OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN FLOWERS. 153 



Iris Fcetidissima. 



GLADDON, GLADWIN, or SPURGE-WORT; Nat. Ord. IRIDACEJE. 

 A BRITISH species, occurring largely in some parts, in shady 

 woods and swampy places near the sea. It is evergreen and of 

 a pleasing form throughout the year. Its flowers are of a dull 

 colour, and not likely to be much esteemed, more especially when 

 in midsummer there are so many beautiful kinds around ; still, 

 it merits a place in our gardens. Its handsome berry-like seeds, 

 which are so attractively conspicuous in December, are much 

 more desirable than its flowers, ready as they are for our use at 

 Christmas time. 



It grows 2ft. high, and is a water-loving plant, but may be 

 easily grown in the more moist parts of the garden. The large 

 pod is three-cornered ; the husks having turned brown, become 

 divided, and expose to view the large, orange-coloured seeds, 

 which, later, turn to a reddish-brown. They are held in the husks 

 for many weeks and strong winds do not displace them ; they are 

 very effective amongst the dark green foliage, and may be cut if 

 desired, as they often are, for indoor decoration They may be 

 used in a hundred different ways, but never do they show to more 

 advantage than when cut with ' long stems and placed in a vase 

 with some of their own dark green sword-shaped leaves ; these 

 last-named, by the way, may be appropriated throughout the 

 winter as a dressing for other flowers. There need be no 

 difficulty in growing this species, for if the soil is not naturally 

 moist in summer, a thick dressing of rotten stable manure will 

 meet the case. As a matter of fact, my specimen is grown in a 

 bed fully exposed to the sun ; the soil is well drained, and stone- 

 crops are grown in the next bed to it ; no water is ever given to 

 established plants, and still the Gladwin is well fruited ; the soil is 

 deeply tilled, and there is a thick covering of manure. It is 

 easily propagated by division of the roots in autumn or early 

 spring. 



Flowering period, June to August. 



Isopyrum Gracilis. 



SLENDER ISOPYRUM; Nat. Ord. BANUNCULACE^:. 

 THIS is a hardy herbaceous plant, of great beauty. The flowers 

 are not showy, but their great numbers and arrangement render 

 them of importance in what may be termed a fme-foliaged 

 subject. The Isopyrums are very nearly related to the thalic- 

 trums or rues, and this one greatly resembles the maidenhair- 

 like section, one of which it is often taken for. There is, how- 

 ever, an important botanical difference between the two genera : 

 the thalictrums have no calyx, and the Isopyrums have. Still, 

 as the flowers of both are very small, that feature is not very 

 observable. As a decorative plant it may be classed with the 



