Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. THE A/KEM NURSERIES oe 2 bes MAIDENHAIR AND EVERGREEN WOOD FERNS “Grown in Vermont, Jt’s Hardy” 1945 PUTNEY, VERMONT % 1945 Page 2 THE AIKEN NURSERIES, PUTNEY, VERMONT ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Please Read Before Ordering TRANSPORTATION The customer pays all transportation charges from Putney. We pack the plants and deliver them to the local post office or express station without additional charge. We ship by parcel post prepaid and ask you to remit the amount of postage as soon as you receive our notice of shipment. Express shipments are sent charges collect unless you make a specific request that they be shipped prepaid. In such cases please remit at once the amount we notify you we have advanced for the express charges. Our whole purpose is to get the plants to you as quickly and economically and safely as possible. GUARANTEE All plants are guaranteed true to name and free from disease. A certificate of inspection accompanies every shipment. Should any express shipment arrive in poor condition, obtain a bad order receipt from your express agent and notify us immediately. In the case of parcel post shipments damaged in transit please notify us by return mail. PLANTING AND WATERING Open the package and remove the plants as soon as received. Set them out at once, or, for second best, heel them in. Fruit trees and dormant shrubs may be left in a cool cellar for a few days if the roots are kept moist in the packing material. Never wet the tops of strawberry plants; it rots the crowns. Plants which have been delayed in transit and have dried out considerably should be soaked over night in a pail or tub of water before planting. A thorough soaking never hurts roses and fruit plants. TRANSPORTATION OF HEAVY BALLED AND BURLAPPED PLANTS Our trees and plants have the authentic New England stamp—Hardy and tried by time and weather and by association especially suited to any home or garden within our vicinity. Our native wildflowers and ferns are shipped to all parts of the United States and to Canada. However for the duration of the war, we are not offering any trees or shrubs which have to be dug with a ball of earth. It is hard to get them dug well and impossible to pack them due to the Government restrictions on the use of lumber. To our customers who live within calling or trucking distance, we would like to say that we welcome any sale of these plants where they can be selected and taken home or within our delivery radius of 25 to 30 miles. We would like to encourage group buying where we can deliver sufficient loads to warrant the use of our truck. In addition to the trees and plants in this catalog which we can ship in bundles or bales, we have a fine collection of all the hardy Azaleas, Mt. Laurel, Rhododendrons, White and Mugho Pine, Yew, Juniper, Hemlock, Balsam and Silver Fir, Norway and White Spruce, Slender and Globe Arborvitae and many of the broad-leaved evergreens, such as Pieris floribunda and Leucothoe catesbaei. We invite you to write us for special quotations or, better still, to call on us here at the nuresry. | ‘low than the above. Much preferred by many who THE AIKEN NURSERIES, PUTNEY, VERMONT Page 3 HARDY PERENNIALS Care and Protection Prepare the soil deeply, and enrich with old manure, the older the better. Plants should not be planted below the crown. ‘Too deep planting is the cause of many failures. Be careful, too, to firm the soil about the roots. Stamp the ground as hard as. you can with your heel, or butt of the trowel. This point cannot be over-emphasized. Air space about the roots is fatal, especially when the planting is done in the Fall. Mulch every year with a thick covering of manure. As a rule, early Spring blooming perennials should be planted in the Fall; while Fall blooming ones, such as Japanese Anemone, require Spring planting. On the whole, how- ever, Fall is a far better time to plant than is generally realized. Often much time is gained by planting in late September through October, giving plenty of time for root growth before Winter comes. In this way the Spring growth is not disturbed and as a result, earlier and better flowers are obtained. Some plants usually classed as perennials are in reality, biennials, completing their life cycle in two years. If a biennial fails to blossom the second year, it will live for another season, blossom and die in its third year. All biennials are mentioned as such, in the descriptions following. ACHILLEA—MILFOIL EUROPEAN PASQUEFLOWER, A. pulsatilla. 2 : [ Violet-blue flowers in May followed by picturesque THE PEARL. Pure white, double flowers in large seed-balls bristling with silky strands, which are heads of bloom profusely borne all Summer. Ex- almost as attractive as the flowers. Fine for dry, pat toe cutting. Does best in full sun. 1 to 2 stony soil in the rock garden. 9 to 12 in. t. tall. AJUGA—BUGLE ANTHERICUM—ST. BERNARD CARPET BUGLE, A. reptans. A carpeting plant LILY which will grow in shade. Brilliant blue flowers in A. LILIAGO. Clusters of white flowers like Spring on glossy green foliage. A splendid ground miniature lilies borne in early July above tufts of cover. 3 to 4 in. tall. grass-like leaves. 2 to 4 ft. Hollyhocks’ are a delightful part of New England GOLDEN COLUMBINE, A. chrysantha. Clear (Ae ee EMIS Cee eo eee Ree COUe yellow, long spurred blossoms in bloom all Summer. Newport pink as well as single mixed. The hardiest and longest lived of all the long spurred varieties. 3 ft. ALYSSUM—BASKET OF GOL ware 4 : OF Coee MRS. SCOTT ELLIOTT HYBRIDS. Gracefully ALYSSUM SAXATILE. A brilliant splash of borne, many colored, long spurred flowers like a yellow flowers above gray leaves in May. Especially ballroom full of fairies in fancy dress. Colors range for rock gardens. 4 to 5 in. through shades and tones of lavender, mauve, blue, A. SAXATILE CITRINUM. A dainty paler yel- purple, white, cream, yellow, pink and red. None more lovely. like pastel shades in their Spring garden planting. ROSE QUEEN. Lovely shade of soft rose and Same habits. white. ANEMONE—WINDFLOWER SILVER QUEEN. Shining white, long spurred. MEADOW ANEMONE, A. canadensis. Snowy ARABIS—ROCKCRESS white flowers 1 to 2 inches across appear from May to July and often later, as well. Not many native MOUNTAIN ROCKCRESS, A. alpina. Our plants are as easily grown and few are more beau- earliest perennial to bloom in the nursery. Snowy tiful. Grows particularly well in damp, rich soil. white carpets in late April. Excellent to plant Eto 2. ft: with Tulips and the early Dwarf Iris. Price on plants, except as noted, 35c each; not less than 3 of any one variety or color for $1.00; not less than 6 of any one variety or color for $1.75; $3.50 a dozen. Not less than 50 of any one variety or color for $12.50; $25.00 per hundred. Page 4 THE AIKEN NURSERIES, PUTNEY, VERMONT ALPINA FLOREPLENO. About a week later than the above. Double white flowers like minia- ture stock. An excellent border and rock garden plant. ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA—BUTTER- FLYWEED Brilliant orange flowers in July.and August on 2-foot stems. For hot, dry locations. Will natu- ralize in fields or on banks. ASTER HARRINGTON’S PINK. Silvery-rose flowers in profuse clusters from September until heavy frosts. A truly fine, large plant for the open border. 4 ft. or taller. PURPLE NEW ENGLAND ASTER. Royal pur- ple blossoms in September. ROSE NEW ENGLAND ASTER. Rose colored form of the above. GOLDEN ASTER, A. hybridus luteus. class garden -substitute for Golden-rod, wildflower’s rampageous habit. yellow flowers in August. 3 ft. A first- without that Covered with straw- BAPTISIA—WILD-INDIGO BLUE WILD-INDIGO, B. australis. A shapely, rounded plant with clusters of pea-like, dark blue flowers in June and July. 3 ft. CREAM WILD-INDIGO, B. bracteata. Cream- Does in borders and for colored flowers in June on well shaped plants. well in partial shade; useful naturalizing. 2 ft. WHITE WILD-INDIGO, B. leucantha. erect spikes of snow July.