THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LOISELEURIA. 



667 



flowers poor, and under such conditions 

 they may not l)e worth growing. 



L. syphilitica. — A variable species, not 

 very showy, hardy and robust in free 

 moist soils, it stands our winters well, 

 and is prolific in varieties of violet and 

 purple, varying to rose and white. L. 

 hybrida of gardens appears to be a hybrid 

 between L. splendens and L. syphilitica, 

 though thisis uncertain. Its fine rich violet- 

 purple flowers mark it out for special dis- 

 tinction. It is valuable for grouping in 

 the flower garden or mixed border, and is 

 one of the hardiest of the hardy Lobelias. 

 It may be left out during winter with 

 safety, and can be lifted, divided, and 

 replanted in spring. The leaves are 

 almost as broad as those of L. cardinalis, 

 glandular, hairy, and with the long sepals 

 and hairs of L. syphilitica. 



L. Tupa. — This is also known as Tupa 

 Fuelli, and although a native of Chili, 

 will be found to stand well in the south 

 protected with sifted ashes, gravel, or 

 other loose material in autumn. It is 

 best, however, against a south wall or 

 in front of a house, and when doing well 

 often attains a height of 6 to 8 ft. ; the 

 flowers large, brick-red, in large racemes, 

 from July to September. L. Cavanilles 

 is said to be amenable to the same treat- 

 ment as above. In deep free soils near 

 the sea L. Tupa is sometimes a very 

 distinct and handsome plant, and is best 

 fitted for borders among large plants or 

 for a warm corner among shrubs. 



L. Erinus. — The dwarf section of 

 annual Lobelia is one of the most im- 

 portant, being much used among half-hardy 

 bedding plants. The chief points to 

 start with are good soil and well-grown 

 established plants. The soil should be 

 light and rich, and rest on a dry bottom 

 perfectly drained. On a porous bottom 

 it may be plentifully watered during a dry 

 time in summer without fear of injuring 

 the roots. The roots cannot make way, 

 nor can the plants thrive in a strong ad- 

 hesive soil of clay or heavy loam, and if 

 the soil be heavy, it must be lightened by 

 a plentiful addition of leaf-mould, sand, or 

 peat. This Lobelia thri\es admirably in 

 equal parts of some sandy loam and leaf- 

 mould with a sand to keep it open. 

 Charcoal dust and peat form good ad- 

 ditions to loam, as also does spent manure 

 from Mushroom beds. A slight mulching 

 of one-year-old sifted hot-bed manure will 

 be found useful for keeping out the drought 

 and nourishing the roots through a dry 

 season. One of the difficulties in carrying 

 dwarf Lobelias in full beauty through the 

 season is the freedom with which they 



seed, and the moment the flowers fade they 

 should be picked off" e\'ery week through- 

 out the season. Dwarf Lobelias may be 

 propagated by seeds or cuttings, or by 

 lifting the plant, potting it, and placing it 

 in a gentle bottom-heat until estal^lished ; 

 then setting it on a light airy greenhouse 

 or forcing-house shelf, when it may be in- 

 creased by cuttings and root-division in 

 the spring. Increase by cuttings, and 

 potting a few old plants in autumn, is the 

 best method of preserving and increasing 

 special varieties. They strike freely in a 

 brisk heat in a moist pit or frame in spring. 

 The cuttings should be potted by the end 

 of May in the same way as seedlings sown 

 in heat in September, October, or February. 

 Those who want early Lobelias from seed 

 should sow in the autumn, and prick the 

 seedlings off" in boxes or pans, or shift 

 them into 2^-in. pots before winter ; store 

 them on shelves near the light, and well 

 exposed to air ; shift them again in March 

 into 6-in. pots of equal parts of leaf-mould 

 and loam, and they will be perfect for 

 planting by the end of May. Spring-sown 

 seedlings may go into smaller pots, and be 

 planted rather more closely, but will not 

 flower so early nor so well. On the whole, 

 autumnal propagation, by cuttings or seeds, 

 is preferable to sowing in spring. 



The varieties are numerous, and it is 

 difficult to make a selection to suit every 

 locality. L. Erinus is divided into five 

 sections — viz. compacta, of which there is 

 a white form ; speciosa, of which the best 

 are Blue Stone, Ebor, Blue Beauty, 

 Emperor William, Blue King, Lustrous, 

 Brilliant ; ramosoides ; pumila, of which 

 grandiflora and magnifica are fine forms, as 

 is also the pure white Mrs. Murphy ; and 

 Paxtoniana, which is a lovely blue. The 

 double variety is also beautiful where it 

 succeeds, but it is hardly to be depended 

 upon. Sometimes it forms a sheet of 

 bloom, and at others the shoots run up 

 through it, as it were, and prevent it from 

 blooming, giving it the appearance of tufts 

 of Grass. 



Other dwarf Lobelias are ramosa, with 

 large light-blue flowers, and coronopifolia, 

 also with large blue flowers. Both are 

 half-hardy annuals, requiring the same 

 treatment as L. Erinus. L. ilicifolia is 

 another dwarf trailing species, a native 

 of the Cape, and is best suited for grow- 

 ing in suspended pots in greenhouses, 

 though in some localities it succeeds as a 

 rock-garden plant. 



LOISELEURIA.— A wiry little shrub, 

 L.proLi/inbens^growmg close to the ground, 

 the plants forming tufts with small red- 

 dish flowers in spring. Its bloom is never 



