylvester (Spiræa Aruncus).*

Baptisia, Baptisia tinctoria.*

Thermopsis, Thermopsis mollis.*

Wild senna, Cassia Marilandica.*

Wild trefoil, Desmodium Canadense* and others.

Ribbon grass, Phalaris arundinacea* var. picta.

Zebra grass, Eulalia (or Miscanthus) species, and varieties.

Wild panic grass, Panicum virgatum.*

Bambusas (and related things) of several sorts.

Ravenna grass, Erianthus Ravennæ.

Arundo, Arundo Donax, and var. variegata.

Reed, Phragmites communis.*

This and the remaining plants of the list should be planted in the edges of water or in bogs (the list might be greatly extended).

Wild rice, Zizania aquatica.*

Cat-tail, Typha angustifolia* and T. latifolia.*

Lizard's-tail, Saururus cernuus.*

Peltandra, Peltandra undulata.*

Orontium, Orontium aquaticum.*

Native calla, Calla palustris.*

A brief seasonal flower-garden or border list of herbaceous perennials.

To facilitate making a selection of perennial herbs for bloom, the plants in the following list are arranged according to their flowering season, beginning with the earliest. The name of the month indicates when they usually begin to bloom. It should be understood that the blooming season of plants is not a fixed period, but varies more or less with localities and seasons. These dates are applicable to most of the middle and northern states. Natives to North America are marked with an asterisk *. This list is by Ernest Walker.

MARCH

Blue Wind-flower, Anemone blanda. 6 in. March-May. Sky-blue, star-like flowers. Foliage deeply cut. For border and rockwork.

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria Canadensis.* 6 in. March-April. Pure white. Glaucous foliage. Partial shade. Border or rock-work.

APRIL

Mountain Rock-cress, Arabis albida. 6 in. April-June. Flowers pure white; close heads in profusion. Fragrant. For dry places and rock-work.

Purple Rock-cress, Aubrietia deltoidea. 6 in. April-June. Small purple flowers in great profusion.

Daisy, Bellis perennis, 4-6 in. April-July. Flowers white, pink, or red; single or double. The double varieties are the more desirable. Cover the plants in winter with leaves. May be raised from seed, like pansies.

Spring Beauty, Claytonia Virginica.* 6 in. April-May. Clusters of light pink flowers. Partial shade. From six to a dozen should be set together.

Shooting Star, Dodecatheon Meadia.* 1 ft. April-May. Reddish purple flowers, orange-yellow eye, in clusters. Cool, shady location. Plant several in a place.

Dog's-bane, Doronicum plantagineum varexcelsum. 20 in. April-June. Large, showy flowers; orange-yellow. Bushy plants.

Liver-leaf, Hepatica acutiloba* and triloba.* 6 in. April-May. Flowers small but numerous, varying white and pink. Partial shade.

Hardy Candytuft, Iberis sempervirens. 10 in. April-May. Small white flowers in clusters; profuse. Large, spreading, evergreen tufts.

Alpine Lamp-flower, Lychnis alpina.* 6 in. April-May. Flowers star-like, in showy heads; pink. For border and rockery.

Early Forget-me-not, Myosotis dissitiflora. 6 in. April-June. Small clusters of deep sky-blue flowers. Tufted habit.

Everblooming F., M. palustris var. semperflorens. 10 in. Light blue; spreading habit.

Blue-bells, Mertensia Virginica.* 1 ft. April-May. Flowers blue, changing to pink; pendent; tubular; not showy, but beautiful. Rich soil. Partial shade.

Tree Peony, Pæonia Moutan. (See May, Pæonia.)

Moss Pink, Phlox subulata.* 6 in. April-June. Numerous deep pink, small flowers; creeping habit; evergreen. Suitable for dry places as a covering plant.

Trilliums.* Of several species; always attractive and useful in the border (Fig. 252). They are common in rich woods and copses. Dig the tubers in late summer and plant them directly in the border. The large ones will bloom the following spring. The same may be said of the erythronium, or dog's-tooth violet or adder's tongue, and of very many other early wild flowers.

MAY

Ajuga reptans. 6 in. May-June. Spikes of purple flowers. Grows well in shady places; spreading. A good cover plant.

Madwort, Alyssum saxatile var. compactum. 1 ft. May-June. Flowers fragrant, in clusters, clear golden-yellow. Foliage silvery. Well-drained soil. One of the best yellow flowers.

Columbine, Aquilegia glandulosa and others (Fig. 253). 1 ft. May-June. Deep blue sepals; white petals. Aquilegias are old favorites. (See June.) The wild A. Canadensis* is desirable.

Lily-of-the-Valley, Convallaria majalis.* 8 in. May-June. Racemes of small white bells; fragrant. Well known. Partial shade. (See Chap. VIII.)

Fumitory, Corydalis nobilis. 1 ft. May-June. Large clusters of fine yellow flowers. Bushy, upright habit. Does well in partial shade.

Bleeding-Heart, Dicentra spectabilis. 2-1/2 ft. May-June. Well known. Racemes of heart-shaped, deep pink and white flowers. Will bear partial shade.

Crested Iris, Iris cristata.* 6 in. May-June. Flowers blue, fringed with yellow. Leaves sword-shaped.

German Iris, I. Germanica. 12-15 in. May-June. Numerous varieties and colors. Large flowers, 3-4 on a stem. Broad, glaucous, sword-shaped leaves.

Peony, Pæonia officinalis. 2 ft. May-June. This is the well-known herbaceous peony. There are numerous varieties and hybrids,

Large flowers, 4-6 in. across. Crimson, white, pink, yellowish, etc. Suitable for lawn or the border. Fig. 250.

Tree Peony, P. Moutan. 4ft. April-May. Numerous named varieties. Flowers as above, excepting yellow. Branched, dense, shrubby habit.

Meadow Sage, Salvia pratensis. 2-1/2 ft. May-June, August. Spikes of deep blue flowers. Branching from the ground.

JUNE

Achillea Ptarmica, fl. pl., var. "The Pearl." 1/2 ft. June-August. Small double white flowers, in few-flowered clusters. Rich soil.

Wind-flower, Anemone Pennsylvanica.* 18 in. June-September. White flowers on long stems. Erect habit. Does well in the shade.

St. Bruno's Lily, Paradisea Liliastrum. 18 in. June-July. Bell-like, white flowers in handsome spikes.

Golden-spurred Columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha.* 3 ft. June-August. Golden flowers with slender spurs; fragrant.

Rocky Mountain Columbine, A. cœrulea.* 1 ft. June-August. Flowers with white petals and deep blue sepals, 2-3 in. in diameter. (See May.)

Woodruff, Asperula odorata. 6 in. June-July. Small white flowers. Herbage fragrant when wilted. Does well in shade; spreading habit. Used for flavoring drinks, scenting and protecting garments.

Astilbe Japonica (incorrectly called Spiræa). 2 ft. June-July. Small white flowers in a feathery inflorescence. Compact habit.

Poppy Mallow, Callirrhoë involucrata.* 10 in. June-October. Large crimson flowers, with white centers. Trailing habit. For border and rockery.

Carpathian Harebell, Campanula Carpatica (Fig. 254). 8 in. June-September. Flowers deep blue. Tufted habit. For border or rockery. Good for cutting.

C. glomerata var. Dahurica. 2 ft. June-August. Deep purple flowers in terminal clusters. Branching from the ground. Erect habit.

Canterbury Bell, C. Medium. An old favorite. It is biennial, but blooms the first season if sown early.

Corydalis lutea. 1 ft. June-September. Flowers yellow, in terminal clusters. Loose branching habit. Glaucous foliage.

Scotch Pink, Dianthus plumarius. 10 in. June-July. White and pink-ringed flowers on slender stems. Densely tufted habit.

Fringed Pink, D. superbus. 18 in. July-August. Fringed flowers. Lilac tint.

Gas Plant, Dictamnus Fraxinella. 3 ft. June. Flowers purple, showy, fragrant; in long spikes. Regular habit. Var. alba. White.

Gaillardia aristata.* 2 ft. June-October. Showy orange and maroon flowers on long stems. Good for cutting. Hybrid gaillardias offer quite a variety of brilliant colors.

Heuchera sanguinea.* 18 in. June-September. Flowers in open panicles, scarlet, on clustered stems from a tufted mass of pretty foliage.

Japan Iris, Iris laevigata (I. Kaempferi). 2-3 ft. June-July. Large flowers of various colors, in variety. Green, sword-like leaves. Dense tufted habit. Prefers a moist situation.

Blazing Star, Liatris spicata.* 2 ft. June-August. Spikes of fine, small purple flowers. Slender foliage. Unbranched, erect stems. Will grow in the poorest soil.

Iceland Poppy, Papaver nudicaule.* 1 ft. June-October. Bright yellow flowers. A close, dense habit. Erect, naked stems. The varieties Album, white, and Miniatum, deep orange, are also desirable.

Oriental Poppy, P. orientale. 2-4 ft. June. Flowers 6-8 in. across; deep scarlet, with a purple spot at the base of each petal. There are other varieties of pink, orange, and crimson shades.

Pentstemon barbatus var. Torreyi.* 3-4 ft. June-September. Crimson flowers in long spikes. Branching from the base. Erect habit.

Perennial Phlox, Phlox paniculata* and hybrids with P. maculata.* 2-3 ft. June. A great variety of colors in selfs and variegated forms. Flowers borne in large, flat panicles. (Figs. 246, 248.)

Rudbeckia maxima* 5-6 ft. August. Large flowers; cone-like center and long, drooping, yellow petals.

Dropwort, Ulmaria Filipendula. 3 ft. June-July. White flowers in compact clusters. Tufted foliage, dark green and handsomely cut. Erect stems. (Often referred to Spiræa.)

Adam's Needle, Yucca filamentosa.* 4-5 ft. June-July. Waxen white, pendulous, liliaceous flowers in a great thyrsus. Leaves long, narrow, dark green, with marginal filaments. For the lawn, and for massing in large grounds.

JULY

Hollyhock, Althæa rosea. 5-8 ft. Summer and fall. Flowers white, crimson, and yellow, lavender and purple. Stately plants of spire-like habit; useful for the back of the border, or beds and groups. The newer double varieties have flowers as fine as a camellia. The plant is nearly biennial, but in rich, well-drained soil and with winter protection it becomes perennial. Easily grown from seed, blooming the second year. Seeds may be sown in August in frames and carried over winter in the same place. The first year's bloom is usually the best.

Yellow Chamomile, Anthemis tinctoria. 12-38 in. July-November. Flowers bright yellow, 1-2 in. in diameter. Useful for cutting. Dense, bushy habit.

Delphinium Chinense. 3 ft. July-September. Variable colors; from deep blue to lavender and white. Fine for the border.

D. formosum. 4 ft. July-September. Fine spikes of rich blue flowers. One of the finest blue flowers cultivated.

Funkia lancifolia. (See under August.)

Helianthus multiflorus* var. fl. pl. 4 ft. July-September. Large double flowers, of a fine golden color. Erect habit. An excellent flower.

Lychnis Viscaria var. flore pleno. 12-15 in. July-August. Double, deep rose-red flowers in spikes. For groups and masses.

Monarda didyma.* 2 ft. July-October. Showy scarlet flowers in terminal heads.

Pentstemon grandiflorus.* 2 ft. July-August. Leafy spikes of showy purple flowers.

P. lœvigalus var. Digitalis.* 3 ft. July-August. Pure white flowers in spikes, with purple throats.

Platycodon grandiflorum (Campanula grandiflora). 3 ft. July-September. Deep blue, bell-shaped flowers. Dense, fine, erect habit.

P. Mariesi. 1 ft. July-September. Flowers larger; deep violet-blue. Heavier foliage.

AUGUST

Day Lily, Funkia subcordata. 18 in. August-October. Trumpet, lily-like, pure-white flowers in clusters, borne upon a stalk from the midst of a group of heart-shaped green leaves.

F. lancifolia var. albo-marginata. July-August. Lavender flowers. Lance-like leaves margined with white.

Flame Flower, Kniphofia aloides (Tritoma Uvaria). 3 ft. August-September. Bright orange-scarlet flowers, in close, dense spikes, at the summit of several scape-like stems. Leaves slender, forming a large tuft. For lawn and borders. Hardy only when covered with litter or straw in winter.

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis.* 2-1/4-4 ft. August-September. Flowers intense cardinal-red, of unrivaled brilliancy. Tall spikes. Stems clustered; erect.

Giant Daisy, Chrysanthemum (or Pyrethrum) uliginosum. 3-5 ft. July-October. Flowers white, with golden centers. About 2 in. across. A stout, upright, bushy plant. Useful for cutting.

Golden Glow, Rudbeckia laciniata.* 6-7 ft. August-September. Large double golden-yellow flowers in great profusion. Bushy habit. Cut off when done flowering. Leaves appear at the base and a new crop of flowers, on stems about 1 ft. high, appear in October.

Goldenrod, Solidago rigida.* 3-5 ft. August-October. Flowers large for this genus, in close, short racemes in a corymbose-paniculate cluster. Fine, deep yellow. Erect habit. One of the best of the goldenrods.

SEPTEMBER

Japanese Wind-flower, Anemone Japonica. 2 ft. August-October. Flowers large, bright red. One of the best autumn flowers.

A. Japonica var. alba. Flowers pure white, with yellow centers. Fine for cutting.

OCTOBER

Hardy Chrysanthemums. The Chinese and Japanese Chrysanthemums, so well known, are hardy in light, well-drained soils, if well protected with litter or leaves during the winter, and in such situations will stand without protection south of Indianapolis. Chrysanthemums are gross feeders, and should have a rich soil.

But there is a race of hardier or border chrysanthemums that is again coming into favor, and it is sure to give much satisfaction to those who desire flowers in latest fall. These chrysanthemums are much like the "artemisias" of our mother's gardens, although improved in size, form, and in range of color.

One hundred extra-hardy perennial herbs.

The following list of 100 "best hardy perennials" is adapted from a report of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario. These plants are chosen from over 1000 species and varieties that have been on trial at that place. Those considered to be the best twenty-five for Canada are marked by a dagger †; and those native to North America by an asterisk *.

Achillea Ptarmica flore pleno.--Height, 1 foot; in bloom fourth week of June; flowers, small, pure white, double, and borne in clusters; blooming freely throughout the summer. †

Aconitum autumnale.--Height, 3 to 4 feet; September; flowers, bluish purple, borne in loose panicles.

Aconitum Napellus.--Height, 3 to 4 feet; July; flowers, deep blue, borne on a large terminal spike; desirable for the rear of the border.

Adonis vernalis.--Height, 6 to 9 inches; first week of May; flowers, large, lemon-yellow, borne singly from the ends of the stems.

Agrostemma (Lychnis) Coronaria var. atropurpurea.--Height, 1 to 2 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, medium size, bright crimson, borne singly from the sides and ends of the stems; a very showy plant with silvery foliage, and continues to bloom throughout the summer.

Anemone patens.*--Height 6 to 9 inches; fourth week of April; flowers, large, and deep purple.

Anthemis tinctoria var. Kelwayi.--Height, 1 to 2 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, large, deep yellow, borne singly on long stems; it continues to bloom profusely throughout the summer; is very showy and valuable for cutting. †

Aquilegia Canadensis.*--Height, 1 to 1-1/2 feet; third week of May; flowers, medium size, red and yellow.

Aquilegia chrysantha.*--Height, 3 to 4 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, large, bright lemon-yellow, with long slender spurs; much later than other columbines. †

Aquilegia cœrulea.*--Height, 1 to 1-1/2 feet; fourth week of May; flowers, large, deep blue with white center and long spurs. †

Aquilegia glandulosa.--Height, 1 foot; third week of May; flowers, large, deep blue with white center and short spurs.

Aquilegia oxysepala.--Height, 1 foot; second week in May; flowers, large, deep purplish blue with blue and yellow centers; a very desirable early species.

Aquilegia Stuarti.--Height 9 to 12 inches; third week of May; flowers, large, deep blue with white center; one of the best.

Arabis alpina.--Height, 6 inches; first week in May; flowers, small, pure white, in clusters.

Arnebia echioides.--Height, 9 inches; third week of May; flowers, yellow, borne in clusters with petals spotted with purple. One of the most charming of early flowering plants.

Asclepias tuberosa.*--Height, 1-1/2 to 2 feet; third week of July. Flowers, bright orange, borne in clusters. Very showy.

Aster alpinus.*--Height, 9 inches; first week of June; flowers, large, bright purple, borne on long stems from the base of the plant; the earliest flowering of all the asters.

Aster Amellus var. Bessarabicus.--Height, 1 to 1-1/2 feet; July to September; flowers, large, deep purple, singly on long stems; very fine. †

Aster Novae-Anglae var. roseus.*--Height, 5 to 7 feet; fourth week of August; flowers, bright pink, borne profusely in large terminal clusters; very showy.

Boltonia asteroides*--Height, 4 to 5 feet; September; flowers, smaller than the next, pale pink, borne very profusely in large panicles; much later than the next species.

Boltonia latisquama*--Height, 4 feet; first week of August; flowers, large, white, somewhat resembling asters, and borne very profusely in large panicles.

Campanula Carpatica.--Height, 6 to 9 inches; first week of July; flowers, medium size, deep blue, borne profusely in loose panicles; continues in bloom throughout the summer. A white variety of this is also good.

Campanula Grossekii.--Height, 3 feet; first week of July; flowers, large, deep blue, borne on a long spike.

Campanula persicifolia.--Height, 3 feet; flowers, large, blue, borne in a raceme with long flower stems. There are also white and double varieties which are good.

Clematis recta.--Height, 4 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, small, pure white, borne profusely in dense clusters. This is a very compact bushy species and desirable for the rear of the border. Clematis Jackmani with large deep purple flowers and Clematis Vitalba with small white flowers, are excellent climbing sorts.

Convallaria majalis* (Lily-of-the-valley).--Height, 6 to 9 inches; latter part of May.

Coreopsis delphiniflora.*--Height, 2 to 3 feet; first week of July; flowers, large, yellow, with dark centers and borne singly with long stems.

Coreopsis grandiflora.*--Height, 2 to 3 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, large, deep yellow, borne singly on long stems, blooming profusely throughout the summer.

Coreopsis lanceolata.*--Height, 2 feet; fourth week of June; flowers large though slightly smaller than the last, and borne on long stems, blooming throughout the season.†

Delphinium Cashmerianum.--Height, 1-1/2 feet; first week of July; flowers, pale to bright blue, in large open heads.†

Dianthus plumarius flore pleno.--Height, 9 inches; second week of June; flowers, large, white or pink, very sweet scented; and two or three borne on a stem. A variety called Mrs. Simkins is especially desirable, being very double, white and deliciously perfumed, almost equaling a carnation. It blooms the fourth week of June.

Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Heart).--Height, 3 feet; second week of May; flowers, heart-shaped, red and white in pendulous racemes.

Dictamnus albus.--Height, 1-1/2 to 2 feet; second week of June; flowers, white with an aromatic fragrance, and borne in large terminal racemes. A well-known variety has purple flowers with darker markings.

Doronicum Caucasicum.--Height, 1 foot; second week of May; flowers, large, yellow, and borne singly.

Doronicum plantagineum var. excelsum.--Height, 2 feet; third week of May; flowers, large and deep yellow.†

Epimedium rubrum.--Height, 1 foot; second week of May; flowers, small, bright crimson and white, borne in a loose panicle. A very dainty and beautiful little plant.

Erigeron speciosus.*--Height, 1-1/2 feet; second week of July; flowers, large, violet-blue, with yellow centers, and borne in large clusters on long stems.

Funkia subcordata (grandiflora).--Height, 1-1/2 feet; August; flowers, large and white, borne in racemes. The best funkia grown at Ottawa; both leaves and flowers are handsome.

Gaillardia aristata var. grandiflora.*--Height, 1 1/2 feet; third week of June; flowers, large, yellow, with deep orange centers, and borne singly on long stems. The named varieties, Superba and Perfection, are more highly colored and are of great merit. These all continue blooming profusely until late in the autumn.†

Gypsophila paniculata (Infant's breath).--Height, 2 feet; second week of July; flowers, small, white, borne profusely in large open panicles.

Helenium autumnale*--Height, 6 to 7 feet; second week of July; flowers, large, deep yellow, borne in large heads; very ornamental in late summer.

Helianthus doronicoides.*--Height, 6 to 7 feet; second week of August; flowers, large, bright yellow, and borne singly; continues blooming for several weeks.

Helianthus multiflorus.*--Height, 4 feet; flowers, large, double, bright yellow, and borne singly; a very striking late-flowering perennial.

Heuchera sanguinea*--Height, 1 to 1-1/2 feet; first week of June; flowers, small, bright, scarlet, borne in open panicles; continues blooming throughout the summer.

Hemerocallis Dumortierii.--Height, 1-1/2 feet; second week of June; flowers, large, orange-yellow, with a brownish tinge on the outside, and three or four on a stem.†

Hemerocallis flava.--Height, 2 to 3 feet; latter part of June; flowers, bright orange-yellow and fragrant.†

Hemerocallis minor.--Height, 1 to 1-1/2 feet; second week of July; flowers, medium size and yellow; blooms later than the two preceding species and has a smaller flower and narrower foliage.

Hibiscus Moscheutos.*--Height, 5 feet; third week of August; flowers, very large, varying in color from white to deep pink. A variety called "Crimson Eye" is very good. This plant makes a fine show in late summer.

Hypericum Ascyron (or pyramidatum).*--Height, 3 feet; fourth week of July; flowers, large, yellow, and borne singly.

Iberis sempervirens.--Height, 6 to 12 inches; third week of May; flowers, pure white, fragrant, and borne in dense flat clusters.†

Iris Chamœiris.--Height, 6 inches; fourth week of May; flowers, bright yellow with brown markings.

Iris flavescens.--Height, 1-1/2 to 2 feet; first week of June; flowers, lemon-yellow with brown markings.

Iris Florentina.--Height, 2 feet; first week of June; flowers, very large, pale blue or lavender, sweet scented.†

Iris Germanica.--Height, 2 to 3 feet; first week of June; flowers, very large, of elegant form; color, deep lilac and bright purple, sweet scented. There is a large number of choice varieties of this iris.†

Iris lœvigata (Kœmpferi).--Height, 1-1/2 to 2 feet; first week of July; flowers, purple and modified colors, very large and distinct in color and shape.†

Iris pumila.--Height, 4 to 6 inches; third week of May; flowers, deep purple. There are several varieties.

Iris Sibirica.--Height, 3 to 4 feet; fourth week of May; flowers, deep blue, borne on long stems in clusters of two or three. This species has many varieties.

Iris variegata.--Height, 1 to 1 1/2 feet; first week of June; flowers, yellow and brown, veined with various shades of brown.

Lilium auratum.--Height, 3 to 5 feet; July; flowers, very large, white, with a yellow central band on each petal, and thickly spotted with purple and red. The most showy of all lilies and a splendid flower. This has proved hardy at the Central Experimental Farm, although it has been reported tender in some localities.†

Lilium Canadense.*--Height, 2 to 3 feet; latter part of May; flowers, yellow to pale red with reddish spots, pendulous.

Lilium elegans.--Height, 6 inches; first week of July; flowers, pale red; several varieties are better than the type.

Lilium speciosum.--Height, 2 to 3 feet; July; flowers, large, white, tinged and spotted with deep pink and red. Hardier than Lilium auratum and almost as fine. There are several fine varieties.†

Lilium superbum.*--Height, 4 to 6 feet; first week of July; flowers, very numerous, orange red, thickly spotted with dark brown. An admirable lily for the rear of the border. †

Lilium tenuifolium.--Height, 1 1/2 to 2 feet; third week of June; flowers, pendulous and bright scarlet. One of the most graceful of all lilies.

Lilium tigrinum.--Height, 2 to 4 feet; flowers, large, deep orange, spotted thickly with purplish black.

Linum perenne.--Height, 1 1/2 feet; first week of June; flowers, large deep blue, borne in loose panicles, continuing throughout the summer.

Lobelia cardinalis.*--Height, 2 to 3 feet; August; flowers, bright scarlet, borne in terminal racemes; very showy.

Lychnis Chalcedonica flore pleno.--Height, 2 to 3 feet; first week of July; flowers, bright crimson, double, and borne in terminal racemes.

Lysimachia clethroides.--Height, 3 feet; fourth week of July; flowers, white, borne in long spikes. A very striking late-flowering perennial.

Myosotis alpestris.--Height, 6 inches; third week of May; flowers, small, bright blue with a yellowish eye. A very profuse bloomer.

Œnothera Missouriensis.*--Height, 1 foot; fourth week of June; flowers, very large, rich yellow, and borne singly, throughout the summer.

Pœonia officinalis.--Height, 2 to 4 feet; early part of July. The double-flowered varieties are the best, and can be obtained in several colors and shades, †

Papaver nudicaule*--Height, 1 foot; second week of May; flowers, medium size, orange, white, or yellow, almost continuously until late autumn. †

Papaver orientale.--Height, 2 to 3 feet; first week of June; flowers, very large, scarlet, and variously marked, according to variety, there being many forms.

Pentstemon barbatus var. Torreyi.*--Height, 2 to 3 feet; first week of July; flowers, deep red, borne in long spikes, very ornamental.

Phlox amœna.*--Height, 6 inches; second week of May; flowers, medium size, bright pink, in compact clusters.

Phlox decussata* (the garden perennial hybrids).--Height, 1 to 3 feet; third week of July; flowers, of many beautiful shades and colors, are found in the large number of named varieties of this phlox, which continues to bloom until late in the autumn. †

Phlox reptans.*--Height, 4 inches; fourth week of May; flowers, medium size, purple, and borne in small clusters.

Phlox subulata* (setacea).--Height, 6 inches; third week of May; flowers, medium size, deep pink, and borne in small clusters.

Platycodon grandiflorum.--Height, 1-1/2 to 2 feet; second week of July; flowers, very large, deep blue, borne singly or in twos.†

Platycodon grandiflorum var. album.--A white-flowered variety of the above and makes a fine contrast to it when they are grown together. It blooms a few days earlier than the species.

Platycodon Mariesii.--Height, 1 foot; second week of July; flowers, large and deep blue.

Polemonium cœruleum.*--Height, 2 feet; second week of June; flowers, deep blue, borne in terminal spikes.

Polemonium reptans.*--Height, 6 inches; third week of May; flowers, medium in size, blue, and borne profusely in loose clusters.

Polemonium Richardsoni.*--Height, 6 inches; third week of May; flowers, medium in size, blue, borne profusely in pendulous panicles.

Potentilla hybrida var. versicolor.--Height, 1 foot; fourth week of June; flowers, large, deep orange and yellow, semi-double.

Primula cortusoides.--Height, 9 inches; third week of May; flowers, small, deep rose, in compact heads.

Pyrethrum (or Chrysanthemum) uliginosum.--Height, 4 feet; September; flowers, large, white with yellow centers, and borne singly on long stems.

Rudbeckia laciniata* (Golden Glow).--Height, 5 to 6 feet; August; flowers, large, lemon-yellow, double, and borne on long stems. One of the best of lately introduced perennials. †

Rudbeckia maxima.*--Height, 5 to 6 feet; July and August; flowers, large, with a long cone-shaped center and bright yellow rays, and borne singly. The whole plant is very striking.

Scabiosa Caucascia.--Height, 1-1/2 feet; first week of July; flowers, large, light blue, and borne singly on long stems, very freely throughout remainder of the summer.

Solidago Canadensis* (Golden-rod).--Height, 3 to 5 feet; first week of August; flowers, small, golden yellow, and borne in dense panicles.

Spiræa (properly Aruncus) astilboides.--Height, 2 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, small, white, very numerous, and borne in many branched panicles. Both foliage and flowers are ornamental.

Spiræa (or Ulmaria) Filipendula.--Height, 2 to 3 feet; third week of June; flowers, pure white, borne profusely in loose panicles. The foliage of this species is also very good. There is a double flowered variety which is very effective. †

Spiræa (Ulmaria) purpurea var. elegans.--- Height, 2 to 3 feet; first week of July; flowers, whitish with crimson anthers, borne very profusely in panicles.

Spiræa Ulmaria (Ulmaria pentapetala).--Height, 3 to 4 feet; second week of July; flowers, very numerous, dull white, borne in large compound heads, having a soft, feathery appearance.

Spiræa venusta (Ulmaria rubra var. venusta).--Height, 4 feet; second week of July; flowers, small, bright pink, borne profusely in large panicles. †

Statice latifolia.--Height, 1-1/2 feet; first week of July; flowers, small, blue, borne very profusely in loose panicles. Very effective in the border.

Thalictrum aquilegifolium.--Height, 4 to 5 feet; fourth week of June; flowers, small, white to purplish, very numerous and borne in large panicles.

Trollius Europœus.--Height, 1-1/2 to 2 feet; fourth week of May; flowers, large, bright yellow, continuing a long time.

4. BULBS AND TUBERS

(See the particular culture of the different kinds in Chapter VIII; and instructions for forcing on *p. 345.)

It is customary to write of bulbs and tubers together, because the tops and flowers of all the bulbous and tuberous plants spring from large reservoirs of stored food, giving rise to similar methods of culture and of storage.

Structurally, the bulb is very different from the tuber, however. A bulb is practically a large dormant bud, the scales representing the leaves, and the embryo stem lying in the center. Bulbs are condensed plants in storage. The tuber, on the other hand, is a solid body, with buds arising from it. Some tubers represent thickened stems, as the Irish potato, and some thickened roots, as probably the sweet-potato, and some both stem and root, as the turnip, parsnip, and beet. Some tubers are very bulb-like in appearance, as the corms of crocus and gladiolus.

Using the word "bulb" in the gardener's sense to include all these plants as a cultural group, we may throw them into two classes: the hardy kinds, to be planted in fall; and the tender kinds, to be planted in spring.

Fall-planted bulbs.

The fall-planted bulbs are of two groups: the "Holland bulbs" or early spring bloomers, as crocus, tulip (Fig. 255), hyacinth (Fig. 262), narcissus (Fig. 260), squill (Fig. 256), snowdrop; the summer bloomers, as lilies (Figs. 258, 259). The treatments of the two groups are so similar that they may be discussed together.

All these bulbs may be planted as soon as they are mature; but in practice they are kept till late September or October before they are put into the ground, as nothing is gained by earlier planting, and, moreover, the ground is usually not ready to receive them until some other crop is removed.

These bulbs are planted in the fall (1) because they keep better in the ground than when stored; (2) because they will take root in fall and winter and be ready for the first warmth of spring; (3) and because it is usually impossible to get on the ground early enough in spring to plant them with much hope of success for that season.

The bulbs lie dormant until spring, so far as outward appearances go; they are mulched to insure that they will not start in warm weather of fall or winter, and to protect the ground from heaving.

To secure good bulbs and of the desired varieties, the order should be placed in spring or early summer. For flower-garden effects, the large and mature bulbs should be secured; for colonizing in shrubbery or on the lawn, the smaller sizes may be sufficient. Insist that your bulbs shall be first class, for there is wide difference in the quality; even with the best of treatment, good results cannot be secured from poor bulbs.

It is not generally known that there are autumn-flowering bulbs. Several species of crocus bloom in the fall, C. sativus (the saffron crocus) and C. speciosus being the ones generally recommended. The colchicums are excellent autumn-blooming bulbs and should be more generally planted. C. autumnale, rosy purple, is the usual species. These autumn-blooming bulbs are planted in August or early September and treated in general the same as other similar bulbs. The colchicums usually remain in the ground several years in good condition.

All kinds of bulbs are partial to a deep, rich, water-free soil. This is no small part of their successful culture. The spot should be well drained, either naturally or artificially. In flattish and rather moist lands the beds may be made above the surface, some 18 inches high, and bordered with grass. A layer of rough stones a foot deep is sometimes used in the bottom of ordinary beds for drainage, and with good results, when other methods are not convenient, and when there is fear that the bed may become too wet. If the place is likely to be rather wet, place a large handful of sand where the bulb is to go and set the bulb on it. This will keep the water from standing around the bulb. Very good results may be had in heavy soil by this method.

The soil for bulbs should be well enriched with old manure. Fresh manure should never be allowed close about the bulb. The addition of leafmold and a little sand also improves the texture of heavy soils. For lilies the leafmold may be omitted. Let the spading be at least a foot deep. Eighteen inches will be none too deep for lilies. To make a bulb bed, throw out the top earth to the depth of 6 inches. Put into the bottom of the bed about 2 inches of well-rotted manure and spade it into the soil. Throw back half of the top soil, level it off nicely, set the bulbs firmly on this bed, and then cover them with the remainder of the earth; in this way one will have the bulbs from 3 to 4 inches below the surface, and they will all be of uniform depth and will give uniform results if the bulbs themselves are well graded. The "design" bed may be worked out easily in this way, for all the bulbs are fully exposed after they are placed, and they are all covered at once.

Of course, it is not necessary that the home gardener go to the trouble of removing the earth and replacing it if he merely wants good blooms; but if he wants a good bed as a whole, or a mass effect, he should take this pains. In the shrubberies and on the lawn he may "stick them in" here and there, seeing that the top of the bulb is 3 to 6 inches beneath the surface, the depth depend