May 25, 1907 



HOKTICULTURI- 



683 



species Erythronium deus-Oiiiiis and its varieties are 

 especially attractive. Their tlowers are of various 

 sliades and rise above the foliage about six inches. They 

 are spreading rapidly and will soon cover more space 

 liian we can spare them. Eryihronium Americanum 

 and E. albidum grow luxuriantly. They seem to do 

 well cither in shade or sunshine. They make an exr 

 lellent edging for rhododendron beds and love the moist 

 l^eaty soil. 



AX EARLY LATIIYRUS 



Lathyrus vernus (Orobus vcrnus) is the first of the 

 pea family to blossom. It's surprising that this fine old 

 plant is not more common. It has many good qual- 

 ities which recommend it as an early-flowering hardy 

 plant. Just as soon as the frost leaves the ground it 

 pushes up its green leaves and very soon the plant is 

 embellished with clusters of purple flowers. When 

 fully grown it is about a foot in height. It is easy to 

 grow and is not fastidious about soil or situation. In 

 full sunshine it seems to be happy, but under the shade 

 of trees it does equally well and its flowers last longer. 

 It seeds freely and can be increased from seed or by 

 division. Skirting the lower edges of some large rocks 

 Lathyrus palustris with its pale purple flowers is very 

 pleasing now. 



The earliest of the speedwells to blossom is Veronica 

 gentianoides. This is a dwarf species only 'attaining 

 ten to twelve inches in height. It has bright light blue 

 flowers and bright gTeen shining foliage. It is a cap- 

 ital rockery plant and does well where the soil is not 

 too dry. , 



The. rock madwort (Alyssum saxatile) loves sunshine 

 and in a partially elevated fully exposed position, it is 

 a mass of shining yellow now. It is one of the best 

 yellow flowers we have at this season. It does not do 

 well with us as a border plant but we have no difficulty 

 with it in the rock garden when grown in positions 

 that are slightly elevated. It is rather hard to trans- 

 plant, bitt plants raised from seed and planted in their 

 permanent positions before they are fully grown give 

 the best satisfaction and quickly get established. 

 Alyssum argenteum is another species we grow but it is 

 not as showy as the rock madwort. It is perfectly 

 hardy and is pleasing in some positions. 



Aster alpinus looks in perfect condition and although 

 not yet in flower is a mass of buds which will speak 

 for themselves later. 



A NEW VIOLA 



Viola cornuta variety papilio is a new kind we raised 

 from seed which came from England last year. This 

 is a good thing and in many ways like the species, but 

 the purple flowers are shaped like a butterfly as the 

 name suggests. Viola lutea variety golden gem is the 

 finest yellow viola wc have grown so far. It is perfect- 

 Iv lovely now. It is also new and the seed was ob- 

 tained last vear from Thompson and Morgan of Ips- 

 wich. England. Amongst the new tufted pansies we 

 have raised from seed last year and which are growing 

 finely in the rock garden the following are the best : 

 Imperial Blue, Purple King, and Osborne White. These 

 tufted pansies are profuse blooms and produce quan- 

 tities of flowers all the summer. 



Some of the alpine drabas are lovely and are the 

 smallest plants probably we grow out of doors. In 

 crevices between the rocks we have nursed and cherished 

 Draba bruniaefolia for many years and it has rewarded 

 us many times with its show of minute yellow flowers. 

 This is one of the jewels; the whole plant does not 

 measure more than an inch in height. Some scientists 

 tell us that plants have as much of a spread under 



ground as they have aliove ground. It is the reverse 

 with these minute mountain plants. On some of the 

 plants which are not more than an inch in height, the 

 roots travel downwards for about a foot. I have dug 

 Drabas with roots ten and twelve inches long. This is 

 only another example where nature fits plants for their 

 environments. Otiier species of drabas that are in 

 flower now and all having white blossoms are Draba 

 contorta, Traunsteineri and incana. 



POPPIES STIOULD BE R.VISED FROM SEED 



The Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule) and its 

 various varieties on elevated spots make a bold show at 

 this time. The plants are not long lived and a batch 

 sliould be raised from seed each season if the plants do 

 not produce themselves naturally from seed as they 

 often do if they are happy and thrifty and in a situa- 

 tion to their liking. 1 lika the plain old-fashioned 

 nudicaule and its white variety the best, although all 

 the other forms are good for variety's sake. The alpine 

 poppy and its white variety have a better constitution 

 than the Iceland poppy. They are all easily raised 

 from seed and ought to be in every collection of rock 

 garden plants. 



Parrya Menziesii is a pretty little cruciferous plant 

 which is new to our garden. It grows six or eight 

 inches high and has racemes of bright purple flowers. 

 I raised a number of plants from seed a year ago and 

 idanted them last fall in the rock garden where every 

 one of them lived and they are flowering with the 

 greatest profusion. 



A VALUABLE PKIilROSE 



Primroses are especially valuable as early spring- 

 flowering plants ancl the one that draws most attention 

 at this time is a large mass of Primula denticulata var. 

 Oashmeriana. This is a splendid plant and deserve.s 

 tiiore prominent popularity than it has at the present 

 time. It is perfectly hardy and when it finds a con- 

 genial home it flowers exceedingly free, throwing up 

 just after the frost is out of the ground, flower stems 

 about ten inches in height and almost as thick as my 

 little finger, which are terminated with large umbels of 

 light purple flowers. It will grow on level ground or 

 partly level and is not particular about the texture of 

 the soil. This plant comes true from seed and can be 

 grown easily in this way. 



Primula officinalis and. P. Polyantha and their nu- 

 merous forms and varieties are all doing well and al- 

 ways have a charm for lovers of early flowering plants. 



Fritillaria imperialis is the plant that has made most 

 growth this season out of doors. Its stems are from 

 three to four feet high now and are crowned with 

 umljels of drooping brick-colored flowers. Fritillaria 

 Meleagris and its varieties are also curious and interest- 

 ing. Other species that are in bloom now are F. tenella 

 and ruthenica. 



EOELWETSS 



The Edelweiss (I.eontopodiura alpinum) is perfectly 

 hardy here, and wc have a colony of it about a yard 

 long by a foot in breadth. Although not in bloom now 

 it is always interesting to lovers of alpine plants. We 

 hear rumors often that the plants will be exterminated 

 by tourists in its native country. There need be no 

 fear of this as long as a few seeds can be procured as 

 there is no plant easier to grow from seed than the 

 I^delweiss. , 



