534 



LEONURUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. LEPTOSYNE. 



plants, the old ones should be divided 

 annually or young ones raised from 

 seeds, which in some seasons ripen 

 plentifully. It succeeds either on 

 exposed spots of the rock garden or 

 in an ordinary border, if not placed 

 too near rank-growing things. 



LEONURUS (Lion' s-tail] . L. Leon- 

 itis is a distinct and handsome plant of 

 the Salvia Order, allied to Phlomis, 

 about 2 feet high, and bearing in 

 summer whorls of very showy bright 

 scarlet flowers. It is a Cape plant, and 

 is not hardy enough for our climate 



The 'L\on's-tai\(Leonurus Leonitis). Engraved from 

 a photograph by Miss Wilmott. 



during the winter, even when protected 

 by a cold frame, though in warm light 

 soils, in the southern parts of the 

 country, it thrives out of doors in 

 summer, and where it will not bloom 

 out of doors, it is worthy of a place 

 as a cool greenhouse plant. Near 

 Paris, established plants placed out 

 for the summer flower well. Wherever 

 it can be grown in the open air, it 

 would be valuable for association with 

 the finer bedding and sub-tropical 

 plants. Cuttings strike freely in spring 

 more freely than in autumn in a 

 slight bottom heat. 



LEPTOSIPHON. Pretty Californian 

 annuals. To produce the best results 

 these charming plants must be strongly 

 grown, and robust specimens can only 

 be obtained by thin sowing. In light 

 dry soils early autumn sowing is recom- 

 mended, sufficiently early to permit 

 the young plants to attain some size 

 before the setting-in of winter. Fair 

 success, however, may be looked for, 

 especially in good soils, where spring 

 sowing will often yield excellent results, 

 while the advantages of autumn sowing 

 are best seen in light sandy soils. Of 

 the numerous kinds in cultivation the 

 best is L. roseus, which is one of the 

 most charming of hardy annuals, 

 forming dense tufts, studded with 

 rosy-carmine flowers. The very pretty 

 L. luteus and its deeper-coloured 

 variety aureus are scarcely inferior to 

 L. roseus, which they resemble in 

 habit, though with smaller flowers. 

 The hybrid varieties of these are in- 

 teresting for the singular variety of 

 shades occurring among them. The 

 larger-flowered species, L. densiflorus 

 and L. androsaceus, should be too 

 well known to need description ; both 

 have lilac-purple flowers, and are most 

 attractive annuals, and of both species 

 there are good white varieties deserv- 

 ing of especial recommendation. All 

 natives of California. Polemoniaceae. 



LEPTOSPERMUM (South Sea 

 Myrtle}. One of the few Australian 

 shrubs which thrive in our country, 

 often attaining much beauty in sea- 

 shore gardens, not only in the south 

 but in the west. Among the prettiest 

 effects in flowering shrubs I have seen 

 were from this in the garden of the 

 late W. O. Stanley at Penross. It 

 should have shelter and as warm a soil 

 as we can give it, although it grows 

 well near the sea and sea gales have 

 power to injure it. It would have 

 less chance in cold and inland places, 

 and valleys where the frost is more 

 severe. L. scoparium, var. Nicholii, 

 with carmine-red flowers, is the most 

 beautiful of these plants. It may be 

 increased by cuttings, but best by seed. 



LEPTOSYNE. Californian plants of 

 the Composite family, resembling some 

 of the Coreopsis. L. Douglasi is a 

 pretty half-hardy annual, about i foot 

 high, and having large yellow flowers. 

 L. Stillmanni resembles it, but is 

 smaller. L. maritima, a perennial, is 

 somewhat tender, and should be treated 

 as an annual. It is a showy plant, 

 about 6 inches high, and bears large 



