glaucous sea-green shade. Flowers of medium size, light brown, tinged
with vermilion, not well-formed, and opening badly. Rootstocks conical
and cylindrical.
=Canna Bonetti.=--Stems vigorous, of a deep-red colour, glaucous towards
the top, and about 8½ ft. high. Leaves deep green, with deep-red veins
and edges, 2 ft. 4 ins. long, and over 8 ins. wide. Flowers rather
large, yellowish-brown, shaded with dark purple, well-formed and
well-opened. Rootstocks thick, elongated. Seeds freely and well.
=Canna Bonetti-major.=--Very like the preceding, but with much taller
stems and larger leaves and flowers.
=Canna Bonetti-semperflorens.=--Stems brown, 6½ ft. to over 8 ft. high.
Leaves lance-shaped, deeply tinged and margined with a dark-red shade.
Flowers rather large, of a wine-red colour. A very free bloomer.
=Canna Bourcier.=--Stems brown, 6½ ft. to nearly 10 ft. high. Leaves
long, lance-shaped, of a deep violet-red colour. Flowers of a brick-red
shaded with salmon-colour. Rootstocks conical, of medium size,
violet-coloured.
=Canna Bihorelli.=--Stems purple, 3¼ ft. to nearly 5 ft. high. Leaves
dark red, with a narrow purple margin. Flowers numerous, light red, in
handsome panicles. Rootstocks conical and rather numerous.
=Canna compacta-grandiflora.=--Stems brown, 3¼ ft. to nearly 5 ft. high.
Leaves dark red, not well set. Flowers very large, well-formed, of a
salmon-shaded-red, in handsome panicles. Rootstocks conical, rather
large, covered with reddish scales.
=Canna Chatei-discolor.=--Stems purple, very robust, 3¼ ft. to nearly 5
ft. high. Leaves thick and firm, of a deep green, finely rayed and
margined with purple. Flowers blood-red, well-formed. Rootstocks
conical, of medium size. A very shy bloomer.
=Canna Chatei-grandis.=--Stems brownish-purple, 6½ ft. high, when not
divided year after year. Leaves at first erect, afterwards deflected
throughout their entire length and spreading very much, 2 ft. 4 ins.
long and 1 ft. wide. Flowers late, crimson, in a handsome panicle.
Rootstocks brown, conical, very short. Ripens its seeds well.
=Canna Daniel Hooibrenk.=--Rhizomes large. Stalks strong, green. Leaves
large, glaucous-green, acuminate. Flowers large, bright orange.
Free-flowering; fine habit Height over 6 ft.
=Canna De Candolle.=--Stems green, about 4 ft. high. Leaves green, badly
set. Flowers very numerous, vermilion shaded with carmine. Rootstocks
conical.
=Canna discolor-floribunda.=--Stems dark red, 3¼ ft. to 4¼ ft. high.
Leaves oblong, 18 ins. long and 10 ins. wide, deep green striped with
purple. Flowers small, orange-red. Rootstocks conical, of medium size.
Ripens its seeds well.
=Canna Député Hénon.=--Stems green, not exceeding 4 ft. 10 ins. in
height. Leaves of a light glaucous-green, oval, acute, erect. Flowers
large, well-formed, of a pure canary-colour, with a brownish-yellow
base, in numerous spikes, which rise gracefully above the foliage to the
height of about 20 ins. Rootstocks cylindrical, elongated, standing at
some distance from the centre of the tuft. Ripens its seeds well.
=Canna Edward Morren.=--Rhizomes conical. Stalks green, numerous. Leaves
clear green, longish. Flowers large, well-formed, yellow, very much
spotted with bright nasturtium-colour. Very floriferous. This is the
finest Canna with spotted flowers. Height 5 ft. to 5½ ft.
=Canna elata-macrophylla.=--Stems reddish below, green and downy above,
more than 8 ft. high. Leaves light green, very large, oval, slightly
waved. Flowers salmon-coloured, small. Rootstocks conical, of medium
size. Seeds freely.
=Canna expansa.=--Stems thicker than in any other variety, green,
downy, 6 ft to over 8 ft. high. Leaves of enormous size (over 4 ft. long
and from 22 ins. to 2 ft. wide), oval, obtuse, spreading horizontally to
a great distance from the stems. Flowers small, vermilion shaded with
salmon, in panicles. Roots fibrous. Should be planted in a
well-sheltered position to save the huge leaves from being torn by the
winds. Never seeds.
=Canna expansa-rubra.=--Stems numerous, vigorous, very thick, dark-red,
4 ft. to nearly 6 ft. high. Leaves of a dark-red colour, and resembling
those of the preceding in size, shape, and arrangement. Flowers large,
with rounded divisions, of a dazzling purple colour. Rootstocks very
thick, cylindrical, and much swollen in the upper part. Like the
preceding, requires a sheltered position.
=Canna elongatissima-rustica.=--Stems deep-green, very thick, 6½ ft. to
over 8 ft. high. Leaves oval, erect, very large, of a deep shining
green, with a narrow dark-red margin. Flowers very small,
orange-rose-coloured. Rootstocks very small, conical, with fibrous
roots. A vigorous-growing variety.
=Canna excelsa-zebrina.=--Stems dark violet-red, downy, rather thick, 6½
ft. to over 8 ft. high. Leaves very large, oval, erect, deep-green,
passing into dark-red, rayed with violet-purple. Flowers small, orange.
Rootstocks small, conical. This is the finest striped variety.
=Canna guayaquilla.=--Rhizomes large, round. Stalks very thick, reddish.
Leaves very wide and large, bordered with purple. Flowers small,
yellowish-orange. Rather uncommon; fine habit; a remarkable kind. Height
over 6 ft.
=Canna gigantea-major.=--Stems thick and vigorous, of a light-green,
slightly reddish below, 6½ ft. to 8½ ft. high. Leaves very large, of a
light glistening green. Flowers, medium size, pale-red. Rootstocks
whitish, very thick, cylindrical, and swollen. A very hardy variety.
=Canna gigantea-rubra.=--Stems dark red, 4 ft. to nearly 6 ft. high.
Leaves broad, obtuse, green, shaded with dark-red. Flowers blood-red, in
panicles. Rootstocks conical, very closely crowded together. Resembles
_C. Chatei-grandis_, but is an inferior variety.
=Canna grandis.=--Stems green, downy, very thick, from nearly 10 ft. to
nearly 12 ft. high. Leaves oval, erect, deep green, very large. Flowers
poppy-red, small, but in large panicles. Rootstocks small, with fibrous
roots.
=Canna grandiflora-floribunda.=--Stems small, from 20 ins. to 3¼ ft.
high, of a light glistening green. Leaves small, light-green and
glistening. Flowers numerous, very large, with rounded divisions,
orange-rose colour, in handsome panicles. Rootstocks yellowish,
numerous, cylindrical, of medium size. A very hardy variety, of great
effect from its brilliant and luxuriant inflorescence.
=Canna Heliconiæfolia.=--Stems deep green and downy, 6½ ft. to over 8
ft. high. Leaves green, oval, erect, very firm. Flowers small, orange.
Roots fibrous. Does not seed before the second year.
=Canna Hostei.=--Stems chestnut-coloured, about 8 ft. high. Leaves
dark-red, lance-shaped. Flowers large, red. Rootstocks dark-red,
conical.
=Canna involventiafolia.=--Stems green, 8 ft. to nearly 10 ft. high.
Leaves very large, reflexed, of a light green. Flowers few and small.
Rootstocks small, with fibrous rootlets.
=Canna Imperator.=--Stems vigorous, very thick, green and downy, reddish
below, 6½ ft. to over 8 ft. at the close of the season. Leaves
half-opened, lance-shaped, light green, with prominent lateral nerve, 2
ft. 4 ins. long by 14 ins. wide. Flowers late, very effective, of a
dazzling blood-red. Rootstocks conical, very short.
=Canna iridiflora-hybrida.=--Stems green, downy, somewhat reddish below,
6½ ft. to over 8 ft. high. Leaves green, very large. Flowers
well-formed, very large, blood-red. Rootstocks small, with fibrous
roots. Flowers to most advantage in a house, where it is really
magnificent.
=Canna iridiflora-rubra.=--Stems brown, 3¼ ft. to nearly 5 ft. high.
Leaves deep green shaded with dark red, and with a narrow dark
purplish-red margin. Flowers large, purplish-red. This variety is not so
tender as the preceding one.
=Canna insignis.=--Stems violet, downy, 3¼ ft. to nearly 5 ft. high.
Leaves oval, extending horizontally, of a tender green, rayed and
margined with purplish-red. Flowers few and small, of an orange-red.
This variety is valuable for its fine foliage.
=Canna Joseph-Auzende.=--Stems green, 4½ ft. high. Leaves green and
flaccid. Flowers deep carmine, of medium size. Rootstocks yellowish,
small and conical. Not a very good variety.
=Canna Jean Bart.=--Rhizomes conical; stalks medium thickness, deep
green, elongated. Flowers very large, deep purple; height 5½ ft. to 6
ft.
=Canna Jean Vandael.=--Rhizomes cylindrical, longish; stalks medium
thickness, numerous, clear green. Leaves clear green, erect, elongated.
Flowers large, well-formed, garnet-red; height 4 ft. to 4½ ft.
=Canna Jussieu.=--Stems green, from nearly 4 ft. to 4¼ ft. high. Leaves
small, glaucous-green. Flowers citron, approaching a chamois-colour.
Rootstocks conical cylindrical. (An inferior variety.)
=Canna Krelagei discolor.=--Stems very thick, from nearly 5 ft. to
nearly 6 ft. high. Leaves broad and thick, dark-red, rayed with
purplish-red. Flowers large, carmine-red, sometimes rayed with white, in
handsome panicles. Rootstocks grey, conical.
=Canna Liervalii.=--Stems dark-red, 6½ ft. high. Leaves of the same
colour, rayed with purple. Flowers orange-red. Rootstocks dark red,
conical.
=Canna Lavallei.=--Stems slender, purplish-brown. Flowers very large,
well-formed, vermilion-orange, becoming yellower as they open.
Rootstocks cylindrical.
=Canna Lemoinei.=--Stems green, 6½ ft. to over 8 ft. high. Leaves very
leathery, of medium size, and deep green colour. Flowers bright orange.
=Canna limbata-major.=--Stems green and downy, 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high.
Leaves large, lance-shaped, narrow, spreading, deep green, 2½ ft. long,
and over 8 ins. wide. Flowers large, orange-red. Rootstocks cylindrical,
narrowed towards the top, closely crowded together. Ripens its seeds
freely.
=Canna maxima.=--Stems green and downy, 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves
very large, lance-shaped, acute, light green, becoming darker in the
course of growth, reflexed, from 2½ ft. to 32 ins. long, and 10 ins. to
1 ft. wide, on stalks 6 or 7 ins. long. Flowers small, orange-yellow.
Roots fibrous, without rootstocks. Does not flower before the second
year, and is valuable only for its foliage.
=Canna Maréchal-Vaillant.=--Stems robust, from 5 ft. to 6 ft. high.
Leaves oblong, lance-shaped, erect, 28 ins. to 32 ins. long, deep green,
striped with purplish-red. Flowers large, elegant, of a pure orange, in
handsome spikes. Rootstocks rather thick, conical and cylindrical,
standing at some distance from the tuft.
=Canna musæfolia-peruviana.=--Stems green and downy, 5 ft. to 6½ ft.
high. Leaves very large, wide, light green. Flowers small, orange.
Rootstocks very small.
=Canna musæfolia minima.=--Leaves of a whitish green, badly set. Flowers
small, orange-brown. No rootstocks.
=Canna musæfolia-hybrida.=--Resembles _C. musæfolia_, but the stems and
leaves are thicker and of a deeper green.
=Canna musæfolia-rubra.=--Stems dark red, 6½ ft. high. Leaves dark
purple-red, oval, very large. Flowers small, salmon-red. Rootstocks very
tender, with fibrous roots. Neglected as too tender and not sufficiently
distinct from several other varieties, such as _C. Chatei-grandis_, etc.
=Canna musæfolia-perfecta.=--Stems from 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves
broad, very firm, of a handsome whitish green. Flowers small, yellow.
Roots fibrous, without rootstocks.
=Canna metallica.=--Resembles _C. nigricans_, and has never justified
its name.
=Canna macrophylla-zebrina.=--Stems violet and downy, 4 ft. to over 5
ft. high. Leaves dark-red, rayed and striped with purple. Flowers red,
with a perennially withered aspect. Rootstocks very small, conical,
closely set round the tuft. This variety is very subject to diseases.
=Canna metallicoides.=--Stems violet, 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves of
medium size, dark-red striped with purple. Flowers medium size,
light-red. Rootstocks small, with fibrous roots.
=Canna nervosa.=--Stems reddish, 3¼ ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves deep
green, rayed and margined with purple. Flowers small, blood-red.
Rootstocks conical.
=Canna nigricans.=--Stems purplish-red, 4¼ ft. to over 8 ft. high.
Leaves lance-shaped, acuminate, erect, of a coppery red, which exhibits
a metallic gleam under sunshine. The old leaves lose their reddish tint,
and assume a duller hue. They are 2½ ft. in length by 10 ins. or 12 ins.
wide. Flowers few and late, of a sad, tawny-yellow colour. Rootstocks
brownish, conical. Seldom seeds. One of the finest kinds.
=Canna nana-superba.=--Stems green, growing very closely together, and
from 20 ins. to 32 ins. high. Leaves small, of a handsome green. Flowers
large, badly formed, of a brick-red, becoming darker as they open.
Rootstocks grey, small, conical (A very inferior variety.)
=Canna nepalensis-grandiflora.=--Has the same habit and foliage as the
type (_C. nepalensis_), but is a dwarfer variety with better-shaped
flowers of a sulphur-yellow, sometimes dotted with red.
=Canna Oriflamme.=--Rhizomes conical, stalks deep green. Leaves good
size, elongated, acuminate, deep green lightly striped. Flowers very
large, deep orange, in panicles which stand up considerably above the
foliage. Height 5 ft. to 5½ ft.
=Canna Pie IX.=--Stems small, green, slightly reddish below, 3¼ ft. to 4
ft. high. Leaves small, of a pale glaucous-green, erect, lance-shaped,
acuminate. Flowers large, light yellow with a deep orange claw, very
numerous, in closely-crowded panicles. Rootstocks conical and
cylindrical. Excellent for edgings.
=Canna Parmentier.=--Stems small, green, 4 ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves
glaucous-green, small. Flowers brownish-yellow. Rootstocks grey, conical
and cylindrical. (An inferior variety.)
=Canna purpurea-hybrida.=--Stems dark-red, from 4½ ft. to over 5 ft.
high. Leaves dark-red, rayed with reddish-purple. Flowers large,
brownish-yellow. Rootstocks small, conical, crowded. A very handsome
variety, but tender.
=Canna Porteana.=--Stems small, dark-red, 3¼ ft. to 4 ft. high. Leaves
red, with a metallic lustre. Flowers medium-sized, light orange.
Rootstocks grey, small, forming a close, compact tuft. A fine but tender
variety.
=Canna picturata-fastuosa.=--Stems numerous, green, 5 ft. to 6½ ft.
high. Leaves green, glaucescent, narrow, much pointed, over 2 ft. long
by 6 ins. wide. Flowers large, well-opened, light yellow speckled with
red. Blooms luxuriantly and continuously from the end of July to the
first frosts. Rootstocks white, with grey scales, cylindrical, much
elongated.
=Canna picturata-nana.=--Stems small, green, from 20 ins. to 2 ft.
high. Leaves very small, of a light green. Flowers large, yellow,
spotted with red. Rootstocks whitish, small, conical. A charming variety
for edgings.
=Canna Plantieri.=--Stems very thick, reddish below, deep green above,
3¼ ft. to over 8 ft. high. Leaves green, glaucous, lance-shaped, acute.
Flowers large, bright yellow, changing to orange. Rootstocks greyish,
rather thick, conical and cylindrical. A late and shy bloomer.
=Canna Prémices-de-Nice.=--Stems and leaves like those of _C. Annei_, 3¼
ft. to 5 ft. high. Flowers very large, bright yellow, sometimes dotted
with salmon-colour. Rootstocks conical and cylindrical, rather shorter
than those of _C. Annei_. A very free-flowering and hardy variety.
=Canna rubra-superbissima.=--Stems dark purple-red, very thick, from
nearly 6 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves broad, round, purplish-red, with a
metallic lustre. Flowers of medium size, light orange-red. Rootstocks
brownish, very thick, conical, crowded together. One of the finest
metallic-red-leaved Cannas.
=Canna rubricaulis.=--Stems dark-red, from nearly 6 ft. to 7½ ft. high.
Leaves dark-red, rayed and margined with purple-red. Rootstocks greyish,
small, conical. (Inferior to the preceding variety.)
=Canna rubra-nerva.=--Stems dark-red, from 3½ ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves
long and narrow, lance-shaped, reflexed, dark-red rayed with purple.
Flowers large, of a cinnabar red. Rootstocks dark-red, very long,
conical, and cylindrical. Resembles a weeping willow.
=Canna rubra-perfecta.=--Stems dark-red, from 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high.
Leaves dark-red, rayed with purple. Flowers of medium size, orange-red.
Rootstocks dark-red, conical. Seeds freely.
=Canna rotundifolia-vera.=--Stems very thick, green, downy below, from
3¼ ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves round, reflexed, of a deep glistening
green. Flowers medium-sized, opening very badly, of a carmine-red.
Rootstocks medium-sized, conical. (A tender variety.)
=Canna rotundifolia-rubra-major.=--Stems dark-red, numerous, very thick,
vigorous, from 3¼ ft. to 5¼ ft. high. Leaves round, obtuse, spreading
almost horizontally, pale-red, with a dark purplish-red midrib and
border. Rootstocks dark-red, very thick, cylindrical, much swollen
above.
=Canna rotundifolia-metallica.=--Similar to the preceding, but with
coppery-red leaves which have a metallic lustre.
=Canna Rendatleri.=--Stems light purplish-red, of medium thickness,
vigorous, rather distant from each other, from nearly 6 ft. to over 8
ft. high. Leaves much pointed, deep-green tinged with dark-red, badly
set. Flowers numerous, very large, well-opened, salmon-red. Rootstocks
greyish, conical, cylindrical. Ripens its seeds badly.
=Canna Rodezii.=--Stems small, numerous, from 4 ft. to 6¼ ft. high.
Leaves green, glaucous, lanceolate, acute, very narrow. Flowers large,
marigold-orange. Rootstocks whitish, cylindrical, very slender and long.
A variety desirable for its flowers, but not ornamental in foliage.
=Canna Thibauti.=--Stems purplish-brown, from 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high.
Leaves broad, thick, dark-red, rayed with purple. Flowers very large,
well-opened, poppy-red, in crowded panicles. Rootstocks white, small,
crowded together.
=Canna striata.=--Stems green, slender, 3¼ ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves
small, very narrow, erect, glaucous-green. Flowers yellow, speckled and
rayed with red. Rootstocks small, cylindrical, crowded at the base of
the plant. Inferior to _C. picturata-nana_ of the same colour.
=Canna Warscewiczioides-Chatei.=--Stems dark-red, thick, from 6½ ft. to
over 7 ft. high. Leaves very large, dark-red. Flowers small, blood-red,
in very large panicles. Rootstocks brown, rather thick, cylindrical.
=Canna Warscewiczioides-nobilis.=--Stems deep-green, tinged with
dark-red, from 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves deep-green, rayed and
margined with dark-red. Rootstocks medium-sized, conical, crowded around
the base of the plant.
=Canna Van-Houttei.=--Stems dark-red, vigorous, from 5 ft. to 6½ ft.
high. Leaves lance-shaped, pointed, green, rayed and margined with dark
purplish-red, 2 ft. to 2½ ft. long. Flowers large, well-formed,
poppy-red. Rootstocks grey, long, cylindrical. A very handsome and hardy
variety.
=Canna zebrina.=--Stems green, tinged with dark-red, small, from 32 ins.
to 3¼ ft. high. Leaves deep-green, rayed and striped with dark-red.
Flowers small, orange tinged with salmon. Rootstocks whitish, conical. A
tardy grower.
=Canna zebrina-major.=--Stems green tinged with dark-red, downy, of
medium size, 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high. Leaves oval, erect, deep-green,
rayed and striped with dark purplish-red. Flowers very small, red.
Rootstocks brown, rather thick, conical, swollen.
=Canna zebrina-elegantissima.=--Stems dark-red, vigorous, 4 ft, to 5 ft.
high. Leaves very large, lance-shaped, deep-green, striped with dark
purplish-red. Flowers of medium size, yellowish-brown tinged with
scarlet. Rootstocks greyish, conical, swollen.
=Canna zebrina-géant.=--Stems deep-green, tinged with violet-red, very
thick, downy. Leaves very large, thick, deep-green, rayed with dark-red.
Flowers large, light-red. Rootstocks whitish, conical, closely crowded
together. Difficult to flower, but very ornamental in foliage.
=Canna zebrina-violacea.=--Stems violet, downy, slender, about 4 ft.
high. Leaves violet, rayed with purple. Flowers of medium size,
bright-red. Roots fibrous. A very tender variety, with badly-developed
leaves.
=Canna zebrina-nana.=--Stems green tinged with dark-red, 16 ins. to 20
ins. high. Leaves small, light-green, rayed and margined with purple.
Flowers of medium size, light-red. Rootstocks small, crowded on one
another. Excellent for large edgings.
=Canna Ferrandii.=--Stems dark purplish-red, 4 ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves
medium-sized, dark-red, margined with purple. Flowers large, blood-red,
very numerous, in handsome panicles.
=Canna Auguste Ferrier.=--Stems green, very thick, downy, nearly 10 ft.
high. Leaves very large, oval, erect, pointed, deep-green, with narrow
stripes and margin of dark purplish-red. Flowers of medium size,
orange-red. Rootstocks small, but very hardy. A shy bloomer, but of
remarkably fine habit and foliage.
=Canna Barilletti.=--Stems red, vigorous, nearly 10 ft. high. Leaves
very large, deep-red. Flowers small, orange-red. Rootstocks very small,
conical, with fibrous roots.
The number of Cannas enumerated is so large that it is desirable to make
a selection from them. A still narrower selection is indicated by
asterisks.
A SELECTION OF CANNAS.
C. Annei
“ -discolor
atronigricans
atropurpurea
*Auguste Ferrier
aurantiaca-splendida
aurantiaca-zebrina
*Amelia
Barilletti
Bihorelli
Bonetti
*Chatei-discolor
“ -grandis
Député Hénon
discolor
*excelsa-zebrina
expansa
“ -rubra
C. *elegantissima rustica
Ferrandii
gigantea
grandiflora-floribunda
iridiflora
“ -hybrida
“ -rubra
insignis
*Imperator
*Krelagei discolor
Lavallei
Liliiflora
limbata
macrophylla
musæfolia
maxima
Maréchal-Vaillant
*nigricans
C. peruviana purpurea
“ robusta
*purpurea spectabilis
*Porteana
*picturata-fastuosa
“ -nana
Pie IX.
Prémices-de-Nice
Rendatleri
rotundifolia-metallica
“ -rubra
Thibauti
Van-Houttei
zebrina-nana
“ -elegantissima
=*Cannabis sativus= (_Hemp-plant_).--A well-known annual, native of
India and Persia, and largely cultivated in Europe for the sake of its
fibre. In ordinary situations it grows from 4 ft. to 10 ft. high, but in
Italy, under very favourable circumstances, it sometimes grows as high
as 20 ft. In plants growing singly the stem is frequently much branched,
but when grown in masses it is generally straight and unbranched. The
leaves are long-stalked, and composed of from five to seven long,
lance-shaped, sharp-pointed leaflets, radiating from the top of the
stalk, and with the margins cut into sharp saw-like teeth. This
well-known plant is useful where the tenderer subtropical plants cannot
be enjoyed. Single well-grown plants of it look very imposing and
distinct, and are good for the backs of borders or mixed groups. For
these purposes, it should be sown early in April in the open ground. To
get large plants it would no doubt be worth while raising it in frames.
It loves a warm, sandy loam.
=*Carduuse riophorus= (_Woolly-headed Thistle_).--A remarkably
conspicuous native plant, with a much-branched, furrowed, hairy stem 3
ft. to 5 ft. high, and very deeply cut and undulated spiny leaves, the
lower ones often 2 ft. long. The flower-heads are very large, of a
purplish-red colour, and surrounded on the under side with a dense white
cottony web. There are few plants more handsome or novel in appearance
than an established one of this. It is suitable for borders, or groups
of hardy fine-foliaged plants, and grows well in any ordinary
garden-soil. Seed.
=*Carex paniculata.=--A very large sedge, growing somewhat like a dwarf
tree-fern, with strong and thick stems, and with luxuriant masses of
drooping leaves. The roots form dense elevated tufts, frequently
elevated from one to three feet above the surface of the ground; and
when the plant is in flower, it generally exhibits a large and
spreading panicle. The leaves are rough and broad, and the flower-spike
from 3 ins. to 6 ins. long. A few tufts of this are very effective on
the margins of water near groups of picturesque plants. The finer
specimens are of great age, and must be procured from the bogs where the
plant occurs wild.
=*Carex pendula.=--A very handsome plant, unlike any of the other
British Carices, growing in large round tufts, with numerous
flowering-stems and barren shoots, which attain a height of from 3 ft.
to 6 ft. The leaves are often 2 ft. or more in length, and are chiefly
at the base of the plant. It is most attractive when in flower, from the
graceful disposition of its pendent spikes, which are usually about
half-a-dozen in number, and each from 4 ins. to 7 ins. in length. Very
suitable for the margin of water or for boggy or moist spots.
[Illustration: Carlina acaulis.]
=*Carlina acaulis.=--A hardy perennial, rather interesting from its
foliage, which has some resemblance to the leaves of a miniature
Acanthus, and is disposed in a broad, handsome, regular rosette very
close to the ground. Its single yellowish flower, 3 ins. or more across,
is borne on a very short, erect stalk in the centre of the rosette.
Although too dwarf for association with plants of more imposing stature,
it is well worthy of a place on a bank or slope, or on the margins of
low beds or groups, where its pleasing aspect and very distinct habit
will be
[Illustration: CARYOTA SOBOLIFERA.
Tender Palm; for summer use in the southern counties only.]
seen to best advantage. It thrives best in dry, stony, calcareous soil,
and is easily multiplied by sowing. In the mountainous districts of
France the flowers are gathered by the inhabitants, and used as a
substitute for artichokes. Central Europe.
=Carludovica palmata.=--A very ornamental, palm-like plant, from 4 ft.
to 7 ft. high, with rich dark-green leaves from 2 ft. to 3 ft. broad,
and divided into four lobes, each of which is again divided at the apex
into narrow segments. The leaf-stalks are round, smooth, and without
spines, and are of the same colour as the leaves. This interesting plant
will stand the open air in summer, from early June till October, but
requires warm house treatment in winter, with plenty of water at all
times. Seed. Peru and New Granada.
=Caryota sobolifera.=--An elegant Palm, with a slender stem and shining
light-green bipinnate leaves. The leaf-stalks, when young, are clothed
with a short, black, scaly tomentum, which falls off as the plant grows
older. It is often confounded with _C. urens_, but may be easily
distinguished from it by the suckers which it produces very freely from
its base. Similar treatment and uses to those given for _C. urens_, with
which it is of much the same value for the open garden. Malacca.
=Caryota urens.=--An East Indian Palm, with a stout stem, and an elegant
crown of spreading bipinnate leaves, from 3 ft. to 12 ft., or more, in
length, of a dark-green colour, the leaflets being 6 ins. to 9 ins. long
by 2 ins. to 4 ins. wide. When young, it should be potted in equal parts
of loam and vegetable mould, with a little sand; the pot to be well
drained, and water given liberally during the growing season. It is
generally seen in a small state in this country; and though it stands
the open air in summer, from June till the end of September, pretty
well, it can never be of much importance for our open-air gardening.
=*Cassia marilandica.=--A hardy, graceful perennial, 3½ ft. to 5 ft.
high, with pinnate leaves, resembling those of the Acacia, and slender
stems, bearing yellow flowers, in numerous small clusters in autumn. It
is somewhat late in growth, but once commenced, grows with great
rapidity. It thrives best in a position with a south aspect, and may be
multiplied either by division in spring, or by sowing from April to
June. It should always be planted in a warm, deep, sandy loam, and is
very suitable for borders or association in groups with the finer hardy
subjects, its graceful leaves qualifying it for a place in a group of
hardy foliage-plants. In naturally warm, deep, and well-drained soils it
will prove a noble subject for the back parts of borders. N. America.
=*Centaurea babylonica.=--Among the Centaureas there are a few subjects
which might be used among hardy fine-leaved plants, but by far the most
distinct and remarkable is the very silvery-leaved _C. babylonica_. This
is quite hardy, and when planted in good ground, sends up strong shoots,
clad with yellow flowers, to a height of 10 ft. or 12 ft. The bloom,
which continues from July to September, is not by any means so
attractive as the leaves; but the plant is at all times picturesque. In
groups, or, still better, isolated, on rough or undulating parts of
pleasure-grounds, it has a very fine effect. A free sandy loam suits it
best. Seed. Levant.
[Illustration: CENTAUREA BABYLONICA.
Coarse herbaceous Section; for isolation by wood-walks, etc.]
=Centaurea Clementei.=--A plant of robust growth (resembling _C.
ragusina_, but much larger in every part), with broad crowns of leaves,
which are deeply serrated and cut into lobes. To the elegance of the
foliage must be added its beauty of colouring, the leaf in a young state
being covered with down as white as snow, and when fully matured and
developed still retaining a silvery appearance. This plant, which I
first saw in M. Boissier’s garden, near Lausanne, I have no experience
of as a hardy plant in this country; but whatever its value in this
respect may be, there can be no doubt that for the summer garden it will
prove as effective as either _C. gymnocarpa_ or _C. ragusina_, both
exceptionally fine and useful plants. The same treatment will suit it.
=Centaurea dealbata= is a dwarf hardy species from the Caucasus, with
elegant foliage, white underneath, and rosy flowers: suitable among
dwarf hardy subjects.
=Centaurea gymnocarpa.=--A half-shrubby plant from the South of Europe,
nearly 2 ft. high, with hard, branching, bushy stems, and elegantly cut,
arching leaves, which are covered with a short, whitish-satiny down. A
variety (_C. plumosa_) has the leaves much more divided, and not so
white. This plant is somewhat hardier than _C. ragusina_, but both
require greenhouse treatment in winter. Same soil, positions, and
treatment as for _C. ragusina_. Useful as this is as an edging or
bedding plant, it is when grown as fine single specimens that its beauty
is most seen.
=Centaurea ragusina.=--This fine and distinct plant, which has lately
become one of the most popular of our flower-garden ornaments, cannot
be passed by in a book on fine-leaved plants. It is so abundantly used
as a bedding and ribbon-plant, etc., that nothing need be said of it in
these respects, but it will be seen to great advantage in single,
well-grown tufts or small groups, as its silvery leaves would contrast
finely with many of the dark green and glossy things recommended for
this purpose. Readily increased by seeds, or by cuttings. Should be
planted out in May. S. Europe.
=Chamædorea.=--A family of Mexican palms, with smooth, fine green stems,
resembling those of the bamboos, seldom more than 15 ft. or 20 ft. high
and 1 in. or 2 ins. thick, surmounted by tufts of eight or nine pinnate
or almost entire leaves, nearly 8 ft. in length. Among the most
ornamental species are _C. elatior_, _C. elegans_, and _C.
Ernesti-Augusti_. These elegant palms may, with advantage, be placed in
the open air in early summer, in sunny but sheltered nooks, and taken in
at the end of September. Their small, elegant heads particularly fit
them for placing here and there among groups of medium-sized,
fine-leaved plants, or among mixed masses of dahlias, cannas, etc.
=*Chamæpeuce diacantha.=--A spiny-leaved biennial of remarkable habit,
growing in tufts of six or eight stems, from 2 ft. to nearly 3 ft. high,
which, in the following season, are terminated by dense, spike-like
clusters of purplish blooms. It requires light, well-drained soil and a
warm position, and should seldom be watered. As the stems are not
produced until the second year, the radical rosettes of the first year
may be advantageously used in forming edgings, or on the margins of
groups, for which
[Illustration: CHAMÆDOREA.
Slender Palm Type; for placing amidst groups of dwarfer subjects during
the summer months.]
their light-green, silver-veined leaves are very suitable, or they may
serve to fill a vacant space in the mixed border. Multiplied by sowing
in spring or autumn. The plants require the shelter of a house in
winter, and are only effective for edgings in the young or rosette
stage.
=*Chamærops excelsa.=--A hardy species, with an erect stem, 20 ft. or 30
ft. high in its native country, and dark-green, erect, fan-shaped
leaves, deeply cut into narrow segments. The leaf-stalks are from 3 ft.
to 6 ft. long, and are enclosed at the base in a dense mass of rough
fibres, and armed at the edges with small, tooth-like spines. This plant
remains out during the winter in the neighbourhood of Paris, in
sheltered positions, the stem being protected in severe frosts with a
covering of straw, etc., and it is worth a trial in the south with us.
=*Chamærops Fortunei= (_The Chusan Palm_).--This species is often
confounded with _C. excelsa_, from which, however, it differs in being
of a stouter habit, having a more profuse matted network of fibres
around the bases of the leaves and crown, the segments of the leaves
much broader, and the leaf-stalks shorter and stouter, from 1 ft. to 2
ft. long, and quite unarmed. It grows 12 ft. or more in height, and has
a handsome, spreading head of fan-like leaves, which are slit into
segments about half-way down.
It may not be generally known that this palm is perfectly hardy in this
country. A plant of it in Her Majesty’s gardens at Osborne has stood out
for many winters and attained a considerable height. It is also placed
out at Kew, though protected in winter. On the water-side of the high
mound in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, it is in even better
health than at Kew, though it has not had any protection for years, and
stood the fearfully hard frost of 1860. If small plants of this are
procured, it is better to grow them on freely for a year or two in the
greenhouse, and then turn them out in April, spreading the roots a
little and giving them a deep loamy soil. Plant in a sheltered place, so
that the leaves may not be injured by winds when they grow up and get
large. A gentle hollow, or among shrubs on the sides of some sheltered
glade, will prove the best place for it. The establishment of a palm
among our somewhat monotonous shrubbery and garden vegetation is surely
worthy of a little trouble, and the precautions indicated will prove
quite sufficient.
=Chamærops Palmetto= (_Palmetto Palm_).--This is a rather slow-growing
species, but valuable on account of its hardiness. It grows to a height
of about 15 ft., and has glaucous or sea-green, fan-shaped leaves,
divided into long narrow segments. The stem is smooth or without
prickles. It is a very fine object when planted out; and, grown in tubs
in a cool house or conservatory, stands the open air in summer well, and
should be put out at the end of May.
=*Chenopodium Atriplicis.=--A vigorous-growing Chinese annual, with an
angular, erect, slightly branched, reddish stem, over 3 ft. in height,
the young shoots and leaves covered with a fine rosy violet powder. The
leaves are very numerous, nearly spoon-shaped, and long-stalked. This
plant is very ornamental in foliage, and well adapted for planting on
grass-plats or grouping with
[Illustration: CHAMÆROPS EXCELSA.
Hardy Palm: best in sheltered positions.]
other plants in pleasure-grounds. May be treated as a half-hardy annual.
=Cineraria maritima.=--A very handsome bushy perennial, with finely-cut
leaves, covered on the under side with a silvery down. It bears numerous
heads of bright yellow flowers in summer. When the effect of its foliage
only is desired, the flowering-stems should be pinched off on their
first appearance. The plant then becomes more leafy and more branching.
Multiplied easily by seeds. Useful on the margins of shrubberies, or
isolated on banks, or on the grass of the pleasure-ground, where it
would form an agreeable variety among the _Acanthuses_ and various other
dark-green subjects recommended for this purpose.
=Cineraria Acanthifolia= is a fine variety of the preceding, and well
worthy of cultivation.
=Cladium Mariscus.=--This vigorous native fen-plant grows from 2 ft. to
6 ft. high, and, when in flower, is crowned with dense, close,
chestnut-coloured panicles, which are sometimes 3 ft. in length. The
radical leaves are glaucous, rigid, and often 4 ft. long. Worthy of a
place near such subjects as _Carex pendula_ or the _Typhas_ on the
margin of water.
=Colea Commersonii.=--A shrub from Madagascar, with very large opposite
leaves, each consisting of pairs of oval-obtuse leaflets. This has been
used in the subtropical garden at Battersea Park, but it is not likely
to be of any practical importance in our outdoor gardening. Indeed it
must be a very fine plant in this way which would produce so good an
effect as young plants of _Ailantus glandulosa_.
=*Comptonia asplenifolia.=--This is a quaint-looking little shrub,
fern-like in leaf and neat in habit. The leaves are long, and cut into
numerous rounded lobes, somewhat like those of the _Ceterach_; and the
habit of the shrub is spreading and pleasing. It likes peaty soil, and
may be increased by layers, suckers, or seeds. It should be used as an
isolated specimen on the grass, or associated with such things as the
oak-leaved _Hydrangea_ and _Aralia japonica_. A very pretty object in
the woods of New Jersey and many other parts of N. America, where it is
called the Sweet Fern. It would be peculiarly appropriate for similar
positions in this country, when we have it plentiful enough to
naturalise.
=Cordyline indivisa.=--A magnificent New Zealand plant, with a simple
stem, from 2 ft. to 5 ft. high, and well distinguished by its
excessively thick and leathery leaves, which are from 1 ft. to 5 ft.
long, and 4 or 5 inches broad, lance-shaped, of a dark shining green
colour, the midrib and veins being of a rich deep orange. The flowers
are white, and very densely crowded, in a large drooping panicle. This
fine greenhouse plant may be placed out of doors in summer, from the end
of May till October, with a very good effect; best, perhaps, as an
isolated specimen, the pot being sunk in the grass.
=Corypha australis.=--A noble Australian palm, over 30 ft. high in its
native country, and forming a very effective subject for the subtropical
garden in summer, from June till October. The leaves are nearly
circular, often more than 5 ft. broad, of a dark green colour, very much
plaited, and divided round the edge into narrow segments, and supported
by spiny leaf-stalks, from 6½ ft. to nearly 10 ft. long. It requires
abundance of water, and should have a warm, sunny, and sheltered
position. Few places, however, can afford to have subjects of this
character in the open air, except where there are large conservatories,
in which it is a relief to get more room in summer.
=*Crambe cordifolia.=--This is unquestionably one of the finest of
perfectly hardy and large-leaved herbaceous plants. It is as easily
grown as the common Seakale--more easily, if anything; and in heavy rich
ground makes a splendid head of leaves, surmounted in summer by a dense
spray of very small flowers. In planting it, the deeper and richer the
soil the finer the result. It will prove a capital thing for any group
of fine-leaved hardy plants, and may also be planted wherever a bold
though low type of vegetation is desired.
There is another species, _*C. juncea_, a dwarf kind, with white flowers
and much-branched stems, the ramifications of which are very slender and
elegant. This is also effective, but not so valuable as _C. cordifolia_.
=*Cucurbita perennis.=--A climbing or trailing plant, well adapted for
covering walls, ruins, trellises, steep slopes, etc. It is a very
vigorous grower, its stems sometimes attaining a length of nearly 40 ft.
in one year; but it will probably never do this in our climate. The
leaves are strong, rough, and of a glaucous colour; and the shoots run
about freely if the plant be in very rich soil. Where a bold trailing
plant for high trellis-work, or rough banks, or shaggy rockwork is
desired, it will be found useful; but withal we cannot give it a place
in the front rank, and the small select garden without any of the
above-mentioned appendages will certainly be better without it. For the
botanical garden and curious collections it is indispensable. It is
strong and lasting when well established, and may be allowed to trail
over rough places, stumps, or similar positions. The flowers have a
rather strong odour of violets, and are succeeded by roundish fruit, the
size of a small orange, of a deep green colour barred and speckled with
white. Requires a deep, light soil, and a warm but airy position.
Seedlings and plants in exposed places should be covered in winter with
litter or leaves. It is easily multiplied in spring by division of the
young tuberous stems, or by sowing in light, substantial, well-drained
soil from April to July, or in pots in a lukewarm hotbed in March and
April. It has not, so far as I am aware, fruited in our climate.
=Cyathea dealbata.=--This very handsome fern, known in N. Zealand as the
Silver Tree-fern, has a slender, branched, almost black stem, 4 ft. to 8
ft. high, ending in a fine crown of broadly-oblong twice-divided fronds
of a dark green colour above and milk-white below; the rachis and
midribs when young are covered with brown scales, and afterwards with
pale deciduous down. This plant may be placed in the open air, in the
southern and milder districts, during the summer months from the end of
May till the end of September.
=Cycas revoluta.=--A graceful and well-known plant, with a very stout
stem, sometimes, though rarely, reaching a height of from 6 ft. to 10
ft. from the top of which issues a beautiful crown of dark green
pinnate
[Illustration: CYCAS (_very large and old specimen_).
Stove Section: suitable for placing in the open air, in warm and
sheltered parts of the country, after a strong growth has been made and
matured indoors.]
leaves, from 2 ft. to 6 ft. long. It is one of the most valuable of the
greenhouse plants that may be placed in the open air in summer from the
end of May till October, and is particularly graceful in the centre of a
bed of flowering plants, or isolated with the pot or tub plunged to the
rim in the turf, always in a warm and sheltered position. Increased by
seeds, or by separation of the suckers which are occasionally thrown up.
=*Cynara Scolymus= (_French Artichoke_).--This plant, although chiefly
grown for culinary purposes, possesses sufficient merit as a
foliage-plant to entitle it to a place amongst ornamental subjects. Its
long, deeply-divided leaves, white and downy beneath, its height (4 ft.
to 5 ft.), its purplish flower-heads, and distinct habit render it very
suitable for planting on the irregular and rougher parts of
pleasure-grounds, grass-plats, etc., which are often occupied by
subjects far less striking.
=*Cyperus longus= (_Galingale_).--The stiff, erect, tapering, triangular
stem of this plant, which is from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high, is crowned by a
handsome loose umbellate panicle of chestnut-coloured flower-spikes, at
the base of which there is an involucrum of three or more unequal
leaves. These are often 1 or 2 feet long, the lower ones arching
gracefully and of a bright shining green, giving the plant a very
distinct and pleasing appearance. The rootstock is thick and aromatic,
and was formerly much used in medicine as a tonic. A rare native plant,
suitable for the bog-bed or the margin of water.
=Dahlia imperialis= (_Lily-flowered Dahlia_).--The common Dahlia gives
us no more idea of this than the little vernal Scilla of Britain does of
_Scilla peruviana_. The Imperial Dahlia has very large and graceful,
much divided leaves, and flowers of a pure and beautiful French white,
thrown up in a great cone-like mass, and resembling such lilies as _L.
tigrinum Fortunei_, which, instead of merely developing a head of
flowers, shoot up a great candelabrum laden with them. The flowers of
this dahlia do not, like most of the flowers of composite plants, open
so wide as to stare at you with the brazen look of a sunflower, but, on
the contrary, hang pendulous and half open, with some of the modesty of
the white lily. There is little chance of this species producing its
flowers in the open air in this country, but it will, notwithstanding,
be of service both in the flower-garden and conservatory.
Planted in rich soil, and placed in a warm, sheltered position in the
open air at the end of May, it grows well with us in summer, and, in
consequence of its large and graceful leaves, is an ornament worthy of
being used as a “fine-foliaged” or “subtropical” plant. Just at the time
that it begins to gather together its flowering energies the best of our
season fails, and the plant must soon fail too, if not immediately taken
up and placed in a well-lighted and warm greenhouse. If plunged out in a
large pot or tub during the summer, it may be taken up without injury,
and will in all probability flower under glass in the autumn, and prove
a magnificent ornament. We should have very small hopes of its flowering
well if planted out so that its great roots must be mutilated when being
taken up, and therefore the safe way will be to pot it in a very large
pot, and plunge that in the ground. The roots would probably go through
the pot and enter the ground, but the main mass of them could be taken
up without disturbance,
[Illustration: TREE FERN.
For half-shady sheltered dells, in warmer and milder districts, during
the summer months.]
and then it could if necessary be shifted into a larger pot or small
tub.
=*Datisca cannabina.=--A distinct and gracefully-habited herbaceous
plant from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. The long stems are clothed with large
and handsome pinnate leaves, and the yellowish-green inflorescence
appears towards the end of summer. The male plant has long been known as
a very strong, graceful, and effective herb. The female plant, however,
remains green much longer than the male, and when profusely laden with
fruit, each shoot droops and the whole plant improves in aspect. It
should not be forgotten in any selection of hardy plants of free growth
and imposing aspect. From seed will probably be found the best way to
raise it, and then one would be pretty sure of securing plants of both
sexes.
=Dicksonia antarctica.=--A very noble evergreen tree-fern, with a stout
trunk, which varies considerably in thickness, and attains a height of
30 ft. or more. The fronds, which form a magnificent crown 20 ft. or 30
ft. across, are lance-shaped, much divided, of a shining dark green on
the upper surface, and paler underneath, from 6 ft. to 20 ft. long,
beautifully arched, and becoming pendulous with age. Perhaps the
hardiest of tree-ferns, and therefore most suitable for placing in the
open air in summer in sheltered shady dells, from the middle of May to
the beginning of October.
=*Dicentra (Dielytra) eximia.=--A plant with dense and very graceful
foliage, far more so than any other member of the order in cultivation;
and valuable as a flowering plant too, as the brightly-coloured flowers
remain on for a long time in spring and early summer. It generally grows
from 12 ins. to 16 ins. high, forming thick, almost pyramidal, tufts of
pale green, glaucescent, deeply-divided leaves, and bearing handsome
drooping clusters of large, rose-coloured flowers, often flowering twice
in the year. Although not absolutely necessary, it will be all the
better to plant it in light soil. Multiplied by division of the tufts in
spring. It should be associated with dwarf subjects like _Thalictrum
minus_, or be used on the margins of mixed beds of fine-leaved hardy
plants.
=*Dimorphanthus mandschuricus.=--A magnificent hardy shrub of erect
habit, with very large, much-divided, spiny leaves, which very much
resemble those of the Angelica-tree of North America, and in this
country attaining a height of 6 ft. to 10 ft., which it will probably
much exceed when well established in favourable positions. It is
certainly the most remarkable fine-foliage shrub that has been
introduced into our gardens for years, and is therefore of the highest
importance for the subtropical garden. As to its treatment, it seems to
thrive with the greatest vigour in a well-drained deep loam, and would
grow well in ordinary garden soil. As to position, isolation in some
sheltered but sunny spot will show it to great advantage; but it may
also be grouped with like subjects, always allowing space for the spread
of its great leaves.
=*Dipsacus sylvestris.=--A rather singular-looking hardy native plant, 5
ft. to 6 ft. high, with a prickly, leafy, branching stem, and longish
opposite leaves joined together at their bases. The flowers are of a
pretty purplish rose-colour, and are borne in conical heads 3 ins.
[Illustration: DIMORPHANTHUS MANDSCHURICUS.
Hardy deciduous shrub Section.]
or more in length. Suited for the embellishment of rough, uneven ground,
and will grow well in almost any kind of soil. Still more desirable than
the foregoing is _D. laciniatus_; a native of France, the leaves of
which are fringed with silky hairs instead of spines, and which has
always whitish flowers. Both these plants are biennials, and are easily
raised from seed.
THE DRACÆNAS.
Long as this noble family has been known in our gardens, we have yet to
learn a great deal about its use and beauty. Hitherto only allowed to
grace a stove or conservatory now and then, the Dracænas in future will
be among the indispensable ornaments of every garden where grace or
variety is sought. They are among the very best of those subjects which
may be brought from the conservatory or greenhouse in early summer, and
placed in the flower-garden till it is time to take them in again to the
houses in which they are to pass the winter months. And if it were not
necessary to protect them through the winter, it would be almost worth
our while to bring them indoors at that season, so graceful are they,
and so useful for adding the highest character to our conservatories.
The hardier and most coriaceous kinds, like _indivisa_ and _Draco_, may
be placed out with impunity very far north. The brightly coloured kinds,
like _D. terminalis_, have been tried in the open air at Battersea, but
not with success. It would be dangerous to try them in the open air much
farther north, except in very favourable spots. The better kinds are
indicated in the select list of subtropical plants. _D. indivisa_ grows
well in the open air in the south of England and Ireland.
=Dracæna australis.=--A fine plant, with a stout, branched stem, from 10
ft. to 40 ft. high; and oblong, lance-shaped, bright green leaves, from
2 ft. to 3 ft. in length and 2 ins. to 4 ins. in breadth, striated with
numerous parallel veins. Flowers white, densely crowded, sweet-scented,
¾ in. across; but these are rarely produced except in large houses in
botanic or other gardens, where there are old or well-established
specimens. This is a useful conservatory species, and may be used out of
doors in summer, like _D. indivisa_, though it is not quite so graceful.
This plant is of very easy culture in ordinary soil.
=Dracæna cannæfolia.=--A very fine species from New Holland, with a tall
stem, and leaves from 20 ins. to 2 ft. long, the sides of which are
rolled inwards, so as to form a kind of pipe, of a fine sea-green
colour, and supported on stalks a foot or more in length. This is a
valuable species for warm greenhouse or conservatory use, and also for
placing out of doors in the southern counties, though it thrives best
indoors.
=Dracæna Draco= (_Dragon tree of Teneriffe_).--A large and vigorous
species, native of the Canary Islands, where it attains a great height
and age; the now perished Dragon-tree at Orotava in Teneriffe having
grown, according to Meyen, “70 ft. high and 48 ft. in circumference,
with an antiquity which must at least be greater than that of the
Pyramids.” In this country it is seldom seen more than 10 ft. high. The
stem is tree-like, simple or divided at the top, and often, when old,
becoming much branched, each branch terminated by a crowded head of
lanceolate-linear entire leaves of a glaucous green colour. The flowers
form a large terminal panicle, and are individually small and of a
greenish-white colour. This plant is more graceful and effective when in
a young state, in which it usually occurs in our gardens, than when old
and branched. It thrives well in the greenhouse or conservatory, and in
the midland and southern counties may be placed in the open air from the
end of May to October, while it is a fine object indoors at all seasons.
It is of very easy culture in sandy loam, and requires plenty of pot
room.
=*Dracæna indivisa.=--A very graceful plant, with leaves from 2 ft. to 4
ft. long, and 1 in. to 2 ins. in breadth, tapering to a point, pendent,
and dark green. It should not be confounded with the conservatory plant
known as _Cordyline indivisa_, which is too tender to succeed well in
the open air, and somewhat difficult to grow. This species, on the
contrary, is perfectly hardy in the south of England and Ireland. I saw
good specimens of it at Bicton a few years ago, and quite recently as
far north as Woodstock, in the county Kilkenny, in Ireland; a plant also
stood out in a vase for several years in Mr. A. M’Kenzie’s garden at
Muswell Hill, N. _D. indivisa lineata_ is a very fine variety, the
leaves of which are much broader than those of the type, measuring
sometimes 4 ins. across, and coloured with reddish pink at the sheathing
base. Other good varieties are _D. indivisa atro-purpurea_, which has
the base of the leaf and the midrib on the under side of a dark purple;
and _D. indivisa Veitchii_, in which the habit and size of the leaf are
the same as in the species, but in addition it has a sheathing base and
the midrib on the under side is of a beautiful deep red. It would be
difficult to find a plant more worthy of cultivation than this. Where it
does well in the garden or pleasure-ground in the southern parts, it
surpasses any Yucca or other hardy plant that I know in respect of
distinctness and tropical-looking grace; and, this being the case, there
can be little need to plead for it to the many who have gardens in the
counties south of London. In all districts it may be placed in the open
garden in summer with fine effect, the rim of the pots plunged level
with, or a little below, the surface, and the plants either isolated on
the turf, in the centre of a bed of flowering plants, or grouped with
other fine-leaved subjects. In the conservatory it is one of the most
effective and graceful subjects at all seasons, and is of very easy
culture in rich sandy loam.
The _Dracænas_ are a very numerous family, and many more might be
described; but most of the other kinds have not been proved to possess
any excellence for the flower-garden, while those enumerated are
abundantly sufficient to represent the aspect of this graceful and
stately family.
=Echeveria metallica.=--This is scarcely high enough to be suitable for
association with the taller plants, but it is so very distinct in
aspect, and has been proved to grow so well in the open air during
several unfavourable seasons, that I must not pass it by. I purposely
exclude from this book many things sometimes found in lists of
“subtropical” plants, but which may be classed most properly with
bedding subjects. But this, although not very large, forms an agreeable
and distinct object, and is very well calculated for producing a
striking effect among dwarf bedding and edging plants. It may be
propagated by the leaves, by cuttings, or by seeds, and requires a dry
greenhouse-shelf in the winter. Light sandy earth, not of necessity very
poor, will suit it best in the open air. It will prove very effective on
the margins of beds and groups of the dwarfer foliage-plants, or here
and there among hardy succulents, and should be planted out about the
middle of May.
=*Echinops ruthenicus.=--A hardy ornamental plant from S. Russia, with
stems 3 or 4 feet high, much branched in the upper part, and covered
with a silvery down. The leaves are deeply toothed and spiny, of a dark
green above, white and cottony underneath. The flowers are blue, and
borne in almost spherical heads on the tops of the erect branches. The
plant flourishes best in a calcareous soil, but will do well in almost
any well-drained ground. Easily multiplied by seed, division of the
tufts, or by cuttings of the roots in spring. This is the most
ornamental of its distinct family, and is highly suitable for grouping
with the finer herbaceous plants. It would also look remarkably bold and
well if isolated on the turf.
=*Elymus arenarius.=--This wild British grass--a strong-rooting and most
distinct-looking herb--is capable of adding a striking feature to the
garden here and there, and should be quickly introduced into
cultivation. Planted a short distance away from the margin of a
shrubbery, or on a bank on the grass, and allowed to have its own way in
deep soil, it makes a most striking object. In short, it deserves to
rank high among really hardy fine grasses, the Pampas and the two
Arundos alone surpassing it. I am not quite certain that it is not more
useful than the Arundo, being hardy in all parts of these islands. In
very good soil it will grow 4 feet high; and as it is for the leaves we
should cultivate it, if the flowers are removed they will be no loss. It
is found frequently on our shores, but more abundantly in the north than
in the south. The variety called _geniculatus_, which has the spike
pendulous, is also worthy of culture, and in its case the flowers may
prove worth preserving. It may possibly be useful for covert, and is
certainly so for rough spots in the pleasure-ground and in semi-wild
places.
=*Elymus condensatus= (_Bunch grass_).--A vigorous perennial grass from
British Columbia, forming a dense, compact, column-like growth, more
than 8 ft. in height, covered from the base almost to the top with long
arching leaves, and crowned in the flowering season with numerous erect,
rigid spikes, each 6½ ins. long, and resembling an elongated ear of
wheat in form. It is a very ornamental plant, and may be associated with
our largest grasses. A very distinct variety has been raised in the
Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens, in which the spikes or ears are much
shorter and broader than those of the original form. For this the name
_Elymus condensatus compactus_ has been suggested.
=Entelea arborescens.=--A small, branching, light-wooded tree, 5 to 10
ft. high, with large, alternate, heart-shaped or three-lobed leaves
covered with stellate down, and white flowers, somewhat like those of a
small dog-rose, borne in umbels on the ends of a branching panicle. It
is peculiar to New Zealand, and is the only species of the genus. This
used to grow satisfactorily in the Paris gardens, but I have no
experience of it in this country. It will require greenhouse treatment
in winter, and is of but secondary importance for open-air culture.
=*Epimedium pinnatum.=--A hardy dwarf perennial from Asia Minor, from 8
ins. to 2½ ft. high, forming handsome tufts of long-stalked radical
pinnate leaves, and bearing long clusters of yellow flowers. The
handsome leaves remain on the plant until the new ones appear in the
ensuing spring. It is not a good plan to remove them, as they serve to
shelter the buds of the new leaves during the winter, and the plants
flower much better when they are allowed to remain. Cool, moist, peaty
soil, and a slightly-shaded position, will be found most suitable for
this, and the novel appearance of its foliage claims a place for it
among the dwarfer plants, groups of fine-foliaged hardy herbaceous
subjects, Mahonias, etc.
=*Equisetum Telmateia= (_Giant Horse-tail_).--A British plant of very
noble port and much grace of character when well-developed, growing from
3 ft. to 6 ft. high in favourable soil and positions. The stem is
furnished from top to bottom with spreading whorls of slender, slightly
drooping, quadrangular branches; the whole forming a pyramidal outline
of very distinct and pleasing effect. It is a highly ornamental subject
for planting in the hardy fernery, the artificial bog, shady peat
borders, near cascades, or among shrubs growing best in moist hollows in
vegetable soil. Multiplied by division.
=*Equisetum sylvaticum= is another native Horse-tail of much dwarfer
size, but of the most exquisite grace when grown; the stem standing from
8 to 15 inches high, and well covered with numerous slender, spreading,
or deflexed compound branches. Very suitable for rockwork, margins of
ornamental water, or any of the positions in which _E. Telmateia_ may be
grown. It also does well and looks very graceful when grown in pots in a
cold frame. Multiplied by division.
=*Erianthus Ravennæ.=--A highly ornamental grass from S. Europe,
somewhat like the Pampas grass in habit, but smaller in size, and
frequently having violet-tinged leaves. The flowering-stems grow from 5
ft. to 6½ ft. high; but as it only flowers with us in a very warm
season, it must be valued for its foliage alone. Its dense and handsome
tufts thrive well in light, dry, calcareous soil, in positions with a
south aspect. It thrives but poorly on cold soils, and will probably not
grow well north of London except in peculiarly favourable positions, and
in well-drained free loams. It is fitted for association with such
grasses as _Arundo conspicua_. Multiplied by division of the tufts in
spring or autumn.
[Illustration: Erianthus Ravennæ.]
=*Eryngium alpinum.=--A singular-looking plant, from 2 ft. to nearly 3
ft. high, forming a rather stiff bush, with leathery and very spiny
leaves of a sea-green colour, and bearing numerous roundish heads of
bluish flowers, the stems beneath them being also of a very handsome
blue for some inches down. Suitable for planting in the wilder parts of
pleasure-grounds, for isolation, for borders, or grouping with the
finest and most distinct subjects.
=*Eryngium amethystinum= is not so tall as the preceding, seldom growing
more than 2½ ft. high. It is remarkable for the beautiful amethystine
bloom which the leaves assume in July, and which they preserve until the
approach of frost. It is suitable for the positions recommended for the
preceding kind. Various other members of this family are useful in like
manner; indeed there is not one of them that is not so, including our
own common Sea Holly, _E. maritimum_.
=*Erythrina.=--These are very beautiful trees or shrubs, pretty
generally distributed through the tropics of both hemispheres. Some
attain great dimensions, while others are dwarf bushes with woody
rootstocks, and a few have the stems and leaf-stalks beset with
prickles. The leaves are trifoliate, with long stalks, and the leaflets
oval, lance-shaped, or triangular. Many of the species produce beautiful
large pea-flowers, usually of a blood-red or scarlet colour, in terminal
racemes. The varieties of these have proved very hardy and useful in the
summer garden, flowering freely, and showing considerable beauty of
foliage. Two round beds, each of 9 ft., and one oblong bed, 42 ft. by 5
ft., including _E. ornata_, _Marie Belanger_, _laurifolia_,
_crista-galli_, _profusa_, _Madame Belanger_, _ruberrima_, _Hendersoni_,
stood out last winter uninjured in Battersea Park; and, as many people
know, the common old _Erythrina crista-galli_ will thrive for years
against a warm south wall in a warm soil, if protected about the root in
winter.
=Eucalyptus.=--Handsome Australian trees and shrubs, of which there are
a vast number of species, many growing to an immense height. The leaves
are of a thick leathery texture, always quite entire, and very variable
in shape. In young plants they are opposite, heart-shaped, pointed, and
covered with a glaucous bloom; as they grow older, they become alternate
and sickle-shaped, the stalks acquiring a peculiar twist, so that the
leaves present their edges to the branches. The most hardy kinds are _E.
globulus_ and _E. Gunni_. Other kinds, however, will no doubt be found
sufficiently hardy. These are most likely to be attractive in the south
of England and Ireland, where a few of the species will be found to
thrive in the open air, as the peculiarly distinct and graceful habit of
the trees is not observed till they are 12 ft. or more above the ground.
Nevertheless some may grow them for the aspect they present after a
single year’s growth in the open air about London, in which case they
should be put out about the middle of May. I was very much struck with
their graceful and singular appearance in California, where they are
being planted in great variety.
=Farfugium grande.=--A very vigorous-growing perennial, with thick
fleshy stems, from 1 ft. to nearly 2 ft. high, and broad, cartilaginous,
almost heart-shaped leaves, of a light-green colour, variously streaked,
and spotted with yellow in one variety, and with white and rose-colour
in another. It flourishes best in free, substantial, moist soil which
contains a large proportion of vegetable mould, and in a half-shady
position. During the heats of summer it will require frequent watering.
At the approach of winter it should be removed to the conservatory or
cool greenhouse, except in the southern and milder districts, where it
survives an ordinary winter. In the colder parts of the country it is
scarcely worth planting out, it grows so slowly; but where it thrives it
is very ornamental in borders, isolated, or near the margin of beds.
Multiplied by division in spring; the offsets to be potted and kept in
the propagating-house or in a frame until they are well rooted.
=Ferdinanda eminens.=--This is one of the tallest and noblest
subtropical plants, growing well in the southern and midland counties
when it is supplied with rich soil and abundant moisture. It is also
very much the better for being sheltered. Where the soil is rich, deep,
and humid, and the position warm, it attains large dimensions, sometimes
growing over 12 ft. high, and suspending pairs of immense opposite
leaves. It will in all cases form a capital companion to the Castor-oil
plant, and, though it may not be grown with ease in all parts, it should
be in every collection. It requires to be planted out, in a young state,
about the middle of May, and grows freely from cuttings. Greenhouse
treatment will do in winter. It is better to keep a stock in pots
through the summer to afford cuttings, though the old ones may be used
for that purpose.
*FERULAS.
I wish it were not necessary to write in praise of such very fine plants
as these, so noble in aspect and beautiful in leaf. If 2000 kinds of
herbaceous plants are grown, the first things that show clearly above
the ground in the very dawn of spring (even in January) are their
deep-green and most elegant leaves. In good garden soil they look like
masses of _Leptopteris superba_, that most exquisite of ferns. Their
chief charm will probably be found to consist in their furnishing masses
of the freshest green and highest grace in early spring. The leaf is apt
to lose some of its beauty and fade away early in autumn, but this may
to some extent be retarded by cutting out the flower-bearing shoots the
moment they appear. Not that these are ugly; for, on the contrary, the
plants are fine and striking when in flower. It is indispensable that
the Ferulas, like some other hardy foliage-plants, be planted
permanently and well at first, as it is only when they are thoroughly
established that you get their full effect. At a first view, the best
way to treat them would appear to be so to arrange them that they would
be succeeded by things that flower in autumn, and only begin their rich
growth in early summer; but it will be equally wise to plant them near
the margin of a shrubbery, or wherever it is desired to have a
diversified and bold type of vegetation. We may look forward to the day
when a far greater variety of form will be seen in English gardens than
is at present observable, and these Ferulas are thoroughly well worth
growing for their superb spring and early summer effect. The best
species are
[Illustration: FERULA COMMUNIS.
Graceful herbaceous Type; dying down towards the end of summer, and
therefore most desirable for isolation near the margins of shrubberies,
etc.]
_F. communis_ and _tingitana_. Probably a few others, including _F.
glauca_, _neapolitana_, _nodiflora_, _asparagifolia_, _Ferulago_, and
_persica_, may with advantage be added where much variety is sought, but
the effect of any of the first three cannot be surpassed. Among the
“aspects of vegetation” which we may enjoy in these cold climes, nothing
equals that of their grand leaves, pushing up with the snowdrop. In
semi-wild spots, where spring flowers abound, it will prove a most
tasteful and satisfactory plan to drop a Ferula here and there in a
sunny spot, and leave it to nature and its own good constitution
afterwards. In general aspect these plants are much alike; it is better,
however, to describe some of them individually.
=*Ferula asparagifolia.=--An ornamental perennial, 4 ft. or 5 ft. high,
with very graceful and finely-cut leaves, the radical ones 1 ft. to 2
ft. long (including the leaf-stalk), repeatedly subdivided: the
divisions very narrow, linear, pointed, and set with hairs; the upper
stem-leaves are reduced to short sheaths, the lowest of which bear a
short pinnate limb.
=*Ferula communis.=--A very fine and striking hardy perennial, growing
from 6 ft. to 10 ft. or more high, with much-divided, spreading, shining
green leaves, repeatedly subdivided into linear, flaccid segments; the
lower leaves spreading more than 2 ft. each way; the sheaths of the
upper leaves very large.
=*Ferula Ferulago.=--A very ornamental kind, with striped stems, 6 ft.
to 8 ft. high, and much-divided leaves, with divided spreading leaflets,
which are nearly as broad as those of _F. tingitana_, but longer, and of
a darker green.
=*Ferula glauca.=--A valuable and imposing foliage-plant, 4 ft. to 6 ft.
or more high, with very much divided leaves, shining above, glaucous
beneath, cut into long, linear, flat segments. The stalks of the upper
leaves are widened above.
=*Ferula persica.=--A hardy perennial from Persia and the Caucasus, with
a glaucous stem from 3 ft. to 6 ft. high, tapering gradually upwards,
and very handsome, much-divided leaves, with rather distant lance-shaped
leaflets, widening and toothed or cut at the apex. Flowers in umbels,
without any general or partial involucrum. This plant is easily
distinguished by its strong asafœtida odour, and requires warm sandy
soil.
=*Ferula tingitana.=--A very noble plant, from 6 ft. to 8 ft. high, with
a stout stem and very glistening leaves, which are broader than those of
any other species, and repeatedly subdivided into oblong or lance-shaped
deeply-toothed segments.
=Ficus Chauvieri.=--A noble species, with a faultless habit, which does
well in the open air, and is the best kind after _F. elastica_. The
leaves are oval-obtuse in outline, of a very dark glistening green, with
pale-yellow veins, and usually have one or more large undulations on the
margin. Useful for the same purposes as the following species.
=Ficus elastica= (_India-rubber Plant_).--This is one of those valuable
leathery-leaved things that are useful in hothouse, drawing-room, or
flower-garden. It not only exists in the open air in summer in good
health, but makes a good growth under the influence of our weak northern
sun. Never assuming the imposing proportions of other plants mentioned
herein, it is best adapted for select mixed groups, and, in small
gardens, as isolated specimens amongst low bedding plants. It will best
enjoy stove treatment in winter, and is propagated from cuttings. It
should be put out at the end of May. In all cases it is better to use
plants with single stems.
[Illustration: Ficus elastica.]
=*Fuchsia.=--The Fuchsia, one of the most beautiful ornaments of the
garden when well grown, is comparatively rarely seen in our
flower-gardens. It is to be regretted that this is the case, for
assuredly there is nothing in cultivation more calculated to improve the
aspect of things therein. Not showy in mass of flower, like many things
common enough now, it is of the highest order of beauty; while the
drooping habit of the shoots of most kinds gives the plant a grace which
is valuable indeed, and which no flower-garden should be without. Even
in dwarf lines, where this drooping tendency is not seen to such
advantage, or, it may be, presents a disadvantage, the Fuchsia is very
valuable; but it is when we use plants with rather tall stems or
pyramids that the full beauty of the Fuschia as a flower-garden plant is
seen. And the right way to manage them is to make them as far as
possible produce _all their growth in the open air_. That is the secret:
start them, nurture them, and make them full of leaves and strong young
growth in the spring, so as to go out strong, and most likely you will
find them very disappointing indeed; but keep them back and do not let
them burst forth into leaf until put in the open air in May, and they
will then go on and retain all the strength they gather, suspending
quantities of graceful blossoms until the leaves have deserted the
trees, when they should be taken up and put in a dry cave, cellar, or
shed for the winter. In a cool position of that kind it would not be
difficult to “keep them back” in spring. And supposing they seemed
inclined to push forth too much before the time had quite arrived when
it would be convenient or desirable to put them in the flower-garden,
there should be no difficulty in placing them in some quiet, sheltered
nook, where they might receive more protection than in the flower-garden
proper, and yet have full opportunity to make growth in the open
air--the great point to be attained. The freest and hardiest kinds
should be chosen for this purpose. In many places refuse plants may be
turned to good account in this way. Given a lot of specimen
Fuchsias--arrived, perhaps, at that stage when they must be parted with
to make way for younger plants and newer kinds--nothing is simpler than
to make of these standards for the flower-garden, by cutting away the
lower and middle side shoots, and leaving the head to form a standard.
Their exceptional grace when placed among fine foliage-plants induces me
to allude to them here.
=*Funkia Sieboldiana.=--A Japanese plant, remarkable for the elegance of
its leaves, which are large, broadly heart-shaped, of a greyish-green
colour, slightly undulating, and finely marked with regular lines of
prominent ribs. The flowers are of a light lilac or bluish colour, and
are borne in a drooping unilateral cluster at the extremity of a
leafless stem 1 ft. or 16 ins. high. Thrives best in a light, cool,
sandy soil in a sheltered half-shady position. It will also thrive well
in peat. Multiplied by division of the tufts in autumn, once in three or
four years. Useful among the dwarfer herbaceous plants, etc., and
occasionally as a groundwork in beds of shrubs with fine foliage.
=*Galega officinalis.=--A handsome, hardy, and vigorous-growing plant, 3
ft. to 5 ft. high, forming graceful tufts of pinnate leaves, and
flowering abundantly and for a long time; the flowers are of a pale
blue, in long, dense clusters or spikes. Although it will grow in almost
any soil, it does best in a deep, free, moist, sandy clay. This not
uncommon herbaceous plant is alluded to here in consequence of its
graceful leaves, which fit it for taking a part in the groups of
handsome hardy subjects so often suggested in this book.
=Geranium anemonæfolium.=--A handsome perennial from Madeira, with a
simple, woody, erect stem 1 ft. to 14 ins. in height, covered with dry
scales. The leaves, which are of a bright green, smooth, and very much
divided, are chiefly collected at the base of the plant, from which
they extend horizontally on stalks from 20 ins. to 2 ft. long. The
flowers are very numerous, and of a lilac rose-colour. It is a highly
ornamental plant both in foliage and flower, and may be used with good
effect grouped with comparatively dwarf kinds, or occasionally as an
edging to tall subjects. It is best raised in frames and put out early
in May. Multiplied by seed, which it yields freely.
=*Gynerium argenteum= (_Pampas grass_).--This fine plant is so well
known that there is no excuse for naming it here, except the opportunity
to say a few words as to the splendid use we may make of it in the
branch of gardening we are now discussing. It deserves as much attention
as any plant in cultivation, and yet how rarely is any thorough
preparation made for its perfect development. What is there growing in
garden or in wild more nobly distinct and beautiful than the great
silvery plumes of this plant waving in the autumnal gusts--the burial
plumes as it were of our summer too early dead? What tender plant so
effective as this in giving a new aspect of vegetation to our gardens,
if it be tastefully placed and well grown? Long before it flowers it
possesses more merit for its foliage and habit than scores of things
cultivated indoors for their effect--Dasylirions, etc., for example--and
it would be well worthy of being extensively used if one of its
silken-crested wands were never put forth in autumn. It is not enough to
place it in out-of-the-way spots, but the general scene of every garden
and pleasure-ground should be influenced by it. It should be planted
even far more extensively than it is at present, and given very deep and
good soil either natural or made. The
[Illustration: GYNERIUM ARGENTEUM.
Giant hardy evergreen ornamental Grass.]
soils of very many gardens are insufficient to give it the highest
degree of strength and vigour, and no plant better repays for a thorough
preparation, which ought to be the more freely given when it is
considered that one preparation suffices for many years. If convenient,
give it a somewhat sheltered position in the flower-garden, so as to
prevent as much as possible that ceaseless searing away of the foliage
which occurs wherever the plant is much exposed to the breeze. We rarely
see such fine specimens as in quiet nooks where it is pretty well
sheltered by the surrounding vegetation. It is very striking to come
upon noble specimens in such quiet green nooks; but, as before hinted,
to leave such a magnificent plant out of the flower-garden proper is a
decided mistake. Seed and division.
=*Gunnera scabra.=--Mr. Darwin met with this in a region where the
vegetation is so luxuriant that the branches of the trees extend over
the sea, somewhat like those of a shrubbery of evergreens over a gravel
walk. “I one day noticed growing on the sandstone cliffs some very fine
plants of the Panke (_Gunnera scabra_), which somewhat resembles the
rhubarb on a gigantic scale. The inhabitants eat the stalks, which are
sub-acid, and tan leather with the roots, and prepare a black dye from
them. The leaf is nearly circular, but deeply indented on its margin. I
measured one which was nearly 8 ft. in diameter, and therefore no less
than 24 ft. in circumference! The stalk is rather more than a yard high,
and each plant sends out four or five of these enormous leaves,
presenting altogether a very noble appearance.” Of a spot in the same
neighbourhood he says: “The forest was so impenetrable that no one who
has not beheld it can imagine so entangled a mass of dying and dead
trunks. I am sure that often for more than ten minutes together our feet
never touched the ground, and we were frequently ten or fifteen feet
above it; so that the seamen, as a joke, called out the soundings!” Yet
I have grown this plant to great size in a cold British bog. Mr. Darwin
does not speak of the inflorescence, which is more remarkable than the
leaves. The little flowers and seeds are seated densely on conical
fleshy masses a few inches long, and these in their turn being seated as
densely as they can be packed on a thick stem, the whole has the
appearance of a compound cone a couple of feet high (on strong plants),
very heavy, and perhaps the oddest-looking thing ever seen in the way of
fructification. This great spike springs from the root itself, the
leaves also springing from the root, as in the case of the rhubarbs. I
had two plants in a wet peat bog--one in deep rich soil, with the crown
well raised above the level, and the whole protected under a couple of
barrowloads of leaf mould; the other left exposed, and not allowed any
particularly good soil. Both plants survived the severest winters, but
the protected and well-fed one grew much the larger. The leaves of the
larger plant used sometimes to grow 4 ft. in diameter, the texture being
of extraordinary thickness and rugosity. I have, however, in the Royal
Gardens at Kew, seen it grown to a larger size than that. The bottom
there is the reverse of bog, while the situation is warmer and more
sheltered than where I grew it. But the Kew people met its wants very
cleverly, by building a little bank of turf around it, so
[Illustration: GUNNERA SCABRA.
Hardy herbaceous Section; attaining huge dimensions in deep, rich, moist
soil.]
as to admit of its absorbing a thorough dose of water now and then,
while in winter it was protected with dry leaves and a piece of
tarpaulin. Similar protection, plenty of water in summer, and a warm and
sheltered position, are all that are necessary for success with this
very striking subject. It is not difficult to obtain, and may be raised
from seed, though that is a slow way. It should be planted in some
isolated spot, and not as a rule in the “flower-garden proper,” as it
must not be disturbed after being well planted, and would associate
badly with the ordinary occupants of the parterre. The plant cannot have
too much sun or warmth, but makes little progress if its huge leaves are
torn by storms. In places with any diversity of surface it will be easy
to select a spot well open to the sun and yet sheltered by surrounding
objects (shrubs, clumps, etc.). The figure shows more the habit of the
plant than the character of its huge compound fleshy spike, on which the
small seeds are thickly scattered.
=*Gymnocladus canadensis= (_Kentucky Coffee-tree_).--A remarkable hardy
forest tree, which, kept in a young state, will furnish a fine head of
foliage. It has twice-divided leaves, the leaflets of which stand
vertically. On young trees the leaves are more than 3 ft. long, and on
subjects confined to a single stem and cut down every year they would
prove even larger than that. It grows wild in Canada, but more
abundantly and larger in Kentucky and Tennessee, where it used to be
employed as a substitute for coffee--hence the common name. It loves a
rich deep soil, and is propagated by seeds and cuttings of the roots. It
will prove very suitable for planting in similar positions to those
recommended for the Ailantus.
=Hedychium Gardnerianum.=--A stove herbaceous plant from the East
Indies, growing from 3¼ ft. to 6½ ft. high, with broadly lance-shaped
clasping leaves in two rows, and bearing, in autumn, lemon-coloured
flowers with a strong Jonquille perfume, in terminal spikes nearly a
foot long. Another species, _H. aurantiacum_, has handsome orange
flowers. These handsome plants may have been seen flowering in the open
air in the gardens at Battersea Park, very pleasing and effective in
shady nooks--not planted out but kept in the pots in which they were
grown. They should be put out about the end of May.
=*Helianthus annuus= (_Sun-flower_).--This common and familiar annual
plant may be usefully employed in adorning the rougher parts of
pleasure-grounds in warm positions, where it will thrive to best
advantage. Although very hardy and capable of being grown in almost any
soils, it prefers those that are substantial and free.
=*Helianthus orgyalis.=--A very distinct-looking hardy plant, growing 6
ft. or 8 ft. high. Its distinctiveness arises from the fact that the
leaves are recurved in a peculiarly graceful manner. At the top of the
shoots, indeed, their aspect is most striking, from their springing up
in great profusion and then bending gracefully down. It will form a
capital subject for groups of fine-leaved, hardy plants, or for
isolation by wood-walks, etc. As it is apt to come up rather thickly,
the cultivator will act judiciously by thinning out the shoots when very
young, so that those which remain may prove stronger and better
furnished with leaves. N. America.
=*Hemerocallis fulva.=--This is one of those fine old plants formerly
grown in almost every garden, but which
[Illustration: HERACLEUM
Coarse herbaceous Type; foliage perishing late in summer.]
has latterly sunk into unmerited neglect, as from its luxuriance, the
height of its stem (nearly 4 ft.), and its fine, large, tawny-orange
flowers, it well deserves a place among vigorous and striking subjects.
It is thoroughly hardy and will thrive in almost any soil, but comes to
greatest perfection in that which is deep, substantial, and moist, and
in almost any position. Multiplied by dividing the tufts once in three
or four years in autumn when the leaves are withered, or in spring.
There is a variety of this species with double flowers, and one with
variegated leaves, both of which are somewhat tender and require
well-drained soil and a sheltered position.
Other species in cultivation are _H. flava_, _H. disticha_, _H.
graminea_, and _H. Dumortieri_. All these plants are desirable
associates for the hardy fine-leaved plants.
=*Heracleums= (_Cow-parsnips_).--No perennials rival these plants in
size, and few in distinctness of appearance. The shape and width of
their leaves, the height of their stems, and especially the great size
of their umbels, produce an effect of a very striking character. Planted
singly on slopes in the rougher parts of pleasure-grounds, on or about
ruins, rough wild declivities, or by pieces of water or streams, they
are seen to excellent advantage; their enormous leaves forming great
tufts of vegetation, sometimes nearly 13 ft. in diameter. The period of
their greatest vigour and beauty is from May to the end of July; and
this should be distinctly borne in mind when arranging them, as, once
the great leaves fade away with the heats of early August, they become
very ragged, and soon disappear altogether. They delight in a moist,
deep, clay soil, but will grow vigorously in almost any kind of cool
soil, and even on rubbish-heaps. They are easily multiplied, either from
seed or by division of the tufts early in spring, or after the ripening
of the seed. They usually sow themselves freely.
=*Heracleum eminens.=--A peculiarly distinct species, easily known by
the blunt or roundish lobes of its trifoliate leaves, which also possess
the advantage of lasting longer than the leaves of other kinds. They are
of a thick texture, and finely covered with velvety down, which gives
them a slightly glaucous appearance, whereby they may also be
distinguished. I have only seen the plant in a young state in Paris
gardens, and cannot say what it is like when fully grown; but it is
probably dwarfer in stature and more compact in habit than most of the
other kinds, and, as the leaves last so much longer in perfection, it is
suited for grouping among choicer subjects. For isolation on the grass,
after the fashion of the Acanthuses, etc., it is particularly well
suited. Seed or division.
=*Heracleum flavescens.=--A vigorous species, 5 ft. to 6 ft. high, with
deeply-furrowed rough stems, and convex green leaves, with ovate or
oblong serrate divisions. Flowers yellowish, in large umbels. Suitable
for banks of rivers or ponds, where effective foliage is desired. S.
Europe. Seed.
=*Heracleum persicum.=--A vigorous perennial, of rapid growth and
imposing dimensions, attaining a height of more than 6½ ft., and bearing
whitish flowers in umbels, the upper one of which is more than 16 ins.
across. The stem does not branch much, and the leaves are chiefly
radical and very large. Persia.
=*Heracleum pubescens.=--This species bears yellowish-white flowers, in
umbels about a foot in diameter, and grows to a height of from 6 ft. to
9 ft. or more. The leaves are very large, roughish on the upper side,
and much divided into elliptical segments, which are pointed and stand
close together. Crimea.
=*Heracleum villosum.=--A species distinguished by its very downy and
fringed fruit, with robust stems, 6½ ft. high or more. Leaves broad,
much divided, the segments coarsely toothed, covered with a whitish down
on the under side. Flowers in large umbels. Caucasus.
=*Heracleum Wilhelmsii.=--The leaves of this species are very large,
downy, and wrinkled, much divided, with lance-shaped, acute segments
distant from each other. The stem is more than 6½ ft. high, and bears
whitish flowers, in umbels from 10 ins. to 12 ins. in diameter. Siberia.
Several other species are in cultivation, the principal of which is _H.
platytænium_, a biennial of very large dimensions, and remarkably
ornamental in habit and foliage.
=Humea elegans.=--This well-known plant may be very agreeably associated
with many of the subjects mentioned in this book, and is a graceful
object in the centres of beds, etc. To be put out early in May. New
Holland.
=*Hydrangea quercifolia.=--This is quite distinct in aspect from the
common Hydrangeas, and sufficiently striking to deserve a place where
variety of form is sought. The leaves are, as the name indicates,
somewhat lobed and oak-like in outline. It is best adapted to form a
bush, its natural habit, and is best used singly. I, however, have never
tried to train young plants of it with a single stem; it might be worth
the trial. It is a native of N. America. A rich and somewhat moist soil,
with shelter, will be found to suit it best. Well adapted for isolation.
=*Inula Helenium.=--A vigorous-growing British plant, about 3 ft. or 4
ft. high, with a stout stem, branching in the upper part, and large,
oblong-oval leaves, of a delicate green colour. The flowers are yellow,
and are borne in loose clusters. Well suited for planting along with
other large-leaved plants, or as isolated specimens on rough slopes, or
wild places, in free, moist, good soil. Multiplied by division in spring
or autumn, or by seed.
=*Jubæa spectabilis.=--A very handsome, hardy S. American palm, with a
short, arboreous, smooth stem, which sometimes attains a height of
nearly 40 ft., and spreading pinnate leaves, of a full, deep-green
colour, and from 6 ft. to 12 ft. long, the leaflets being from 1 ft. to
1½ ft. long and about an inch wide, springing in pairs from nearly the
same spot, and standing out in different directions. The leaf-stalks are
very thick at the base, where they are enclosed in a dense mass of
rough, brown fibres, which grow upon their lower edges. The soil for
this plant should be a mixture of two parts of rich loam and two parts
composed of peat, leaf-mould, and sand. This exists in the open air
throughout the winter, near London, but not in such a condition as to
encourage many to try it in this way. Grown in tubs in the conservatory
in winter, and placed in the open air in summer, it will prove very
satisfactory for association with the hardier palms.
=*Juncus effusus spiralis.=--A very singular-looking rush, forming
spreading tufts of leaves, which, instead of growing, straight, like
those of other kinds, are curiously twisted in a regular corkscrew form.
From its very unusual appearance it is well worthy of cultivation, and
may be planted with advantage on the margins of pieces of water, near
cascades, etc., or in the artificial bog. It is easily multiplied by
division of the tufts.
=*Kochia scoparia.=--An annual plant of the Goose-foot family, forming a
neat, compact, pointed bush, from 3 to 5 ft. in height. The flowers are
green and insignificant, but the graceful habit of the plant renders it
valuable and effective, placed either singly or in groups, on the slopes
of pleasure-grounds, especially from July to September--the time of its
full development. It should be sown in April and May, in a hotbed, and
afterwards planted out in beds or borders. Southern Europe.
=*Kœlreuteria paniculata.=--A small sized, hardy, deciduous tree, from
N. China, from 15 ft. to 19 ft. high, and handsome both in foliage and
flower. The leaves are pinnate, and of a dark, glistening-green colour;
the leaflets ovate, and coarsely toothed. Flowers yellow, in terminal,
spreading clusters, and succeeded by large, reddish, pendent, bladdery
capsules, which render the tree conspicuous till late in the autumn. It
does best in rich, moist soil. When planted in a dry and arid position,
the leaves are never so large or glistening, and soon turn yellow and
fall. It is one of the trees which may, as advised for the Ailantus, be
kept in a small state by cutting them down annually, and will, thus
treated, furnish a fine effect. Easily multiplied by seed, layers, and
cuttings.
=Latania borbonica.=--A well-known, hardy, and favourite palm,
attaining a height of 25 ft., with large, fan-shaped leaves, over 5 ft.
broad, of a cheerful green colour, and with pendent marginal segments.
The leaf-stalks are over 4 ft. or 5 ft. long, and are armed at the edges
for half their length with short reflexed spines. May be placed in the
open air about London and southward in sunny dells in summer, and is a
fine warm-conservatory or stove ornament in winter.
=*Lavatera arborea.=--This plant, which has the appearance of a small
tree, attains in the southern counties the height of nearly 10 ft. The
stem is simple for some distance, and then branches into a broad,
compact, roundish, and very leafy head. It may be used to adorn warm and
sheltered parts of pleasure-grounds and rough places. In rich
well-drained beds it would prove a worthy companion for the Ricinus and
the Cannas. It is most at home on dry soils, but during the summer
months thrives on all. When planted in the shelter of a south wall it
has been known to live for several years and to have almost woody stems
from 2 ins. to 4 ins. in diameter at the base. Italy.
=*Ligularia macrophylla= (_Large-leaved L._).--A vigorous perennial,
with an erect stem nearly 3½ ft. high, and very large, glaucous, erect,
long-stalked, oval leaves. The flowers are yellow, and are borne in a
dense long spike at the end of the stem. The most suitable soil for this
plant is that which is free, moist, and somewhat peaty. Multiplied by
careful division in autumn or in spring. It is a useful subject for
grouping with fine-leaved herbaceous plants, but will seldom command a
place in the select flower-garden. Caucasus.
=*Malva crispa.=--A vigorous-growing annual, 3 to 6½ ft., or more, in
height, growing in an erect, pyramidal bush of densely-crowded, broad
leaves, with a very undulating curled or frizzled margin. The flowers
are small, white, and inconspicuous. Bushes of this are pretty in
groups, beds, or borders. It may be sown in cool frames and put out
early in May, by which means strong plants may be obtained early in the
season.
[Illustration: Malva crispa.]
=*Martynia lutea.=--A very pretty annual from Brazil, about 1½ ft. high,
with roundish leaves and handsome yellow flowers, collected in
cylindrical clusters at the angles of the principal branches. It
requires a light, rich, cool soil, a warm position, and frequent
watering in summer. Its large leaves and ornamental bloom make it a
desirable subject for beds, groups, and borders. Increased by seed.
=*Megaseas.=--Some parts of pleasure-grounds for which there may be a
difficulty in finding any subject that will either thrive in such
places, or that is not too commonplace to be thought of, may be very
advantageously occupied by a few specimens of _Megasea cordifolia_ and
_M. crassifolia_, the large, leathery, persistent leaves of which will,
in such positions, preserve their freshness through the winter, and in
the earliest days of spring be surmounted by dense clusters of very
pleasing rose-coloured flowers. These plants are very hardy perennials,
and will require hardly any care after planting them. They are well
suited for embellishing cascades and rough rockwork, are not fastidious
as to soil, and are easily multiplied by division of the tufts.
=Melanoselinum decipiens.=--An umbelliferous shrub, from Madeira, with a
round simple stem, bare below, and large spreading compound leaves with
oval toothed segments and sheathing leaf-stalks. Flowers white, borne in
umbels. Should be planted out in May. A useful subject for isolation on
grass-plats, etc., and requiring greenhouse or warm-frame treatment in
winter. Young plants are to be preferred for ornamental purposes.
Multiplied by seed.
=Melia Azedarach= (_Pride of India_).--A very ornamental tree, but with
us usually seen in a small state. It is a native of India, but is now
naturalised in various parts of S. Europe. It usually grows from 13 ft.
to 17 ft. high, and bears its smooth dark-green pinnate leaves chiefly
clustered together at the ends of the branches. The flowers are of a
lilac colour, and emit an agreeable perfume: they are produced in large
bunches which issue from the axils of the leaves. The fruit is
considered poisonous. Healthy young plants kept to a single stem, and
cut down to within a foot or two of the base annually, form graceful
objects in the ornamental garden, throwing up an erect stout stem
regularly clothed with leaves twice and thrice divided, from 16 ins. to
more than 2 ft. long and from 1 ft. to nearly 18 ins. across. Plant out
in early summer. A substantial, well-manured soil, a shady position, and
frequent waterings in summer are necessary for
[Illustration: MELIANTHUS MAJOR.
Herbaceous Type: best treated as a perennial, and protected at the roots
in winter.]
the development of the ornamental qualities of the Melia. In winter it
requires the shelter of a greenhouse with us. Multiplied by seed or
layers.
=*Melianthus major.=--This is usually treated as a greenhouse plant, and
is sometimes put out of doors in summer. So grown, however, the full
beauty of the plant has not time to develope; and much the better way is
to treat it as a half-hardy subject, putting it out in some sunny and
sheltered spot, where the roots will not suffer from wet in winter. The
shoots will be cut down by frost, but the root will live and push up
strong stems in spring, forming by midsummer a bush about 3 ft. high,
very distinct and beautiful, with large, pinnate, light sea-green
leaves, which will not suffer from rain storms. I have grown it in this
way to a much more presentable condition than it ever assumes indoors,
where it is usually drawn too much. I used to protect the roots in
winter by placing leaves over them, and then covering all with a
handlight, but have seen the plant survive without this precaution. It
is, however, best to make quite sure by using protection, except where
the soil and climate are particularly favourable. _Melianthus minor_ has
the habit of _M. major_, but is smaller in every respect and flowers
later. Its inflorescence also is different, the flowers being of a
yellowish red, and growing in short clusters. Cape of Good Hope.
=*Meum athamanticum.=--One of the most elegant and gracefully-cut plants
in an order second to no other for these qualities. The leaves are
divided so finely as to appear as if they were made of vegetable hair,
and the plant is dwarf and neat in habit, from 6 inches to 1 foot high;
easy of growth in ordinary soils, and perfectly hardy and perennial. It
is probable that in dry seasons it might “go off” too soon for
association with autumn-flowering plants, but for rockwork, borders, or
mixed arrangements of any sort it is invaluable. A British plant, easily
increased by division.
=*Molopospermum cicutarium.=--A very ornamental umbelliferous plant, 5
ft. or more in height, with large, deeply-divided leaves of a lively
green colour, forming a dense irregular bush. The flowers, which are
insignificant and of a yellowish-white colour, are borne in small
roundish umbels. There is a deep green and fern-like beauty displayed
profusely by some of the umbelliferous family, but I have rarely met
with one so remarkably attractive as this species. Many of the class,
while very elegant, perish quickly, get shabby indeed by the end of
June, and are therefore out of place in the tasteful flower-garden; but
this is firm in character, of a fine rich green, stout yet spreading in
habit, growing more than a yard high, and making altogether a most
pleasing bush. It is perfectly hardy, and easily increased by seed or
division, but rare as yet. Loves a deep moist soil, but will thrive in
any good garden soil. It is a fine subject for isolation or grouping
with other hardy and graceful-leaved umbelliferous plants. Carniola.
=Monstera deliciosa.=--This very remarkable-looking plant has been found
to bear being placed in the open air with impunity in shady and
sheltered spots from the beginning of June till the end of September.
Its great perforated leaves look so singular that everybody should grow
it who has a stove in which to do so, and it is so
[Illustration: MONSTERA DELICIOSA
Tender Section; stands well in the open air in summer in warm and
sheltered spots.]
[Illustration: MONTAGNÆA HERACLEIFOLIA (_Polymnia grandis_).
One of the noblest of the tender section, making free growth in the open
air during summer.]
readily grown and propagated that a plant may soon be spared for placing
in the open air during the warmer months. Although, however, it will
exist in the open air for a few months in warm and sheltered spots in
this country, it is only to be seen to perfection in the stove. Few
subjects possess nobler or more singular foliage, or are more worthy of
a place for effect alone, while its fruit is edible and produced freely
enough when the plant is well-grown. The culture is quite simple--plenty
of rich soil, a high temperature, and abundance of moisture. I have seen
the plant fruit well in what is called an “intermediate house,” but,
where convenient, it is much better to place it in a warm stove.
Wherever rockwork or any picturesque arrangement is attempted in any of
these structures; no nobler plant can be selected for its embellishment.
It crawls over such positions with a snake-like stem, and a trail of
great leathery leaves perforated in many places, as shown in the plate.
Mexico.
=Montagnæa heracleifolia= (_Polymnia grandis_).--This is second to no
other plant for its dignified and finished effect in the flower-garden,
forming a handsome shrub with large, opposite, much-divided, and
elegantly-lobed leaves, which are often nearly 3 ft. long, presenting
very striking and luxuriant masses of foliage. The stem and leaf-stalks
are spotted with white, and the leaves when young are covered with a
soft white down. Like most large soft-growing things in this way, it is
best planted out in a young state, so as to ensure a fresh and unstinted
growth. Easily multiplied from cuttings, which plants freely produce if
placed in heat in January. It is best planted out at the end of May,
and should be in every collection. Mexico.
=*Morina longifolia.=--A hardy perennial of handsome and singular
appearance, the large spiny leaves resembling those of certain Thistles,
while the long spikes of whorled flowers, which are from 2 to 3 ft.
high, are almost identical in form with the inflorescence of many of the
Labiate family. It grows well in ordinary well-drained soil, preferring
that which is mellow, deep, and moist. Easily multiplied by sowing the
seed as soon as it ripens, in light, peaty, sandy soil. In our winters
it would be advisable to cover the plants with litter, as it is the
dampness and sudden changes of the atmosphere which appear to injure it
rather than the cold. Being a fine-flowering plant, as well as
remarkable for its leaves, it is excellent for every kind of mixed
border, and also for grouping with the smaller and medium-sized
perennials that have fine foliage or are singular in appearance. Nepaul.
[Illustration: Morina longifolia.]
=*Mulgedium alpinum.=--A tall mountain-plant of the Sow-thistle family,
with very broad leaves and stems over 3 ft. high. The flowers are very
numerous, of a dark-blue colour, resembling those of the Chicory, and
are borne erect on the upper parts of the branching stems. A somewhat
shaded position and a very moist deep loam are necessary to the vigorous
growth of this plant, which will prove effective in the rougher parts of
the pleasure-ground. Multiplied by division. Alps.
=*Mulgedium Plumieri.=--A vigorous herbaceous perennial, 4 ft. to 6 ft.
high, with very large, deeply-cut radical leaves somewhat glaucous
underneath, bearing late in summer large spreading terminal corymbs of
blue flowers. A good subject for association with strong-growing
herbaceous plants in groups, or as isolated tufts by wood-walks, in deep
rich soil. S. of France.
[Illustration: Mulgedium alpinum.]
=Musa Ensete.=--The noblest of all the fine-leaved plants yet used in
the flower-garden is _Musa Ensete_--the great Abyssinian Banana,
discovered by Bruce--the stem of which has been known to attain a
diameter of more than 3 ft. at the base, and a height of from 13 ft. to
nearly 20 ft. The huge leaves, borne nearly erect, are oblong in shape
and of a beautiful bright-green colour, with a very stout deep-red
midrib. In the open air they often grow nearly 10 ft. long and nearly 2
ft. broad. The fruit of this kind is not edible, like that of the Banana
and Plantain (_Musa paradisiaca_ and _M. sapientum_), but the leaves
are magnificent, and they stand the rain and storms of our northern
climes with little laceration, while all the other kinds of Musa become
torn into shreds. It has hitherto been generally grown in stoves; but it
is an interesting and, until recently, little known fact, that the
finest of all the Banana or Musa tribe is also the hardiest and most
easily preserved. When grown for the open air it will of course require
to be kept in a house during winter and planted out the first week in
June. In any place where there is a large conservatory or winter-garden
it will be found most valuable, either for planting therein or for
keeping over the winter, as, if merely housed in such a structure during
the cold months, it will prove a great ornament among the other plants,
while it may be put out in summer, when the attraction is all out of
doors. Other kinds of Musa have been tried in the open air in England,
but have barely existed, making it clear that they should not be so
cultivated in this country. _M. Ensete_ is the only species really worth
growing in this way. Where the climate is too cold to put it out of
doors in summer, it should be grown in all conservatories in which it is
desired to establish the noblest type of vegetation. It also stands the
drought and heat of a dwelling-house remarkably well, and though, when
well developed, it is much too big for any but Brobdingnagian halls, the
fact may nevertheless be taken much advantage of by those interested in
room-decoration on a large scale. The plant is difficult to obtain as
yet, but will, I trust, be soon made abundant by our nurserymen.
In September, 1868, I saw a fine plant of this Musa
[Illustration: MUSA ENSETE.
Noblest of tender Section; thriving in the open air in summer, in the
warmer districts in summer and in the conservatory in winter.]
that had remained in the open ground in Baron Haussmann’s garden in the
Bois de Boulogne during the preceding winter. It was left in the
position in which it grew during the summer of 1867, and in the month of
November covered with a little thatched shed, the space about the plant
being filled with dry leaves. All the leaves were cut off. In spring the
protection was removed and the plant pushed vigorously. It had, when I
saw it, 16 leaves, not one of which was torn or lacerated, although it
was in an exposed position. It was not more than 5 ft. high, but was
more attractive than much larger individuals of the same species, from
being so compact and untattered in its foliage. As most people who grow
it will have means of keeping it indoors in winter, and as it is so
rare, this mode of keeping it is not likely to be taken advantage of
with us at present; but that it can and has been so wintered is an
interesting fact.
Other species are: _M. paradisiaca_ (the Plantain); _M. sapientum_ (the
Banana); _M. Cavendishii_, a dwarf-growing kind, seldom exceeding 5 ft.
or 6 ft. in height, and fruiting freely in a stove; _M. superba_, and
_M. zebrina_. These, however, are all properly hothouse kinds, and do
not thrive in the open air.
=Nelumbium luteum.=--This is perhaps second to none of its fine family
in beauty. In the Paris Garden a plant remained in a fountain-basin, in
a very sheltered position, for several years, flowering yearly. On the
11th of September, 1868, the petals of one of these flowers measured
each 6 ins. in length! and consequently the flower fully spread out was
more than a foot in diameter. The singular-looking disk within these
great fragrant flowers is as interesting as the flower itself, and far
more peculiar. The flowers are of a pale yellow, with a single deep
stain of rosy crimson at the apex of each petal. The leaves push boldly
above the water, are quite round, 12 ins. to 15 ins. in diameter, and of
a peculiar bluish-green. If the hand be placed under one of them, so as
to slightly raise the outer parts of the large plate-like leaf, a hollow
will of course be formed; and if water be poured into this so as to
cover exactly the centre of the stem which supports and feeds the leaf,
a curious result will be noticed. Bubbles of air will rise rapidly one
after another from exactly over the part where the leaf joins its stem.
In this particular leaf this spot is marked by being of a much lighter
green than the remainder of the leaf. This would be well worth trying in
the southern counties on the margin of ponds, etc., where it would be
fine associated with _Nuphar advena_, and the like. It should be put out
early in May.
=Nelumbium speciosum= (_Sacred Bean_).--An Egyptian water-plant of very
great beauty, with round sea-green leaves from 10 ins. to over a foot in
diameter, some of which float on the surface of the water, while others
are elevated above it at various heights up to 2½ ft. Above the highest
leaves appear the large, solitary, white, rosy-tipped flowers, which are
about 10 ins. broad, and are very fragrant. As the plant is somewhat
tender, it should be grown in tubs, and placed in rather shallow water
(which is more easily warmed by the sun) from the end of May until the
end of September in a position
[Illustration: NICOTIANA TABACUM. (_Var. macrophylla_).
Annual Section; forming handsome specimens within a few months after
sowing.]
sheltered from sudden changes of the atmosphere. A mixture of good loam,
sharp sand, and charcoal seems to answer it best. Multiplied by division
of the rootstocks, or by seed. Wherever there is a contrivance for
heating the water in a small pond or tank in the open air, these two
remarkable plants would be well worth a trial.
=Nicotiana Tabacum= (_Common Tobacco_).--There are several varieties of
this well-known plant, distinguished by the different length and width
of their oblong lance-shaped leaves and the lighter or deeper colour of
their rosy flowers. A deep, well-drained, light soil, rich in decayed
vegetable matter, is essential to this plant, as is also copious
watering in summer. As it is so readily raised from seed, and grows
luxuriantly in rich soil, I need not say it is a very desirable subject
for association with the Castor-oil plant and the like, and especially
suited for the many who desire plants of noble habit, but who cannot
preserve the tender ones through the winter under glass. It should be
raised in a hotbed, and put out in May. Height, 6 ft. or more. _N.
macrophylla_ is the finest variety.
=Nicotiana wigandioides.=--A species of recent introduction, with a
simple stem 6 ft. or more high, and very large, broad, woolly leaves
which grow in a somewhat erect position. If placed in a hothouse at the
close of the year, it becomes woody and branching, and assumes an
arborescent habit. Requires good substantial, well-manured soil, and
copious watering. This is a useful plant for grouping with the
medium-sized tender subjects in rich, light, well-drained soils, and
should be planted out about the middle of May.
=*Nuphar advena.=--A hardy Water-lily from N. America, with broad,
oval-heart-shaped leaves, some floating on the surface of the water, and
some emerging well above it. The flowers are rather large, of a
golden-yellow colour, with scarlet stamens. This plant is as hardy as
our native water-lilies, and is therefore adapted for any position in
which they will grow. In N. America it occurs chiefly in still or
stagnant waters. The bold and large leaves make it peculiarly suitable
for placing near the margin of water in the vicinity of groups of
picturesque plants.
[Illustration: Onopordum Acanthium.]
=*Onopordum Acanthium.=--A native biennial plant of bold, habit and
vigorous growth, with stout, branching stems often more than 5 ft. high,
and very large, undulating, spiny leaves, covered with long, whitish,
cobweb-like hairs. Flowers purplish, in large, solitary, terminal heads.
_O. illyricum_ has greener and more deeply-cut leaves, stiffer stems, a
more branching habit, and much more spiny leaves and stems. _O.
arabicum_ grows to the height of nearly 8 ft. with an erect and very
slightly branching habit, and has both sides of the leaves, as well as
the stems, covered with a white down. All these species are very hardy,
and thrive well in ordinary soil. They are particularly adapted for the
rougher and more neglected parts of pleasure-grounds, where they will
sow themselves.
=*Osmunda regalis.=--This, the largest and most striking of our native
ferns (sometimes attaining a height of 8 ft.), is one of the most
ornamental subjects that can be grown in certain positions. It should be
planted in moist peaty soil in half-shady places, on the banks of
streams, the margins of pieces of water, by cascades, etc. It may also
be planted in the water with good effect. It has been found to do well
exposed to the full sun, when its roots are in a constantly moist,
porous, moss-covered soil, in a position sheltered from strong winds. In
shady positions it would be found to attain great stature if planted in
deep, well-manured soil. The various North American Osmundas should also
be associated with this. There are several varieties to be met with in
gardens, the handsomest of which perhaps is _O. r. cristata_. Popular
and almost universally cultivated as the Osmunda is; however, it is not
at all common to see the Royal Fern and several other Osmundas otherwise
than in a shabby, or at best in a half-developed, condition. Mr. A.
Parsons, of Danesbury, a well-known florist and cultivator of ferns, has
overcome this difficulty, and narrates his marked success in the pages
of the _Florist and Pomologist_. He formed a very large fernery in an
old chalk-pit, and with much success; but, notwithstanding all the care
taken of the Osmundas and allied ferns, they were tried for four seasons
with no satisfactory results, the roots of the surrounding trees
robbing them of both soil and water. “A change was then made: a piece of
ground, of irregular shape, large enough to contain about 20 plants, was
staked out, and the mould, or, more correctly speaking, the chalk, was
removed to the depth of 3 ft.; a bricklayer followed, and put in a floor
of three bricks laid on the flat, set in good Portland cement, and over
that a layer of plain tiles, the sides being made up to the ground-level
with a 4½-inch wall, well built up in the same kind of cement; this made
the whole water-tight, and prevented the roots of the surrounding trees
from penetrating and robbing the ferns of their moisture. The space was
filled up with earth, compounded of good loam, peat, and leaf-mould, in
equal proportions, with about one-fifth of good rotten manure added
thereto; these ingredients were thoroughly mixed and well trodden in,
and then the ferns were planted. In forming this bed, provision was made
for the escape of the surplus water, by introducing into the front wall,
at about 4 ins. from the bottom, a common 3-in. drain-pipe, which
communicated with a small tank, about 3 ft. square, sunk into the chalk,
so that all waste water became absorbed. This method proved to be
eminently successful, the plants far surpassing in size any I have ever
seen under artificial cultivation, and, judging from report, rivalling
their growth in their natural habitats. Last season I could boast of
_Osmunda regalis_ with fronds at least 8 ft. in length, _Osmunda
spectabilis_ 4½ ft., _Osmunda Claytoniana_ 5 ft., _Osmunda cinnamomea_ 3
ft., and the beautiful _Osmunda regalis_, var. _cristata_, 3 ft. in
length. _Adiantum pedatum_ grew from 2 ft. to 3 ft. in height, and
others were proportionally fine. The plants were not drawn up by being
planted closely together, but were placed at a fair distance apart, and
became handsome and noble specimens. Every spring I apply a dressing of
about two inches of rotten manure to the surface, and just cover it with
mould for the sake of appearance. The artificial swamp is the admiration
of all the visitors here. The plants are always in a healthy and
vigorous state, and have none of that half-starved appearance so
frequently to be seen. The result of my experience induces me to believe
that a more liberal treatment would not be found objectionable in the
cultivation of many more of our native ferns. I intend making the
experiment this season, and may possibly find time to make known what
amount of success I may meet with. In concluding my remarks upon what I
may term ‘growing Osmundas under difficulties,’ I would observe that the
points to be principally attended to are--(1) a deep water-tight and
root-tight tank, the depth of which may, with advantage, be more than in
the case I have described; (2) a rich nutritious soil; (3) a reasonable
amount of water; and (4) a drain to carry off the surplus.”
=*Pæonia tenuifolia.=--A charming plant, about 1½ ft. or 2 ft. high,
with numerous upright stems almost completely hidden by the dense
finely-cut leaves, producing an effect which very much resembles that
afforded by the foliage of the Ferulas. The flowers are of a deep
crimson, or purplish-red, and about 2½ ins. broad, solitary and erect on
the tops of the stems. It does well in almost any soil or position, and
might with advantage be now and then used as an isolated specimen on
the turf.
=*Panicum altissimum.=--A very handsome hardy perennial grass, very like
_P. virgatum_, and often confounded with it, although much more elegant
in habit. It forms dense, erect tufts from 2 ft. to 6½ ft. high,
according to climate, soil, and temperature. The leaves are linear,
finely toothed, long, and arching. When in flower the plant presents a
very attractive appearance, the inflorescence consisting of very large
panicles of slender whorled branchlets covered with numerous small
spikelets of flowers, which ultimately assume a tinge of dark
chestnut-red.
=*Panicum bulbosum.=--A tall and strong species, with a free and
beautiful inflorescence. It grows about 5 ft. high, and the flowers are
very gracefully spread forth. It forms an elegant plant for the
flower-garden in which grace and variety are sought; for dotting about
here and there, near the margins of shrubberies, etc.; and for
naturalisation.
=*Panicum capillare.=--A hardy annual kind, growing in tufts from 16
ins. to 20 ins. high, and very ornamental when in full flower, the tufts
being then covered with large, pyramidal panicles, which are borne both
at the ends of the stems and in the axils of the stem-leaves. Grows in
any soil or position, and sows itself. I noticed it in great abundance
in cultivated fields in many parts of Canada and the United States. Well
suited for border beds or isolation, being one of the most graceful
plants in cultivation. It is commonly grown under the name of
_Eragrostis elegans_.
=*Panicum virgatum.=--A handsome, bold, hardy species from N. America,
growing, in good soil, to a height of nearly 3½ ft. It forms close,
compact tufts of leaves, a foot or more long, which, from July to the
first frosts, are crowned with very large, dense, branching panicles.
The general colour of the plant is a fine lively green, and its graceful
habit renders it an admirable subject for the picturesque flower-garden,
the pleasure-ground, etc., in isolated tufts. It is also fine for
borders. The best mode of multiplying it is by division in the spring,
when vegetation is just commencing.
=*Papaver bracteatum= (_Great Scarlet Poppy_).--A remarkably
vigorously-growing perennial species from Siberia and N. Russia, with
simple, rough, hairy stems more than 4 ft. high, each terminated by a
single flower 9 ins. broad, and of a bright deep brick-red colour, with
a large black spot at the base of each petal, and 2 or 3 leaf-like
bracts at the base of each flower. The radical leaves, which are very
deeply divided, form a dense broad tuft resting on the ground. A very
ornamental plant for the open parts of pleasure-grounds, flourishing in
almost any kind of well-drained soil. It will prove most effective as an
isolated plant in the rougher parts of the pleasure-ground. A plant of
it would also show to great advantage in a group of green-leaved
subjects like the Ferulas. Very closely resembling the preceding is the
Armenian species _P. orientalis_. It is however smaller in every
respect, and the flowers want the distinguishing bracts.
=Papyrus antiquorum= (_Egyptian Paper-plant_).--A very graceful reed, or
rather cyperus, which yielded the material used as paper by the ancient
Egyptians. The rootstocks spread horizontally under the mud in places
where the plant grows, continuing to throw up stems as they creep along.
These stems are triangular and grow from 3 ft. to 8 ft. high; they are
quite leafless except at the top, where they bear a large parasol-like
tuft of green, gracefully-arching filaments. Shallow parts of pieces of
water in a warm position are the most suitable places for this plant. It
may, however, also be planted in soil which is kept constantly moist.
Multiplied by division of the rootstocks; the pieces to be planted under
water, if possible. In gardens south of London this fine plant may be
tried in the open air in summer from June till September in warm spots;
if not planted in shallow water, or the artificial bog, it should
receive a very liberal supply of water in summer.
=*Paulownia imperialis.=--A Japanese tree of moderate size, with a
large, dense, spreading head, and broad, entire or lobed, opposite
leaves covered with hoary down. The flowers are nearly 2 ins. long, in
terminal panicles, and of a purplish-violet colour. Young plants, say of
a year, or in the first spring of their existence as independent plants,
will, if cut down to the ground, make a luxuriant growth during the
current year, and indeed prove more effective than the _Ferdinanda
eminens_. The stem rises quite vertically and with great vigour, and
looks simply a column of noble leaves. Plants growing in an ordinary
nursery-quarter were (Sept. 8, 1868) 7 ft. and 8 ft. high from the
ground, and the leaves from 20 ins. to 22 ins. in diameter. It was
noticeable, too, that those at the top of each shaft were as large as
those half-way up and near the base, which is not usually the case; and
of course every variation of this kind is valuable, as it helps us to
produce variety. Planted in rich ground and treated specially to secure
a subtropical effect, greater dimensions than the above may readily be
obtained, and older plants when cut down may be expected to produce
stronger stems and leaves. They should be cut down every year in winter
or spring, and confined to one stem.
=*Petasites vulgaris.=--A native plant of vigorous growth and striking
appearance, forming dense spreading tufts of enormous radical leaves,
usually about 2 ft. or 2½ ft. high. The leaves are heart-shaped in
outline, and sometimes 3 ft. in width. A suitable subject for planting
in any position where the soil is moist and deep, as on the margins of
pieces of water or in damp glades. There is a variety (_P. v. niveus_)
which has white, instead of rosy, flowers. This is also quite hardy, but
does best in a slightly shaded position in deep clayey or sandy-clay
soil.
=Phœnix dactylifera= (_Date Palm_).--A handsome palm with a rugged stem,
and pinnate dark-green leaves from 6 ft. to 12 ft. long; the divisions
linear-lance-shaped, very much pointed, and standing out quite straight.
Easily increased from seed. Suitable for the greenhouse in winter and
the open garden in summer, from the end of May till the beginning of
October. Africa and India.
=Phormium tenax= (_New Zealand Flax_).--A hardy plant, with something of
the habit of a large Iris, forming tufts of broad, shining, leathery
leaves from 5 ft. to 6½ ft. high, gracefully arching at the top. The
flowers, of a lemon colour, are borne in erect loose spikes just above
the foliage. Generally with us it will be found to enjoy greenhouse
temperature, though in genial places in the south and west of England
and Ireland it does very well in the open air. Its best use is for the
decoration of the garden in summer, a few specimens well grown and
plunged in the grass or the centre of a bed giving a most distinct
aspect to the scene. The larger such plants are, the better, of course,
will be the effect. The small ones will prove equally useful and
effective in vases, to which they will add a grace that vases rarely now
possess. It is pre-eminently useful from its being alike good for the
house, conservatory, and hall-decoration in winter. Multiplied by
division of the tufts in summer, and thriving best in a light deep soil.
Wherever indoor decoration on a large scale is practised it is
indispensable, and it should be remarked that, unless for vase
decoration, it requires to be grown into goodly specimens before
affording much effect out of doors; but when grown large in tubs, it is
equally grand for the large conservatory and for important positions in
the flower-garden. In the extreme south of England and Ireland the New
Zealand Flax will thrive in the water as well as on dry land; and where
this is the case it may of course be used with fine effect as an
aquatic. Doubtless, too, the variegated variety of the New Zealand Flax
would be a capital plant to try in the open air in nice situations in
the south and west of England and Ireland, where the green plant
sometimes does so well. In any case it will do finely out of doors for
the summer.
=*Phytolacca decandra= (_Virginian Poke_).--A vigorous herbaceous
perennial, from 5½ ft. to nearly 10 ft. high, with stems of a reddish
hue, very much branched above; the branches, leaf-stalks, veins of the
leaves, and flower-stalks being also red. The flowers are numerous, in
cylindrical spikes, and are at first white, afterwards changing to a
delicate rose-colour. In autumn the leaves change to a uniform reddish
tinge, which has a fine effect, contrasted with the numerous pendent
purple berries. This is a very hardy plant, requiring hardly any
attention and growing in almost any kind of soil. Multiplied either by
seed or by division. It forms a very free and vigorous mass of
vegetation, and, though perhaps scarcely refined enough in leaf to
justify its being recommended for flower-garden use, no plant is more
worthy of a place wherever a rich herbaceous vegetation is desired;
whether near the rougher approaches of a hardy fernery, open glades near
woodland walks, or any like positions. N. America.
=*Poa aquatica.=--A stout, rapidly increasing native grass, growing from
4 ft. to 6 ft. high, with broad, flat leaves and the inflorescence in
much-branched handsome panicles, sometimes nearly a foot long. It is not
uncommon in England and Ireland, mostly occurring in wet ditches, by
rivers, and in marshes. It is one of the boldest and handsomest hardy
grasses, for planting by the margins of pieces of artificial water or
streams, associated with such plants as the Typhas, Acorus, bullrush,
great water-dock, etc.