NOTES ON ORNAMENTAL PLANTS. 257 



plant has beautiful flowers. It is a native of Germany. When rubbed the 

 leaves emit the odor of a lemon peel. The plant emits a volatile oily 

 matter which may be ignited in hot weather. There are three sorts. 



Fraxinella, from Fraxinus, the botanical name of the ash, and the 

 Itaves somewhat resemble those of that tree. 



There is the Dictamnus Rubra, with red flowers. Alba, with white 

 flowers, and the Caucasicus, a giant form, with flowers twice the size of 

 the others. The plants are rather slow in coming into flower, but they 

 make it up by keeping at it for a century. They require a good soil and 

 a sunny position. 



They are propagated from seed, which begins to ripen in August, and 

 should be sown immediately and they will come up the next spring. If 

 allowed to get dry and hard, they may be sown the next spring, when 

 they must lie in the ground a year before they will come up. 



It is much the best way to get the plants about three years old and 

 so save time and -make sure of having them. Some seed, like those of 

 the peony, if sown immediately on ripening will come up the next spring, 

 but if allowed to dry they will take the sulks and there is no process by 

 which they can be hurried and they may take two or three years to 

 germinate. 



Aquelegia, or Columbine. 



There are about fifty native sorts of these flowers and as they very 

 readily cross or hybridze there is an almost infinite variety. Some of 

 them are of great beauty. Quite a large number are found in America. 

 One of the finest is Ccerulea, photograph of the deep blue of the sky and 

 the fleecy clouds. This is the state flower of Colorado. The Chrysantha 

 is a rich golden flower and one of the latest. It grows wild in the Yellow- 

 stone park. Both of these are single with very long spurs. 



Its habit of growth is to form large clumps. The peculiar pendant 

 flowers are interesting in themselves because of their unusual form, and 

 this feature, taken in connection with the graceful habit of the plant, 

 gives each clump a striking and interesting appearance. The shades of 

 color in columbines are almost infinite, while in form they vary from 

 single to double blue, the flowers quilled like a dahlia. Some of the same 

 form are red and some are. white. They are usually on hand for Decora- 

 tion Day when we often put up bouquets for soldiers' graves of red, white 

 and blue. Some are very early and some, like the Chrysantha, are very 

 late. I like to sow a lot of mixed seed and let nature blend the colors 

 as she sees fit. A bed of fifty or more varieties is exceedingly attractive. 

 You love to linger over them and see the variations of form and color. 

 So wide is the range that they take up all the colors of the rainbow. They 

 continue about a month in bloom and reach down to the unfolding of the 

 peony, the iris and the Oriental poppy. 



PROPAGATION. 



Sometimes you can divide the roots, but the better way is to sow the 

 seed. You can sow them when ripe if you will put them under a dark 



