VERNON I A. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



VERONICA. 



911 



these require heat in winter. Cuttings 

 root easily in spring, and grow fast when 

 put out in a sheltered position and rich 

 light soil. 



VERNONIA {Troftweed). — Coarse 

 North American Composites, of which 

 some half dozen are in cultivation. They 

 bloom so late as to be scarcely worth 

 growing, but V. p)-cealta is a stately plant 

 for the wild garden. Even if its flowers 

 are injured or escape us, it may be grown 

 in a ditch, or open spot in a wood. 

 Division. 



VERONICA {speedwell). — A large 

 family very variable in structure and 

 appearance. Many are trailing or carpet 

 plants, with flowers mostly of a blue shade, 

 but sometimes rose or dull white ; others 

 are vigorous perennials with rigid flower- 

 spikes of similar colours ; while a third 

 group, mainly from New Zealand, are 

 evergreen shrubs ranging in height from 

 a few inches to many feet, and most 

 variable in character. It happens that 

 in all these classes plants of the same 

 species differ so much that their cor- 

 rect naming is difficult. Forming two 

 such wholly distinct groups, we shall 

 describe the shrubby New Zealand kinds 

 and the herbaceous perennials in classes 

 apart. 



Shrubby Veronicas. With the ex- 

 ception of two or three kinds these are 

 all from New Zealand, where they form 

 a large part of the vegetation, completely 

 covering the hillsides in many places. 

 Few shrubs are more easily increased 

 and grown than many of these shrubby 

 Speedwells, and hence their wide use in 

 our gardens, spite of the fact that few are 

 fully hardy inland, and that with every 

 hard winter thousands perish. But it is 

 so easy to hold cuttings in reserve, and 

 young plants so quickly repair these losses, 

 that occasional destruction is less serious 

 than it would be with many other plants. 

 The smaller kinds, drawn from greater 

 elevations, are less tender than the leafy 

 shrubs of the coast region ; they carry 

 small tough leaves, often Box-like, and 

 being hardy in all save the coldest 

 winters, their distinct colour and neat 

 growth are valuable in the rock-garden. 

 They are, however, somewhat more par- 

 ticular as to soil and position than the 

 larger leaved kinds, preferring ground 

 that is open and well-drained. Th.ese 

 kinds merge into an alpine group found 

 at a considerable elevation, at which 

 likeness to their fellows is largely lost, 

 the tiny trees (for such they are) appear- 

 ing like Heaths, conifers, or mosses. 

 Though beautiful and of great interest, 



these little plants seldom thrive inland, 

 though they flourish in seaside gardens. 



At the seaside few plants are more 

 useful than the large shrubby Veronicas, 

 which fear neither winds nor salt spray. 

 Cuttings of the young shoots root easily 

 at almost any season, while many kinds 

 seed freely and sow themselves in the 

 border. The mountain kinds mostly 

 flower in early summer, and are then 

 attractive. Many of the larger kinds 



Shrubby Speedwell 



bloom best in autumn and winter, proving 

 of value for cutting and for greenhouse 

 decoration at a dull season, the colours 

 of the newer named varieties being a 

 great advance on the mauves and purples 

 of past days. 



The following are the most distinct 

 of the shrubby kinds : — 



V. AMPLEXiCAULis.— A low, ercct, or 

 semi-trailing shrub, its stout l^ranches densely 

 set with grey stem-clasping leaves. The 

 white flowers appear as short dense spikes 

 studded with blue anthers. 



V. Anderson I is a stout leafy shrub raised 

 as a hybrid, and most useful near the sea, 



