208 HARDY PERENNIALS AND 



saw them mixed with white flowers and late flowering forget-me- 

 nots they were charming. 



Flowering period, August to the time of frosts. 



Polygonum Cuspidatum. 

 CTJSPID KNOTWEED; Nat. Ord. POLYGON ACE JE. 

 A RECENT introduction from China, perfectly hardy, shrub-like 

 but herbaceous ; a rampant grower, attaining the height of 6ft. 

 or 7ft., and spreading fast by means of root suckers. During 

 the early spring it pushes its fleshy shoots, and the coloured 

 leaves, which are nearly red, are very pleasing ; as they unfold 

 they are seen to be richly veined, and are as handsome as the 

 beautiful Fittonias, so much admired as hothouse plants. 



The long slender stems grow apace, and when the growth has 

 been completed the flowers issue from the axils of the leaves; 

 they are in the form of drooping feathery panicles, 4in. to Sin. 

 long, creamy white, and produced in clusters, lasting for three 

 weeks or more in good condition. The leaves are 3in. to 4in. 

 long, nearly heart-shaped but pointed, entire, and stalked, of good 

 substance, and a pale green colour; they are alternately and 

 beautifully arranged along the gracefully-arching stems. The 

 specimens are attractive even when not in bloom. If the roots 

 are allowed to run in their own way for two or three years they 

 form a charming thicket, which must prove a pleasant feature in 

 any large garden. 



All through the summer its branches are used as dressings for 

 large vases, and, either alone or with bold flowers, they prove 

 most useful. In the shrubbery, where it can bend over the grass, 

 from its distinct colour and graceful habit, it proves not only an 

 effective but a convenient subject, as it allows the mowing 

 machine to work without hindrance or damage. It is a capital 

 plant for the small town garden. After sending to a friend 

 several hampers of plants season after season, all without satis- 

 factory results, owing to the exceptionally bad atmosphere of the 

 neighbourhood, I sent him some of this, and it has proved suit- 

 able in every way. 



Flowering period, July and August. 



P. c. compactum is a variety of the above. It is, however, 

 very distinct in the way implied by its name, being more com- 

 pact and rigid, and not more than half as tall. The leaves, 

 too, are somewhat crimped, and of a much darker colour, the 

 stems are nearly straight and ruddy, and the flowers are in more 

 erect racemes, the colour yellowish- white. It forms a handsome 

 bush, but is without the graceful habit of the type. Like the 

 other knotweeds described, it enjoys a sandy loam, and requires 

 nothing in the way of special culture. The roots may be trans- 

 planted or divided when the tops have withered. 



