LlNARlA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LlNN^A. 549 



L I N A R I A ( Toadflax) .Includes 

 some beautiful garden annuals and 

 perennials, varying from dwarf alpines 

 to tall, coarse plants. 



L. ALPINA (Alpine Toadflax). Forms 

 dense, spreading, dwarf, and silvery tufts, 

 covered with bluish- violet and intense 

 orange flowers. It is usually biennial ; 

 but in favoured spots, both wild and culti- 

 vated, becomes perennial. It sows itself 

 freely, being one of the most charming 

 subjects that we can allow to "go wild " 

 in sandy, gritty earth, or in chinks in the 

 rock garden. It is found on moraines and 

 in the debris of the Alps and Pyrenees. 



L. ANTIRRHINIFOLIA. This elegant little 

 rock plant forms a very neat spreading 

 mass about 2 feet across, and about 6 to 

 8 inches high, and has the advantage of 



Linaria antirrhinifolia. 



not spreading so rapidly as some of its 

 congeners, and its bright purple flowers 

 are produced incessantly during the 

 summer and autumn. The plant is of 

 the easiest possible culture, and can be 

 highly recommended for the rock garden. 



L. CYMBALARIA (Ivy-leaved Toadflax). 

 Often drapes walls in a graceful way, and 

 is grown by cottagers as a window plant, 

 a common name for it being " Mother of 

 Thousands." A moist half -shady place 

 best suits it, and the white variety is even 

 prettier than the species. 



L. DALMATICA. A handsome plant, 

 3 to 5 feet high, much branched, and in 

 summer has a profusion of large showy 

 sulphur-yellow blossoms. It thrives best 

 in warm places in light well-drained soil, 



and when once established can be eradi- 

 cated with difficulty. 



L. MACEDONICA. A new and distinct 

 plant, from 2 to 3 feet high, and throwing 

 up shoots from the base. It differs from 

 L. dalmatica in its broader leaves, and is 

 quite hardy. 



L. PURPUREA. A pretty kind with 

 spikes of purple flowers, and one occasion- 

 ally sees it on old walls, as it thrives well 

 in dry spots 



L. TRIORNITHOPHORA. A beautiful 

 plant when well grown, i to i feet high, 

 and with large purple long-spurred flowers 

 in whorls of three. It is rather delicate 

 and, though perennial, should be raised 

 yearly from seed. 



L. VULGARIS (Common Toadflax). Is 

 very pretty as one sees it growing wild, 

 but is also a good garden plant. The 

 British variety Peloria is a handsome 

 Toadflax, flowering freely after midsum- 

 mer in a warm sunny border, and is effec- 

 tive in a mass. 



A few other perennial Lin arias that 

 may be mentioned are L. Uepaticce- 

 folia (Hepatica-leaved Toadflax), from 

 Corsica, which is nearly always in 

 flower in summer and autumn ; L. 

 saxatilis, with dark brown and yellow 

 flowers ; and L. anticaria, a good rock 

 plant, forming little tufts and sowing 

 itself freely. The finely-veined flowers 

 are dull white tinged with lilac. A 

 very dwarf pretty plant in flower all 

 summer is L. pallida, from Italy. 



Some of the annual species of 

 Toadflax are among our prettiest 

 border flowers, growing about i foot 

 high, and very effective in broad 

 masses. Seed should be sown in 

 ordinary garden soil in early spring, 

 and the seedlings will flower in July 

 and August. The best are L. reticu- 

 lata, with small purple flowers ; the 

 variety aureo-purpurea being a charm- 

 ing plant, with flowers which vary from 

 rose-purple to dark orange. L. bipar- 

 tita is also very variable, the colours 

 ranging from deep purple to white. 

 Perezi has small yellow flowers ; whilst 

 the flowers of maroccana vary from 

 violet to pink ; and those of multi- 

 punctata, the dwarfest of the group, 

 are black spotted with yellow. 



LINNJEA (Twin Flower). A little 

 evergreen creeper, L. borealis having 

 slender upright stalks bearing two 

 flowers each, delicately fragrant white, 

 often tinged with pink, and drooping. 

 It is usually found in moist woods, 

 where it forms a dense carpet. I have 

 often seen it thriving where the air 

 was pure and the soil suitable ; and it 



