762 



POLYGONUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



POLYPODIUM. 



come from tropical Asia, but hardy enough for 

 the summer garden, where its tall, much- 

 branched stems carry silvery down-covered 

 leaves, very variable as to size, but of fine 

 colour effect and with a pretty droop. The 

 flowers are bright red or white, and are only 

 seen with us in a warm autumn. As the plant 

 is tender, the roots should be wintered under 

 glass, and young plants, raised from cuttings 

 in early spring, planted out in May or June. 



P. multiflorum. — A tuberous-rooted kind 

 from China and Japan, with shining deep-green 

 leaves and loosely spreading bunches of tiny 

 white flowers on reddish stems. Its chief 

 merit is its great vigour in rough places of the 

 wild garden, or tn hide unsightly objects in a 

 short time. 



P. orientale {Persicar)').—A.\\ old annual 

 kind, easily raised from seed, and sometimes 

 self-sown in old gardens. It is mainly useful 

 for bold temporary planting, reaching a height 

 of several feet within a few weeks, and its 

 white or rosy-purple flowers are of some effect 

 in autumn. A more useful garden form is 

 p7imilHvi, which rarely rises above 2 ft., and 

 bears similar rosy-purple or white flowers. 

 By growing P. orie7ita/e in poor, dry soil, its 

 growth is restrained and the flowers come 

 freely and earlier in the season. 



P. polystacliyum. — A Himalayan plant 

 much confused with P. molle, to which it is 

 superior. It never grows high, and from late 

 in September carries a mass of spreading plume- 

 like sprays of white flowers, with a scent of 

 honey, and lasting for several weeks. It needs 

 quite a sharp November frost to check it, and 

 its stout leafy stems with their olive-green 

 leaves threaded with red veins are neat all the 

 summer, and its roots do not run. 



P. sachalinense. — A huge perennial with 

 bright green leaves upwards of a foot in 

 length, the flowers greenish- white, in slender 

 drooping racemes. It thrives in a moist soil 

 near water, where it is effective, and it makes 

 a fine feature on the turf or in a spot where 

 it can run about freely. Sachalien. 



P. sphaerostachyum.— One of the dwarfest 

 and prettiest of the group, but not always easy 

 to grow. From a tuberous root rise short 

 semi-prostrate stems with narrow leaves and 

 drooping spikes of blood-red flowers, continued 

 through a long season on a healthy plant. It 

 increases very slowly even when doing well, 

 and thrives best in an open place in the rock- 

 garden, where it can enjoy moisture in summer 

 and yet be dry in winter, the roots being apt 

 to decay if too wet. The difficulty is to meet 

 these conditions, and this is sometimes done by 

 a glass covering from the time the plant goes 

 to rest in the autumn. Increase may be by 

 division of the rootstock, but it is risky to 

 disturb a strong plant. Seed is produced 

 in a good season, dropping off unnoticed while 

 still green, and eagerly devoured liy birds ; 

 this should be carefully gathered, and sown in a 

 cold frame. The young plants need careful 

 handling, and flower in their second season 

 svhen all goes well. Himalayas. 



P. vaccinifolium is very distinct in aspect, 

 quite hardy, and thrives in almost any moist 

 soil, Ijut is best seen where its shoots can 



Pul) ^onuin 



ramble over stones or tree stumps. Under 

 favourable conditions it grows rapidly, and 

 produces a profusion of Whortleberry-like 

 leaves and rosy flowers. Himalayas. 



POLYPODIUM {Polypody). — This 

 large family of Ferns contains several 

 good hardy kinds, the principal being the 

 common P. viilgarc, which has about a 

 score of cultivated varieties differing more 

 or less widely from each other. The most 

 distinct and beautiful as well as the freest 

 in growth are cambricuni., clegantzssimum, 

 omnilacefinn, &r\d pulchcrritmim. Though 

 preferring shade, they only need a good 

 supply of water at the root during summer, 

 and will thrive even exposed to the full 

 rays of the sun. Plant them in fibry loam 

 and tough and fibry peat, with a liberal 

 admi.xture of leaf-mould and well-decayed 

 woody matter, to which add a thin top- 

 dressing of similar material every autunin. 

 The evergreen Polypodiums associate well 

 with flowering plants that do not require 

 frequerrt removing, and they may be 

 made to cover bare spaces beneath trees, 

 or to overrun stumps. A beautiful effect, 

 too, is got by their use as a carpet or 

 setting to some of the plants in the rock- 

 garden. Besides P. viilgare and its 

 varieties, there are several deciduous 

 kinds, such as P. dryopicris (Oak Fern) 

 and P. pJiegopicris (Beech Fern), well 

 known to all Fern lovers. They thrive 



