POTENTILLA. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



POTERIUM. 



643 



shading to crimson. The most 

 brilliant of all, however, is Gibson's 

 Scarlet, than which no member of 

 the race has flowers of so dazzling a 

 scarlet. It is also very profuse and 

 quite an indispensable. It is probably 

 allied to P. argyrophylla atro-sanguinea, 

 the species hailing from the Himalayas. 

 P. Miss Willmott is also a valuable 

 modern sort with rosy or cherry- 

 carmine coloured flowers. As a com- 

 parison to this, though somewha t taller, 

 is P. Hopwoodiana, of hybrid origin, 

 with large flowers in blending shades 

 of rose, buff, and yellow. These single 

 kinds are easily grown, and never fail 

 to flower well. The hybrid double 

 kinds of garden origin are most showy, 

 lasting longer in perfection both on the 

 plants and when cut than the single 

 sorts. There are many distinct named 

 kinds to be had from hardy plant 

 nurseries, and these varieties represent 

 every shade of size and colour. The 

 culture of Potentillas, like that of 

 most hardy flowers, is simple. They 

 luxuriate in a light deep soil and 

 exposed positions. Best increased by 

 division and cutting in spring as new 

 growth commences. Old clumps divided 

 moderately well, though an even better 

 method of increasing is by means 

 of cuttings, which if stripped off by 

 the heel and inserted without more 

 ado in a handlight in sandy soil 

 will root to almost cent per cent. 



Among the dwarf alpine species there 

 are some very beautiful plants for the 

 rock garden. Of these the following 

 are the best : 



P. ALBA (White Cinquefoil). The leaves 

 of this pretty plant from the Alps and 

 Pyrenees are quite silvery, and have a 

 dense silky down on the lower sides. It 

 is very dwarf, and not rampant ; its white 

 Strawberry-like flowers nearly I inch 

 across, with a dark orange ring at the 

 base. Easily grown in ordinary soil ; 

 blooming in early summer. Division. 



P. ALPESTRIS (Alpine Cinquefoil). 

 Closely allied to the spring Potentilla, 

 forming tufts nearly i foot high, with 

 bright yellow flowers about i inch across. 

 Though not common, it is found on rocks 

 and dry banks, in several parts of the 

 country. A more vigorous form of this 

 plant, from the central and southern Pyre- 

 nees, is pyrenaica, with larger flowers of 

 a deeper yellow. 



P. AMBIGUA. A dwarf compact creeper, 

 with in summer large clear yellow blos- 

 soms on a dense carpet of foliage ; is 

 perfectly hardy, requiring only a good, 

 deep, well-drained soil in an open position 

 in the rock garden. Himalayas. 



P. FRUTICOSA (Shrubby Cinquefoil). A 

 pretty neat bush, 2 to 4 feet high, bearing 

 in summer clusters of showy golden-yellow 

 flowers. It is suited for the rock garden 

 or the dry bank. Its variety humilis is a 

 tiny miniature, of charming effect in the 

 rock garden, and the form davurica (per- 

 haps a hybrid) is quite prostrate. 



P. NITIDA (Shining Cinquefoil). A 

 beautiful little plant from the Alps, a 

 couple of inches high, its silky silvery 

 leaves seldom with more than three 

 leaflets each. The flowers are pretty and 

 delicate rose. It is well worth a good 

 place in the rock garden, and needs a 

 little more care than other kinds. 



P. TONGUEI. A charming plant for the 

 rock garden, and unlike any other kind 

 in its orange and terra-cotta coloured 

 flowers. It is of hybrid origin, and only 

 rises 3 or 4 inches above the soil. 



P. TRIDENTATA. A spreading carpet- 

 like plant from N. America, rarely rising 

 above 4 inches, its dark evergreen foliage 

 prettily spangled with white flowers in 

 June and July. It does best in a moist, 

 fairly rich place, and will bear partial 

 shade. Easily increased by division. 



P. VEITCHI. Finer in every way than 

 P. fruticosa, P. Fredrichseni, and the few 

 others of fruticose habit, while the flowers 

 are larger and prettier. It grows 3 or 

 4 feet high, is evergreen, and has handsome 

 sprays of nearly pure white flowers from 

 May onwards. 



POTERIUM. A small group of 

 herbs or shrubby plants of the Rose 

 order, confined to north temperate 

 regions, and worthy of some attention 

 for the rougher parts of pleasure 

 grounds, and for the wild garden, 

 their dense spikes of flower being 

 attractive and useful for cutting. P. 

 canadense is a good back-row plant 

 for the border, 4 to 5 feet high, with 

 deeply-cut grey-green foliage and long 

 spikes of creamy-white flowers from 

 the tip of every shoot during autumn. 

 Several plants should be grouped to 

 make a good bush - like mass. P. 

 sitchense is much shorter, rarely exceed- 

 ing 2 feet, and bearing purplish flowers ; 

 this grows best in damp ground. P. 

 tenuifolium, with spikes of white 

 flowers, is also worth growing, while 

 P. Sanguisorba, or Salad Burnet, is a 

 pretty native plant with green or 

 purple flowers, growing in dry 

 places. 



P. OBTUSUM (Japanese Burnet). From 

 the garden standpoint, this new species is 

 an acquisition. Vigorous habited and 

 attaining 3 feet high, it flowers in July, 

 producing numerous arching branched 

 spikes of rosy-crimson flowers. In cool 

 soil and thin screening shade it is most 



