For April, 1921 



543 



dens. The color of the former is a deep violet blue, while 

 the round umbels of the latter appear light purple. The 

 foliage of cashmeriana is pale green, the lower surface 

 covered with a powdery substance resembling gold dust. 

 Less delicate and therefor far better adapted for our 

 climate is Primula dcnticnlata, a hardy and very showy 

 species sikkitncnsis it is decidedly moisture-loving. The 

 P. frstalis ccrnua. with purplish-pink; P. fcstalis lilacina, 

 with lilac, and P. fcstalis rosea, with pink flowers ; also 

 5'. Hispanica alba having fragrant, drooping, bell-shaped 

 white tiowers; S. Hispanica carnca with flesh-colored 

 flowers and S. Hispanica rosea with rose-colored flowers. 

 This plant which we see growing in the full sunlight, 

 but which will grow in the half shade also is the greater 

 Starwort, Stellaria holostca. This is useful as well as 

 pretty, as it will form a covering for dry banks on which 

 grass will not grow ; its leaves are small and its white 

 flowers numerous. 



Here are several species of Thalictrums ; this is Tha- 

 lictncm aquilegifolium, commonly called Feathered Co- 

 lumbine, really not a Columbine, yet, so called because its 

 dark, handsome foliage is like that of a Columbine, but 

 its feathery, white flowers borne in large clusters are 

 quite unlike those of Columbines. This is an excellent 

 plant for the border or naturalizing in sun or part shade. 

 This other species, T. purpurescens, is commonly called 

 Purplish Meadow Rue, a tall plant, and its loose, leafy 

 panicles of greenish white flowers are in keeping with 

 its height. For a wild garden this Glaucous Meadow 

 Rue, T. glancum, is very suitable ; its greenish yellow 

 flowers are in dense clusters, and its fern-like leaves 

 enhance its lieauty. Though its greenish }'ellow flowers 

 are insignificant, the grayish foliage, resembling that of 

 the Maiden-Hair fern, make this Dwarf Meadow Rue, 

 T. minus, desirable for an edging or border. 



These plants are the Spiderworts, Tradcscantia Vir- 

 ginica with purplish flowers, and T. Virginica alba with 

 white ; free growing, bushy plants, with many flowered 

 umbels ; a plant of easy culture in sun or half-shade. 



The American Barrenwort. ]'ancouveria hexandra 

 grows well massed here in the shade of the trees. It is 

 grown more for its pretty, fern-like foliage than for its 

 small white flowers. This is a Pacific Coast plant, and has 

 of late years been collected in Southern California and 

 shipped all over the country and sold to florists as a 

 bouquet green under the name of "Mexican Ivy." 



Here in the half shade of this moist border, is a stately. 

 Asphodel-like plant with grassy leaves and a tall stem 

 terminated by yellowish white flowers in close racemes ; 

 this is called Turkey's Beard, Xerophyllum setifolium. 

 This plant is quite suitable to grow in a peaty bog. 



In this sheltered location in the border we see several 

 Columbines, .\quilegias. This is the yellow Canadian 

 Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis flaviflora, with droop- 

 ing vellow flowers raised above its grayish foliage and 

 with it the species itself. A. canadensis with an abun- 

 dance of scarlet flowers, excellent wild or rockgarden 

 plants in either sun or part shade, which is true of most 

 Columbines. Here are many others also, A. Oxysepe- 

 tahi. the Sharp-Sepaled Columbine, whose large purple 

 flowers are tinged with yellow and white: A. imlgaris. 

 the many-flowered purple Columbine, and its double 

 flowered variety florc plena, and its white variety, nivea ; 

 A. Stuarti. Stuart's Columbine, a I)eautiful. erect sjiecies 

 with large lilac blue flowers; A. Skinneri, Mexican Col- 

 umbine, a many-flowered, large, shapely ])lant with 

 orange-red flowers. These .showy drooping scarlet and 

 yellow flowers are those of the Hybrid California Colum- 

 bine, A. Calif arnica hybrida, and these charming, deep 

 blue nodding flowers, whose petals are tipped with cream 

 are those of the Altaian Columbine, .1. ghnululosu ; this 



beautiful species with large blue flowers whose spur tips 

 are green-tipped and twisted, and whose foliage is large 

 and handsome is the Long-Spurred Columbine, A. cceru- 

 lea; here with graceful arching stems we see a most 

 charming species, the Golden-Spurred Columbine, A. 

 chrysantha, with handsome dark foliage and many beau- 

 tiful, yellow fragrant flowers. 



It has, we have read, been proposed to make the native 

 Columbine. A. canadensis, our national flower, and we 

 think it would be preferable to the Laurel, Kalniia lati- 

 folia, also proposed for this purpose, parts of which con- 

 tain a deadly poison. 



We will have to stop our walks and talks now, but 

 may resume them either when the "Good Old Summer- 

 time" comes or when the swallows come and the wild 

 geese fly north another Spring. 



HARDY PRIMROSES 



{Continued from page 541 ) 



of bright lilac and lavender shades adorn the plant dur- 

 ing May and June. Our cut, depicting a group of plants 

 of the new grandiflora strain of George Arends shows 

 the recently disseminated white variety at the right. 



A perfect gem and yet, scarcely known on our hemi- 

 sphere, is Primula rosea, a comparatively small native 

 of the western Himalayas. Like denticulata, Cockburtv- 

 iana. Japonica, puherulenta and the clear sulphur-yellow 

 species sikkinieiisis it is decidedly moisture-loving. The 

 most charming feature of Primula rosea and especially 

 of its garden form, rosea grandiflora, is the brilliant 

 carmine pink color of its flowers when planted along 

 waterlines for mass-eiTect. 



In contributing new and beautiful trees, shrubs and 

 perennials for our gardens the flora of the Far East has 

 been lavishly liberal. A complete enumeration and 

 description of the treasures we owe to the French mis- 

 sionary, Abbe Delavay, alone, would mean to write a 

 book. How immensely the recent exploits of E. H. 

 Wilson as plant collector are going to add to the beauty 

 of garden and home ground here and abroad lies still 

 beyond our comprehension. As to the continued influx 

 of novelties of hardy primroses we only need to take a 

 glance at Camillo Schneider's robust growing and niar- 

 velously free flowering Chinese species. Primula Syh'a 

 TaroHcana. illustrated in the April issue of Gartenschoen- 

 hcit, to notice that the near future is going to bring 

 happy surprises for hardy primrose lovers. Those of the 

 r)ritish Islands look today with just pride at (ieorge 

 Forrest, the eminent Scotch explorer and collector who, 

 during his prolonged sojourns amid the Alpine section 

 of the southern part of the province Yunnan, in China, 

 has been a contributor of many entirely new forms and 

 species of the genus Primula of which the Botanical 

 Garden of Edinburgh was the principal receiver. 



When beholding the bright orange hues of Primula 

 Hulleyana, and gradually convincing ourselves that the 

 oddly cone-shaped, at the point blood-red, in the middle 

 purple, and at the lower part delicate lavender, flowers 

 of Primula Littoniana are really those of a primrose, 

 we wonder what is going to come next. 



Hitherto our attempts in bog gardening, when com- 

 pared with work of the same character abroad, remained 

 more or less crude. Exploiting the enchanting ])ossi- 

 bilities of rivulet and brook we have hardly begun. 

 However, the prevailing tendency among our refined 

 and wealthy countryside residents to cut loose from 

 every day conventionalism sooner or later will bring 

 opportunities to prove that we are up to the task. Keep- 

 ing this in mind I believe we can ill afford to remain 

 disinterested in moisture loving hardy primroses. 



