Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/263

251 EIARDY PERENNIALS.] HORTICULTURE Eulbocodium. Pretty spring-flowering crocus-like bulbs. B. yernum, 4 to 6 inches high, purplish-lilac, blooms in March. Good garden soil. Buphthalmum. Robust composite herbs with striking foliage, for the back of herbaceous or shrubbery borders. B. cordifolium, 4 feet, has large cordate leaves, and heads of rich orange flowers in cymose panicles in J uly. Also called Telekia speciosa. Calandrinia. Showy dwarf plants for sunny rockwork, in light sandy soil. C. umbellata, 3 to 4 inches, much branched, with narrow hairy leaves, and corymbs of magenta-crimson flowers in the summer months. Caltha. Showy marsh plants, adapted for the margins of lakes, streamlets, or artificial bogs. C. palustris flore-pleuo, 1 foot, has double brilliant yellow flowers in May. Calystegia.-Tvfia.iag plants with running perennial roots. C. pubescens flore-pleno, 8 to 10 feet, has showy double-pink convolvuloid flowers in July ; C. dahurica is a handsome single-flowered summer-blooming kind, with rosy- coloured flowers. Campanula. Beautiful, as well as varied in habit and character. They are called bell-flowers. C. pulla, (i inches, purplish, nodding, on slender erect stalks; C. turhiuata, 9 inches, purple, broad-belled ; C. carpatica, 1 foot, blue, broad-belled ; C. nobilis, 1J feet, long-belled, whitish or tinted with chocolate ; C. persicifolia, 2 feet, a fine border plant, single or double, white or purple, blooming in July; and C. pyramidalis, C feet, blue or white, in tall branching spikes, are good and diverse. There are many other flue sorts. Centaurea. Bold-habited composites of showy character ; common soil. C. babylonica, 5 to 7 feet, has winged stems, silvery leaves, and yellow flower-heads from June to September ; C. montana, 3 feet, deep bright blue or white. Centranthus. Showy free-flowering plants, for rockwork, banks, or stony soil. C. ruber, 2 feet, branches and blooms freely all summer, and varies with rosy, or crimson, or white flowers. It clothes the chalk cuttings on some English railways with a sheet of colour in the blooming season. _ Cheiranthus. Pretty rock plants, for light stony soils. C. alpinus, Cinches, grows in dense tufts, and bears sulphur-yellow flowers in May. C. ochro- leucus is similar in character. Chionodoxn. Charming dwarf hardy bulbous plants of the liliaceous order, blooming in the early spring in company with Scilla sibirica, and of equally easy cultivation. C. Luciliaj, inches, has star-shaped flowers of a brilliant blue with a white centre, and is the finest of the few known species. It blooms about April. Colchicum. Showy autumn-blooming bulbs (corms), with crocus-like flowers, all rosy-purple or white. C. speciosum, C. autumnale, single and double, C. byzantinum, and C. variegatum are all worth growing. Convallaria. C. majalis, the Lily of the Valley, a well-known sweet-scented favourite spring flower, growing freely in rich garden soil ; its spikes, (i inches high, of pretty white fragrant bells, are produced in May and June ; the variety with gold-striped leaves is very ornamental. Coreopsis. Effective composite plants, thriving in good garden soil. C. auriculata, 2 to 3 feet, has yellow and brown flowers in July and August ; C. grandillora, 3 to 4 feet, bright yellow, in August ; C. tenuifolia, 2 feet, rich golden yellow, in July. Corydalis. Interesting and elegant plants, mostly tuberous, growing in good garden soil. C. bracteata, 9 inches, has sulphur-coloured flowers in April, and C. nobilis, 1 foot, rich yellow, in May ; C. solida, with purplish, and C. tubcrpsa, with white flowers, are pretty spring-flowering plants, 4 to (i inches high. Cyclamen. Charming tuberous-rooted plants of dwarf habit, suitable for sheltered rockeries, and growing in light gritty soil. C. europrcum, reddish-purple, flowers in summer, and C. hederifolium in autumn. Cupripedium. Beautiful terrestrial orchids, requiring to be planted in peat soil, in a cool and rather shady situation. C. spectabile, 1 to 2 feet, white and rose colour, in June, is a lovely species, as is C. Calceolus, 1 foot, yellow and brown, in May ; all are full of interest and beauty. Dtliihiniuin. The Larkspur family, tall showy plants, with spikes of blue flowers in July. The popular garden varieties are noted under par. 53. Other distinct sorts are D. grandiflorum and D. grandiflorum flore-pleno, 2 to A feet, of the richest dazzling blue, flowering on till September; D. chinense, 2 feet, blue, and its double-flowered variety, are good, as is D. Barlowi, 3 feet, a brilliant double blue purple. D. nudicaule, 2 feet, orange-scarlet, very showy, is best treated as a biennial, its brilliant flowers being produced freely in the second year from the seed. Dianthus. Chiefly rock plants with handsome and fragrant flowers, the smaller sorts growing in light sandy soil, and the larger border plants in rich garden earth. Of the dwarfer sorts for rock gardens, D. alpinus, D. esosius, D. deltoides, D. dentosus, D. neglectus, D. petrsous, and D. glacialis are good examples ; while for borders or larger rockwork D. plumarius, D. superbus, D. Fischeri, D. crueutus, and the clove section of D. Caryophyllus are most desirable. Dictamnus. D. Fraxinellais a very characteristic and attractive plant, 2 to 3 feet, with bold pinnate leaves, and tall racemes of Irregular-shaped purple or white flowers. It is everywhere glandular, and strongly scented. Dielytra. Very elegant plants, of easy growth in good soil. D. spectabilis, 2 to 3 feet, has p;eony-like foliage, and gracefully drooping spikes of heart- shaped pink flowers, about May, but it should have a sheltered place, as it suffers from spring frosts and winds ; D. formosa and D. eximia, 1 foot, are also pretty rosy-flowered ; species. Diyitalis. Stately erect-growing plants, with long racemes of pouch- shaped drooping flowers. The native D. purpurea, or Foxglove, 3 to 5 feet, with its dense racemes of purple flowers, spotted inside, is very showy, but is surpassed by the garden variety called gloxinioides. The yellow-flowered D. lutea and D. grandiflora are less showy. Good garden soil, and frequent renewal from seeds. Doronicum. Showy composites of free growth in ordinary soil. D. caucasicum and D. austriacum, 1 to li feet, both yellow-flowered, bloom in spring and early summer. Draba.Qood rockwork cruciferous plants. D. alpina, D. aizoides, D. ciliaris, D. Aizoon, and D. cuspidata bear yellow flowers in early spring; D. cinerea and D. ciliata have white flowers. Gritty well-drained soil. Dracocephalum. Handsome labiate plants, requiring a warm and well- drained soil. D. argunense, 1J feet, D. austriacum, 1 foot, D. grandiflorum, 1 foot, and D. Ruyschiana, 14 feet, with its var. japonieum, all produce showy blue flowers during the summer months. .Echinacea. Stout growing showy composites for late summer and autumn flowering, requiring rich deep soil, and not to be often disturbed. E. angustifolia, 3 to 4 feet, light purplish-rose, and E. intermedia, 3 to 4 feet, reddish-purple, arc desirable kinds. Epiinediwn. Pretty plants, growing about a foot high, with elegant foliage, and curious flowers. E. macranthum, white flowers, and E. rubrum, red, are distinctly spurred; E. pinnatum and E. Pcrralderianum, yellow, less so. They bloom in spring, and prefer a shady situation and a peaty soil. Erigeron. Composite plants, variable in character. E. purpureus, 1 J feet, with pink flower-heads, having narrow twisted ray-florets ; E. Roylei, 1 foot, 251 dark blue ; and E. pulchcllus, 1 foot, rich orango, flowering during the Bummer, are among the best kinds. Good ordinary garden soil. Ennus.E,. alpinus is a beautiful little alpine for rockwork, 3 to 6 inches, of tufted habit, with small-toothed leaves, and heads of pinkish-purple or, in a variety, white flowers, early in summer. Sandy well-drained soil. hrodium. Handsome dwarf tufted plants. E. Manescavi, 1 to 1J feet, has large purplish-red flowers in summer ; E. Reichardl, a minute stemless plant, has small heart-shaped leaves in rosette-like tufts, and white flowers striped with pink, produced successively. Light soil. Enjngium.Vn-y remarkable plants of the umbelliferous order, mostly of an attractive character. E. amethystinum, 2 feet, has the upper part of the stem, the bracts, and heads of flowers all of an amethystine blue Some of more recent introduction have the aspect of the pine-apple, such as E bromeliaifolium, E. pandanifolium, and E. eburneum. Deep light soil Erythronium-.E. dens canis, the Dog s-Tooth Violet, is a pretty dwarf bulbous plant with spotted leaves, and rosy or white flowers produced in spring, and having reflexed petals. Mixed peaty and loamy soil, deep and cool. Euphorbia. Plants whose beauty resides in the bracts or floral leaves which surround the inconspicuous flowers. E. aleppica, 2 feet, and E. Characias, 2 to 3 feet, with green bracts, are fine plants for rockwork or sheltered corners. with glossy lozenge-shaped leaflets, grow 8 to 10 feet high; F. Ferulago, with more finely cut leaves, grows 5 to G feet high. They flower in early spring, and all have a fine appearance when in bloom, on account of their large showy umbels of yellow flowers. Funlcia. Pretty liliaceous plants, with simple conspicuously longitudinal- ribbed leaves, the racemose flowers funnel-shaped and deflexed. F. Sieboldi- ana, 1 foot, has lilac flowers ; F. grandifiora, 18 inches, is white and fragrant ; F. coerulea, 18 inches, is violet-blue ; F. albo-marginata, 15 inches, lias the leaves edged with white, and the flowers lilac. Rich garden soil. Gaillanlia. Showy composite plants, thriving in good garden soil. G. aristata, 2 feet, has large yellow flower-heads, 2 or 3 inches across, in summer; G. Breselari and G. Loiselii have the lower part of the ray-florets red, the upper part yellow. Galanthus. The Snowdrop. Early spring-flowering amaryllidaceons bulbs, with pretty drooping flowers, snow-white, having the tips of the enclosed petals green. The common sort is G. uivalis, which blossoms on the first break of the winter frosts ; G. Imperati and G. plicatus have larger flowers. Gaura. G. Lindheimeri, 3 to 5 feet, is much branched, with elegant white and red flowers of the onagraceous type, in long slender ramose spikes during the late summer and autumn months. Light garden soil ; not long-lived. Gentiana. Beautiful tufted erect-stemmed plants preferring a strong rich loamy soil. G. acaulis, known as the Gentianella, forms a close carpet of shining leaves, and in summer bears large erect tubular deep blue flowers. G. Audrewsii, 1 foot, has, during summer, large deep blue flowers in clusters, the corollas closed at the mouth ; G. asc lepiadea, 18 inches, purplish-blue, flowers in July. Geranium. Showy border flowers, mostly growing to a height of 1J or 2 feet, having deeply cut leaves, and abundant saucer-shaped blossoms of considerable size. G. ibericum, platypetalum, and Backhousianum are desirable purple-flowered sorts; G. sanguineum, a tufted grower, has the flowers a deep rose colour ; and the double-flowered white and blue forms of G. pratense and G. sylvaticum make pretty summer flowers. Good garden soil. Geum. Pretty rosaceous plants. The single and double flowered forms of G. chiloense, 2 feet, with brilliant scarlet flowers, and G. moutana, 9 inches, yellow, are amongst the best sorts. Good garden soil. Gynerium. The Pampas-Grass, a noble species, introduced from Buenos Ayres ; it forms huge tussocks, 4 or 5 feet high, above which towards autumn rise the bold dense silvery plumes of the inflorescence. It does best in sheltered nooks. Gypsophila. Interesting caryophyllaceous plants, thriving in dryish situations. G. paniculata, 2 feet, from Siberia, forms a dense semi-globular mass of small white flowers from July onwards till autumn, and is very useful for cutting. Ilelenium. Showy composites of free growth in lightish soil. II. autum- nale, 4 feet, bears a profusion of yellow-rayed flower-heads in August and September. Hclianthethum. Dwarf subshrubby plants well suited for rockwork, and called Sun-Roses from their blossoms resembling small wild roses, and their thriving best in sunny spots. Some of the handsomest are H. roseum, mutabile, cupreum, andrhodanthum, with red flowers ; 11. vulgare flore-pleno, grandiflorum, and stramineum, with yellow flowers ; and H. macranthum and papyraceum, with the flowers white. Helianthus. The Sunflower genus, of which there are several ornamental kinds. H. multiflorus, 4 feet, and its double-flowered varieties, bear showy golden yellow flower-heads in profusion, and are well adapted for shrubbery borders ; H. orgyalis, 8 feet, has drooping willow-like leaves. Heliehrysum. Composite plants, with the flower-heads of the scarious character known as Everlastings. H. arenarium, C to 8 inches, is a pretty species, of dwarf spreading habit, with woolly leaves and corymbs of golden yellow flowers, about July. HelleboruK. Charming very early blooming dwarf ranuuculaceous herbs. II. niger or Christmas Rose, the finest variety of which is called maximus, has white showy saucer-shaped flowers ; II. orientalis, 1 foot, rose-coloured ; II. atrorubens, 1 foot, purplish-red ; and II. colchicus, 1 foot, deep purple. Deep rich loam. Hcpatica. Charming little tufted plants requiring good loamy soil, an&amp;lt; sometimes included with Anemone. II. triloba, 4 inches, has three-lobed leaves, and a profusion of small white, blue, or pink single or double flowers, from February onwards ; II. angnlosa, from Transylvania, G to 8 inches, is a larger plant, with sky-blue flowers. Hcsperis.ll. rnatronalis, 1 to 2 feet, is the old garden Rocket, of which some double forms with white and purplish blossoms are amongst the choicest of border flowers. They require a rich loamy soil, not too dry, and should be divided and transplanted into fresh soil annually or every second year, in the early autumn season. Hibiscus. Showy malvaceous plants. II. Moschentos, rose coloured, and II. palustris, purple, both North American herbs, 3 to 5 feet high, are suitable for moist borders or for boggy places near the margin of lakes. Iberis. The Candytuft, of which several dwarf spreading subshrubby species arc amongst the best of rock plants, clothing the surface with tufts of green shoots, and flowering in masses during May and June. The best are I. saxatilis, to 10 inches; I. sempervirens, 12 to 15 inches; and I. Pruitii (variously called coriacea, carnosa, correa-folia), 12 inches. Lathyrus. Handsome climbing herbs, increased .by seeds or division. L. graudiilorus, 3 feet, has large rose-coloured flowers with purplish-crimson