552 



LOBELIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LOBELIA. 



for though by no means fastidious, the 

 difficulty of growing it well in small 

 gardens in the absence of shade and mois- 

 ture is great. It is a bog-loving plant, 

 being found in wet ground in N. America. 

 It is, however, a true perennial, although 

 maybe a short-lived one, and should be 

 frequently raised from seed to make sure 



The Scarlet Lobelia. 



of keeping up the stock. This species is 

 not so liable to disease as L. splendens and 

 its varieties. Grown on an ordinary bor- 

 der it invariably has a weak, stunted 

 appearance ; but in a free rich soil, in a 

 shady position and well supplied with 

 moisture, I have often seen it 3 to 4 feet 

 high and flowering profusely. The flowers 

 are of the most vivid scarlet, and as they 

 last a long time in bloom it well deserves 

 care. Dr Gray mentions it as varying to 

 rose colour and even white, but this, it 

 seems, is rare. Parkinson mentions it as 

 "cherished in our garden in 1629," and 



gives it as " growing near the river of 

 Canada where the French plantation in 

 America is seated." It is hardier than 

 L. fulgens, living through the winter in 

 open beds and with little or no protection. 

 Its leaves are shorter and greener than 

 those of L. fulgens ; the flowers, too, are 

 smaller, but more numerous on the spikes. 



L. ERINUS. The dwarf section of 

 annual Lobelia is one of the most impor- 

 tant, being much used among half-hardy 

 plants. The chief points to start with 

 are good soil and well-grown established 

 plants. The soil should be light and rich, 

 and rest on a dry bottom perfectly drained. 

 On a porous bottom it may be plentifully 

 watered during a dry time in summer 

 without fear of injuring the roots. The 

 roots cannot make way, nor can the plants 

 thrive in a strong adhesive soil of clay or 

 heavy loam, and if the soil be heavy, it 

 must be lightened by a plentiful addition 

 of leaf-mould, sand, or peat. This Lobelia 

 thrives admirably in equal parts of sandy 

 loam and leaf - mould, with sharp sand 

 to keep it open. A slight mulching of 

 one-year-old sifted hot-bed manure will 

 be found useful for keeping out the drought 

 and nourishing the roots through a dry 

 season. One of the difficulties in carrying 

 dwarf Lobelias in full beauty through the 

 season is the freedom with which they 

 seed, and the moment the flowers fade 

 they should be picked off every week 

 throughout the season. Dwarf Lobelias 

 may be propagated by seeds or cuttings. 

 For ensuring stock for propagating in 

 spring, a batch of cuttings should be 

 rooted in August from plants cut back a 

 month earlier. Or these cut-back plants 

 may be earthed up and later pulled to 

 pieces and pricked out in boxes of sandy 

 soil. These youthful examples are in- 

 finitely superior to worn-out lifted stock, 

 and yield quantities of vigorous cuttings 

 for February and March propagation. 

 The cuttings should be potted by the end 

 of May, and treated in the same way as 

 seedlings. 



The varieties are numerous, and it is 

 difficult to make a selection to suit every 

 locality. L. Erinus is divided into three 

 sections viz., compacta, of which there is 

 a white form ; speciosa, of which the best 

 are Blue Stone, Ebor, Blue Beauty, 

 Emperor William, Blue King, Lustrous, 

 Brilliant ; ramosoides ; pumila, of which 

 grandiflora and magnified are fine forms, 

 as is also the pure white Mrs Murphy ; 

 and Paxtoniana is a lovely blue. Other 

 dwarf Lobelias are ramosa, with large 

 light-blue flowers, and coronopifolia, also 

 with large blue flowers. Both are half- 

 hardy annuals, requiring the same treat- 

 ment as L. Erinus. 



L. GERARDI. A hybrid raised by 

 Messieurs Chabanne and Goujon, is a 

 vigorous growing and very continuous 

 flowering plant. Before the flowering 



