Oh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green,
That creepeth o'er ruins old!
Of right choice food are his meals I ween,
In his cell so lone and cold,
The wall must be crumbled, the stone decayed,
To pleasure his dainty whim;
And the moldering dust that years have made,
Is a merry meal for him.
Creeping where no life is seen,
A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
Charles Dickens.
HAVE been off on a vacation, peering into other folks' gardens and admiring other people's flowers. Visited the Public Garden of Boston and saw that there had been a marked improvement within ten years. The massed beds of several sorts, with their contrasting borders, were very attractive, specially the maroon Coleuses with border of Centaurea. There were few varieties of Geraniums, and these were mostly massed in beds, some all scarlet, others wholly pink.
At Forest Hills Cemetery there was the finest display of flowers and tropical plants I ever saw, and they are very artistically and tastefully displayed. I saw several beds with artistic designs on a ground work of Sempervivum, evidencing great skill in the arrangement and culture. The entrance gateway to Forest Hills Cemetery is very beautiful in design, and here we saw that graceful climber Ampeclopsis Veitchii, in the perfection of its beauty, covering the front almost entirely. I had noted it in various stages of growth, clinging to the dwellings in all parts of the city, requiring no aid but its own little rootlets. It is a native of Japan and was introduced in this country twelve years ago. It was slow at first in being duly appreciated, but now is widely known and extensively propagated. Probably the finest plant is owned by Mr. George L. Conover of Geneva, N. Y. It covers the entire front of his two-story square house, and has become so famous that horticulturists from all parts of the country have been attracted by it, and a great many people have visited Geneva for the special purpose of seeing this fine plant. It has proved to be perfectly hardy, only the first year the young and tender plant needs some protection during the winter. Florists are growing them in great quantities to meet the increasing demand. It can be obtained for twenty cents. I received a small plant last year and kept it in my window box during the winter. It died down, however, and I quite forgot about it, till it sprang forth anew in April. Since putting it in the ground it has grown rapidly, and I shall value it now more than ever.