THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



kinds of a hardier nature, but we have more precious flowers. The 

 last {q\v years have brought us magnificent varieties of the Cannas 

 through the crossing of some wild species with the old hybrid kinds. 

 Unfortunately, although in warm valleys and under special care here 

 and there they do well, our country is not generally warm enough 

 to show their fine form and colour as in France and Italy. Their 

 use in pots is another matter. 



The addition of Lilies to our garden flora within the past generation 

 has had a good effect on the autumn garden. Where the finer kinds 

 are well grown, the varieties of the Japanese Lilies, with their delicate 

 and varied colours, are splendid autumn flowers for the open air. The 

 Anemones, usually flowers of the spring, come in some forms for the 

 autumn garden, particularly the white and pink kinds. The handsome 

 Bignonia, or trumpet creeper, is precious on all warm soils, but 

 generally it has not done so well with us as in France. Several kinds 

 of Clematis come in well in autumn, particularly the yellow and the 

 fragrant kinds. The Pentstemons are handsome and very valuable in 

 warm soils and districts where they may live out of doors in winter, 

 but in London districts they are not so good. A splendid autumn 

 flower is the Cardinal Flower, and happy should be those who can 

 grow it well. It fails in many gardens in loamy soil, and where there 

 is insufficiency of water, being a native of the bogs, and thriving best 

 in moist and peaty soil. A number of fine varieties have been raised, 

 and are brilliant in suitable soils ; but without these they are best 

 left alone. 



The Torch Lilies are extremely effective in autumn, and in warm 

 soils they are often among the handsomest things, but, not being 

 northern plants, are unable to face a northern winter. Happily this 

 is not so with the beautiful new Water Lilies raised by M Latour 

 Marliac, which are hardy in the open air, even with such weather as 

 that of the early part of 1895. Though perhaps the best bloom comes 

 in summer, they flower through the autumn, varying, like the Tea Rose, 

 according to the weather, but interesting always up to the end of 

 Septf^mber. We should also name the Hollyhock which is, however, 

 so liable to accident from disease, and those who care for it will do 

 well to use seedling plants. Seedsmen are now saving seed of 

 different colours which come fairly true. 



A handsome group of vigorous perennials for the autumn are the 

 Polygonums. Some of the large kinds, such as the Japanese and 

 Indian, are not showy, but massed picturesquely on margins of a 

 wide lawn, and on pieces of stiff soil which are useless in any garden 

 sense, are effective for many weeks in autumn, as the flower is pretty, 

 and the foliage of one kind is often fine in colour. I have three kinds 

 of them massed together, growing like great weeds, namely, P. 



