THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 345 



las, have this standard in themselves. Thus The O'Shane says, " Phlox, all the tall 

 herbaceons kinds, three and four feet." Allow me to state that a three feet phlox, 

 may be barely tolerated, if it has redeemintr qualities, but a four-feet phlox should 

 only be allowed to lift its head among shrubs, or at least very far back in the bor- 

 ders. Co?<«i!e«s q/'ifowe was a phlox that stood A 1 with me for a longtime as 

 regards habit, etc., but it is now superseded, and a variety called 3Irs. Scott is what 

 I consider the model of a plilox, as a herbaceous plant (I am not speaking of the 

 show table). Look at it and judge for yourselves, those that have it ; and those that 

 have not, should obtain it. Again, among campanulas I would place C. coronata, 

 first, although very many of this tribe are truly beautiful. Apropos of campanulas, 

 ■what does The O'Shane mean by " Camjmmtla rotundifolia" red. I am ashamed to 

 confess I have never seen a red campanula. C. rotundifolia is our native harebell ; there 

 are some fine varieties of it. One that I have called pulchella 1 have counted up- 

 wards of one thousand fully-exp;inded flowers on a medium-sized plant. I consider 

 Biclytra (this is the proper way of spelling it) spectabUis a very beautiful plant, 

 but I could always beat it with Spirea Japonica, which I consider the most lovely 

 herbaceous plant known. I have known this plant take first prizes at the Liver- 

 pool show for five consecutive years. I have not time, and you have not space for 

 me to describe it. I am very near crying out, " Oh, Shame ! that The O'Shane does 

 not mention this plant." I am thankful for the interest you take in my favourite 

 old herbaceous plants. On looking over the list in the Floeal Wokld, I found I 

 have them nearly all. Some of them mentioned in your list I do not consider her- 

 baceous plants, such as lilies and the bulbous irises however beautiful bulbs may be 

 in the herbaceous border, they cannot be considered ti-ue herbaceous plants. Now, 

 sir, do you know that I have the vanity of making a list myself. So I took a stroll 

 round my little place, and dotted off" a hundred, just as I came across them. I have 

 not named one from the published list. I have not descended to the thousand and 

 one little jiems such as Campanula pumila alba, Dianthvs deltoides, or Fhlox siibu- 

 lata. These I consider as alpines, and m.ay have a word to say about them here- 

 after. 1 have only mentioned one bulb, Narcissus triandrus, for its peerless beauty. 

 N. incomjjarabilis is not at all to be compared with it. I have only introduced one 

 plant for its foliage, namely, Bocconia {Maclei/ana) cordata — could not pass it by. 

 But I enclose a list of one hundred hardy herbaceous plants, species, each with a 

 character of its own, not a coarse plant in the lot, embracing every colour, form, and 

 size of flower from the overwhelming splendour of " Papaver involucrata maxima 

 to the spirit-like airiness of Giipsophijlla2}aniculata. People may smile at such old 

 plants as Trollius JEuropaius being noticed, but what is there that beats it in its 

 season ? I take it for granted that the plants in the following list are well known, 

 and shall not tell where they come from ; but will just mention where they may 

 be had, and as you wisely abstain from recommending dealers, allow me to recom- 

 mend mysidf, by stating that I have the whole of them, with scores of othei-.s, and 

 whoever wants them may obtain them at a cheap rate by applying to Thomas 

 Williams, Bath Lodge, Ormskirk. 



LIST or A nUNDRED HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 



Dracocephalura argynense, D. grandiflorum ; Lobelia syphilitica, L. cardinalis, 

 L. fulgens, and varieties ; Papaver involucrata maxima (flowers nearly one foot 

 across) ; P. croceum, P. orientale ; Achillea ptarmica pleno, A. tomentosa,^ A. 

 ./Egyptiaca, A. millefohum roseum ; Anemone pulsatilla, A. rivularis ; Geranium 

 Lancastriense, G. Lambertii, G. Iberica, G. Endresii ; Gypsophylla paniculata, G. 

 Stevenii ; Geum coccinea grandiflora ; Pyrethrum incarnatum (Salter's varieties 

 of this are splendid) ; Potentilla Nepalensis ; Centaurea ochroleuca ; Delphinium 

 grandiflorum (splendid) ; Siberian larkspur (very choice) ; Phyteuma orbiculare ; 

 Symphiandra pendula (a charming campanulaceous plant, creamy yellow flowers ; 

 should be elevated on a few stones, etc., beinj? a decided trailer) ; Erodium hyme- 

 noides, E. Manescavii ; Bocconia cordata ; Pulmonaria virginica (fine) ; Coreopsis 

 tenuifolia ; Funkia Sieboldii; F. lanceolata ; F. alba marginata ; Gentiana hybrida; 

 G. pneumonanthe ; Sedum populifolium ; ;5. Fabaria ; i^upinus polyphyllus alba 

 (fine habit) ; Dictamnus rubra, D. rubra alba ; Dianthus plumosus, D. petrajus major ; 

 Campanula pulchella (enormous flowers), C. coronata (very chaste), C. nitida, C. 

 Vidallii, C. glomerata plena, C. Trachelium plena, C. Trachelium alba, C. hosti, C. 

 rotundifolia alba, C. pumila alba, C. mollis ; Pentstemon pulchella (varieties); Chelone 



