FUCHSIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



FUNKIA. 



475 



elevation of 5000 to 7000 feet, among the 

 short stunted grass, accompanied by 

 alpine plants, and giving the slopes the 

 appearance of a sheet of golden bloom. 

 It is hardy, and flowers early in spring. 



F. PUDICA. One of the most charming 

 of hardy bulbs. Native of the Rocky 

 Mountains and the Sierra Nevada of Cali- 

 fornia, in a dry, barren soil. It is one 

 of the principal ornaments of the spring 

 flora, being nearly 6 inches high, and 

 having bright golden-yellow flowers, grace- 

 ful in form and drooping like a Snow- 

 flake. It thrives in warm, sunny borders 

 of loamy soil, or preferably in almost 

 pure sand. 



F. RECURVA. The showiest of the 

 Fritillaries, its red colour being as bright 

 as some Lilies, and mixed with bright 

 yellow, especially on the inside of the 

 flower. It flowers early in May or towards 

 the end of April. The bulbs consist of a 

 slightly flattened tuberous stock, covered 

 by articulated scales, somewhat widely 

 placed, which at first sight resemble those 

 of Lilium philadelphicum. A tuft of 

 bright green linear leaves appears above 

 the soil, and from this rises a slender 

 purplish stem, 6 inches to 2^- feet high, 

 with several pendent Lily-like flowers. It 

 is not robust, and has succeeded only 

 under careful cultivation, growing best in 

 fibry loam, on a warm sunny border, near 

 a wall. Best when lifted and rested for 

 a few weeks each year. California. 



F. SEWERZOWI. A singular - looking 

 plant, growing from i to i feet high, 

 having broad glaucous leaves and nod- 

 ding flowers that are greenish outside and 

 vinous-purple within. A native of the 

 mountains of Turcomania, quite hardy in 

 our climate. Propagated by bulblets or 

 seed. 



Many others are in cultivation, but the 

 majority are unattractive, though some 

 are useful for naturalising. The most 

 suitable are F. delphinensis, a robust 

 plant with stems i foot or more high, 

 bearing brownish-purple flowers, more or 

 less chequered with greenish-yellow ; F. 

 pyrenaica, a similar species, but more 

 robust. 



FUCHSIA. Graceful and distinct 

 shrubs, flourishing near the coasts, and 

 especially in southern and western 

 parts. In other districts Fuchsias are 

 cut down by frost, but spring up 

 again, and, in fact, live the life of 

 herbaceous plants ; but in mild dis- 

 tricts they often escape for years, and 

 become handsome bushes. All may 

 be freely propagated from cuttings in 

 spring or autumn. There are about 

 a dozen more or less hardy kinds that 

 succeed in the open air in the southern 

 and western counties. 



F. COCCINEA. A bushy plant, graceful, 

 hardy, and free in growth and bloom, 

 unless the soil be of the coldest descrip- 

 tion, and even then a slight covering of 

 coal ashes after the stems are cut down in 

 autumn will protect the roots in winter. 

 Chili. 



F. CONICA. A vigorous compact species 

 3 to 6 feet high, but not such a free flowerer 

 as some of the others. The flowers have 

 scarlet sepals and dark purple petals. 

 Chili. 



F. CORALLINA. A beautiful tall plant, 

 and therefore suited for walls and houses. 

 The flowers are large and of a showy red 

 colour, and the plant is a vigorous grower 

 and free bloomer. 



F. DISCOLOR. A dwarf variety with 

 numerous small scarlet flowers. It is the 

 hardiest of all. not being injured by the 

 winters in the milder parts of Scotland if 

 treated as a herbaceous plant. F. pumila 

 is similar, but more slender, and equally 

 desirable. 



F. GLOBOSA. One of the best of the 

 hardy Fuchsias. The flowers are globose 

 in bud, and retain their shape for some 

 time after they begin to expand, on 

 account of the petals adhering at the tips. 

 It forms a sturdy and often a large shrub 

 in seashore districts. 



F. GRACILIS. A distinct, slender plant, 

 with flowers on long slender stalks. The 

 young shoots are a purplish-red, the calyx 

 is a brighter scarlet, and the corolla has 

 a greater infusion of red than other hardy 

 kinds. There is a variety called multi- 

 flora, which is very free-flowering, and 

 which has shorter flowers and of darker 

 crimson. F. tenella is a seedling variety. 

 Chili. 



F. RICCARTONI. One of the prettiest 

 and hardiest sorts, growing well without 

 protection even in parts of Scotland. It 

 is compact and twiggy, ^and in summer 

 bears many bright red blossoms. A gar- 

 den hybrid. 



Besides these, other kinds are in 

 cultivation, such as procumbens a 

 curious little New Zealand species 

 serratifolia, magellanica, thymifolia, and 

 microphylla, and nearly all the hybrid 

 kinds do out of doors in summer, 

 and bloom well, though they may be 

 cut down in winter. Among the most 

 distinct and pretty are the dwarf and 

 fragile kinds, such as F. microphylla, 

 F. pumila, and several hardy hybrids 

 of the globosa section, all of which 

 seem to flourish near the sea. 



FUNKIA (Plantain Lily}. Valuable 

 Japanese plants of the Lily order, of 

 which there are about half a dozen 

 species and numerous varieties. The 

 different species are free-flowering, 

 herbaceous plants, with spikes of 

 bell-shaped flowers, but the chief value 



