Aquilegia. Columbine. These hardy perennials are general favorites for borders and rockwork. Blooming early in the season, they may be said to head the procession of the perennials. The ease with which they may be cultivated, their freedom of bloom, their varied colors and odd shape entitle them to the front rank among hardy plants. They are propagated by division of the plants in the spring or from seed sown in the fall. Seedlings may be expected to bloom well the second year. They require a moist, partially sheltered situation, with exposure to the sun. The common wild Columbine (often called “honeysuckle”) is easily grown and is very attractive. Clumps of Columbine should stand 12–18 in. apart. 2–3 ft. high.
Araucaria, or Norfolk Island Pine, is now sold in pots by florists as a window plant. The common species (A. excelsa) is most excellent for this purpose, making a symmetrical evergreen subject. It keeps well in a cool window, or on the veranda in the summer. Protect it from direct sunlight, and give plenty of room. If the plant begins to fail, return it to the florist for recuperation.
Argemone. See Prickly Poppy.
Aristolochia, or Dutchman’s Pipe. A strong, woody twiner with very large, heavy leaves, forming a dense screen and having peculiarly shaped flowers. But one species is considered hardy north, A. Sipho. This will grow without special treatment and prove a satisfactory ornamental screen or porch plant. Reaches a height of 20 or 30 ft. Young plants need some protection in cold winters.
Artichoke. A tall, coarse perennial of the thistle tribe, producing flower-heads which are edible. When once established, it will last in bearing for a number of years. While this plant is not generally grown in this country, its merit as a supplementary vegetable for salads or cooking is great. It is usually grown from suckers from the root, but a start can be made by sowing the seed. Sow in a border or seed box and transplant to the garden in early summer; and the following year a crop may be had. The parts of the plant used are the flower-heads and the young suckers, the former boiled or eaten raw as a salad. The young shoots may be tied together and blanched, using them like asparagus or Swiss chard. The fleshy scales of the head and the soft “bottom” of the head are the parts used. But few of these plants would be needed for a family, as they produce a number of flower-heads to a plant and a quantity of suckers. The plants should be set from 2 to 3 ft. apart in the row, the rows being 3 ft. apart. This vegetable is not quite hardy in the north, but a covering of leaves or barnyard litter to the depth of a foot will protect them well. The plant, being a perennial, will continue to yield for a number of years under good cultivation. These plants make no mean decorative subjects, either massed or in a mixed border, and from the rarity of their culture are always objects of interest.
Artichoke, Jerusalem, is a wholly different plant from the above, although it is commonly known as “Artichoke” in this country. It is a species of sunflower which produces potato-like tubers. These tubers may be used in lieu of potatoes. They are very palatable to hogs; and when the plant becomes a weed—as it often does—it may be exterminated by turning the hogs into it. Hardy.
Arundo, or Reed, is one of the best of bold and ornamental grasses, excellent for the center of a large formal bed, or for emphatic points in a mixed border. It is perennial and hardy in the northern states, but it is advisable to give it a mulch on the approach of winter. Thrives in any rich soil, doing best where somewhat moist. 8–12 ft. The clumps enlarge year by year.
Asparagus. A hardy herbaceous perennial, much grown for the soft, edible, early spring shoots. The culture of this, the finest of early vegetables, has been simplified in the past few years, and at present the knowledge required to successfully plant and grow a good supply need not be that of a professional. The old method of excavating to the depth of 3 ft. or more, throwing in from 4 to 6 in. of broken stone or bricks for drainage, then filling to within 16 to 18 in. of the surface with well rotted manure, with 6 in. of soil upon which to set the roots, has given place to the simple practice of plowing or digging a trench from 14 to 16 in. deep, spreading well rotted manure in the bottom to the depth of 3 or 4 in.; when well trodden down covering the manure with 3 or 4 in. of good garden soil, then setting the plants, with the roots well spread out, covering carefully with soil to the level of the garden, and firming the soil with the feet. This will leave the crowns of the plants from 4 to 5 in. below the surface. In setting, 1-year-old plants will prove more satisfactory than older ones, being less liable to suffer from injury to the root system than those which have made a larger growth. Two years after setting the crop may be cut, but not sooner if a lasting bed is desired, as the effort to replace the stalks has a tendency to weaken the plant unless the roots are well established. The yearly treatment of an Asparagus bed consists of cleaning off tops and weeds in the fall and adding a dressing of well rotted manure to the depth of 3 or 4 in., this manure to be lightly forked into the bed the following spring; or, the tops may be allowed to stand for winter protection and the mulch left off. A top-dressing of nitrate of soda, at the rate of 200 pounds per acre, is often beneficial as a spring stimulant, especially in the case of an old bed. Good results will also follow an application of bone meal or superphosphate at the rate of from 300 to 500 pounds per acre. The practice of sowing salt on an Asparagus bed is almost universal. Still, beds that have never received a pound of salt are found to be as productive as those having received an annual dressing. Nevertheless, a salt dressing is recommended. In stubborn, heavy soil the best method to pursue in making a permanent bed would be to throw out all the dirt from the trench and replace with good, fibrous loam. Two rows of Asparagus 25 ft. long and 3 ft. apart would supply a large family with an abundance throughout the season, and if well taken care of will last a number of years. Conover’s Colossal is the variety most generally grown, and is perhaps the most satisfactory sort. Palmetto, a variety originating at the south, is also very popular. A newer variety, called Donald White, originating near Elmira, N. Y., is recommended by the trade.
Asperula. Hardy annuals and perennials. The low-growing Asperula, with its blue or white flowers, is not as often used as it should be. The profusion of small flowers and the long season entitle it to a place in low borders. The flowers have a pleasing fragrance. Asperulas may be used effectively on rockwork. The common white species, or Woodruff, grows less than 1 foot. Grown readily from seeds, and blooms the first year. All Asperulas thrive best in a rather moist soil.
Asters, China. Half-hardy annuals, of easy culture. The China Aster has been for years a great favorite in both old-fashioned and modern gardens. With the improvements in shapes and colors, they are now the rivals of the chrysanthemum. As early as 1731 single white and red Asters were grown and described in England, and by 1845 they are mentioned as being very numerous in New England. The Germans were, perhaps, the first to improve the Asters, and the type most admired and sought fifty years ago was the full-quilled varieties. Now, however, the informal type replaces the stiff, formal quilled flowers of that period. Compare the Comet Aster of to-day with the Asters of even twenty years ago, and note the looseness of its broad rays, giving an artistic value far beyond the tall, stiff, purple-blue or whites of that period.
China Aster
The early Asters will bloom in August if the seed is sown in the open early in the season. They are represented by the Queen of the Market and Queen of Spring, either of which, if started in a hotbed or window, will begin to bloom the last of July. The Queen of the Market is probably the freest