io Commercial Gardening 



amongst those who love curiosities. A. crinitum, the Dragon's Mouth, is 

 an extraordinary-looking Corsican plant, 18 in. high, with evil-smelling 

 flowers, having a large hairy spathe and spadix. A. Dracunculus is 

 another curiosity, 2-3 ft. high, with deep purple or claret spathes. A. 

 palestinum has deep velvety-purple spathes. The common British Arum, 

 A. maculatum, known also as " Lords and Ladies " is well known. 



Arundo. There are two species A. DM tax and A. conspicua in 

 which a trade is done by hardy-plantsmen. They are ornamental grasses 

 from southern Europe, and produce large feathery plumes or spikes of 

 flowers. Raised from seeds and also by division. 



Asclepias currasavica (REDHEAD). A bushy Central American plant, 

 1-3 ft. high, having oblong lance-shaped leaves and clusters of curious 

 orange-red or scarlet flowers at the ends of the shoots. Plants are raised 

 from seeds or from cuttings in heat, and are effective when used for bedding 

 out in the summer months. 



There are several other species, the best known being A. tuberosa, a 

 hardy tuberous -rooted perennial, 1-2 ft. high, having dense clusters of 

 orange-red flowers borne in the axils of the leaves from July to September. 



Asperula odorata. This is the Common or Sweet Woodruff of Britain, 

 with whorls of leaves and sweet-scented white blossoms. It is an excellent 

 carpeting plant for border or shrubbery, and many people are fond of it. 

 Other kinds suitable for rock gardens are hirta, humifusa, longiflora, and 

 nitida all with white flowers; and suberosa with white silky leaves and 

 clear pink flowers. 



Asphodelus. There are several species of these graceful plants, with 

 sword-like leaves, grown by nurserymen for border decoration and for 

 cut flowers, the best being A. ramosus, 4-5 ft. high, with spikes of white 

 flowers. Other white-flowered Asphodels are albus, comosus, fistulosus, 

 and sub-alpinus, all about 2 ft. high. A. luteus (or Asphodeline lutea) has 

 yellow flowers, and is popularly known as the " King's Spear ". All the 

 kinds mentioned flourish in ordinary garden soil, and may be increased by 

 division in spring or autumn. They flower in summer. 



Aster (STARWORT or MICHAELMAS DAISY). The Asters proper are 

 ornamental border plants, many of them being so coarse and vigorous in 

 growth as to need thinning out considerably year after year. A fair trade 

 is done by nurserymen in some of the choicer kinds, while some of the 

 taller and more vigorous varieties are highly valued by florists during the 

 late summer and autumn months. Almost all kinds are easily grown in 

 ordinary garden soil, or even the poorest soil, and may be increased by divi- 

 sion. Of late years many charming seedling varieties have been raised by 

 intercrossing different species and varieties. The following is a selection: 



WHITE-FLOWERED: acuminatus, 2 ft.; corymbosus, 2 ft.; di/usus, 2 ft.; 

 dumosus, 3 ft.; ericoides, 3 ft.; graminifolius, 6 in.; longifolius, 3 ft.; 

 macrophyllus, 2 ft.; multiflorus, 3 ft.; ptarmicoides, 2 ft.; Sturi, 6 in.; 

 Tradescanti, 3 ft.; umbellatus, 5-6 ft.; undulatus, 3 ft.; vimineus, 2 ft.; &c. 



BLUE-FLOWERED: acris, 2 ft.; cordifolius, 2 ft.; linarifolius, 2 ft.; 



