Pe 
a 
100 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Phlomis—continued. 
base; floral ones oblong-lanceolate. Stem herbaceous, purplish. 
Roots tuberous. R. 3ft. to 5ft. East of Europe to Siberia, 1759. 
(B. M. 1555.) 
P. viscosa (clammy). f. yellow, tomentose outside; whorls large, 
from forty to fifty-flowered; bracts linear, very acute. June. 
l., radical ones very ample, ovate, deeply cordate at the base, all 
wrinkled, green above, and tomentose beneath. Branches tall, 
almost simple, tomentose. R. 3ft. to 5ft. Syria, 1821. (B. M. 
2542, under name of P. lunarifolia Russelliana.) 
PHLOX (from phlor, flame; alluding to the general 
brilliancy of the flowers). ORD. Polemoniacee. A genus 
comprising twenty-seven species of hardy, erect or dif- 
fuse, tall or tufted, perennial, or rarely half-hardy 
annual herbs, natives of North America and Russian 
Asia. Flowers red, violet, or white, usually showy, 
sometimes solitary, sessile or stalked, sometimes cymose, 
the cymes disposed in terminal, corymbose or thyrsoid 
panicles; calyx tubular-campanulate, with five acute or 
acuminate lobes; corolla salver-shaped, with equal ob- 
ovoid, orbiculate, or obcordate lobes. Leaves entire; 
cauline ones opposite, or the uppermost ones alternate. 
The perennial species and varieties of Phlox may fairly 
be designated some of the best and most popular of 
garden plants. They are all very easily cultivated, and a 
selection from the genus is practically within the reach 
of everybody. Some of the species are dwarf, creeping 
plants, well adapted for the rockery, or front line of a 
mixed border. Where they can be obtained in sufficient 
quantity, they are sometimes employed with success for 
spring bedding. P. subulata and its varieties are the 
best known of the dwarf, creeping kinds; they may, 
therefore, be referred to as examples. None of these 
dwarf species seed freely; they are propagated chiefly 
by means of cuttings or divisions. Cuttings should be 
inserted in a cold frame about July, and kept shaded 
from bright sunshine. They will form good plants by 
the following spring, when they may be placed in per- 
manent quarters outside for flowering. Large plants may 
be easily converted into numerous small ones by shaking 
some light soil amongst them in summer, and then dividing 
in autumn, when the trailing branches will be found to 
Boe aman Any well-drained ordinary soil will suit, 
not unust large patches to die away in winter 
c damp. x 
Other distinct groups or sections ch are much 
more generally cultivated than those already referred to, 
are the early or summer-flowering, and the autumn or 
late-flowering, tall-growing varieties. These are highly 
attractive, and, as they succeed each other in flowering, 
it is a good arrangement to plant some of both alter- 
nately. They may be propagated from seed; by cuttings of 
the young stems, shoots, or roots; and by division. Seeds 
preserved with a view to raising new varieties should 
only be gathered from extra good plants. They should be 
sown, when collected, in pans filled with sandy loam, and 
be kept in a warm greenhouse or pit until spring, when 
the young plants will appear. These should be grown 
on, and eventually hardened, to plant out in April or 
May, if strong enough. Many will flower the first season, 
but not so strongly as in the second. Oftentimes, the 
seeds germinate irregularly, especially if they are kept 
long before being sown. Cuttings root very readily at 
almost any season, in a little warmth; they may be pro- 
cured at the end ‘of March, in large quantities, from the 
base of old plants. For i increasing new or scarce varieties, 
cuttings may be made of pieces of root. These may be 
cut into short lengths and treated somewhat like seeds. 
Propagating by division simply consists in lifting the 
plants in early spring, cutting them at the base into small 
pieces, and replanting. These tall-growing perennials 
succeed best in rather heavy soil, and where it is of a 
good depth; they will, however, thrive — well in 
Phlox—continued. 
any good border or bed. A thick top-dressing of manure, 
in summer, is of great help, both by preventing evapo- 
ration and affording nutriment. If the weather is dry, 
a heavy drenching of water occasionally is also recom- 
mended, as it tends to considerably prolong the flowering 
season. The plants are very attractive in beds by 
themselves, or in mixed borders along with other 
perennials. They are also well adapted for culture in 
pots, if provided with a rich soil, and grown in a cool, 
slightly-shaded frame, through the summer. 
P. Drummondii is one of the most beautiful and useful 
half-hardy annuals in cultivation. It may readily be 
raised from seeds, which should be sown in a little heat, 
during March, in pans, boxes, or on a partially-spent 
hotbed. As soon as the seedlings become large enough to 
handle, they should be pricked off in other boxes, and 
grown on in frames until May, when they may be gra- 
dually inured to the open air. When about 3in. high, 
the points should be pinched out, with a view to inducing 
a more compact habit. This species, and its varieties, in 
numerous colours, are fine for planting in flower-garden 
beds, amongst other tall-growing subjects that, maybe, 
are partially naked near the bottom. The plants re- 
quire a rich soil and plenty of water; like the others, a 
mulching of manure, in summer, is of great help. Seed- 
lings may also be grown, in pots, for greenhouse 
decoration; and cuttings may readily be struck for a 
similar purpose. They will thrive in any ordinary frame 
after the middle of April. 
The most important species, from a garden stand- 
They are perennials, except 
point, are described below. 
where otherwise stated. 
3 
bin. to . h 
or villous. "iai Pi C A EM 
P. aristata (awned), of Michaux. A form on, P k 
P. canadensis (Canadian). A synonym of P, divaricata. 
P. candida (white). A form of P, maculata. 
P. carnea (flesh - colour). A form of P. glaberrima sufruticosa. 
