870 



SPARTIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



flowers begin to fade. It succeeds in dry 

 as well as damp positions, if it has a rich 



Sparaxis pulcherriina (Wand Flower). 



friable soil, or if when beginning to grow 

 it is well watered. 



SPARTIUM {Spanish Broom).— S. 

 jimceum is a South European shrub, 

 blooming in July, August, and September, 

 when shrubberies are usually flowerless. 

 It is thin-growing, 8 or 10 ft. high, and its 

 Rush-like shoots have so few leaves as to 

 appear leafless. It bears erect clusters of 

 fragrant bright yellow flowers shaped 

 like Pea-blossoms, is perfectly hardy, and 

 useful for dry, poor soils, where, like the 

 common Broom, it does well, coming 

 freely from seed scattered broadcast 

 where we wish it to grow. 



SPECULARI A ( Vetiiis'sLooki7tg-glass). 

 — These are similar to Campanulas, and 

 often placed with them, though distinct ; 

 enough for garden purposes. .V. Spccii- 

 iiiin, with numerous open bell-like bright 

 violet-purple flowers, is one of the show- I 

 iest of our annuals. Besides the large- | 

 flowered form called i^TandiJloro, some- j 

 times purple and sometimes white, there 1 



is a double-flowered kind which comes 

 true from seed, also a dwarf compact 

 form with violet-blue flowers. S. penta- 

 i^oiiia is another favourite, its flowers 

 larger, but less abundant than those just 

 described, purple in colour, with a deep 

 blue centre. Both these kinds are hardy 

 and generally scatter seed, which comes 

 up year after year, without trouble, except 

 to keep the seedlings within bounds. 



SPHENOGYNE. — .S'. speciosa is a beau- 

 tiful half-hardy Mexican annual Composite 

 of slender, much-branched growth, about i 

 ft. high. The flowers, produced from July 

 to September, are yellow with a brownish 

 centre encircled by a conspicuous black 

 ring, the centre being orange in the variety 

 aiirea. S. speciosa will succeed if sown 

 in the open in spring, but it does better 

 as a half-hardy annual, sown in early 

 spring in heat, in any ordinary light soil. 

 .S*. ani/ienioides., introduced last century, 

 and also called sometimes Arctotis 

 anfketnoides, differs from 5. speciosa in 

 having the underside of the florets pur- 

 plish instead of yellow. Though a large 

 and varied family, these are the only kinds 

 to our knowledge in cultivation. Syn., 

 Ursinia pulchra. 



SVlGiELlA. {Worm Grass).— S. Maril- 

 andica is a beautiful native of North 

 America, distinct from all other hardy 

 plants. It forms a dense tuft of slender 

 stems about i ft. high, each bearing long 

 tubular flowers in July, which are deep red 

 outside and deep yellow inside. The plant 

 is rare in gardens, being considered diffi- 

 cult to grow. In its own land it grows in 

 sheltered situations, the roots going deep 

 down into rich vegetable mould. These 

 natural conditions should be imitated ; 

 and if the soil be not good, take it out 

 2 ft. in depth and fill up with a well-sanded 

 mixture of loam, leaf-mould, and peat. 

 Partial shade in summer, with abundance 

 of moisture in hot weather, is essential. 

 The plant is suitable for cool borders, the 

 lower parts of the rock-garden, or the 

 margin of peat beds. 



SPIR-SA. — Beautiful shrubby or per- 

 ennial plants of easy culture, distinct habit, 

 and often of fine form. They grow well in 

 rich soil in borders, and are also excellent 

 for the margins of water. The shrubby 

 kinds are of the highest value, and are 

 described in a sub-section. The best of 

 the herbaceous or Meadow-Sweet section 

 are as follows : — 



S. Aruncus {Goal'' s-hcard) is a vigorous 

 perennial, 3 to 5 ft. high, beautiful in foliage 

 and habit as well as in flower. Its flowers are 

 freely produced in summer in large gracefully- 

 drooping plumes. S. Aritnciis is as good in 



