Hardy and Half-hardy Plants 



101 



ing white blossoms. In May plants grown in this way are valuable for 

 cutting, and find a fairly ready sale. [E. H. j.] 



Spigelia marilandica. A pretty North American perennial, 6-18 in. 

 high, with dense tufts of four-angled stems, ovate Gentian-like leaves, and 

 trusses of tubular flowers of a deep red or crimson outside and yellow 

 within. It is easily grown in a moist peaty soil in cool places, and may 

 be increased by careful division in spring. 



Spiraea (Herbaceous). A great trade is done in herbaceous Spiraeas. 

 They are all easily grown in the open air in ordinary good garden soil, 

 but several of them, like venusta, 

 rose; gigantea (or kamtschatica), 

 white; and lobata, rose carmine; as 

 well as the common British white 

 Meadow Sweet (S. Ulmaria), like 

 damp situations, and are largely 

 used for planting by the sides of 

 streams, ponds, lakes, &c. S. pal- 

 mata (fig. 245), from Japan, with 

 rosy flowers, is a charming plant; 

 and S. Aruncus, the Goat's Beard, 

 makes a splendid specimen, 3-5 ft. 

 high, with feathery panicles of 

 creamy- white flowers. S. Filipen- 

 dula is an evergreen species with 

 rosettes of deeply cut fern - like 

 foliage resting on the ground, and 

 with tall spikes of white blossoms 

 during the summer. There is a 

 fine double - flowered form of it, 

 useful for cutting. The Shrubby 

 Spiraeas are dealt with in Vol. IV, 

 and the plant known as S. japonica 

 in the next section. 



Stachys lanata. A popular 

 Caucasian perennial with dense Fig. 245. spiraea paimata 



masses of wrinkled, oblong- elliptic 



leaves covered with silvery-white woolly hairs. It is a very useful plant 

 for borders, and produces its small purplish flowers in July on stems 

 12-18 in. high. These, however, should be suppressed to maintain the 

 effective silvery appearance of the plants. Propagation is easily effected 

 by division in autumn, and the young plants are sold in boxes in spring. 

 About 80,000 can be grown to the acre, but one should not overstock such 

 a free-growing hardy plant. 



Statice (SEA LAVENDER). There are annual and perennial species in 

 this genus, some being perfectly hardy, others somewhat tender. Of the 

 perennial kinds S. latifolia is undoubtedly the best. It has large wavy 



