Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/264

252 252 HORTICULTURE [FLOWEES. wings, In June; L. latifollus, the Everlasting Pen, feet, has bright rosy flowers ill the late summer and autumn ; the vars. albus, white, and superbus, deep rose, are distinct. Ordinary garden soil. Laoatera. L. tliuriiigiacea, 4 feet, is a tine erect-growing malvaceous plant, producing rosy -pink blossoms freely, about August and September. Good garden soil. Lcucojum. Suowflake. Pretty early-blooming bulbs, quite hardy. L. vernum, 6 inches, blooms shortly after the snowdrop, and should have a light rich soil and sheltered position ; L. pulchellum, 1J feet, blooms in April and May ; and L. ajstivum, 2 feet, ill May. All have white pendent flowers, tipped with green. Liatriii. Pretty composites with the flower-heads collected. into spikes. L. pumila, 1 foot, L. squarrosa, 2 to 3 feet, L. spieata, 3 to 4 feet, L. pyciio- staehya, 3 to 4 feet, all have rosy -purplish flowers. Deep, cool, and moist soil. Linaria. Toadflax. Pretty serophulariads, of which L. alpina, 3 to (i inches, with bluish-violet flowers having a brilliant orange spot, is suitable for rockwork ; L. dalmatica, 4 feet, and L. genista;folia, 3 feet, both yellow flowered, are good border plants. Linuin. Ylnx. L. alpinum, 6 inches, large, dark blue ; L. narbonense, 1J feet, large, blue ; L. perenne, li feet, cobalt blue ; and L. arboreum (flavum), 1 foot, yellow, are all pretty. The last is liable to suffer from damp during winter, and some spare plants should be wintered in a frame. Lithospermum. L. prostratum, 3 inches, is a trailing evergreen herb, with narrow hairy leaves, and paniculate brilliant blue flowers in May and June. Well adapted for rockwork or banks of sandy soil. Lupinus. Showy erect-growing plants with papilionaceous flowers, thriv ing in good deep garden soil. L. polyphyllus, 3 feet, forms noble tufts of palmate leaves, and long spikes of bluish-purple or white flowers in June and July ; L. arboreus is subshrubby, and has yellow flowers. Lychnis. Brilliant erect-growing caryophyllaceous plants, thriving best in beds of peat earth, or of deep sandy loam. L. ehalcedonica, 3 feet, has dense heads of bright scarlet flowers, both single and double, iu June and July ; L. fulgens, 1 foot, vermilion; L. Haageana, 1$ feet, scarlet; and L. grandiflora, 1 foot, coppery-orange, are all large-flowered and showy, but require a little protection in winter. Malva. M. moschatn, 2 feet, with a profusion of pale pink or white flowers, and musky deeply- cut leaves, though a British plant, is worth introducing to the flower borders when the soil is light and free. Mertensia. M. virginica,.! to 1 feet, azure-blue, shows flowers in drooping panicles in May and June. It does best in shady peat borders. Minmlus. Monkey-flower. Free-blooming, showy scrophulariaceous plants, thriving best in moist situations. M. cardinalis, a to 3 feet, has scarlet flowers, with the limb segments reflexed; M. luteus and its many garden forms, 1 to 1 j feet, are variously coloured and often richly spotted ; and M. cupreus, 8 to 10 inches, is bright coppery-red. M. moschatus is the Musk-plant, of which the variety Harrisoni is .a greatly improved form, with much larger yellow flowers. Mnnarda. Handsome labiate plants, flowering towards autumn, and pre ferring a cool soil and partially shaded situation. M. didyma, 2 feet, scarlet or white ; M. flstulosa, 3 feet, purple ; and M. purpurea, 2 feet, deep purple, are good border flowers. Muscari. Pretty dwarf spring-flowering bulbs. M. botryoides (Grape Hyacinth), 6 inches, blue or white, is the handsomest ; M. moschatum (Musk Hyacinth), 10 inches, has peculiar livid greenish-yellow flowers and a strong musky odour; M. monstrosum (Feather Hyacinth), bears sterile flowers broken up into a feather-like mass. Good garden soil. Myosotis. Forget-me-not. Lovely boraginaceous plants. M. dissitiflora, 6 to 8 inches, with large handsome and abundant sky-blue flowers, is the best and earliest, flowering from February onwards ; it does well in light cool soils, preferring peaty ones, and should be renewed annually from seeds or cuttings. M. rnpicqla, 2 to 3 inches, intense blue, is a flue rock plant, pre ferring shady situations and gritty soil ; M. sylvatica, 1 foot, blue, pink, or white, used for spring bedding, should be sown annually in August. Nardosmia. X. fragrans, the Winter Heliotrope, though of weedy habit, with ample cordate coltsfoot-like leaves, yields in January and February its abundant spikes, about a foot high, of greyish flowers scented like heliotrope ; it should have a corner to itself. Nepeta. NV Mussinii, 1 foot, Is a compactly spreading greyish-leaved labiate, with lavender-blue flowers, and is sometimes used for bedding or for marginal lines in large compound beds. Nicrembergia. N. rivularis, 4 inches, from La Plata, has slender creeping rooting stems, bearing stalked ovate leaves, and large funnel-shaped white [lowers, with a remarkably long slender tube ; especially adapted for rock- work, requiring moist sandy loam. (Enothera. The genus of the Evening Primrose, consisting of showy onagrads, all of which grow and blossom freely in rich deep soils. (E. mis- souriensis (macrocarpa), 6 to 12 inches, has stout trailing branches, lance- shaped leaves, and large yellow blossoms ; (E. taraxacifolia, G to 12 inches, has a stout crown from which the trailing branches spring out, and these bear very large white flowers changing to delicate rose ; this perishes in cold soils, and should therefore be raised from seed annually. Of erect habit are &amp;lt;E. speciosa, 1 to 2 feet, with large white flowers ; (E. fruticosa, 2 to 3 feet, with abundant yellow flowers ; and CE. serotina, 2 feet, also bright yellow. Omphalodes. Elegant dwarf borageworts. O. verna, 4 to 6 inches, a creep ing shade-loving plant, has bright blue flowers in the very early spring; 0. Luciliaj, 6 inches, has much larger lilac-bluo flowers, and is au exquisite rock plant for warm sheltered spots. Light sandy soil. Onosma. O. taurica, 6 to 8 inches, is a charming boraginaceous plant, from the Caucasus, producing hispid leaves, and cymose heads of drooping tubular yellow flowers. It is of evergreen habit, and requires a warm position on the rockwork, and well-drained sandy soil ; or a duplicate should be sheltered during winter in a cold dry frame. Ourisia. Handsome scrophulariaceous plants, from Chili, thriving in moist well-drained peaty soil, and in moderate shade. 0. coccinea, 1 foot, has erect racemes of pendent crimson flowers. Papaver. The Poppy. Very showy plants, often of strong growth, and of easy culture in ordinary garden soil. P. orientale, 3 feet, has crimson-scarlet flowers, G inches across, and the variety bracteatum closely resembles it, but has leafy bracts just beneath the blossom. P. alpinum, inches, white with yellow centre ; P. nudicaule, 1 foot, yellow, scented, and P. pilosum, 1 to 2 feet, deep orange, are ornamental smaller kinds. Pentstemon. The popular garden varieties arc noticed under par. 03. Other distinct kinds are P. campanulatus, 1 feet, pale rose, of bushy habit; P. humilis, 9 inches, bright blue; P. speciosus, cyananthus, and Jaffrayanus, 2 to 3 feet, all bright blue ; P. barbatus, 3 to 4 feet, scarlet, in long terminal panicles; P. Murrayanus, 6 feet, with scarlet flowers and connate leaves ; and P. Palmeri, 3 to 4 feet, with large wide-tubed rose- coloured flowers. Phlnmia.- Bold and showy labiates, growing in ordinary soil. P. Russelliana (luuariuifolia), 4 feet, yellow, and P. tuberosa, 3 feet, purplish-rose, both with downy hoary leaves, come in well in broad flower borders. P!il/sosteyiu. ) a.]. autumn-blooming labiates, of easy growth in ordinary garden soils. P. imbricata, 5 to 6 feet, has pale purple flowers in closely im bricated spikes. Polemonium. Pretty border flowers. P. coeruleum (Jacob s Ladder), 2 feet, has elegant pinnate leaves, and long panicles of blue rotate flowers. The variety called variegatum has very elegantly marked leaves, and is sometimes used as a margin or otherwise in bedding arrangements. Good garden soil. Polygonatum. Elegant liliaceous plants, with rhizomatous stems. P. multiflorum (Solomon s Seal), 2 to 3 feet, with arching stems, and drooping white flowers from the leaf axils, is a handsome border plant, doing especially well in partial shade amongst shrubs, and also well adapted for pot culture for early forcing. Good garden soil. Polygonum. A large family, varying much in character, often weedy, but of easy culture in ordinary soil. P. vaeciniifolium, G to 10 inches, is a pretty prostrate subshrubby species, with handsome rose-pink flowers, suitable for rockwork, and prefers boggy soil ; P. aftine (Brunonis), I foot, deep rose, is a showy border plant, flowering in the late summer ; P. cuspidatum, 5 to 10 feet, is a grand object for planting where a screen is desired, as it suckers abundantly, and its tall spotted stems and handsome cordate leaves have quite a noble appearance. Primula. Beautiful and popular spring flowers, of which many forms are highly esteemed in most gardens. P. vulgaris, G inches, affords numerous handsome single and double-flowered varieties, with various-coloured flowers for the spring flower beds and borders (par. 68). Besides this, P. Sieboldii (cortusoides amueua), 1 foot, originally deep rose with white eye, but now including many varieties of colour, such as white, pink, lilac, and purple ; P. japonica, 1 to 2 feet, crimson-rose ; P. denticulata, 1 foot, bright bluish-lilac, with its allies P. erosa and P. purpurea, all best grown in a cold frame ; P. viscosa, G inches, purple, and its white variety nivalis, with P. pedemontana and P. spectabilis, 6 inches, both purple; and the charming little Indian P. rosea, 3 to G inches, bright cherry rose colour, are but a few of the many beautiful kinds in cultivation. Pulmonaria. Handsome dwarf borageworts, requiring good deep garden soil. P. oflicinalis, 1 foot, has prettily mottled leaves and blue flowers ; P. sibirica is similar in character, but has broader leaves more distinctly mottled with white. PyrethriiHi. Composite plants of various character, but of easy culture P. Parthenium eximium, 2 feet, is a handsome double white form of ornamental character for the mixed border ; P. uliginosum, 5 to G feet, has fine large white radiate flowers, in October; P. Tehihatchewii, a close-growing dense evergreen creeping species, with long-stalked white flower-heads, is adapted for covering slopes in lieu of turf, and for rockwork. Jiamondia.K,. pyrenaica, 3 to G inches, is a pretty dwarf plant, requiring a warm position on the rockwork, and a moist peaty soil more or less gritty ; it has rosettes of ovate spreading root-leaves, and large purple yellow- centred rotate flowers, solitary or two to three together, on naked stalks. Ranunculus. The florists ranunculus is noticed in par. 70. R. amplexi- caulis, 1 foot, white ; R. aconitifolius, 1 to 2 feet, white, with its double variety R. aconitifolius flore-pleno (Fair Maids of France) ; and R. acris flore-pleno (Bachelor s Buttons), 2 feet, golden yellow, are pretty. Of dwarfer interest ing plants there are R. alpestris, 4 inches, white; R. gramineus, 6 to 10 inches, yellow ; R. parnassifolius, 6 inches, white ; and R. rutrefolius 4 to C inches, white with orange centre. Rudbeclcia. Bold-habited composite plants, well suited for shrubbery borders, and thriving in light loamy soil. The flower-heads have a dark- coloured elevated disk. R. Drummondii, 2 to 3 feet, with the ray-florets reflexed, yellow at the tip and purplish-brown towards the base ; R. fulgida, 2 feet, golden yellow with dark chocolate disk, the flower-heads 2 to 3 inches across ; and R. speciosa, 2 to 3 feet, orange-yellow with blackish- purple disk, the flower-heads 3 to 4 inches across, are showy plants. Salvia. The Sage, a large genus of labiates, often very handsome, but some times too tender for English winters. S. Sclarea, 5 to Gfeet, is a very striking plant little more than a biennial, with branched panicles of bluish flowers issuing from rosy-coloured bracts ; S. patens, 2 feet, which is intense azure, has tuberous roots, and may be taken up, stored away, and replanted in spring like a dahlia. S. pratensis, 2 feet, blue, a showy native species, is quite hardy ; the variety lupinoides has the centre of the lower lip white. Saxij raga.A. very large genus, comprising plants of varied aspect, many of them handsome though simple hi character, and most of them adapted for rockwork, requiring only ordinary good soil. Some of the larger growing species, now often called Megasea, are grand early-flowering border plants with broad leaves and large cymose clusters of rosy-pink flowers, e.g., S. purpurascens, S. cordifolia, and S. crassifolia, with their varieties. Of another group with silvery leaves there are representatives in S. longifolia, S. cfosia, S. Cotyledon, S. pectinata, and S. Rocheliana ; of the green mossy group in S. hypnoides, S. ceratophylla, S. muscoides, &c. ; and of the London Pride section in S. umbrosa, S. Andrewsii, S. Geum, and S. Bucklandii. S. oppositifolia, 2 to 3 inches, purple or white, is a brilliant plant for rock- work, forming a carpet over the surface of the stones. Scilla. Beautiful dwarf bulbous plants, thriving in well-worked sandy loam, or sandy peat. S. bifolia, 3 inches, and S. sibirica, 4 inches, both intense blue, are among the most charming of early spring flowers ; S. patala, 6 to 8 inches, and S. campanulata, 1 foot, with star-shaped greyish-blue flowers, freely produced, are fine border plants, as is the later blooming S. peruviana, 6 to 8 inches, dark blue or white. Sedum. Pretty succulent plants of easy growth, and mostly suitable for rockwork. They are numerous, varied in the colour of both leaves and foliage, and mostly of compact tufted growth. S. spectabile, 1 to li feet, pink, in great eymose heads, is a fine plant for the borders, and worthy also of pot-culture for greenhouse decoration. Mention may also be made of the common S. acre (Stonecrop), 3 inches, yellow, and its variety with yellow- tipped leaves. Sempervivum. House-Leek. Neat-growing succulent plants, forming rosettes of fleshy leaves close to the ground, and rapidly increasing by runner-like offsets; they are well adapted for rockwork, and do best in s;indy soil. The flowers are stellate, cymose, on stems rising from the heart of the leafy rosettes. S. arachnoideum, purplish, S. arenarium, yellow, S. globi- ferum, and S. Laggeri, rose, grow when in flower 3 to G inches high; S. calcareum, rose colour, and S. Boutignianum, pale rose, both have glaucous leaves tipped with purple ; S. Heuffelii, yellow, with deep chocolate leaves, and S. Wulfeni, sulphur-yellow, are from 8 to 12 inches high. Silene. Pretty caryophyllaceous plants, preferring sandy loam, and well adapted for rockwork. S. alpestris, 6 inches, white, and S. quadridentata, 4 inches, white, are beautiful tufted plants for rockwork or the front parts of borders ; S. maritima flore-pleno, 6 inches, white, S. Elizabethan, 4 inches, bright rose, and S. Schafta, G inches, purplish-rose, are also good kinds. Sisyrinchium. Pretty dwarf iridaceous plants, thriving in peaty soil. S. grandiflorum, 10 inches, deep purple or white, blooms about April, and is a line plant for pot-culture in cold frames. Spircea. Vigorous growing plants of great beauty, preferring good deep rather moist soil; the flowers small but very abundant, in large corymbose or spicate panicles. S. Aruiicus 4 feet, white ; S. astilbioides, 2 feet, white ;