12 



Achillea continued. 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



and a sunny position. 



A.noUo..(Mon 



whll July. I unditidd. 



A pretty tufted alpine. 

 A. nana (dwarf) Jl.-headt white. June to August. 1. pinnate ; 



l32to horSai: A. 6in. Italy, 1759. A rockery species. 

 A, odorata (sweet-scented), fl.-headt white, fragrant. June to 

 \ J. bipinnate. A. 6in. Spain, 1729. 



.-head white. June. I. bnght 

 tufted 



Italy, 1775. A pretty 



alpine. 

 A. Ptarmlca flore-pleno (double sneezewort).* /.-Aod* pure 



whitTfieelv produced in terminal corymbs. All through the 



summer and autumn. 1. lanceolate, serrulate. A. 1ft. to 2ft. 



Fniiland This is one of the most useful white border perennials 



pown, increasing very readily. When out of flower Ihe stems 



should be cut down to the surface. 

 A. santolinoldes (Lavender-cotton-like), fl.-headt white. July. 



I. pinnate ; leaflets transverse. A. 1ft. Spain. 

 A. serrata (serrated).* fl.-headt clear white, large, in small 



corymbose clusters, forming a somewhat spreading panicle. 



Summer. I. white, with adpressed hairs, 



deeply serrated. A. 15in. Switzerland, 1686. 



FIG. 13. ACHILLEA TOMENTOSA, showing Habit and detached 

 Portion of Inflorescence. 



A. tomentosa (do 



compound corymb 



ny). 

 Summer. 



fl.-heads bright yellow, in repeatedly 

 I. woolly, bipinnatifld ; segments 



linear, acute. " A. Sin. to 12in. Europe. " One of the best yellow- 

 flowered species for the rock garden, having a dense habit. See 

 Fig. 13. 



A. umbollata (umbel -flowered).* fl.-headt white, six to eight in a 

 simple umbel. June. 1. regularly lobed ; lobes pbovate, entire ; 

 clothed with a dense, silvery pubescence, on which account the 

 plant is chiefly cultivated. A. 4in. to 5in. Greece. A very pretty, 

 dwarf rock plant. 



A. vallesiaca (Vallesian). fl.-heads white. June to August. I. 

 pinnate ; leaflets horizontal A. 1ft. Switzerland, 1819. 



ACHIMENES (from cheimaino, to suffer from cold; 

 alluding to the general tenderness of the species). Includ- 

 ing Scheeria. OBD. Qesneraceae. A large genus of hand- 

 some, stove or warm greenhouse, branched, generally hairy, 

 herbaceous perennials, with scaly, catkin-like stolons 

 underground (see Fig. 14), and sometimes from the axils 

 of the leaves. Corolla funnel-shaped ; tube rather oblique, 

 gibbous behind at the base; pedicels one-flowered, axil- 

 lary, solitary or fasciculated, bracteated. Leaves opposite, 

 or three in a whorl, serrated. 



To be successfully cultivated, they must be started and 

 grown in stove heat till they commence flowering, when 

 they may be removed to the conservatory or greenhouse, 

 there to remain till after flowering. Batches of tubercles 

 should be started in heat from February till the end of 

 April, so as to give a succession of blossom. Shake each 

 variety out of the old compost and insert separately in 

 light, sandy soil ; water sparingly at first, but when active 

 they may receive more frequent supplies. When the shoots 



Achimenes continued. 



are about 2in. high, the tubercles may be transplanted 

 to the pots, pans, or baskets in which it is intended to grow 

 them, using as potting compost fibrous peat and leaf-soil 

 in equal proportions, with about a sixth part of sheep's 

 or rotten cow manure, and sufficient silver sand to make 

 the whole porous and of a whitish appearance. Thorough 

 drainage is indispensable, and a layer of the rougher soil, 

 or sphagnum, should be placed over the potsherds, to pre- 



Fio. 14. ROOT OF ACHIMENES, showing Tubercles. 



vent the loose soil stopping the drainage. Place the pans 

 as near the glass as possible, and shade from bright sun- 

 shine. Give liberal supplies of water, with occasional 

 doses of liquid manure ; and, as the shoots lengthen, they 

 may be pinched, to induce sturdy growth and a larger 

 number of flowering branches. Place neat stakes to each 

 stem, and keep well tied, arranging the stakes as sym- 

 metrically as possible, so as to ensure an even outline, but 



FIG. 15. BOUQUET OF VARIOUS ACHIMENES. 



do not allow them to be seen. Light syringing with clear 

 water, morning and evening, is beneficial. After the plants 

 have done flowering, they should gradually have less water 

 as the foliage and stems decay ; a light airy situation 

 is needed to mature and ripen the tubers. When the 

 tops are quite dead, they may be removed, and the 

 pots stored on the sides in any warm dry corner where 



