142 HARDY PERENNIALS AND 



hath great large leaues of a darke greene colour, somewhat snipt 

 about the edges ; among which spring up stalks of the height of 

 two cubites, set with such like leaves ; the flowers come f oorth at 

 the topj>e of the branches like those of the Stock Gilloflower, 

 of a vei'ie sweete smell." 



These desirable flowers have a long blooming period, and their 

 cultivation is simple ; there is, however, one special point to be 

 observed, otherwise these double kinds will die off. It should be 

 remembered that they 'produce no seed, and propagation must be 

 carried out by divisions of the roots and cuttings ; old plants, 

 too, have a habit of forming their perennial crowns nearly out 

 of the soil, so that the roots going down from them are often bare 

 and unestablished ; the older parts, too, are frequently attacked 

 by ground vermin. No doubt these causes would tend greatly 

 to the former scarcity of the finer kinds, but all the difficulties, 

 if they can be called such, may be overcome by the very simple 

 process of either putting in cuttings like wallflower slips during 

 summer, or, as soon as the old plants are past their best bloom, 

 dividing and replanting the various parts deeper, whereby all of 

 them, however small, will make good plants the following season. 



This mode of keeping up the stock will be found to make the 

 plants vigorous and free blooming, and also will prove a remedy 

 for the complaint so often given expression to in such words 

 as "I lost all my double Sweet Rockets; I cannot keep them 

 above two years." 



Flowering period, June to August. 



Heuchera. 



ALUM-ROOT; Nat. Ord. SAXIFRAGACE^}. 



THIS is a small genus of hardy perennials suitable for the 

 decoration of the English garden from their bold and finely- 

 shaped leaves, which are well marked with various pleasing 

 tints, also because of their perpetual verdure and neat habit. 

 It takes its name from J. H. de Heucher, a botanist. The 

 species, as many of them as are known, are from American 

 habitats ; nearly all have been introduced within the last sixty 

 years; the well-known H. Americana^ however, is an old plant 

 in English gardens, having been cultivated for 223 years. The 

 order, as given above, together with the illustration figuring one 

 of the species (see Fig. 51), will give some idea of the usefulness 

 of the genus, especially when it is remembered that in the depth 

 of winter the foliage is fresh, and even in a growing state. 



The flowers are of little value for ornamental purposes ; they 

 are very small and numerous, and are arranged in panicles or 

 racemes, on rather tall and mostly leafless stems, round, and 

 somewhat wiry ; calyx, petals, and stamens have a mixed appear- 

 ance, the whole flower being of a dingy colour, often resembling 



