NOTES ON ORNAMENTAL PLANTS. 253 



will bloom the same year. The roots are like a radish, growing larger 

 eaeh year and finally making subdivisions. There are threp sorts. 



Grandiflorum. — Has large blue flowers, charmingly veined. 



Grandiilorum Album is a large, white flower with delicate penciling 

 of blue. The plants grow to be two and a half feet tall and are covered 

 with masses of flowers. 



There is a .Japanese blue platycodon which is double. It is not quite 

 as large as the other sorts. 



These should be planted early in the spring. The surest way is to get 

 some plants of some seedsman or nurseryman, when you will have a good 

 crop of flowers the same season. You are not always sure of getting the 

 colors you want. If you send for seed of the white you will be apt to 

 get some blue ones and among the blues there will be some white. 



Florists are generally careful to weed out the strays .and so have 

 them as nearly true to color as possible and yet once in a while a blue will 

 stray in among the whites and vice versa. But there is no harm done, 

 and as the florist usually puts in good count you can pull out the strays 

 if need be. 



These flowers are so hardy and prolific that they should be found in 

 every collection. 



Polygonum, or Mountain Fleece. 



The name is compounded from poly (many) and goun (joint); many 

 jointed, from the numerous joints on the stem. There are many va- 

 rieties. The two generally grown are: 



Compactum, which grows about eight feet tall and is surmounted by 

 large spikes of greyish flowers. 



Cuspidatum, the giant variety, has very large semi-tropical leaves and 

 is topped with immense trusses of flowers. 



These, like the Bocconias, should always be placed in the background 

 as they sometimes grow to be six to eight feet tall. 



PROPAGATION. 



These are produced from seeds, but the best way is by root divisions. 

 They are inclined to spread and sprout from the root so they should be 

 confined to the background. They are effective when set in front of 

 lilacs or ornamental shrubs. You can dig up the roots in the fall and 

 put them in a box of sand in the cellar just as the nurserymen propagate 

 blackberries from root cuttings two or three inches long. Placed in 

 sand in a cool place they take their time in winter, when they have 

 nothing else to do, to form a callus which is preliminary to sending out 

 roots. When planted in the spring they soon send out roots and tips. 



These, like the Bocconias, Boltonias and Hibiscus, all kill down, in the 

 fall. The tops should be cut off and removed so the new growth can have 

 all the room they want in the spring. 



Should they be inclined to wander and come up where they are not 

 wan^d. cut them down — they are not hard to kill. 



