48 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



precious; the Star Anemone, so charming in Italy and Greece in 

 spring, is rarely seen happy in our gardens, which are too cold for 

 it, no doubt, so it may well be left out in favour of the hardier sorts. 

 Valuable as the brightest Anemones are, the old Turban and 

 Persian Ranunculus and other forms were once a great charm of the 

 flower garden, and should not be forgotten in warm soils, where they 

 thrive, but they perish in severe winters, and require some care. 



The old Dog's-tooth Violet of the mountains of Europe has 



been joined in our gardens of recent years by a number of its 



American relations, graceful plants for peat 



Various bulbs, borders, but as yet not so valuable as the European 

 kind in its various forms, which are among the 

 prettiest early spring flowers. They are, moreover, true wild 

 garden plants, which thrive in turf, coming up every year even 

 more faithfully than Crocus or Snowdrop. The Snake's-head, too 

 (Fritillaria), is a charming wild garden plant, thriving in grass in rich 

 or wet meadows ; where not native it may well be introduced. The 

 new yellow Fritillaries give a greater interest to this group of plants, 

 some of which are fitted for the wild garden, but we never could see 

 the charms of the Crown Imperials, with their offensive odour. The 

 Stars of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum) thrive in grass, and are pretty 

 in it. Unfortunately, the handsome Arabian kind is not hardy. The 

 Montbretias are plants of somewhat recent appearance in our gardens, 

 and they have a vigour and hardiness we do not look for in Cape 

 plants, and a tenacious way of growing and increasing even in cold, 

 poor soil, and are, therefore, valuable where we wish to have close 

 tufts of graceful leaves and gay blossoms below flowering shrubs 

 not set too closely on the ground. Grape Hyacinths (Muscari) are 

 often very pretty, and nearly always hardy. I use them freely in 

 grass, where their blue is very pretty in spring. The choicer newer 

 kinds will find a place in the nursery beds or rock-garden till more 

 plentiful. 



Among the new plants we have one of fine distinction in the 

 Giant Asphodel (Eremurus), plants of noble port and vigour, 



which, best grouped among shrubs, hold their full 

 Giant Asphodel. r , 



effect. 



The old tiger flowers (Tigridia) should not be forgotten, especially 

 on limestone or other warm soils, where they are most at home. 

 There are several new kinds, which make the family of more value. 

 Plants that give much pleasure from their good colours are the 

 Triteleia and Brodiaea. Some new and pretty effects will be given 

 by the best of these as soon as plentiful. 



So noble a plant as the Gladiolus should not, perhaps, have been 

 left to the end, but the fact that the finest class are only half hardy, 



