THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



23 



lilac-blue, scentless flowers. Fortune's 

 Funkia is nearly related to Siebold's. 

 The species commonly known as the 

 White Day Lily, namely subcordata and 

 its larger form called grandiflora are, 

 however, perhaps the best of all for us. 

 They have large masses of green leaves, 

 and in July and August, lots of large, 

 funnel-shaped, white, fragrant blossoms. 

 The common Blue Day Lily, known as 

 ovata, is at its best during the last fort- 

 night of July ; it is, too, a vigorous spe- 

 cies with ample leaves ; but of it there 

 are some varieties of smaller growth 

 and later season. The Narrow-leafed 

 Funkia is a pretty little species that 

 blossoms in September ; its flowers are 

 blue. Besides these species and several 

 other varieties esteemed for their flow- 

 ers, there are many very distinctly 

 variegated-leafed varieties, such as the 

 White, the Blue, the Lance-leafed, and 

 especially one called undulata. The 

 most prominently variegated form of 

 undulata has white leaves banded 

 around with green, not unlike those of 

 a recently introduced hydrangea. The 

 variegated forms flower as freely as the 

 plain-leafed ones, except, perhaps, in the 

 case of undulata, but in that instance 

 the foliage is reckoned of more import- 

 ance than the flowers, and in order to 

 prolong the season of the good condition 

 of the leaves, the flower spikes are usu- 

 ally plucked ofi" before the blossoms 

 open. Besides, as border clumps the 

 variegated sorts are often used as edgings 

 to shrubbery borders. 



These Funkias are of the easiest pos- 

 sible culture, and enjoy a rich, friable 

 soil and a sheltered but faintly shaded 

 situation. They will grow well enough 

 in the open, sunny border or under the 

 thin shade of trees, and the stronger 

 kinds especially will hold their own with 

 profit if planted out as clumps upon the 

 grass in some slightly shaded place. The 

 great di-awback to the planting of them 

 in open, sunny places is their suscepti- 



bility to '• scorching " in Summer. It 

 is very vexing to find that when your 

 Funkias are in untarnished vigor, there 

 comes a shower or a day or two of dull 

 weather succeeded by hot sunshine, and 

 your Funkia leaves are all damaged. 

 But such is the case, and we know of 

 no plants more certainly affected in this 

 way than the Funkias. 



They all ripen seeds ; some kinds, as 

 ovata, do so extravagantly, but for tidi- 

 ness sake it is well to cut over the spikes 

 as soon as the flowers are past. They 

 are readily propagated from seeds ; in- 

 deed, even so fine a species as Siebold's 

 sows itself freely; but the variegated 

 forms are perpetuated by division. 

 They are perfectly hardy, but the first 

 frost cuts them down as if they were 

 dahlias, but the roots are unhurt. It is 

 a good plan then to cut away the leaves 

 and place a forkful of decayed manure 

 about their crowns there to remain ; 

 when they begin to grow in Spring, 

 their leaves will soon cover the manure 

 which not only stimulates them as food, 

 but preserves the soil cool and open 

 about the crowns. 



Funkias used to be known as Day 

 Lilies, but this common name being 

 also used for the genus Hemerocallis, 

 Mr. Robinson, of England, recently ad- 

 vertised for a new English name for 

 Funkia. Among the many proposed 

 "Plantain Lily" was the one he accep- 

 ted. He deemed it a happy one, because 

 of the likeness of the Funkia leaves to 

 those of some of the tropical plantains. 

 — Rural New Yorker. 



Wilson Strawberry. — A correspondent 

 of the Country Gentleman writing from 

 Ohio, says in an article on the fruit raised 

 in his State : "Of strawberries, the Wil- 

 son takes the lead in about the proportion 

 of ten acres to one of all other varieties 

 gro^^n ; and as far as I can judge will con- 

 tinue to lead for some time to come, as no 

 other variety that I know of is so popular 

 both with growers and buyers." 



