COLUMBINES 61 



spread marigold," has been lately revived as a novelty, 

 and is certainly both a curious and a pretty flower. 



But the columbine in its finer forms is a modern 

 plant, and one which may still be much improved. 

 The beautiful long-spurred species from North Amer- 

 ica and Siberia were unknown to Parkinson, and 

 most of them were introduced into our gardens in the 

 nineteenth century. They excel the common colum- 

 bine both in beauty of form and in variety and purity 

 of colour. They are inferior to it only in vigour; 

 and, luckily, this defect has been lessened and may 

 in time be entirely removed by hybridization; for 

 there is no plant which hybridizes more readily than 

 the columbine. Indeed, it hybridizes too readily, 

 so that, unless a particular species is kept far apart 

 from others, there is no telling what its offspring will 

 be like. But this is a fault on the right side; for, 

 although one may be disappointed with many seed- 

 ling columbines grossly inferior to a beautiful parent, 

 yet there is always a good chance that some will be 

 superior; and the ordinary amateur, by merely saving 

 seed from the best varieties and without any skill 

 in hybridization, may in a few years obtain a splendid 

 strain of columbines. Indeed, he may, if he cares to 

 give up a good-sized plot of ground to their culture 

 and if he selects his seed judiciously, obtain a race of 

 plants surpassing most of those sold by the florists. 

 For the beautiful long-spurred hybrids now on the 

 market are too apt to have the rather delicate con- 

 stitution of Aquilegia coerulea, and others of their 



