For March, 1921 



511 



Walks and Talks Among the Spring Flowers 



FLORUM AMATOR 



WK will resume our garden walks and talks where 

 we stopped in mid-April. We may not walk 

 and talk in a very orderly manner, btit we will 

 try to have a pleasant time together. The birds are 

 coming- north again. The buds on shrub and tree are 

 swelling. All Nature is fast awakening out of her Winter 

 sleej). 



Here are more Anemones, the dainty \\'ood Anemone, 

 Anemone nemorosa. under the trees, with solitary flowers, 

 white, pink and purple, held on slender stems well above 

 their delicate foliage ; near it the Snowdrop Windflower, 

 Anemone sylvestris, whose large, nodding-, sweet scented 

 flowers appear singly or in pairs ; not far away we see 

 its double form, A. sylvestris flore plena, and another 

 .speceis, the Narcissus Flowered Anemone, quite difl:'er- 

 ent from the others, whose white, yellow-centered flowers 

 are in uniljels and held well above the deeply divided 

 leaves. 



There is an interesting, dainty plant, the large-flow- 

 ered Barrenwort, Epimedium macrantluim, the inner 

 sepals of its white flowers are violet, its outer bright red, 

 its spurs are white, and even its new foliage has a red- 

 dish tint. This plant thrives in the half-shade in the 

 border or rock-garden. Near to it is its variety, the 

 large white-flowered Barrenwort, E. m-aeranthiim niveum. 

 whose oddly formed flowers are white. 



In this Rhododendron bed we see the Dogtooth N'iolet, 

 Erythronhim. several species, E. albidiim, whose siilitary 

 white flowers with a yellow base surmount a stem rising 

 between narrow leaves which spring up from a bulb : 

 E. Amerieanum. with yellow, drooping, liliaceous flowers, 

 and mottled leaves; E. citriniim, whose ijroader petaled 

 yellow flower-, tipped with pink are borne one to three 

 to each stem above mottled leaves ; E. granditlorum with 

 unmottled leaves, and one to six yellow flowers on each 

 stem ; and E. dens canis, whose dainty, solitary drooping 

 flowers varying from white to rosy purple are raised 

 above the reddish brown foliage. This collection of 

 Dogtooth \'iolets is very interesting. 



These beds of Dutch Hyacinths are a lieautiful sight. 

 The air is laden with the sweet perfume of their many 

 bright colored single and double flowers. What a for- 

 tunate youth Hyacinth was to have such a beautiful 

 flower nan-ied after him. 



Not far away from the Hyacinths the early-flowering 

 Tulips, double and single, are now making a brilliant 

 display. What a range of colors they have, from white 

 to almost black, but the red and yellow are the most 

 showy. Hyacinths and Tvilips are so familiar to all flower 

 lovers that we will walk by them with great admiration 

 but few words. 



This bulbous plant is the striped Squill, Piisclikinia 

 seilloides: its white flowers borne in clusters are marked 

 with blue. Though growing here in the border, it is 

 equally good for a rock-garden. 



Under these trees we see the \\'ake-Robin, Trillium 

 is the botanical name, several species, the Nodding Wake- 

 Robin. T. cernunm, whose lone white flower is almost 

 hidden among the folia.ge: the white Wake-Robin, T. 

 erect urn album, with charn-iing white flowers raised above 

 its broad foliage on graceful stems: the Early Wake- 

 Robin, T. nii'ale, a dwarf, whose solitary cream-white 

 flowers are carried, some on erect, and others on droop- 

 ping stalk=: the Painted Wake-Robin, T. undnlatiim. the 

 handsornest of all Wake-Robins, whose large white 



flowers are niarked with crimson; the Ill-Scented Wake- 

 Robin, T. erectiim, whose graceful stems springing from 

 dark, broad foliage, are surmounted by charming brown- 

 ish red flowers. All of these Wake-Robins are excellent 

 for naturalizing among hardy ferns or under trees. 



Here are many species and varieties of Violets, blue, 

 and white and yellow. The Sweet White \'iolet, Viola 

 hlanda, whose faintly sweet scented white flowers are 

 veined w-ith lilac, thriving best in a damp location: The 

 Canada \'iolet, I'iola Canadensis, whose white flowers 

 are tinged with purple, and which is at home under these 

 trees; the Dog Violet, Viola canina, whose blue or lilac- 

 colored flowers, pinkish outside, are carried on leafy 

 stei-i-is, and its variety V. canina alba, with white flowers ; 

 the Heartsease. ]''iola tricolor, to which our beautiful 

 hybrid Pansies belong, which faithfully gives us its little 

 parti-colored flowers in border or rock-garden through 

 a long period ; the vigorous tufted plants of the Horned 

 ^'iolet. Viola cornuta. whose faintly scented Violet col- 

 ored flowers, as large as small pansies, are good for cut- 

 ting, as are also tho.se of its white flowered variety grow- 

 ing beside it, V. cornuta alba. .\h\ here are yellow 

 Molets, the yellow-horned Violet, V. cornuta lutca 

 major, with charn-iing yellow flowers, growing in the 

 lialf-shade of this liorder, and near it the Hairy Yellow 

 N'iolet, ]'. pubesccns. (irowing in this shady spot in 

 tufts is a very fragrant Violet, Viola odorata alba, with 

 pretty white blooms, also the common early blue \'iolet 

 of the East, J', pahnata and its variety cueullata. 



In this rock-garden we see several of the Rock Mad- 

 worts or Golden Tufts. Alyssnm sa.mtile, of spreading 

 habit, with niany small golden yellow flowers, and its 

 variety A. saxatile eompactum of compact form with 

 clusters of fragrant yellow flowers, and silvery foliage ; 

 also the Austrian Madwort, A. gemonense, of shrubby 

 growth, and with larger lemon-yellow flowers. 



The Narcissi of many types are now in bloom, some 

 single, with cup, or trumpet-shaped corollas, others 

 double, some white, some yellow or orange and some 

 bicolor. How pleasing they are to our eyes, and how 

 suavolent to our nostrils. Flowers of the poets' verses. 

 .Spring woiild indeed not be Spring without them. All 

 flower lovers know them, and as we passed by the Hya- 

 cinths and Early Tulips in admiring silei-ice, entranced by 

 their beauty and quieted by their sweet perfume, so we 

 will pass by these charming Xareissi. 



In the shady location growing in the fleep sandy loam 

 are many species of Fritillary ; every third or fourth 

 y;-ar their bulbs need to be moved. Let us take a little 

 time to note their dififerences ; this Golden Fritillarj', 

 I'ritillaria ciirea has solitary flowers oddly checkered with 

 brown ; the pale flowered Fritillary, T. pallidi flora has 

 larger, paler, bell-formed flowers, you see ; this shy Fritil- 

 lary, F. pudica. is a graceful plant, with its solitary, 

 drooping bell-shaped uncheckercd fragrant flowers ; its 

 foliage is .gray, while that of P. aiirea was deep green and 

 that of F. paUidiHora bluish green: next we see the purple 

 Fritillary, P. atropurpurca, with several bell-formed 

 deep i)ur])le flowers faintly checkered with .green, and on 

 leafv stems: this is the two flowered Fritillan', F. biflora 

 with its two to ten drooping, bell-shaped, purple-black 

 flowers tinted with green or stems furnished with whorls 

 of foliage : this species, F. camtschatcensis. with three 

 bell-shaped, deep purple drooping flowers, and purple 

 leaves as well, is ri.ghtly named Black Lily. What a lar?-e 



