BARBAREA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



BELLIS. 



3 to 5 feet high, with sea-green leaves ; 

 the flowers, mostly of a delicate blue, 

 in long spikes. B. australis, exaltata, 

 and alba are the best-known kinds, 

 and should be placed in the mixed 

 border in any garden soil, but their 

 value is not high. 



BARBAREA. Mountain and marsh 

 cruciferous herbs of the Old World, few 

 of much garden value, only two varie- 

 ties being worth growing. The finest 

 is the double yellow Rocket (B. vulgar is 

 fl.-pl.}, which is a beautiful and curious 

 plant. It is about 18 inches high, 

 flowers bright yellow, from June till 

 late summer, and often till autumn. 

 It succeeds in almost any soil, prefer- 

 ring a rich, light loam. Division. 



Barkhausia. See CREPIS. 



Bartonia aurea. See MENTZELIA. 



BEGONIA ( Elephant' s Ear] . A 

 large tropical and sub-tropical family 

 of plants, many of them of much value 

 in our hothouses, and, of recent years, 

 in our open gardens. The Tuberous 

 Begonia is the most familiar to flower 

 gardeners, and now plays a large part 

 in summer bedding. Grouped together 

 in beds a fine effect is produced, and 

 the colours vary from the darkest 

 scarlets and crimsons to the various 

 shades of rose and pink ; also white and 

 blush-coloured kinds. 



The cultivation of the Begonia is not 

 difficult. Seedlings raised in March 

 will make good plants for planting early 

 in June. One can just prick them off 

 into pans ; from these, when large 

 enough, they are put in shallow boxes, 

 and not disturbed again until planted 

 out, unless getting overcrowded. The 

 beds should be well prepared for them, 

 if the soil is heavy, using plenty of 

 well-decomposed leaf-mould, and fail- 

 ing this old Mushroom manure. Dur- 

 ing the first year those of inferior 

 quality should be discarded when lifted, 

 marking the finest for another year. 

 For the second and after season's dis- 

 play start the tubers in a gentle heat 

 in boxes in March, transferring them 

 to a cold frame or pit in May. A north 

 frame is best, as the plants make very 

 free growth, and get a good size for 

 planting out the first week in June. 

 The beds should be surfaced with either 

 a dwarf kind of plant or with Cocoa-nut 

 fibre. When planted thickly together 

 use the fibre, which will soon be covered 

 by the foliage. Begonias planted in 

 dry positions should always be kept 

 moist at the root. Damping the beds 



overhead as the sun leaves them in the 

 after part of the day when the weather 

 is dry and warm will greatly refresh 

 them. W 7 hen lifted, the tuberous 

 varieties require careful attention so 

 as to prevent the decaying stems from 

 imparting any ill-effects to the tubers. 

 Remove these stems as soon as they 

 can be twisted out without any trouble. 

 Some growers expose the tubers in a 

 light, dry, and airy house until the 

 stems are quite dried up. Later on 

 the bulbs, when quite at rest, should 

 be kept in a cool place, neither too 

 dry nor too moist, but where frost 

 cannot reach them, being stored in 

 either Cocoa-nut fibre or silver sand 

 in shallow boxes until again required 

 for starting. It is better to have 

 single than double flowers for bedding 

 out, and there is no want of good 

 colours. 



A class getting more popular each 

 year is that called the shrubby set, 

 these being known as forms of B. 

 semper florens. They are neat and 

 shrubby in growth, with an abundance 

 of rather small leaves, varying in shade. 

 Conspicuous is Vernon's variety, the 

 leaves deep crimson to light green, and 

 pinky blossoms. There are many 

 varieties, and as easily and similarly 

 raised as the tuberous kinds. The 

 plants are, when in beauty, a mass of 

 bloom, the small flowers almost hiding 

 the leaves. But many of the kinds are 

 very dull in colour, and get shabby 

 towards the end of summer. There are 

 many uses for them in gardens as 

 distinct groups, or as a groundwork to 

 beds filled with taller plants. 



Bellevallia. See HYACINTHUS. 



BELLIS (Daisy}. B. perennis 

 needs only simple culture, increases 

 rapidly, and in the spring garden is of 

 great service in large clumps or masses. 

 Growers adhere most closely to the old 

 flat-petalled white and the old quilled 

 red, but besides these there are the 

 flat-petalled Pink Beauty, a charming 

 pink of the quilled class ; Rob Roy, 

 a deep rich red or crimson quilled 

 kind ; White Globe, with large white 

 quilled petals, and many others. Of 

 the yellow-blotched or Aucuba-leaved 

 kinds, one, aucubfcelia is pretty, but 

 rather tender. It will do well in winter 

 on a free porous soil, and in summer in a 

 cool shady border, if transplanted 

 there. The giant or crown-flowered 

 Daisies, though vigorous, are much less 

 free of bloom. They are best suited 

 for mixed borders. 



