LITHOSPERMUM. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LOBELIA. 



551 



LITHO SPERMUM ( Gromwell) . A 

 few of these Borage-worts are well 

 worth growing. One of the finest is 

 L. prostratum,- a spreading little ever- 

 green having flowers of a lovely blue, 

 with faint reddish-violet stripes, in 

 great profusion when the plant is well 

 grown. It is hardy, and valuable as 

 a rock plant from its prostrate habit 

 and the fine blue of its flowers. Its 

 shoots will fall down the sunny face of 

 a rocky nook, to spread into flat tufts 

 on level parts of the rock garden. On 



Lithosperinuni prostratum. 



dry sandy soils it forms an excellent 

 border plant. In such soils, it is 

 suited for the margins of beds of choice 

 and dwarf shrubs. It is sometimes 

 grown as L. fruticosum, but the true 

 L. fruticosum is a little bush, and not 

 prostrate. Easily propagated by cut- 

 tings. S. Europe. 



L. PETR^iUM (Rock Gromwell) . A neat, 

 dwarf shrub, something like a small 

 Lavender bush, with small greyish leaves. 

 Late in May or early in June all the little 

 grey shoots bear small oblong purplish 

 heads, and early in July the plant is in full 

 blossom, the full-blown flowers being a 

 beautiful violet-blue. The best position 

 for it is in the rock garden somewhere 

 near or on a level with the eye, on a well- 

 drained, deep, rather dry sandy soil. 

 Native of dry rocky places in Dalmatia and 

 S. Europe. Cuttings or seeds. 



L.purpureum-cceruleum (Heavenly Blue), 

 a British plant, is a good addition, and its 

 brilliant blue flowers are most effective. 

 L. Gastoni, L. canescens, L. gramini folium, 

 L. tinctorium, and L. rosmarinifolium are 

 very pretty plants, but coming from 

 sunnier lands than ours are not really at 

 home in our climate, and for the most 

 part they can only be grown well on dry 

 Ledges of the rock garden in the most 

 favourable districts. 



LLOYDIA (Mountain Spider-wort}. 

 L. serotina is a small bulbous liliaceous 

 plant, suitable for the cool parts of the 

 rock garden, and not of the showy 



order of beauty. It is one of the 

 first flowers the early visitor to the 

 Alps sees by the pathway over the 

 high mountains. 



LOASA. Curious prickly annuals 

 with singular flowers and stinging 

 foliage. L. hispida is pretty, growing 

 about 1 8 inches high, with deeply-cut 

 foliage and short stinging hairs, the 

 flowers i inch across, of a bright lemon- 

 yellow, the centre prettily marked 

 with green and white. It blossoms 

 several weeks in succession during 

 August and September. The other 

 kinds in cultivation are the beautiful 

 L. vulcanica, with its pure white flowers 

 and red and white striped centres ; 

 L. lateritia, a twining species, with 

 orange-red flowers ; and L. triloba. 

 All are natives of the cool regions of 

 Peru and Brazil, and can be grown in 

 the open air during summer. Treated 

 as half-hardy annuals, and grown in 

 a light fertile soil, they are interesting 

 for open borders ; the climbing species, 

 such as lateritia, require branches to 

 twine among. Seed. 



LOBELIA. Distinct and much 

 varied perennials and annuals, some 

 of high value for the flower garden. 

 The perennial Lobelias, like L. splen- 

 dens, are amongst the finest of autumn 

 flowers. Although fairly hardy, they 

 are impatient of excessive moisture, 

 and in most districts require protection 

 during winter. It is often best to 

 winter them in a cool house and plant 

 out in April. Although impatient of 

 moisture during the resting period, 

 they revel in it when in active growth, 

 and where beds can be prepared in 

 the vicinity of lakes or streams, better 

 results will be obtained than in the 

 mixed border. In propagating in 

 early spring they can be divided into 

 single crowns, and these potted on 

 soon form sturdy plants ready to plant 

 out on the approach of warm weather. 

 They thrive best in a free vegetable 

 soil, and like plenty of sun, unless in 

 the case of L. cardinalis, which I find 

 thrives best in a partially-shaded bed. 

 In some districts with light soils, and 

 often near the sea, these plants do not 

 require protection in winter. Both 

 types may be raised freely from seed 

 sown in gentle heat in February. 

 There are many good varieties. 



L. CARDINALIS (Cardinal Flower). The 

 true plant is one of the rarest and one of 

 the prettiest of the genus. The brilliant 

 effect produced in autumn by tufts of this 

 species well repays any trouble it may give, 



