of Rural Art and Taste. 



335 



like the preceding, is very large, and 

 embraces quite a number of kinds suited 

 for carpet-gardening. 



Still another genus of succulents is the 

 Echeveria, with fewer species than the fore- 

 going, but all available. Prominently we 

 may call attention to the E. jnetallica, a large, 

 fleshy-leaved kind, that is covered with a 

 pinkish bloom. E. secunda, and E. seciaida 

 glauca, are invaluable for this style of plant- 

 ing ; and E. sayiguinea, when young, is 

 useful as well. There are a few rare species 

 that will in time make capital bedders, but, 

 probably, not superior to those already enume- 

 rated. 



The Lobelia genus supplies us with several 

 showy little species and varieties, which, un- 

 fortunately, do not succeed so well with us as 

 they do in England. The blue, white, and 

 pink flowers of the various sports, taken in 

 connection with the dwarf, compact habit of 

 the plants, render them invaluable for this 

 " rule and line " system. We might say, in 

 passing, that L. pumila grandijlora is about 

 the only variety that seems to hold its original 

 peculiarities when grown from seed. . The 

 others must, therefore, be increased by divis- 

 ions of the plant. As summer draws towards 

 a close, the Lobelia needs a close trimming, 

 when it will throw out a young set of shoots, 

 and again deck itself with a profusion of its 

 delicate little flowers. 



The Cttphea platycenti-a makes a valuable 

 addition to our list of dwarf, free-flowering 

 plants. From early summer to late autumn 

 it is always decked with its wealth of scarlet, 

 tubular bloom. It is readily propagated by 

 cuttings, and, if set thickly in the row, will 

 form a desirable contrast with the preceding. 



Cerasthim Bierbesteeiii and C. tonientosa 

 are each valuable, as they make a dense car- 

 pet of silvery-white foliage, exceedingly pleas- 

 ing to the eye. A new and deservedly popu- 

 lar plant, sent out under the name of Stellaria 

 aurea, or " Golden Chickweed," will in time 

 prove one of our very choicest aids in working 

 out complicated patterns. Another golden- 

 leaved plant, and one that is unsurpassed 

 where it succeeds properly, is the now well- 



known Golden-Feather ; a Pyrethrum, with 

 yellow leaves, which does not behave hand- 

 somely in all situations. We have seen it the 

 past summer, both in Europe and in this 

 country, where it was certainly a gem in the 

 collections. It needs to be frequently and 

 closely pinehed-in, to make it a suitable plant 

 for the work we are attempting to describe. 

 Another set of prettily colored plants will be 

 found in the genus Alternanlhera. In rich 

 soils, with us, these will grow too luxuriantly ; 

 but, by close planting and quite frequent clip- 

 ping, similar to that recommended for the 

 Golden Feather, they can be made very useful 

 among our smallest plants. Two entirely 

 new candidates for popular favor come under 

 the heading of very low "trailers," and are 

 equally eflective for tracing intricate patterns. 

 The first, Othonna crassifolia is a pale-green, 

 succulent plant, laying close to the surface of 

 the bed, and blooms regularly all summer 

 long. The plant itself is quite handsome, 

 however, even without bloom, and has with- 

 stood the hot, dry weather of the past season 

 charmingly. We predict for it a " long run." 

 A fit companion for this is found in our other 

 novelty, the Mesembryanthemum cordifo- 

 Hum variegatum ; a long name for an ex- 

 quisite little creeping plant, which has fully 

 justified the encomiums heaped upon it by its 

 introducers. Its white and yellow markings 

 glistening in the sunlight, with myriads of 

 tiny, silver-like specks, at once places it in 

 the front rank of miniature plants. These 

 two are among the best basket-plants of which 

 we have any knowledge ; and for planting 

 around the edges of vases, where the trailing 

 stems may hang down, they are particularly 

 efiective and useful. 



A second season's trial of the golden-leaved 

 Peristrophe has proven that, in one locality at 

 least, it makes a marked feature in " carpet- 

 beds." In one of the hottest, dryest positions 

 possible, it has grown finely, and has shown a 

 much richer cofor than other plants of the 

 same variety in the shade. 



The variegated Sweet Alyssum forms a 

 good contrast to the brilliant-leaved plants, as 

 the foliage is prettily striped with white, and. 



