nutans_, one of our native catchflies (so called from their viscid
stems which prevent ants and creeping things from reaching and robbing
the honey stores), which may occasionally be seen growing on limestone
rocks. This plant bears many large white flowers during June and July,
each flower living but for three nights. At about seven o'clock of the
first evening, the flower quickly opens and emits a strong scent as
of hyacinths. Five of its stamens quickly develop, the pollen ripens
and the anthers burst. At three o'clock in the morning, or thereabouts,
the scent ceases to be produced, the five anthers wither, and the
corolla closes. During the following day the flower looks as though
dead or dying. At the same hour as on the previous evening, however,
it again opens and again becomes fragrant. Five more stamens develop
and ripen their pollen, after which the plant again closes as before.
The proceeding is again repeated on the third night, the pistil,
however, now developing instead of the stamens. The stigma having
been fertilised with pollen brought by moths from another flower, the
corolla closes as before in the early morning, and never again reopens.
Other of the Silenes, such as _S. noctiflora_, _S. inflata_, _S.
vespertina_, and _S. longiflora_, also bloom at night and are equally
interesting.
Almost a shrub in size, the Marvel of Peru (_Mirabilis jalapa_) is
one of the handsomest of night blooming plants, opening its variously
coloured ephemeral flowers at about eight o'clock, and closing them
again for good and all before three o'clock the following morning. It
is a somewhat delicate plant and will only thrive in warm soils and
sunny situations. A plant not often seen in gardens is the fragrant
Sand Verbena (_Abronia fragrans_), a Californian perennial of fairly
vigorous trailing habit, producing a quantity of beautiful flowers of
purest white which open and yield a vanilla-like fragrance at night.
[Illustration: MACARTNEY ROSES]
Although too delicate to be grown all the year through in the open air
of this country, several of the Thorn apples or Daturas can easily be
grown as half-hardy annuals, and during July and August are objects of
great beauty. The mauve-tinged white trumpets of _D. Ceratocaula_ which
open and afford sweet fragrance at night are especially handsome,
but some of the other kinds are almost equally worth growing.
In addition to the evening primroses already referred to, there
are several other very attractive species, some being delightfully
fragrant. They are quite easily grown in almost any soil, and
night-gardeners should cultivate all of them. _Oenothera eximia_, which
likes a light soil, is one of the best of the white-flowered kinds,
its scent somewhat resembling that of the magnolia. _Oe. speciosa_
(white to rose), _Oe. odorata_ (yellow), _Oe. fruticosa_ (yellow), _Oe.
macrocarpa_ (yellow), _Oe. biennis grandiflora_ (yellow), and _Oe.
triloba_ (yellow) are but a few names. Some of the evening primroses
remain more or less open in the daytime, in which case they are usually
visited by bees as well as by their guests of the night.
The catchflies are a family of night-bloomers, and their relative, the
Soapwort (_Saponaria officinalis_), resembles them in this respect, for
its large rosy flowers open and become fragrant much after the manner
of those of _Silene nutans_. The common pinks, too, which are allied
plants, yield increased fragrance during the hours between sunset and
sunrise, and are then frequently visited by moths.
The petunias are not often capable of being grown as hardy perennials
in English gardens, but are easily grown as half-hardy annuals. They
lend much beauty and fragrance to the night-garden, the white _P.
nyctanigiflora_ being especially good. All the scented pelargoniums
are delightful, the night-scented _P. triste_ and _P. atrum_ being as
good as any. The hardy terrestrial orchids, _Habenaria bifolia_ and _H.
chlorantha_, which yield their spicy fragrance at night, are easily
grown in the bog garden, or indeed in any damp shady place if plenty of
leaf-mould be mixed with the soil.
Although usually to be seen only under glass, it would be impossible
to dismiss the subject of night blooming plants without referring
to the ephemeral blossoms of the night-flowering cactuses, _Cereus
grandiflora_--with its vanilla scented brown and yellow flowers, often
measuring a foot across--and _C. nycticalus_, known as the Queen of the
Night. The flowers of these plants open at about nine o'clock and begin
to wither some six hours later.
One might go on adding to the list, but, even from the few plants here
enumerated, it will be seen that the night gardener has a considerable
field in which to work; whilst to those who share Baudelaire's love of
scents, the realm of night-blooming flowers should be a very Paradise.
"Il est des parfums frais comme des chairs d'enfants,
Doux comme les hautbois, verts comme les prairies,
---- Et d'autres, corrumpus, riches et triomphants,
Ayant l'expansion des choses infinies,
Comme l'ambre, le muse, le benjoin et l'encens,
Qui chantent les transports de l'esprit et des sens."
THE GARDEN IN AUGUST
August is really but July continued, for no important new feature is
peculiar to it. July is very distinct from June, as the latter is from
May, and that again from April, but July and August are essentially
alike. The weather is similar, the flowers are similar, and, as a
result, it is probable that the enthusiasm of gardeners reaches a lower
point in August than in any other month of the year.
Roses and Carnations are still among the most important flowers in
the garden, and the majority of summer blooming annuals and perennial
herbaceous plants are still flowerful.
It is somewhat depressing to observe how the beautiful race of Fuchsias
has gone out of cultivation since it went out of fashion. I do not
know quite when the Fuchsia was introduced into this country, but I
believe it was about the middle of the eighteenth century. The Rev.
William Hanbury, "Rector of Church Langton, in Leicestershire," in a
two volume work in folio, entitled "A Complete Body of Gardening and
Planting," published in 1771, of which I possess a copy, says that in
his time only one species of Fuchsia was known. "This being the only
species of the genus, it is named simply Fuchsia. Father Plumier calls
it Fuchsia triphylla flore coccinea. It grows naturally in most of the
warmest parts of America." Hanbury included it among stove plants,
alleging that it is "very tender at all times," but as a matter of fact
_F. coccinea_ can easily be grown in the open air in most districts of
England, though it thrives best in the milder parts. The scarlet drops
hanging from a tall bush of this plant--and it sometimes reaches a
height of five or six feet, or even more--are very attractive, and one
can but admire the taste of the humming birds which in its native home
the Fuchsia seeks to attract.
Except near the sea and in certain warm situations, Fuchsias can
hardly be regarded as thoroughly hardy plants; but, wherever they will
succeed, they should certainly be grown, for they are amongst the most
beautiful ornaments of the garden in late summer and autumn. Perhaps
the hardiest of all is _F. Riccartoni_, with bright red flowers, but
the old _F. globosa_ is almost its equal in vigour.
_F. macrostema gracilis_ is of taller and, as its name implies, of more
slender habit than the other hardy kinds. It has the further advantage
of producing its pretty scarlet and purple drops somewhat later in the
autumn. A Fuchsia bush rarely looks shabby on account of dead and dying
flowers, for, when their work is done, the petals usually fall before
they have begun to wither.
I am sure that gardeners who study the native flora of England derive
much more pleasure from their flowers than those who focus all their
attention on the cultivated species and hybrids which are grown in
gardens. The hedges and woodlands are full of examples and full of
suggestions, for they show us the habit and manner of life of the
English relatives of our exotic plants. By studying the wild species
with their wonderful grace and simple beauty, indicative of adaptation
of means to ends, we are less liable to become the slaves of the
florists.
The hedges, or rather the wayside patches at the hedgerow's base,
are very beautiful just at this season, with the yellow flowers
of two of the Cinquefoils, the silky fern-like-leaved _Potentilla
Anserina_ (Silver weed) and the creeping _P. reptans_. The Cinquefoil
much resembles the Strawberry, producing its honey by means of a
dark-coloured ridge which runs round the tube of the flower near its
base. Its stamens and pistil however develop coincidently, whereas
the stigmas of the Strawberry ripen long before the stamens, and
consequently self-fertilisation is far more common than is the case
with the latter.
It must have been the quinately leaved _P. reptans_ which was formerly
in favor as a heraldic device. Folkard says that the number of the
leaves answered to the five senses of man. The right to bear Cinquefoil
was considered an honourable distinction to him who had worthily
conquered his affections and mastered his senses.
Many species of Potentilla are valuable garden plants, from the little
Alpine _P. nitida_, whose leaves shine more brilliantly than our Silver
weed, to the showy _P. atrosanguinea_, and the hybrid varieties derived
from it, which are the kinds usually seen in gardens. Among these
hybrids are a number of single and double sorts, nearly all of which
possess good colour--mostly ranging from yellow to scarlet.
Two other races of garden hybrids are of extreme importance in late
summer, the Pentstemons and Phloxes, the latter being among the most
valuable of border plants. In selecting varieties of either of these
flowers one should be careful to avoid the very washy and hateful
magentas and purples which are but too frequently seen. The Pentstemons
are worthy of greatly increased culture, for they often continue to
flower until the frosts of November.
The great race of hybrid Gladioli derived from _G. brenchleyensis_ and
_G. gandavensis_ are now fashionable, as they deserve. The scarlet _G.
brenchleyensis_ is itself very hardy and should be grown in quantity.
The hybrids require some care and should be planted in March at a depth
of three inches and a distance of nine inches apart in deeply dug,
rich, well-drained soil, free from fresh manure. About the second week
in September, before the foliage has died down, the corms should be
lifted and thoroughly dried off in a freely ventilated shed.
But most brilliant of all the flowers of August are the scarlet
Lobelias, _L. cardinalis_ (described by Parkinson), and _L. splendens_
with their varieties. They are not very hardy, but with a little
protection during winter can be grown in most well-drained gardens.
Moisture during summer is essential, so that a slightly shaded position
should be selected.
THE GARDEN IN AUTUMN
It is the deciduous trees and shrubs which announce the arrival of
autumn. Green leaves take on a colouring of yellow, brown, or red more
pronounced than the yellows and reds of spring. As the wind blows, a
few of the ripest leaves fall, and one becomes conscious of a feeling
of evening, of the end of a play, or of the end of a beautiful poem. If
it were but by these autumnal colourings, and by the feelings which the
fall of the leaf produces, one would be well repaid for the planting
and cultivating of trees and shrubs.
Because the active life of these larger plants is over for a season,
however, one need not imagine that the well managed garden is suddenly
to become flowerless. Roses and Pentstemons, Potentillas and Phloxes,
Sweet-Peas and Nasturtiums, and a host of other summer bloomers still
remain and often continue to bear flowers till hard frost pulls down
the curtain. But it is not on summer flowers that we need rely, for
there are numerous beautiful hardy flowers peculiar to autumn itself.
Dahlias, Rudbeckias, Sunflowers, Tritomas, Michaelmas Daisies, Japanese
Anemones, Fuchsias and Chrysanthemums are those which immediately rise
in the memory.
The common Torch Lily, or Red-hot-Poker, is almost the hardiest of the
Tritomas--or Kniphofias, as they are now called--and in a moderately
light soil will live year after year with little or no attention.
Often, in neglected cottage gardens at about the end of August, a group
of these Flame flowers, burning red and glowing yellow, arrest the
attention and cheer the landscape. The variety known as grandis is even
more effective, often reaching a height of nine feet or even more.
The dark crimson _Kniphofia Burchelli_ is valuable on account of
its long blooming period, as also is the orange and scarlet _K.
Saundersii_, but all the kinds are good, though not all are distinct.
Considering that it was introduced from the Cape nearly two hundred
years ago, it is somewhat curious that the Kniphofia is still
comparatively a rare flower.
Although it was mentioned by Hernandez in his History of Mexico, as
long ago as 1651, the Dahlia was not introduced into this country until
1789, when Lady Bute brought a plant from Madrid. It is scarcely hardy
in heavy soil or in the northern half of England, and it will generally
be necessary to lift the roots in late autumn, and, having ripened them
in a shed, to store them for the winter in a cool dry place, where the
temperature will not fall below freezing point. In the spring, the
separate tubers may be planted in deep rich soil; or the roots may in
February be placed in a hot bed, and as the young shoots which form are
about three and a half inches long, they may be separated together with
a small piece of the tuber, and potted in small pots which should be
placed in the hot-bed until the young plants are ready to be planted
out. The old double kinds are much inferior to the single and cactus
varieties. Dahlias compass a very wide range of colour, and there are
so many good sorts that each grower may well be left to select for
himself. In choosing Cactus Dahlias, it is wise to select kinds in
which the flowers stand out well beyond the foliage.
[Illustration: WHITE WOOD LILIES]
The vigorous Sneezeweeds or Heleniums are among the easiest of all
plants to grow, and will exist on almost any soil. Like other hardy
plants, however, they pay for deep cultivation and manure. They bear
yellow composite flowers, and grow to a height of five or six feet.
_H. autumnale_ is the most generally valuable.
The Cone-flowers, or Rudbeckias, are also handsome American plants, the
best being _R. speciosus_, which bears orange flowers with dark yellow
centres, and is a very fine bloomer.
But even more useful and important than Heleniums and Rudbeckias are
the various perennial sunflowers, of which _Helianthus multiflorus_
and _H. rigidus_, with their varieties, are perhaps the best worth
cultivating.
All these North American composites are such very vigorous growers
that they should not be placed in close proximity to small or delicate
plants, and it is advisable--except in quite wild places--to take them
up every two years and divide the roots.
The Michaelmas Daisies, or tall-growing Asters, are steadily growing
in favour coincidently with the growth of the popular taste. Deep
cultivation, moderately rich soil, and division every two or three
years, are the conditions of their successful culture. _Aster
ericoides_, _A. amellus bessarabicus_, _A. acris_, _A. Shortii_ and _A.
vimineus_ are a few good kinds.
Both the white and the rose-coloured varieties of _Anemone Japonica_
should be grown, and are of the easiest culture. They may be rapidly
increased by division, and should be allowed to develop into bold
clumps. _Megasea cordifolia_ and the Pampas Grass are among the
autumnal bloomers, as also are the Crocus-like Colchicums, the even
more delicately coloured autumn Crocuses, Sedum spectabile, Sternbergia
lutea, the late-flowering Gladioli, and the beautiful Amaryllis
Belladonna.
Quite unlike all other autumn flowers--indeed unlike all other
flowers--the Japanese Chrysanthemum gives us the latest display of
brilliant colouring of the garden year. For border decoration, they may
be treated much as other herbaceous plants and divided in the spring.
Owing to the season at which they flower and the frequent occurrence of
violent storms at that period, it is desirable to grow Chrysanthemums
against a wall or hedge. The varieties are infinite in number, so that
when ordering plants for out-door use it is advisable to instruct the
florist as to the purpose to which you intend to devote them. A few
very hardy kinds are Madame C. Desgrange, Lady Fitzwigram, Roi des
Précoses, and Ryecroft Glory.
The autumn tints assumed by the leaves of many deciduous trees and
shrubs are very interesting and beautiful. Of such, the following short
list may be of a little help:--
Acer colchicum rubrum.
Acer platanoides laciniatum.
Acer Schwedleri.
Azalea pontica.
Amelanchier canadensis.
Berberis Thunbergii.
Cornus (of sorts).
Liriodendron.
Parrotia persica.
Rhus (of sorts).
Rubus (of sorts).
Spiræa Thunbergii.
Silver Birch.
In one of his most suggestive essays, John Burroughs pointed out that
in autumn the battles of the spring are fought over again. But, whereas
in the spring it is the summer warmth which eventually, in spite of
many mishaps and reverses, wins the victory, in the autumnal ebb it
is the cold which finally gains the day. This constant strife between
succeeding seasons at the points of meeting lies at the root of the
peculiar charm of the English climate and of the English flora.
The following lists are borrowed from my _Chronicle of a Cornish
Garden_:--
A FEW GOOD TALLEST BORDER PLANTS.
Hollyhocks.
Delphiniums.
Pæonies.
Aconitum napellus.
Aconitum autumnale.
Rudbeckia maxima.
Rudbeckia laciniata.
Doronicum plantagineum excelsum.
Digitalis.
Tritomas.
Campanula macrantha.
Campanula pyramidalis.
Galega officinalis alba.
Phlox (in variety).
Spiræa aruncus.
Helianthus (in variety).
A FEW GOOD TALL BORDER PLANTS.
Anemone japonica alba.
Aquilegias (in variety).
Papaver orientale.
Iris germanica.
Lilium candidum.
Achillea ptarmica fl. pl.
Dicentra spectabilis.
Scabiosa caucasica.
Campanula persicifolia.
Campanula latifolia alba.
Campanula Van Houttei.
Campanula turbinata.
Primula japonica.
Coreopsis.
Carnations.
Helleborus niger.
Helleborus orientale.
Adonis vernalis.
Alstroemeria.
Erigeron speciosus.
Montbretias.
Gladioli.
Pentstemons.
Lobelia cardinalis.
Asters.
Chrysanthemums.
Geum chiloense.
Marguerites.
A FEW GOOD DWARF BORDER-PLANTS.
Veronica prostrata.
Veronica saxatilis.
Veronica rupestris.
Silene Schafta.
Silene acaulis.
Silene alpestris.
Campanula isophylla.
Campanula pulla.
Campanula turbinata.
Anemone apennina.
Anemone blanda.
Anemone coronaria.
Anemone fulgens.
Anemone nemorosa.
Dianthus alpina.
Dianthus deltoides.
Dianthus plumarius.
Gentiana acaulis.
Gentiana verna.
Iberis coriaefolia.
Iberis sempervirens.
Phlox amœna.
Phlox subulata.
Auricula (alpine varieties).
Cyclamen (various).
Viola pedata.
Campanula carpatica.
Campanula pumila.
Campanula pelviformis.
Hepatica (various).
Aubrietia (various).
Primula rosea.
Primula vulgaris.
Primula Sieboldi.
Primula nivalis.
Viola (various, violas and pansies).
Papaver nudicaule.
Cistus (various).
Helianthenum (various).
Alyssum "
Fritillaria "
Crocus "
Galanthus "
Narcissus "
Tulipa "
Scilla "
Iris "
Leucojum "
Chionodoxa "
Eranthis hyemalis.
SHELTER AND SHADE
There are many ways of growing hardy flowering plants, and of growing
them to advantage, but all these different methods have certain
fundamental conditions in common. Of these conditions the most
important are the possession of a suitable site and the provision of
suitable soil. Children are raised in slums and hovels, and even in
besieged and famine-stricken towns; and, in like manner, there is
no site so bad, no aspect so dull, no air so vile, no soil so poor
and shallow but plants may be found which will there exist. But in
order that we may grow any considerable variety of beautiful flowers
we must screen our garden from bitter winds, and so prepare our soil
that it shall be adapted for vigorous plant growth. Wind-resisting
screens may consist either of walls or of suitable trees and shrubs.
Which of these forms of protection should be selected depends on
circumstances which vary with different gardens. In any event, it will
be generally agreed that a garden should be so enclosed (Hortus--an
enclosed space) as to afford not only shelter to plants from the more
strenuous forces of Nature, but also that privacy from the vulgar
gaze which we call seclusion. If the garden is to be enclosed by
walls, let these be of a fair height--not less than ten feet; and let
them be clothed with a variety of the lovely climbing plants now at
the disposal of the gardener. There is considerable room for choice
both among deciduous and evergreen climbers. Among the best of the
former section are the self-clinging Ampelopsis Veitchii, the blue
and the white Passion-flowers, numerous varieties of Clematis, the
winter-blooming Jasminum nudiflorum, Wistaria, Honeysuckles, Bignonia
radicans, and many of the Roses and Vines; whilst against walls facing
north we may grow Tropæolum speciosum, Clematis flammula, the Evergreen
and Boursault Roses and the Virginian Creeper. The Evergreens mostly
prosper with any aspect. Among the best are the various Ivies and
Cotoneasters and Crataegus pyracantha.
The trees and shrubs which may be used are numerous; but for dense
hedges perhaps the most useful are Holly, White Thorn, Privet,
Barberry, Laurel, Box and Yew. Where possible, the straight line of a
long clipped hedge may be broken by groups of shrubs planted within,
unless a formal garden effect be desired. It is well to distinguish
between the use of shrubs or trees as bounding fences or screens and
their use as beautiful individual plants; and, when a dense screen is
required, to obtain it by means of suitable trees and a properly made
and properly shorn hedge rather than by a thickly-planted and therefore
overcrowded "shrubbery." Whether it be trees or shrubs or climbing
plants that we propose to plant, the ground should be deeply trenched
and well manured, so that annual meddling about the roots may not be
required. Whilst a certain proportion of evergreen shrubs, such as the
beautiful hollies and barberries, should be used, it is undesirable to
make too free a use of non-deciduous plants. The ordinary overcrowded
laurel and privet shrubbery is hideous and depressing.
Trees and shrubs, however, are useful not only for the shelter and
seclusion which they yield, but also for their delightful summer shade.
In one of his essays, Emerson quotes an Arabian poet's description of
his hero:--
"Sunshine was he
In the winter day;
And in the midsummer
Coolness and shade."
That is a beautiful description of a perfect friend, but it might serve
equally as a description of a perfect garden. The flowers of July are
infinite in their number and exquisite in their beauty, yet, if they
are grown in a large, tidy, treeless, shrubless garden, they will yield
but little pleasure. A garden is not a place merely for the exhibition
of floral wonders, but a place wherein to rest, to talk, to read or
to dream. With the blazing sun of July beating on one's unshaded
head, dreaming, resting, and reading are equally uncomfortable and
unprofitable.