84 VILLA GARDENING part i 



it may become, and what a number of combinations well thought 

 out, though seemingly careless in their arrangement, may be had 

 in one short border. Then there will, as we break more and more 

 away from the tender exotics, be found i:»lenty of hardy plants for 

 grouping on the lawn, both in formal beds, if they are desired, and 

 also for informal patches or large masses on the turf. The col- 

 lection of hardy plants should be named correctly, for the special 

 behoof of visitors if not for oui" own convenience. The plan com- 

 mon in gardens, many years ago, of growing dupUcates of all the 

 choicest things in a border by themselves, where they could be set 

 out separately and named, so that those who ran could read, was 

 an excellent one for the purpose of study, as well as to secure stock 

 of delicate kinds, which are often lost in a crowded border. In 

 the select lists which are given below, I will endeavom- to distin- 

 guish any which I think have special qualifications by a word or 

 two of comment as I proceed, and, as far as I can, will give tlie 

 height, coloiu- of flower, and season of flowering. 



Hardy Flowers for Spring. — Aubrietia grandiflora, purple, 



9 inches ; Adonis vernalis, yellow, 1 2 inches ; Acorus gramineus, 

 yellow, 6 inclies ; ^thionema cordifolium, rose, 8 inches ; Alyssum 

 saxatile, yellow, 9 inches ; Allium Moly, yellow, 1 2 inches ; A. 

 neapolitanum, white, 18 inches; Anemone apennina, blue, 9 

 inches ; A. coronaria, various, 9 inches ; A. blanda, blue, 8 inches ; 

 A. fulgens, scarlet, 9 inches ; A. nemorosa fl.-])l., white, G inches ; 

 A. Pavonina, crimson, 12 inches; A. sylvestris, white, 18 inches. 

 The Anemones are more sought after than they were, but are not 

 half so much grown as they should be. Arabis albida, white, 6 

 inches ; A. lucida variegata, white, 8 inches ; Cardamine pratensis 

 fl.-pl., white, 9 inches ; Campanula rotundifoha, blue, 24 inches ; 

 Caltha palustris fl.-pl., yellow, 9 inches (damp soil) ; Cheiranthus 

 Cheiri, various, 15 inches; C. alpinus, yellow, 12 inches. All the 

 Wallflowers are sweet and beautiful, and thrive under the simplest 

 culture. Cliionodoxa Luciliaj, blue, 3 inches ; Convallaria majalis, 

 white, 6 inches ; C. bifolia, white (Lily of the Valley), 3 inches ; 

 Corydalis solida, rose, 6 inches; C. lutea, yellow, 15 inches. The 

 Crocus and Cyclamen have been referred to under the heading of 

 " Hardy Bulbs," so need not be specially mentioned here, but no 

 more showy or brighter spring flowers are in existence. Dielytra 

 spectabilis, rose and yellow, 30 inches ; Dentaria digitata, purple, 



10 inches (damp situation) ; Dodecatheon Meadia (American Cow- 

 slip), purple, 1 2 inches ; D. iutegrifolium, crimson, 6 inches ; D. 

 Jeffreyanum, purple, 18 inches; Doronicum austriacum, yellow, 

 15 inches; Dracocephalum alpinum yellow, 9 inches; Epimedium 

 pinnatum elegans, yellow, 12 inches; E. diphyllum, white, 6 



