74 6 



THERMOPSIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. THUNBERGIA. 



It is hardy in a deep peat soil. S. 

 Europe. Beside these dwarf kinds 

 there are about two dozen other species, 

 ranging from 3 to 6 feet in height. 

 There is a great sameness among them, 

 as all have finely-cut foliage. A good 

 kind with fern - like foliage is T. 

 aquilegifolium, which is about 4 feet 

 high, and grows vigorously in any soil. 

 There are two or three varieties of it, 

 one (atro-purpureum) with dark pur- 

 plish stems and leaves, and a second 

 in which they are golden. 



Kinds less well known but quite 

 worth growing are T. Chelidonii, of 

 doubtful hardiness, from the Hima- 

 layas, with charming pale lilac flowers 

 and greyish-green foliage. T. Delavayi, 

 of weak constitution, comes near this, 

 with larger flowers of a rosy-violet 

 colour and a very dwarf habit. Much 

 the best and most ornamental of the 

 violet-coloured Meadow Rues is T. 

 dipterocarpum, from W. China. The 

 plant reaches 6 feet or more high, and 

 in July its elegant sprays sparkle with 

 the violet-blue-white anthered flowers. 

 A most charming plant. Happiest in 

 loam, leaf-mould, and peat where 

 moisture is not absent during the grow- 

 ing season. Easily raised from seeds. 

 T. petaloideum is a dwarf-growing kind 

 with white flowers. The taller sorts 

 are in general less desirable, but two 

 good ones are T. glaucum, from S. 

 Europe, growing 6 feet high in moist 

 rich" soil, with grey- green finely-cut 

 leaves and feathery heads of pale yellow 

 flowers ; and T. polygamum, from the 

 W. United States, which grows even 

 taller in damp places, with fine spread- 

 ing clusters of white flowers in July. 

 There is a prettily variegated garden 

 form of the first named. 



T. DIPTEROCARPUM (Lilac Meadow Rue) . 

 A distinct and graceful plant, one of the 

 best hardy flowers introduced for many 

 years. Tall, of fine foliage and habit, 

 with very beautiful flowers of lilac hue. 

 Flowers in midsummer and is quite hardy, 

 and a charming addition to the open-air 

 flower garden. We are not sure as to its 

 permanence, so it is well to add a stock of 

 young plants. China. 



All the Thalictrums do well natura- 

 lised, and are readily increased from 

 seed or careful division in early spring. 



THERMOPSIS. Perennials, 2 to 6 

 feet high, slender in growth, and with 

 long terminal spikes of attractive 

 yellow Lupine-like flowers. T. mon- 

 tana is of graceful growth, and as it 

 flowers at the same time it may be 



associated with the perennial Lupins 

 and other border plants of the season. 

 It grows best in good soil in an open 

 border, and is a native of western N. 

 America. T. rhombifolia is dwarfer 

 and with rounded leaflets, growing 

 well even in the driest places. T. 

 fabacea comes very near T. montana, 

 and has been confused with it, but 

 it comes from the north of Asia ; it 

 is of fine habit and very free-bloom- 

 ing. A scarce but good kind is T. 

 caroliniana, which grows 6 feet high 

 in rich moist soil and blooms in July 

 and August when all the rest have 

 done. For the back of the border, or 

 for massing in moist places, this is a 

 truly handsome plant. T. barbata is 

 a beautiful Himalayan species with 

 purple flowers. Some of these plants 

 spread freely at the root, and may be 

 increased by division or seeds. 



THLADIANTHA. T. dubia is a 

 handsome creeping perennial of the 

 Gourd family, from N. China and 

 India, with long climbing stems bear- 

 ing many bright yellow bell-shaped 

 flowers. 



All the flowers on a plant are either 

 male or female, so that unless both 

 sexes are planted no fruit is produced. 

 When the female flowers are hand- 

 fertilised they set freely, and the egg- 

 shaped fruits 2 1 inches long are exceed- 

 ingly handsome, green at first, changing 

 to a bright scarlet. The pale green 

 foliage is handsome and the stems run 

 to a length of many feet from a tuberous 

 root, which can be lifted in the autumn 

 after the plant has died down. In the 

 Cambridge Botanic Garden these plants 

 fruit freely every season on an east 

 wall. 



T. OLIVIERI. A new kind from N. 

 China, hardy and vigorous, making shoots 

 30 feet long in the season. The rounded 

 leaves are about 8 inches across, carried 

 on long stalks. Clusters of yellow bell- 

 shaped flowers appear from the leaf-axils 

 from July to September. A handsome 

 climber for warm walls or banks. 



THLASPI. Annual or perennial 

 herbs of slight garden value. T. lati- 

 folium is a dwarf vigorous perennial 

 from the Caucasus, 6 to 12 inches high, 

 with large root-leaves, and flowers 

 something like those of Arabis albida, 

 but larger. Suitable for borders, the 

 spring garden, and naturalising with 

 the dwarfer flowers of spring. Division 

 and seed. 



THUNBERGIA. T. alata is a beau- 

 tiful half-hardy annual, and an elegant 



