LUPINUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LYCHNIS. 



557 



account of its fragrant purple blos- 

 soms, but from the silvery flat seed- 

 pods that succeed them. In borders, 

 on the margins of shrubberies, and in 

 half-shady situations, it is effective in 

 April and May, in any ordinary light 

 garden soil. Honesty is charming in a 

 semi-wild state on chalky or dry banks 

 and in open bushy places. Seed should 

 be sown every spring, and the plants 

 should be thinned out during growth 

 in order to make good ones for the next 

 year. L. rediviva is a perennial similar 

 to the Honesty, but with larger and 

 more showy flowers. It is 2 or 3 feet 

 high, and flowers in early summer, 

 doing best in half -shady borders of good 

 light soil. Division or seed. Moun- 

 tain woods of Europe. 



LUPINUS (Lupine). Beautiful an- 

 nuals, biennials, and perennials, chiefly 

 from N. America. The species in culti- 

 vation are few, though the names 

 occurring in catalogues are numerous. 

 The best of the perennials are : 



L. ARBOREUS (Tree Lupine) . A precious 

 plant for dry soils and rough rocky banks 

 or slopes, the scent of a single bush remind- 

 ing one of a field of Beans. Its purplish 

 variety is good, though not nearly so 

 valuable, and there are some inferior 

 yellowish varieties. The best variety is 

 the yellow, because while there are good 

 blue perennial Lupines, there is no other 

 good yellow. It forms a roundish bush, 

 5 to 7 feet high, and is easily raised from 

 seed ; handsome forms are increased from 

 cuttings. As a wall plant it is excellent. 

 It may be killed in severe winters, but is 

 worth raising from time to time where the 

 soil suits it. Mr T. Smith, of Newry, has 

 raised many good forms of this. 



L. NOOTKATENSIS. A dwarfer species, 

 and has large spikes of blue and white 

 blossoms. It flowers earlier than L. poly- 

 phyllus, and continues in bloom for a long 

 time, but it is not a good perennial, and 

 requires to be frequently raised from seeds. 

 N.W. America. 



L. POLYPHYLLUS. One of the hand- 

 somest hardy plants, 3 to 6 feet high, with 

 tall flower-spikes crowded with blossoms, 

 varying from blue and purple to reddish- 

 purple and white ; in summer thriving in 

 open positions in any kind of garden soil. 

 It is a fine plant for naturalising, as it 

 holds its own against stout weeds. The 

 principal varieties are argenteus, flexuosus, 

 laxiflorus ,Lachmanni , rivularis, andgrandi- 

 florus. N. America. Seeds. 



Annual Lupines are among the best 

 of hardy annuals, varied in colour, and 

 of the simplest culture. As they grow 

 quickly, they need not be sown till 

 about the middle of April. They 



thrive in any common soil. L. sub- 

 carnosus is a beautiful ultramarine 

 blue, and should always be grown. 

 L. hybridus atrococcineus is the finest 

 of all, having long and graceful spikes 

 of flowers of a bright crimson-scarlet, 

 with white tips. Other excellent sorts 

 are mutabilis, Ci uikshanki, Menziesi, 

 luteus, superbus, pubescens, Hartwegi, 



Ltipinus arboreus, 



and the varieties of Dunnetti. Many 

 other sorts are so much alike that they 

 are not worth separating. The smaller 

 annual Lupines are very pretty, and 

 could be charmingly used to precede 

 late-blooming and taller plants. 



LYCHNIS (Campion). Plants of the 

 Pink family, among which are a few 

 well suited for the garden. All are 

 perennial. 



L. ALPINA. A diminutive form of L. 

 Viscaria, the tufts being seldom more than 

 a few inches high and not clammy. In 

 cultivation it is pretty and interesting, if 

 not brilliant, and may be grown without 

 difficulty in the rock garden, or in rather 

 moist, sandy soil. A British plant. 



L. CHALCEDONICA. An old border plant, 

 i to 4 feet high, with large dense heads of 

 brilliant scarlet flowers, and of easy cul- 

 ture in any good ordinary soil. There is 

 a handsome double scarlet variety. The 

 double white and single white kinds are 

 less desirable. Division. 



L. DIURNA. The double deep purple- 

 red sort of this common native plant is 

 very desirable, being very hardy and very 



