SENECIO. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



SENECIO. 



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folius has similar foliage, but its orange- 

 yellow flowers are larger and fewer. These 

 are hardy European plants of the easiest 

 culture in the rock garden or border. 



S. CAMPESTRIS. A native plant, only 

 worth growing in its scarcer form maritima 

 (syn., 5. spathulcs folius}, found wild with 

 us in a few spots, but only common in 

 the south of Europe. It is an interest- 

 ing and pretty plant, with orange-yellow 

 flowers of the size of a shilling carried as 

 clustered heads upon stems of 6 to 12 

 inches high. A similar species is the 

 Piedmont Groundsel (5. Balbisianus) from 

 the mountains of N. Italy, and growing 

 from 3 to 9 inches high, with a ring of 

 hoary root - leaves. The golden flowers, 

 contrasted with the foliage, have a very 

 bright appearance. Both these kinds like 

 a light rubbly soil and a dry sunny place. 



S. CINERARIA (Dusty Miller). A fine- 

 leaved, half-shrubby perennial from the 

 Mediterranean coast, where it grows from 

 i to 3 feet in height, with much-cut 

 silvery leaves and clustered heads of yellow 

 flowers late in summer. It is tender in 

 many gardens, and especially in cold wet 

 soils, but is useful for its brightness 

 during summer when planted in May or 

 June. Cuttings taken in autumn will 

 root slowly on a greenhouse shelf, but 

 need careful watering in winter. This is 

 the best means of increase, for though 

 readily grown from seed, the seedlings 

 are often poor. There are several good 

 garden forms with very white leaves more 

 or less finely cut, the best of these being 

 candidissima, and a French form, Diamant. 



S. CLIVORUM. From China, with large 

 heart-shaped leaves of shining green, a 

 foot or more across, and tall much- 

 branched heads of orange-yellow flowers 

 with a brown centre, 2 to 3 inches wide, 

 in July and August. A bold waterside 

 plant of easy culture, too coarse for the 

 border, and not particular as to soil. 



S. DORONICUM. One of the showiest 

 and most useful of the group, i foot to 

 3 feet high, with stout stalks of large 

 bright yellow flowers in early summer. 

 It is hardy anywhere and in any soil. 

 Seed or division. Central Europe. 



S. DOUGLASII. A much-branched plant 

 of 3 feet, with a shrubby base, and 

 known as the Squaw Aster in N.W. 

 America. Its leaves are small and nar- 

 row or much cut, and the flowers appear 

 as very large heads of pale yellow flowers, 

 each an inch or more across. To do well 

 this needs a sheltered sunny corner and 

 dry soil. 



S. ELEGANS (Purple Jacobaea). This 

 beautiful half-hardy annual has long been 

 a favourite in gardens. It has a dwarf 

 form (nana) about a foot high, and there 

 are varieties with double flowers which are 

 showy and desirable, ranging in colour 

 from white to deep crimson, and lasting 

 a long while. The plant does best in 



rich sandy loam and planted in bold 

 masses, which flower from July to October, 

 according to the time of sowing. Cape 

 of Good Hope. 



S. GREYI. A curious hardy shrub of 

 3 to 4 feet from New Zealand, with oval 

 silvery leaves and loose heads of yellow 

 flowers. There are several allied shrubs 

 from New Zealand and S. America, 

 which are sometimes planted in collections 

 of the rarer evergreens, and are more or 

 less hardy according to local conditions. 

 S. JAPONICUS. One of the finest of the 

 large kinds, standing about 5 feet high 

 with us, its leaves nearly a foot across 

 and divided into about nine divisions. 

 The flower-stems are slightly branched, 

 and bear flowers 3 inches across of a rich 

 orange colour, in autumn. This is a hardy, 

 moisture - loving plant, and should be 

 grown in rich and moderately stiff loamy 

 soil, and beside a lake or pond where it 

 will never lack moisture. Japan where 

 it is said to reach a height of 15 feet. 

 S. MACROPHYLLUS is a stout leafy per- 

 ennial, 6 feet high when full-grown, the 

 glossy green leaves and much-branched 

 heads of small yellow flowers of stately 

 effect when grown boldly on the lawn or 

 in the wild garden. 



S. PALUDOSUS. A handsome water- 

 plant for the wild garden, found in our 

 own fen district and in wet places through- 

 out Europe. It stands 4 to 6 feet high, 

 with long narrow leaves which are coarsely 

 toothed and white with cottony down 

 while young. The bright yellow flowers 

 appear in July and August. Division. 



S. PULCHER. One of the handsomest, 



2 to 3 feet high, bearing in late autumn 



rosy-purple flowers 2 to 3 inches across. 



' The plant is hardy, but its beauty is 



1 often marred by frost and bad weather. 



It grows best in deep moist loam, and 



where some protection can be given from 



I autumn frosts. With us it rarely ripens 



' seed, but is easily increased in spring by 



cuttings of the roots, an inch long, pricked 



into pans of light sandy soil and placed 



I on a shelf in the greenhouse. Buenos 



Ayres. 



S. ROTUNDIFOLIUS. A shrub recently 

 come from New Zealand, with large 

 rounded leathery leaves covered with a 

 yellowish felt underneath. It is said to 

 be a good seaside plant in its own land, 

 despite its large leaves, and though as 

 yet on trial in this country, it has en- 

 dured 1 6 degrees of frost without injury 

 upon the south coast. 



S. SARACENICUS. In moist places in the 

 west of England this plant grows wild, 

 reaching a height of 4 or 5 feet. It is 

 useful for the margins of ponds or streams, 

 where it spreads fast, and, associated with 

 the Willow Herb, gives a beautiful effect. 

 Similar to this is 5. Dorio, also well suited 

 to the wild garden. 



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