The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-04-05
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Flower Gardening for April.

Flower Gardening for April.
"We are the sweet flowers
Born Of sunny showers;
Think, wheneer you see us, what our beauty saith,
Utterance mute and bright,
OF some unknown delight,
We fill the all with pleasure by our simple breath.
All who see us love us
We beft all places;
Unto sorrow We give smiles-and, unto graces,
races
April brings us sunny skies and sunny show
ers; changing sometimes almost instantly into
shade, and we love to see the bright sunlight
moving over the new ly-sprung grass, and max
ing its tender green appear almost yellow
and then in short time all is dull-a cloud
has passed over the sky, and the golden hues
have vanished; and the mingling of sun and
shower causes the tender plants to spring up,
and bud aud bloom in renewed beauty and
grace.
From the earliest times, flowers have been
the originators of beautiful thoughts, and in
the darkest ages of the world they have been
loved and priced. The old monks and the an
Gent sisterhoods delighted in their culture,
and when we walk about our gardens, we
frequently speak of our plants by the names
which they gave them. for doubtless many Of
our readers cultivate the Star If Bethlehem,
with its clusters. of starry white flowers, and
the Passion flower, SO called because its pistil
and stamens are supposed to represent Jesus
and his disciples in bis hour of agony; and
Jacobs Ladder, Solomon's Seal, and Our
Lady's Slipper, and Virgins Bower, and other
similar plants were thus named by these dev-
otees. when they employed their leisure hours
in the gardens of the converts.
April is an excellent season for planting Or
namental shrubs and trees for the decoration
of the lawn; for trees of larger growth are not
as desirable as those of more compact habits
In large lawns, to be sure, a few oaks, naples,
and tulip trees are not Objectionable, but for
smaller places large trees are not as well a.
dapted as many others we could name. Flow
ering trees, such as magnolias, catalpas, &C.,
will always give an attractive appearance to
the grounds when butfew flowers are in bloom.
The Amelanchier botryapium, often called
Snowy Mespilus, should have good position
and be shaded from the north winds, and it
will flower abundantly quite early in the sea-
son. Amygdalus Persica, the double flower
ing peach, is very snowy tree, and it can be
had in several varieties, from pure white to
rich crimson. The double Towering cherry is
exceedingly handsome when in full fower, and
there is one variety, Cerasus domestica, which
is so dwarf in habits that it can be grown in
pots in the greenhouse. The Snowdrop trees,
Clethra alnifolia, and G. Paniculata, are quite
hardy, and valuable for lawn decoration; but
C. arborea is tender and better adapted to the
greenhouse
The double-fowered thorns are very beauti-
full, and when planted as single specimens on
the lawn, or in good position in the shrub
berry, will always produce fine effect. The
best for small lawns are the single scarlet,
double pink, double white, and double GRIM
son.
Corylopsis spicata is dwarf tree, imported
from Japan. Us wood is reddish, the foliage
bright green, and the catkins yellowish white.
Kelreuteria paniculata is one of the hand
soonest trees known. 1t is also of moderate
size, and both its flowers and foliage are
ornamental, while its seeds are held in red
dish bladders or pods, which are very effect
i've.
Pyrus malus foribunda has crimson buds,
while its full-blown flowers are white, making
pleasing contrast. Pyrus malus baccata
shows an abundance of pink and white flow
ers, and is covered with small red crab apples
in the autumn.
The Irish juniper, Juniperus communis Hi
bernica, is desirable for its upright habit, and
it can be clipped to any shape or size. Junipe-
rus Chinensis, the Chinese Juniper, is har-
dy tree of medium size, and fine pyramidal
habit. Taxus fastigata, the Irish yew, is we'll
known for its beauty and it can also be clipped
into any shape one desires, or left to grow ten
or fifteen feet in height.
kOu1 uUo dc always Ill Gu0 early
spring and summer, and no garden or lawn
can afford to do without them. The lilacs,
syringas and snowballs are all common in old
gardens, but no less beautiful for being so
and also deserve our attention. Daphne
creorum and ID. mezereum are both exceed
ingly pretty; the first low evergreen plant,
with lovely clusters of pink and white flowers;
and the other is deciduous, and blooms before
its leaves are developed. like the old-fashioned
Towering almond and the Forsythia viridisi.
ma.
Deutzia crenata and D. scabra are two very
well known shrubs, which are never ont of
place in any collection of shrubs. Deutzia
gracilis is forced for blooming in the green
houses, and is well adapted for window gar
dens.
Hydrangeas are much cultivated now on ac-
count of their superb clusters of flowers.
There are three varieties, either one of which
will make fine show in the garden. ii.
otaksa bears globular heads Of pink flowers OF
immense size, and remains in bloom for several
weeks in summer. 1t will hot bear New
England weather without protection. The
Syribga, or mock orange, Phiadelphus cor
onarus, in both double and single varieties,
is very useful plant in strawberries on ac-
count of the abundance of its white, fragrant
flowers, in May or June. Wiegelas well de-
serve the attention of all ameteur florists, on
account of the beauty of their coloring, but
are tender in northern New England, and are
frequently killed by spring frosts if the soil is
damp and cold.
w. amabilis and rosea are the varieties most
frequently cultivated. w. middendarffiana
purpurata is not as well known, but it is very
beautiful variety and deserves place in every
shrubbery.
Many of these shrubs require to be protected
from the extreme cold of a northern winter,
but if they are laid down and covered with
evergreen boughs, or with few shovelfuls of
earth, they will be sufficiently protected. Ii
not pliable enough to be covered in this way,
they can be tied up in straw. In the spring,
ashovelful of manure, well decayed, should be
shaken around each root, and dug into the soil
carefully so as not to disturb their roots. Then
cut back the struggling branches, prune out
the old and dead wood, and tie them into good