346 APIOS TUBEROSA. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. AQUILEGIA. 



dens as the Snapdragon (A. majus), 

 which, like the Wallflowers, often grows 

 on walls and. stony places. There are 

 many species, but they do not take a 

 large place in gardens, among the best 

 being A. Asarina and A. rupestre. Of 

 the common Snapdragon, the garden 

 varieties are now numerous, and often 

 showy in effect, the best being the pure 

 colours. Sandy and free soils suit 

 them. They are sown : (i) in August 

 in the place where they are to grow, 

 or preferably in seed-beds, in which 

 latter case plant close to a south wall, 

 sheltering from continued frosts with 

 dry leaves or straw, planting out in 

 spring 1 6 inches to 24 inches apart ; 

 (2) in July, in seed-beds in a well- 

 exposed position, planting out the 

 seedlings in the spring ; (3) in seed- 

 beds (March to April) at the foot of 

 a south wall. By means of successive 

 sowings it is possible to obtain an 

 almost uninterrupted bloom from June 

 until frost comes. They are also pro- 

 pagated by cuttings made in the spring 

 or summer, and even during the whole 

 of flowering time. 



APIOS TUBEROSA (Ground Nut). 

 A graceful tuberous-rooted perennial of 

 twining habit, with leaves cut into five 

 lance-shaped leaflets, and fragrant 

 brown flowers in dense clusters from 

 July to September. It climbs over 

 bushes to a height of 4 to 8 feet, and 

 may be planted to cover a trellis or to 

 roam among the shrubs at the back of 

 a sunny rock garden, several tubers 

 being planted together to secure the 

 best effect. To do well the soil should 

 be light and warm, with full sun and 

 some shelter. The roots are eaten in 

 winter by the Indians. N. America. 



Aponogeton (Cape Pond-flower). 



APONOGETON (Cape Pond- flower}. 

 is a beautiful and 



fragrant water-plant from the Cape of 

 Good Hope, hardy in many parts of 

 these islands. Near London, during 

 severe winters, it is interesting to see 

 the profuse bloom of this plant in 

 spring, and in cold districts it is neces- 

 sary, for its perfect culture in the 

 open air, to grow it in spring or other 

 water that does not freeze ; in mild 

 districts this is not needed. Failures 

 often result from putting it in too 

 shallow water. There is a rosy-tinted 

 variety (roseus). 



AQUILEGIA (Columbine). Alpine, 

 rock, and meadow perennials of the 

 Buttercup order, often beautiful and 

 widely distributed over the northern 

 and mountain regions of Europe, Asia, 

 and America. Of great variety in 

 colour white, rose, buff, blue, and 

 purple, and also stripes and inter- 

 mediate shades, the American kinds 

 having yellow, scarlet, and most 

 delicate shades of blue flowers. Fre- 

 quently taller than most of the plants 

 strictly termed alpine, they are true 

 alpine plants, and among the most 

 singularly beautiful of the class. On 

 the sunny hills of the Sierras in Cali- 

 fornia, one meets with a large scarlet 

 Columbine, that has almost the vigour 

 of a Lily, and in the mountains of Utah, 

 and on many others in the Rocky 

 Mountain region, there is the Rocky 

 Mountain Columbine (A . ccerulea) , 

 with its long and slender spurs and 

 lovely cool tints, and there is no family 

 that has a wider share in adorning the 

 mountains. The rarer alpine kinds 

 should be planted in sandy or gritty 

 though moist ground, and in well- 

 drained ledges in the rock garden, in 

 half-shady positions or northern ex- 

 posures. Most rare Columbines fail to 

 form enduring tufts in our gardens, 

 and they must be raised from seeds as 

 often as good seed can be got. It is 

 the alpine character of the home of 

 many of the Columbines which makes 

 the culture of some of the lovely kinds 

 so uncertain, and which causes them 

 to thrive so well in the North of Scot- 

 land while they fail in our ordinary 

 dry garden borders. No plants are 

 more capricious ; the charming A . 

 glandulosa, grows like a weed at Forres, 

 in Scotland, and is so short-lived in most 

 gardens. The best soil for them is 

 deep, well-drained, rich, alluvial loam. 

 As probably many of the species are 

 biennial, it is necessary to raise them 

 from seed frequently ; and to avoid 

 the results of crossing it is better to 



