MAURANDIA. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. MECONOPSIS. 



56.5 



flowering, and the later East Lothian 

 Intermediate Stock for late summer, 

 Stocks can be had in flower for eight 

 or nine months of the year without 

 intermission. 



Biennial Stocks comprise the 

 Brompton and the Queen, and they 

 should be sown in June and July to 

 flower in the following spring or 

 summer. They are closely allied, and 

 are probably only varieties of the same 

 kind ; but the seed of the white 

 Brompton is pale in colour, whilst 

 that of the Queen is quite dark. Old 

 growers of the Stock assert that while 

 the under side of the leaf of the Queen 

 Stock is rough and woolly, the leaf of 

 the Brompton Stock is smooth on 

 both sides. Of the Queen Stock there 

 are three colours purple, scarlet, and 

 white ; and of the Brompton Stock 

 the same, with the addition of a 

 selected crimson variety of great 

 beauty, but somewhat difficult to per- 

 petuate. Both types are really bien- 

 nials. The seed should be sown at 

 the end of July in beds, and the plants 

 transplanted to the open ground in 

 the autumn. The difficulty of win- 

 tering the Brompton Stocks deters 

 many from attempting their cultiva- 

 tion, and many die, even in a mild 

 winter. A well-drained subsoil with 

 a porous surface soil suits them best, 

 and shelter from hard frost and nipping 

 winds is of great service. A second 

 transplantation of the seedlings about 

 December has been tried with success. 



MAURANDIA. An elegant Mexican 

 twining plant, M. barclayana is often 

 grown in the greenhouse, but hardy 

 enough for the open air in summer, 

 and admirably suited for covering 

 trellises. The deep violet flowers are 

 very showy, and there are also white 

 (alba), deep purple (atro-purpurea) , and 

 rosy-purple (rosea) varieties. Easily 

 raised from seed sown in early spring 

 in heat, they will flower in the follow- 

 ing summer if planted out in May in 

 good soil and sheltered situations. 



MAZUS. M. pumilio is a distinct 

 New Zealand plant, vigorous, and 

 creeping underground so as rapidly to 

 form dense tufts, rarely more than 

 \ inch high ; the pale violet flowers 

 are borne on very short stems in early 

 summer, and the leaves lie flat on the 

 soil. M. pumilio thrives in pots, cold 

 frames, or the open air, and does best 

 in firm, open, bare spots in the rock 

 garden, in warm positions in free sandy 

 soil. Though not showy, it is an 



interesting plant, easily increased by 

 division. Figwort family. 



MECONOPSIS (Indian Poppy}. 

 Handsome Poppyworts, the most fam- 

 iliar of which is the common Welsh 

 Poppy (M. cambrica) ; the other kinds 

 are natives of the Himalayas, hardy, 

 but only of biennial duration. They 

 may be easily raised from seed sown 

 soon after ripening, preferably in a 

 little warmth ; and, indeed, a good 

 stock of strong plants can be ensured 

 only by annual sowings. The following 

 is the most successful mode of culti- 

 vating them : A piece of ground is 

 prepared by digging in good loam and 

 well-rotted stable manure ; a two-light 

 frame is placed over it, and seedlings 

 are put in about March. As soon as 

 the plants are fairly established the 

 sashes are removed (unless the weather 

 is frosty), and throughout the summer 

 the plants are well supplied with water. 

 In the following April and May they 

 will have become large plants, often 

 2 to 3 feet in diameter, and are then 

 removed to where they are wanted to 

 flower. This may be readily done 

 without needlessly checking them, as 

 they form so many fibrous roots that a 

 good ball of soil usually adheres to 

 them. They are thus grown on as 

 quickly as possible, being treated like 

 biennials. They should be planted out 

 in a well-drained rock garden in good 

 soil, with plenty of water in summer, 

 but they must be kept as dry as 

 possible in the winter, as excessive 

 moisture in cold weather soon kills 

 them. Sandstone broken fine should 

 be placed under the leaves, to prevent 

 contact with the damp soil. 



M. ACULEATA. A singularly beautiful 

 plant, with purple petals, like shot silk, 

 which contrast charmingly with the numer- 

 ous yellow stamens. The flowers are 

 2 inches across, on stems about 2 feet high. 



M. CAMBRICA. For the wild garden or 

 wilderness the Welsh Poppy is one of the 

 best plants. It is a cheerful plant in all 

 seasons, and a coloniser, making its home 

 of the wall, rock, and the ruin. In many 

 places it grows freely at the bottom of 

 walls, or even in gravel walks if allowed 

 a chance. 



M. GRANDIS. A newly introduced kind 

 from the mountains of Sikkim, and one of 

 the few true perennials in the genus. It 

 is a plant of tall habit, with uncut leaves 

 and solitary purple flowers of beautiful 

 glossy texture. 



M. HETEROPHYLLA. The only kind 

 found in America, where it grows over a 

 wide area but is nowhere abundant, thriv- 



