The Circle of Knowledge: A Classified, Simplified, Visualized Book of Answers

by Unknown

FLOWERING SHRUBS AND HEDGE PLANTS

Names and Descriptions	Height in Feet	Flowering Time	Cultivation and Use
Spirea (Spiraea Van Houtter).—The most showy of the spireas; flowers in umbels two inches across. Handsome foliage all summer.	6	June	Plant in a conspicuous place with ample room. Cut out flowering wood in summer. Thrives anywhere.
Spirea (Spiraea, Anthony Waterer).—The only shrub of its season. Flowers crimson red produced successively for six weeks. Good for edging.	3	July	Prune off old flower heads as soon as withered to induce good second crop.
Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius).—Most fragrant white large flowered shrub. Valuable for tall screen. Flowers one and one-half inches across.	12	June	Old wood should be cut out from time to time, otherwise the tree gets very ragged.
Althea or Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Syriacus).—The only tall shrub of late summer. Very hardy; leafs late. White or rose flowers.	12	August	Good for hedges and screens. Must be planted very early in the autumn.
Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, var. grandiflora).—Most showy of all summer shrubs. White flowers, shading into pink and persisting all winter.	6 to 15	July-August	Prune very completely in winter for quantity of flowers next year.
Golden Bell (Forsythia suspensa).—The most showy, early-flowering shrub. Yellow flowers before the leaves. Branches arch over and root at tips.	5 to 8	April-May	Plant against a dark background, such as evergreens, or a hillside to set off flowers.
Japan Quince (Cydonia Japonica)_.—Earliest bright scarlet flowered shrub. Useful also as a hedge. Plant as specimen. Slow growing.	4 to 8	May	Very subject to San Jose scale. Don’t plant near orchards unless systematically sprayed. Stands close pruning.
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris).—Very fragrant lilac, white or purple flowers. Grows anywhere, even in partial shade.	8 to 15	May-June	Spray with potassium sulphide for mildew in August, September. Do not permit suckers to develop. Prune for form only.
Japanese Snowball (Viburnum plicatum).—Largest showy white balls of bloom, better habit than the common snowball and not so subject to plant louse.	6 to 8	May-June	Prune as little as possible. Should be planted on lawn as a specimen, or trained on wall of house.
Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera Tatarica).—Most fragrant of all the early summer shrubs, especially at dusk. Flowers pink; several varieties red or white.	8 to 10	May-June	Plant in shrubbery where its presence is made known by the odor. Valuable as a low screen on seaside.
Weigela (Diervilla florida).—Showiest shrub of midsummer. Flowers pink, white, red. Best flowering shrub under big trees.	6 to 8	June	Can be planted where other shrubs fail. Free from insects and disease. Cut out old wood to the ground.
Wistaria or Wisteria (W. Frutescens).—Handsome hardy, slow-growing, climbing shrub. Flowers in elegant lilac-colored racemes, slightly scented.	8 to 15	All Summer	Adapted for screen or trellis.
California Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium).—Fastest growing. Stands salt spray. Good soil binder. Stands severest pruning and can be trained high or low.	6 to 8	...	Set six inches deeper than in the nursery and cut back to six inches or less.
Regel’s Privet (Ligustrum Ibota, var. Regelianum).—Low growing, denser habit with spreading, drooping branches clothed with white tassels.[156]	2 to 6	June	Useful as a border hedge to plantations and along roadways. Should not be planted as a protection.
Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera).—Grows in any soil. Makes a dense defensive hedge as far north as Massachusetts. Flowers white.	3 to 15	May	Unless regularly trimmed, the top branches will spread. Will exhaust soil on each side for some feet.
Japanese Barberry (Berberis Thunbergii).—Foliage down to the ground. Dense compact growth of small spiny branches making effective hedge in winter.	4	June	Does not need pruning. Red berries all winter, and foliage red until Christmas. Do not plant in wheat districts.
Honey Locust (Gleditschia triacanthos).—The thorniest of all. “Bull strong, horse high and pig tight.” Perfectly hardy. Fast and vigorous grower. Suckers.	3 to 15	May	Plant thickly and prune severely. Mice girdle in winter. Spring trimmings must be burned. Needs strict control.
Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica).—The best strong hedge, as dense and tight as honey locust but not so high. Thorny. Never ragged. Moderate grower.	6 to 10	...	Spray with kerosene emulsion for hop louse. Old hedges that are out of condition are easily recovered by cutting back.
Trifoliate Orange (Citrus trifoliatus).—Best medium height hedge for the South where it is evergreen. Deciduous in the North. Foliage yellow in fall.	...	...	Not reliably hardy north of Philadelphia. White flowers followed by small yellow fruits make it ornamental also.
Tamarix (Tamarix Gallica).—Unexcelled for saline and alkaline soils, growing on the salt water’s edge where nothing else will.	5 to 10	...	Flowers feathery pink on old wood; on new wood in var. Narbonnensis. Foliage small.
Japanese Briar (Rosa rugosa).—The only rose suitable for a hedge. White, pink and red flowers.	5 to 8	All Summer	Suited for boundary or screen.

BEST LAWN GRASSES FOR ALL PURPOSES

Common and Botanical Name	Region of Use	Lbs. per bushel cleaned seed	Sow per acre bushels alone		Conditions and Uses
Rhode Island Bent (Agrostis canina).	On sandy seasides.	15	13		For close, fine turf. Color very green.
Creeping Bent (Agrostis alba, var. stolonifera).	Low lying inland and dry valleys of the East.	15	3		Rapid growing, forms a strong turf, that is improved by heavy rolling or tramping.
Red Top, Fancy Red Top (Agrostis alba, var. vulgaris).	From Tennessee north.	14 35	4 5-6		Stands hot weather and hard usage. Fills in well with blue grass.
Beach (Ammophila arenaria, A. arundinacea).	On railway cuttings and embankments on the sea coast.	15	3	1⁄2	Dry, loose soils. Holds drifting sands and banks.
Biennial Sweet Vernal (Anthoxanthum odoratum).	Useful only to lend fragrance to the lawn when cut.	Used only in mixture two pounds to the acre.			Starts early in spring, and makes new root-leaves all the year after cutting.
Bermuda (Capriola Dactylon).	Is killed by frost; valueless north of Virginia. A weed in blue grass lawns where it dies early.	15		1⁄2	Can be used for binding banks. The best lawn grass for the South from Virginia to Florida.Withstands heat and drought. Thrives on poorest soils.
Crested Dog’s Tail (Cynosurus cristatus).	Valuable for shady places and under trees. Also for terraces on deep soil.	30	1		Same color as Kentucky blue and so mixes well with that. A good bottom grass. Not recommendedalone. Prefers rich, moist soil.
Various Leaved Fescue (Festuca heterophylla).	Northern States and on cold, wet soils.	15	1	1⁄2	Does best in cold, moist soils, rich in humus and potash.
Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina).	Useful in mixtures for the Northwest and for lands on poorest sands.	16	2		This is a “bunch” or “stool” grass with very fine foliage and dense dwarfgrowth for any uplands.
Slender Fescue (Festuca ovina var. tenuifolia).	Dry slopes on lawns or on dry, high situations.	22	1	1⁄2	Finer leaf than sheep’s fescue and stools like that. Recommended only in specialsituations.
Italian Rye (Lolium Italicum).	Very thickly or in mixture as far south as Jacksonville, Fla.	22	2	1⁄2	Very rapid growing and valuable for short, quick effects. Is practically an annual.
Pacey’s or English Rye (Lolium perenne var. tenue).[157]	For quick effects in the Middle and Eastern States.	28	2		Makes good verdure in four weeks. Dies out in two or three years.
Canada Blue (Poa compressa).	Throughout the East and North including Canada on dry sand or clay.	14	3		Flatter, more wiry stem than the Kentucky grass, also bluer color. Used in the very cheap mixturesas a substitute.
Wood Meadow (Poa memoralis).	Best grass for very shady places in woodland parks.	19	1	1⁄2	Very hardy and early, resisting heat, too.
Kentucky Blue (Poa pratensis).	Best lawn grass north of Washington and west to the Allegheny range.	14	3		Starts early, lasts till frost, fine texture, rich green color, smooth, even growth. Three yearsto establish. Dislikes some soils.
Rough Stalked Meadow (Poa trivialis).	More shaded portions of lawns or north side of buildings.	26	4-5		Does not do well on dry land. Forms a fine turf and dense mat.
St. Augustine (Stenotaphrum secundatum, S. Americanum).	Florida and the West Indian Islands.	26	4-5		Coarse and upright leaf, but keeps green when even Bermuda grass burns out.

VI. WILD FLOWERS AND FLOWERLESS PLANTS

The beauty and inspiration of wild flowers, which lovers of Nature constantly bring to our attention, should by no means, be passed by. There are few, indeed, whose joy in living is not more than a little deepened by contact with the woods and meadows, perfumed with the scent of wild-growing flowers and blossoms, and made beautiful to the eye by a riot of colors both soothing and delightful. They are to be found under forest trees, in bushes and hedges, amidst grasses in meadows, on highways and declivities, and on rubbish heaps and in water; they crowd together, as though unwilling to be hidden from view.

Among the leading representatives of these plants, grouped according to the localities in which they are found, are sure to be the following.

FLOWERS THAT GROW IN
THE WOODS

A prime favorite among the flowers of spring is the Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens), a trailing plant of the Heath family, with branches six to fifteen feet long and evergreen leaves, called Mayflower in New England and Ground Laurel in the Southern States. It grows in sandy or rocky soils, especially in the shade of evergreen trees, from Canada to Texas. It is prized for its early blooming, and delicate flowers, now gathered in considerable quantities for city flower markets. In the early spring also the Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) delights us with its violet and blue flowers; as does also the Liverwort (Hepatica triloba), the three-lobed leaves of which live through the winter. That familiar little favorite, the sweet-scented Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis), raises its tender string of blooms surrounded by two large leaves in May. This is followed by the sweet-scented Woodruff (Asperula odorata). In some districts the fresh leaves of the woodruff are used for making May wine; when dried they emit an agreeable scent, and are therefore frequently laid in wardrobes. Its leaves are stellate, and its small blossoms are arranged in umbels. It grows from nine to twelve inches high. Other plants found in the woods are the Forget-me-not (Myosotis silvatica), and the Centaury (Erythræa Centaurium). The rose-red blossoms of the latter are arranged in clusters, and its leaves have medicinal properties. Late in the year towards autumn the common Ling or heather (Calluna vulgaris) opens its red blooms. The leaves are small, and arranged in four rows along the stem. The young heather contains a rich honey, and is consequently much sought after by all kinds of insects.

WILD FLOWERS AMONG THE
HEDGES AND BUSHES