664 



IRIODENDROX. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



.ITHOSPKRMUM. 



trees in its native country growing in rich 

 moist soils. In Northern Britain, and 

 Northern Europe generally, it is some- 

 what slow and tender. Its name comes 

 from a resinous gum found between the 

 bark and wood, exuding from the cracks 

 of the bark, and having an agreeable 

 fragrance. This is produced in the 

 southern and warmer districts of which 

 the tree is native, and not to the same ex- 



Liquidambar. 



tent in northern countries. It is a beautiful 

 lawn and home-ground tree, but should 

 be sheltered and in rather deep moist soil. 

 The leaxes are fragrant in spring. It is 

 best increased from seed, and good seed- 

 ling plants greatly facilitate its health and 

 good growth. It is a tree which would 

 be better grown as a group instead of 

 depending upon single plants. There 

 are one or two varieties which, however, 

 have not proved so useful for our country 

 as the wild tree. 



LIRIODENDEON {Tulip Tree).—L. 

 tulipiferum is one of the noblest of flower- 

 ing trees. It is only when the tree has 

 reached maturity that it bears its beauti- 



ful Tulip-like flowers of pale green and 

 yellow. Young Tulip trees should be 

 planted on lawns in free or ordinary soils, 

 as the flowers are very pretty in a cut 



state for the house, and the tree a beauti- 

 ful one at all times. N. America. 



LITHOSPERMUM {Gromwell). —A 

 few of these Borage-worts are pretty and 

 worth growing. One of the finest is L. 

 prostratum, a spreading little evergreen 

 ha\ing flowers of a lovely blue, with faint 

 reddish-violet stripes, in great profusion 

 when the plant is well grown. It is 

 hardy, and valuable as a rock-plant from 









Lithospermum prostratum. 



its prostrate habit and the fine blue of its 

 flowers — a blue scarcely surpassed by 

 that of the Gentians. Its shoots may be 

 allowed to fall down the sunny face of a 

 rocky nook, or to spread into flat tufts on 

 level parts of the rock-garden. On dry 

 sandy soils it forms an excellent border- 

 plant, and becomes, if the soil be deep 

 and good, a round spreading mass, i ft. 

 or more high. In such soils, it is suited 

 for the margins of beds of choice and 

 dwarf shrubs, either as a single plant or 

 in groups. In heavy or wet soil it should 

 be in the rock-garden, or on banks, and 

 in sandy earth. It is sometimes grown 

 as L. fruticosum, but the true L. fruticosum 

 is a little bush, and not prostrate. Easily 

 propagated by cuttings. S. Europe. 



L. petrseum {Rock Gromwell).—^ neat, 

 dressy, dwarf shrub, something like a 

 small Lavender bush, with small greyish 

 leaves like those of the Lavender. Late 

 in May, or early in June, all the little grey 

 shoots bear small oblong purplish heads, 

 and early in July the plant is in full blossom, 

 the full-blown flowers being a beautiful 

 violet-blue. The best position for it is in 

 the rock-garden somewhere near or on a 

 le\el with the eye, on a well-drained, 

 deep, rather dry sandy soil on the sunny 

 side. Native of dry rocky places in 

 Dalmatia and Southern Europe. Pro- 

 pagated by cuttings, or seeds if they can 

 be obtained. 



L. purpureum-coeruleum, a British plant, 

 L. Gastoni, L. canescens, L. gramini- 

 folium, L. tinctorium, and L. rosmarini- 



