Pretentious gardens are now gayly decorated with glowing masses
of pelargoniums and vincas, belts of rich coleuses and fiery
alternantheras, patchwork of feverfew and mesembryanthemum, and
scroll-work of house leeks, but amid this gay checkering it is wonderful
how few flowers there are for cutting for bouquets. As tender plants,
except the few that may have been wintered in windows and cellars, are
beyond the reach of most of our country folks, I will consider those
only that are perfectly hardy and in full blossom now, July 21.
Koempfer's irises, blue, white, purple, streaked, marbled, and otherwise
variegated, are in bloom; they are the grandest of their race, and as
different varieties succeed one another, they may be had in bloom
from June till August. They are easily raised from seed or by
division--prefer rich, moist land, and if in a partly shaded place,
their blossoms last longer than in full sunshine.
Trumpet lilies are bursting into bloom; the scarlet martagon is at its
best; _speciosum_, tiger, and American Turk's cap lilies are yet to
follow. I find the trumpet lilies have done better this year than any of
the other sorts in open places. Most of the yellow day lilies are past,
but the tawny one is at its best; they are all hardy, and seem to thrive
alike in wild or cultivated land. Seibold's funkia (called also day
lily) has pale bluish flowers, and large, handsome glaucous leaves: the
undulated-leaved funkia has beautifully variegated leaves, and pale
bluish blossoms; these, together with several others of their race,
are in bloom. They like to grow in undisturbed clumps in rich and
faintly-shaded nooks; if grown in full sunshine they bloom well enough,
but their leaves get "scorched."
The European meadow sweet (_Spiraea ulmaria_), two feet high, and the
Kamtchatka one, four feet high, are in bloom; the double varieties are
far finer, whiter, and more lasting than the single ones. They will grow
anywhere. There are many fine kinds of sedum or liveforever in season;
some of them like _album_ (white), _pulchellum_ (pink), _spurium
splendens_ (pink), _hispanicum_ (white), may more properly be called
stonecups, but the stronger-growing sorts, as _S. warscewiczii_
(yellow), should be regarded as liveforevers. They like open, sunny
places, and dislike artificial waterings.
_Dicentra eximia_ (pink-purple) is free, neat, copious, and a perpetual
bloomer, as is also _Corydalis lutea_ (yellow). The climbing fumitory
comes up of itself from seed every year, and is now running over bushes,
stakes, and strings, and is full of fern-like leaves and flesh-colored
flowers. The long, scarlet wands of _Pentstemon barbatus_ are
conspicuous in the borders; this should be in every garden, it is so
profuse and hardy. Many speedwells still remain in fine condition,
notably _Veronica longifolia;_ they are a hardy and a showy race of
plants, and will grow anywhere. The main lot of perennial larkspurs are
past, but by cutting them over now many flower spikes will be produced
during the fall months. The yucca or bear-grass is in perfection; its
massive flower scapes are very telling. It will grow anywhere, and once
established it is hard to get rid of.
Many kinds of perennial bell-flowers are in fine condition, as the
carpathian, peach-leaved (second crop), nettle-leaved, common harebell,
and vase harebell. In the case of many of the tall-growing kinds, better
results are obtained by treating them as biennials than perennials. No
garden should be without the double white feverfew; the more you cut it
the more it blooms. _Anthemis tinctoria_, yellow or white, the yellow is
by far the best, and the lance-leaved, large-flowered, larkspur-leaved
and eared coreopsises are fine, seasonable perennials, as are likewise
the yellow, white, and pink yarrows, double sneezewort, the cone
flowers, and large-flowered fleabanes, and all grow readily in
any ordinary garden soil, and with little care. Hollyhocks are in
perfection; feed them well and prevent many sprouts to each stool. Many
kinds of meadow rue, as garden plants, have a bold, graceful appearance;
they love moist soil.
In good soil and a partly shaded spot we have no handsomer plant in
bloom than the tall bugbane (_Cimicifuga racemosa_); from a bunch of
thrifty leaves arise a dozen scapes of racemes, creamy white, and six
feet high. The scarlet lychnis and its many varieties are nearly past,
but the large-flowered, Haag's, and others of that section, are in their
prime, and showy plants they are. They are true and lasting perennials,
bloom well the first season from seed, quite hardy, copious, and
effective; any ordinary garden soil. The pyrenean prunella has large
purple heads; the false dragonhead (_Physostegia_), pale rose-purple
spikes; centranthuses, cymes of red and white; centaureas, heads of
yellow, blue, and purple; pinks, divers shades of red and white; and
monkshoods, hoods of blue or white; and all are very hardy, ready
growers, and copious bloomers. The bee balm, one of our handsomest
perennials, has bright red whorls; it spreads upon the surface of the
ground like mint, and thus may be divided and increased to any extent.
It loves rich, moist land, but is not fastidious. Among the evening
primroses the Missouri one is the brightest and biggest; _speciosa_,
white, from Texas, of blossoms the most prolific; _glauca, riparia,
fruticera_, and _linearis_, all yellow; many others, though perennial,
are best treated as annual or biennial. The spiked loosestrife planted
by the water's edge of a pond is far finer than in the garden border. It
has hundreds of red spikes.
Add to these, everlasting peas, musk mallows, spiderwort, globe
thistles, bold senecios, the finer milkweeds, _Scabiosa, Gallium_,
Chinese _Astilbe_, various kinds of loosestrife (_Lysimachia_), and many
others as perennials, and _Coreopsis_, balsams, zinnias, marigolds,
stocks, Swan river daisy, mignonnette, sweet peas, sweet alyssum,
morning glories, larkspurs, canary flowers, cucumber-leaved sunflowers,
verbenas, petunias, corn flower, Drummond phlox, double and single
poppies, snapdragons, _Phacelia, Gilia, Clarkia_, candytuft, red flax,
tassel flowers, blue _Anchusa, Gaillardia_, and a multitude besides of
seasonable annuals, which can all be raised quite easily without a frame
or green-house, and what excuse has any farmer for having a flowerless
garden in midsummer?--_William Falconer, in Country Gentleman_.
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