204 



HORTICULTUBE 



February 12, 1916 



Armeria 



'llie growiii}; intiTivt in AiiKiicu in rock gunleniug is 

 one of the iiu'.-t gratifying facta of our time. The 

 "rockery" as a meaningless stone pile fre(|uently con- 

 sisting of a heap of soil bristling witii small projecting 

 rocks bcinfr new n mutter of the past a hetter under- 

 standing of iiMist ruction will gradually t-akc place. We 

 shall sooner or later see rock garden building develop 

 to a distinct branch of the art of landscape gardening. 

 The rockeries of Uie near future will not only offer the 

 best opportunity to indulge in the enjojinent of ever 

 changing effects, nay, the nature and character of mod- 

 ern constnictions and the enlightened owners will em- 

 pliatically demand tJie employment of an extensive vari- 

 ety. Fortunately Uic material at our di.-i])osal is rich both 

 in liighly effective and, as a rule, extraordinarily hardy 

 plant genus and species of great diversity. 



Armeria, a genus of the order Plumbaginiao, com- 

 monly called Sea-])ink or Thrift, consists of a number 

 of useful rock garden inmates of long standing. The 

 nomenclature of species in standard works is in a chaotic 

 state and as many of species merely differ under the 



filling the pockets of the sunny locations of rockeries 

 and dry walls, 'i'hey also prove effective when employed 

 for edging of burders in herbaceous gardens. 



Armerias may be raised from seed sown in cold frames 

 early in spring or propagated i)y divisions. Seedlings 

 flowiT the second year. I'liiiitations should be made in 

 light sandy soil rich in humus. Do not forget a light 

 leaf covering for winter protection. 



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Achllleas 



Among the be^l and m<i.-i idiablc of hardy peren- 

 nials is the Achillea. Among the better known vari- 

 eties which grow in our gardens are the following: 



A. filipendula (syn. A. Eupatorium). Flowers yellow 

 borne in corymbs often five inches across, blooming 

 from June to September. It attains a height of four 

 to five feet and will need staking. 



.\. lanata, hardy, attaining a height of 3 to 4 feet, 

 Flowers dull white in .July till the end of September. 



A. millefolium (white) and varieties ro.seum and 



Abmf.kia MABITIMA SPLBNDEN'S. 



microscope of the botanist our interest is best limited 

 to tlie few distinct forms we are familiar with. Armeria 

 cephalotes, valuable on account of its late flowering, may 

 be found listed as A. formosa, latifolia, mauretanica 

 and pseudo-armeria. The round headed blossoms of 

 the true cephalotes appear in early autumn and are of 

 a deep rosy crimson. The species Armeria plantagiuea, 

 going also under the names leucantha and scorzonerae- 

 folia. is at its best during June and July. Its blossoms 

 are rosy red and those of the variety alba are white. 



Best known to most of us is the common Armeria 

 vulgaris, growing wild along the coast lines of Great 

 Britain and also abounding on rather dry open sunny 

 plains of Central Europe. Its synonjins are A. elongata 

 maritima and Statice Armeria. The garden forms of 

 it listed in American catalogues under Armeria mari- 

 tima splendens, splendens alba and Laucheana, remain 

 the most desirable for American rockeries. The flower 

 heads of maritima splendens, the subject of our illustra- 

 tion, appear in rosy pink or in white, while those of 

 Laucheana are of a bright red color. Their ver}' resist>- 

 ant tufted foliage covering the ground densely and 

 their decidedly handsome blossoms bonie on thin wiry 

 stems make the cultivated thrifts an ideal maffiinl fnV 



rubra. Plants 1 to 3 feet in height and flowering from 

 June to October. 



The well known A. Ptarmica and its varieties, es- 

 pecially "The Pearl" need little if any introduction. 

 The flowers are white and double and are among the 

 best known whites for cutting. The. height is from 

 12 to 18 inches and they bloom nearly all summer. 

 They require a rather rich soil for best results. 



Among the varieties seldom seen in catalogues is A. 

 sibirica "Blush," a perennial attaining a height of 3 

 feet with pinkish-lilac flowers, July and August. 



For rock garden woi'k the s])ecies A. Clavennae should 

 appeal to many. It is not particularly dwarf, attaining 

 ten inches, but produces iuie white flowers in spring 

 and summer, thriving well in a sandy soil. 



All of the Achilleas are of easy culture and rw)uire, 

 except in very few cases, an ordinary well diained gar- 

 den soil in a sunny or half sunny situation. Propagation 

 is eflected by seed, cuttings or division in spring of 

 which the latter is the usual and best method. 



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