THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. ALSTROMERIA. 333 



having tall panicles of pretty pink 

 flowers. When once planted it sows 

 itself freely, often becoming a weed. 

 The other kind is A. ranunculoides, a 

 few inches high, in summer bearing 

 many rosy blossoms. Both are 

 adapted for wet ditches, margins of 

 pools, and lakes. A. natans is a small 

 floating pretty British plant. There 

 are one or two Chinese kinds, single 

 and double. 



ALLIUM (Garlic, Onion}. Lilia- 

 ceous bulbs not often of value for the 

 garden, and with a strong odour when 

 crushed. To growers of collections 

 there are a few worth growing. They 

 thrive in ordinary soil, the bulbs 

 increasing rapidly, some giving off 

 little bulblets, which in some soils 

 make them too numerous. Among 

 the kinds worthy of culture are : A . 

 neapolitanum, paradoxum, ciliatum, 

 subhirsutum, Clusianum pulchellum, 

 triquetrum (all with white flowers), 

 azureum and cceruleum (blue), pede- 

 montanum (mauve), Moly and flavum 

 (yellow), fragrans (sweet-scented), oreo- 

 phyllum (crimson), descendens (deep 

 crimson), narcissiflorum (purplish), 

 Murrayanum, acuminatum, and Mac- 

 nabianum (deep rose). These mostly 

 grow from i to 18 inches high, some 

 2 or 3 feet. 



ALLOSORUS (Parsley Fern}. A. 

 crispus is a beautiful little British Fern 

 found in mountainous districts. It 

 requires abundance of air and light, 

 but should be shaded from the hot 

 sun. In the rock garden in cool spots 

 it does well between large stones, with 

 broken stones about its roots. 



ALNUS (Alder}. A neglected group 

 of trees of some value in moist places, 

 and to help to bind the banks of 

 streams. Of the native kind, A. gluti- 

 nosa, there are several varieties, and 

 of the cut-leaved one there are fine 

 specimens at Wynnstay and many 

 other places. A. incana has also 

 several varieties seldom of more value 

 than the wild tree. Among other 

 cultivated kinds are japonica, viridis, 

 cordifolia, barbata, occidentalis , oregona, 

 and serrulata, all of easy culture. 



ALONSOA (Mask- flower}. Mostly 

 Peruvian annual plants, of the Snap- 

 dragon order. The best species are A . 

 Warscewiczi, having small bright 

 orange-red flowers ; A . linifolia and A . 

 aciitifolia a slender-growing herb ; A . 



incisifolia, also a pretty kind ; similar 

 to this is A. myrtifolia," of vigorous 

 habit, with flowers larger than any 

 other kind, and of a more intense 

 scarlet than those of A . linifolia ; A . 

 albiflora has pure white flowers, yellow 

 in the centre, and A . linearis has light 

 scarlet flowers. All are easily grown, 

 both in pots and the open ground. 

 Seed in spring ; also by cuttings. 



ALOYSIA (Sweet Verbena}. A. cit- 

 riodora is a fragrant-leaved bush with 

 small and not showy flowers. Its pale 

 green foliage goes well with any flower, 

 and it may be grown against a sunny 

 wall, where, if protected by a heap of 

 ashes over its roots and a warm straw 

 mat over its branches, it will pass 

 through the winter safely. If un- 

 covered too soon in spring, the young 

 growths get nipped by late frosts. It 

 is increased from cuttings, and is a 

 hardy wall plant in mild seashore 

 districts, but not so common, owing to 

 the cold in inland districts. Verbena 

 order. Chili. Syn. Lippia. 



ALSTROMERIA (Peruvian Lily}. 

 Handsome tuberous plants of the 

 Amaryllis order, which require a rich 

 manured and well-drained soil, the best 

 place being a south border, or along the 

 front of a wall having a warm aspect, 

 where, if the soil is not light, it should 

 be made so. They are best planted in 

 autumn when dormant, arranging the 

 dry roots (tubers) 6 inches deep at 

 least. When established they descend 

 deeply, and are not then affected by 

 frost. A. aurantiaca is the hardiest 

 kind, and freshly-planted groups of the 

 others should be mulched in winter in 

 all but the more favoured parts of these 

 islands. The plants are increased 

 readily by division when dormant, and 

 also by seeds, which are freely pro- 

 duced. 



Grown in masses they are very 

 beautiful, varying much in their colour 

 markings. While blooming they 

 should have waterings, otherwise they 

 get too dry, and ripen off prematurely. 

 When going out of flower remove the 

 seed-heads, where these are not re- 

 quired, otherwise the plants may 

 become exhausted. No trouble is 

 involved in staking and tying, for the 

 stems are strong enough to support 

 themselves, unless in very exposed 

 situations.- They last long when cut. 



The kinds in cultivation are : 



A. AURANTIACA (A. auved). A vigorous 

 growing Chilian kind, 2 feet to 4 feet high, 



