612 



PARRYA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. PELARGONIUM. 



S. England. It is quite free in our 

 Sussex soils. Seeds or layers. 



PARRYA. A small group of dwarf 

 perennial herbs from high mountain or 

 arctic regions, with thick root-stocks, 

 narrow leaves, and showy flowers in 

 white, rose, or purple, and rather like 

 a dwarf Hesperis in effect. They are 

 easily grown in the rock garden in 

 ordinary soil, and increase by division. 

 Very few kinds are in cultivation, 

 though several are well worth growing, 

 such as P. integerrima, with pretty 

 purple flowers in April and May ; P. 

 nudicaulis, a charming plant with 



Parnassiapalustris (Grass of Parnassus). 



large lilac flowers in early summer ; 

 and P. Menziesii, from N.W. America, 

 with soft rosy or deep purple flowers 

 in spikes of 6 inches. 



PASSIFLORA (Passion-flower). 

 The hardy blue Passion-flower, P. 

 c&rulea, from its beauty and dis- 

 tinctness deserves to be grown wher- 

 ever the climate permits. It is not 

 so suitable for arbours or trellises 

 as for walls ; the heat from the walls 

 aids in ripening the wood, and so 

 enables it to withstand the winter. A 

 southern aspect is best for it, though it 

 grows against west or east walls, only 

 requiring a good soil, and, perhaps, a 

 slight protection during winter. In 

 places where it fruits freely the bright 



orange colour continued far into 

 autumn is an added merit. To ensure 

 fruiting, several plants should be 

 planted not far from one another. The 

 white variety, Constance Elliot, is as 

 hardy as the older kind. No other 

 variety of P. ccerulea is so distinct, 

 and no other Passion-flower is hardy 

 enough for outdoor walls. 



PAULOWNIA. P. imperialis is a 

 fine flowering tree from Japan, not 

 suitable for our climate generally, 

 though in a few places it succeeds. 

 It comes into flower and leaf so early 

 that the buds, and often the young 

 leaves, are injured by late frosts ; 

 otherwise there may be a lovely bloom. 

 It is fine in leaf as well as in bloom ; 

 the leaves are a foot in length, and 

 have even exceeded 20 inches. The 

 flowers are in erect spikes, and shaped 

 like those of a Bignonia of a delicate 

 mauve purple, blotched inside with 

 a deeper tint. In countries a little 

 warmer than Britain this tree is very 

 beautiful, and much used in public 

 gardens and even in street planting. 

 At maturity the Paulo wnia assumes 

 a dense rounded head, but rarely 

 exceeds 30 feet in height, although 

 in some south-coast gardens there are 

 trees of 40 feet. 



If the young trees are cut back 

 annually they make strong shoots 

 bearing enormous leaves, with the 

 advantage of being much hardier than 

 the tender greenhouse plants used 

 in summer to give such effects. The 

 tree is best on a light deep loam. 



PELARGONIUM (Stork's Bill). 

 Nearly all Pelargoniums are natives 

 of the southern hemisphere, or have 

 originated as cross-bred va tie ties in 

 European countries. They are wrongly 

 termed Geraniums, as, although allied 

 to that family, they are distinct 

 from it, Geraniums being chiefly 

 natives of the northern half of the 

 globe, and all of them hardy plants. 

 The genus Pelargonium contains many 

 species, which botanists have divided 

 into sections, and many kinds will 

 grow and flower in the open air during 

 summer, although unable to withstand 

 our winters. 



Of all the varieties of the flower 

 garden the " zonals " are the most 

 useful, and they are supposed to be 

 descended from two distinct species, 

 P. zonale and P. inquinans. As 

 bedding-out plants they are of great 

 value ; and the ease with which they 

 yield improved forms has led to the 



