758 PODOPHYLLUM. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



POLEMONIUM. 



semi-prostrate habit, more interesting 

 than beautiful. 



PODOPHYLLUM {May Apple).— 

 Distinct perennial herbs, three of which 

 are from Asia and one from North 

 America. The best known is P. Emodi, 

 from the Himalayas, a plant 6 to 12 

 in. high, with large leaves cut into 

 wedge-shaped lobes, their whole surface 

 a fine bronzy red in early spring. The 

 flowers are large, white or pale rose, and 

 followed in August by fruits of a brilliant 

 red as large as a hen's egg, and edible, 

 though of mawkish flavour. The plant 

 succeeds in the moist peaty soil of wood- 

 lands, especially in wet places and in 

 partial shade, and where the leaves are 

 sheltered from cold winds. Increase by 

 division of the creeping root stock, or 

 seed sown in cold frames as soon as ripe. 

 This is a handsome plant for shady plots 

 of deep moist soil in the wild garden or 

 the margins of peat borders, but it dies 

 away quite early in summer, so must be 

 grouped with other things for autumn 

 effect. P. peltatmn is from rich woods of 

 the eastern United States, with poisonous 

 roots and leaves, though the fruits are 

 harmless. It is not so handsome as 

 Emodi, but will grow in drier places, 

 and its glossy wrinkled leaves, borne 

 umbrella-like on a long bare stem, are 

 distinct and interesting. The waxy- 

 white cup-like flowers come in May, and 

 give place to yellowish-green fruits like a 

 wild Apple — whence the name May 

 Apple. P. plciantliuni is from China, its 

 spreading leaves rising to nearly 2 ft. in 

 height, with large drooping bunches of 

 purple flowers and heavy grey-green 

 fruits turning purple when fully ripe. 



POHLIA PLATENSIS.-A pretty 

 little bulbous plant from South America, 

 allied to Iris, and with several other 

 names, but mostly known under this one. 

 The flowers appear in summer, and are 

 shaped like those of a Tigridia, of a rich 

 blue colour blotched with white and 

 yellow towards the centre. The plant 

 needs the same treatment as the Tiger 

 flowers, and is so beautiful that when 

 better known it will be much grown in 

 light warm sf)ils. Syn. Cypclla plate7tsis. 



POINCIANA. -/^. Gillie sn\s a beau- 

 tiful sub-tropical tree which thrives 

 against walls in the Isle of Wight. The 

 late Rev. H. Ewbank writes of it in the 

 Garde?! as follows: — "The foliage gives it 

 very much the look of an Acacia at a little 

 distance, and it is often mistaken for one 

 of them. But no Acacia that I have ever 

 seen has such splendid blossoms. My 

 great surprise has been in its well doing 



to such an extent in the open ground that 

 I have now no fear for it at all, and during 

 the worst frost we have had here during 

 the last twenty or thirty years it was 

 entirely uninjured. A very great recom- 

 mendation for it in my eyes is the time of 

 year when it is accustomed to blossom. 

 All spring things have gone by, and the 

 wealth of flowering shrubs and trees has 

 become exhausted when this very beauti- 

 ful object makes full compensation for 

 any loss that has been sustained. More- 

 over, it goes on for such a very long 

 time — blossoming, it is true, in an inter- 

 mittent sort of way — but still remaining 

 an attraction in the highest degree in the 

 garden for week after week." Such a 

 handsome and graceful thing deserves 

 trial in warm southern gardens, especi- 

 ally where the soil and subsoil is open 

 and warm, and always against' south 

 walls. Its one fault is the rather rank 

 smell of the flowers. 



POLEMONIUM {Greek Valeriaft).—A 

 small family of Phloxworts, mostly from 

 North America. A few of them are familiar 

 in gardens, and among the best are the 

 following : 



P. cceruleum {Jacob's Ladder) most 

 people are familiar with. Besides the 

 original blue-flowered species, there is a 

 variety with white blossoms, a second, 

 acictijioruvi, in which the petals are 

 narrow and pointed, and another hand- 

 some form . with variegated foliage, 

 which on good garden soil is almost as 

 easily grown as the common one. It 

 thrives best in deep, rich, but well-drained 

 loam. As the variegated variety is grown 

 for leaf-beauty alone, the flower-stems 

 should be removed. Increase by division 

 in early autumn. 



P. confertum. — This is one of the 

 finest of all, with slender deeply-cut 

 leaves, and dense clusters of deep blue 

 flowers on stoutish stems about 6 in. high. 

 It requires a warm spot in the rock-garden 

 and a well-drained, deep, loamy soil, rather 

 stiff than otherwise. Though it requires 

 plenty of moisture in summer, excessive 

 dampness about the roots in winter is 

 hurtful. It should be allowed to remain 

 undisturbed for years after it has become 

 established. A garden form of this plant, 

 inellitwn, is rather more vigorous, and 

 bears white flowers. Rocky Mountains. 



P. humile is a truly alpine pretty plant 

 with pale-blue flowers on stems a few 

 inches high. In a dry situation and a 

 light sancfy soil it is hardy, but on a damp 

 subsoil is sure to die in winter. P. mexi- 

 ca?iHin is similar but larger, and being 

 only of biennial duration is scarcely worth 



