i8 97 . 



GARDENING. 



325 



YUCCA GLORIOSA. 



mon to see specimens 10 feet high, and 

 well branched. I think it probable that 

 this species would thrive still further 

 north than this if protected a little for a 

 year or two after planting, and if strong 

 plants were set out at the start. South 

 of this it does splendidly, and is justly 

 valued for its beauty. 



Yucca fililera is a greenhouse plant in 

 the north, being a Mexican species. As 

 will be seen in the illustration its club- 

 like inflorescence is in a drooping panicle, 

 while those of all the others mentioned 

 are upright. Not only is the panicle some- 

 what club-shaped, but the growth of the 

 plant partakes of the same character, 

 quite unlike the other yuccas in this 

 respect. 



Corresponding with P. J. Berckmans 

 last year, about yuccas, and mentioning 

 that gloriosa was hardy here, but that 

 aloitolia bad not proved so, he expressed 

 some surprise at this, as he deemed the 

 latter the hardier of the two. This spring 

 he kindly sent me for trial some good 

 sized plants, one each of aloitolia and its 

 variegated and tricolored varieties, as 

 well as some gloriosas of a variety which 

 he thought was an earlier blooming kind 

 than the one I have. I hope the aloifolias 



will live, but regret to say that of a dozen 

 two year seedling plants left out of doors 

 last winter slightly covered with leaves, 

 but one is now alive, and this one was 

 killed to theground. Joseph Meehan. 

 Philadelphia. 



HARDY LARKSPURS. 



There is a long list of species and varie- 

 ties of perennial delphiniums, blue in 

 various shades being the predominating 

 color, and we have but few plants which 

 adapt themselves so easily to such varied 

 conditions of soil and surroundings as 

 these larkspurs. They ma}- be grown 

 among low, early flowering shrubs or in 

 front of a shrubbery, and do equally well 

 when planted in beds by themselves or 

 intermixed with other hard}' plants. 

 Mingled with rhododendrons, hardy 

 azaleas, kalmias or pa?onias, they assist 

 greatly in keeping up a cheerful and gay 

 appearance of the bed. Planted among 

 various kinds of lilies their luxuriant 

 foliage keeps the ground shaded and cool 

 for them during the hot summer months, 

 though the flower stems of some of the 

 species grow rather taller than most lilies 

 and in planting we should first consider 

 the height of both. 



D. elatum or exaltatum is a tall and 

 robust grower, five to seven feet; the 

 flowerstems, which sometimes are 

 branched on the lower part, are upright 

 and straight, terminated by densely 

 crowded racemes of good sized flowers. 

 In color they vary greatly, some are very 

 dark blue, others very light, almost 

 white, but all are beautiful. Many named 

 varie'ties of special merit are grown, 

 though for ordinary purposes good seed- 

 lings will answer as well. Seeds sown 

 early in spring will produce flowering 

 plants the first year but bloom later than 

 old clumps; the first season's growth is 

 never as tall as it will be after the plants 

 are well established. 



D. chinense or grandiBorum is much 

 dwarfer than the first named and hardly 

 ever grows more than two feet high; the 

 stems have many lateral branches and 

 are loosely set with large flowers ranging 

 from pure white to deep indigo blue, the 

 paler varieties being usually admired 

 most. Young seedlings will bloom from 

 August until frost. D. mesoleucum is 

 bright shiny blue with a clear white cen- 

 ter; it produces erect branched pyramidal 

 racemes from three to four feet in height 

 and is one of the showiest of all. D. 

 formosum resembles the last named but 

 is deeper in color and not quite so tall a 

 grower. D. hvbridum, another of the tall 

 growers (four to six feet) has denselv 

 crowded, branchy racemes, ranging in 

 color from light blue to very dark indigo; 

 is one of the best for ordinary purposes 

 and also one of the most effective species. 



D. cashmirianum formsa spready bush, 

 one to one and one-half feet high, is very 

 free flowering, the stems are many 

 branched and have not the pyramidal 

 shape of the rest; the flowers* are very 

 large, many of them two inches across 

 the opening, color blue with a peculiar 

 purplish tinge; coming from the western 

 Himalayas, we doubted the hardiness of 

 this lovely species, but time has proved 

 that it is as hardy here as any of the rest. 

 D. cardinale is scarlet shaded yellow, well 

 known to everybody who has been in 

 California, its native country. A great 

 improvement on this species is the rarer 

 D. nudicaule, the only pure bright scarlet 

 delphinium in the list; dwarf and compact 

 in growth it sends up its branchv stems 

 to a height of fifteen to twenty-four 

 inches; the racemes are not crowded and 

 the distinct shape of every' individual 

 flower is plainly visible. Noother species 

 is so brilliant in color and every garden 

 should have a few specimens * of this 

 unique and deserving plant. 



It is generally very difficult to raise the 

 young plants from seed; division is the 

 surest way, but as the roots are very 

 slow in the production of side shoots, 

 propagation is slow work and the plant 

 is therefore comparatively rare, though 

 in commerce for twenty-five years or 

 more. A newer and still rarer plant is D. 

 sulphureum (Zalil), bright sulphur yellow 

 in color and with large flowers, fully one 

 inch across. It has not been tried'suffi- 

 ciently here to warrant an expression of 

 orinion, yet the plant is highly recom- 

 mended all over Europe. 



Few herbaceous plants can be named 

 which are more effective in parks or large 

 gardens than the taller growing delphini- 

 ums. Their brilliant colored flowers can 

 be seen from a great distance when planted 

 in large masses; tor the borders in smaller 

 places they are indispensable, for some of 

 the species will flower early and late, but 

 I should repeat here that we can prolong 

 the flowering season of the older plants 

 until frost if we will take the pains to 

 remove old flower stems, or Darts of 



