kELLEBORus. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. HELONIAS. 



497 



five to seven broad and coarsely- 

 toothed divisions, the veins of which 

 are raised on the under sides and are 

 of a dark purple when young. The 

 blossoms, borne on forked stems 

 rising considerably above the foliage, 

 are dark purple. Under good cultiva- 

 tion the leaves attain the length of 

 i \ and 2 feet, forming fine specimens, 

 and flowers are produced from the end 

 of January to the end of March. A 

 fine hybrid has been obtained by 

 crossing it with H . guttatus, the result 

 being a form with large spreading 

 flower slighter than in H. colchicus, and 

 profusely marked with dark carmine 

 streaks. Another hybrid between this 

 and H. altifolius resulted in a form 

 with larger flowers of a lighter purple. 

 H. atro-nibens has leaves much thinner 

 and flowers much smaller than H. 

 colchicus, the latter dull purple on the 

 outside and greenish - purple within. 

 It is a native of Hungary, and is 

 common in gardens, but is often con- 

 fused with H. abchasicus, a taller and 

 more slender plant, the flower-stems 

 of which are longer, and the blossoms 

 nodding and smaller. H. abchasicus 

 is much superior to atro-rubens, the 

 colour of the blossoms a deep ruby- 

 crimson making them very attractive. 

 Other fine varieties of the red-flowered 

 group are Gretchen Heinemann, James 

 Atkins, and Apotheker Bogren, all 

 worthy of culture. Other reddish 

 kinds, such as H . purpurascens and 

 H. cupreus, are not worth growing. 



All the kinds will thrive in ordin- 

 ary garden soil, but for the choicer 

 kinds a prepared soil is preferable. 

 This should consist of equal parts 

 of good fibry loam and well-decom- 

 posed manure, half fibry peat, and 

 half coarse sand. Thorough drainage 

 should always be given, as stagnant 

 moisture is very injurious. A moist 

 and sheltered situation, where they 

 will obtain partial shade, such as the 

 margins of shrubberies, is best, but 

 care should be taken to keep the roots 

 of shrubs from exhausting the border. 

 In the flowering season a thin mulching 

 of moss or similar material should be 

 placed on the soil round the plants, 

 as this prevents the blossoms from 

 being spattered by heavy rains, etc. 

 Any one beginning to grow these 

 useful plants should give the soil a 

 good preparation. If well trenched 

 and manured, they will not require 

 replanting for at least seven years ; 

 but a top-dressing of well-decayed 

 manure and a little liquid manure 



might be given during the growing 

 season when the plants are making 

 their foliage, as upon the size and 

 substance of the leaves will depend the 

 size of the flowers. The common white 

 Christmas Rose is a favourite pot-plant, 

 and if required for potting its foliage 

 should be protected from injury ; 

 when the blooming season is over it 

 should be protected by a frame until 

 genial weather permits it to be plunged 

 in the open air. Hardy subjects like 

 the Christmas Rose frequently suffer 

 when removed from under glass, for 

 although hardy enough to withstand 

 our severest winters when continually 

 exposed, their growth, when made 

 under more exciting circumstances, will 

 not withstand sudden variations of 

 temperature. For this reason it is 

 advisable to keep them in as cool a 

 position as possible when in flower, so 

 that the growth of young foliage may 

 not be excited before its natural 

 season. 



Propagation may be effected by 

 division or by seeds, which, in favour- 

 able seasons, are plentiful ; as soon 

 as thoroughly ripened they should be 

 sown in pans under glass, for they soon 

 lose their vitality. As soon as the 

 seedlings are large enough they should 

 be pricked off thickly into a shady 

 border, in a light rich soil ; the second 

 year they should be transplanted to 

 their permanent place, and in the 

 third season most of them will bloom. 

 In division the clumps must be well 

 established, with root -stocks large 

 enough to cut up. The divided plants, 

 if placed in a bed of good light soil, 

 and undisturbed, will be good flowering 

 plants in a couple of years, but four 

 years are required to bring a Christ- 

 mas Rose to perfection. The best 

 time for dividing and planting is Sep- 

 tember and October, the earlier the 

 better, though the season might be 

 extended to February with compara- 

 tive impunity. Christmas Roses 

 should never be transplanted in big 

 clumps intact nothing is more fatal 

 to success. Well-rooted divisions of 

 three to five crowns apiece are amply 

 large, and soon take to the new con- 

 ditions. 



HELONIAS (Stud Flower}. A dis- 

 tinct and handsome bog perennial, 

 H. bullata being 12 to 16 inches high, 

 with handsome purplish-rose flowers 

 in an oval spike. It is suitable for the 

 bog garden or for moist ground near a 

 rivulet. In fine sandy and very moist 



